beyondtherift

It had pulled her inward, like a force of wind suddenly being pressed to every inch of her from the inside out. The power, nearly all-consuming, still felt as if it would overwhelm her if she let it. It became her. It possessed her with all of its infiniteness and light.

Then it's gone. With a slight flicker of shock of her own countenance, she stands unsure and unaware. Her breath is held tight within her, the feeling as though if she were to exhale, if she were to let go something horrible would happen.

It's Chicago and Anna knows this. This is wrong, though, and Anna knows this too. It feels crowded, not in the bustling city way but in the 'there are too many here' way. When she exhales something does happen, her knees buckle and she nearly folds to the ground. Palms press to the rough surface of the sidewalk, feeling the cold that seeps into her. Looking around, she rises back to her feet and finds a bench to sit on.

Drawing in a slow breath, she shuts her eyes and reaches out.

"Castiel." She can feel him, but she doesn't go to him. It's simply a comfort to know that even with all of the wrong that's surrounding her, she can find one thing that seems right.

One minute he's in a motel in Concrete, Washington; brushing his teeth before bed, just minding his own business, and the next he's walking down an empty street, holding a tube of toothpaste in his hand. Not exactly his weapon of choice either.

Dean Winchester can't seem to figure out how he got here, but then again, stranger things have happened in the past so he's not exactly surprised -- just a little ticked off maybe considering this is probably another one of Castiel's holy interruptions. The last time Dean found himself in another city altogether, he was back in Lawrence, Kansas, and the year was 1973. 

Hell, he gets that he's not the kind of guy who'd go right ahead and believe whatever anyone tells him; most times a little show and tell is usually required, but Castiel couldn't have given him some kind of an explanation first before doing the time bendy crap?

"Dick."

Annoyed, he disposes the toothpaste by way of a careless, over the shoulder toss, and turns the corner, expecting to bump into the angel anytime now.

-----

[ Sam Winchester's Place -- locked to Sam and Castiel ]

Hours later.

Dean has no idea what just happened, except he's staring at the reflection of a dog in the mirror. He cocks his head to the side and makes to touch his own face, but he's somehow not getting there. The little dog in the mirror seems to be having a spastic fit, or it's waving at him.

The elevator doors ding open just then, and Dean feels somewhat relieved. As entertaining as that chihuahua is, he's had enough of the trick mirror. The dog is now trying to wiggle its way out of the lump of clothing on the floor, and Dean turns around to find himself staring up at the rows and rows of giant doors in the hallway.

Oh, boy.

Truth be told, he has no idea why he's here even, except -- call it animal instinct maybe. There's something about this place... 

Now, if only he can reach one of the giant doorknobs.

"Hello? Anybody here?"

YAP! YAP YAP!

Today is Caroline's eighteenth birthday. If anyone had ever told her that she'd be turning a year older in an alternate Chicago, she would've thought they were crazy. This time last year things had been so different, but they just seem to continue changing. Which is why, for tonight, Caroline is seeking out a tiny bit of normal.

Sure, maybe her friends aren't all here and the people she has met seem a bit more okay with being kidnapped to an alternate version of a city, but she isn't going to let her own thoughts distract her. She's picked Hackney's on Printers' Row for the event. It's not quite a nightclub type bar and to be honest, it's probably the closest thing to the Grill that she's been able to find in Chicago. Plus, the burgers are amazing.

Sending out a few non-formal invites, she is mostly just waiting to see who will show up. She's hoping for a roaring success and no deaths. No deaths, no kidnappings, no vervain-ings, no... no bad things.

For once, she wants to be at a special party, in a pretty dress, with her friends and not have it end in disaster.

Especially because it's her birthday.


(ooc: TVD cast is welcome and so are party crashers that want to meet the birthday girl!)

[OOC: Forward-dated to Halloween. Open like an open thing. Treat this like a party post. Slowtiming and backdating is beautiful. No pressure, just tag around and have fun with it!]

It is almost with tentativeness the people of Chicago celebrate Halloween.

Then they remember the Rift pulls all the stops frequently whether it is the 31st of October or not, and they usually decide, to hell with it. Those that decide not to celebrate the occassion find themselves swept into the evening in some way or another. For instance, the Rift often plays pranks on those that did not dress up willingly, forcing them into ironic or amusing costumes they would not choose for themselves.

Have fun with that, kids.

There are costume parties everywhere anyone can think of. The Crowbar, the Kasthtta Tower, the No Name club--they're all hosting their own events, and will have plenty of entertainment, food, and games for those that choose to grace their doorsteps. The festivities aren't limited to those three places, it should be noted. Party goers will find an interesting time of it anywhere else in the city that is hosting their own event to add to the pub crawling affairs. Maybe you'll find you win the costume contest, or maybe you find yourself somewhere you're not supposed to be.

Not all of it is fun and games, naturally.

Once midnight strikes, the veils between the Otherworlds and the Rifts become increasingly thin once again. Monsters of all shapes and sizes, frightening in their countenance and intent, fall through the Rifts at alarming speed, attacking whoever they find. Creatures once found only in mythology books and horror movies will take shape and become alarmingly real. A carnival appears on the outskirts of town, filled with spooky rides, ghosts and haunted mansions, danger and eery fortune tellings. Characters are confronted with their worst fears, physically or emotionally.

Because of all of this, plenty of people decide the safest course of action is to stay home, eat a lot of candy, and watch the scary movies instead of actually living them out.

There's no telling what can happen on a night like this one, but regardless of what everyone does find this Halloween, it is a night that will surely be remembered.

Don Flack is really ready for this week to be over.

He's finally starting to learn how to move in the armor, and he and his horse are on better terms than they were when this all first started, but he's still ready for it to be done. He misses his jeans. He misses his shirts. He misses being able to climb a tree to rescue a kitten without getting his armor stuck on one of the branches.

The little girl didn't even stick around to say thank you. He's very put out about all this.

Someone help him. Or mock him. Both of them are viable options.

Charlie Wellman on the other hand, hasn't been affected by anything other than the wand of a six year-old version of Lena Austen, and that didn't go all that terribly. He's actually rather enjoying this week and the magic of it all. In fact, he hasn't had a week where he's felt this relaxed in a long time.

He's currently on the streets of Chicago, giving the tiara that Lena had magicked up for him to a little girl in a princess costume on the street, before straightening up and moving to sit on the hood of his car, just watching the fairy tales as they pass him by.

Not everyone unaffected is amused by this week, however. Shawn Spencer is still wandering around Chicago in search of his wiener mobile. He's pretty sure the Rift has turned it into something as oppose to swallowing it -- by his logic, the Rift clearly wants him to have it by giving it to him, why would it take it away? But that doesn't change the fact that he can't find it, and he's starting to get a little annoyed.

He's still touching everything, trying to get some kind of vision indicating what might have happened to it, but so far he's come up with nothing.

He's also not noticing the small Dachshund following him everywhere. If he had, that might have been a hint.

And finally, Castiel is Buzz Lightyear.

He still doesn't understand it.

He's seen the movies, interacted with a "Woody," and drawn the attention of far too many children for his taste, but he is still not any closer to understanding things than when he started. Even more to the point, he doesn't think he's meant to understand it, which only proves to make things more frustrating. However, for now, he's managed to gain some distance from the children of Chicago and get some quiet time to himself. He's sitting in his usual place, a secluded bench in Grant Park in front of the fountain.

Feel free to bother him.

Harry Potter woke up believing that he was at Hogwarts in his first year of schooling. It was shortly after the incident with the troll in the bathroom where he, Hermione, and Ron first made the team that they did and took down the troll together. When he woke up in an entirely unfamiliar bed, he was confused. He was more than confused really. No one had ever said that Hogwarts would change one's bed right from under them in the middle of sleeping. Then he'd wandered out. Everything was unfamiliar other than Hedwig.

Someone explained it all to him, but he's still rather confused, sitting in the cafeteria by a table with Hedwig, feeding the owl crackers and practicing spells with tissue paper. He'd had so much to learn still, but at least Snape wouldn't be on his case anymore and no Durselys. Those were good things! Maybe! He still believes it all might be something of a dream, but he misses having friends. He'd finally made them and now look where he's at! An entirely new place with no friends at all, but no Durselys either, looking on the bright side.

Mark Barnes is chasing a real WALL-E down the sidewalk, trying to grab it and take it home with him. THIS is officially the greatest thing to ever happen to him. He was going to try to build one himself, but this is so much better and he's sure that WALL-E won't mind coming home with him! Everyone likes coming home with him! Unless they're secretly a shapeshifter and they nakedly shift back on his bed, but that's only happened once... so far... Sorry Sam and shapeshifters can't shift into robots.

Lucky Spencer is dressed up as Woody, the Cowboy against his choice. There's also a toy, stuffed horse following him around. It's Bullseye only life-sized like Lucky. Kids keep trying to play with the horse or pull the string that is... literally attached to Lucky's back. When they do so, a line from the movie plays out like Somebody poisoned the waterhole or There's a snake in my boot. He's just collecting the kids accidentally.

And Zoe Walker has been cursed with an inability to walk. She really doesn't think she deserves to be cursed, but witches will do what they do and this one wasn't a very nice witch at all. On top of that, the week decided that she should be Cinderella so she is wearing the elegant ball gown, which miraculously does not have one grass stain on it from Zoe... well, being in the grass. She's also missing a shoe a la Cinderella.

Once upon a time, there was an alternate city of Chicago, the lovely people residing in it, and many Rifts placing these people into various different predicaments, spanning from the humorous to the perplexing to the utterly heartbreaking. Wondrous different people, of all shapes and sizes. So it has been, and so it will be, for years and lifetimes to come.

These Rifts, it has been explained to the wanderers finding themselves invited in, are made possible due to the torn fabrics of various worlds and universes. Time twists itself into something malleable. Reality blurs along with the unknown. Breaks in space and time are created, through which absolutely anything one could possible imagine falls through. Turns real.

Nothing is impossible, after all, if it exists within the imagination.

At midnight of October the 14th, the tears in the fabrics between the Rift's world and Otherworlds becomes increasingly thin. More so than usual. More so than lately. The particular magical world it melds with is a timeless one, recognizable to manythe realm of fariytales. Magic stumbles through the cracks, storybooks are spun throughout its veils, and the Rifts welcome their fairytales.

Fairytales that are lovely and lead to happy endings. Fairytales that are scary and cruel and dark with no ending to be found.

Faeries that are mischievous. Faeries that are evil. Dragons that can be slain. Dragons that cannot.

Realities blend together. Elsewhere is nowhere, and nowhere is everywhere.

For the entirety of a week, the Rifts are breathing life and fire and magic with its telltale stories, waiting. Waiting.

Waking up, pressed to Tyler she startles herself. Nearly forgetting what had happened, that she had gotten out of there, that her father wasn't exactly Daddy anymore. Her hand wipes to her cheeks trying to rub the tearstains off of them. Shifting slowly, she moves out of the bed, leaving Tyler asleep atop the covers. Quickly, so that she wouldn't wake him, she moves outside.

Air. She just needs air. Her hands clench and unclench, trying to work the nerves away, but it doesn't go away. It just sits there in her chest, making it harder for her to breathe, harder for her to understand. It's not too long before she finds herself gulping air and trying not to start crying again.

"Dammit, why'd I have to go for a walk?" She berates herself, frowning as she wipes her sleeve beneath her nose, sniffing, trying to stop her nose from running. "God, real pathetic, Caroline. Just awesome."

Her breath exhales out quickly, all in one huff. Turning around, her fingers tug at the sleeve of her hoodie. When did this street get so many buildings on it? Stopping for a moment, she shuts her eyes, trying to focus on the sounds which seem to be less woodsy and more... congested. More like a big city. Since did Mystic Falls classify as a big city?

Turning around, she tries to walk back down the street, but she's pretty sure that this is definitely not the same street at all.

"Great. Just... great."

Grant Park appears to be a popular spot today.


In the morning, Peter Burke is taking his daily run. Then, rather suddenly, he's not running anymore, but flat on his back as he hits the two-mile separation mark. He'd thought he'd had a few feet to go, but either he wasn't keeping track as well as he thought or Neal isn't where he was, because apparently he was wrong.

He's just going to be down here for a moment, until his head stops spinning from being pulled back abruptly and he recover his dignity a little bit.



In the early afternoon, Abigail Eddings is wandering the park, dripping wet and looking lost. It was raining about half an hour ago, you see, and though she had her umbrella then (she's lost it since, in her daze), some unfortunate timing lead to her being soaked by the side of the road. This wouldn't be a problem, really, except for the fever she was running in the morning, the one that got worse after her class when she healed her teacher of the sore throat that was creeping up on him. Being out in the rain didn't really help that. So now she's shivering and she's frustrated, because she knows where she is and she knows how to get home from here, but she can't remember where she was going, or how to get there from here.

She'll still take people, though. She likes people. She just might be a little preoccupied and a little feverish.



And in the later afternoon, Remus Lupin is on a bench with his journal. He's not writing, though, but drawing. He's pretty good at it, though there's definitely room for improvement, especially on humans -- he's not much for drawing portraits, but there's a couple of passerbys drawn in among the multiple and various animals.

He's finishing up the drawing of a lion when the rift decides that it should be dark right now, at least in Grant Park, and brings on nightfall at a ridiculous speed, plunging the park into darkness. Only about half the streetlamps flicker on. That's probably the rift's fault as well. At least Remus seems to have decided it is, because he heaves a sigh, settles back against the bench, and mutters to himself, "Bloody rift."

Cassie Riddle was having a rather good day. Well as good as she could be, considering everything that's happened lately. She was just enjoying a walk in the park in the autumn sunshine when suddenly, the Rift decided it would be a very good idea to give her deer antlers. And then… they got a little itchy, and she had the instinct to go and rub them against the bark of a tree.

Sometime later, she’s now stuck. She’s gotten them caught in said tree. Too high for her hands to reach, she tried to twisting and turning to get them untangled from the low-lying branches, but it only got her more stuck.

Standing miserably, her head jutted at a uncomfortable angle – she’s waiting for someone to come by and help her.

You shouldn’t miss her; she’s making high-pitched deer bleating noises.

Robert Capa was having a good day too. That was until a woman walking passed him dropped a notepad out of her bag. Picking it up to return it, the woman just stared at him for a long time – making Capa extremely uncomfortable. It seems the Rift’s made her suddenly fall in love with him.

But it didn’t stop there. Trying to politely deny her flirting and advances, more women began to stop in awe of him. And no matter what he said, they just didn’t want to leave. “Please, you’re all very nice – but—“

“Oh my god! I love it when you’re so polite!” came the cry from one woman.

And then they pounced.

So now, Capa’s running for his life down the streets of Chicago – covered in lipstick marks all over his face and neck. The women are chasing him, random others joining the small crowd.

He. Is. Terrified.

Help?

Scarlett Langford wasn’t having a good day. Storming through Grant Park, she spoke to her mother on the phone. “Mum, come on. Let me come home. I hate it here. It’s fucking awful. I don’t want to be here anymore,” And then the argument got more heated, she’s now having a very loud and angry argument with her mother.

After so long, she hangs up, hurling her phone into the grass and standing in a stony silence to smoke. Finally, she goes to retrieve her phone. But as soon as she picks it up, a Rift spits out another monster.

The young demon freaks out and promptly starts to run away – the monster chasing. “Fuck! Fuck! Someone fucking help! It’s going to fucking eat me!” she screams as she runs.

And then there is Luna Lovegood, who is stood in the middle of the street with a raincloud over her. And no matter how hard she tries – she can’t get the cloud to stop raining on her. She’s tried several spells, but nothing seems to work. Magic is useless against it.

So she stands, most people avoiding her, absolutely drenched to the bone as she waits for it to stop.