The Corruption fades like a breath of fog. Furrlicity doesn't notice. The ice spikes still try to drill into his brain, already filled with roots it finds no hold. The Princess and her powers grasp for something she can never have.

Furrlicity had been denying her rules since the start, hadn't he? Even if he could barely remember it, like a dream upon waking, Furrlicity knew he had been a King when she had wanted something else. Even at the start his willpower had refused to bend, to be some plaything for her to toss aside when she was bored.

orioncayge's yelling catching his attention. How could it not? Man was loud as hell! But it just makes Furrlicity wince, pull his ears back. His foot scrapes the ground as he tries to keep his balance, pebbles clattering into the abyss of the Shrine.

Across the gap, Furrlicity watches as a woman writhes. He knows, then. In his heart of hearts. That is Tiramisu! The missing piece! The thing he had been searching for even when when he hadn't realized it! Furrlicity had promised to never abandon her again. He aimed to keep that promise.

But the Shrine was between the two of them.

Growling, low and throaty, his feline tail lashed.

The Princess is gone!

The Precipice Shrine had always been an ugly thing to him. Just a big pit in the ground, nothing more or less. What kind of place was this to worship? At least the Birchwild was interesting. Hell, the Giant Shrine was even a cooler concept! Who would miss it? Not him!

The Shrine is gone!

Even before his will is exacted, Furrlicity is stepping forwards. The scenery warps and shifts, as if the game is trying to fight what he wants. His foot hits empty air but he walks over it. Then with a sudden twist it changes. The hole fills in. A seamless join with the surrounding area as if it was never there to start with.

Furrlicity charges across the space the Shrine had been previously, to 'Sna'rk Dar'kness'. To Tiramisu. Sharp black claws pierce the woman like water and he pulls his partner, his friend, from the very center of her.

Tiramisu holds her head, eyes welling with tears. Confusion laces her features before she closes her eyes tight, tears drying slowly.

< You... King... um... no! No, that's not! >

Furrlicity gently shushes her and places her on his shoulder. She curls under his chin and hides her face in his neck as she regains her sense of self. Flames lick at his fingertips, warm, and the flurry of ash around his intensifies further. It shimmers in the Light.

But Light brings growth.

The berries sitting plump on his crown start to drop, ripening faster than normal. They are quickly replaced by new buds. The cycle repeats. Furrlicity leaves a trail of Corruption behind him, splattered on the ground or ready to sew in the ground, without even realizing it. A simmering infection would always give way to contagion, after all.

Spotting @sarah nearby is something of a relief. If anyone could handle this it was probably her. Furrlicity considered himself a pretty established character- but he was built for healing. On top of that, the only pokemon this event had allowed him... he didn't even have equip to a skill tree. There was little he could do if this came down to a true fight.

"Sarah!" Doing his best to trot over (he was fucking sore!), Furrlicity raised a hand. "You got a plan to clip this cunt's wings?" He glared up at the Princess.

From his shoulder, Tiramisu started to grumble. A rising in pitch, in rage, in a fervor. Hopping from his shoulder suddenly, she turned to face the Princess.

< That dumb bitch made me a slave! I'm not listening to her ANYMORE! >

Pink energy gathered around her before she shot it at the Princess in an arcing blade.

A pop-up.

< It's too late. >

The Spirit Break tears through the prompt, right for the Princess herself.

Because the Players might have to follow that prompt... But the Pokemon were just part of the game.

You don't get 'errors' while walking around your daily life. This was just daily life to her, even if the situation itself was unusual.

Why would something like that stop what was also the game making a choice?

3

Engaging? #13
FAVOR: 0 | INFLUENCE: 7 | TIME: 23

Her consciousness grasps to life like someone drowning in an ocean of dreams before bursting through to the other side. But beyond all the delusions and the dreams, there's something buried deep inside Ruby that has ever so rarely been allowed to see the light of day.

Anger.

She's always so calm, polite, thoughtful, kind, and caring, but at this moment, passion and fury burn within.

The Duchess Rubella has quickly been replaced by a whole different personality. An unstoppable will who refuses to be told what to do, what to think, what to believe. For while UNOVR was just a game to so many people, to Ruby who hadn't left this virtual space in over a year, all this was very, very real. This dream had been a fun excuse to play, to pretend to be someone else, to enjoy a mental vacation and relax, but this had escalated far beyond that. This was no longer a moment to have fun, it was a serious battle of wills, and it infuriated her.

She was even terrifying herself with how angry she was getting, watching the other nobles slowly become twisted, as if their forms were never their own to begin with. It didn't matter what or who they were, it was unforgivable and her hands began to clench at her sides.

"Dear, help me get Bandella up." She quickly moved to lift up Bandella and their new greenery, and her Pokemon followed suit. It seemed that as her delusions crashed and burned metaphorically, his own false appearance faded as well. Sarah Lee 's Braixen moved to keep them warm, which she used to her advantage to help lift them.

"T-thanks," The lady would begin, even though they were clearly struggling. "But I'm-" She collapsed again, weakened leaves budding and falling off, only to be replaced with new ones.

"You'll make it. Come on, don't give in. She can't control you. Like a puppeteer without strings, she's floundering, she knows she's already lost." Ruby nodded slowly, only for everything to change. People's willpower and desire to do something made a quite literal physical impact on the world.

The sky became bright and warm, power flowed through her veins that burned from within. The flames of her anger were a bit more visible now, and it caused a laugh to echo out as she stared at the gate, now open once more as the Shrine was reduced to nothing.

"The strategy is simple," Ruby shouted out loud to Sarah Lee and orioncayge , a grin on her face. The latter's passion and energy was inspiring, how could she not attempt to match it? "Rebuke everything the Princess says, for their realm is nothing but lies! Believe in yourselves, and that is all you'll need!"

Her eyes stared at the gate returned, open wide, almost daring her to step back into the battlefield. She ripped up the kimono around her legs with her own bare hands, wrapping the strap of fabric around her injured leg.

Go to sleep!

The time to sleep was long gone. The time to let someone else control anything about them was long gone. It was time to take a stand and do something about this. It was time to take revenge, it was time to-

Go to WAR!

A battle cry echoed from the NPC members of the Coalition, bursting with renewed energy and determination. A single shared goal burning within their hearts, pushing them to act.

"Show that failed monarch what it means to truly dream!" Ruby herself shouted with a quite literal burning passion. Suddenly dashing over towards the open gate and motioning for everyone to join her. Those charging burned brightly in proper defiance of the Princess, like rolling fireballs across the recently thawed ground. "Dear!" She shouted as her little Indeedee was running as fast as their little legs could carry her right by her side.

"Dee!"

"Stay close to me! This is going to get rough!"

ENGAGING #7
Using 2 Time
FAVOR: 2 | INFLUENCE: 6 | TIME: 27

SPOILER: Click to show

{In another world, far from virtual dreams...}"... Sir, we've detected something unusual."

The statement punches through the otherwise noisy office, causing everyone to quiet down. The radio that had been playing soft music to entertain the scientists during their research was slowly silenced.

Those words didn't always bode well when they were dealing with a human life.

"What is it, Dr. Bishop?" A man in a white lab coat speaks, slowly stepping over towards the computer and the aforementioned doctor.

"We've detected unusual brain activity. The Worldscreen software picked it up, but our sensors have been going crazy." The man speaks calmly, despite the nerves that seem audible in his tone. "We've detected similar activity to REM sleep for a few moments now, but it's recently dropped dramatically, as if-"

"She went comatose. I see." The man said, staring at the graph on the computer and its rather insane readings.

"Right, and then, it picks back up to normal sleep, as if there was nothing wrong. In fact, they seem almost more active than before, like they jumped in the entirely opposite direction." Dr. Bishop stood up from his desk, to look through the window into a small chamber.

The room itself looks very much like any other hospital room, including a patient. Laying upon a medical bed, wearing just a medical gown, was a fairly short brown-haired woman. Her body hooked up to so many different sensors, IV tubes and all kinds of other medical machinery surrounded the woman, keeping her in stable condition. Paired with their own top-of-the-line Deep-Dive VR systems rigged up to their head, it was a total mess of wires, even if the cable management was well done. She looked at peace, despite the readings from before.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Load up the visual feed? What is she seeing?" The man in the lab coat spoke again, seemingly growing visibly frustrated.

"We can't, Sir. The unfortunate truth is that Hydance recently made an update to their end-user license agreement, banning all uses of recording game footage. Considering we desire to remain in their good graces, we've disabled that feature temporarily. We've attempted to reach out for an adjustment to our research deal, to potentially come to an agreement, maybe even an exemption from the rule, but there's a bunch of legal red tape in the way."

He sighed audibly in frustration, sitting back down at his desk. "Our lawyers are concerned. Even if we don't store any footage, it's a huge grey area. We don't want any negative feedback from our testing, from the public, or from the law. Nor do we want Hydance to get in any hot water for allowing us to operate. And so-"

"So there's nothing we can do, not without pulling her out. I understand." The man sighs heavily, slowly walking over to the window to watch the sleeping girl. Her chest still slowly rose and fell with every breath, remaining perfectly relaxed. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke up once more.

"Dr. Bishop, instruct Nurse Joy to strap into their Worldscreen and check up on her. Above all, Ruby's safety and well-being is our priority. We'll need to begin brainstorming alternative ways to contact her, perhaps some kind of direct messaging, but this will suffice for now."

"Can do, Sir."

"Sarah!" called Furrlicity Purrfection, trotting across the pit of what was once the Precipice Shrine, "You got a plan to clip this cunt's wings?"

"THE PLAN IS SIMPLE. WE FIGHT UNTILL WE WIN. GIVE THEM NO QUARTER, NEVER GIVE UP." said orioncayge.
"The strategy is simple. Rebuke everything the Princess says, for their realm is nothing but lies! Believe in yourselves, and that is all you'll need!" added Ruby.

"Her cold dreams will melt under our glorious reality," Sarah said, her teeth bared in a warrior's grin.

It felt like her veins were full of mercury. She could see the banks of snow burning away in her peripherals. A timer ticking down in the corner of her UI. There was nothing quite like a countdown to get the blood pumping.

Go to WAR

They marched towards the gate, across the packed earth of what had been the Precipice Shrine. Moments ago it had been an insatiable maw. A pit that gladly swallowed everything that it was offered.

And now it was a stretch of cold ground.

She strode through a puddle, sending up a spray of steaming snowmelt.

There is ONLY REBELLION.

Ahead of them the gate to the palace stood open. Pockets of realities bloomed and burst just beyond the iron. From here it looked like a birdcage full of soap bubbles. Sarah saw Salamance charge through one of the dreams, popping it like a children's balloon.

You JUGGERNAUTS!

The burning footfalls of a thousand troops echoed around her. Men, women, nobles, servants, Pokemon, ghosts, NPC's, and anything else that had been pulled to their cause. They were a wall of flame. A fiery blade pointed right at the Princess.

Now you're imagining things. How MAGNIFICENT.

They didn't knock.

They plunged back into the Dream.

2

SPOILER: Click to show

{Current Delusion}The sky is BRIGHT and starless. The Timberlands are WARM as a HEARTH. The gate you passed through is OPEN. Only lavender, only mist, only LIGHT.

You HAVEN'T Lost

NEVER Give In

There is ONLY REBELLION. There is no royal AUTHORITY. The SHRINE is gone! You JUGGERNAUTS! Go to WAR!

You have KINDLER power here.

Now you're imagining things. How MAGNIFICENT.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Coalition of WhiteCayge}
Sarah Lee
orioncayge
Ruby

6: Lady Richtung, Marchioness of Schneeland - Sarah's Braixen
7: Lady Bandella of House Danna- ENGAGE
9: Cherrin Pepsin, Retainer of House Pepper - Orion's Delphox
11: Crawmon Copperriddle
12: Ser Price
18: Earl Slamson of Breakcourt - Ruby's Indeedee

FAVOR: 2 | INFLUENCE: 11 | TIME: 30
5/5 WORDS USED

THE PRECIPICE CROWN

5. THE CORONATION

Through the iron gate pours a blazing army, weapons raised high, indominable in their wrath. Strange, twisted creatures scuttle among them, as if the forces of both flame and darkness have chosen to wage war.

In each mind, the illusion manifests differently.

Some curse at the shadow of the Princess, who remains as absent as the newly-vanished Precipice Shrine. Her disapproval hovers like a veil of mist as the sky brightens into a new dawn, the chill in the air fades, and the woods are awash in heat and light.

The challenges, while there are many, do not bring her out of hiding. This world is her creation. Each step, each stone, each silver platter is hers. The winged, white-eyed body waiting on the battlefield is as much of an illusion as the clothes on your backs. Even when you are yourselves, sound of mind and free from delusion, this has never been an enemy that you can face head-on.

<It’s too late.>

But that doesn’t mean you can’t give her hell anyway.

There will always be people you can’t face head-on. People behind red tape. People who want you to feel powerless, alone, isolated. People who underestimate humanity’s capacity for change, in a world where even one word can make a difference.

Never give up.

We fight back through action. We fight back through creation. We fight back not just through destruction and violence and tearing things down, but by making something new and messy and beautiful and perhaps frightening as well. Where there is fire, there is light. Where there is absence, there is existence. Where one door closes, another opens.

Don’t just make things right.

Make things better.

This world is what you make it.

The King wakes up with a gasp.

Sapphire-blue feathers fall from his body as the last notes of Diva’s melody fade from the air, haunting. “I’m here,” he says, rising to a sitting position. “Your song reached me in the realm beyond. Thank you for waking me, Servant. I owe you a King’s debt.”

He rises from the casket, long beard trailing like a quetzal’s tail.

“Let’s fix things.”

The chains fall away from the Prince, and the Library changes.

The four metal spikes pulled from his body rise into the air as gravity seems to invert, pulling the players in a sudden surge towards the ceiling.

Far away, in the surge steppes, M00K:ProfessorAsh is jolted awake by a deep rumbling in the ground. She staggers out of her tent in time to see The Giant Shrine rising into the air, breaking free from its bindings in a shower of black earth. And not just the shrine– all around the Steppes, steel spires free themselves from their tethers.

Open-mouthed, Ash stands in her campsite and watches the impossible ascent, too distracted to respond to Furrlicity Purrfection’s video call.

Gravity returns in the Bedrooms, and the Prince's feet meet the floor like a thousand-ton spear at terminal velocity. There is a thunderous, crackling, terrifying BOOM.

Then the room falls away in pieces.

At the Battlefield, the Princess sips wine like blood, watching Salamence rampaging through the dream-scene of the Royal Ballroom. It stamps on screaming nobles and snatches musicians off the mezzanine, still questing blindly for the Princess. But the Princess’s scent is everywhere. Everything.

The Princess is All.

How predictable,

she says tonelessly, before everything goes to hell.

THE PRINCE crashes through the ceiling in a howling vortex of storm clouds and lightning, towing manish, Cleo and Yggy Br00ks behind him at the end of sparking chains. He bares his teeth violently at the usurper, rising to his full height, blood still oozing from his body. His hair and eyes burn gold.

“Wretch,” he snarls. “Give back what you stole!”

THE COALITION bursts through the Banquet Hall doors in an eruption of force and sunlight, sending fissures spiderwebbing across the forest floor. Magma bubbles unpleasantly in the cracks as the stench of burnt food rises in the air. Six-legged monstrosities celebrate their return to the temporary Birchwild by depositing Corruption-filled eggs around the clearing.

Now glaring daggers, the Princess rises from her seat.

What the fuck is wrong with you?

THE KING, with diva supporting him, staggers up the last step from the Catacombs. “She is not a Princess!” he calls, and at the sound of his voice, a ripple of shock passes through the nobles clustered in the clearing. “This is all a lie! An illusion, made to deceive you!”

"How miraculous. You're alive," says the Princess, deadpan.

“I cannot die,” says the King at the same time as the Prince. “If I am ever killed, I am merely reborn from the frost, as my siblings are from the ashes. The Phoenix Cycle. What this 'Princess' has been telling you is impossible.”

"Father, you've gone senile. Don't you remember me?" The Princess spreads her wings. "I am your rightful heir. Clearly, you are no longer fit to rule."

“I have no heir. Do not heed this dream-witch's words,” The King stresses. His eyes are red and dark. “She is a cuckoo-bird. A parasite. Something terrible that sprouted deep in the Shrine, then fed off all its praise and power while we withered away.”

“She should never have escaped,” rasps the Prince, taking a threatening step forward. "I'll put you back where you came from." He is stopped by a mini-dream that rises to block his path. His hateful eyes swim behind the image of the gardens, bursting from their beds with lavender. Not-quite-lavender.

The Princess folds her arms. She looks across the battlefield, across the army of nobles, across lines of narrative and delusion so twisted they have been reclaimed. Her lip trembles.

"So this is it? You would put your faith in strangers?"

Her distant tone wavers for the first time, growing harsh. “I am all that stands between Corruption and the Timberlands. In the hands of these two imbeciles, they would have been overrun long ago. Just like their sister.” The Princess casts a contemptuous look at the NOONLIGHT banners still flying from the rafters.

“I have done nothing but try to help you. But if you to know so much about the way things work, perhaps you’re better off without me.”

The threat lingers in the air. It is broken by a familiar voice.

“Aren’t y’all forgetting something? A little bird told me there is no royal authority.”

M00K:Claw saunters to the front, smile sharp as a razor. “Boys, I don’t know about you, but sounds like we’re lookin’ for an election.”

In one hand she twirls The Precipice Crown, stolen from god knows where. She holds it up admiringly, letting it catch the light. “I’d nominate myself, but I’m just a lowly servant.” Her voice oozes innocence, eyelashes fluttering. “I don’t suppose some lonely Duke or Duchess might like to be my little toy for awhile? Ruling from the shadows is more the Creed’s style.”

“Who is this lowly woman? Take her away,” says the King immediately. “This is my Kingdom. I owe allegiance to no one.” His eyes flick to diva uncertainly, then away.

“I’d stake myself before I became another puppet,” hisses the Prince, hair bristling in clumps. “I have my own lands to win back, once I end this traitor.”

“Is this really what you want?” Veiled, the Princess’s cottony eyes travel over the Coalition. Nobles, wavering. Players, disillusioned. Her voice, insidious, seems to reverberate inside your head. “You don’t know what will happen when I’m gone. You don’t know what I’ve done for you. You’ll never win alone.”

CLAW’s scarlet lips curl like a cat’s. She holds up the Crown as if dangling meat before a pack of wolves. “Ladies and gentlemen, servants and Pokemon,” she says. [tangent=

Crown a New King

You have votes equal to your character's Influence at court.

You may split your votes between multiple parties, including yourself, if desired. Votes are in-character.

Any Noble (including Players, NPCs, and Pokemon) may be crowned. Servants may not be directly nominated, however, The King may be voted for as a stand-in for the unified Servants' Will. The Servants will effectively rule through this puppet.

Each FAVOR counts as a subconscious vote for the Princess (22).]“Cast your votes.”[/tangent]

WHO WILL WEAR THE PRECIPICE CROWN?

INSTRUCTIONS

This is the final cycle. You may post as many times as you want nominating, arguing, and/or voting for your favorite Noble. As votes are IC, it is strongly recommended to lobby for/against your choices in-character to help convince others and create a strong narrative conclusion!

You have rewritten this twisted tale. Now you must choose a fitting ending.

The result of this round will have massive long-term effects.

USER INTERFACE

OBJECTIVES:

• End the Endless Night complete!
• Reclaim your Missing Pokemon complete!
• Attend the Coronation
• [tangent=

  Crown a New King

  You have votes equal to your character's Influence at court.
  
  You may split your votes between multiple parties, including yourself, if desired. Votes are in-character.
  
  Any Noble (including Players, NPCs, and Pokemon) may be crowned. Servants may not be directly nominated, however, The King may be voted for as a stand-in for the unified Servants' Will. The Servants will effectively rule through this puppet.
  
  Each FAVOR counts as a subconscious vote for the Princess (22).]Crown a New King[/tangent] new!

ERRORS:

• If attempting to vote for a Servant/Object/Real-World Celebrity/Salamence: <Target invalid.>
• If attempting to log out or pause the game: <Are you sure? You will not be able to rejoin the WORLD EVENT (ONGOING) again if you leave.> (Options: Yes/No)

STATISTICS
^{*Please track your character's current stats in your post.}

• [tangent=

  Mechanic #1: Favor

  Players may earn the Princess’s Favor by complying with the delusion. A player must obey all aspects of their delusion in a post to gain +1 Favor. This rule is absolute. Unbreakable, unbendable, and cold as ice.
  
  There is no compromise. Give in to the dream, and you will be rewarded.
  
  Rebel, and face the consequences.
  
  The effects of Favor are unknown.]FAVOR[/tangent] (none)
• [tangent=

  Mechanic #2: Influence

  Players may earn Influence at the court by taking impactful actions. There are both mechanical and narrative aspects to Influence.
  
  Players with over 5 Influence may begin to alter the Princess's Narrative, one word at a time. When you do, go ahead and RP the results. You are going to change the world.
  
  Unlike Nobles, Servants spend their influence when they use it. Influence is a fragile resource! It takes time to gather, so it's important to spend wisely. Servant Influence remains a group resource.]INFLUENCE[/tangent] +2 Furrlicity, +2 Diva, +2 Cleo, +1 Orion, +1 Sarah Lee, +1 Tuesday, +1 Valentine, +1 Ruby, +1 Manish

THIS IS THE FINAL ROUND. YOU HAVE 48 HOURS.

NOBLES: manish, Furrlicity Purrfection, orioncayge, Ruby, Sarah Lee, Yggy Br00ks

SERVANTS: Tuesday, ibis, diva, Valentine, Lucky Guy, Cleo