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Aion Mods ([personal profile] aionmods) wrote in [community profile] aionooc2022-07-30 12:18 pm
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TDM #3

TDM #3
DREAMING (new characters)
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 (new characters)
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.]

DREAMING (OLD CHARACTERS)
For those already in Horos, they will find themselves in the same dreamscape as the new arrivals, only, this time, it's familiar. You'll feel more cognizant of your surroundings as you reawaken in this psychedelic realm, more in control of your emotions. What's more, you recognize that light at the center and the darkness at the edge: it's the Pleroma and Kenoma respectively. The one you are attuned to will call our to your soul, and though you are technically free to wander as you please, the closer you get to the force of your opposite sect, the more it will grate against you spiritually. Pleroma attuned nearing the Kenoma will feel as if its presence is desperately trying to tear them apart, and Kenoma attuned nearing the Pleroma will feel as if its light is burning them from the inside out.

More importantly, you notice that entirely new souls are wandering here with faces you didn't see in the cavern. It gradually becomes clear that they are Aions in the same state you were prior to your rebirth, lost and wandering this stretch of the cosmos with no idea what's to come. Maybe this is your chance to ease the confusion of their arrival, or maybe you'd simply like to scope out what kind of people are on their way. It's also possible for you to run into Aions already in Horos, wandering just like you are. Unfortunately, things are a lot less neutral than they are the last time you shared this realm.

No matter what you do, eventually the cosmos above will begin to burn out, just as it did the first time you were here. As darkness swallows reality itself, you will wake with the visceral memory of your world corrupting and breaking apart.

SEARCHING (OLD CHARACTERS)
Soon after the dreams begin, it will become clear that the Aion NPCs of either sect are also aware of what's happening. For those in Achamoth and Greentruth, the imminent arrival of new Aions will become a matter of official discussion. All able Aions will be called upon for their aid, in whatever way they can offer. Getting to the shrines themselves will be easily accomplished via teleportation. What's would be more complicated is ferrying any new arrivals back to a secure location. Thankfully, this is something both sects have already prepared for.

All characters will have the opportunity to acquire a 'returning stone' if they don't already have one. In all cases, this will amount to an amulet made of the same shimmering material as the shrine monuments, though the stylization differs between the Pleroma and the Kenoma. While regular Aion teleportation can bring you to any of the shrines you know the sigil and location of, a returning stone is magically programmed to bring its wearer back to a specific destination to which it is attuned. Normally, these stones will only be able to store enough energy for one 'return' a month, but it turns out that the ambient power created by the shrines being active will temporarily super charge them. Though it's not guaranteed, this means they may generate enough energy to perform multiple returns for TDM purposes. More information about returning stones can be found on the powers page.

Spare returning stones will be issued to all Aions so that they can be used to bring back anyone they collect, as it's possible to bring someone alongside you if they are also wearing a returning stone. Where your stone leads will depend on your sect.

PLEROMA
Tehri will be the one to supply returning stones, based out of Greentruth. She will not travel to Godsblood to deliver returning stones to those that have not visited Greentruth, but it can be assumed that Greentruth's visitors can pass them along to anyone who has been staying in the city. The returning stones are set to bring them to a secure location beneath the water of Godsblood's coast. From there, new arrivals will have to be allowed to rest and then brought up into the city when they're ready.

Greentruth is limited in its resources, but it will attempt to send troops to the Innocent, Seeker, Wanderer, and Firebrand shrines, all of which are close to the forest. Compared to the last attempt, these troops are a bit better armored. Meanwhile, bolstered by recent events in Godsblood, bands of Resistance members and guerrilla fighters will turn up at the Artisan and Sovereign shrines. The Resistance members will work willingly alongside with the Pleroma Aions, but the guerrilla fighters seem to have their own priorities and that is mostly that they have a beef with the Achamites. These reinforcements will struggle against powered Aions, but they might be able to delay any troops sent by Achamoth or Hylici.

KENOMA
Xishen will be handing out returning stones to all Kenoma the day after the dreams begin for the Aions that don't already have one. She'll explain how to use them, and state that the Regent expects for them to head to the shrines once they become fully active. The Kenoma will have whatever mundane weapons or supplies they need at their disposal for this mission, along with minimal Achamite reinforcements. Due to injuries and death in both Godsblood and Venera, many are in recovery or on their return to Achamoth. She'll reiterate not to rely too heavily on them; after all, only the Aions are able to quickly move between the shrines and at the Citadel. The regular troops will have to be deployed by river or by land, and mobilizing them will take time. They will feasible be able to reach all of the shrines to some degree or another, but will more easily populate the shrines of the Martyr, Celebrant, Lover, Champion, Visionary, Sovereign, and Firebrand.

The Hylicians will be called to fill in the ranks of the diminished Achamite troops. They follow the orders that they are given but are very standoffish otherwise, even more than usual for them. Xishen herself says she will be traveling to the shrines and the Kenoma will be expected to communicate their movements to her as they work. Dionys remains in Achamoth to 'keep watch'. All Kenoma Aions will be given a familiar vial of black sludge, and are instructed to feed it to any Aions they capture at the shrines. It will cause the same effects it did in the cavern, though it will resolve in a few days rather than a week.

RETURNED (ALL CHARACTERS)
New characters that are found a the shrines will be brought back to one of two lodestones, depending on which sect they are taken by. This will be accomplished by their escort putting a 'returning stone' around their neck that will enable them to be teleported to a secure area in their sect's territory. It is advised for your character to be taken by whichever sect you'd like them to end up in.

TO THE PLEROMA
In a dazzling flash of psychedelic light, you will find yourself brought to the Pleroma's lodestone: a monolithic rock set in the center of temple-like ruins. The entire cavern is hidden away beneath the ocean waves, just outside of Godsblood, and the ceiling itself is comprised of nothing but a barrier of water, as if held back from filling the space by some unknown force. The waters surrounding the lodestone are exactly body temperature, with swarms of tiny, violently iridescent fish darting through it. Crabs that look as if they're made of pure, clear crystal wander the sparkling, sandy shores.

There isn't much here in the way of accommodations, but it's comfortable enough that the new arrivals brought in by the Pleroma can take a moment to catch their breath. Some relatively plain but assorted new clothing will have been brought to the cavern to make sure they are actually clothed, as well as blankets and basic food items. It's a good time to ask your questions, or if you are an established Pleroma, to help out your freshly arrived peers. After all, their welcome at the shrine may have been a confusing one.

New arrivals will be permitted to leave the lodestone's temple when they are ready. Unfortunately, the only ways out of these place are through your choice of either swimming through pockets of water that eventually lead to the surface, or by spelunking through a series of tunnels to make your way the cliff faces near the city of Godsblood. More information about the city itself can be found on the setting page, though it would be preferable to keep TDM interactions to the lodestone area. As characters emerging from the shrines will start our as Untouched (more info about attunements here) they will not be permitted entry into Greentruth until they have attuned to Pleroma.

TO THE KENOMA
As your returning stone activates, you will feel yourself thrust into a suffocating void, only to emerge just as quickly somewhere else. The most pressing thing on the minds of anyone taken by the Kenoma will be the vial of pitch black sludge they are forced to drink, whether it is before or after their arrival. Maybe their 'escort' from the shrine gave it to them, or perhaps another Kenoma does soon after they arrive. If not, one of the Achamite cultists wandering around definitely will. Dedicated servants to the Regent's will as they are, they are not afraid to gang up on the vulnerable new arrivals and force it down their throats.

Once in your mouth, the potion will slither down your throat as if it's a living thing. The effect takes hold quickly: as this darkness creeps through your insides, it will embolden your darkest and most despair inducing emotions, plaguing your thoughts with the worst sorrows of your life. What's worst, it simultaneously seems to awaken some form of enhanced psychic empathy within you, both projecting your thoughts for others to hear, and allowing you to receive those of the others around you in kind. Black ooze will begin to seep from orifices, or the space around your shard. The effects of this contamination bring out your worst, and its recipients will be forced to live with these effects until they accept the force corrupting them into their souls.

This world is not good enough, a voice speaks to your through the Kenoma. This suffering you feel, the cruelty that has birthed this darkness in you... it is simply the rot that is consuming this existence. A better universe awaits, one forged by your own hand, and all you need do is first bring about this broken reality's end.

How long this goes on will depend on how long the characters is able to fight it. Acceptance of the Kenoma can come as quickly as immediately, if your character is inclined towards it, or it could be drawn out to take a few days. In the meantime, they will have to stay in the barren halls surrounding the Regent's lodestone, and will not be permitted to exit into the greater Citadel as the current Kenoma are. All that will immediately be offered to them down there are stone slabs that can be used as beds and formless white robes that reach down past their knees.

Of course, that doesn't mean the characters that are already of the Kenoma can't do something about that. If they desire it, they will be able to bring food or other supplies to those suffering with their Kenoma infections, and it will be equally within their power to try anything from bullying them into accepting to lovebombing them. Once a character accepts the Kenoma and attunes to it, they will be permitted to leave, but for the sake of the TDM interactions should be kept to the lodestone area.

QUESTIONS
Is this TDM canon?
Mostly! It's part of an in-game event. However, only threads with new players that app and are accepted will be considered game canon. Threads between old characters will all be canon, but threads involving new characters that don't apply or aren't accepted will either need to be tweaked to remove their involvement or made non-canon. New characters will also be able to decide TDM threads aren't canon if they end up changing directions.

Who can toplevel on this post?
Anyone, whether they are a new character or a current one. However, we do ask for current players to do their best to tag new characters. If you are bringing in a new character and want a current character to bring them into your sect of choice, post your request here! ICly, current characters are fighting to claim new arrivals, but it's up to the player of new characters where they ultimately end up going.

When is this TDM taking place chronologically?
The beginning of August. The shrines will be active and forming Aions during that time. The dreams will start around the 29th of July. All current Aions will be able to sense when it's time for the new arrivals to start emerging.

What are the shrines like?
Every shrine is comprised of the crystal-filled cavern character emerge inside and then the massive statue symbolizing the relevant Legacy built on top. More information about each shrine can be found in the "Aion Shrine" section of the setting page.

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?
New 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 initial 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.

How does attunement to the Pleroma or Kenoma work for new characters?
More information about sect attunements can be read on their dedicated info page, but in summary: when new characters are brought to Horos, they will be in the state of being "Untouched" meaning they are not attuned to either sect. By the end of their first month in game it is expected they will either attune to Pleroma or Kenoma, though for those taken by the Kenoma's forces, the transition will be forced within the first few days. If taken in by the Pleroma, it may take then some time to attune to Pleroma, depending on the strength of their spirit, but it could also happen almost instantly if they are allowed to. How quickly it happens will depend on how strongly they align with the Pleroma's traits. Characters who have been taken by the Pleroma but that remain Untouched will not be allowed into Greentruth until their attunement to Pleroma is complete.

Can a character taken by one side end up attuning to the sect of the opposite one?
This is theoretically possible, yes: a person taken by the Kenoma could potentially resist the Kenoma's call, and someone taken by the Pleroma could end up falling to the Kenoma while staying with them. Generally, though, we recommend that you have your character be taken by whichever sect you want to end up in, as doing a switcheroo will cause narrative complications that might bog their introduction down in plotting that will need to be done with the mods. It can happen, but it is not to be done lightly!

lachtara: (Journey Begins)

[personal profile] lachtara 2022-07-31 04:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Emet-Selch can't help but give an amused smirk in return. Oh, well now his curiosity - not to mention spitefulness - is piqued. He's going to have to pry. ]

Oh? Skeletons in your closet that you seek to hide away from the rest of the world?
ricordi: (012)

[personal profile] ricordi 2022-07-31 04:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah.

[this is something cassius is learning-- many people here, just like those in the sky, have no experience in technology, not even the terms. but people here prefer to ask for clarification, and this is something cassius appreciates. they have curious minds, while the skydwellers often just chalk important terminology relating to cassius up to individuality.]

To reboot is to sleep, or be unconscious, and allow my body to return to full functionalty. It is a much more efficient way of fixing what is wrong, because all of my energy is diverted into fixing it rather than staying awake. [a pause, as he sniffs and inhales some sludge again.]

This sludge is interfering with my brain and my body as a whole, and rebooting should help me.
bloomforyou: (💎12)

[personal profile] bloomforyou 2022-07-31 04:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[ ranmaru’s eyes widen, the black of his pupils going round before once again narrowing to cat-like slits as chilka exposes the wound on his torso. it’s the kind of wound ranmaru would leave, but their encounters haven’t ever brought him that close. chilka is an even match for him, if not better, and the only circumstance he can imagine himself leaving such a bloody wound would be one of great duress.

he doesn’t recognize it. he’s quiet for some time, before: ]


What happened to you?

[ the question would be insulting, if he could recall the source of the injury. instead, it’s honest, even guileless—yet nearly infuriating in its ignorance. ]
scythegun: (SMUG ⇝)

[personal profile] scythegun 2022-07-31 04:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[Oh. Someone was out here waiting for him. Awkward. For a brief moment he pauses, expression blank like he's trying to work out what to do with this, but then it's replaced with an easy smile and he approaches, with no shame whatsoever. Either at his current state of undress or at the fact he kept this poor guy waiting for way too damn long.]

It would be a bit too nice if someone had one waiting for me, ja? The clothing is more important right now anyway.

[Thanks, give him a second to throw that on - still no shame, but he actually seems a bit more at ease once he's got it on and covering up the... weird thing on his chest.]

You have my thanks, stranger.
ricordi: (012)

[personal profile] ricordi 2022-07-31 04:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[cassius blinks, and looks up at him from where he's attempting to loosen the robe. it's a little snug around the chest and thus not optimal at all, but for right now? he will think about that later. right now, he has a pressing question to ask.]

What would be the purpose of a lap in this context?

[what is with this offer? it makes no sense to him. why would someone's legs be needed for this at all?]
scythegun: (NEUTRAL ⇝ this ain't a scene)

[personal profile] scythegun 2022-07-31 04:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[Huh, what a cute bird... Probably not the thing he should be focused on, but this is all so surreal anyway he might as well.]

Oh, certainly. Usually my dreams aren't quite like this!

[Though this feels far too real to be a dream, doesn't it?]

I wonder... Hmm, well, I'll likely end up where I'm supposed to be eventually, ja? No point in worrying about it!

[...That's a "no", then.]
cutlery: (can people be allergic to pussy?)

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-07-31 04:40 pm (UTC)(link)
[ As Sirius mentions sensing that darkness, the corners of Sebastian's eyes crinkle lightly in amusement, though it's quick to give way to a much more genial laugh as he continues. ]

Ah, that is something that people tend to be surprised by... We may as well call it the wisdom of age! I have existed long enough to have tired of indulging in chaos for chaos's sake alone.

[ And it never amuses him any less when it's pointed out. It's not a trait that's common to his kind, exactly, even those as long lived as he is, but he's certainly found more use in manners. It suits his particular aesthetic, after all.

Having his manners pointed out does seem to warm him up a bit (even a demon loves praise, or that's at least how he interprets the comment...), so his answer comes easily as he follows the line of Sirius's gaze to the darkness. ]


But no, I am not. [ The only person that even comes to mind is the young master, and that would be a resounding no. A moment's reprieve from tending to his dinner is welcome. ] Since there does not seem to be a particular rush, it is a little more interesting to observe for the time being, is it not?
lachtara: (Distantly)

Dreaming

[personal profile] lachtara 2022-07-31 04:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Another dream.

Emet-Selch watches this one from the shadows as image after image flickers into view before being smothered by the dark. There's something distantly recognizable about the flowers she walks through. A familiarity that he can't quite define as they fade disappear, their petals bursting into the air and fading into nothing.

He continues to silently observe until she turns around and addresses him. Or, at least, who she thinks it may be: "Cloud". ]

I'm afraid not.

[ He takes a few steps forward so that he may make himself apparent. ]

You have found yourself far and away from the people and places that you once knew. This 'dream' only serves to show you a world at its end. Where there was once beauty and life, now [ He gestures to the emptiness around them. ] ...all cease to be.
fallingsand: (38;)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2022-07-31 04:44 pm (UTC)(link)
¿La oscuridad? [ The darkness, he asks, as the answer itself puzzles him. ] As in something evil or...?

[ Or something else. Good and evil never felt like a clear one or the other dichotomy to him. There should be grey areas. Only grey areas don't devour the lights of galaxies far beyond his reach, leaving him to simply have to accept the answer since he has no better way to describe it. ]

Or just. The end, I guess. [ He casts his eyes back towards the cosmos surrounding them, to another series of lights being put out one by one. ] Everything ending in darkness, with nothing we can do about it.
fallingsand: (02; hey grew to live in fear of bruno)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2022-07-31 04:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, good. He can talk. Talking means intelligent and intelligent means less liable to eat him, right? Honestly, Bruno knows nothing about dragons, so he's going on very basic assumptions here. Still, that Wrathion is capable of asking a question pulls some of the tension from his shoulders.

"Because there's nothing down there," he states simply, and as he does, he leans slightly to the side, peering around the dragon and down the path in question. "I. I mean, I haven't, uh. I haven't gone down either of the paths but it's just a feeling, y'know? There's just. Nothing. Down here, everything ends."
bloomforyou: (💎18)

[personal profile] bloomforyou 2022-07-31 04:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[ ranmaru closes his eyes in a moment of very sincere thought. ]

My thighs are firm but not hard. It would be a comfortable place to rest your head.

[ having already attuned to the kenoma, in fact, ranmaru is wearing real clothes. after opening his eyes again, he pulls up one leg of his shorts to flash cassius a peek at his thigh, as if to prove the reliability of his claim. ]
bythelight: (16)

[personal profile] bythelight 2022-07-31 05:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Anduin studies Wrathion at length, weighing all this up. He seems pleased to see him, just as he had in Stormwind when Anduin struck him. To the dragon, on the surface at least, there appears to be no damage to their friendship.

Also, he notes, no sign of guilt or desire to make amends.

"I am always concerned about Stormwind," Anduin says finally. Even here, hair air-drying and wrapped in a blanket over thin, rough-spun clothing Anduin manages to exude an air of dignity. "Although I had been under the impression that what happens to me was no concern of yours."

Just based on evidence he had.
subsist: (pic#15626278)

[personal profile] subsist 2022-07-31 05:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[ it's not like kaeya is entirely unfamiliar with technology, but it's just the way the man puts it that made him curious. what an odd term to use if it's meant to be a desire for sleep. you learn something new every day, he supposes.

he won't be the one to deny cassius what he wants, so he simply nods. ]


Then, I'll stand guard while you reboot. Before that, however... do you require water? Any food? I also have blankets with me, if you'd like.
bythelight: (10)

[personal profile] bythelight 2022-07-31 05:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Flower field?

[ That sounds... peaceful. Anduin has more questions now, though. ]

Did you wake up inside a crystal of some sort?
lockedon: (b022)

shrine.

[personal profile] lockedon 2022-07-31 05:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He doesn't really want to go out and retrieve the new Aions this time around.

But between half their number having been wounded on that last mission and his own streak of disobedience in handing over a Pleroma shard back to the 'enemy' instead of presenting it to the Regent, he knows his best course of action right now is to keep his head down and do as he's told.

So he goes to the shrines as instructed, making sure to inform Xishen of his destinations and his activities there. He expects to see no one present at the shrine - there aren't exactly many Wanderers amongst their combined ranks, after all - so when a familiar voice calls out, he stiffens, whole body going straight and one hand going immediately towards the dagger at his waist. ]


Traveler.

[ His own voice is probably familiar enough. And if it isn't....well, that's a whole different problem he'll have to tackle. ]
leicesters: academy (004)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-07-31 05:47 pm (UTC)(link)
[His attire, in this dreamspace, is formed by the last thing he remembers wearing -- his black and gold student attire from the Academy. He'd be surprised if it did look familiar to anyone not associated with the school. He smiles, as if to reassure him.]

No, I don't think that's the case. Like I said, you don't need to overthink it.

[Although he does wonder...] If this isn't entirely a dream, maybe we could find each other? You know, when we wake up.
horniness: (099.)

[personal profile] horniness 2022-07-31 06:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[ As far as he's aware, this is a human before him, one similar to Yuu from his home world, who does not balk or tremble in his presence. There's something slightly relieving about that fact, as Malleus had been forthright when saying he has no intentions of attacking anyone at the moment. Not until he finds out who is responsible for his abrupt transport here. ]

I suppose your kind are fragile enough that there would be some natural reservations in walking about defenseless. Your reliance on tools may prove more beneficial than not against other humans.

[ Just not so much against a dragon for obvious reasons, but Malleus will not begrudge him his instincts. Humans do seem to love their trinkets and tools far more than the fae. ]

However, if you point it at me once more, you may find that more than the stick may wind up snapped in two.

[ Is he teasing? The smile he gives after seems to imply as much. ]
leicesters: academy (125)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-07-31 06:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[Claude's quiet for a second as he eyes Wrathion, thinking about what he was able to glean from that drawing of the Immaculate One in the library, and whether this confirms his theory about its transformational abilities. He looks at the dragon's head, but can't see to find what he's looking for, so his eyes travel down, spotting the burning red Shard in his throat.]

That's a Crest Stone in your neck, right? Is it broken?

[He wants to get closer to have a better look, but he's sure the beast won't appreciate a stranger -- literally -- going for his throat.]
salvageable: (pic#15563130)

wildcard!

[personal profile] salvageable 2022-07-31 06:16 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It hasn't been very long since Dokja's revival, a day at most, and instead of taking the time to recover, he's on the move. Death isn't a foreign concept to him, he's died too many times before to be affected by it, but there's a difference to this one. He hadn't expected to come back, had thought that there would finally be an end to all of his suffering, but the world's never worked in Dokja's favor, so why would it start now?

He's back.

And instead of drowning in his sorrows, his anguish, his agony, he's decided to start packing up his life in Godsblood. He can't freely roam the streets of this city anymore, not when its citizens think he's on the side of the enemy, and he has a few destinations in mind. Nothing concrete, nothing that sits well with him, but what choice does he have? His fuck ups have determined that he can't stay.

It's how he finds himself with a stack of books in his arms as he navigates through a narrow alleyway as a shortcut. These are long overdue to be returned, and he figures he can just drop them off at the door and scamper away. He's not really paying attention to his surroundings, his focus on making sure the books don't topple over, but when he finally emerges from the mouth of the alley, he bumps into someone passing by.

There go the books. ]


Sorry, excuse me.

[ His voice is muffled behind a mask, his face shadowed by the hood of his cloak. He's had to dress like this ever since he'd been outed as a Kenoma Aion, and he keeps his head down even now as he crouches down to start piling the books back into a neat little stack. Hopefully they take his apology and go, and if not, showing his face to them will be enough to scare them off. ]
Edited (KILLS YOU BACK) 2022-07-31 18:42 (UTC)
horniness: (069.)

[personal profile] horniness 2022-07-31 06:38 pm (UTC)(link)
"Leaving the shrines may cause our powers to strengthen once more, but it seems I have lost my ability to fly without wings."

Otherwise, he'd have circled this world a few times already and found civilization by now. He's still tempted to at the moment, at the risk of terrifying the local populace who may not be used to seeing dragons fly overhead. Anything is better than festering away in these shrines with no food or clothing.

"Do the wards also compromise your own ability to fly as you are?"

He's unsure if that's added to this dragon's ire, but Malleus would also be rightfully upset if his wings were suddenly of no use.
undertheweight: (suspicious)

[personal profile] undertheweight 2022-07-31 06:42 pm (UTC)(link)
I beg your pardon? [Wrathion has done enough research on his own--mostly on things like Deathwing's legacy, and how his dragonflight was corrupted by the Old Gods millennia ago. One thing he has never heard of is what Claude speaks of now--but of course, he's curious, so...he looks down, and bares his fangs at what he sees.]

No. It is not whatever this 'Crest Stone' you speak of is. Nor is it something that should be there...

[Still, he isn't a fan of the idea of pain, either, so Wrathion forgoes an attempt to pluck it out of his flesh.]

Likely you can get a better look at it from your vantage point. You're unarmed, to my knowledge, so you may as well come closer.

[No, Wrathion has no idea that Claude's thoughts have traveled in that direction already. He just is well aware that were their positions reversed, he'd be the one asking to get closer for a better look...]
undertheweight: (I'm not certain)

[personal profile] undertheweight 2022-07-31 06:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Down there, everything ends. Wrathion's lip curls, because he doesn't want to admit that--mostly because that way lies madness. Deathwing had been corrupted, which made him want to end everything, and Wrathion had sworn he'd do everything in his power to not tread that path, in turn.

But the man hadn't said everything ended in madness. Just that it ended. Not that Wrathion was certain that this answer was better. But it was safer to pay heed and not suffer some sort of...awkward accident.

"Is this real? It feels like...a dream. Not that I dream much." More because he didn't sleep much, but clearly what was normal was being tossed right out the window, now.
locumstudentesquire: (pic#15737451)

[personal profile] locumstudentesquire 2022-07-31 06:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[(Sebastian, he wishes he had a vial of Pleroma to offer you. Unfortunately, offering weird mind altering goop to newcomers that's formed from the essence of the primal forces of creation and despair is kind of a Regent specialty; the Pleroma don't have anything so convenient.)

Part of Ryunosuke DOES kind of want to take Kaeya up on his 'kind offer' and retaliate; a very, very fed up part of him that would like to give the guy just one firm punch to the jaw, just to give him something back for the trouble he's caused... But he won't. He's not going to risk starting a full on fight. Not after what happened last time.

Ryunosuke is notably much less reactive than he usually is, too, glaring stone-faced while Kaeya continues his little villain speech... Which is maybe going to be no fun at all for Kaeya, but them's the breaks, really. If you're going to constantly mess with a guy during every possible interaction you have with him, he's going to start catching on and stop giving you the reactions you want.

That, or maybe he's just really not in the mood to fuck around today.

The fact that Kaeya partook of the Kenoma of his own free will is... Well it's news to him, assuming that it's true. Which is a toss up really, Ryu doesn't know WHAT to believe with this guy anymore. It wouldn't have been much of a choice, after all, if he hadn't been given a better option at the time.

But this newcomer... He should at least be allowed to know what he's in for ahead of time.]


...It's strength that won't really be yours, though, will it? Because you'll be at the Regent's beck and call. You'll be made to terrorize innocent people and their families, and forced to do things you will have never dreamed of doing. [He shakes his head.] I'm not sure if I believe that the Kenoma is a force that's inherently evil at it's base, but something I do know... Is that as long as the Regent is in charge? It will only ever be used to do terrible things. Inflicting the very same suffering that they claim to wish to stop.
Edited 2022-07-31 18:57 (UTC)
undertheweight: (suppose I deserved that)

[personal profile] undertheweight 2022-07-31 06:58 pm (UTC)(link)
The dragon grows very, very still, though the tip of his tail lashes once. That stung. Almost as much as the punch Anduin had thrown in his throne room had. Wrathion hadn't seen it coming then, either.

"Allow me to disabuse you of that notion, then," Wrathion rumbles, that lowering of his voice the only evidence beyond the single tail-lash to show his temper is being trod upon. In the throne room of Stormwind, among many onlookers who knew who he was, Wrathion had thrown his own father's death at the hands of the Old Gods back in Anduin's face when he'd accused Wrathion of being at fault for Varian Wrynn's death.

But here, no one knows him, save Anduin himself. Not yet.

"I never meant for your father to come to harm." Halting, but the words aren't begrudging, for all that. Wrathion is just not...good at this. Accepting he was wrong about something. Apologizing. But if he were going to bother to offer such things to anyone, it would be this young man.

"I am...sorry, Anduin. That it happened. For my part in it. I know what I said in Stormwind, but..." No, he didn't need to make excuses. It would only cheapen it. Especially now, that would be wrong.

"I'm sorry."
galdorleod: ([blond] swish)

[personal profile] galdorleod 2022-07-31 06:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Hedonist? As accurate as the descriptor is for Howl, he doesn't care for the sort of implications it carries. And the quickness of the new Aion's agreement to it is... a potential red flag. Howl is too busy pouting at Ciel again to do anything more than dogear the moment in the back of his mind to ponder later. ]

I bed your pardon? I do hope you're not accusing me of being some sort of rake. I would never.

[ Pursuing fun and comforts above all else, though...? He's guilty. But she'd chosen a much less diplomatic term, in his opinion. Or at least less diplomatic in Howl's case.

Two can play that game.
]

Now, Martyrs on the other hand... the most annoying sort of busybodies you can imagine. Always sticking their noses into others' business in the name of selfless concern. So very boring, if you ask me.

[ He's not looking at Ciel as he talks, but a smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. ]
Edited 2022-07-31 19:00 (UTC)