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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!

ourtomorrow: ([kenzuna] curious)

[personal profile] ourtomorrow 2022-07-31 11:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Ken and Wormmon could use a Pleroma escort from the Seeker shrine, please! Ken will have Many Questions so it would be awesome if their new ally was either very patient or very Not That. ;)
zauneyete: (Strut)

[personal profile] zauneyete 2022-07-31 11:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Hm.

[ He says, and the note is thoughtful. Early in this month, Silco can't see it -- appreciate it -- like he had before. Before, when he looked up at the sky, he'd been able to see spinning galaxies, and a dazzling array of color and light. He'd started to feel them, see them, before the Innocent had ripped that away from him with one stroke of their spear.

His lips twitched, but he didn't get angry -- or more angry than he always was -- and simply spread his hands.
]

Perhaps you're correct. It's a rare sight, to see it up close. I will admit, I never fathomed seeing something like this, where I lived. [ Underground. ]

Are you going to move toward it? The light? Some are rather...drawn to it.
thulium: (cocky)

II

[personal profile] thulium 2022-07-31 11:07 pm (UTC)(link)
"You get used to it." The voice that answers Steven is masculine, the tone amiable, but there's something unusual about the sound of it, layers of harmonics that could not possibly come from a human throat. "Other planets. The hatching's new."

Garrus has approached on an angle, so as not to sneak up right beside the human. His body language is relaxed, and without his armour, in borrowed clothing that is, at best, questionable in fit, he's not as imposing as he could be. He's still nearly seven feet of bony plates, talons, and needle teeth, like a cross between a large cat and a dinosaur that has decided it wants to be bipedal.

You know, in case things weren't weird enough already.
bythelight: (7)

[personal profile] bythelight 2022-07-31 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah, there's someone here.

A little embarrassing to be caught naked and stumbling about on the floor, but Anduin does his best to gather his dignity.

"Please," he manages, "I fear I have quite misplaced all my things."

He shivers again, not quite meeting her eyes as he tries to at least... sit himself up, until his knee aches less and he has the strength to try standing up again.
lachtara: (Journey Begins)

[personal profile] lachtara 2022-07-31 11:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He dips his head in polite greeting. ]

Emet-Selch. [ Flatly: ] Charmed.

[ With that, he looks to the path ahead. ]

Coming here is no one's choice; This oblivion is thrust upon us all. However, here at the edge of creation, you may make your first choice of what you seek to do about it.

Either permit yourself to the kind embrace of the darkness, or find comfort in the light that awaits you. [ He looks back. ] Or to stay as you are in the midst of quiet nothingness. Any action you take will be a deliberate choice. One that is yours and yours alone.
dendritic: (or will you just fall down)

[personal profile] dendritic 2022-07-31 11:19 pm (UTC)(link)
You talk a lot, dummy.

[ hoisting herself to her feet, she pulls her dragonbone sword from it's perch with ease. it whistles lightly, the hum of sharp steel being wielded as the weapon it is. she doesn't strike, but zero holds it in hand and stares out into the crossroads. emet-selch gives her his name, but zero doesn't use it. ]

I thought you talkative types always had some spiel to shit out before telling me to pick the "right side" or something. What are you gonna do if I stay?
bythelight: (14)

[personal profile] bythelight 2022-07-31 11:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Anduin lets out a humourless huff, lowering his eyes again.

"A lesson learned," he repeats, "for both of us, I think."

An unpleasant one for Anduin, but he has borne it. He frowns at the ground, thinking, then lift his eyes back up to Wrathion.

"I'd thought we were friends," he says simply.

Yet Wrathion's behaviour had not been the behaviour of a friend. Knocking Anduin out, leaving him behind, abandoning him for years. That is not what friends do, whatever way you look at it.
cutlery: (he is frickin frolicking)

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-07-31 11:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Nor would I, though I suppose that is a bit obvious, considering my admiration.

[ Sebastian shrugs, and it's with a small, warm laugh, but it probably makes his answer a little more surprising. ]

But no, I shall not. There is beauty in gazing upon the heavens, certainly, but it holds no interest to me beyond that.

[ His gaze lowers to meet Silco's again, and though his expression is an easy calm, there's the lightest of smiles showing at the corners of his eyes. As soon as the choice had presented itself, there was never a question of which he would personally take, after all, so he almost finds his own answer a bit boring in its predictability. But someone else's choice was a different story, and here was someone that had already made it. ]

If it is not rude to ask, were you perhaps drawn to the darkness instead?
heavybreaths: (Thinking)

[personal profile] heavybreaths 2022-07-31 11:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah. A local folk religion, then.

[A vaguely exasperated feeling roils off him, perhaps something a fellow Sovereign could even pick up on. He has certainly been the subject of his fair share of prophecies, and he has precious little patience for religions other than his own. Still, fitting enough.

It passes quickly enough, the helmet shifting forward slightly, as though the man inside was thinking.]


So, a war, is it? Tell me of it.
settingup: (no no no)

[personal profile] settingup 2022-07-31 11:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[ "They're bad people" says the man currently grabbing onto his arm with enough force that Atsumu is wincing in pain. Atsumu might be a Earth grown boy himself, but being birthed from a big old crystal takes a lot out of a guy, even one as filled with boundless energy and gumption as Atsumu is. The argument that the other team only wants to hurt people sure would be stronger if Amos wasn't currently hurting him himself.

Without knowing what's going on in Amos' head right now, there's no way at all for Atsumu to know the depth of Amos' concern for the newcomers, and the genuine desire to "help" them.

Though even if he did know, it probably wouldn't do anything to change Atsumu's response. He'd still grit his teeth and try in vain to yank his arm free, finding himself increasingly frustrated by his own current weakness.
]

Screw! Off!
semicharmed: (universal soul)

i - sorry hope im not overloading you but i Have To

[personal profile] semicharmed 2022-07-31 11:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Being here, among the swirl of cosmos and entropy, is strangely like a homecoming to Matt. He's always felt most like himself when he's communing with something greater, something vast and unknowable and dangerous for that. Before he'd arrived in Horos, he might have been drawn to the perfect middle of this place, balancing on the knife's edge between bright, blooming light and devouring darkness. Now, the call of the void beckons him more insistently; staring too long at the light reminds him of the Innocence's rage at his presence. Begone begone begone--

He doesn't hold it against her. Beings of the spirit can be so fickle. ]


Hm?

[ Matt smiles slightly at his new companion, not appearing at all put off by the sharp teeth and red eyes. He himself is pretty ordinary: just a slim young man with a nest of dark hair, wearing layers of unremarkable grays and blacks. A waistcoat, fitted trousers, a loose and open-throated shirt. But there are a few details of note. He has a thin, hairline scar on his left cheek, whispering with old demonic energy. There's a chunk of gray crystal embedded in the left side of his throat. And his left hand is missing entirely, his wrist terminating in a smooth stump that just peeks past the cuff of his sleeve. ]

No, [ he answers, pleasantly thoughtful. ] I've made my choice a few times over.

What about you?
wavetrain: <user name=animatedwings site=twitter.com> (pic#15836495)

[personal profile] wavetrain 2022-07-31 11:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Trust her, Claude, it's way weirder for Tsunami to see humans everywhere to the extent she has been over the last few hours. She's trying to take it in stride, though!

She tilts her head, grinning. "Well, there's only one way to find out, right?"
lachtara: (Reproach)

[personal profile] lachtara 2022-07-31 11:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Wake up, I imagine.

[ It's a dream after all. More than that, sigh, No one has an appreciation for the drama of the spoken word around here. ]

Before I explain something that you would sooner ignore, perhaps you would indulge me in why someone such as yourself would never have been permitted choices before this.
tselyak: (3.)

[personal profile] tselyak 2022-07-31 11:43 pm (UTC)(link)
( ooc ; uwoh sure!!! whatever worksー i love makoots already ;; )

[ red and blueー pinpoints of serenity in purgatory. FrostNova, with half of her small face buried in the thick collar of the taken jacket (not even a pretense of refusing; her impoliteness seemed more polite), looks at the stranger with the sort of bare-faced, military curiosity that, in a different context, may have been mistaken for sizing him up.

the coat is warm. a running theme, now. this new world, and its lack of edges. she finds something more familiar and understandable in the angles of this other man, in the way he carries himself, in his red.

it's pretty, she'd think, if she ever gave thought to that sort of thing at all.
]

You're speaking from experience.

[ without inflection, save for some distant wonder. what was it like? what did you do to get there? she sits up, and her hair sifts over the horizontal scar bisecting her nose. ]

But, I see. ーHow strange, that fate will never give you what you want. [ a light exhale at the end of her syllable, like a wry laugh. ] ...Are you cold?
rosethorns: (12)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-07-31 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[She appreciates the apology, though remains a bit too flustered to show it properly just yet. There’s a similar appreciation for his own attempt at modesty and the apparent politeness in his averted gaze that she catches when she steels herself for a quick glance in his direction. She must say, it is a relief to find that she is not instantly being leered at by the first person she ran across. The last thing she needs is to add that to the already mountainous problem she found herself facing.

Less of a relief, however, is discovering that this mystery gentleman seems to be just as in the dark about said problem as she is.]


Unfortunately, I can’t say I know much at all about what we’re doing here. [The disappointment is clear in her voice, though she does her best to put on a brave face as she continues.] I suppose it’s a small comfort to discover we’re not alone in this, at least.

[Would being stuck here with a stranger be worse than simply wandering in here, clueless and alone? Embarrassment aside, she thinks not.]
settingup: (uh-oh running now)

[personal profile] settingup 2022-07-31 11:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The unattractive snort that Atsumu gives at the suggestion they're dead and sucked into another world sure is something. She definitely sounds high suggesting they've actually be isekaied, because that kind of thing doesn't actually happen in real life.

But uh... drugs?

He pats the crystal he's hiding behind, frowning at how solid and real it feels. Honestly, he doesn't feel that different than normal, but everything around him sure is a wild sight, so...
]

This is what bein' on drugs feels like?
stellium: (pic#15847270)

[personal profile] stellium 2022-07-31 11:48 pm (UTC)(link)
( she's about to say something about how she knows he's not one for the same reason, or something along those lines, but what he says stops her in her tracks, confusion blooming over her face. )

You could think of it as testing their trap making abilities. ( however-- ) But I haven't disappeared from anywhere. Recently.

( unless he means right now, and lumine checks over her shoulder, back the way she came, looking to see if there was a glimpse of teyvat. when none appears, lumine turns back to him with a small shrug. )
cutlery: please do not take! (I had a sensible chuckle. +1)

NOT AT ALL 💪 always delighted for tags!!!!

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-07-31 11:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[ As Sebastian looks at him, the details are noted, though he doesn't seem to have a particular reaction to any of them, save for his gaze lingering just a hair longer on the scar than anything else. But his expression is an easy calm, like he's perfectly comfortable here and this isn't one of the stranger things he's experienced in his long, long life. ]

Ah, well, my choice is already well made, I would say.

[ Not that he's inclined to give it so freely, clearly. That could be a hint enough, he knows, since he doubts anyone that would choose the light would feel the need to be cagey about it. ]

If I may, which did you choose?

[ It's polite and still asked with a conversational tone rather than one pushing for an answer. But he'd still very much like to know. ]
tselyak: (3.)

[personal profile] tselyak 2022-07-31 11:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[ kon...bu....? sorry Toge, forgive ForstNova her ignorance and her relative awkwardness when it comes to the whole Communion deal. there's a visible moment where she readjusts to it all, shoulders squared and jaw locked, and that mental reset allows her to address the answer to her very broad question.

pandas. that's awfully specific. (she thinks of humanoids with panda features instead of the like, actual animals, because.......... arknights)
]

What draws you to them?

[ he's a bear person, huh... that's ok, she won't take it personally. ]
locumstudentesquire: (>:()

[personal profile] locumstudentesquire 2022-07-31 11:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[Kaeya's right. The clapping DOES annoy him. His scowl deepens, and his eye even twitches a little.

However, Ryunosuke actually keeps half his attention on Sebastian while Kaeya talks, and GOSH is it going to take him a while to get over his annoyance on hearing or thinking about that name, sorry Sebastian. He's observing mainly so he can kind of gauge the man's reactions to what the Kenoma is saying, since that's often more telling to him than the actual words being spoken. Stupid Kaeya drags his focus back 100% to him again by the end, though.]


...So glad to know that your personal dislike for me is such an important factor in your decision making.

[The tip of his tail keeps flicking back and forth like the pendulum of a clock, as he levels a weary look at Sebastian.]

Again, he's not misleading you on that... That is indeed the purported goal that the Regent has seen fit to drag everything and everyone into oblivion over. Although if I can offer my opinion, I have my doubts that they actually want to create anything once the destruction is done. [He looks pointedly at Kaeya again at this next point, though he's still addressing Sebastian:] My sense is that they've simply grown tired of existing, and in a despicable act of arrogance they've decided everyone else must go down with them.
fisherwife: (He started planning our future midhookup)

2

[personal profile] fisherwife 2022-07-31 11:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[On the bright side, having finally clawed her way out of the crystal, being naked doesn't bother Mipha at all. It's her normal state of being, more or less, so she doesn't even bat an eyelash about it.

This whole place, however, is a different story. She remains laying on the ground for a few moments, mind a whirl, before she takes a deep breath and begins to push herself up. She sits up and looks around slowly, trying to orient herself.

Fragments of her dream keep washing up in her mind, but she can hardly tell anymore what's real and what's not. She felt very solid and alive right now. Was this some kind of afterlife, or...?

There were a lot of other crystal things around, which seemed to her pretty telling that there must be others, so--
]

Hello? Is anyone else there?
wavetrain: <user name=animatedwings site=twitter.com> (pic#15836497)

[personal profile] wavetrain 2022-07-31 11:55 pm (UTC)(link)
"Whoah," murmurs Tsunami. For such a small creature, this guy is legitimately impressive. It makes her feel a bit insecure about not being able to show off what she's made of, right now, but... that's not going to keep her from giving it all she's got.

As the ballista bursts into splinters and flames, she charges out of the cave and rears up on her hind legs like a bear, spreading her wings wide and flashing the bioluminescent scales on her underbelly and wing membranes. She bellows out a roar that shows off all her teeth.
pyojeol: (pic#15719889)

[personal profile] pyojeol 2022-07-31 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[If Sooyoung could mark the trajectory of her emotions since waking up in ISEKAI LAND then it'd go a little something like this.

Except not once have her emotions gone up? They've just plateaued, and then dipped down, further and further. The world is gone. Down. She's all alone. Down. The fact that this situation rings familiar too, is something that she hates. She hates thinking of Kaizenix, of all her years spent there.

Is it going to be the same here?

Sure, she hasn't woken up in the body of an infant or anything, but crawling out of that chrysalis almost feels like the same thing. She's definitely weak as an infant. She can't even throw a rock, or run a mile without grabbing her side. It's some kind of miracle that she's traveled all the way here, in fact. On her feet, sometimes hitching a ride, feeling bruised and broken and not quite whole. She hates this feeling. That, and she hates how dangerously close she is to feeling terribly sorry for herself. Godsblood doesn't quite manage to be the distraction she's aiming for, so she keeps on stomping through the city, grumbling and muttering to herself, thinking sad trombone thoughts while not paying attention to anything around her, which is why she ends up colliding with a complete stranger.

Her first instinct is to snipe and then move on, but the image of those books scattered on the ground keeps her in place. Maybe it's the writer in here that makes her stay, maybe it's because this random person crouching down to pick up their books is emanating a Vibe that feels almost as sad as her inner thoughts........

Whichever it is, she crouches down too, grabbing a book and staring at its title. Can she judge this complete stranger on their literary tastes? Maybe Dokja is reading erotica?]
pyojeol: (pic#15847969)

[personal profile] pyojeol 2022-08-01 12:00 am (UTC)(link)
[Sooyoung lets out a huff, but she relaxes her death grip on her hair at least. She moves her hands to her waist instead, turning her gaze to Miyako and her.... Hawkmon....

...

Well. Honestly not the weirdest animal she's seen, and yet? She eyes the creature carefully, relaxes a little once she realizes it's not aggressive,]


They've got beds, food, paid leave... And probably a creepy castle where they can all stay in.

[she knows the tropes? she can guess. She jabs her thumb at Hawkmon,]

Speaking of creepy, what's that?

[this is so mean hawkmon is cute]
pyojeol: (pic#15847893)

[personal profile] pyojeol 2022-08-01 12:02 am (UTC)(link)
[Sooyoung curls her hand around the rock and shoots Claude a flat look at the comment, but instead of snapping back

she just steps back a little, winds up her arm... and then throws... the stone...

it DOES go up? it makes some headway? a lovely little arc, actually, because it starts falling immediately -- straight down on some poor Pleroma's head.]


Oops.

[Sooyoung doesn't hesitate. She immediately moves to hide behind Claude.]