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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!

coerthantorment: (Default)

[personal profile] coerthantorment 2022-07-30 08:51 pm (UTC)(link)
I want. Estinien will come get her in his semi dragon form and confuse the shit out of her.

Mrs. Brisby | Secret of Nihm | THE MARTYR (Sect Undecided?)

[personal profile] scienceandmyth 2022-07-30 08:57 pm (UTC)(link)

Dreaming

Where is this...?

Everything looks and feels dream-like. There is no solid form anywhere around but she can make out a scant dirt path that stretches out in front of her. She carefully begins to walk. "Hello? I-is anyone out there?"

The path eventually leads to a fork in the road, one path leading to light and the other to dark. The trail on the left looks like a crowded forest where light dares not go and the trail on the right is a welcoming field dotted with flowers.

It seems obvious which way she would rather go, but where are her Children? Mrs. Brisby angles her head so that she may look down each road. Where is her home? Which path leads to them?

Rebirth

There's a large crystal the same size as it would be for any normal Aion, but with the smallest creature inside. It's hard to notice something so small at first. It might seem like there's nothing in there at all. Maybe this one brought nothing at all.

Soon the first splinters of the crystal start to move. There is definitely something small trying to emerge! For those who are observant enough will notice the small paws of a little rodent trying to emerge from the crystal. They strain and pull. Hopefully, someone may notice and help them.

In the Cave

Somehow, she manages to escape the crystal and now wanders the cave. Alone. When she hears the sound of others approaching, she hops behind the nearest small rock in hopes that she would escape their notice.

Some of these people don't look very welcoming.

Mrs. Brisby peeks over the top of the rock at the next person who approaches - at you - with eyes wide. Would you notice her too?
regressor: (PANT)

[personal profile] regressor 2022-07-30 08:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[Why?

This place... it wasn't her world. She knew that now. It could be an illusion, she supposed, but over time and as things grew more strange and intricate, more painful and exhausting... she couldn't doubt. Now, with whatever that black sludge was coursing through her veins, all she can think about is those snatches of memory remaining from her brush with Hell's Gate.

A girl drained of blood after an ambush had left her desperate to pay her obeisance, a businessman who had the misfortune to choose the roof she'd been operating from when he wanted a smoke, a politician and his retinue in Glasgow, the laboratory she'd reduced to rubble in San Paulo... Hundreds, thousands of them, corpses bloated, twisted, crushed, and all because of her. Why?]


Because-

[In this moment, she wishes desperately for the ignorance she'd once possessed. No powers, no memories, a slate wiped largely clean, possessed of practical knowledge, language, and no memory of where or how such skill had been acquired. Didn't know her own name, not the one she'd been born with at any rate- only remembered vague snatches. Havoc. Carmine. Heaven's Gate. The flash of light. The need to be on her toes. The inkling, pitfall feeling of having once done horrible things with no exact recollection.]

I don't want to kill anymore...

[Whimpered out in a near violent shake of her head, interrupted by the near hyperventilation she'd worked herself in to. As if in proof, the telltale neon lights suffused the outline of her body, limbs, pulsed behind her eyes before she killed it abruptly with another harsh clutch of her broken fingers, the others trembling where they clutch at this stranger's pant leg.]
cutlery: (suddenly i'm a satanist...)

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-07-30 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Why, thank you very much, sir.

[ He's honestly a little surprised that the young man does indeed have something, but of course he won't be complaining in the slightest. He takes the blanket with a rather deep bow of his head, and he's swift to adjust it for at least a modicum of modesty. Truly, he finds it deeply irritating to find himself in such a state that he can't simply produce clothing himself, but that edge of irritation doesn't show at all. Instead, he just sighs and gives a small shake of his head. ]

...Well, I am certainly feeling a bit out of sorts, to put it mildly. [ extremely mildly ] Ah, but some water would be appreciated, actually, should you have any. My apologies for imposing all the same.
shikanoinheizou: (002)

Shikanoin Heizou | Genshin Impact | Firebrand (Kenoma)

[personal profile] shikanoinheizou 2022-07-30 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
i. Dreaming
[He doesn't know where to go. People pass him by as he stays rooted in place, beckoned by the light and darkness both, his attention shifting from one to the other as he stands straight-backed and still with his fists clenched tightly by his sides. A strange dream, he thinks. He desperately thinks. A strange dream. One of the stranger ones he can remember having.

His bright eyes shift to one side, watching another person walk past, his gaze boring into their back as the distance between them grows.

Heizou takes a small step forwards. Before this, he had been sitting on a high peak on Watatsumi Island's outer rim, watching the sun setting over the water. Clearly he had simply fallen asleep. The next person who passes by close enough will find an arm outstretched blocking their path, and a strangely bright and confident voice speaking to them from the young man the arm belongs to.
]

Which way would you go?

ii. Rebirth
[In the end, the mysteries that the shadows held had been too much to ignore. Heizou awakens slowly and has to shake the cloying sensation of devouring darkness out of his mind before he opens his eyes in the hope of finding himself back on that hilltop. No such luck.

He can only struggle a little but struggle he does, and the mounting panic at being unable to break free builds itself into a knot of tension in his chest that is almost suffocating by the time he forces one hand through the casing holding him in place. A strangled, weak yell escapes him as the sensation of air on his hand gives him the last push of strength he needs to fully break out.

Then he simply lays there, panting, aware of his own nakedness but lacking the energy to be perturbed by it. The shard embedded in the back of his right hand goes unnoticed for now. Slowly, the chill in the air draws him into a more alert state and he sits up, absent-mindedly grabbing a piece of the broken chrysalis to cover himself. There's too much new information to take in all at once and his mind is in overdrive already, his widened eyes roving across the room as his slender limbs begin to tremble from a mixture of weakness and the chill.
]

... Curious. [He whispers, momentarily seeming startled by the sound of his own voice. Heizou lifts his hand to pinch the back of it and jerks his fingers back as they touch the shard there. He stares, confused, and picks at it with the tip of his finger.] You're not supposed to be there.

iii. Returned [to the Kenoma]
(a)
[Despite his weakness he fights the attempts to make him drink anything for as long as he can, but there's only so much he can do when all of his limbs feel like boiled spaghetti. Eventually one person has him held prone with his arms hauled behind his back, while another one forces his head up and covers his nose until his burning lungs force him to open his mouth to take a breath. Then he's gagging, restrained until he has to swallow or suffocate against the thing that feels like it's trying to force its way down his throat--

The young detective is left in a poor state. He resists, and resists, and the corruption attempting to take hold forces black ooze from his ears and nose, up into his mouth to occasionally choke him, and from the back of his hand.

For the first day he simply sits as if catatonic while he battles the force in his mind and body. He stares blankly at the space ahead him and acknowledges no one as his worst doubts and insecurities are dragged out of him and spat back by a voice that seems to be echoing in his head. By the end of the day he seems to be stirring through it, the disgusting blackness dripping from every orifice eases in its appearance, and he starts to at least seem to notice when other people are coming near to him. Hopefully someone took pity on him while he was fighting... and he at least has some clothes by now.

(b)
[Half way through the second day after his arrival, Heizou gets slowly to his feet and looks around as if only just realising where he is. He scratches at the shard in the back of his hand again, closes his eyes, and then wipes a smear of black ooze away from the corner of his mouth.

The world is not good enough.

He still feels weak. Hungry, thirsty... Cold. He wraps his arms around himself as his usually active mind remains strangely, yet blissfully blank. His eyes are dull, skin pale, hair matted with the substance that had been leaking out of his ears for the past day and a half.

A better universe awaits, one forged by your own hand.

That doesn't seem like such a bad thing. Why did he spend so long fighting? He isn't even sure, now. All he's sure of right at this moment is that he's... tired.

And very, very hungry.
]

Where can I get something to eat? [He asks the first person he sees who looks like they have their wits about them.] Something deep fried, preferably, but I think I could eat anything right about now.



((obvs as Heizou is brand new to Genshin he can't be apped just yet, but I'm trying him out in the setting! hopefully I didn't heck anything up.))
wavetrain: <user name=animatedwings site=twitter.com> (pic#15836489)

[personal profile] wavetrain 2022-07-30 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
YES. TERRIFIC
cutlery: please do not take! (he's a golden deceiver!)

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-07-30 09:03 pm (UTC)(link)
omg I did in fact hear about kaeya's fake name being sebastian so yes, absolutely! I'm always here for name shenanigans lmao and an ambush sounds very fun!
subsist: (pic#15624540)

[personal profile] subsist 2022-07-30 09:05 pm (UTC)(link)
i'm so embarrassed my friends outed me like this LMAO, but excellent, i'll probably note in my tags whenever ryunosuke-mun is gonna come in.
apostolus: (pic#15839918)

road kamelot | d. grayman | kenoma | lover

[personal profile] apostolus 2022-07-30 09:07 pm (UTC)(link)
DREAMING

[ This isn't where she expects to be, after everything. It's not any of her dimensions, or a dreamscape she remembers seeing in the past. But if it's a dream, well......then it's fine, isn't it? If there's anyone that understands how dreams work it should be her, shouldn't it?

So she sits in the air perched on some invisible ledge (because if this truly is a dream then she can do as she likes), her legs swinging loosely back and forth in front of her. She looks—relaxed. Unbothered by the stars that swirl above her head or the inky darkness that presses on for as long as she can see.

At some point, she finds she's not alone. There's another form coalesced into being nearby, unfamiliar to her in looks and bearing. She looks down, her two irises, one nested inside the other, boring into the other person. Across her forehead are a series of small crosses encircling her forehead like a crown. ]


Have you picked a side yet?

[ There's a smile on her face, easy and girlish, but it doesn't quite reach her golden eyes. ]


REBIRTH

[ In the shrine, there is a girl. Youthful and brown-skinned, she sits in front of the egg she'd hatched from as naked as the day she'd been born. (Though that birth barely leaves an impression in her mind, far outweighed by her more momentous rebirth as a Noah.)

Instead of going anywhere, she waits, humming softly to herself under her breath. There's a lot to think about and a lot of loose puzzle pieces to try and slot into place, and her legs still feel shaky even folded underneath her.

(How odd. She hasn't felt so physically weak in a long, long time.)

Eventually, a shadow slants across her. She looks up, eyes wide and guileless, easily sliding into the role she's comfortably settled into for the past thirty-five years. ]


Have you seen my daddy at all? Or my uncle Tyki?

[ If anything is strange, it's how shockingly strong and steady her voice is for someone newly clambered out of a crystal egg. ]


RETURNED (KENOMA)

[ It doesn't take long for her to accept the Kenoma.

Why would it? Everything it whispers to her is precisely what she's heard and believed for the entirety of her 7000 year existence, across numerous lives and reincarnations. Even the disgusting taste of that liquid she'd drank, and the nausea and chills that had suffused her whole body, couldn't begin to compete with the burning hatred that still sits brightly in her chest.

(Though there is a shard of hatred buried in there, sharp and jagged, for the being that taken her beloved family from her and left her here alone.)

But the symptoms subside quicker than she expects, and soon she's left alone and unsupervised in the barren hall. Without any sort of entertainment to keep her busy. ]


It's so booooring in here.

[ Her voice is petulant and whiny in the way that only a child's can be, and loud enough that it echoes through the air. She sits on one of the stone stabs, knees pulled up to her chest and her chin resting at the very top of her knees, her arms outstretched in front of her as her hands play in air in front of her.

The first person to pass by gets immediately accosted, her voice rising as she calls out to them. ]


Hey. Play with me.


WILDCARD/OTHER

[ Happy to roll with any other ideas you have. As a note, I am a current player test-driving a potential second, so please feel free to focus your energies on new players! ]
baaaaka: ([c] can't... form... cat pun...)

III... in between a and b ig

[personal profile] baaaaka 2022-07-30 09:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[ what a day it's been! what a day, indeed! Auger doesn't entirely understand what's going on, but he's beginning to. Namely: if he wants to be able to take human form again, he needs to drink whatever's in those little vials. The problem is that Auger, having been on the giving and receiving end of several little vials in his life, has plenty of reason to be suspicious of them. Anyone in Weblin would have a hard time poisoning him, at this point - he thinks he's got a bit of every toxic plant and mushroom in the land running through his system - but this is not Weblin, and he's not stupid enough to think he'd have any resistance to whatever they grow here.

He's been assured that it's harmless. But words are cheap. So, instead, he's been lurking around, watching other people drink the concoction. Seeing if they change afterwards. He doesn't think they'll drop dead or anything - that would be counter to the big guy's plans, from what he's heard - but he does think it might have some kind of effect on the brain. ]


Is it that tasty? Hmmm.

[ he's been watching Sebastian for a little bit from a high-up perch, quiet - at least until now. The echo of his thought reaches Auger's mind, though Auger doesn't recognize it as such - more of an off-handed comment. ]

[personal profile] expiera 2022-07-30 09:18 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm sorry for this question mods...

How well does the Kenoma goop mix with food, baked good specifically? Can it actually be say laced into cupcakes and brownies, fed to people, and achieve a similar result as drinking it whole?

Thank you in advance and for your patience for all the weird stuff we come up with...
undertheweight: (I think not!)

Rebirth

[personal profile] undertheweight 2022-07-30 09:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[Claude can sense another presence in the shrine--or near it, at least. In his normal form, the cavern is a bit small for Wrathion's comfort, though he isn't really claustrophobic. Though when Wrathion notices movement within, he squeezes himself back in. It's true that in part the dragon wants to be intimidating--but the second, more noticeable part is that he emanates heat like a furnace.]

Who are you, mortal? What is this place? Have you answers?

[He's not very patient, but at least his tone suggests he's asking questions, not demanding answers...]
heavybreaths: (Thinking)

Darth Vader | Star Wars | Sovereign

[personal profile] heavybreaths 2022-07-30 09:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Cosmic Crossroads

[Drifting in the emptiness of the void is not an unusual experience for Vader. The vastness of space, the falling away of the world as one communes with the Force, and the sensation of being pulled within the vast sea of the cosmos is a welcome companion. Yet this is also new. The Light rarely calls out to him any longer, and the feeling of others in his meditations is completely alien. Instinctively, he finds himself drawing away, moving, pushing back from the cloying call.

The Dark encroaching all around him likewise he rejects, unwilling to completely accept the discontent that it brings with it. Vader pushes back, knowing well this trick of the Dark Side. It would try to rouse him, it would try to draw him in, and it would try to hollow him out. That was a form of submission that he has been striving against for some time now, refusing to immerse himself as fully as the Emperor did. Pushing free, finding himself dancing at the midway point betwixt the two once more, he considers the presences of those around him more fully now.]


How curious. [His voice comes out slow and deliberate, the hiss of his mechanical breathing cutting through the pause in his words. His head turns, regarding the nearby shape of another being, the spark of interest evident behind the helmet's expressionless gaze.] It is rare I share dreams with another.

Rebirth A (For other Newbies)

[Labored mechanical breathing cuts through the breaking of Vader's chrysalis. He does not panic, but the struggle to push aside the shell currently surrounding him is more real than it should be. His muscles, the prosthetics that make his body function, none of it worked quite right in this strange place, and that frustrated the man's efforts. He could feel the weakness, the creeping sensation of emptiness that came when he reached for the Force and found it difficult to grasp. When he finally wrestled himself free, he limped painfully as old injuries flared up and the cybernetics running throughout his body screamed in protest.

And yet pain was merely a motivational tool, and even as discombobulated as Vader was, the notion of merely lying there seemed a waste. He cast his eyes around for a weapon, settling on a shard of his broken chrysalis, and began to move. His mind reeling, thinking how best to act, Vader stopped as he found another waking from the same situation. Unwilling to leave a potentially useful tool alone, he stood over the stranger.]


Awaken and find your feet quickly. We should move, but I have little patience for dawdlers.

Rebirth B (For older characters)

[Or perhaps things play out differently and instead of finding someone new, Vader's feet carry him towards someone with more knowledge of what is going on. He stands rigid as he limps out of the cavern, one hand gripping the wall, his mechanical breathing sounding more labored from the wetness clinging to his mechanical body. Gaze fixed on whoever was in front of him, he spoke in a firm and dangerously calm voice. Even weakened as he is, he tries to sound as menacing as possible.]

You will explain to me what is going on, and what manner of place this is.

[He leaves the threat unspoken, but tries to imply it as best he can with body language. At least he is 6'7" and that counts for something, right?]

Returned (Pleroma)

[The strange jolt of his body being pulled is exhilarating in a way that very, very few things are to Vader anymore. The unfamiliar mode of travel is amazing even to him, reminding him of a jump to hyperspace more than anything. Yet that is something always experienced aboard a ship, not out on one's own. Fascinated by it, his mind briefly occupied by that, he steps clear of the lodestone and begins walking around the strange ruin.

The supplies he ignores for the moment, save for one thing. Walking over, he grabs a heavy cloth and begins wiping down his body, cleaning off as much of the chrysalis residue as possible. His breathing lightens as a result, the irritation of it against his cybernetic body having left him struggling a little.

After that, he moves towards people, seeking knowledge. Understanding...whatever this problem is...comes before any other concerns.]


What can you tell me of our situation?


[OOC: So some quick notes! 1) There are possible spoilers for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series as well as the current run of Darth Vader comics that may come up. Please let me know if you want to avoid spoilers. 2) I have a permissions and opt-out post here because Vader is Vader. And 3) If you want to plot something, hit me up on Plurk at [plurk.com profile] intercession]
Edited 2022-07-30 21:24 (UTC)
subsist: (pic#15626279)

[personal profile] subsist 2022-07-30 09:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[ kaeya steps back to let the man regain some semblance of decency. while that's happening, he is already rifling through the small bag once more to procure a canister of water. it feels lukewarm for the moment, but there's a brief glow of icy blue coming from the tips of his fingers, so once he passes the canister along, it'll be cold to the touch. ]

Not at all. I was in your position a few months back, so I thought it was best to come prepared in order to spare anyone from the inconvenience.

[ quietly, he glances around the shrine, as if looking for something. or someone. his eye narrows ever so slightly. ]

You haven't encountered anyone else, have you?

[ whether another new aion... or worse, someone from the pleroma. it wouldn't hurt to keep his guard up. ]
heavybreaths: (Default)

[personal profile] heavybreaths 2022-07-30 09:27 pm (UTC)(link)
A volunteer to haul this cyborg jerk to the Pleroma lodestone would be great. He is arriving at the Sovereign shrine and his top level is here.

He's surly, and he'll ask for a lot of information, but I think Pleroma is where he'd go given the choice. Kenomas are welcome still though, as I'm happy to see where he'd go via threading too!
horniness: (014.)

i. dragons of a scale, flock together or something

[personal profile] horniness 2022-07-30 09:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[ ...Little.

No one has called him such a thing in years, if only because everyone else tends to be dwarfed by his tall, horned stature, but he also recognizes in this form, he's probably less impressive and intimidating-looking to her. Still, he can't help but bristle slightly at the word. ]


I advise you to reconsider your manner of address quickly. Were I to transform, our sizes would differ less.

[ But he's having a little trouble at the moment as his magic doesn't seem to be responding at all to him, perhaps due to his dormant state prior to inspecting the other shrines. It might need more time to awaken.

In the meantime, he busies himself studying the dragon before him, quite sure it isn't one of the fae, otherwise she would have recognized and bowed to him instantly. So she must be closer to the dragons he's read about from distant regions, who roam around permanently in one form, almost indistinguishable from other creatures of the land. ]


However, your assumption was correct. I have no knowledge of this landmark nor through what mechanism we were brought here. I expected you to be the one to have the answer. Is this not your habitat?
locumstudentesquire: (grimace)

In the Cave

[personal profile] locumstudentesquire 2022-07-30 09:36 pm (UTC)(link)
It's hard to keep an upbeat attitude after the last few weeks he's had, but Ryunosuke's doing his part anyway. Helping keep an eye out for newcomers by periodically checking the various shrines can be a lot more dangerous than it sounds, given that the Kenoma are likely to be out doing the same thing... So in some ways, it's kind of a relief whenever he arrives at a cave and finds it empty.

He's just about to write the Martyr shrine off for today, readying to make the hop back to the safety of the Lodestone, when his ears detect the faintest scuffle against rock, making him turn back to the cavernous interior in surprise.

"...Hello?? Is, is someone there??"

His eyes flit nervously about the cave as he carefully approaches where he thinks the sound came from; he's not looking at the right level, though. Mrs. Brisby will see a human guy towering overhead, but he possesses some distinctly non-human features that kind of muddy exactly what he is: a long scaly tail, large swiveling ears, two feathered wings and horns... A pretty extreme example of the sort of bizarre changes Aions can acquire, if their self-image becomes fortified under the right circumstances.
Edited 2022-07-30 21:36 (UTC)
cutlery: please do not take! (lana spelled backward)

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-07-30 09:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The darkness settles in him easily, as natural as if it were simply returning to a place it belonged. It's certainly how he thinks of it, since with it comes the sensation of missing pieces falling back into place. Whatever had happened to strip him of parts of his very being when he clawed out of that rock were being undone, and it would make him sigh in a bit of relief were there not other people around to witness it. Not feeling complete had left him feeling quite a bit more naked than the literal nudity, after all.

The ooze that comes with it tastes acrid on his tongue, and the way it collects on his skin around the shard is unpleasant, but it also doesn't bother him as much as it could. Those raw feelings that had come with it and the desires of a mysterious voice were far, far more interesting, after all. Perhaps it was even nostalgic, in a way, since there was a kind of intensity to the feelings that he hadn't felt in a very long time.

Yet even so, he finds his composure quickly. He hears the young man's voice and looks his way, but in comparison, Sebastian's eyes are markedly less strange than they had been a moment ago. His demonic eyes are already hidden back behind the more human ones the moment he's able to do so. If he takes anything odd about Makoto's appearance, it certainly doesn't show on his face, and he just takes the hand-towel with a light, but grateful bow of his head. He dabs at his face with it to try and get as much of the ooze off as possible (it still tastes terrible in his mouth), and he can't help but think that he's making quite terrible first impressions, at least by his own standards. ]


A shame?

[ He questions it lightly, since his acceptance was so quick that he hadn't exactly realized that his thoughts had slipped out. The intensity from the Kenoma alone was plenty, after all, so if he had taken any other thoughts in, they were quickly lost in the noise of that. ]
leicesters: academy (003)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-07-30 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[Claude emerges from his hiding place, and the crystal makeshift weapon in his hand clatters uselessly to the ground in shock. A great winged beast, with black scales the inverse of the Immaculate One's pure white, is in the cavern.

And talking... to him.

Hadn't the Immaculate One fought alongside him and the others in the defence of Garreg Mach Monastery? So maybe he doesn't have anything to fear from this one, too, at least for now. Its -- his -- tone certainly doesn't suggest hostility, even if the cave is suddenly a lot warmer.]


I'm Claude von Riegan, not 'mortal', thanks. No idea where we are. And you are, uh...?

[Hopefully not going to snack on him for that attitude, at least.]
cutlery: (the cats did not like the bbq sauce)

SIGHS HEAVILY

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-07-30 09:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[ In comparison to... surely everyone else, Sebastian finds the sensation of the Kenoma settling into place almost pleasant. It's like picking up some lost piece of himself again, and so with it, some of that unsettling feeling of being quite less than his actual being was starting to fade. It allows him to relax, to finally take in a little bit more of the state of others with interest, and he's wiping at his mouth to try and rid it of the remainders of the ichor when he hears Auger speak up, and he turns his way.

But, oh. When he sees the source of the voice, his expression turns absolutely deadly serious. He takes a few steps closer so that he has a slightly better vantage point to look up at Auger, since the current angle wasn't quite ideal.

Inwardly though, ]


My goodness! Your coat is absolutely exquisite, sir.

[ Auger's question is, of course, ignored. There are more important things at the moment? ]
emblazer: (144.)

rebirth;

[personal profile] emblazer 2022-07-30 09:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Here he thought he'd gotten his fill of walking in on disoriented naked people the last time, but it seems he was very wrong. When he'd gotten word of new arrivals from one of the others, he'd quickly put together a basket full of food and blankets just so they don't have to waddle around and wait until they reach civilization for some sort of modesty. His timing couldn't be more perfect.

His head pokes briefly into the Seeker Shrine, only catching a glimpse of skin before immediately squeezing his eyes shut and holding out a blanket to the clearly confused arrival. ]


Don't mind me. I'm honestly here to help. Let me know if you'd rather I toss this at you than you coming over to me.

[ He should probably say something a little more explanatory than that, so this poor guy doesn't think Thoma is the reason he's here in this state. ]

I'm Thoma, by the way, an outsider like you. I was actually more or less in your place two months ago, except in a different shrine.
wavetrain: <user name=animatedwings site=twitter.com> (pic#15836498)

Re: i. dragons of a scale, flock together or something

[personal profile] wavetrain 2022-07-30 09:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She blinks in obvious surprise, her head drawing back on her sinuous neck. ]

Whoah! You can talk?

[ She stares at him for a moment, his words sinking in as she gets a better look at him, taking in those dragonlike horns and what he said about... transforming...? ]

Wait. Are you... a dragon? But—who would do this to you??

[ She's definitely assuming someone's changed him into a human shape against his will or something. ]
coerthantorment: (7)

IB

[personal profile] coerthantorment 2022-07-30 09:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Estinien's arrival at the Champion's shrine is heralded by a rain of fire. Truthfully, this isn't the first time the men and woman of the barracks surrounding it have seen him, and as if expecting it, their aggression is immediate. Thankfully, that is something Estinien expects and is eager to accept.

A few explosions erupt outside of the cavern, and the nearby soldier can be heard shouting and organizing. Arrows are shot, and defenses are hidden behind. None of them really want to face an Aion head-on, especially not the one that set the place on fire the last time the shrines were active.

When Estinien enters the mouth of the cavern, he looks very unlike the scavengers she may be familiar with. Though he has humanoid features, they are buried in white scales, spines, and three sets of feathered wings. Behind him, there is a halo of light. His tail lashes furiously, in anticipation that he'll be followed.

Of course, he pauses upon seeing an actual dragon inside of the shrine. Of course, he thinks, his expression going from one of anger to confusion. There's no reason a dragon soul couldn't also be called.

"Fear not," he manages, seeing her defensive posture. "There are those outside that would imprison you, but I can take you from this place."