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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!

fightingevilbymoonknight: (lookback-marc)

[personal profile] fightingevilbymoonknight 2022-08-01 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
"Great," Marc sighs. Sure, he can't blame people for not sharing everything with the random strangers falling out of weird rock eggs, but that doesn't mean he likes being dropped into this situation, himself.

Especially in a cave.

"So if you've been here a few days, that means they got somewhere they're stashing us, out of the way of this war?" he asks.
fallingsand: (55;)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2022-08-01 04:40 am (UTC)(link)
[ A gift of prophecy is a heavy burden. He's foreseen enough deaths — of old age or very suddenly, of course, as there was no illness in his village, not so long as his sister and her gift of healing were around — and he's seen more distant, less comprehensible endings, of things he knew he'd never live to see or shouldn't have, a mistake he'll realize after this dream ends.

But he shrugs. Even with all that he's seen and the mark it's left on him in the end, he just... gives a shrug, like he doesn't see the need for a greater debate on the matter. After all, Victor isn't wrong.

He knows of one very specific human who did just that, fifty years ago. It's simply a shame he has no memories of him, apart from what stories his mother would tell.
]

Choosing to die doesn't mean not fearing death or. Or not wanting to continue surviving. You still... do. You just. Well. Have something worth dying for, I guess.
affal: (193)

[personal profile] affal 2022-08-01 04:41 am (UTC)(link)
( it's understandable. makoto had been similarly cross at the occurrence when it had happened to him, as any invasion to the interiority of his thoughts was one that he rankled against as he considered that to be the very last bastion of agency left to him ever since he had been taken into hell. makoto had been fortunate that only one had come close enough to chance upon some similarly macabre (and quite violent) thoughts, but that individual had ended up being someone who miraculously shared them, or at least after a fashion. he could forgive the intrusion upon the privacy of his thoughts and feelings so long as he was met with kinship rather than harsh scrutiny, judgment, and disgust. he certainly won't paint with a broad brush, but he hopes the same might apply at least in part here.

unfortunately there is little to offer here other than condolences. it's not as though the object of his contract is lost for certain. makoto had held a fierce conviction in his heart that if he was still alive, so was J, but it had taken several months before he'd managed to uncover the man at the shrine of the visionary. it seems that if their worlds truly do fall into oblivion, and all those who had lived there along with them, there is at least some small chance that some slipped through the cracks and might reemerge from the shrines at a later date.

but even if that's the case, what might have been negotiated might not hold any power here. at least, that's how it is in makoto's experience — it's not as though he can't make a verbal or written contract, but there's no binding magic in it.

makoto is not so close-lipped about what he is, and neither is J — there wasn't much of a point for it in their work, because they could typically keep hidden from those they didn't want coming across them as they did it, and he certainly didn't see much of a point in it now. but he's not so unobservant as not to notice some tetchiness on the subject, so he's more than happy to keep that secret, for a fellow demon. he smiles, though the gesture is more one born from commiseration than mirth. )
Yes, it can seem wretchedly bad timing, can't it? I had the results of a long, complicated, and grueling investigation nearly in hand, myself.

( and just like a lost contracted soul, it's not something makoto could find a replacement for here. all the information on J's origin, his past, his name... it had all disappeared with hell. there would be no way for him to find his name now besides wresting it from the man himself. )

At least I can say with certainty that it's all for a greater cause. Though, you seem to understand that well enough.
vapour: (pic#15073530)

[personal profile] vapour 2022-08-01 04:42 am (UTC)(link)
[ he nods to both their thank you with a smile. It's the least he can do, no one wants to deal with shit like this naked. ]

Tartaglia, but most people call me Childe. I've been sent here by the Regent to bring new aions like you back to Acamoth.

[ which is unfortunate. Because she doesn't feel like someone who would be in tune with the Kenoma and neither does the little bird friend of hers. He points curiously to Hawkmon. ]

Was he in the crystal with you? I've never seen this happen before.
onelifeforlove: (03.)

[personal profile] onelifeforlove 2022-08-01 04:42 am (UTC)(link)
[She tips her head at that. Not a nod, that's a bit too human an interpretation, but a soft lowering of acknowledgement all the same.]

Fighting to protect your clan is...noble. It's the way of things; all clans need their warriors.

[She's quiet for a moment. Considering.]

I had a dream before I came here. Of the light, and the stars, and all those that exist above...

It was all destroyed. Was this true? Was it a vision of the future, or of something that's already happened?
cutlery: (what about Amoeba Gorillas?)

1/2... again...

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-08-01 04:45 am (UTC)(link)
As philosophical concepts, certainly, though not as anything I would call concrete. [ He gestures to the vial ] They are a part of Gnosticism, though even so, they tend towards the obscure, I will admit...

[ He's really only familiar with them because he had been alive to read the original texts before they were destroyed for being heretical... He's suddenly quite glad that he had been bored enough in the 3rd century (or whenever, he actually doesn't quite remember exactly when) to flip through some of it.

Though naturally, trying to piece together more is set aside as Ryunosuke makes his plea, and for what it's worth, Sebastian listens quite seriously. He's certainly more calm than anyone should be in the face of such information, but it doesn't seem to be given any less attention or weight. It's information, after all, and that's valuable. It's why he looks a little surprised in the face of the clear conviction in Ryunosuke's words, as if he's guessed the assumption behind them, but it's incorrect. ]


...Why, I would like to know the full truth myself, naturally. I hope I did not give off an impression otherwise? There is much I need to learn, clearly, and so I am quite grateful for your perspective. My being here at all is an impossibility, so I have every reason to want to discover the truth myself.

[ It's said quite earnestly, and also exceedingly politely. ]
regressor: (REGRESSING)

[personal profile] regressor 2022-08-01 04:45 am (UTC)(link)
[Another world... The concept is something that she wasn't unfamiliar with. In her years a Contractor, though she hadn't taken any actual enjoyment out of television, books, or theater, there had been occasions when a mission or need to blend in had involved absorbing a certain degree of knowledge. She was familiar with the idea of it as a genre, a fantasy for text and screen... People had thought the skies and the false stars might have had to do with another world, when they first appeared...

But no. Those belonged to them, now.

Some Contractor could surely possess an illusion-based power that could convince her of such a thing, but... She isn't sure. If she were trapped in such a thing... She was resigned to it.

And she is asked a far more important question. (By a woman who actually did have a keen instinct... But perhaps there'd be no proving that without the other members of that elite cell, without Bai, Hei, and Amber, each afforded the color in name form in place of birth ones lost to government agencies and ME squeeze.)

What did "Carmine" wish for... ? She's naked and confused, weak and newly reborn, but... She knows the answer. Even if this was another world, somehow, some way, if it was far enough from Hell's Gate...]


I just want... to live quietly... somewhere I won't hurt anyone else...

[It would have been foolish, to think that the woman responsible for the deaths of so many could have a quiet life. Hundreds or thousands, depending on if you counted the collateral damage as hers, if the people who died days later trapped under rubble or in hospital beds counted... She did not deserve to live, or to feel happiness. But she still wanted to, now, as a Regressor capable of feelings and desires beyond the instincts of survival.]

I want... to cook good food... and make children smile sometimes... and grow things...

[She had never dreamed as a Contractor. Now, though... The answer might be low and weak, but it is sure.

If she could go back... back to those days spent with Laura's family in the country, before she'd been discovered by someone who knew her as Havoc...

But, no. She can't.]
coerthantorment: (Default)

[personal profile] coerthantorment 2022-08-01 04:46 am (UTC)(link)
Oops, sorry, I did ask someone tag in but their Kenoma can't fly. I hadn't meant to imply Estinien took off yet, sorry if my wording was confusing! Would it be possible to edit so that they stay on the ground for a moment longer so the Kenoma can bother them?
cutlery: (contouring man...shit's magical.)

and SORRY????

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-08-01 04:46 am (UTC)(link)
[ And yet. He dips his head lightly as if in apology before drawing back up with an easy, but much cooler smile. ]

So, please, do not take it personally. Your kindness is simply quite misplaced.

[ Sebastian looks back to Kaeya and gives a light nod that makes it clear that he's agreeing to the terms. He'd hold out his hand to take the vial, but considering the tension here, he feels that it might be unwise. His attention at least turns back to Ryunosuke, since by his own personal standards, he feels the good manners are at least worthy of being rewarded with an explanation, at least in part. ]

I would prefer it have been done properly, since skipping out on a bill is quite rude... But only shadow and darkness could ever call to me. If it asks me to be its slave and serve a despot, well.

[ He shrugs almost lazily, far too casually for what he's admitting. ]

It would not be the first time, to put it plainly.
scythegun: (KNIFECAT ⇝)

[personal profile] scythegun 2022-08-01 04:46 am (UTC)(link)
[Yeager at least has the decency to not get involved. He does not have the decency to not go "oooooh" at that like he is absolutely egging someone on. Which one? You decide!!]
hippocarnival: (✮ 191 ✮)

Dreaming

[personal profile] hippocarnival 2022-08-01 04:51 am (UTC)(link)
[It's always strange, coming back here to see the same thing.

He turns on his heels to look at Road. She's... someone he sure isn't in Horos. Yet. An upcoming Aion.

He blinks.]
Um--yeah, I did.
ricordi: (002)

[personal profile] ricordi 2022-08-01 04:51 am (UTC)(link)
[cassius blinks, before reaching out and placing his hand on the man's own hand, to tuck his shorts leg back down.]

You don't need to show me. I only wanted to know what the logic in that is.

I don't need anything to rest my head on.
Edited 2022-08-01 04:52 (UTC)
fallingsand: (64;)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2022-08-01 04:54 am (UTC)(link)
But. But it felt so. So real. I felt. Everything die. Everyone. Every... all of... they're all...

[ Yeah, no, he can feel that tightness in his chest, a prelude to more crying, and he hides his head behind the crystal once more. He turns after that, sinking back down to the stone floor to sit and lean heavily back against the remains of the crystal itself. ]

They're all. Everyone's. [ His voice trembles, hitching as tears well up in his eyes again. He buries his face in his hands, not that Aerith can see. ] Gone. Everyone's gone.
vapour: (pic#15074514)

[personal profile] vapour 2022-08-01 04:55 am (UTC)(link)
[ oh, she has done this sort of thing before? He guesses if that's the case then she would know better than him.

She does have a point, too... he doesn't know what kind of danger she might end up in despite knowing she'll be in one of the shrines. In this case, he definitely believes that anyone from his side would be the dangerous party.
]

Pay? I know for a fact you don't have money.

[ But with a sigh he relents, shifting with Aerith's tug to show her he'll start walking with her. ] Okay, okay. I'll take you there, and I'll try and find you when you wake up, but you should definitely go with anyone from the Pleroma if you meet them. You won't like being on the other side.

[ he'll definitely be in trouble over this, but with any luck a Pleroma will find her first and he'll never get to see her so he won't have to deal with the repercussions of letting her escape. He already tried to convert her once, there's no reason for him to try again other than being ordered to. ]
amemoryorus: (tifa15)

Tifa Lockhart | Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children | Lovers

[personal profile] amemoryorus 2022-08-01 04:56 am (UTC)(link)
a; dreaming

[Tifa had liked to stargaze as a child. Growing up in a small town like Nibelheim, there hadn't been many things to admire. But the way in which the stars would shine against the backdrop of the pitch black sky, that had been one of them. And one of her fondest memories of her lost home.

But even her most vivid memory of the stars don't compare to the sights she's seeing now, standing in the middle of the lit up pathway. She doesn't even realize when she stops moving forward, coming to a sudden halt as she gapes up at the...sky? It has to be a sky, but one unlike anything she's ever seen before.

She's so captivated by the stars and galaxies gleaming above that she seems to forget those around her. And the fact that she's stopped in the middle of the path, causing others to have to dodge around her. It's really only a matter of time before someone tries brushing past a little too briskly or accidently elbows her in the side, drawing her attention back to where it needs to be.]


Ah, sorry! I got a little distracted. I've just never seen anything like it. How about you? [Congrats! You've become her next subject of focus.]

b; rebirth

1; new characters

[For several moments after Tifa claws her way out of her crystal she can almost believe she's dreaming. An incredibly vivid dream at that. Or a nightmare. There's no other way for her to make sense of what's happened. That for a moment she had felt her world - no. It's not possible. She can't allow herself to even think such a thing.

If anything the nudity only gives more credence to the nightmare theory. Who hasn't had that nightmare where they were out in public and realized they were suddenly completely naked? Just her and...the several other people in the shrine who had to free themselves from slabs of crystal.

What's even more alarming is the effort it takes her just to push herself off the floor. Her limbs feel like limp noodles as she slowly and shakily makes it to her feet, her arms crossing protectively across her chest. It's a small defense against her nudity and not a huge comfort, but a comfort nonetheless. She moves towards the closest person to her, offering them a hand if they haven't already stood up.]


Take it easy at first. We must have used up a lot of energy just to break free. [It's the most reassurance she can offer considering she's still adjusting to the situation herself.] At least the way out seems pretty obvious.

[Ah, yes. And that 'way out' would be the lake they're surrounded by.]

2; everyone

[Rather then remain nearby the crystals, Tifa settles into a spot next the lake where she can have the best view of the shrine's surroundings. As much as she wants to leave this mound of land, she's not certain that she has the stamina yet to carry herself across the lake to shore. All she can do is wait and rest and bide her time.

So she's in the perfect spot to notice when someone(s) approaches, whether it be by sky or by boat. As soon as she catches a glimpse of rescue she's on her feet, trying to catch their attention, whether they had already been heading in her direction or not.]


Hey! Over here!

c; pleroma

[The cavern isn't much of an upgrade from the shrine Tifa had arrived to, but she's grateful enough for the clothing and food that the accommodations don't bother her. She's not unaccustomed to roughing it a bit when the need arises. And what the cavern lacks in comfort it certainly makes up for in wonderment.

She's particularly curious about the large monolith and can be found standing before it, admiring it. And if someone happens to join her they may end up needing to answer some questions.]


Do you know what it's for? It seems important.

d; wildcard

[If these options don't appeal, or you want something custom, just let me know! I can be reached for plotting at [plurk.com profile] NearTheHeart]
fallingsand: (77;)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2022-08-01 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ he had to walk uphill both ways to his childhood job IN THE MIIIINES

None of that made any sense, Silco. It was impossible not to stare at Silco as though he must be off his rocker here.
]

Sect? Choice? What are. What are you talking about?

[ Look, man, he just had to push his way out of a crystal egg thing and drown in the knowledge that everything and everyone he loved is gone, forever, and now this guy was here talking down to him and rambling about, what, exactly? No, absolutely not. A decision was made by Bruno right there and then to struggle his way to his feet and get some space between this man and himself.

If he was going to mourn, he would do so in peace, and so he did just that. It took an effort to stand but, this time, he made it, and took a few staggering steps, turning away from Silco and reaching out to steady himself against one of the crystals.
]

Y'know. Y'know what, can you maybe, maybe just leave me alone? This is. This is all a lot.
cutlery: (same as it ever... was?)

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-08-01 05:02 am (UTC)(link)
[ Mention of an investigation draws out yet another heavy sigh, since while not as important, there was also just a little simple annoyance at leaving two questions unanswered as well. ]

Horrible timing, I would say. I had just begun a particularly interesting investigation, in fact...

[ Though it's also a bit surprising to commiserate about. The terms for his contract with Ciel were quite unusual, at least compared to any other contract he he taken up before. It wasn't as if he'd ever talked to other demons about the particulars of their own contracts when he did return to his realm, so perhaps mysteries were a bit more common than he thought...? He could certainly see it for the sake of revenge or murder, he supposes.

Ah, well. Unfulfilling as it was (on multiple levels), the mysteries of his young master will just have to die with him. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, as it were. ]


Though I do not know if I would call it a greater cause, exactly. Technically speaking, I would have much preferred a proper covenant, but a little freedom is not so bad, I suppose. If someone wants to play at Genesis, then at least getting to that point will properly whet my appetite.
vivificantem: (097. and in dying)

[personal profile] vivificantem 2022-08-01 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
[Yeager, do you want to be rescued or not...]

There's always value in words, Cid. It's not my fault that you haven't found the right ones. But if you're going to insist, I'm fine with not arguing this out with you.

[That's when the knives come out at that; they're long and sharp, closer to short swords than anything, ritual knives from the church he leads blessed by the blood of his followers.

He doesn't seem like he's going to bother giving Cid a warning swipe, either; when he moves to stab at him it's abrupt and underhand, a hard strike at his abdomen.]
wolof: (Coy)

[personal profile] wolof 2022-08-01 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
"I haven't seen many come through here at all," she admitted. "Let alone dragons. The last batch of people that came through here... I was among them. The shrines don't seen exceptionally active most of the time. "

It's unique, to find so many here now, so vibrant, and alive. That there were many who signed on with them was a good sign, if they made it to Godsblood or Greentruth, and she did hope they would. She hadn't found that it was hard, to accept the Pleroma into her -- ironic, considering the "forces of light" was counterintuitive to her, but -- here she was, all the same.

"Has anyone...explained to you? The choice you have to make?"
wolof: I craved the taste of it (A poison so sweet)

[personal profile] wolof 2022-08-01 05:13 am (UTC)(link)
Or an individual very tired, and very old. [ She did add, conceded, really. The Regent was not the first very old immortal, who had stopped believing in the ability of the world to change. Perhaps, even, they had so warped themselves, and their situation, to believe that it could not be, because they forced the world to revolve in its own way, around their wants.

But, that's neither here nor there, and she moved the thought aside, to answer his question.
]

I am Akua Sahelian. [ There were titles, but it didn't matter. ] And yours?
Edited (i keep repeating icons tonight) 2022-08-01 05:13 (UTC)
affal: (110)

[personal profile] affal 2022-08-01 05:14 am (UTC)(link)
( makoto tends to react just as any might to certain irritations that J can give him on a day-by-day basis — he vividly ideates murdering the man, of tearing through his flesh and spilling his blood and entrails, of throwing them against the wall and painting with him a macabre tableau throughout the entire room. once he had gone so far as to even say as much aloud in the demon's presence (knowingly, mind), and when J had brought attention to it, he had stood his ground.

"stop talking about it and learn how to do it."

as if it were that fucking easy.

perhaps it was a reflexive memory of that moment that causes makoto to take such ire in this moment; his whims have always been fickle things, and there's something dark and mocking in his strange eyes that seems to beg the ribika to do just that. dig those sharp claws into the stitched wound of his throat. tear the stitches, spill his blood, make him gasp in pain. would that fix the situation he awakens to now? would that make him feel better?

he doesn't move, doesn't so much as flinch at the spit. he does frown, just a bit, and only after the fact. he drops leaks' hand as if he were a child discarding a toy that had fallen out of favor, reaching up to swipe the saliva away with the pad of his thumb. he looks at it thoughtfully before wiping it away on his lapel. )


Well, you at the very least have some fight in you.

Tell me, ( he still has a fistful of the cat's hair, and he forces it back further still, pale eyes burning as they return to him. ) What did you hope to see before you opened your eyes in this place?
hippocarnival: (✮ 160 ✮)

Returned

[personal profile] hippocarnival 2022-08-01 05:14 am (UTC)(link)
... Uh. [Yuya's a little awestruck as he does a doubletake to see Lumine, standing here in robes like she's... new? Of course he'd noticed her disappearance. But this isn't how he expected to see her returned.]

I've... never seen one go splat? [He's still staring.] Were you at a shrine?
arcaneward: (Default)

[personal profile] arcaneward 2022-08-01 05:16 am (UTC)(link)
Absolutely! That's my bad, I'm sorry! I'll edit!
baltimores: (061; people like us)

[personal profile] baltimores 2022-08-01 05:19 am (UTC)(link)
[ Well, he tried.

Amos wants to end this before he knows they're out of time, so he uses his thumb to pop the vial's cork off. It goes flying, coming to a rest elsewhere inside the cavern, forgotten and irrelevant. He takes a second to regard Atsumu before letting go of his arm — and instantly going for his mouth instead, forcing it open.

And then he's standing over Atsumu, dumping the Kenoma into him. He drops the vial once it's empty, one hand moving to cradle the back of Atsumu's head, the other to his throat in case Amos needs to help coax it down. His touch is gentle now — he remembers what the Achamites had done for him when he'd first taken the Kenoma, like a parent helping a child; he wants to be that for Atsumu.

They still need to get out of here, but the deed is done; he's bought them a bit of time. He can take a moment before fishing out the returning stones, before bringing Atsumu home. ]
ricordi: (006)

[personal profile] ricordi 2022-08-01 05:20 am (UTC)(link)
I believe you will have to rethink your logic. [this is said in cassius' usual measured tone, as if he were speaking out loud the passages of an academic book to another person. no inflection, no emotion, just facts.]

I am not human.

But human or not, it's not efficient to walk around an unknown world without a tool in hand.