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Aion Mods ([personal profile] aionmods) wrote in [community profile] aionooc2022-02-13 02:00 pm

TDM #1

TDM #1
DREAMING
At first, there is nothing. You are nothing. Whatever existed before ceases to be if for a moment. Then, bit by bit, you start to become aware. Where there was not even darkness now is a dim haze, gentle and almost mist-like. You have limbs again and beneath your feet lays a path of light reaching out like limbs of a great tree beneath you, twisting and climbing out into the horizon.

You take a step forward for what else is there to do? As you walk you begin to remember what it was you were doing before the nothingness; maybe something as simple as chatting with a loved one or close friend. Maybe you were just beginning a great journey or facing off against an old foe. Whatever it was, you get the distinct feeling that wherever and whenever that was, it is not here. Not now.

The path of light twists off into different directions. When you look up you can see that it is not a sky above you but the sky of everything, a grand cosmic tapestry littered with not mere stars but galaxies and clusters of galaxies that gleam like crystals against the velvety backdrop of space. Admire it for a moment, if you will. You don't know how long you will drift here, but you are not alone. Other wanderers will come and go as you bask together in the vastness of creation.

It seems to you that there are two paths to walk in this place, the light and dark beckoning in turn.

THE LIGHT AT THE CENTER
One leads you to the center, splintered fragments folding together and colliding until only one thing remains: a light that speaks to you with the voice of all there is and has ever been. It greets you simultaneously as an old friend and as a lost child, both rejoicing in and mourning your arrival. You remember it too, somehow, with a feeling of complex nostalgia, as if returning to a place recalled from your distant childhood.

You’ll feel the same of the other wanderers that join you in the light; you know their faces, their voices, and as you reflect upon the world of your birth, you may witness fragments of theirs as well. You feel a comradery, then, a synchronicity of thought and emotion. Are the lives of others truly so different from your own? Or are you simply two hands of the same, greater being? Though some individualistic part of you may resist, the longer you spend in the light, the more you will find yourself becoming one with it.

Despite this welcoming call, no matter how eagerly your pursue its embrace, before you can fully submerge yourself in this oneness you will find yourself being torn away. As if seized by the impossibly long, cold arm of a creature unseen, you are plucked from the edge of fulfillment. The last thing you will remember is the sensation of your world, and all the others your experienced here, collapsing into nothingness.

THE DARK OUTSIDE (CW: deep despair, ego death)
The other leads towards the outside, where the splintering becomes so great that the vestiges of reality can do nothing but collapse back into the abyss at the end of everything. As you wander to these barren outskirts, your thoughts will not be drawn to familiarity and oneness, but instead to memories of discontent and waste. The darker the path becomes, the more you find yourself dwelling on life’s disappointments and injustices, of the things about yourself and your world you find wanting.

If you see others here, at first they will feel frightening or contemptible, as if representing to you the worst experiences in your life. Even if they are someone you’re certain you know, that familiarity and affection will be stripped away in the face of the great emptiness before you. In the end, you were all the same. In the end, none of this was worth it. If you approach the end together, you may even form a kind of kinship around this acknowledgment, as the need for paranoia and hatred fades.

Slowly, the darkness encroaches, and you can see it devouring all the things you once knew. Memories of your home, of those you loved, dissolve into nothing, and you can only reflect on the barren emptiness in your heart as you see it happen. In your final moments, though, you feel peace with it all, knowing that there was no other way. You step from the edge of the last dwindling fragment of being and are greeted by silence.

THE END
No matter which way you go, you are left with a single impression: you feel the world you came from die. It's a realization that transcends logic or sense; it weighs on your heart and leaves the vestiges of dark memories dancing in your thoughts like motes of ash. It's a memory of your home crumbling away into nothing as if consumed from within by rot. Returned to the void, all that's left to you is to be reborn.

REBIRTH
In a new time and place, you awaken. Stirring within a capsule of warmth and isolation your senses will slowly return, only to observe that you are trapped. Your body, as it wakes, is tangled in close, yours eyes unable to open, as if still within the womb. You are held tight in the embrace of something unyielding, so smothering that at first you only have the strength to struggle for moments at a time. Yet, as you persist, the pressure begins to relent in turn; it may take hours, but eventually you will find the purchase to push, to claw, to fight, and it will all give way.

The chrysalis surrounding you bends like flesh and cracks like glass. It tears as you force your fingers through, finding liberation one inch at a time, until finally you have emerged. As if having undergone metamorphosis, you feel old and new all at once. You are weak, piteously so, but the markings and scars of your previous life remain. As you slump down upon the smooth cavern stone, you realize that you've just wrenched yourself free of gigantic crystal, though its hollow, shimmering form is now in pieces on account of your passing. Somewhere on your body, a shard of similar material remains embedded.

The cave itself looks almost like the inside of a geode, the walls and ceiling bedazzled with greyish crystal that shines with all the colors of the rainbow. While they vary wildly in size and shape, only a few have grown large enough to hold a form like yours, and you can see the one you just escaped isn't the only one bearing a passenger within. They may have already hatched, or they may still be lingering in stasis. Either way, there's enough time that you may have a chance to speak to yours unexpected peers, or to perhaps to struggle to find something to cover your naked body with. You feel the chill of the open air against your moisture laden skin, a distant light trickling in through the cavern's opening.

Make the most of this time. It won't be long before you're interrupted.

[Mod Note: If you don't want to deal with your character being naked in front of the others at that location, feel free to assume they emerge at a different time than the others of their legacy. Characters will be 'hatching' over a period of several hours.]

CAPTIVITY
It seems that someone was waiting for you to arrive, and not in the most friendly of ways. Though the specifics of who comes to get you will vary according to which legacy shrine your character awakens at, there are certain commonalities: most notably, how they are ostensibly here to capture and imprison you. It's easy for them, all considered. You can barely stand, so fresh out of your chrysalis, and whatever powers or special abilities you may have had will not answer your call. Even worse, your would be captors are well equipped for the job.

Each group arrives with several 'whips' made of unknown materials. What makes them so special only become obvious when one of them inevitable snakes its way around your body. Whether it be your ankle or your neck, being bound by these cords puts you under the influence of whoever is holding the other end of your leash. Your mind remains untouched, but you will find yourself physically incapable of performing physical actions that go against their will. While the possibilities are frightening, thankfully they all just seem to want one thing: for you to come along as a good little prisoner and to not cause any of them too much trouble.

The rest depends on your character's legacy:

THE LOVER
The small island the shrine is built upon is approached by several modest boats with colorful sails. They carry what appears to be a collection of fearful fisherfolk and town guards. They are reluctant to speak with those being pulled out of the shrine or even look them in the eye. If they have their choice, the entire process will be done in silence. If you try too hard to upset them, the guards will sternly bring you to heel.

THE CELEBRANT
The infrastructure of an entire festival ground seems to be built around this shrine, and as a result, there are an usual amount of people present. While most keep their distance, a few will engage with the local guards that arrive to capture the Aions, complaining that this is going to interfere with their preparations for the upcoming Lover’s Festival. They are pushed aside in short order, and the rest of the retrieval will be done in a stern but business-like manner.

THE MARTYR
At first, those arriving to capture the Aions will be hesitant to even enter the barren crater this shrine is held within. Once the presence of the new arrivals becomes clear, however, they will run in as if crossing the no man’s land of a battlefield and complete their work with gusto. It appears to be mostly military folk and they seem to lack any patience or sympathy for those they capture.

THE SOVEREIGN
The captors here seem to be a mixed bag, almost as if two separate squadrons have arrived at the same time. One is a gathering of people who give off the impression of mountain folk, while the others are well armored soldiers. Though it will be hard to make out the specifics, there seems to be some manner of disagreement between these two parties over what should be done, but the ones kitted out in full military attire win out in the end. By then, they are completely out of patience for further resistance.

THE ARTISAN
The people here seem to have mixed feelings about your arrival. On one hand, it seems to be a moment of considerable trepidation, on the other, they seem unbearably curious about your nature. They will ask questions about any unusual features you have, or what your skills are, while others from the group try just as hard to shush them. Ultimately, they don’t seem that enthusiastic about having to capture you, but they also don’t seem to think they have much choice.

THE INNOCENT
Among rolling hills of flowers, at first it seems as if this shrine may not be visited at all. Before the arriving Aions can escape it, though - naked and weakened as they are - a group of fairly normal looking townsfolk will arrive. They pause as they spot you near the shrine, almost like they are hesitating about coming at all. In the end, they will converge upon you and ask for you to please cooperate. They won’t hurt you, as long as you come with them.

THE SEEKER
Armored soldiers are the ones to first pull you from the shrine, but as you arrive outside of it you'll see that it is situated at the edge of a great forest. An ancient observatory is build into the cliff face behind the shrine, and your captors are apparently in the process of negotiating with a series of robed individuals that have emerged from it. According to them, the soldiers kidnapping you are trespassing. Unfortunately, they are not the ones with weapons.

THE WANDERER
When you first emerge from the shrine, it will appear as if you have just missed a skirmish. There are a few bodies scattered about, all wearing woodland armor made of leather and fur. The victors, it seems, come in the form of fully armored soldiers. Thoroughly irritated by the fight that just happened, they will not waste time on niceties. If you try to ask them what just happened, the best you may get is a sneer about ‘those damn forest people.’ You may spot a couple more bodies on the trail leading out of the forest as well.

THE FIREBRAND
The first thing to be seen beyond the cavern entrance is a sheer drop into a raging canyon river far below you, with only a narrow path leading up the steep cliff face. It would be a difficult situation, even without black-cloaked warriors making their way down it to collect you. Struggle too much and you'll be at risk of being thrown into the chasm. These masked assailants are largely unmoved by your protests and will drag you the entire way up the cliff if you force them to. "Your soul will be claimed," they say.

THE VISIONARY
The view from the mouth of the cavern is awe inspiring, revealing the foreign shapes of a world you've never seen before. Unfortunately, the altitude of this shrine means you will also be greeted with sharp wind and biting cold. Fortunately, or not, a party of mountaineers and three black-cloaked warriors will arrive to collect you. Despite their seeming inability to defy the orders of the warriors, the mountaineers will toss you some shoes and blankets for the trek down, even if they are taken away from you later. If the warriors speak at all, it's mostly in the form of ominous utterances.

THE CHAMPION
Even if one were to stagger out of the shrine's cavern before being approached, the Aions arriving here will swiftly find themselves in a hopeless situation. Not only are there soldiers here to collect there is a moderately sized military barracks built around the shrine itself, and this particular squadron is not on your side. You will be swarmed before you can get far at all. There seems to be a mix of two squadrons here, some wearing heavy armor and red accents, while the others wear full face masks and dark cloaks.

Once you've been captured and pulled from the shrine, you will given a formless white gown made of moderately comfortable fabric, with sleeves reaching your elbows and its bottom reaching down past your knees. You will not be given pants or shoes. You're in for a journey, apparently - no matter who plucked you from the cave, most of the heavily armored soldiers in the prompts above will turn out to be 'Hylician soldiers', while the smaller number of black-robed warriors are referred to 'Achamites'. After the initial dealings with the shrines, all prisoners will be passed off to a squadron of Hylicians, though a few Achamites may follow along depending on the location.

Where are you all going? Back to Hylici, apparently.

WAITING
After you've been handed off to the the Hylician military, you have a long road ahead of you. Loaded up onto carts, and then eventually onto river borne boats, the people collected at the shrines will all be brought to a forest in the center of Horos. Along the way, the squadron ferrying you will combine with others from neighboring shrines, more and more captives arriving in your group the closer to your destination you get.

Along the way you will be fed and watered well enough (though only with military rations), and at night you will be given flimsy bedrolls to sleep around the fire with. Captives will be under constant watch by the Hylician guard, and anyone who shows any signs of resistance will be required to be bound by one of those magic whips, usually around the ankle or wrist. The rest of the trip is spent being pulled along in carts or the storage bays of boats. After the groups start converging, captives of the same legacy will not necessarily be kept together.

The final muster point of the Hylicians and their captives will be among forest ruins. For what purpose you have arrived they will not say, but the entire group will be camping there until preparations are complete. Sadly, you won't be allowed much space to explore - not without being bound and under watch. If you've behaved yourself it's possible to move about the central ruins, but only if the guards are confident they'll be able to wrangle you when necessary. It does allow for moderately private conversations along the pillars and walls of the ruins, but venturing out into the forest itself is definitely out of the question.

From beginning to end, characters will spent about two weeks in transit and waiting in the ruins. To what end is yet to be seen, but if you listen closely, you may hear whispers of a 'ritual space' being prepared.

QUESTIONS
Are everyone's homeworlds really gone?
That's a complicated issue, and while the fate of their world is not without hope, they may certainly get the impression its been destroyed from the dream they had. Alternatively, they may refuse to believe what they felt and attempt to dismiss it as only a vision. More about this situation will be revealed as the game goes on.

Can I only experience one end of the dream sequence prompt?
Characters may experience one ending, both endings, or neither. If they experience both they will struggle to recall which came first or which feels the most 'true' to them, as both will simultaneously be the thought they are reborn with. If your character refuses to pursue either path they can simply linger in the middle until the infinite worlds above them start being extinguished one by one, eventually expelling them into darkness in a similar style to the light prompt. Which dreams they experience will not dictate their intial sect affiliation.

Is it possible to pull another character back from the end of the light or darkness dreams?
Yes! If your character is able to resist the pull of either end, they will have the chance to try to pull another character back from the edge of the abyss or the edge of oneness. Whether or not they succeed is entirely up to the other character, though.

Do you come out of the chrysalis wet?
For most intents and purposes it's the same experience as hatching out of a real butterfly chrysalis, so yes, a bit.

Can my character resist the influence of the whips?
Those possessed of particularly strong wills may be able to struggle with the whip's control in brief spurts, but not long enough to make a full escape attempt. They may be able to take an impotent swing at one of the guards or fight against being pulled along, though. Naturally, doing this will indicate to the Hylicians that you are a problem, and their handling of you will become harsher the more it occurs.

How cruel will the Hylicians be to the player characters?
The Hylician military are not friendly people and come across as being a bit callous even at the best of times. However, unless you provoke them, they will be primarily focused on just getting the job done with as few interruption as possible. If your character makes a habit of pissing them off, either by constantly fighting back or just by being persistently obnoxious, their treatment will get worse. If driven to it, they may take the opportunity to take out their frustrations on particularly troublesome prisoners, via physical punishment, humiliation, or deprivation.

bloodsins: (💥 10)

[personal profile] bloodsins 2022-02-14 07:08 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, kinda hard to miss the creepy old ruins, after all.

[And considering our lack of an ability to fight back... yeah, that's probably the best explanation we've got for the time being.]

Hopefully they'll be more willin' to actually talk. Couldn't get anythin' outta the guys who found my group.
edgevassal: (and i'm aware of the location)

[personal profile] edgevassal 2022-02-14 07:08 am (UTC)(link)
[Hubert raises an eyebrow.]

Quite a risk you're willing to take for a stranger. Unless you know of a way to disable them, I can't say much for your odds of escape, with or without a distraction.

[He's not saying not to try. He just wants a better strategy than "run for it and pray."]
hurricaneofblood: ([reflective] who's to say)

i

[personal profile] hurricaneofblood 2022-02-14 07:09 am (UTC)(link)
How funny. Me too.

[ Flamebringer can't help but be a little antsy with being taken by military. If it were up to him, he would have drawn his sword to fight (and die) wherever he woke. However, that wasn't meant to be. His mind was his own but his body was their puppet, as they literally strung him along to where they are now. ]

They aren't a particularly malicious bunch. [ He rubs his wrist where the whip had wrapped around it. ] But... that'll only last for so long.

[ The tone he uses is one of someone speaking to the choir; he's agreeing with the old man about what's happening and letting out a few sighs along the way. He felt as though his world had died; it seemed unfair. He had yet to find the reason for his life, and it seems he will die in this world before he even has the chance to humor the idea of searching for it here. ]

Oh, well. [ There are black crystals all over Flamebringer's body; some of his veins are darkened black and it through on his pale skin. ] I'll be helpful, too. Stay as far back as you can from me... I'm quite contagious and feel bad if you catch what I have before these people have a chance to enlist us.
Edited 2022-02-14 07:11 (UTC)
vivificantem: (014. nearer my god to thee -)

[personal profile] vivificantem 2022-02-14 07:11 am (UTC)(link)
[...Himeka...

He's dealt with worse, manners-wise, but still...]


I find that others tend to mirror what you show them, as actions go. Remaining calm might serve to help someone else who needs it.

[Lead by example and all that. As for how he's actually feeling about the situation, he seems firmly committed to not commenting on that in any great detail.]

...I'm also a minister of a religious order, back where I came from. We take strength from our God, as we believe that through Him all things are possible. [He shrugs a little.] It's somewhat easier to remain steady when one has faith in something, whatever that something might be.
passio: (pic#12189867)

[personal profile] passio 2022-02-14 07:12 am (UTC)(link)
Huh?

[ dextera missed the light, certainly. there was nothing so comforting to be found in the cold vastness of the dream he saw—not this time, anyway. the surprise of the description makes him look up, and he shakes his head. he had seen others in his dream, and he’s certain his world had died, but… ]
vivificantem: (023. nearer to thee)

[personal profile] vivificantem 2022-02-14 07:13 am (UTC)(link)
[That's... Huh. Now that you brought it up...]

...How were they? The ones that brought you here. Did they seem odd?
youngprodigy: (∉ before it’s too late)

[personal profile] youngprodigy 2022-02-14 07:13 am (UTC)(link)
[Thanks, buddy. By the stern expression, this is not a Hydaelyn-shattering revelation, and the... he's not sure if that's humor or what, but he certainly doesn't like it.]

What, you have experience with this sort of thing?

[Said dryly.]

If they were planning on killing us outright, it seems less than elaborate.
yandeere: (Default)

rime solano valera ( last legacy ) firebrand

[personal profile] yandeere 2022-02-14 07:14 am (UTC)(link)
I.THE DARK DREAM.
[ Choosing the path of darkness was the easiest choice for Rime. Ever since he had been brought back to life, he couldn't help but be drawn to it. Hatred, jealousy, emptiness. It called to him just as the Lord of Shadows did when decided to ally with him to get his revenge on the ones who took everything away from him. Felix, who brought him back to life, and his newest friend, who stole the heart that belonged to him. It was petty, and evil. This he knew. But Rime found that he didn't have it in himself to care. Especially not now, not when all of those bad memories were coming back twofold.

Oh, how the mighty fall. Dying a hero's death and now wanting to cause the death of heroes. And even then, he couldn't seem to do it right no matter what. He couldn't kill the one he wanted to kill, the got bested more times than not, and then he ended up associating with them. Why? Because when faced with the death of Felix, he wanted to do whatever he could to bring him back to life. Anger, jealousy, longing. The darkness, though it called to him, did not make him any stronger than he hoped it would. And that's what made him a failure.

It upset him. So much so that looking at someone else pissed him off. Did they live better lives than him? Were they more successful than him?

Anyone walking the path of darkness would find themselves getting approached by a very angry deer, with his arms stretched forward and his hands around their neck to choke them. But it is only briefly. For a second, Rime gets a hold of himself and his hold on the other person's neck would significantly loosen until his hands slowly slid from their neck and came back to his side once more. ]


You...

[ Rime didn't know what to say for a second. But apologies were not something he could dish out. It was simply impossible. ]

Watch where you're going.

[ But blaming others for problems caused by him? Easy as pie. ]


II. FIREBRAND'S CAPTIVITY
[ There's nothing worse than waking up naked in a strange new place. But it gets a whole lot worse without anything to protect yourself with. Rime always made sure to keep his dagger on him at all times. And if that wasn't available, he also had access to his relic and other magic. But he knew it wouldn't be possible to use any of it. He was naked which meant that he didn't have any access to his dagger. And there was a familiar emptiness there as well. Even if Rime had the energy, he wouldn't have tried to summon his Relic or use magic. Either way, Rime was at a disadvantage because he was in an entirely new environment.

Everything was gone. But he didn't want to unpack that whole can of worms. Especially when he was being dragged somewhere against his will. In his mind, he was doing his best to fight against it. But his body would not move. He could admit that it was an impressive piece of magic. But it wasn't so impressive when he was the victim of it. If there was one thing that Rime hated more than losing, it was not being in complete control. Especially of himself. But he didn't exactly have any choice to fight back, did he? So, Rime shut his mouth and decided to not make a fuss. For now.

They only wanted him to go with them. But the question of where they were going still worried him just a bit.

After being dressed, something he is reluctantly thankful for, Rime found himself being forced to climb a steep cliff face. He'd have struggled if the possibility of falling to his death wasn't a thing. Your soul will be claimed, huh? ]


Well, it seems we're going to die.

[ He said it casually, almost not seeming to care about the outcome. He decides to make conversation with his fellow captive. ]

Any regrets you want to get off your chest before you die, friend?



III. WAITING PATIENTLY

[ Plotting? Rime? Noooo, never...

At least that's what he hoped that those guards were thinking of him. Rime had been on his best behavior for a while now, earning at least a little freedom now. Now that he had the chance, he was already plotting an escape plan. The worst that could possibly happen was that he would end up bound again. And if his plan worked, he could escape and find out what to do with himself now that he was free. It would be a challenge to navigate the world but not impossible.

Given silent permission to explore a little more, Rime made sure to get a good look at his new environment. And looking around doesn't exactly yield the results he was hoping. There was a whole lot of nothing that could help any of them escape. And while rocks made good weapons, they were also quite heavy. ]


Well, this was useless. [ He kicks a random pebble. ] There's no escape if there's no weapons, after all.

[ If only he had his Relic. Or his dagger, at least. Anything. ]


IV. WILDCARD
[ Hit me with anything! ]
Edited 2022-02-14 07:16 (UTC)
edgevassal: (it's not parody or sarcasm)

[personal profile] edgevassal 2022-02-14 07:15 am (UTC)(link)
Hubert nearly rolls his eyes. Actually, no, he does roll his eyes. Apparently, would-be gloryhounds with more muscles than sense are a universal constant.

"Might I suggest a little tactic known as observation?" Truly, there is no shortage of people being forced back into line by the guards' whips, Hubert among them. There's no reason for Jake to cause more of a scene.

Of course, standing by and simply watching other people be mistreated often doesn't sit well with people who aren't Hubert, but that sounds like a them problem.
bloodsins: (💥 38)

[personal profile] bloodsins 2022-02-14 07:17 am (UTC)(link)
Eh, kinda? Stern, no-nonsense types who weren't gonna put up with anythin', probably would've thrown me into the canyon if I kept tryin' to fight 'em... Oh, said somethin' about our souls would be claimed. So you can kinda see why I was assumin' ritual sacrifice.

[Totally normal everyday behavior, don't worry about it.]
bloodsins: (💥 96)

[personal profile] bloodsins 2022-02-14 07:18 am (UTC)(link)
Nah, first time bein' sacrificed to some god I don't believe in.

[Once again it's a joke... his sense of humor is just this dark.]

If they just wanted us dead, they had plenty of time to do it. Could've just thrown my group into the canyon, but they didn't bother with that. So we're more useful to 'em alive... for now, anyway.
vivificantem: (002. e'en though it be a cross)

[personal profile] vivificantem 2022-02-14 07:19 am (UTC)(link)
[...THAT'S PROBABLY FINE.]

Claimed by what?
hurricaneofblood: ([irritated] watch it)

we're all in this together | gasp, hello

[personal profile] hurricaneofblood 2022-02-14 07:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ His breathing is heavy as he is bent over; it's more labored from the injuries than anything else. Flamebringer is, as always, himself. Even weakened, he refused to give up; he would rather die with a sword in his hand -- and he wasn't even given the courtesy of that death.

He thought he might be able to uncover the reason for his life as the scent and taste of death was so close, but he was denied that, as well. The whip had him behave for a little while, but oh well. ]


I'd hate them more if they did. [ It's the first thing he says; he'd despise them if they took it easy on him. If they have to trample his pride and wishes, they should do it completely rather than half-ass it. He lifts his head up to look over his shoulder; his eyes -- one bruised and the other bloodshot -- focus weakly on the figure crouched down next to him. ]

You look a bit familiar. [ His eyes widen. ] Ah, that's right. You're someone whose blade I was hoping to taste. [ He may not know everyone in Rhodes Island, but he does try to keep track of other quote-unquote swordmasters. ]
hippocarnival: (✮ 001 ✮)

[personal profile] hippocarnival 2022-02-14 07:21 am (UTC)(link)
We're not being given much, so... I don't want you to go hungry either. [He's... also not very excited about bland military rations. But he doesn't say that, in case Himika happens to like them.] You don't have anything else to do either, right?
bloodsins: (💥 98)

[personal profile] bloodsins 2022-02-14 07:22 am (UTC)(link)
Dunno. Just "your soul will be claimed" and then they shut up whenever I tried to ask 'em anything. Why even bother sayin' it if you aren't gonna elaborate?
vivificantem: (013. nearer my god to thee!)

[personal profile] vivificantem 2022-02-14 07:25 am (UTC)(link)
Sounds like a failed attempt at intimidation, maybe.

[everyone here needs the lord. or whatever god y'all pray to. he won't argue the matter with anyone right now.]

They didn't want to enter the area I was in. I can't say I know why; there weren't any immediate threats.
vivificantem: (012. yet in my dreams i'd be)

[personal profile] vivificantem 2022-02-14 07:28 am (UTC)(link)
[The old man remark... If it was meant as an insult, it doesn't seem to land as one; it's something he shrugs off easily enough, though not without a bit of private amusement.

Anyway.]


If I wanted something, I would ask for it. Take it as a gesture of appreciation, if you have to have some sort of justification.
bloodsins: (💥 80)

[personal profile] bloodsins 2022-02-14 07:29 am (UTC)(link)
Huh. Seems like there were a lot of different places too, given the crowd we've gathered.

[So a bunch of unconnected places that eventually led everyone to gather here.]

...Really wish they'd just tell us what the hell the point of all this is, I don't like sittin' around idle like this.
fallen_cetra: (Waiting//looking to the sky)

[personal profile] fallen_cetra 2022-02-14 07:30 am (UTC)(link)
[She nods, and this time, with the warmth of the other woman's hand bolstering her, Aerith did look up, a soft gasp of delight.]

Under the ocean! The buildings, they look like—!

[It's right there, she knows it is, so close and yet so very far. She presses calloused fingers to her mouth, thinking, muddling through the foggy feeling as she returns Himeka's gentle squeeze, gaze lost before she snaps her fingers.]

Wutai! Like Wutai! But Wutai wasn't underwater, it was up in the mountains, I think?

[Tearing her gaze away from the last of the bubbles, she gives Himeka a wry sort of smile; lopsided and paired with a faint shrug.]

Something...old, something awful. It came from above...

[Again those fingers press to her mouth as she thinks, then they drop, fingertips digging into her sternum as she works through the jumbled thoughts.]

Long ago, before me, my people...there were so many of us, but something awful came. The sky itself burned, something infected them, made monsters out of people. There's only ruins left of the old cities now, I was...

[Her gaze drops, eyes screwing shut tight as she wills them away. Those memories are ones she doesn't want. Hopes the sky doesn't open up with the fleeting images that finally rise to the surface; of what happened to her mother, of everything.]

I'm the last one. There's other people back home, but I'm the last like me.
youngprodigy: (∉ it’s time to escape)

hilariously he's not old; he's 34. ah, anime

[personal profile] youngprodigy 2022-02-14 07:31 am (UTC)(link)
[He nods.]

You're right. I've heard of entire villages slaughtered because of one person rising up.

[Regardless, there's nothing they can currently do about it.

But as for his current companion, he can't help looking looking at the man with no small amount of sympathy.]


Pray forgive the invasive question, but I'm no chirurgeon. What manner of condition do you have?
vivificantem: (023. nearer to thee)

[personal profile] vivificantem 2022-02-14 07:31 am (UTC)(link)
You don't seem the sort, no.

[It reminds him of Riley, a little. The need to constantly be Doing, combined with the amount of seeking some sort of purpose behind the actions. It's familiar. He isn't sure if it's a good sort of familiar.]

Is that part of why you keep fighting the guards? Something to do with yourself?
bloodsins: (💥 96)

[personal profile] bloodsins 2022-02-14 07:36 am (UTC)(link)
[hey don't call him out like this.]

Yeah. I've never had to sit idle before. Always on the move, always doin' something.

[There's a brief pause before he sighs and folds his arms up behind his head.]

I can't do much to 'em like this anyway and they don't do much to me in return. Just somethin' to do with myself and who knows, maybe it's entertainin' for 'em too.
affal: (74)

[personal profile] affal 2022-02-14 07:38 am (UTC)(link)
( what other ritual was there for them but sacrifice? they were not here to be anointed, to be baptized, to be sanctified or forgiven or purified. if that were the case, their welcome to this world and their journey here would have been very different things. no, they had been captured and corralled like livestock, and what is it that you might do to a beast of burden, primed upon an altar to God?

this one folds so quickly. to avert one's eyes in the hell makoto is familiar with is the same as baring one's throat, an automatic assumption of hierarchy. personal experiencing navigating those rungs tells him there's nothing he has to worry about from this one, but still, there's something inexplicable hooked into his interest, a gut instinct he refuses to ignore even if the stranger shrinks with his proximity.

he shakes his head. he doesn't know — he can't say? makoto had assumed as much even before his hand lifted to the indent between the bow of his clavicles. his eyes search out his throat, his mouth, curious if it were a physical or a psychological limitation. )


You don't need words to answer me. ( his words are as smooth as the surface of a placid pond, sweet and pacifying; his head cants slightly to one side, himself silent as he follows the slow path of the stranger's hand as it drifts down to settle over his heart.

makoto seems to think this over for a long moment. )
A good enough guess. God ever concerns Himself with the contents of people's hearts. ( he hesitates another moment, perched on the knife's edge of a decision. he ends up deciding to continue, even if it's information he would typically keep to himself. after all, who is he going to tell? )

The soldiers that captured me said that it's our souls that they seek to claim. ( he searches him for reaction. ) Claim for what, do you think?
vivificantem: (014. nearer my god to thee -)

[personal profile] vivificantem 2022-02-14 07:38 am (UTC)(link)
[Whether it's genuine charity or just something that's in his nature is difficult to ascertain; either way, despite the shaken nature of his faith at the moment, it's always been his duty to minister, and that's what he's determined to do for the time being. He'll sit down nearby, regardless, and it isn't pity in his tone when he speaks - that remains conversational, extenuating circumstances be damned.]

If you're sure. It isn't as though I'm going to force you to do anything; it's enough for me if you're willing to consider. Can I ask for that much?
vivificantem: (007. nearer to thee)

[personal profile] vivificantem 2022-02-14 07:41 am (UTC)(link)
[If he's at all sorry for calling him out, it isn't evident in his manner; it just is what it is.]

Well... I can't say I don't appreciate it, in some way. Normally I can't condone violence, but I understand that these circumstances are...different.