Once Upon a Time...

[morethanmyth]

They likely felt the world shift, a fragmentation of all they thought they knew. It was the way a fictional character might feel if they could feel every page turn in the book they lived in. It was the beginning of a new story and that meant an end to an old one and they would each feel that.

To some it would feel like they had just died. To others, it would feel like they had just been born. To many, it would feel like both at the same time. It all really depended on who they were and what they were leaving behind.

In any case, this world had something New appear in it. After lightning crackled in the evening sky without any storm fueling it, they would find themselves waking up in the streets of a small town called Burgess. It was a perfectly ordinary Pennsylvania town, a place where the modern mixed with the old, American suburbia at its finest, making it all the stranger that something extraordinary would happen somewhere so ordinary.

[ooc: Make a subthread for each character and those of you that would like to toss your character at someone else before Bunny and Jack show up, tag a subthread already there.]

Comments

Spawn

[hellofhisown]

Garbage. Rats. A couple roaches.

Just a couple of the things Al found himself waking up face-first in as he groggily regained consciousness in a back alley somewhere.

Not that he was unused to waking up in back alleys, but this time it was obvious that something different had happened to him.

The first clue was that he obviously wasn't in New York anymore. He knew the acrid stench of that city's alleys anywhere, but this place was too clean, even where they threw their trash. Looking out to the end of the alley he could see what looked to be the main street of a sleepy little town.

The other thing that clued him in on the fact that Something had happened to him was how he felt. Almost...energetic. Relatively speaking, of course. His body felt lighter as he lifted himself off the ground, out of the refuse.

Yet, at the same time, he felt weaker. A sickly green glow flickered from his hand briefly as he inspects it. Frowning, he grabbed a rusty pipe from the nearby pile of garbage, displeased with his current, weakened state.

"Just what I fucking need," he muttered, letting the pipe scrape along the ground as he headed further into the alleyway, away from the streets.

Re: Spawn

[morethanmyth]

There were people out there, going to shops or enjoying an evening stroll through town. The heat from the summer day was fading and being replaced by a cool evening breeze.

It would be difficult for Spawn to navigate the streets without being seen.

Re: Spawn

[hellofhisown]

Of course.

"Dammit," he snarled quietly as he glanced out the end of the alleyway.

Glancing around, Al quickly noticed a fire escape not far from him. Pulling the ladder down, he slowly pulled himself up, trying not to draw attention to himself by making too much noise.

Better this way anyway, he thought to himself as he pulled himself up onto the metal grating of the fire escape. He could get a better bearing on where he was from the rooftops.

[morethanmyth]

There was a girl in the window at one section of the fire escape, perched there reading a book. The noise Al was making made her look right at him.

She didn't scream, she didn't run away in terror.

She just looked out through him, like he wasn't there, and went right back to reading her book.

Howard | warning for starvation

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard never understood hunger when he was a kid. It was something he saw on the TV for UNICEF commercials, something he heard people lived with but never understood himself. He regularly used the term 'I'm starving' in the class period before lunch, or said 'no way I'm hungry enough to eat that' over cafeteria food.

But he's not really a kid anymore, and he knows that hunger isn't the malaise of a meal postponed. Hunger is a gun against your head and shackles on your feet at the exact same time. Hunger is the knife in your gut and the dizziness in your head and the way you feel like all the blood in your veins has been turned to ash. It's the tiny cracks as hair falls out and the gaping void of hours moving impossibly slowly with nothing in your mouth but spit and teeth and tongue. Hunger consumes you; it worms its way into the hollowness it's carved into you, and it becomes your identity.

You become it.

So at first, Howard doesn't even realize he isn't hungry. He doesn't even realize he's alive. It's as if someone's lobotomized him with an ice cream scoop. He lifts a hand to his hand, struck stupid by the change, and feels a dribble of saliva on his lower lip. Then he looks around where he is.

Suburbia. Not just suburbia, but distinctly un-Californian suburbia. Bricks, painted white paneling and siding. Gutters. Trees that lose their leaves in the winter. A slight chill on the breeze. Howard wraps his arms around himself, around his jutting ribs in the size XS sweater that seems less like clothing and more like a voracious amoeba that could swallow him in two bites.

This is probably not the sort of town an emaciated black teenager will go unnoticed in. He jumps up and grabs the top of a white fence, in the wedge where the two pickets meet, and with a strength he'd long since assumed was sapped by malnutrition, hoists himself up and over into someone's garden. He lands with a bit of a crunch - rosebush - and picks his way out of the botanical security system to try and get a look in the window.

Re: Howard | warning for starvation

[morethanmyth]

It looks like a perfectly ordinary house. The furniture and other things in it are a bit worn, like maybe the family that lives there isn't the wealthiest, but they're clean and well-kept. A woman maybe in her thirties or forties is in the kitchen, cooking dinner and a little boy of maybe ten or eleven, and a little girl of maybe five or six, are sitting in front of the TV watching something.

At the moment, the little girl seems to be using her brother as a human jungle gym. He's being very patient about, only he shoving her out of the way when she gets a limb in his face and blocks the TV.

The TV show seems to be something about aliens and when a scary-looking monster pops up on the screen, the girl lets out a squeal.

"What are you watching?" their mother asks from the kitchen, loud enough for her voice to come through the glass to Howard. She sounds concerned that it's something violent.

"Mysterious Mysteries, mom," the boy calls back. "It's a new show about these special government agents that hunt down aliens and other threats caused by fringe science."

"It's scary!" the girl says.

"No, it's not, you're just a scaredy-cat."

"How about you both put the TV to rest and come to dinner?"

"But mooom there are only ten minutes left and Dr. Knight just found out his son isn't really his son because he's from -" His eyes bug out wide "- a pocket dimension."

Re: Howard | warning for starvation

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

The first voice hits Howard like a blow to the head. He has to sit down, and he does so rather unceremoniously. Thankfully, his clothing is already filthy (and caked in crusted salt), and as such the dirt from the ground isn't much noticed.

Adults. An actual adult, and electricity, and television, and a meal on the stove. Howard has to take a deep breath, put a shaking hand over his chest as he sucks in air. As he reminds himself of the sad reality.

"You're dreaming, man. That's all." It feels real for a dream, but logic tends to make more sense than feelings. Rationality is safer than delusions. "Just dreaming."

He gets to his feet and decides he'd rather take his chances with other parts of his dream world than looking at happy kids engaged in the life he'll never have again. He hops the white fence again and stumbles a bit on the landing, skipping and staggering back into the street.

Re: Howard | warning for starvation

[morethanmyth]

There are people on the street right now, taking in the air and going to shops. It's a nice summer evening, the warmth of the day being carried away by the cool evening breeze.

In fact a group of teenagers turns around a corner and starts walking towards Howard as if they don't even see him.

Mami

[lifelinked]

Mami awakened, and immediately the feeling that something was Wrong returned. She'd felt something break inside her when she'd entered the doorway to the last witch's labyrinth and lost consciousness, and the place where she lay was very likely not a labyrinth.

She called on her Soul Gem to confirm---the little yellow glow in her hand indicated that there was no activity, no witch. She was alone in a dark place, with no sign of Kyubey, Madoka Kaname, or Sayaka Miki nearby. All was eerily silent.

With a shiver, Mami dusted the skirt of her school uniform and looked around, her curls bouncing this way and that as she took in every angle. She needed to get directions back to Mitakihara immediately, and her search for the first person to ask began.

There were people, that was good! It worried her that the signs were in English, but she knew enough of the language to get by. "Excuse me...excuse me!" She called, and no one turned. Odd. She tried waving next. Not even jumping up and down got their attention.

Irritated, she walked up to a lonely looking woman on a bench and attempted to touch her shoulder. "Please excuse me, I..."

Her hand went straight through. She stared at it in shock, and tried again with a different person. The outcome was the same. Again and again...it was as if she no longer existed.

By the time she stopped trying, she looked dazed.

Re: Mami

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"You too?"

Howard's wandering through the street, passing straight through people, when he notices someone who, like him, most not belong. Howard clearly doesn't belong; where everyone else here seems happy and healthy, Howard's maybe thirty pounds underweight on an already tiny frame. Patches of hair are missing; his clothing is filthy, as if it hasn't seen detergent in a year. Little crusts of salt are in the cuffs of his hoodie sleeves and pant legs. His veins stand out in his wrists and neck like braids over the stark bone.

And he's carrying a closed folding knife.

He's been following Mami for half a block now, having noticed her reaching out to touch people and not quite managing the task.

"This is so weird. Usually I'm the star of my own dreams and this is so the opposite." He gestures at her with the folded knife. "What's with the lolita outfit?"

[lifelinked]

Mami spins around. Someone is talking---she hears English, but the bizarre thing is that she understands more than she did. And he's talking...to her?

She sees a sick-looking young man and frowns. Best not to let on her panic: she's strong, she can handle this. Mami Tomoe is all about business. "This is a school uniform. And...I'd like to think this is a dream, but something more feels off."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Yeah. It's all too logical for something completely illogical."

School uniforms. That, to him, say boarding school, which translates to this girl being some sort of delinquent with money. Probably dangerous. She doesn't look physically intimidating which makes him wonder if she's been in trouble for stealing or cheating or bullying or what.

"You think they're all ghosts?" Howard probably looks more dead than any of them.

Nico

[spellitonce]

Nico staggered and collapsed and, with a final burst of effort, managed to shove herself over onto her back just in time for the Staff of One to tear itself free of her chest. It took longer than she was used to to recover her equilibrium; she usually didn't feel anything but an odd sense of distanced-concentration as the Staff was expelled from her body. This time though, it actually felt like a giant magic wand was tearing itself free of her chest.

Breath came back to her in deep, shuddering gasps; and it was a few moments before she could dredge up any information from outside her own skin.

The sky above her wasn't the sky of Los Angeles or New York -- not enough smog or tall buildings for either, and too cold for the former. It felt like she was lying half on pavement and half on grass. The former might account for her expelling the Staff, but she didn't feel injured. She felt amazing, even accounting for the splinter-in-her-soul sensation of the Staff's magic.

...Which, come to think of it was also odd. It usually felt different when the Staff was outside her body. That was ultimately what drove her back to her feet, grasping her Staff as she surveyed the world around her.

This wasn't where she was supposed to be. Someone -- or something had brought her here, had dragged her away from her friends for a reason she didn't know.

Well, they were going to regret it.

[morethanmyth]

The streets are full of people. It's a nice little town and a cool breeze is on the air. They're bustling between shops and playing frisbee on the streets that are less busy with traffic.

Whatever this place is, while it's not exactly Stepford in nature, it's exceedingly normal.

[spellitonce]

No one was looking at her, she noticed that quickly enough. She'd gotten used to dubious and disapproving glances from adults because of her clothing choices even before she'd become a runaway. But there she was, in a vintage black slip over a white button-up blouse and maroon leggings, and perhaps most importantly holding an elaborate magic staff in white-knuckled hands, and no one was paying her the slightest attention. Once she had checked around to see if anyone actually was looking at her, she threw her shoulders back and moved forward to test her invisibility hypothesis.

She was. Horribly so. She couldn't quite repress a shudder as she retreated to a spot where no one was likely to pass through her again. Uuugh!

"Is this supposed to scare me?!" she shouted up at the sky, glaring at the moon for lack of anything better to look at. "Because it doesn't! I've faced scarier things than intangibility in my nightie!"

[letskicksomeice]

"If you were facing scary things in a nightie, I think I have to question your choice of battle dress," said an amused voice from above.

If she turned to look, Nico would find a teenage boy perched at the top of a street lamp, clinging to it with his toes. A long wooden staff was in his hands, a rudimentary shepherd's crook that looked like it was covered in frost where his hands touched it.

Molly

[animalhats]

Molly comes tumbling into the world feeling like she must be dead, or have suddenly stopped being a mutant, or something, because it feels like something's ripping off. Like a scab that hasn't quite healed underneath yet. That's the best she can explain it, anyway, nothing's right, and something's happened.

When she sits up, she's sitting in some town somewhere, she can see a pond across the street, and she is most definitely not on the Leapfrog.

"Nico?" she calls out uncertainly, rubbing her eyes. She'd been asleep - maybe she was still dreaming? "Xavin? Chase?" She peers over a fence, trots down the street and looks down the sidewalk in both directions - there is no one she recognizes.

"Anybody?" she asks quietly, to herself.

She really really hopes this is a dream. Otherwise, she doesn't know what's going on or where she is or how to get back home.

[morethanmyth]

There are kids out here in the street, walking towards her. Two boys that look like brothers are rough-housing as they walk, one of them messing up the other's afro with a furious noogie.

A heavyset girl wearing a fluffy purple skirt and combat boots is stomping along next to them, and so is a skinnier girl in a blue t-shirt.

They don't seem to be watching where they're going as they tramp along towards Molly.

"Where's Monty anyway?"

"He had an asthma attack from the pollen. He said he'd catch up after a few hits from his nebulizer."

[animalhats]

"Hey!"

Molly runs towards them - at least it's not grownups asking where her parents are and if she's lost, right? Maybe these kids have seen the Leapfrog.

"Have you guys seen a big green hopping machine?"

Wonder Woman

[amazing_amazon]

The last thing that Diana of Themyscira remembered was that she'd been chasing a girl in a white Grecian style dress, a girl who had been calling out for help, a girl who (once Diana had caught up with her) had turned out to be Diana herself, only younger. Stunned, Diana had paused, only to chase her through a gateway and have the world flash gold around her.

And now, she was here, standing somewhere that decidedly was neither Boston, Gateway City, Washington DC, or even her native Themyscira.

Diana paused, her senses all alert. Wherever she was, however she'd gotten here, Diana was certain of one thing, that the girl she'd been following - that younger version of her - she hadn't been bringing her here.

That made no sense.

It meant that some other game was afoot.

At least, she was relieved to see, she still possessed her silver bracelets of victory, her golden lasso of truth, and the rest of the accoutrements that made up her Wonder Woman uniform.

Something felt different, though. She still felt strong, but not as strong as she usually did. That craving that she'd had for a kale, mango, and fig salad liberally spritzed with lemon juice had also oddly faded.

It was a familiar feeling, she realized. Familiar and strange. It was akin to when she'd died and gone to Olympus to become the Goddess of Truth. It was strange in that she'd felt almost omnipotent at that time, but this time, it felt as though someone had stolen some of what made Diana herself.

Diana pressed one of her star-shaped ruby earrings, activating her JLA communicator. A shriek of static buzzed in Diana's ear and she cringed. She tried contacting Oracle next, only to come across the same issue.

Wherever this is, I am not home, she realized. Instinctively, she checked the skies to ensure that there were not alternate Earths up there. There were not, she was at once dismayed and relieved to find.

Only one thing to do, she considered, rising into the air. She'd have to take stock of where she was, and then try to find out what had brought her here.

At least, she considered, I still possess the power of flight.

Re: Wonder Woman

[morethanmyth]

From the air, she'll be able to see it's a perfectly normal suburban town. There 's an eclectic mix of the old and new, of modern buildings and some very old ones - with painted advertisements from the fifties and sixties on them - but it's still exceedingly ordinary. Maybe a little bit too much like a town you'd see in the movies or on TV, but nothing exceedingly unusual. People are taking in the cool evening air of summer, walking their dogs and shopping. Kids are playing in the quieter streets.

Re: Wonder Woman

[amazing_amazon]

Diana had seen many suburbs like this, on the outskirts of Metropolis, Gotham City, Gateway City, and others.

Okay, perhaps less so Gotham City. The suburbs lying out around Gotham were nowhere near as pleasant as this. Still, everything seemed so normal.

Until something didn't. As bright as her uniform was, somehow, no one had noticed Diana in the sky. While she'd never quite been Superman - no one really yelled "Look! Up in the sky!" where Diana was concerned - there had always been someone who'd managed to look up and yell out her name.

Frowning gently, she started to move down closer to the ground again, satisfied that this place held no foreseeable danger, when the unexpected happened.

An airplane, headed straight for her. Now, Diana was not in her invisible jet. There was no obvious reason as to why the pilot of the plane, a Cessna 162 Skycatcher if Diana wasn't mistaken, wouldn't be able to see her. But he couldn't.

Alarmed, and with a cry of "Great Hera!" Diana darted out of the way and took off towards the plane. Something certainly had to have been the matter with him for him not to have noticed Diana.

She knocked on the window of the aircraft, and while the pilot turned to look in her direction, she noticed that he seemed perfectly fine, even happy to be flying.

But.

He looked right through her.

Diana's brow furrowed in contemplation.

No, while everything certainly seemed ordinary, there was something very weird going on.

She stopped flying alongside the Skycatcher and lowered herself back to the ground, her right hand instinctively pulling her gleaming lasso from its resting place on her golden girdle.

She needed answers, she realized. But given that even the people who she'd landed amongst had failed to notice her, answers would quite possibly be difficult to come across.

[fromfryingpantofire]

Sam hadn't much wanted to split off from Howard, but it was obvious the kid wasn't that comfortable around him. Better to let him go, though Sam did his best to keep his eyes out for him as he moved through the town.

He was also keeping his eye out for Dean. He wasn't sure WHAT was going on, but he wanted some answers.

And for people not to walk through him. That was just mentally uncomfortable.

[letskicksomeice]

You know what else is uncomfortable? Getting stared at by a teenage boy that looked closer to corpsey than alive.

He was perched on the roof of a gas station, looking down, trying to get a good look at Sam's face as if trying to match it.

When he was sure it was one of the faces he'd seen in the crystal, he called down, "Hey, new guy! I need to talk to you."

His eyes were a bit sunken in and his lips were just a bit too pale. That wasn't even getting into the white hair and limbs so spindly that he looked a bit like a spider up where he crouched.

[fromfryingpantofire]

Yeah. Yeah, that was definitely uncomfortable.

Sam had noticed the guy, mostly because he'd gotten used to looking up. Too many things came at him and Dean from above. It kind of sucked, but learning to look up had saved his life.

Besides that, no crooks ever thought to look up in the comics and they always got put down by Batman.

Still, he hadn't expected the...what? Weird, spindly-limbed kid to talk to him? Sam drew himself up, frowning. "What makes you think I'm going to listen?"

Yeah, fine, getting the kid's attention. And maybe figuring out just what he was.