cyclonesyndicate

[cyclonesyndicate]

all that matters || endgame

Some are born villains. Others achieve villainy. Others still, have villainy thrust upon them.

But origins should not be weighed so strictly. Even the brightest beacon of heroism, the most ardent believer in law and order, can be redeemed by the freedom of anarchy.

What matters is who you are now.

And Tempest, leader of CYCLONE, knows this best of all.

Despite their enigmatic motivations, you found yourself answering their call to join CYCLONE. And now, at the end of this nightmare that you were sure would never end… you know why.  Unions of villains this size may be unprecedented, but as it has been clearly demonstrated, there’s power in those numbers. Villains that you are, you are people first. Friends, lovers, rivals, enemies– people, and all the messy intricacies therein.

Before you leave the trial room, Tempest reminds you of their offer. You are free to stay and build CYCLONE with them, as intended.  You are offered a home, a job, and any accommodations to your secret lair that you desire.

They also offer, if you’d prefer, a way home. To return to where you came from, to put Vortex Island and its bloodshed as far behind you as you possibly can. Simply, to leave– no strings attached, no price tag, no human cost.

Tony, who slept through most of the trial, has now found himself attached to Tempest’s shoulders, and he demands that anybody who leaves has to give him scritches before they do.

Tempest gives you time to rest. In the space of a day, you’ve witnessed the deaths of two of your number, the return of all of your lost friends, and the unmasking of the mastermind behind the suffering you have endured since you arrived. It’s been a long day, and recovery does not come easily or quickly, even for villains like you. 

The hard light barriers sectioning apart the island are taken down after the trial, and the cleanup begins slowly but surely. The aftermath of the death and destruction Dominick wrought upon you and the island will never be washed away completely, but in time, the island - and you - will heal.

You rest, you eat, you relax, and for the first time in so long, all of you are together, alive, and well. But the wounds run deep, and you will have to make your choice soon.

When the time comes, Tempest reminds you of their offer, but you’ve already made up your mind, haven’t you?

You walk with your comrades, Tempest and Tony included, down to the docks, either to leave the island or to see your fellows off. You walk with them one more time, knowing that you’ll be apart for a while, but not forever. It’s not goodbye, it’s until next time. And no matter how long it is until you see each other again, you won’t forget: the pain and heartbreak, yes, but also the friendship and love.

You will remember. The island will remember. Far beneath you, the meteor, the island’s beating heart, which could take memory as easily as it could preserve it, will remember. Its memory of you is an unchanging record of your time here, proof that you existed, that you were here, and that you made a difference.

Whatever you choose, you know that you will always have a home on this island.  

You will always be a part of CYCLONE’s history.

[cyclonesyndicate]

these waters run clear once again || endgame

“Well then.”

Tempest has quietly allowed the trial to progress, but raises their hand before standing.  

“I don’t see the point in sitting around and prolonging this any further — you all found the truth and made your decision, after all. I’d say we’re quite done with your little game, Dominick. Wouldn’t you?”

They pause, taking a moment to glance over each of you. Despite their reputation as a traitorous hero turned villain, their expression does not seem to be harsh. In fact, they seem to be lost in contemplation.

“I’ll arrange for a means off the island, but first… will you all humor me with a request for a moment? I believe I discussed this with the deceased, but I did ask you all here with honest intentions. Each and every one of you piqued my interest, and having seen you all in action my hunch has been proven right. It’d be an honor to continue to work with you, if you so choose.”

Where are they going with this?

“I’d like to offer you all a choice of my own. If you so choose, I’d like to reaffirm my initial offer - a space in a team. A place to pursue whatever villainous goals you wish, with the assistance of like-minded peers. Don’t worry too much about the guarding of the meteor or anything like that  — that’s my own burden to bear. If you’d rather leave and put this place out of your memory, that is also understandable and I will not hold it against you. However, the invitation stands - and you always have a home here, should you so wish.”

They circle the table, offering something to each of you. A small, brilliantly shining prismatic shard — a piece of the meteor. You can accept it, or not.

“Regardless of your choice, I’d like to present you all with a symbol of trust between us. It’s too small to affect your powers too much if that is a concern of yours, but… It’s a one of a kind gift, and a memento of this place. A lot of bad happened, but there was also a lot of good, was there not?” 

They give you all a smile - an awkward smile, before falling silent.

They’ve said their piece, and now you have one more choice to make.

[cyclonesyndicate]

I'll catch your tears, quench your fears with joy || NULL || Trial End

No sooner after Cody casts his vote does he pull Dominick closer, brushing his thumb gently against his shoulder as he feels the Lord of Roses trembling in what he can only assume is fear. He, too, is afraid, anxiously thinking about what will come next— how many people would rather see 'justice' served, whether or not he'll have to say goodbye when time is up, and of just what kind of punishment had been planned for the 'grand finale'. Despite those thoughts and feelings overwhelming his mind, however, Cody refuses to let them show outwardly. Instead, he is focused on bringing as much comfort to the Wolf of War Dog of Dread that now clings to him as he possibly can, hoping that every passing second won't be their last. If this truly is the final time Cody can hold him, he'll make sure it's with every ounce of love in him.

But then more votes come in, and a hopeful joy starts to take hold. With every vote of 'mercy' cast, a tentative smile grows wider and wider upon Cody's face. Wider when Colette's laughs ring out in the room and she extends the kindest of visions to the man in his arms. Wider as Sade casts their vote, and wider still as the rest cast theirs (even if begrudgingly). Some may still choose 'justice', yes, but Cody no longer feels the fear that gripped him moments ago— instead, by overwhelming majority, that hope and joy has won. As Dominick sobs uncontrollably into him through his tight embrace, repeating again and again his desire to live, Cody answers his cries with a soft kiss on the head.

"I promised, didn't I? Heheh..."

With Xander's curse cast through a ruffle of hair and Fantasia's declarations made with his arms around Kamal, Cody smiles with more warmth than he's felt in a long time. For so long, he too felt that he didn't deserve normalcy, that he didn't deserve anything good. The moment the poor illusion of vigilantism sold to him wore off, he couldn't see any other way to live— he was a villain, after all. A criminal. What had he ever done to deserve the good life he wanted? And yet, until he came to Cyclone, Cody never thought to ask himself the opposite, either: what had he ever done to deserve the shit one he'd already had? 

Perhaps that's why he was so adamant in telling Dominick he'd live, and that he continues to believe that they and everyone else deserve to live quiet, happy lives if they so choose. After all they've been through and all they've suffered they deserve at least that much. With another smile, Cody leans over to catch a glimpse of Dominick's face and wipe away any tears that are streaming down.

"You're gonna live, and happily at that, 'cause I'm makin' damn sure that curse sticks. And even if you can't get yourself to accept it now, even if it doesn't feel fair for months or even years... I'm not ever gonna stop."

[cyclonesyndicate]

(what a wonderful world) || fantasia || trial end

If you want to live, you should be able to. If you want something, you should take it for yourself. That's how Fantasia has existed for the past three years, and when he hears Dominick saying that he wants to live, he's sure that his decision to vote was the correct one. If he wants to, he'll find a way to do so. Nothing about his past will ever go away-- when he closes his eyes, he'll see death every moment, and he'll never be able to escape some of what he was taught-- but that doesn't matter when the future is ahead of him. Fantasia believes this from his own experience, which had led him to deliver his parting words back in his own trial:

Just enjoy living! It is the best part about being human!

As a fellow human, just as rotten and self-serving, Fantasia beams across the room at Dominick as the verdict rolls in. 

"How does it feel, mon chéri? To be alive? I remember how delightful it was, the first time! If you do not feel it yet, do not worry-- you shall one day!"

His arms open with his proclamation, so full of excitement he is. After all, it's not just Dominick returning to life-- Fantasia himself had now managed it literally, and he wouldn't give up his second (or perhaps third at this point) chance for anything. It feels just as good as the first time. Having freedom in front of you, just a step away. The world at your fingertips, only you to decide what to do with it. All the time in the world. 

As flourishing as ever, Fantasia hops out of his chair and makes his way around the table. He waves his fingers in Dominick's direction as he goes. 

"Now, now, once you're ready, we will have to fight a bit! It's only fair, since I died and all that! Do not worry, I will go easy, okay~? I promise, doing so without obligations attached is quite fun! It is a date, nyahaha~!"

He cackles to himself at that, before he reaches his final destination. And where else would it be? With another joyful laugh, he practically flings himself at Kamal, briefly throwing his arms around the other man's neck before he starts swinging their hands back and forth. His tail wags in a way that's far more doglike than catlike. 

"Mon amour, we have done it!" He tries out a new form of address and decides he likes it, and so plows onwards excitedly. "Outsmarted even death! Like this, we can do anything we want in the future, non? How beautiful it will be! I can already see it! We can go all sorts of places! ...Oh, once those troublesome organizations are out of the way, of course... but after then!"

 After coming back from the dead, the act of taking down a couple of international espionage organizations doesn't really seem like as big of an ask as it once did. Fantasia would rather not live in fear of death any longer, after all, having experienced it once. Though he was happy to give anything a try, some things didn't warrant second attempts! And after that... well, what was there?

"Oh, I wonder what I should do... I suppose being a renowned thief is very fun, but for the rest of forever? Perhaps I should try something else... ehhh, like painting! Oh, but I do not know the first thing about it. Or clothing! Or..."

For a moment, the tide of insecurity that always accompanies thinking about too hard about his identity begins to swell. ...But what's the point of that anymore? He has plenty of time-- and, he's not as terribly alone as he once was. Surely one of his dear new friends can help him find new things to do, after they've already given him such a wealth of new and wonderful experiences!

"...Well, I will figure it out later. Now, the rest of you!" Here he turns, still clinging to Kamal. "You will all be staying in touch! This is not a request! It is a fact! And we will do all sorts of exciting new things, and you will no longer get hung up on why you should not do them or why you can not have what you want! This is also a fact, and not a request. And you will all be happy! This is also a fact! I am a genius on these things, you see. So I will look forward to seeing all of our lives from now on!"

This was what had broken him out of his own horrible cage, after all-- the sight of people living their own unique, mundane, occasionally terrible, occasionally thrilling lives. And there's no one he wants to see live on more than the people here, now.

...No, that's a lie. There is. It's himself. 

"...Ehhhhh... I should probably think of a good name for myself at some point, should I not..."

And true to form, as if he hadn't just crawled out of pseudo-purgatory and found the mastermind behind a killing game and discovered a meteor that can absorb people-- Fantasia is immediately preoccupied with what he can do next.

[cyclonesyndicate]

Golden Nocturne | Niflheim | Voting Results

The votes tick up one by one. Some souls call for Justice, and others for Mercy. Some are offered in silence, others with a word or two, one way or another, save for one.

Xander smiles a little, as Ghostheart next to him makes her speech and grants Dominick a vision. Hearing her so full of life, laughing and teasing fills him with a sense of warmth and pride. He's so glad for her, from the bottom of his heart, that she's come so far from just a little while ago, like a shadow's been lifted.

His smile only grows as the votes finish coming in. Mercy beating Justice by a great amount, with the final vote, Dominick's own. also coming in as Mercy. Finally, at the end of it all, the Lord of Roses is laid to rest with Dominick's earnest wish to just... Live. To finally live his own life, one of his own choosing. And with that vote.. It was all over. The game, everything that had come to pass over the weeks or months they'd all spent here was over.

What a thought that was. That this could end, and something new could begin from it's ashes.

Xander allows Dominick some time, just letting him cry into NULL's arms, before he addresses the ex-mastermind approaching him with an unreadable expression at first, until he's near the man...

And then reaches up to ruffle Dominick's hair and ears with a hand, his expression a bright grin once more. He may not be sure he'll ever forgive Dominick, but that didn't mean the man wasn't his friend. That he wasn't dear to Xander, even now. 

"And live thou shall, Dominick. That will be my curse, my final action as a demon. With the vestiges of my own dark power, I shall curse thee with a blessed life, one long and full of the joy you could not have before." He intones with a serious tone of voice, the dramatics coming to him as natural as breathing, though he no longer hides behind them. "The curse is laid upon thee now! So you'd best make the most of it or you'll suffer my wrath."

[cyclonesyndicate]

The Edge of Dawn | Voting End

Dominick will abide by whatever decision they all make together. The past few months, their fates have been at his fingertips which is why they needed to make this final choice. It was only fair for his fate to be decided by them. As much as he pushes away the forbidden thoughts...he knows that deep in his heart it is what he wishes for.

The first vote cast...

JUSTICE

A ping of anxiety rushes through his chest.

Cody immediately puts in the second vote.

MERCY

He doesn't show it to anyone else besides the one in his arms. Cody would be able to feel the slight tremble in fingertips and the thumping anxiety of a heart that didn't know how much longer it was going to beat. It either had years or it was going to be gone in less than an hour. Even if punishment is what it desires...

The votes continue to pour in from them all, some with words spared towards him and others placed silently. He couldn't believe the results. A greater than expected pouring into the option for mercy...he couldn't understand it. They kept telling him to live over and over again yet still he couldn't understand it. Even if it wasn't out of kindness and was for him to suffer his punishment of life...it still just couldn't make sense.

This wasn't a just world that he had wanted...the just world that he had dreamed of and wanted to bring about. A world of fairness where evil is exterminated...he realizes...now...how cruel of a world that would be. What kind of justice is served through continued suffering. When he entered here he never understood that people could care about the wicked...he never thought about whether wickedness was true or just his own opinion. There was unmistakable evil in the world...but cruel justice wasn't going to fix it. If his plan worked what would've happened? Evil would've risen up in the place of everyone he annihilated. Senseless violence can't be solved with senseless violence...

Dominick gripped even tighter to Cody...

He turns his attention towards Colette...he did fear her, he never liked ghosts or spooky things. But over time...he came to see her as a great friend. He wasn't scared of her anymore and he shakes his head at her.

"Of course not..."

He replies to her simply...

He fucked with eagles...he flew and was torched by the sun. He should've sunk into the ocean but instead he was caught and sails on the sea that almost swallowed him up because he didn't know when to stop.

He shakes his head at her again as the gold sand begins to take form in front of him...

[ ♫♫♫ ]

Everything that was lost to him over the years...his body begins to shake more at the sights, the memories of his parents and the picnics that they always used to enjoy together on their days off. Chasing each other around and tossing raspberries that Dominick would always catch flawlessly in his mouth. The days he would spend with Gianni away from the Coalition, when they just wanted to sneak away and take his boat out where they couldn't be reached and had no worries. Basking under the summer sun in a moment of carefree bliss.

He shuts his eyes tight, attempting to prevent anything from shedding from them...

He wants to...more than anything now...he wants to...

He wants them to be proud of him, he knows that he has disappointed them all by the choices he made. Surely, they would never smile at him again...What has he done with their memories? Created a name that was to inspire fear out of their name? Tarnished their dreams of a better world...a world where everyone could be happy...

His self-loathing thoughts are interrupted by the feeling of a tap on his shoulder. What he expected was Cody but instead...there...a sight he hadn't seen in eighteen years smiling back at him. There is no stopping the waterfall that begins to pour from his eyes. Their arms come around him and he can hear what they'd sound like in his ears.

No matter what a parent will always love their child, that's the way it should be, the way it should've been for Dominick. He hears so vividly in his mind the voices that he wishes could've been with him his whole life...

Look, Chloe, he has your ears and your tail!

And he has your eyes, Cedric.

Dominick is a good name isn't it?

This is why you can't run so fast, Nickie! Even if you heal quick you gotta be more careful.

Dom, we bought your favorite, raspberries!!

We love you, Dominick...

We'll always be with you, Dominick...

Whose our sweet little puppy!? It's you! It's yoooou!!

Joyful memories of eighteen years ago reaching him. Their unwavering love. They were always with him in life. They will always be watching over him in death. They will always love him...and he will never be alone.

He grips the wedding band that hanged from his neck and his other arm hugs Cody as tightly to himself as he can, as he openly sobs in the trial room. Everything that he had been keeping inside for months pouring out in a moment of passionate unabashed emotion...

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."

Broken sobs and hiccups between each and every apology...They were apologies to the players of his game, to his parents, to his brother, and everyone else that his cries can reach.

"Thank you...thank you..."

A thank you that was directed at Colette, at Cody, at everyone, even those that voted Justice, he thanks them...because every single vote has made him come to the conclusion that there is a new greatest wish in his heart...

"I want to live...I just want to live...I want to live..."

Dominick repeats those words as he reaches for his phone.

There was only one vote left to be made...

He knows what he wants more than anything else now.

He puts in his vote and the tick on mercy goes up by one more.

With the final vote placed, MERCY has won out and Dominick drops his phone back to the ground...there was no more need for it ever again.

He grips and hugs Cody tightly to himself. Through the silence of the end...the only thing that can be heard are the unstoppable sobs of a boy that has decided to choose life, that has unfairly been chosen to survive. Even if he thinks it's unfair he will never voice that it's unfair again...he will lift his head, he will live in peace, and he will carry the cross of his sins until the day he dies...It'll be a difficult weight to carry but as long as he has those that love him...both here in the land of the living and those beyond him, watching, it will lighten the load....

As he lets his emotions flow, you know at this point...the game is over.

The game has finally met it's conclusion and you all have made it out alive...

[cyclonesyndicate]

Diego sees all of the mercy votes ticking in and admits, inwardly, that he has very conflicting feelings. If Beowulf really did miss him after he died, then maybe a part of him doesn't want to kill Beowulf. Maybe a part of him just wants to abandon this whole chain of revenge thing! "Man, fuck you," he says, "Bad dogs don't get to play in the Saw trap." He votes MERCY.

Vote Recorded!

JUSTICE - 3

MERCY - 13

[cyclonesyndicate]

Jack votes justice just to be a little bitch — the majority is clear, he just wants to be a menace.

Vote Recorded!

JUSTICE - 3

MERCY - 12

[cyclonesyndicate]

Firebug votes MERCY, but they're annoyed it, muttering something about "still somehow better than Abbott" under their breath.

Vote Recorded!

JUSTICE - 2

MERCY - 12

[cyclonesyndicate]

"Perhaps redemption is an old story... but I genuinely hope you're able to find the freedom you've been looking for, Dominick." Sade votes MERCY. They still want to get at least one punch in though.

Vote Recorded!

JUSTICE - 2

MERCY - 11

[cyclonesyndicate]

Ghostheart votes for MERCY.

Vote Recorded!

JUSTICE - 2

MERCY - 10

[cyclonesyndicate]

gifts from the dead || ghostheart

Dreams, to some people, are meaningless, bizarre refractions of memory fragments, held up to the moonlight. They’re non sequiturs, odd little moments, that you wake up from in confusion and often uneasiness. People dedicate their lives to trying to find meaning in them, and still others laugh in the face of the science that may lie behind it. Dreams, to some people, are nothing more than television programs that play in REM sleep so that there isn’t simply a deep, dark, emptiness for the half of your life you spend asleep.

Ghostheart knows better.

Dreams are a conversation. They are a duet between the conscious and unconscious mind, your will and your inner desires, your hopes and your dreams and the intersection of them - wherever it may be. They reveal what it is that holds you back, but as she’s found, they also reveal what keeps you moving forward. Before coming here, she’d only been vaguely aware that her power could be used to conjure dreams as well as nightmares. She simply saw no reason to. Joy didn’t help you grow. It held you in place, if anything. If you’re happy where you are, you’ll never get better, because why would you? A nightmare is an omen of things to come, what you could be if you continue to stagnate and atrophy. Fear jars you, forces you to re evaluate. It makes you stronger. Joy is…nothing but a weakness.

Well, she’d thought so. Or she’d thought she’d thought so. In the end, it was only the angry, bitter lashing out of a young woman badly hurt, who wanted something, anything, to justify that hurt. To make it all worth it.

She’d had to lose everything, and regain it, to realize she liked the world at sunrise after all.

“You were afraid of me, when we first met.”

Colette remembered. He’d nearly jumped a foot in the air just because she’d said hello.

“Are you still afraid of me, now?”

Beowulf, who checked on her when she broke down, every time. Beowulf, who stood up for others and never tolerated their mistreatment. Beowulf, who recognized her pain, who was the first to realize what to do when she was a prisoner of her own mind, just a little girl desperate to hear her mother’s singing again. And, barring that, the singing, or humming, of anybody who cared about her.

“Did you fly, Icarus? You’ve...fucked with the eagles, pardon my language, so was it worth it? Have you won? Did you reach the great heights you sought?”

Dominick, her friend.

Ghostheart begins to laugh, shaking her head, releasing a tension she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying for twenty-odd years. She laughs so hard that it carries across the whole room, tinkling and bright, much lighter than the dark, ominous cryptid who’d joined their crew so long ago.

“Here’s your epiphany, Lord of Roses. Your kingdom rose around you, sub rosa, in secret. But you never understood until now, did you?”

She extends her hand towards him, slowly, and as she does, visible only to Beowulf, particles appear and collect in the air around her. They’re orangey-gold, glowing like sand in the sunshine at the beach, swirling like leaves on the wind as they form shapes and shift and move until scenes and figures begin to come to life. Animals, large and small, leaping and playing and yowling joyfully as they run around his feet. Faceless bodies joined in a picnic on grass that doesn’t grow here, laughing and tossing raspberries into each other’s mouths - laughing harder when they miss. A boat, bobbing on the waves, two people relaxing in the warmth of the sun and each other’s presence. Currents and strands of dreams, wrapping all around him, swaddling him in their light.

“No one who’s lost is ever truly lost. Whether to death, or to a darkness within them. There’s nothing too far to reach. Never forget that.”

A tap on Dominick’s shoulder, a hand gently touching his arm, and when he turns, the greatest feat Ghostheart could ever accomplish.

The faces of his parents, alive, full of love, moving and smiling and pouring out their love for him as they take him in their arms. Grief, if you consider it for all it is, feels a lot like fear. A fear that can fester and become hate, if you aren’t careful. If you are, though, if you have people to turn to, people whose hearts open up to you and yours in turn…it becomes smaller, until everything else overpowers it, and you can feel alive again.

Through time and space, eighteen years and thousands of miles, parents will always find their way home to their children. Children are never too lost to be found.

“Do try not to be a strange, neighbor dear,”

Colette teases, and casts her vote.

[cyclonesyndicate]

Hmm. Elegante votes JUSTICE! Because why not.

Vote Recorded!

JUSTICE - 2

MERCY - 9

[cyclonesyndicate]

Fantasia votes MERCY! He can’t doom his thematic parallel to die! Won’t you let him beat you up a little, though? Oh, won’t you let?

Vote Recorded!

JUSTICE - 1

MERCY - 9

[cyclonesyndicate]

HeadSmasher/Electroman??? picks MERCY, but only for 25 turns. After that, he will begin his assault.

Vote Recorded!

JUSTICE - 1

MERCY - 8

[cyclonesyndicate]

Alphard doesn't say anything after the reveal, or in the chaos that ensues. Anything he wanted to say, someone else has said better. He instead quietly selects MERCY, and gives a slight smile.

Vote Recorded!

JUSTICE - 1

MERCY - 7

[cyclonesyndicate]

la princesa votes mercy, though she makes it clear that she's ready to change it at a moment's notice. but the word justice is so lame, she thinks

Vote Recorded!

JUSTICE - 1

MERCY - 6