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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!

cutlery: (man I hit a wall in Elden Ring)

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-08-01 12:03 am (UTC)(link)
[ Sebastian makes a thoughtful noise in response first, and there's a bit of a pause before he answers again, since his attention turns back to one of the other large crystals that has a vague, dark shape inside. It's an unbroken one, and he seems to be studying it for a moment, though it also doesn't seem to give him whatever answer he's looking for, since he sighs again and shakes his head.

He was trying to take a better look, a true look, as far as he's concerned, since if these crystals contained other people, he should be able to see their souls. And yet, like how he feels so terribly, weak, he finds himself simply unable to draw upon that sense. It's a bizarre sensation, like suddenly finding yourself deafened, but it's nothing he can trouble himself over at the moment, he decides. ]


—Not alone at all, if this one also contains another. Bizarre.

[ He reaches up towards his clavicle where the shard of his own crystal remains and touches it lightly. It almost seems like a gesture of thought. ]

How was your... getting out, I suppose? "Hatching" feels too strange a word for it, though perhaps it is a bit more accurate.
pyojeol: (pic#15847969)

pleroma

[personal profile] pyojeol 2022-08-01 12:08 am (UTC)(link)
[Sooyoung has an expression of distrust on her face because well why not, everyone here is sketchy looking, even cute muted monochromatic lumps, but she still

comes on over anyway??? stranger danger is overrated, apparently.]


You first then, if you really want to know.

[she crosses her arms as if the sight of her 5'2'' frame could actually be considered intimidating]
pyojeol: (pic#15847969)

[personal profile] pyojeol 2022-08-01 12:10 am (UTC)(link)
[Sooyoung gives him a Look at the snort, because she can sense disbelief in the air and she's not sure she deserves that from a naked teenager.]

Dunno. Maybe? Didn't you have that whole -- dream mind hallucination bullshit about your world exploding or whatever?

[if she keeps calling it bullshit then it will definitely be bullshit right?? yeah!!!]

That's not something you dream on the regular... unless...

[unless atsumu DOES dream about isekai]
subsist: (pic#15626800)

i believe it.

[personal profile] subsist 2022-08-01 12:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ maybe in another universe, somewhere, somehow, kaeya would have been the one to step on dante first, but this timeline isn't it. ]

Compared to sand sneaking into places it shouldn't... I suppose everyone has different ideas on what the lesser of two evils could be.

[ his head tilts, curious. ]

Are you not cold?
zauneyete: (creepy head turn)

[personal profile] zauneyete 2022-08-01 12:22 am (UTC)(link)
[ The question was, in truth, two-fold. 'Were you to be with us, or against us?' Silco knew the answer, and while it was no guarantee, the fact that he made a choice meant enough.

He nodded, as if Sebastian had passed an invisible test, and his lip curled, slightly.
]

I lived underground. What light is there to find, when one hardly bothers to look up?

[ It's a way of answering, but it certainly lacks the context. Kim had asked him, early on, if he had even bothered to explore it, but Silco? Silco hadn't even looked the first time. Why would he? The light held nothing for him, it never had. Dreaming about going upwards, to crest the bridge and live in the sunlight?

Repulsive. It was the opposite of everything he stood for. He tipped his head, curious, as he considered this man with sharp fangs and red eyes.
]

You'll find a good number of us, along the way. Who also favor the lightless paths.
rosethorns: (12)

Returned

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-08-01 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
[Dorothea has been doing her best to keep as busy as her weariness would allow since arriving. Flitting from person to person, one interesting sight to the next, hoping to learn what she can, and in so doing, perhaps ward off her apprehension. A familiar routine she has built up over the years, busying herself at one warcamp to the next between battles. Blessedly, there is no shortage things here to steal away her attention for a while.

And not just from their surroundings. She can’t help but notice the young man and his peculiar and seemingly skittish little companion.

As she approaches, she catches sight of that serious expression of his, then joins him in studying the massive lodestone.]


That's the question on all our minds today, isn’t it? [Why me? Why this? Why here? Hopefully they would be getting answers sooner rather than later.]
subsist: (pic#15697784)

[personal profile] subsist 2022-08-01 12:27 am (UTC)(link)
[ what she's saying isn't so different from what he unwittingly told others here, at horos, when the innocence had him within its grasp. there will eventually come a time when he might bring destruction upon the city of freedom at the behest of one fallen nation's will, but he won't let such a thing come to pass if he can help it. he's spent most of his life making sure it never came to that.

he made his choice a few years back, but he can understand the fear that comes with uncertainty. the fear of not knowing if this will simply be out of your control.

he lets her hold onto his hand when she clings to it, tightening his own grip in hopes that it helps. there's no way for him to tell if it does, but he's watching her carefully, ready to intervene should she need it. ]


If you truly are as dangerous as you say, that could be a good thing around here.

[ it would be a joke if he wasn't entirely serious. their sect is meant to bring about the death of this cosmos, after all. ]

Regardless, I wouldn't worry about it, if I were you. You have myself, and the rest of the Kenoma, to watch over you if you're scared.
dendritic: (no second billing 'cause you're a star n)

[personal profile] dendritic 2022-08-01 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ a complex question with a complex answer. this world is stacked against you from the moment you get thrown into it with no choice but to live, and from the moment you've arrived, it's you against the universe's need to claim you.

she should be answering with a question of her own, if she wants to be a petulant shit, but no. she hates that. meathead behavior only. ]


Because. There, that's good enough. Give me your personality test.
wolof: (Hi Cat)

[personal profile] wolof 2022-08-01 12:32 am (UTC)(link)
[ Akua's golden eyes narrow, perceiving the exasperation. She understood, why one would would find frustration with religion. She, too, felt such frustration with religion. Mind, she followed the Gods Below, she was hardly atheist, but... Well. Religions were a pain to deal with, the zealots included. ]

Of a sort, yes. Some of us, like myself, arrived 3 months ago, and others a few before that. We woke to find out that we were to be...conscripted. Some will supposedly make you drink a black...ichor, that will align you to theirs, while the other will... only ask for you to fight. [ Her eyes looked him over, momentarily. Could he drink? She could hear the breath -- was there a man in there? ]

It is not easy, either way. Those who would force you to partake of their essence are the Kenoma, and supposedly, their Regent wishes to remake all of reality. [ Surprisingly, Akua is frank about it. There's no judgement there, despite how she herself feels. ] The Pleroma would ask you to fight to stop that from happening.
ourtomorrow: ([bugge] worry)

ii

[personal profile] ourtomorrow 2022-08-01 12:35 am (UTC)(link)
Are you okay?

[ Wormmon has found someone close to his size! A cat? There's a cat, here. Some cats are nicer than other cats, so he'll keep his distance. But peer at her anyway, because he knows what "shaking in place" often means. It usually means "scared"!

Not that he knows from personal experience. Hardly. Just. He is a wise and learned Digimon. That is how he knows. ]
wolof: (Kneel)

[personal profile] wolof 2022-08-01 12:38 am (UTC)(link)
She gave him the space, and looked away, although there's a slight smile, when he tries to quip about it.

"Yes, I'm afraid we all came here with nothing but that which we arrived in our previous world with. Perhaps a bit older than the first time," when he sat, she looked him up and down. Young, crowned in golden hair, she could suspect why he was the type that arrived in this particular shrine.

"Have you met many yet? Or am I your first new face, so far?"

She didn't sit, but her hands clasped in front of her. No shard to be seen -- for it was hidden underneath the high dress that covered it. Her smile was not warm -- almost courtly, but it's also not hostile.
ourtomorrow: ([kenzuna] brood)

[personal profile] ourtomorrow 2022-08-01 12:44 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ah....He hadn't intended to disturb anyone. But it doesn't seem like his speaking had bothered her, so he'll continue the conversation. ]

In my experience, people are summoned to other worlds because there's something only they can do. Helping this Resistance might be it. But.....

[ But then, why not Daisuke, too? Ken is of less help in combat without his best friend and Jogress partner. Which means - he's here for a purpose beyond what he and Wormmon can offer as a Chosen Child and partner Digimon? He's here because he's Ichijouji Ken?

That isn't an outlandish proposition any more. But there's quite a lot to Ichijouji Ken. He'll have to figure out what about him made him chosen. ]
emblazer: (008.)

[personal profile] emblazer 2022-08-01 12:47 am (UTC)(link)
Ahah! Thanks, but I'm still sure my lord wouldn't have been a better choice to helping solve the discord between the Regents and locals.

[ Ayato would have played 6-D chess to stop everyone from murdering one another, but Thoma's at least good at keeping morale up... Right. It turns out there was a lot he should have started with, but explaining this world concisely is a tall order, unaided by the fact that Thoma is not always sure what's going on. He's only been here for what feels like a few months, if that, and is mostly attempting to keep his head attached to the rest of him these days. ]

The Regent is the imperial ruler of Achamoth. He's been seizing Aions, like you and me, as we wake up here and forcing some kind of fluid into them to bind them to his command.

[ Thoma still isn't sure what's in it, but he thinks it might be tempering the free will of the Kenoma. ]

I joined the rebels who are looking to take him down and free the people of this world. It just felt like the right thing to do.

[ And Thoma tends to operate a lot on intuition and gut instinct when it comes to people. ]
recursive: (92)

[personal profile] recursive 2022-08-01 12:47 am (UTC)(link)
( that Pleroma Aion is, unfortunately for him, yuuta.

I suppose... it's very lucky that he's got a bit of a thick skull?

regardless, it doesn't stop the rock from making a dull thwack sound as it impacts the crown of his head, and he yelps a sudden, )
ow!! ( before looking up, seeing only the ceiling, looking down, seeing the rock, and then looking around the cavern, mostly looking extremely confused.

don't worry about him, he'll be fine. he can heal his own ouchies.

(rika, however, is extremely agitated by this, and if there's a vague sense of spiritual Malaise coming from that direction, she is very much the culprit.) )
cutlery: (man I hit a wall in Elden Ring)

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-08-01 12:47 am (UTC)(link)
[ A hand comes up to his chin thoughtfully, and he makes a light noise of interest as Kaeya explains the goal itself. He certainly doesn't seem to be horrified by the prospect, but the way his expression stays somewhat tight implies that he's not exactly thrilled either. He's well aware that he's also being evaluated, for one, so he's keeping as neutral as possible until he feels the time is right.

But also, he decides that he won't keep his preconceptions to himself after all. That goal is quite a bit grander that what he was expecting, but it also fits the concept as well. A bit too much for him to think of the name of the substance as just fanciful. ]


And if I may guess, there is a pleroma that seeks the opposite? At least with the interpretations I remember, it would likely be something along the lines of creating "heaven," or life eternal. The concepts go hand in hand, if nothing else.

[ He really is just guessing, considering he doesn't say "pleroma" like it's a proper noun (and honestly probably pronounces it a bit differently than they might expect). Of course a demon finds more than a little entertainment in being quite well-versed in religion. He'd call it a professional interest, really. It's also a useful one, since if he's right, honestly... What a bother. Being embroiled in such a conflict feels a little cliché, doesn't it? ]

...What sort of creature is this Regent? Who are they administering for?
undertheweight: (really now?)

[personal profile] undertheweight 2022-08-01 12:51 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not sure that's a good idea. [What if he perceives it as an attack? Wrathion doesn't dislike Claude. The last thing the dragon wants to do is hurt him. No. He's not going to allow it.]

You have one of these things too, you know. Or perhaps you don't, it isn't in a place you can see it. Do you mind if I point it out to you?

[Which, if given permission, Wrathion will do quite literally, with the gentlest touch of a foreclaw to the crescent moon on the back of Claude's neck. But not before Claude allows it.]
theorems: (pic#15347641)

Cosmic Crossroads

[personal profile] theorems 2022-08-01 12:52 am (UTC)(link)
Only rare?

[Viktor answers back, not taking his eyes away from the sky. There’s much here to be curious about- including the mechanical sound of the other’s voice. But right now, the stars distract him.]

Sharing a dream at all is a new phenomenon to me. Dreaming of others, yes. Strangers sometimes. That is not the case here, is it?

[Finally, he looks over. A man in a mask. Full ensemble of metals or plastics and some sort of armor, all in black.]

Too unlike any stranger I could imagine.

[Not even Zaun would come up with an outfit like that.]
stellium: (pic#15846753)

the real reason he can't be a five star: he's too well adjusted

[personal profile] stellium 2022-08-01 12:53 am (UTC)(link)
( it would be the first time she's forgotten, but lumine can't rule it out. she trusts thoma to not immediately doubt his word; if he says she was here, what cause would he have to lie? )

I must have. I'm sorry Thoma, but I don't remember. ( if paimon was here, maybe there'd be someone else who could help. or, more likely, someone who wouldn't be able to give a straight answer. ) Could you... start from the beginning? Maybe hearing about this place will help jog my memory.

( how could she just forget like that? she gestures for thoma to follow so that they can find a place to sit and talk -- there's no rush for her to leave this place if she needs to remember, and she doubts thoma will be in a rush to move quickly if he needs to catch her up on what she's missed. )
Edited 2022-08-01 00:55 (UTC)
semicharmed: (I'm sorry what?)

😀 😀 😀

[personal profile] semicharmed 2022-08-01 12:56 am (UTC)(link)
[ If you asked Matt, he'd say that he hadn't meant to be coy. But if he had a moment more to think about it, he might admit that, well, the Kenoma is a tough sell in the life-centric cultures that so many of them come from. It's probably best not to open with it.

Still, Matt appreciates a calm, polite tone. And he appreciates even more that this stranger doesn't spare a second glance for his missing hand. So he nods, thoughtful, as he frames his answer. ]


I chose ...

A new start, [ he says. ] Eventually.

It's definitely not easy. It's not always pleasant. But ... [ His gaze turns back to the abyss, the crush of darkness as if they're miles and miles underwater. Matt's missing fingers itch with l'appel du vide. ] It's the only way forward, I think.
leicesters: academy (003)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-08-01 12:57 am (UTC)(link)
[Claude watches in horror as the rock lands on some poor guy's head... which soon turns to bafflement as the guy seems barely fazed by it, after that initial reaction. He blinks, and looks nervously over his shoulder at Sooyoung, the fact she's using him as a human shield temporarily forgotten.]

You, uh, think he'll be all right? He must have a really, really thick skull.

[It's impressive, actually???]
stellium: (pic#15847270)

[personal profile] stellium 2022-08-01 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
( she has NOT seen the crabs, and gasps in excitement when she actually gets a look at them. they're cute! )

A dream world, huh? ( not the wildest thing she's heard of in her travels, but one she hasn't actually managed to experience herself. ) Wouldn't that mean we could just dream up whatever we wanted? Could we get ourselves better clothes that way?

( it's worth a shot, right? )
scythegun: (DISMISSIVE ⇝)

[personal profile] scythegun 2022-08-01 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
Here to pick up the new arrivals, hmm? Can't say I envy that job!

[It's light, though; it's not like he even knows what that job might entail anyway!! But now that he's dressed and more at ease, he inclines his head a bit.]

Lead the way, then. I suppose a basic run-down on this place would be good, for starters.

[He's assuming we're walking back because... he has no idea how far away anything is, so!!]
uproared: (it's time to forget the mistakes)

mordred | fate/ | firebrand

[personal profile] uproared 2022-08-01 01:01 am (UTC)(link)
1 » dreaming
[ At the end and beginning of the world, a figure stands at the crossroad between light and dark.

Five minutes beforehand, Mordred wakes from corpses beneath her feet to something far more strange and disconcerting. The blood covering her is gone, along with the gaping hole in her stomach, but her armor remains, seemingly destined to condemn her in death as well as life; to rob her of an identity as anything more than a tool of her mother, an envoy of hatred and destruction. With a familiar, bitter resolve, she steps forward, her stride unbreaking until the path splits before her.

It's obvious which way she's headed, but for a moment, she allows herself to stand, and to stare. She can still remember when she craved that light, when she looked at her king, her father, like he was the sun and the moon and the stars, everything radiant and beautiful in the world — and just like the sun, his brightness was unbearable to many, and peerless to all. Back then, she'd never hoped to match him; only to be his shadow, his sword... but in the end, she was nothing to him at all, even when his kingdom lay destroyed by her hand.

(That's why— )

When she feels another presence nearby, she lifts her head, her green eyes gazing at them from behind the eye slits of her helmet as she growls: ]


Get lost before I kill you, idiot.

2 » kenussy lodestone
[ Fellow new arrivals, or any visitors, might have borne witness to a commotion at the Kenoma lodestone — that is, a teenage girl fighting tooth and nail against the poor fool tasked with feeding her the sludge. It doesn't matter that her loss is inevitable; she bites, kicks, scratches, anything to cause harm, to rebel against this new form of subjugation. (Those who watch for long enough might have noticed something else: when she's finally overpowered and forced to admit defeat, she laughs as she chokes on darkness itself, in one final defiance of her fate.)

After all that fuss, though, Mordred adapts faster than most. After immediately tearing off the midsection of her robe, and tying the bottom half around her waist with the sash, she stretches, yawns, and starts to explore; as if the earlier drama never happened. ]

a » [ If she sees someone with food — whether an established Kenoma offering relief, or a fellow newbie who's managed to scrounge something up — she has no shame about walking up and making demands of them. ]

Gimme that. [ She'll even make to snatch some, if it's within grabbing range. ]

b » I'm so damn bored... [ God help whoever she sets her sights on first, because she's wandering over to harass them. Doesn't matter if they're in the middle of Sludge Acceptance, or otherwise busy. ] C'mon, let's start breaking stuff.

[ ooc: mordred's canonpoint is pre-fate apocrypha, so she's a lot shittier of a person than she is in fate/grand order, and won't recognize anyone except other camelot folks. i'm also fine with wildcards at the firebrand shrine or the lodestone, or pm me if you'd like something unique! ]
onelifeforlove: (01.)

[personal profile] onelifeforlove 2022-08-01 01:02 am (UTC)(link)
[Oh, that is someone much closer to her size, and someone much more inclined to be nice; she's not sure what to make of all the Twolegs running around, of what sounds loud and full of conflict out there, but this...

...What is this, she is not sure what this is, but it's better than nothing.

Even so, a light rumble arcs up through her throat - not a purr, but not a growl either. A warning, maybe, against getting too close.]


I'm...uninjured. I'm all right, I just...

[Her voice is soft, gentle despite the warning noises; the sort of thing that comes naturally to one that's used to being reassuring.]

What are you...? You don't look like anything I've seen before.
scythegun: (NEUTRAL ⇝ this ain't a scene)

[personal profile] scythegun 2022-08-01 01:02 am (UTC)(link)
Hmm... What exactly do you mean by "all right with me"?

[It's more of a clarification question than a pointed one, but he's pretty damn sure it has to do with accepting whatever the sludge overlord is and like... yeah, been there, done that, he's ready for whatever comes next.]

Though the rest of that is good to know! The less time I have to spend down here, the better.