spoofer: (bicycle)
Xistentia: Mod ([personal profile] spoofer) wrote in [community profile] xistentia2018-02-08 12:31 pm

Prison World #3: Panultima (tw violence, torture, coercion)

Characters: Ensemble Cast, maybe even you!
Summary: The third prison world in Xistentia is a terrifying subdimension where sentient people exploit each other in order to run technology that will fend off D.E.S.T.I.N.Y. The 'ruling' class, Primus, are bound to a system of coupling (see: fake dating!), legacy and nepotism, whereas the Servus are put through an elaborate media circus (see: Hunger Games). You're here to study this world. And perhaps even to free those captured.
Date(s): February 8-20
Warnings/Notes: Violence, torture, coercion

Panultima
You cursed your gods and died

The Primus Life

If you thought Earth was a tough neighborhood, welcome to Panultima. Here, life is sweet. At least, as long as you're one of the Primus class.

It's a sprawling city of wicked spires and elaborate canals, covered in a luminous, translucent shield. Rather than a circular planet resting in orbit, instead, it's a flat plane of matter suspended in space, the foundations of the buildings rooted in only a hundred feet of stone and unknown technology. But the vast majority of citizens care little for that. After all, the city has every amenity and experience one might desire.

Restaurants line the streets. Theater is at an apex in development, with a particular focus on integration of moral philosophical themes. Gondolas run the canals, whereas a railway races over the winding laser-track in the air. Fashion is diverse, colorful, characterized by wild shapes, patterns, and accessories. Food imported from worlds both thriving and dying across the multiverse. At the numerous colleges and institutes, premier technology and opera are under constant invention and reinvention.
COUPLE STUFF

Primus culture emphasizes couples. Trios. Larger groups of lovers than that, even. After all, with romantic love and loyalty to care for, and survival hanging on it... who has the time or energy to care about justice for all?

Not these guys!

In this world, the mission and pleasure roll together well. The implant picks up information, so your main job is to explore. Perhaps you and your partner might enjoy yourself a glow-in-the-dark cocktail in a smoky bar where a two-headed singer is providing the music, a tour of the massive shield generators in the sparkling complex. Or pick fruit from one of the hundreds of bonding trees in the city's central park— so named, because it requires successful completion of questions to "the newlywed game" for each before one of the luscious, sweet fruits is released from a vine.
THE SERVUS LIFE

But for the little guy, life is considerably shittier. Welcome to the arena, the fully manipulable bubble reality set up to torture the slave class. The emotions of pain, fear, anguish, and wild, adrenal victory.

Most days, it looks like a forest— incidentally, very much like Xistentia. There are dozens of hybrid creatures in it, most of which are edible, others toxic, several very dangerous. However, the ground below can change at any moment, turning into mud or belching acid baths. Or you might find yourself abruptly attacked by a bear with biological armor growing from its huge shoulders. The control room, operated by Primus, is concealed from view. Its role is to keep the environment challenging for those competing, shifting the settings of the place to advantage some and cripple others.

But the arena's programming isn't the only threat.

Instead, you have a motley host of macabre killers, other Servus locked up in here just like you. Some have survived in here for years, earning favor from audiences thanks to the amount of pure horror they squeezed out of their victims. Some of the better-known brands are the Bantam Butcher, a fallen angel whose first kills were those who took his wings, and now thrives on torture. The trapmaster seems to have control over environmental factors that rivals the control room. And the baker trio will eat the flesh from your bones if they catch you.

For infiltrators, the challenge is worse. Not only might you need to kill, survive, and explore the arena with your implant— but if you want to save the very same people who are out to murder you, how are you going to do that?
Breakout!

Several days into the mission, and that's when it happens-- the control room shuts down, under attack. And suddenly, there's pandemonium. Within the arena, some of the servus know immediately what this means— and they're willing to make a break for it, cutting each other down, crippling each other if it means that the Primus might have slower-moving people to contend with and allow them to escape. Others seem to have long since given up, failing to respond as the trees suddenly go dark and motionless, the birdsong dying into silence. After all, where is there to go? It's either D.E.S.T.I.N.Y., or to join the system that hates them, isn't it?

Are you inside the arena, or out? Are you there to help the fleeing Servus, or are you merely ready to scramble on home yourself and save your own skin?
Footnotes
  1. Please ensure that threads are marked with appropriate content warnings!
  2. The plotting post for this event can be found here, and the original announcement with some other details is here.
overarches: (i'll make the starlight circle the room)

[personal profile] overarches 2018-02-26 05:48 am (UTC)(link)
[ the air isn't tense exactly, but there's something in it that makes archie hang on veronica's every word, glancing between her and jughead, then to betty, wondering if she's going to say something about their future that none of them really needs to hear right now. if jughead will say something to her. is it sad that he's relieved that her attention is on his best friend instead of on him? the guilt that comes to the surface with that thought has him cutting in, if only because he can't leave a friend hanging out to dry. ]

He meant you'd be a shoe-in. You care about more than designer bags and make-up, but you're good at styling. It's an idea to get your foot in the door. [ ...and it had been archie's idea, anyway. the apprehension of what jug will be doing doesn't set in until after betty's brought it to light. he's seen firsthand the kind of risks that jughead is willing to take. granted, he isn't knee-deep in the serpents yet, but some day he will be. that guy's still in there. ] I've seen Veronica in action. She can pull off a reporter. And as much as I want to be nearby, I'm just as likely to do something I'd regret if I thought they were in trouble. So whatever you're doing, Jug, I'm with you.

As long as you know that if something does go down, I'm going after them, no matter who stands in my way. Or how over-powered they are.
novelizes: (pic#11761608)

[personal profile] novelizes 2018-02-27 08:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[ it's not the first time what he's said has been taken the wrong way. archie is right, though. what he'd meant was that if anyone could successfully infiltrate this new life, it would be veronica. and jughead has confidence in her skill, despite not knowing her well as archie or betty. they have a better sense for the veronica under the designer clothes and pearls, whereas he has a hard time seeing past it being from the southside. not that he thinks she discriminates. if anything, he's seen her reach out to him, welcome him, especially as betty's boyfriend, and in jug's estimation, that means a lot.

so he grimaces a little, adjusting his beanie before responding. ]


Archie's got it. I think if you want to get to the top, working your way up might be the best solution. And if anyone can do it, it's you.

[ there's no doubt in his voice when he speaks, confident in veronica. then, glancing at betty and wishing he could reach across the table to take her hand, he releases a slow breath. ]

Continuing as we are isn't an option. If you, Betty, can write up some articles, I can make sure they get published anonymously. As for me and you, Arch, if we send anyone in, it might as well be us. Maybe together we can figure out a way to beat the system from the inside.
perfectible: (listen ⇾ annoyed ⇾ eyebrow perk)

[personal profile] perfectible 2018-03-03 09:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[ frankly, betty doesn't like any of this at all. she doesn't like veronica taking all the risk while she hides behind anonymity. she doesn't like that archie and jughead are going off on their own adventures, the two of them aren't exactly known for being completely level-headed or being good at avoiding recklessness.

she undoubtedly looks unhappy about the whole thing. but it's the only thing that makes sense, she thinks, without exposing her ability to morph into someone else like she had that night with chuck. she lets out a breath.]


Okay. But for the record, I don't like that you're all taking the risks...