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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!

pyojeol: (pic#15719889)

han sooyoung | omniscient reader's viewpoint | visionary

[personal profile] pyojeol 2022-07-30 10:46 pm (UTC)(link)
dreaming (new);

[han sooyoung doesn't trust the light.

then again, she hasn't trusted any new situation, scenario, or sight since that fateful moment in the subway, so what's one more, really, in the end. She doesn't trust it, but she goes along with it anyway -- walking gingerly at first before moving into a flat out run along the stars. (the stars are lighting her way and her visceral reaction is to make a rude gesture up at them. it doesn't do anything but at least it makes her feel better)

She's not so much running for the light in the center as she is just running out of both habit and desperation, as if she can somehow cross this universe and return straight back to hers with the sheer power of her will.

sometimes she slows down, sometimes she overshoots her run and circles back, but she does eventually stop whenever she sees someone else. brows knitted together because she still can't trust, but the feeling in her tells her to anyway.

it tells her to. and yet?

she takes three long strides with her fist raised anyway, nyooming with the intention that would be alarming if she wasn't 5'2'' and tiny, but maybe she'll end up landing a hit in this dreamscape anyway... (doubt.png)]


the BIRTHING (visionary);

[hsy is currently shoving her arms into the goof of her leftover egg, cursing under her breath]

...Nothing? Seriously? Is it really all gone?!

[HER ITEMS!!! NOOOOO -- she gets up, fully clothed because ive written so many naked prompts and i refuse to do so again and then marches over to the nearest broken open chrysalis,

just to shove her arms into that too. sorry friend, she's just looking for something.]


returned (pleroma)

[aside from that Incidient in the Dreamscape, HSY thinks she's been pretty well-behaved. Incredibly so, considering the verge of panic and terror and rage that she's this close to succumbing to. She's here, isn't she? She's sat through one or two explanations, stared at her new surroundings, changed and eaten, and then stared into the distance as if waiting for something to appear, eyes not quite focusing on anyone.

but you can only stare for so long waiting for something to happen before you get too antsy to continue, so Sooyoung moves along, glancing down at the water or up at the cave walls, growing more and more annoyed until she finally bursts out,]


You've got to be shitting me. This -- That's the only way out? Really?

[WHAT HAPPENED TO TELEPORTING?? SHE JUST DID THAT A SECOND AGO?? she buries her hands into her hair and groans, muttering]

Should have chosen the sketchy, evil side....

[evil always has benefits wow]

wildcard;

[she's in pleroma/visionary!! lmk and i can throw something up for you if these prompts don't work]

[personal profile] expiera 2022-07-30 10:47 pm (UTC)(link)
[His unnatural eye color aside, the man's demeanor, similar to the Archangel's, is composed, nigh immaculate. Too calm. It is her Aion powers, or Executor's intuition? She can't kick the feeling that he's probably not human, despite a lack of proof to support a mere gut feeling.]

No need to mention it. It's part of our duties to greet the newly awoken Aions and assist them.

[Also fill them in (in more ways than one) and bring them back, but those details can wait.]

Correct, you would be among the third wave since the shrines have become active again.

[It's at that point that her companion finally follows in. Ah, good. It took some convincing after a bit of talking, but given the strange mood Howl's been in ever since they returned from Godsblood, she felt that convincing him to check out his own shrine with an ally may do him some good. Stretch his legs for a walk, get some fresh air, maybe meet a fellow Celebrant... And lo and behold! Turning back slightly his way, she offers a smile before leveling her gaze to... watch the two men look at each other.]

It's a unisex robe with an adjustable sash, Howl. It should fit most adults.

[They could probably feel a sense of inexplicable kinship right away, couldn't they? Especially if the man with red eyes has a sense for the supernatural, too. Those who share Legacies are bound by something intangible, unique and distinct unlike any bonds they've known before.]

You've arrived at a tumultuous time on Horos, but we're here to help. Now then, you must have questions?

[About how he got there, about this 'Horos', about his body and that crystal embedded in him, about his visitors, about everything, more or less? The woman seems quite at ease, almost as if balancing the weariness that her companion holds. She also looks entirely human, unlike him who has feathers on his face—and it's clearly not a fashion statement. Neither seem to be in any rush at least, so he can take his time?]
leicesters: academy (126)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-07-30 10:47 pm (UTC)(link)
[Despite the calculating look he's giving Thoma, sizing him up, then the food, it soon clears as his stomach growls just at the sight of the food. He laughs and offers an easy smile.]

I think I'll take my chances-- I'm starving. Why don't we eat together? [He takes a riceball. Then, keeping the blanket wrapped around him with the other hand, he moves to sit down.] You're right that I'm still feeling a bit woozy, so maybe we can sit and chat a little while.

[In other words, he'd like Thoma to fill him in. He seems friendly enough so far, genuinely so, so Claude's willing to hear him out.]
subsist: (pic#15626810)

[personal profile] subsist 2022-07-30 10:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[ years spent observing and studying others have made it very easy for kaeya to pick up on nearly imperceptible things, such as the sharpness in the man's eyes. it's just hard to tell whether it's borne out of interest or something else, but maybe it doesn't really matter. he won't point it out for the time being, answering the question posed to him quite easily. ]

Something like that. [ with a snap of his fingers, a snowflake dances lightly right above his hand. ] I was granted the favour of the gods where I'm from.

[ as if that really explains anything, but it's as much as he's willing to share out here. sebastian's answer, however, does make him drop his smile for just a tiny fraction.

he shakes his head. ]


No, it's a good thing if you haven't seen anyone else. It isn't safe to stay out here for long by yourself, that's all. [ ... ] At least you have me to keep you company until I can take you back to the Citadel.

[ with all that said, he will take a clean sweep of the surrounding area just for peace of mind. it's only once he's satisfied that he turns to face sebastian once more. ]

Where are my manners? My name is Kaeya. Who might you be?
horniness: (071.)

[personal profile] horniness 2022-07-30 10:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[ How naive. Has she truly never encountered the fae? Then again, most of the students at Night Raven College seem to be also terribly misinformed on the intricacies of their kind. ]

This is but one of my forms, the one I use when attending school, otherwise it would be unwieldy for me to wander through the halls or sit in such a small classroom.

[ Yes, he knows it's a travesty, but he also thinks everyone would be far more terrified by him if he appeared before them as a full dragon. Such sacrifices must be made. ]

You are no eastern dragon, judging from your compact physique, and you are certainly not from Briar Valley. From where do you come, if not this cave?
wavetrain: <user name=animatedwings site=twitter.com> (pic#15836499)

[personal profile] wavetrain 2022-07-30 10:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Past the warriors guarding it... She hadn't known about those yet. She has yet to venture outside the cave.

She doesn't know if she can trust this bizarre stranger, but her gills prickle with discomfort at the thought of being trapped here. She's still processing everything else he's said... Somehow it's not too hard to accept she's no longer on Pyrrhia, after everything... that crystal egg, the strange dream... Wait. Does that mean that dream... is her home already gone? No, she can't know that just from some weird dream. Her dreams don't mean anything, she tells herself; she's not a NightWing. The last time she dreamed something and thought it had really happened, she got mad at Starflight because she thought he'd been hoarding prey, and he sulked about it all week even after she realised she'd made a mistake.

... Whatever's actually going on, she hopes he and the others are okay.

She makes herself straighten up a little, wanting to look less like a cornered eel.

"Okay," she says. "I'm not saying I believe you, but... If you can get me out of here, then sure. What are you?"
undertheweight: (little old me?)

[personal profile] undertheweight 2022-07-30 10:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[The dragon's eyes narrow--but Wrathion can admire bravery--even if it's foolhardy. He snorts, and a wave of warm air washes over the naked human. At least it's amusement?]

My name is Wrathion. All I know for certain is that this is not Azeroth, the world where I was hatched.

[He can be forgiven for that, can't he?] Is it yours? Do you know?
pyojeol: (pic#15846855)

crystals kingdom hehe

[personal profile] pyojeol 2022-07-30 10:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[ive inflicted too many naked charas on you leigh so hsy is wearing her clothes,

she tilts her head up at the accusatory finger and question, but doesn't stop until she's right next to atsumu's chrysalis -- one hand on her hip.]


Who are you?!

[TWO CAN PLAY THIS ACCUSATORY GAME, especially when one has the same maturity levels of a teenager]
wavetrain: <user name=animatedwings site=twitter.com> (pic#15836505)

[personal profile] wavetrain 2022-07-30 11:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Compact physique? Excuse me??

[ She draws herself up and takes a step towards him so she can look down at him more efficiently, even though what he's saying is bewildering her completely. ]

I happen to be a Princess of the Sea Kingdom, actually!
vapour: (pic#15024833)

the dreaming

[personal profile] vapour 2022-07-30 11:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Aerith—?

[ it's not Cloud that finds her, but a young man about his age with blue eyes that, beyond the spectrum of color are nothing like the friend's she is calling out for. They are a deep and abyssal blue that seems to swallow the light, leaving no hint of life or spirit to be seen in them.


Even so, the young man that approaches her seems confused, worried and ... after a moment wary. Is that... really her? The connection he felt with her before... it's been severed. If he didn't visually catch sight of her and her voice, he would have been none the wiser that she was here.

For his attunement level to the Kenoma, it isn't difficult to quickly figure out why that is: they no longer share a legacy. A part of him feels relief; the apprehension that this flower girl had returned and would be keeping her promise to him, afterall, fading away. If she's not his legacy, surely that means he doesn't have to worry about her trying to better understand him anymore. On the other hand, and he doesn't know why, but it feels like a punch to his gut. The initial draw he felt towards her the first time they met is gone (...mostly, anyway,) which is probably really lucky for them both.

Even so, it's a cold and hollow feeling to realize before she even replies to him that he must absolutely be a stranger to her.

Childe steels his gaze, taking a step back now, but has no qualms about asking her to affirm her identity.
]

...You are Aerith, right?

[ This is a dream, of course, but it's that dream that has twice before been had and twice before brought only reality in the next coming days to Horos. Childe isn't sure what to feel or to expect. Maybe it's better he simply doesn't bother her after a brief exchange of information. ]
Edited 2022-07-30 23:02 (UTC)
settingup: (no no no)

Re: crystals kingdom hehe

[personal profile] settingup 2022-07-30 11:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Blessedly dressed, because as far as Atsumu is aware this is a strange middle schooler (probably??) who is now yelling at him when he's in a very compromising position, and he kind of hates it. ]

I asked you first!

[ More like he yelled it at her first, but same difference really.

This is definitely the most mature conversation two people could have when waking up in a strange new world.

He shrinks down further behind his rock though, trying really hard to hide as much of his body as he can.
]
apostolus: (pic#15828691)

dreaming

[personal profile] apostolus 2022-07-30 11:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Road watches HSY the entire time.

It's not like there's anything else to do in this long sweeping dark other than look at the stars, and she's never felt any compunction to spend her time thinking about the beauty of creation and life, not when everything's destined to be destroyed. Herself included; she knows better than to elevate herself above the Earl's -- no, Noah's -- plan.

Maybe that's why she doesn't move when HSY skids to stop nearby and turns on her, fist raised in the air and blurring as it shoots forward. Her aim is true; her knuckles connect with Road's cheek, the force of impact enough to send the smaller girl stumbling backwards.

But there's no pain, no scarring, no bruising. And instead of screaming, crying, yelling—she laughs, high-pitched and girlish giggles, but with a sharp edge that cuts through the air.

(It's because this is a dream, and no one can hurt her in a dream.) ]


It's not very nice to hit children, you know.

[ And yet this child doesn't seem bothered at all?? The fuck. ]
Edited (I FORGOT MY SUBJECT) 2022-07-30 23:04 (UTC)
leicesters: academy (139)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-07-30 11:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[Claude had been so stunned he forgot he was butt naked, and while that's not something he's particularly squeamish about, it's distinctly not comfortable when Wrathion snorts, so he half-hides behind a crystal outcropping to continue the conversation. Blech, dragon breath.]

Er-- well, I had a weird dream that my world... died. It felt real, but I can't say for sure.

[But this could still be Fódlan? It's a very, very strange land, and so it's a possibility he can't rule out entirely.]
coerthantorment: (14)

[personal profile] coerthantorment 2022-07-30 11:05 pm (UTC)(link)
None of the soldiers outside have been brave enough to follow Estinien in, though he can hear them arguing back and forth about what they should do. Maybe his bizarre appearance has done one thing well and intimidated them into giving him some time.

Her question makes his expression sink, a feeling of dysphoria rising in him as he's forced to contemplate anything about what he is at the moment. A man, a dragon, the thrall of the beast... what can he say?

"...I have few words to describe it that would hold any meaning to you," he says, some of his hesitation apparent. "I am a man... but also share the blood, the soul, of a people similar to your own." He's never seen a dragon from Etheirys that looks like Tsunami, but the similarity is unavoidable.

That not all of it, of course.
apostolus: (pic#15828692)

1/2

[personal profile] apostolus 2022-07-30 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[ .........................



Creature? Excuse him???? She is a beautiful and charming young girl??? Who deserves to be treated like a princess???? ]
arcaneward: (aerith-1109)

Re: the dreaming

[personal profile] arcaneward 2022-07-30 11:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh—!

[ The surprise (and disappointment) on her face is evident when she fully turns to face him, turning to confusion and wariness when she realizes he recognizes her, but she doesn't know him. And here, where she doesn't know where she is? Whether it be the Lifestream or something else, something related to the Whispers... The ability to trust feels far away, distant to the hollow feeling in her gut. ]

I am. I'm sorry, have we met...?
tohell: (Default)

03

[personal profile] tohell 2022-07-30 11:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[ J hadn't picked up this stray to haul back to the lodestone, so at first he's preoccupied with other matters, including some newcomers more headstrong about their present arrangements. But the little glowbug's flickering light still draws his curiosity enough for him to work his way across the space to stand over her.

J's expression gives nothing away but the faintest tinge of interest, right up until she latches onto a powerful lower leg, covered in fur and ending in a massive feline paw. That sort of desperation is like blood in the water to him. Its flavor so alluring to the demon that he subjects himself to the indignity of sinking down onto one knee to regard her better.

A small body, shattered finger bones, and a plea that sounds honeyed as a lover's oath in his ears. How can J resist reaching over to touch this beautifully broken creature? He doesn't even try, as his smooth pale hand draws across the space to gently cup her small cheek. ]


What an exorbitant demand to make of your rescuers. [ Looming ever further over her prone form leaves the angles of J's face bathed in the blue light which rolls off her in waves. It dances most in the shard above his rapt, unmoving eyes, as they stay locked upon her face like a bloodhound on the hunt. ]

Aren't you afraid of dying?
dissonyance: (13)

leaks | lamento -beyond the void- | kenoma (firebrand)

[personal profile] dissonyance 2022-07-30 11:13 pm (UTC)(link)
i.) dreaming
[ the light is gone, replaced with stars and a vast space. the kind that he would, some nights, stare at from through a window. even when trees blocked his view, leaks would not leave his home. he would continue to watch the inky blackness dotted with specks of light and not think. a moment of meditation in between cracking open books, doing his own research, and not worrying about the world that despised the unknown.

and then when the world did care, leaks was already working on ending it.

but here he stands, arms folded across his chest. ]


How anticlimactic.

[ he was expecting the end, and instead? he's here. what a disappointment. to be finally rid of that cursed song and that equally frustrating cat... that's a blessing. this? not sure yet. his tail curls and bends, twisting as he continues to stare off into nothing. ]
ii.) rebirth
[ angry.

he cracks the shell and tumbles out, grunting as he hits the unforgiving floor shoulder first. thank god he didn't land on his head or his tail; those bits are relatively sensitive. as leaks keeps his eyes closed, not willing to open them not quite yet, he waits until he feels or hears someone. curled up as tightly as possible, the ribika doesn't want to expose himself to a stranger. or anyone for that matter.

and then when he's totally sure that he's not by himself, those ears flick. the tail, still damp, sweeps along the ground and gathers some of the remnants of that chrysalis.

...

yeah he's totally dead. mhm. ]
iii.) returned
[ stone around his neck, leaks sits away from where those who have already partaken of the black liquid. he's quiet and observant, knees drawn up to his chest as he continues to recline. it also doesn't help that he's not wearing the kind of clothes he's used to; strictly robes. black. that he can't hide his face with a mask, that he can't obscure himself and keep himself isolated. no--- he is being treated like everyone else whose spirit must've been drawn to the darkness.

he closes his eyes. his thoughts linger on sisa. on his forest, long burnt to the ground. to the scant villages and ransen, the biggest, and the fields of flowers. on how much he despises everything about it, and that he couldn't be the one to destroy it all.

leaks isn't sleeping but any obvious indication of whether he's already had his fill of corruption... who's to say? ]
apostolus: (pic#15828696)

2/2

[personal profile] apostolus 2022-07-30 11:16 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Her lips thin momentarily at the (unintended) insult, dislike flaring to life in her eyes before she quashes it back down again. She's alone here. It won't do to make enemies immediately.

Instead she fidgets on the ground, hugging her arms around her. ]


My uncle usually shows up whenever I need him. My daddy does too. That's what adults are supposed to do, right? Show up and be there for their kids?

[ And this guy...........looks dubiously Old (older than she looks, at least, which is all that matters) which means she might be able to coerce him into helping her as well. ]

I'm cold.

[ She's not, but if it makes her look and sound more helpless... ]
pyojeol: (pic#15719889)

[personal profile] pyojeol 2022-07-30 11:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[hsy should really take pity on this naked teenager but instead she just gets a burst of superiority at what she thinks is him submitting to her i hate this,

she at least diverts her gaze from him and to the remains of his chrysalis, frowning deeply as she realizes that atsumu is also broke as hell,]


If you want to know, then you introduce yourself first! Everyone knows that.

[DO THEY???]
arcaneward: (aerith-0929)

rebirth

[personal profile] arcaneward 2022-07-30 11:22 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He's crying.

It's really all she can think about when she hears it, doesn't even care that he's naked as the day they were both born. She just swallows her own despair and approaches him, kneeling next to him. The movement takes a lot from her, but she manages all the same and gently places a hand on his shoulder. ]


It's going to be alright.

[ Is that a promise she can really make? No, not right now. But if it'll help, even just a little... ]

I'm Aerith. What's your name?
settingup: (i got stamina)

[personal profile] settingup 2022-07-30 11:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Nothing to steal or con him out of in this case. It really is a tragedy, huh?

At this point though he just has his chin kind of hooked over the edge of the crystal, and the only thing visible is his face. That face, by the way? Absolutely glowering at her.

Fine he'll be the bigger person metaphorically, since he already is literally.
]

Atsumu.

[ He's not giving his family name on the off chance she's a fan of Japanese high school volleyball. This is a really small subsect of the world's population, but for that very narrow group of people? He's kind of a big deal. ]

Now answer me already!
arcaneward: (lyL1YKd)

[personal profile] arcaneward 2022-07-30 11:24 pm (UTC)(link)
"Maybe," comes the perky response from somewhere off to Tsunami's left, Aerith seemingly unperturbed by the fact she's responding to, well. A dragon.

"But don't they look kinda like glass to you? We could probably eat them, but I don't think it'd be easy."

She scoots closer, leaning into where Tsunami's claw is pointing.
bythelight: (1)

Anduin Wrynn | Warcraft | Sovereign

[personal profile] bythelight 2022-07-30 11:24 pm (UTC)(link)
REBIRTH -- SHRINE OF THE SOVEREIGN

Anduin Wrynn is reduced to kneeling on the stone floor, shivering like a fever has taken him.

His skin is cold, his bad knee is in pain where he stumbled to the ground as he emerged from the crystal and his head is spinning. Light, where was this place? And where are his clothes for that matter? Shakily, he pushes to his feet and braces one hand against what is left of the strange structure that he broke out of.

Is he... dead? He did not think he should be, did not think it was his time, yet all the same -- all the same he had the strangest dream.

The strangest dream, if it was a dream.

The strangest dream, which he has awoken in an unfamiliar place from.

Anduin swallows, trying to breathe through the whirling in his head and the pain in his knee. He pushes back lank strands of blond hair and closes his eyes, tries to draw on the Light enough to ease the pain in his knee, to drive back his headache and nausea.

The Light does not answer. There is no ring of it gathering around his feet, no ethereal wind to buffet his hair, no gentle warm presence reaching down to ease his wounds.

The drain on his limited energy attempting to cast hits a wall. Anduin wobbles, flails out a hand and feels himself sliding back down to the ground again regardless with much less grace than he'd like.

TO THE PLEROMA

Damp, and bundled into rough-spun clothing, Anduin wonders if even Mathias Shaw would recognise him. None of the fine clothing of Stormwind here, none of his heavy armour. Instead, Anduin thinks he looks like he belongs on a farm in Westfall.

Aside from, perhaps, his pale skin and bright blond hair.

He thinks of his mother's locket, his father's compass, and his heart clenches a little. How had he arrived with none of it? Had it been taken from him? It had felt, in his dream, like everything was... collapsing. Had that been real?

His strength is, at least, slowly beginning to return. Anduin hasn't felt this physically weak in some time. Not since, he thinks, Pandaria. Not since Garrosh Hellscream tried to kill him, not since he had nearly every bone in his body broken. It is not a sensation he ever hoped to feel again, yet life has a way of always being... unexpected.

Lifting pale blue eyes up, he stares at the watery ceiling from where he is sat -- strands of wet, blond hair drying loosely about his shoulders. The thin blanket is going some way to warm him back up, but still shivers every so often.

"This shield must be strong. I have read of things like this, but never seen one up close."

He shivers again, frowning at some fish as they flit past and tightening the thin blanket around himself.

"What powers it, I wonder?"

The carved stone, perhaps?

[ Can switch to action tags if anyone prefers, also willing to talk out a wildcard option if anyone likes! ]
dragonmount: (🔆 where did that horse come from.)

slides in with another recognizing aerith cr, hello | pleroma

[personal profile] dragonmount 2022-07-30 11:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[ what a strange turn of events.

the last time — the last time he'd seen aerith had been in godsblood. but the first time he'd met her had been here at the lodestone, newly woken himself, when she'd offered him blankets and help cleaning up.

he freezes in his tracks when he catches sight of her, approaches slowly and disbelievingly. he's all tall plainly-dressed, but clearly someone who's been here a while, some blankets to offer new arrivals folded in his arms. balanced atop them is a couple of wrapped sandwiches. there's a bit of a limp as he walks — the reason he'd chosen to linger here instead of heading out to the shrines — and when he's closer, he can't help asking, diffident, ]


Are you hungry?

[ on the one hand, she's clearly a new arrival. on the other, she's been gone for — light, ages. there's no reason to assume she wouldn't remember him, but he'll know soon enough by her answer, unsure what else to say to her. ]
Edited 2022-07-30 23:29 (UTC)