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The Writing Owl

Authoress
Original poster
LURKER MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
Posting Speed
  1. Speed of Light
  2. One post per day
  3. One post per week
  4. Slow As Molasses
Writing Levels
  1. Intermediate
  2. Adept
  3. Advanced
  4. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
  3. Transgender
  4. Primarily Prefer Female
Genres
Fantasy, Romance, A bit of horror, magical, and almost everything.
Everyone wants to be a hero.

It's a simple fact of life. Everyone wants to be the main character in their own story, the hero that saves the day and achieves their goals. As young children we dream that we can change the world, beat the bad guy, and save the damsel in distress.

Reality, however, is a cruel mistress.

You have never been the hero as you so dreamed. You've never accomplished your goals. However, all of that can change.

The world of Disney is in danger. Darkness clouds its optimism. The heroes you dreamed of being like are fading with each coming day.

Only you can change that.

Become a Guardian, and save Disney as you always dreamed.

~~~X Kbt Pxsflo Xoosbp~~~

"Welcome, group number 1,836." A mechanical voice reverberated in the darkness. A group of eight found themselves sitting in the darkness, only to be lit by the strange woman floating in the darkness. Her appearance sometimes fuzzed out with what could best be described as static. The whole woman looked like she was made of a dull gold, watching the group intently. "You have been chosen as Guardians who will save Disney from the impending darkness that haunts this land." The room started to lighten up, crystals surrounding the group bathing the whole room in a faint blue tint. As far as the eye could see there seemed to be endless amounts of large crystals, large enough to hold a person.

The strange woman moved on to her next task, pressing a button on a small pad she seemed to be holding. A large wall rose from the ground, full of weapons and books of all sizes travelling across the walls. "These will be your weapons with which you will fight the darkness. Each book will teach you how to wield your chosen weapon. As soon as you finish this step, you may continue with choosing your Guide." Blades glistened in the strange light while leather bound books sat neatly near whatever weapon they were meant for. The room the eight were in seemed endless, almost as if they were in some kind of fever dream.

However, this all felt too real. If they were to prick their fingers on a weapon, it would hurt. They could feel the steel of the floor, hear the whirring of what seemed to be electronics, and smell an earthy undertone to the whole room. It had no end. Those who tried to run away through the crystals would simply end up right back where they started. The holographic woman waited for the new group to choose their weapons, chiming in, "If you have any questions or doubts, you may ask me and I will answer to the best of my ability." With that the humans were left to their own devices.
~~~Vlr Xob Lro Kbt Elmb~~~
 
Ryder awoke with a start. It was dark, and his face felt cold. He wasn't what one would call a light sleeper, but he always knew when his alarm was supposed to go off, he just... chose to ignore it. Sleep was always better than the alternative. This time, though, it hadn't gone off, and it felt like it hadn't gone off for a while. Actually, it felt like, he hadn't gone to sleep at all, he just... was.

As he shifted, the cold against his cheek began to hurt, like he'd been laying against something uncomfortable for hours but hadn't realized it because, well, he'd been asleep. Pulling his arms down to lift himself up, the sleeves of his sweater pulled back and he was startled again. Not because he was in his sweater - he fell asleep in yesterdays clothes all the time, pajamas seemed like a waste of time and fabric to him - but for the reason why his face had been so cold. It felt like he'd been sleeping on a metal surface.

He jumped! Throwing himself into a standing position with the grunt of someone finding a spider on their shoulder, he nearly jumped again when he saw that the pitch black continued beneath his feet. There was simply nothing there except more bodies. None of them looked familiar, and in his momentary panic he wondered whether they were dead, but the groan of someone else waking-up, the contented sigh of another, and a steady count of expanding chests put him at ease. They started to get up and see the nothing around them, too, extending in every direction for an eternity.

How could he tell that there was nothing and not that he was just blind or in the dark? There was a light. A faint, gold-ish light, like that from a candle, coming from behind him. As he noted its existence, it grew brighter, something more akin to a television set, and what channel was it on? 64 - Creepy Robo-Lady from the Future.


"Welcome, group number 1,836."

"Her" voice reverberated in the darkness. She sounded clear, but her yellow image was disrupted with static, wavering in and out of connection. She was attractive in a strictly scientific sense. Her portions were really symmetrical, and she was at that perfect stage of old enough to know what she was doing and young enough to actually do it, but Ryder was still kind of stuck on the fact that she was, at best, a hologram. He didn't know who she was or what she wanted, but in his book, any time you woke up in the dark with a bunch of strangers and a woman who looked like the sci-fi version of a ghost, you were either dreaming, or it was a bad spot to be in. Especially if you were the one-thousand either-hundred thirty-sixth group to find yourself there.

"You have been chosen," she continued, "as Guardians who will save Disney from the impending darkness that haunts this land."

With that, light blue shards lifted from the "floor" and expanded a little larger than a full-grown man, reminding Ryder of Superman's cryostasis chamber. Light emanated from them, color shifting within like they were filled with more than should naturally fit in such a small space, and he knew - he couldn't say how he knew, but he did - that they were portals, portals to the world of Disney no doubt. He thought it strange he couldn't see the worlds through those shifting shades of blue, but he got the feeling it was because they were currently locked out.

Shaking his head immediately, trying to clear the dust still hanging around in there. They weren't locked out, they were locked in, remember? No, he needed to get his head straight before he got sucked into this weirdness, and he turned to the woman when a wall sprouted from the ground just as the crystals had, this one filled with what looked like weapons of a kind or another. Daggers, shields, wands, guns, books - he was a firm believer that the pen was mightier than the sword, so a part of him secretly appreciated that as he took in the picture before him. She had said Guardians. Did she mean for them to fight? Glancing back without any real commitment to taking in the people around him, he knew they were all younger-looking, sprinkled with a couple of adults, but still all young in his mind.

"Guardians?" he asked.

She continued as if he hadn't spoken, but he thought he might have seen a small nod that she had at least heard him. She didn't look like just a recording, but what did he know? This was the first time he'd seen a hologram person - real, recording, sentient, whatever - in person, in his life. "These will be your weapons with which you will fight the darkness. Each book will teach you how to wield your chosen weapon. As soon as you finish this step, you may continue with choosing your Guide."

His mouth felt dry. It had been hanging open since he'd woken up - heck, he drooled in his sleep, it could've been open longer - but taking in the sight, somehow knowing he couldn't go back as soon as he picked one up and that he might not come back if he did, that this was a serious decision... it struck some chord in his mind and resounded throughout his body, sending it singing with a confounding clarity. Knowing this made half of the wall become blurry, mentally, that he'd decided against that portion, which just so happened to be the more pen-side of the mightiness equation. If he was going to be fighting - wha'd she say? - darkness, then he wanted something a little sturdier and darkness-piercing. He stepped closer, his feet naturally angling toward the swords and legitimate-looking tools of war, his eyes darting from one to the next, uncertain what he was choosing, what he was doing, what he was even thinking. It was a weird sensation, just take his word on it.

Without consciously doing so, he narrowed his choices down as he got closer, standing beside the golden woman now - albeit a few, safe feet away still, but parallel by some definition. His attention was vaguely on her as she said, almost like it was directly to him, "If you have any questions or doubts, you may ask me and I will answer to the best of my ability."

Like everything else since he'd woken up, it was strange; he only had one question. "Darkness?"

He was only partially listening as she answered him. Ryder could feel it when she adjusted her attention to the group - some part of him knew when he asked that the question was meant for the others more than himself in any case. His focus was on the wall, and one sword in particular. It was shaped something similar to the one Frodo had that lit when the orcs were nearby. The silver of it shone much like the light from the crystals and took up all of his sight as the rest of the wall metaphorically vanished with his outstretched hand, it reaching back, calling out to him. Even before he griped it's hilt, the metal seemed to melt and remold itself to his grip. Pulling it off the wall, the blade bent around his fist into a fatally sharp circle except the central column which still had the leather handle, and he clenched tighter. It felt right, and the increased pressure seemed to set it off again. The thing encircled his fist entirely, expanding, ballooning, and eventually, sitting in his palm was a near-perfect sphere, seams coursing throughout it's surface in geometric designs.

It was a soccerball. Ryder's favorite sport. It. Felt. Right.

Balancing it on his hip, he turned back to the group, giving them a serious look-over. Seeing their confused expressions, worry, anger, and everything else they might have been feeling reflected in each persons eyes, it became too much for him. He looked away, a boyish grin filling his bashful face with the nervous giggle he couldn't withhold. "Heh," he said to them, shifting the ball from one hand to the other, "If it's a dream, I'm in. If it's not, it doesn't seem like I got much choice but to pretend it is, am I right?" He chuckled, still nervous. It was a little too true to be a good joke.

He turned to the Princess Leia figure - giving himself another chuckle since Disney had recently purchased the rights to Lucas Film and building his confidence back up with the nerdy thought - and lifted his head to her in an abrupt fashion. It was a signature move of his that pointed someone out of a crowd ambiguously, called the Chin-Check.

"So. Group 18-36?"
 
"Ugh, my head."

Tokola rubs on his forehead as he awakens, not quite bothering to pull himself to his feet just yet. It hadn't occurred to him that this wasn't a dream, but it also didn't feel like one either, despite all the static, glowing, floating, and vagueness of everything around him. Of course, that would make sense for him: most of his dreams were so realistic they were eerie, and this was just uncanny enough to be in the realm of what-the-heck-did-I-do-last-night. But before he could muster up the energy to stand or even get his basic senses awake, a voice caught his attention.

Welcome, group number ---- --- --- You have been chosen ---- - -- ---- -- save --- from the impending darkness.

The obvious guess would be that somebody nearby was playing a video game, right? Whatever was just said felt like it could have come right out of one, but at the same time, Tokola couldn't place whether the setting was meant to be fantasy-based or sci-fi based, apart from the mention of a very specific company. But, rather than simply ask what was going on, the dark-skinned male grabs onto the nearest surface and pulls himself to his feet, grumbling a bit under his breath.

And that's when he sees the rest of the group, which consists mostly of younger people, some of them even looking like they're school-aged. This point was only driven home when the first person's weapon morphed into what could only be described as a football: something extremely haphazard must have been afoot here, but the kid did have a point when he mentioned playing along. So, Tokola followed after him, opting instead to pick up one of the books and flip through it. If ever there was a hint for something to provide cues and lines, it would be the script, no? But alas, this book looked somewhat dry, detailing the 'art' of swordplay in a much less theatrical sense than the theatre-goer was accustomed to.

So, he grabs a longsword and a round shield off the shelf before looking back toward the robot and the other 'guardians.' From the looks of everyone, he couldn't believe they'd have much luck saving anybody from anything significantly threatening, but that's probably why they weren't group number zero-zero-zero-one. The 'A' squad must've been swallowed whole. Then the 'B' team. Then countless others, from the misfits to the rejects, and then there was this group. The most important question was obvious.

"What fate befell our predecessors after their failure?" he asks the hologram-bot in the central area, quickly regaining his coherence, "And what awaits us, should we succeed?" Better questions might involve the guide that was mentioned, but Tokola isn't entirely sure he should take the machine's word at face value on every subject, so for now he waits.
 
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Something felt wrong. She knew it. The warm bed she had flopped on the night before was replaced with something hard and cold. Doriane's eyes opened up instantly, and she jumped up quickly. Bad idea. She quickly lost footing to the world that seemed to be tilting over on its side, and dropped back to her knees as she held her head with both hands. "Ugh..."

It took a minute for the dizziness to stop, and she looked up at the ceiling -which was only pitch black- and took deep breaths. She finally stood up, and looked at the weird hologram of a lady. She was a golden color, that has lost its once glorious shine, however. The woman began talking about them being "Guardians" and saving the worlds of Disney. And "Group 1,836"? What happen to the other 1,835 groups before them?

Was she dreaming? She had pinched herself a couple of times to see if it was a dream, but the pain was clearly there. And besides, in her dreams, people didn't have faces, they were usually blurred out. Why? She didn't have a single freaking clue. In addition, she could clearly see the wave of emotions on every person's face. Honestly, Doriane really didn't need to have more proof than that.

Truthfully, the brunette was thrilled. How many times in life do you get to save freaking worlds? Disney worlds, to be exact! And she really doubted this was a whole prank, because walls literally rose out of the ground, with tons of different weapons, books, wands. Pretty much anything that has to deal with fantasy.

These will be your weapons with which you will fight the darkness. Each book will teach you how to wield your chosen weapon. As soon as you finish this step, you may continue with choosing your Guide.

Doriane's eyes were glittering at the sight before her. She was going to fight. With weapons. She was going to save worlds. She walked towards the wall as others had done and looked at the weapons in marvel. But one in particular caught her eye. She rushed over to the- well, not exactly a weapon... It was a beautiful calligraphy pen.

She took it into her hands immediately, but carefully, as she traced the smooth wood under her fingertips, and touched the tip of the pen, which was a beautiful darkish gold color. The area where you would hold the pen was also the same dark gold as the tip, but the metal stopped and was replaced with wood, a reddish color.
"Wow..." breathed out the 19 year old. Maybe others thought her reaction was weird, but as an artist, Doriane had never seen such an amazing pen. And it just felt right in her hands. Like she was meant to create beautiful masterpieces of art with it.

She was quickly taken out of her trance by one of the guys that had grabbed a weapon. However, it had turned into a soccer ball. She shrugged as she replied.
"Honestly, I kinda like this dream." she grinned to herself as she looked at her pen. But just like the guy's weapon, her own morphed into something else. It was a golden medallion on an also golden chain. She felt a pang of nostalgia and surprise when she realized that it was an exact replica of the medallion her grandmother had given her. She touched her neck, and it wasn't there. She must of taken it off before she fell asleep...
 
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Justin knew something was wrong the moment he felt the cold, hard floor beneath him, it was no longer his bed. His eyes shot open in alarm and he noticed he even wasn' tin his home anymore. He took a few deep breaths in order to try and calm himself, damn this anxiety of his.

He sat up and listened to the figure, Guardian? Darkness!? That didn't sound good. He glanced over and saw a few of the others already appearing to get some sort of weapons or something. He stood to his feet and walked cautiously over to the small group.

He couldn't but chuckle at the others' shenanigans, it seemed like one of them wasn't taking it to seriously.

"Enjoying yourself?" He asked the one with the soccerball
 
Willow sat up with a start, immediately confused as to where she was. No longer was she under the soft, grey blankets of her bed. The grey had transformed into harsh walls, and within it, stood a group of confused looking people, each no more than a few years older than herself. The ones who were up seemed to be staring at a hologram, which was giving instructions of some kind.
"Welcome, group number 1,836. You have been chosen as Guardians who will save Disney from the impending darkness that haunts this land."
What? Willow thought, rubbing the bump on her head. This seemed to real to be a dream, though it would be really weird if this was real. standing up, she walked over to next to the woman, who was a brilliant, iridescent gold.
"These will be your weapons with which you will fight the darkness. Each book will teach you how to wield your chosen weapon. As soon as you finish this step, you may continue with choosing your Guide."
Looking to the left, she saw a wall rise up from the ground. Ok, this is definitely weird. Pinching herself, (and then wincing from how hard she had pinched), Willow's thoughts were interrupted when she noticed the scythe on the wall. Already, some of the others were heading over to choose theirs; a boy was grabbing a shield and a sword, and another was taking a... soccer ball? Jeez, I could have used that one. i'm not half bad at being a soccer goalie. But the scythe felt right. She had grown up on a farm, and had handled the tool hundreds of times before. Getting off the ground, she walked straight for it, and confidently took it down, discarding the book that came with it. Sitting down in the corner, she started humming her favorite, comforting song as she inspected it. She watched as another girl breathlessly took a pen off the wall as the soccer ball boy spoke.
"So. Group 18-36?"
 
(AAH IM HERE)

Han swore he'd been practicing his choreography in his room, probably singing too. After all, for some reason, he always had the urge to move around. However, Han found himself standing in a dark room. He widened his eyes just to make sure he could at least see something. Apparently, there wasn't any light for his eyes to pick up. The boy jumped when there was a sudden voice behind him.

"Welcome, group number one thousand eight hundred thirty six."

Han pivoted, scared out of his mind. Someone had to be playing a joke on him. Was it Jun Yool who decided to prank him today? Han wanted to laugh and pat Jun on the shoulder, however, that wasn't possible. In the middle was a woman made of gold. Well, it looked like gold. Strangely, Han was captivated by her words and her appearance. The boy obviously didn't take note of the other seven around the woman.

"You have been chosen as Guardians who will save Disney from the impending darkness that haunts this land."

Suddenly, the room became bright, he squinted to help soothe the burning sensation of the sudden light. When he was able to open his eyes, he was amazed at the sparking crystals that painted the room a faint blue. The crystals were humongous! Were they real?

Finally returning from the trance he was in, he realized that he'd been called a guardian. Not the just that, since the word was plural. Han finally noticed the others in the room. Well, at least they were working together...probably.
The woman moved from her spot to press a button which brought up a wall full of weapons and books of all sizes, shapes, and colors. Surprisingly, they were neatly arranged.
"These will be your weapons with which you will fight the darkness."
Han squinted to look at all of the weapons. Surely they would be only able to pick one, maybe two at the most.


"Each book will teach you how to wield your chosen weapon. As soon as you finish this step, you may continue with choosing your Guide."

Han pinched himself to make sure this wasn't a dream. That definitely hurt! But, whenever he would lucid dream, he could feel pain sometimes too. Well, dreams were was weird place, and this certainly was one of them. However, almost as if his attention was forcefully turned towards a small book labeled The City of Silver: Hymns. Slowly, he picked the book up and studied the cover. Since it wasn't interesting as he thought, he flipped the pages.
...Wow. The City of Silver must have some pretty weird hymns. There were only three songs in the book, and they were all songs he knew from the boy band EXO. Is this a joke? Quietly, Han hustled over to his seat, watching the others take strange items... like pens, soccer balls, scythes, swords and shields.

As soon as most of the people grabbed their -- what they would call -- weapons, he looked around. None of these people he knew. As a kid, Han had been interested in dreams. He looked on Google for some information. Scientists proposed that the people in the dream are people you have seen before, doesn't matter if you have interacted with them or not. However, he was sure he'd never seen any of these people before. Since he didn't know them, let's try and get to know them! Han wasn't a conversation starter, but he'd try his best. The inhuman woman spoke English, so Han would try his best to speak that language too.

"Uh... Hello! My name is Haneul Hyeon," the boy introduced himself, forcing back his cringe when he heard his accent. "I don't know anyone here. Can you all, please, introduce yourselves?" Han tried smiling, despite being nervous upon receiving their feedback.
 
Ana was the last to awaken and she knew this was no place like home. She had slept in the warmth of her own bed the night previous, and now she awaken to the cold stone floor, with many other people. Blinking back unbelievable thoughts, she heard the faint sound of a voice and saw a light coming from a woman. “Welcome group number 1,836.” Ana looked at the woman. What did she mean group 1,836? She had never signed up for any group! "You have been chosen as Guardians, who will save Disney from the impending darkness that haunts this land." She spoke again. There was something about her voice, Ana hadn’t heard it before, but it sounded like it was a machine almost. Guardians? Disney? This Land? Where was she?

Eyeing the mysterious woman as she moved across the room to a button, Ana questioned her intentions? When a weapons rack appeared to the group, Ana was completely intrigued by this woman. Then it started to click in her mind. She, and the rest, were to save this Disney. Though she still didn’t understand completely, wasn’t Disney movies and shows? Not real worlds? She sighed and listened to the lady. "These will be your weapons with which you will fight the darkness. Each book will teach you how to wield your chosen weapon. As soon as you finish this step, you may continue with choosing your Guide." She informed the group. Ana nodded and eyed the rack some more, spotting a Bow and Arrow. It was perfect. Stepping to closer to it, her arm stretched out ward and her hand reached for it.

Ana had spent much of her childhood behind a Bow and Arrow. If not in the woods, then are the club, which she earned a scholarship to be at. At the age of fourteen, Ana was a part of the Australian Archery team for the Olympics. However, this particular Bow was nothing like she had ever seen or felt before. The texture of the wood was impeccable and flawless. It was virtually indestructible. With her touch, the bows seemed to faintly glow blue. Ana’s eyes sparkled as she examined them. They too were flawless.

Turning around to the group that was make some small talk, she smiled and walked up to the one that asked for names. “I’m Zi’Ana Michaelson. Most people just call me Ana.” She said, offering a wave.
 
The golden woman watched the new guardians, lowering the weapon's wall as they selected their new weapons. At the young man with the soccer ball's insecurity, she answered. "Yes, Guardians. Yes, Darkness. I assure you, this is not a dream rather we have transported your consciousness into this world so your physical bodies will not limit you." She tilted her head, wondering if the young man hadn't heard her correctly as he seemed to question her statements. "Yes, you are the 1,836th group to come here." The robotic woman didn't seem to quite understand just what the inflections meant, nor that the young man was asking for an explanation as to what the guardians and darkness meant rather than an affirmation that yes, they were guardians and yes there was a darkness.

Turning to the second boy, the woman stared unblinkingly. "Your predecessors all fell to the darkness. They were unable to return to their physical bodies, and thus they died. We do not have any data on what happens when you succeed. No other group has survived the darkness and successfully eliminated it. I deeply apologize." The woman's monotone came off as apathetic. The Guardians mingled with each other. "You will all be fighting together. It is advantageous to socialize and form attachments to each other."

As the weapons were all finalized, the crystals seemed to fade whiles others brightened. One light stood out among all of the crystals. "You may now move onto the next step. You must choose your Guide. Your Guide is contained in one of these crystals. The crystals will shine brighter if they are the one your hearts choose. Follow the light to the brightest one, and each one touch the crystal. After you have chosen your Guide, they will lead you out into the world of Disney." The hologram floated up to watch the humans fumble around and try to find the brightest crystal. A greenish-bluish light shone brightest for the heroes, calling to them. It seemed different from the rest of the crystals, as a silhouette could clearly be seen within its glass-like form. It shone with a calming yet excited shimmer that called to the young new heroes.
 
The brunette watched the man who had asked for their names. Her eyes darted to the girl holding a bow who introduced herself. The French girl joined in gave a quick wave to no one in particular. "Doriane." She fidgeted with her medallion unconsciously as she analyzed the others. They all seemed to be around her age, although she could've been completely wrong. The robot began to answer questions, and she looked up to it in interest.

Your predecessors all fell to the darkness. They were unable to return to their physical bodies, and thus they died. We do not have any data on what happens when you succeed. No other group has survived the darkness and successfully eliminated it. I deeply apologize.

"Wait, wait, wait." cut in the girl, putting her hand out as if to say "stop". "Apologize? You mean you're sending us off with no regards to whether or not we die?" exclaimed Doriane, completely enraged. "Are we just another group? Numbers to you? We have lives. I'm pretty sure all of us have someone or something that's waiting for in reality." she finished, her hands shaking at her side. She shook her head, and released a deep breath. "But you probably don't understand any of that, Ms. Robot. Never mind." She was going to fight. She was going to live. And she needed to be careful, because her life was on the line. The darkness will not get me.

She crossed her arms, and stared at the crystals while the hologram gave the explanation about the guides. One crystal in particular seemed to outshine the others, however. With a greenish-bluish light surrounding it, it captivated Doriane, and she walked up to it. She couldn't do anything else but to go along with it? Right? She hesitated at first, but touched it in the end. Anywhere is better than here.
 
Willow was stunned by the words that came from the golden woman's mouth next.
Your predecessors all fell to the darkness. They were unable to return to their physical bodies, and thus they died. We do not have any data on what happens when you succeed. No other group has survived the darkness and successfully eliminated it. I deeply apologize.
What?! she thought. Never in her life had she been so scared. You will all be fighting together. It is advantageous to socialize and form attachments to each other. Willow clutched her scythe tightly. Her biggest fear was people, and she had no idea how to talk to them, or even start a conversation. Looking around, she started quietly singing her song again. Others were already taking and introducing themselves, while others were responding to the woman as she continued to talk.
You may now move onto the next step. You must choose your Guide. Your Guide is contained in one of these crystals. The crystals will shine brighter if they are the one your hearts choose. Follow the light to the brightest one, and each one touch the crystal. After you have chosen your Guide, they will lead you out into the world of Disney.
As the others all walked towards a crystal that was glowing a bright, greenish-blue light, she steeled her nerves and got up, walking to a boy who seemed to be holding a book of songs, who had introduced himself as Haneul.
"H-hi, I'm Willow. Do y-you have any idea w-what's going o-on?"
 
Well then. What a sobering thought.

Tokola watched the robot for a moment, not bothering to step closer for the time being, as he slid his scabbard down to his waist and looped it around. From there, the cream-skinned half-native slid his shield onto his back: no sense on keeping himself armed in this area just yet, especially if the guide-bot wasn't hostile. Not that he trusted her, or anyone else in the group for that matter, but he wasn't going to keep prodding for answers in the middle of everyone else freaking out over a potential death. For all they knew, they might already be dead, but that was beside the point. Besides, they were all here, were they not? And before the robot had even mentioned getting to know one another, there was one person in the group who already got that ball rolling: this Haneul person.

Savvy~

One of the girls had already gone ahead to examine the crystals, but Tokola didn't follow just yet. How could he? If he forgot to at least introduce himself to somebody, the remainder of this group would probably start looking like complete strangers to him or, rather, strangers that he wouldn't be able to recognize. So, just to get the introductions out of the way, the long-hair approaches Willow, Haneul, and Ana, looking them over.

Bard, Archer, Scythe-Swinger. They would have to do.

He bows his head slightly, looking between them. "Tokola Ellison," he states, "Seems we're a ragtag group of misfits being pushed into a 'save the world' story. Not quite certain what our stage is going to look like, but this armory isn't stocked with mere props. As the good See-three-pee-oh said, failure leads to death, or.." He glances back at the robot, remembering something that was just said. "...mayhaps something worse." Cue a very abrupt change in his tone, even as far as altering his peculiar way of speaking to something a little more upbeat and casual. "Anyway, all that doom and gloom aside, pleased to meet'cha! Hopefully we'll survive whatever this is."
 
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Justin went wide eyed when the robotic woman mentioned death. Oh no, he was so screwed. He carefully holstered the large magnum revolver he grabbed from the cache of weapons. He had never even fired a gun before, would the recoil cause him to break his nose? Would he even be strong enough to pull the trigger?

He shrugged to himself and walked over to meet with a small group of people

"Hi there Tokola, I-I'm Justin." He said shakily to the group
 
"Enjoying yourself?"

"Hm?" Ryder turned to look at the boy addressing him just as he bounced the soccerball between knees. He caught it on the one, but just as he opened his mouth to answer, the thing smacked into the side of his face. Shaking it off was simple - it didn't feel like the metal-morphous thing he'd seen. "Uh, yeah," he laughed, kicking it around in a couple of figure eights before stopping it under one foot; don't worry, he made sure to plant his fists on his waists to mock the Captain Morgan mascot. "Aren't you? We're going to be heroes!"

It was at this particular moment that Robo-bitch decided to mention that they had 1/1836 best chance at succeeding. Weeeelp...

"Wait, wait, wait. Apologize? You mean you're sending us off with no regards to whether or not we die? Are we just another group? Numbers to you? We have lives. I'm pretty sure all of us have someone or something that's waiting for in reality." The brunette girl finished, her accent getting thicker and thicker as she went, hands shaking at her side. She shook her head, and released a deep breath. "But you probably don't understand any of that, Ms. Robot. Never mind."

He had no idea what she meant by Guide. Looking out to the crystals, though, the brilliance of one was noticeable above all the others, and Ryder thought he had a clearer idea.

"Uh... Hello! My name is Haneul Hyeon," said an Asian boy with a cringe he quickly recovered into a smile. "I don't know anyone here. Can you all, please, introduce yourselves?"

A bubbly red-headed girl waved, walking up to Hanuel. "I’m Zi’Ana Michaelson. Most people just call me Ana." In her other hand, she carried a bow and quiver, filled with glowing blue fletches, and the crafstmanship of which all looked beautiful. Ryder looked down at his soccerball and picked it up with a sigh just as a girl with a pen introduced herself inattentively as Dorianne, walking into the crystalline forest in a trance-like fashion. He watched as she moved out to a crystal next to his. Wait, his? Damnit, he was doing it again. It was next to the brightest one in the room that, by the instructions given, would hold his Guide.

The quiet words of another girl caught the ginger's attention again. She had dark hair like Dorianne's only long, and that's where it seemed like their similarities ended - most notably because of the weapon in her hands. He couldn't say a pale little girl with the Reaper's scythe hadn't inspired the goosebumps crawling over his skin now. "H-hi, I'm Willow. Do y-you have any idea w-what's going o-on?"

In fact, looking around he noted that, despite their short age-range, each of the persons in that - would you call it a room? - was drastically different, visually. He was sure that everyone was their own special snowflake and did their own thing when it came to expressing themselves, but there was something very interesting about such a varied group of people having been thrown into a room together by some mysterious other force. He wondered if that had been true for the other groups. If so, it hadn't helped them, had it? Broad experience could be great if communication wasn't an issue. As a tan-skinned boy with a sword and shield walked up and gave his name, Ryder figured that might not be such an issue with 1836.

"Tokola Ellison," he said with a bow of his head. "Seems we're a ragtag group of misfits being pushed into a 'save the world' story. Not quite certain what our stage is going to look like, but this armory isn't stocked with mere props. As the good See-three-pee-oh said, failure leads to death, or... mayhaps something worse." With a change in pitch similar to Ryder's own morbid-to-light joking pattern, Tokola smiled brightly at the group and commented. "Anyway, all that doom and gloom aside, pleased to meet'cha! Hopefully we'll survive whatever this is."

Being on the other end of it wasn't nearly as comforting as being the one to say it. Yeesh.

"Hi there Tokola, I-I'm Justin." Said the first boy who approached him shakily to the group. Oh, right!

"And I'm Ryder!" He slipped the backside of his hand under the soccerball, letting it roll down his arm and across his shoulders to the other hand, "Soccer captain," which he followed up with a roll down down his back, then putted it with the bottom of his foot to have it land atop his head where it remained, barely having to balance in either direction before continuing his sentiment. "Hero." From there, he bounced it into the air, did a backflip and caught the ball on his foot, flipping it around to take his signature pirate stance once more. "General badass." He gave an arrogant little laugh. Making sure his chin was angled up and away so he wasn't looking anyone in the eyes, he brushed off one shoulder nonchalantly. "Anyway, enough about me. My point is we can do this, survive the whole thing -under my leadership-" he chuckled again, "aaaand, if we believe in ourselves, right? What has Disney taught us, if not that? C'mon, let's pick a Guide and make it happen!"

Ryder flipped the soccerball onto his toe and kicked into his arms again. Following after Dorianne, he placed his hand on the crystal with his shadowy guide inside, thinking it would be cool if he got Tidus or Wakka from Kingdom Heart, or Hiro from Big Hero 6. Then he considered the fact that there were a lot of Disney princesses. Jasmine would also be pretty awesome. Just to meet her, of course, there's no way he'd dis his man Alladin by trying to steal her away or anything - unless their world had already succumbed to the darkness and she needed someone to take care of her. He could do that.

"It's Dorianne, right?" He asked the quiet girl staring at her shape as it formed something a little more substantial. He kept his eyes on his own while he spoke to her. "I'm Ryder. So are you French or something? That's pretty cool. So is the pen - mightier than the sword! Amirite? Hope the soccerball ain't a bad choice - the tutorial's got some good ideas for using it; I think I can make it work."

Banter. Yeah, that would settle his nerves.
 
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Zi'Ana listened to the next steps that the robotic woman gave. Choose a guide! A guide for a mission that she could die on...cool. Zi'Ana smiled a bit and looked around of the crystals, there was one in particular that looked interesting to her. It was like the crystal drew her in to it. Walking over to it, it started to glow brighter with each step Zi'Ana took towards it. She smiled a bit, this was really cool. Well kind of. Besides the whole being here without her own consent.

As Zi'Ana walked to the crytal, she listened to everyone introduce themselves. Some of the others seemed scared to be in this situation. It wasn't that Zi'Ana wasn't scared to be here, but she just realized early that there was no going home right now. The only way to make it home was to beat the darkness, and that was what she intended to do. There was no option.
 
Doriane watched the others from the reflection in the crystal. They had all gathered and we're introducing themselves to each other while she had stalked off, most likely looking quite awkward and weird. I have more problems to think of than my amazing social skills. One thing she noted was that Ryder, the one with the soccer ball, was pretty confident. He reminded her of Tidus from Final Fantasy 10 -her favorite game in the series, she might add- just by the way he talked and how he handled the ball while doing tricks so fluidly with it. Like Tidus and blitzball!

She was surprised when he walked up to the crystal and began talking to her.

"It's Doriane, right?"

She only gave a smiled and nodded. Having friends in an adventure would be a must. And the red head looked pretty nice, so why not?

"I'm Ryder. So are you French or something? That's pretty cool. So is the pen - mightier than the sword! Amirite? Hope the soccer ball ain't a bad choice - the tutorial's got some good ideas for using it; I think I can make it work."

"Yeah, it's Doriane." Scratch it, he sounds really kind! I'll get to nicknames when I know him better. she put her hands in her pockets and continued, watching her own reflection as she talked. "Yup! I am French, but I thought after living for 16 years in Texas my accent would disappear. That's what gave it away, right? And yeah." she touched her medallion with one hand, and continued, "I love drawing in the first place, so... It works out? Besides, drawing anything and being able to make it come to life is pretty cool." she had gone through the guide quickly, maybe missing some information here and there, but who cares? She could always go through it later, she had taken it with her anyways. The 19-year old grinned, and looked at Ryder's reflection. "What do you mean by think?! You have Tidus' moves from Final Fantasy 10, I think you can make it work."

Doriane was a gamer, with Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and The Legend of Zelda being the videogames series she favored most. And drawing fanart of the games was always a fun thing to do to pass time.
 
As the others introduced themselves, Willow slowly walked over to Dorianne and Ryder, who were talking next to the crystal. There was really no reason, other than there was less people. As she went over, not fully paying attention to Ryder's party stunts, she paused before taking a deep breath and saying quietly
"Is this the one we're supposed to choose?" before moving the scythe, which was taller than her, in front of her slightly to draw less attention to herself.
 
"If it glows brightest, then it is correct." The electronic woman told the insecure girl, watching the new Guardians mingle with each other and approach the crystal.

As soon as all of the heroes touched the crystal, the gem started to glow. The figure became more and more recognizable, now obviously feminine. With a giant flash, the crystal broke. Bluish-green shards disintegrated into fine dust, while a young red head gently floated down to stand on her own two feet. Freckled skin and a young face obviously was not what the robotic woman was expecting. Blue eyes flew open as the new female, obviously the guide to these heroes, took in each and every one of them. A smile spread widely across her face, nearly breaking her cheeks from how wide it was. "Someone actually chose me... You chose me! You all chose me!" With a woop, the girl started to laugh excitedly. "I'm someone's Guide! Not just one someone, 7 someones! This is the best day ever!" The pale girl jumped around, her curly hair bouncing and flailing wildly. She seemed to be wearing some sort of gray jumpsuit, a bit baggy on the young woman but it fit her fine enough. "Oh! Right..." Clearing her throat, the girl took a deep bow. "Welcome heroes! I am your humble guide, Mallory! I will show you the path to defeat the darkness and save Disney!" The girl seemed to have practiced that intro many a time as she had executed it with a flourish only those who had practiced tirelessly would have had. Quickly slipping out of the stuffy persona, Mallory smiled. "You all can just call me Mal."

"No, no, no, no, this is not supposed to happen." The robotic woman was fuzzing out in what could be assumed to be rage. "She was not supposed to be picked. This is a mistake. She is a mistake. Choose another Guide." The woman pulled up a ring of keyboards, typing furiously to try and reverse this "error" in her system. For once the normally monotone woman looked distressed, if only for the fact that the failure she tried to keep hidden was leaking out.

Mallory frowned. "You can't just send me back! They choose me! So I have to go Guide them! You said that's a Guide's job, didn't you? So why can't I do my job and help them?" The girl took a step to get closer to the group, gesturing to the young adults and adults who were forced into this position. "Besides,
they can't be wrong. They're the heroes, the Guardians."

"You are a failure. An anomaly that I should have never let escape through the programming. If you guide these Guardians then they will fail. You will lead them to the darkness." The woman didn't even spare the young red head a glance as she worked furiously to try and reverse the choice. The other crystals paused in their shrinking as a strange portal started to form. It flashed through the different lands of Disney before freezing as the robot tried to reverse the mistake. "If I had figured it out, I would have deleted you. Only failure can arise with you leading these Guardians."

The words struck Mallory's core as she took a step back. Tears started to form in her eyes as she looked between the Guardians before looking up at the robotic woman. "N-no! You can't send me back! They chose me! They chose me!" She puffed her chest out, trying to act confidant though the tears trailing down her face and the higher pitch in her voice showed some doubt and desperation. They had to have chosen her. They had to, right? The robotic woman simply continued her typing, undeterred by the young woman's pleas.
 
Ryder watched as a cute girl with curls running down her back stepped from the crystal. Before she could finish saying hello, Robo-bitch started in on the girl. Calling her a mistake, a failure, that she should've been deleted, all these other terrible things, bringing her - Mallory, she said her name was - to tears. That was not something the boy could stand.

"Hey!" he cried. "Back off!" Stepping in front of the girl protectively, Ryder held his soccer ball on his hip the other pointing out the ragebot, his accent coming out with his anger. "You cannae say such horrible things about someone, 'specially since it sounds like she wasn't the one who stole a bunch of strangers outta their beds at nigh'!"

Turning back to look at the girl, remembering what they were there to do, he became a little bit nervous, admittedly. He really didn't want to die. It wouldn't make him feel better knowing he had a... defective product by his side trying to avoid that, but he didn't know what effective meant with this weird place. So, giving her his signature wink, he turned back, ready to convince the golden woman that she was wrong. "Everyone else failed, you said, dinnae? It doesn't sound like they had Mal with them, so she can't do much worse, can she? So if she sends us to the darkness you can always just move on to your next group, 18-37. Sound fair to you? Cause it certainly dun sound fair to drag us in as your precious Guardians, then pretend we don get to pick our own Guide like we're 'upposed to."

Amped up by his own words, the kid awkwardly pulled the girl up beside him, putting his arm around his shoulder, chin in the air obstinately. "And ya neveh know, maybe she's the one person who could change the ending." Looking around at the group, he shrugged theatrically. "I dunno about the rest of you, but I'd like every advantage we can get not to end up like the other guys have, wouldn't you?"
 
  • Love
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Han listened carefully to the introductions. Ryder, Williow, Doriane, Zi'Ana, Justin, and Tokola. Counting himself, a total of 7 who had responded. Han decided to look up to these six people as his superiors, no matter how old they might be. Han threw out a small smile, partially to show respect and to ease him into the reality he now faced. This wasn't just any ordinary dream, in fact, it was probably going to become his life for a few days, weeks, or months. This meant that he had to get along with these people, despite some of their personalities. Han wasn't an extrovert himself, but for this quest to save Disneyland, he'd have to learn.

As the other guardians looked for a crystal to find a guide, he felt a small pull to one particular crystal - which eventually lead all of the guardians to the same one. The crystal was so pretty once it light up - this scenery would probably be carved in his brain forever. However, the beauty of the crystal soon faded away when a humane figure appeared within the crystal and made its way out of it. The crystal suddenly cracked open, Han reflexively throwing his arms in front of his face to protect himself. Yet, he didn't feel anything hit him. Particles of dust were dispersed, and then disappeared as a girl stepped out of the crystal.

Han's heart almost stopped. It was for more than one reason. Firstly, this was a new and scary experience for the young boy. Secondly, the girl looked young - how was she supposed to be our guide? Thirdly, Han's cheeks were starting to become rosy - that's enough explanation.
Han wanted to touch her glimmering red hair - it was the first time he'd seen a real red head. Not just that, her hair seemed to compliment her clear, blue eyes! What a child!

However, the robot clearly seemed to have something against the child. It was basically calling her a reject, an obsolete. Oh how he wanted to break that robot's neck. If only Han had muscles. Luckily, Ryder-Si stood up for the little girl. Han could only admire him from the sideline.

After Ryder's speech, Han nodded slowly in agreement. "Yes, yes, I agree with Ryder-Si! I definitely believe in this girl to set us on the right path." Giving a thumbs up to back up his statement, he suddenly felt more embarrassed that he ever had in his life. He's... not a public speaker...


(IM NOT KOREAN
DEAR LORD HONORIFICS
WHAT ARE THOSE)
 
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