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Aion Mods ([personal profile] aionmods) wrote in [community profile] aionooc2022-07-30 12:18 pm
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TDM #3

TDM #3
DREAMING (new characters)
At first, there is nothing. You are nothing. Whatever existed before ceases to be if for a moment. Then, bit by bit, you start to become aware. Where there was not even darkness now is a dim haze, gentle and almost mist-like. You have limbs again and beneath your feet lays a path of light reaching out like limbs of a great tree beneath you, twisting and climbing out into the horizon.

You take a step forward for what else is there to do? As you walk you begin to remember what it was you were doing before the nothingness; maybe something as simple as chatting with a loved one or close friend. Maybe you were just beginning a great journey or facing off against an old foe. Whatever it was, you get the distinct feeling that wherever and whenever that was, it is not here. Not now.

The path of light twists off into different directions. When you look up you can see that it is not a sky above you but the sky of everything, a grand cosmic tapestry littered with not mere stars but galaxies and clusters of galaxies that gleam like crystals against the velvety backdrop of space. Admire it for a moment, if you will. You don't know how long you will drift here, but you are not alone. Other wanderers will come and go as you bask together in the vastness of creation.

It seems to you that there are two paths to walk in this place, the light and dark beckoning in turn.

THE LIGHT AT THE CENTER
One leads you to the center, splintered fragments folding together and colliding until only one thing remains: a light that speaks to you with the voice of all there is and has ever been. It greets you simultaneously as an old friend and as a lost child, both rejoicing in and mourning your arrival. You remember it too, somehow, with a feeling of complex nostalgia, as if returning to a place recalled from your distant childhood.

You’ll feel the same of the other wanderers that join you in the light; you know their faces, their voices, and as you reflect upon the world of your birth, you may witness fragments of theirs as well. You feel a comradery, then, a synchronicity of thought and emotion. Are the lives of others truly so different from your own? Or are you simply two hands of the same, greater being? Though some individualistic part of you may resist, the longer you spend in the light, the more you will find yourself becoming one with it.

Despite this welcoming call, no matter how eagerly your pursue its embrace, before you can fully submerge yourself in this oneness you will find yourself being torn away. As if seized by the impossibly long, cold arm of a creature unseen, you are plucked from the edge of fulfillment. The last thing you will remember is the sensation of your world, and all the others your experienced here, collapsing into nothingness.

THE DARK OUTSIDE (CW: deep despair, ego death)
The other leads towards the outside, where the splintering becomes so great that the vestiges of reality can do nothing but collapse back into the abyss at the end of everything. As you wander to these barren outskirts, your thoughts will not be drawn to familiarity and oneness, but instead to memories of discontent and waste. The darker the path becomes, the more you find yourself dwelling on life’s disappointments and injustices, of the things about yourself and your world you find wanting.

If you see others here, at first they will feel frightening or contemptible, as if representing to you the worst experiences in your life. Even if they are someone you’re certain you know, that familiarity and affection will be stripped away in the face of the great emptiness before you. In the end, you were all the same. In the end, none of this was worth it. If you approach the end together, you may even form a kind of kinship around this acknowledgment, as the need for paranoia and hatred fades.

Slowly, the darkness encroaches, and you can see it devouring all the things you once knew. Memories of your home, of those you loved, dissolve into nothing, and you can only reflect on the barren emptiness in your heart as you see it happen. In your final moments, though, you feel peace with it all, knowing that there was no other way. You step from the edge of the last dwindling fragment of being and are greeted by silence.

THE END
No matter which way you go, you are left with a single impression: you feel the world you came from die. It's a realization that transcends logic or sense; it weighs on your heart and leaves the vestiges of dark memories dancing in your thoughts like motes of ash. It's a memory of your home crumbling away into nothing as if consumed from within by rot. Returned to the void, all that's left to you is to be reborn.

REBIRTH (new characters)
In a new time and place, you awaken. Stirring within a capsule of warmth and isolation your senses will slowly return, only to observe that you are trapped. Your body, as it wakes, is tangled in close, yours eyes unable to open, as if still within the womb. You are held tight in the embrace of something unyielding, so smothering that at first you only have the strength to struggle for moments at a time. Yet, as you persist, the pressure begins to relent in turn; it may take hours, but eventually you will find the purchase to push, to claw, to fight, and it will all give way.

The chrysalis surrounding you bends like flesh and cracks like glass. It tears as you force your fingers through, finding liberation one inch at a time, until finally you have emerged. As if having undergone metamorphosis, you feel old and new all at once. You are weak, piteously so, but the markings and scars of your previous life remain. As you slump down upon the smooth cavern stone, you realize that you've just wrenched yourself free of gigantic crystal, though its hollow, shimmering form is now in pieces on account of your passing. Somewhere on your body, a shard of similar material remains embedded.

The cave itself looks almost like the inside of a geode, the walls and ceiling bedazzled with greyish crystal that shines with all the colors of the rainbow. While they vary wildly in size and shape, only a few have grown large enough to hold a form like yours, and you can see the one you just escaped isn't the only one bearing a passenger within. They may have already hatched, or they may still be lingering in stasis. Either way, there's enough time that you may have a chance to speak to yours unexpected peers, or to perhaps to struggle to find something to cover your naked body with. You feel the chill of the open air against your moisture laden skin, a distant light trickling in through the cavern's opening.

Make the most of this time. It won't be long before you're interrupted.

[Mod Note: If you don't want to deal with your character being naked in front of the others at that location, feel free to assume they emerge at a different time than the others of their legacy. Characters will be 'hatching' over a period of several hours.]

DREAMING (OLD CHARACTERS)
For those already in Horos, they will find themselves in the same dreamscape as the new arrivals, only, this time, it's familiar. You'll feel more cognizant of your surroundings as you reawaken in this psychedelic realm, more in control of your emotions. What's more, you recognize that light at the center and the darkness at the edge: it's the Pleroma and Kenoma respectively. The one you are attuned to will call our to your soul, and though you are technically free to wander as you please, the closer you get to the force of your opposite sect, the more it will grate against you spiritually. Pleroma attuned nearing the Kenoma will feel as if its presence is desperately trying to tear them apart, and Kenoma attuned nearing the Pleroma will feel as if its light is burning them from the inside out.

More importantly, you notice that entirely new souls are wandering here with faces you didn't see in the cavern. It gradually becomes clear that they are Aions in the same state you were prior to your rebirth, lost and wandering this stretch of the cosmos with no idea what's to come. Maybe this is your chance to ease the confusion of their arrival, or maybe you'd simply like to scope out what kind of people are on their way. It's also possible for you to run into Aions already in Horos, wandering just like you are. Unfortunately, things are a lot less neutral than they are the last time you shared this realm.

No matter what you do, eventually the cosmos above will begin to burn out, just as it did the first time you were here. As darkness swallows reality itself, you will wake with the visceral memory of your world corrupting and breaking apart.

SEARCHING (OLD CHARACTERS)
Soon after the dreams begin, it will become clear that the Aion NPCs of either sect are also aware of what's happening. For those in Achamoth and Greentruth, the imminent arrival of new Aions will become a matter of official discussion. All able Aions will be called upon for their aid, in whatever way they can offer. Getting to the shrines themselves will be easily accomplished via teleportation. What's would be more complicated is ferrying any new arrivals back to a secure location. Thankfully, this is something both sects have already prepared for.

All characters will have the opportunity to acquire a 'returning stone' if they don't already have one. In all cases, this will amount to an amulet made of the same shimmering material as the shrine monuments, though the stylization differs between the Pleroma and the Kenoma. While regular Aion teleportation can bring you to any of the shrines you know the sigil and location of, a returning stone is magically programmed to bring its wearer back to a specific destination to which it is attuned. Normally, these stones will only be able to store enough energy for one 'return' a month, but it turns out that the ambient power created by the shrines being active will temporarily super charge them. Though it's not guaranteed, this means they may generate enough energy to perform multiple returns for TDM purposes. More information about returning stones can be found on the powers page.

Spare returning stones will be issued to all Aions so that they can be used to bring back anyone they collect, as it's possible to bring someone alongside you if they are also wearing a returning stone. Where your stone leads will depend on your sect.

PLEROMA
Tehri will be the one to supply returning stones, based out of Greentruth. She will not travel to Godsblood to deliver returning stones to those that have not visited Greentruth, but it can be assumed that Greentruth's visitors can pass them along to anyone who has been staying in the city. The returning stones are set to bring them to a secure location beneath the water of Godsblood's coast. From there, new arrivals will have to be allowed to rest and then brought up into the city when they're ready.

Greentruth is limited in its resources, but it will attempt to send troops to the Innocent, Seeker, Wanderer, and Firebrand shrines, all of which are close to the forest. Compared to the last attempt, these troops are a bit better armored. Meanwhile, bolstered by recent events in Godsblood, bands of Resistance members and guerrilla fighters will turn up at the Artisan and Sovereign shrines. The Resistance members will work willingly alongside with the Pleroma Aions, but the guerrilla fighters seem to have their own priorities and that is mostly that they have a beef with the Achamites. These reinforcements will struggle against powered Aions, but they might be able to delay any troops sent by Achamoth or Hylici.

KENOMA
Xishen will be handing out returning stones to all Kenoma the day after the dreams begin for the Aions that don't already have one. She'll explain how to use them, and state that the Regent expects for them to head to the shrines once they become fully active. The Kenoma will have whatever mundane weapons or supplies they need at their disposal for this mission, along with minimal Achamite reinforcements. Due to injuries and death in both Godsblood and Venera, many are in recovery or on their return to Achamoth. She'll reiterate not to rely too heavily on them; after all, only the Aions are able to quickly move between the shrines and at the Citadel. The regular troops will have to be deployed by river or by land, and mobilizing them will take time. They will feasible be able to reach all of the shrines to some degree or another, but will more easily populate the shrines of the Martyr, Celebrant, Lover, Champion, Visionary, Sovereign, and Firebrand.

The Hylicians will be called to fill in the ranks of the diminished Achamite troops. They follow the orders that they are given but are very standoffish otherwise, even more than usual for them. Xishen herself says she will be traveling to the shrines and the Kenoma will be expected to communicate their movements to her as they work. Dionys remains in Achamoth to 'keep watch'. All Kenoma Aions will be given a familiar vial of black sludge, and are instructed to feed it to any Aions they capture at the shrines. It will cause the same effects it did in the cavern, though it will resolve in a few days rather than a week.

RETURNED (ALL CHARACTERS)
New characters that are found a the shrines will be brought back to one of two lodestones, depending on which sect they are taken by. This will be accomplished by their escort putting a 'returning stone' around their neck that will enable them to be teleported to a secure area in their sect's territory. It is advised for your character to be taken by whichever sect you'd like them to end up in.

TO THE PLEROMA
In a dazzling flash of psychedelic light, you will find yourself brought to the Pleroma's lodestone: a monolithic rock set in the center of temple-like ruins. The entire cavern is hidden away beneath the ocean waves, just outside of Godsblood, and the ceiling itself is comprised of nothing but a barrier of water, as if held back from filling the space by some unknown force. The waters surrounding the lodestone are exactly body temperature, with swarms of tiny, violently iridescent fish darting through it. Crabs that look as if they're made of pure, clear crystal wander the sparkling, sandy shores.

There isn't much here in the way of accommodations, but it's comfortable enough that the new arrivals brought in by the Pleroma can take a moment to catch their breath. Some relatively plain but assorted new clothing will have been brought to the cavern to make sure they are actually clothed, as well as blankets and basic food items. It's a good time to ask your questions, or if you are an established Pleroma, to help out your freshly arrived peers. After all, their welcome at the shrine may have been a confusing one.

New arrivals will be permitted to leave the lodestone's temple when they are ready. Unfortunately, the only ways out of these place are through your choice of either swimming through pockets of water that eventually lead to the surface, or by spelunking through a series of tunnels to make your way the cliff faces near the city of Godsblood. More information about the city itself can be found on the setting page, though it would be preferable to keep TDM interactions to the lodestone area. As characters emerging from the shrines will start our as Untouched (more info about attunements here) they will not be permitted entry into Greentruth until they have attuned to Pleroma.

TO THE KENOMA
As your returning stone activates, you will feel yourself thrust into a suffocating void, only to emerge just as quickly somewhere else. The most pressing thing on the minds of anyone taken by the Kenoma will be the vial of pitch black sludge they are forced to drink, whether it is before or after their arrival. Maybe their 'escort' from the shrine gave it to them, or perhaps another Kenoma does soon after they arrive. If not, one of the Achamite cultists wandering around definitely will. Dedicated servants to the Regent's will as they are, they are not afraid to gang up on the vulnerable new arrivals and force it down their throats.

Once in your mouth, the potion will slither down your throat as if it's a living thing. The effect takes hold quickly: as this darkness creeps through your insides, it will embolden your darkest and most despair inducing emotions, plaguing your thoughts with the worst sorrows of your life. What's worst, it simultaneously seems to awaken some form of enhanced psychic empathy within you, both projecting your thoughts for others to hear, and allowing you to receive those of the others around you in kind. Black ooze will begin to seep from orifices, or the space around your shard. The effects of this contamination bring out your worst, and its recipients will be forced to live with these effects until they accept the force corrupting them into their souls.

This world is not good enough, a voice speaks to your through the Kenoma. This suffering you feel, the cruelty that has birthed this darkness in you... it is simply the rot that is consuming this existence. A better universe awaits, one forged by your own hand, and all you need do is first bring about this broken reality's end.

How long this goes on will depend on how long the characters is able to fight it. Acceptance of the Kenoma can come as quickly as immediately, if your character is inclined towards it, or it could be drawn out to take a few days. In the meantime, they will have to stay in the barren halls surrounding the Regent's lodestone, and will not be permitted to exit into the greater Citadel as the current Kenoma are. All that will immediately be offered to them down there are stone slabs that can be used as beds and formless white robes that reach down past their knees.

Of course, that doesn't mean the characters that are already of the Kenoma can't do something about that. If they desire it, they will be able to bring food or other supplies to those suffering with their Kenoma infections, and it will be equally within their power to try anything from bullying them into accepting to lovebombing them. Once a character accepts the Kenoma and attunes to it, they will be permitted to leave, but for the sake of the TDM interactions should be kept to the lodestone area.

QUESTIONS
Is this TDM canon?
Mostly! It's part of an in-game event. However, only threads with new players that app and are accepted will be considered game canon. Threads between old characters will all be canon, but threads involving new characters that don't apply or aren't accepted will either need to be tweaked to remove their involvement or made non-canon. New characters will also be able to decide TDM threads aren't canon if they end up changing directions.

Who can toplevel on this post?
Anyone, whether they are a new character or a current one. However, we do ask for current players to do their best to tag new characters. If you are bringing in a new character and want a current character to bring them into your sect of choice, post your request here! ICly, current characters are fighting to claim new arrivals, but it's up to the player of new characters where they ultimately end up going.

When is this TDM taking place chronologically?
The beginning of August. The shrines will be active and forming Aions during that time. The dreams will start around the 29th of July. All current Aions will be able to sense when it's time for the new arrivals to start emerging.

What are the shrines like?
Every shrine is comprised of the crystal-filled cavern character emerge inside and then the massive statue symbolizing the relevant Legacy built on top. More information about each shrine can be found in the "Aion Shrine" section of the setting page.

Are everyone's homeworlds really gone?
That's a complicated issue, and while the fate of their world is not without hope, they may certainly get the impression its been destroyed from the dream they had. Alternatively, they may refuse to believe what they felt and attempt to dismiss it as only a vision. More about this situation will be revealed as the game goes on.

Can I only experience one end of the dream sequence prompt?
New characters may experience one ending, both endings, or neither. If they experience both they will struggle to recall which came first or which feels the most 'true' to them, as both will simultaneously be the thought they are reborn with. If your character refuses to pursue either path they can simply linger in the middle until the infinite worlds above them start being extinguished one by one, eventually expelling them into darkness in a similar style to the light prompt. Which dreams they experience will not dictate their initial sect affiliation.

Is it possible to pull another character back from the end of the light or darkness dreams?
Yes! If your character is able to resist the pull of either end, they will have the chance to try to pull another character back from the edge of the abyss or the edge of oneness. Whether or not they succeed is entirely up to the other character, though.

Do you come out of the chrysalis wet?
For most intents and purposes it's the same experience as hatching out of a real butterfly chrysalis, so yes, a bit.

How does attunement to the Pleroma or Kenoma work for new characters?
More information about sect attunements can be read on their dedicated info page, but in summary: when new characters are brought to Horos, they will be in the state of being "Untouched" meaning they are not attuned to either sect. By the end of their first month in game it is expected they will either attune to Pleroma or Kenoma, though for those taken by the Kenoma's forces, the transition will be forced within the first few days. If taken in by the Pleroma, it may take then some time to attune to Pleroma, depending on the strength of their spirit, but it could also happen almost instantly if they are allowed to. How quickly it happens will depend on how strongly they align with the Pleroma's traits. Characters who have been taken by the Pleroma but that remain Untouched will not be allowed into Greentruth until their attunement to Pleroma is complete.

Can a character taken by one side end up attuning to the sect of the opposite one?
This is theoretically possible, yes: a person taken by the Kenoma could potentially resist the Kenoma's call, and someone taken by the Pleroma could end up falling to the Kenoma while staying with them. Generally, though, we recommend that you have your character be taken by whichever sect you want to end up in, as doing a switcheroo will cause narrative complications that might bog their introduction down in plotting that will need to be done with the mods. It can happen, but it is not to be done lightly!

coerthantorment: (104)

[personal profile] coerthantorment 2022-08-02 06:54 am (UTC)(link)
[Aerith thrusts herself between them, and for a moment Estinien finds himself overwhelmed by a sense of deja vu. She really was always like this. Good to know.

All the same, he feels himself tense all over, his instincts telling him to attack before Amos can snatch her away. He doesn't know Amos well enough to think that he won't. The man is a true believer and has been since the beginning. He wouldn't put anything past him.

Still, the gravity returning to normal gives him options. In the end, he decides to wait, to let Aerith respond on her own terms... only for Amos's bland comment on his friend's fates to send the anger in him surging again.

He bears his fangs, but doesn't strike.]
zauneyete: (Pointing with scissors)

[personal profile] zauneyete 2022-08-02 06:59 am (UTC)(link)
[ Silco paused, and pulled something out of his vest pocket. It's not a cigar -- yet -- but it is a small stone. He held it in his palm, but it had some sort of...eerie, almost ethereal tone to it. ]

We're going to teleport.

[ He says, like it's normal.

What, like your world doesn't have a pair of wunderkind inventors harnessing the power of magic and technology
]

I understand that may also sound ridiculous to some, but I can assure you, I did not walk half the continent and climb into a crater to find you.
bingos: (00_0006_92179993_p9_master1200)

[personal profile] bingos 2022-08-02 07:49 am (UTC)(link)
¡Hola! [ Miyako tries to intone her usual cheer into the greeting, but it sounds off - not quite there. She smiles anyway, pretending not to notice how it fails to meet even in her own ears. They're doing pretty well that she's panicked all of once in the Shrines. ]

Seems like it! But I haven't seen Koushirou-senpai or anyone, have you? [ Because it seems only clear as day that the others should be here too - Especially the older kids who she thinks are far more capable.

Hawkmon's stirred by now, rubbing at an eye with a feathered hand before hopping to his feet:]


Wormmon! It's good to see you again. [ He raises a hand in greeting, relieved at seeing a friend (not at all because containing his partner is more than a one mon job-) ]
lifespanned: (pic#11709520)

[personal profile] lifespanned 2022-08-02 07:57 am (UTC)(link)
[ Misa watches her retreat, feeling bit of triumph— if she can't get the woman to come to the Kenoma, it's better that she distrusts them both. As a result, she lets her back up without advancing further, not bothering on answering Syrlya's question about soldiers, since it's very clear that the woman before them would like to hear about something else. And Misa is more than happy to provide. Fairly conversationally for the tenseness of the situation: ]

You were brought to Horos as an Aion— Aions are kinda like demigods! He and I are both Aions too.

[ She keeps her explanation light, colloquial, trying to avoid any strange or intimidating terms. It's her firm belief that taking the time to explain things calmly, and neatly, will be in her favor. Besides, if it's dawdling around he's worried about, she's more than happy to drag this out. ]

There are soldiers around because, well, there is a war going on... Both sides want to be the one with more Aions, so when Aions wake up, everyone comes to check it out. But, well, the way I see it, he's the only one trying to take you right away.... just saying.

[ Her tone goes mildly accusatory, hands resting on her hips. Still, she keeps her gaze pinned on Syrlya, as if ready to activate her petrifying gaze at any point that he makes a move she feels threatened by. ]
chronosynthesis: (❖ Phantasmal Warden)

[personal profile] chronosynthesis 2022-08-02 08:15 am (UTC)(link)
[Syrlya squints right back at her.]

And yet you don't mention what this 'war' is about.

[He absolutely knows it's a war. And he's reluctant to turn his back on her... but he doesn't want to drive Dorothea to run off or something.

So, with a sharp breath, he turns his attention back around to Dorothea, squeezing the amulet in hand.]
She serves one known as the Regent, who has rulership over the continent. They seek power in order to demolish this reality and rebuild to their own ideals. We Aions... seem to be key in that. And as such, they will demand fealty to their cause or death.

[He holds out the hand with the amulet, as an offering.] I only want to get you somewhere that they can't force your servitude. From there the choice is your own. I know I can only offer you my word in this--I would rather not drag you into a battle to prove it.
regressor: (FINISHED)

returned

[personal profile] regressor 2022-08-02 08:59 am (UTC)(link)
[At some point, Havoc had remembered through the haze of pain that she wasn't the only person here in this strange, foreign hall. She doesn't know how long it takes her, though, to find a moment in between pulses of Lancelnopt Synchrotron radiation that threaten to pull her into the world of the rational and emotionless. Only then can she move, trying to force her limbs to obey her despite the weakness of both the sludge leaking out the corner of her mouth and her malnourished, bony body.

At least this way, when Hell's Gate calls... she can focus on the sharp pain in the two crooked, broken fingers on her right hand as she slowly, slowly makes her way across the floor. She doesn't know where she's going. If she could just go... far away, far away from the source of the power trying to reassert its control over her... If she could just stay a Regressor...

Panting with exertion, racked with the pain and effort it takes to hold back the power pulsing eerie red in her eyes, she slumps against another slab... only to feel a hand brush her shoulder. Only then does her focus widen enough to take in... a pale man, his hair long, his eyes bright blue. He's asking something, but-]


I'm sorry...

[She weakly reaches up to try and wipe the sludge away from her mouth, but the disconnect between a mind overcome in despair and a body exhausted by desperation only succeeds in smearing it. When she finally musters the words, her voice is low for a woman, raspy almost as if it's been years since she's spoken, but it's audible- just barely.]

I can't... I don't think... I can protect anyone...

[Not this man. Not anyone here, if she became "Havoc" again.]
regressor: (FLOOR)

[personal profile] regressor 2022-08-02 09:19 am (UTC)(link)
[For a moment, it almost looks as if she may have expired, she is so still. After releasing a short, barely audible sigh and closing her eyes in exhaustion, her breath is frozen in her lungs, the sludge trickles from her half-open lips... but she is not so lucky as that. Eventually, she does draw a ragged breath.

How many more times can she do this? She doesn't know. ... But he won't grant her wish, which means she has only one request left.]


Then, please...

[If she regained her powers here, if she became the Contractor who had been Havoc and Carmine and however many more names she had lost to the M.E... There'd be no telling what choice she might make in this place, what she might judge as a threat to be eliminated without qualm, without emotion or morals. And in that case...]

Please go. Far from here...

[From her.]
leicesters: academy (066)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-08-02 09:58 am (UTC)(link)
This might sound crazy, but humans don't get shiny rocks for birthmarks.

[He's not quite done investigating yet, still reaching at his own neck. After a little effort, he pulls his Shard free, and stares at it like it's a bizarre foreign object... and yet somehow not at all. Even disconnected like this, it feels like part of him.

He holds it up to the light, observing it from different angles.]


...It doesn't hurt to take out, so long as you're gentle with it. You're probably safer taking yours out in human form, though -- they look fragile.
ricordi: (015)

[personal profile] ricordi 2022-08-02 10:32 am (UTC)(link)
[ah, she seems even worse than him. perhaps she is the one in need of help, but cassius is no medic. the most efficient action would be to find one, rather than attempt to help, but... cassius himself is stuck here. the people who placed this robe on him are not allowing him to leave, and he has understood from context that they're waiting for something to happen.

he's loathe to kill anyone in order to go.]


I think you're in more need than me. [despite his words, his tone has no judgement-- no inflection, no emotion at all. he's simply stating fact.]

You should sit down.
warmare: (恨み)

Pleroma

[personal profile] warmare 2022-08-02 10:41 am (UTC)(link)
[It is considered amongst the aions that many among the Pleroma were "good"... and it was likely very true, especially compared to the black sludge-brainwashed or naturally inclined Kenoma.

But there is one or two with a more sour reputation, a more violent one, that might make someone even question how they could belong with the sect supposedly dedicated to hope and light. To Hayame's credit, it isn't as if she is unaware of this incongruous thing. She intentionally doesn't initiate conversation when she can help it, she sticks to what she's good at. Hunting and killing. And this time, more than rescuing newly arrived Aions... she has just been shooting Achamites.

Now, she returns to use the portals to travel elsewhere, to a different place that might have more enemies that she can try to cut down. But on the way... someone calls out to her, specifically. It turns Hayame's head, her gaze travels down... a long way down, when she is a dun centaur mare over seven feet tall, but.

There the woman is.]


Do you think now is the time for stories?

[Perhaps it's for the best? With her hand on a six foot long bow and a quiver of arrows at her "hip", she might not be able to tell anything good if she tried.]
ourtomorrow: ([kenzuna] confidence)

[personal profile] ourtomorrow 2022-08-02 10:53 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ken smiles. He'll take the bread if offered, but instead of having any himself, break off a piece for Wormmon. ] Nice to meet you. I'm Ichijouji Ken. This is Wormmon.

I'm Wormmon!

[ He's Wormmon. ]
warmare: (批判)

iii

[personal profile] warmare 2022-08-02 10:58 am (UTC)(link)
[What Layla hears this time, actually... is hooves, not feet. The centaur mare behind her does not even stop, though she does slow at first when she realizes it was her being addressed. The absolute rudeness of not even facing who you spoke to...

Well, it feels more foolish of her to expose one's back to attack like that, but.

Not everyone in Pleroma was a warrior. A lot of them weren't. Too many of them, if you asked Hayame. But though she knew well the world of the martial...]


As if I would know.

[What came first, this place, or magic? She is concerned about only returning to her home, if it still existed. And if it didn't... she didn't need to know the answer to that question to extract her revenge on the people who claimed responsibility for destroying it.]

Even if I did, I have nothing to do with such things.

[With magic, that many people here seemed to just expect everyone to be familiar with, or eager to use. Who seemed to think that just because of her race she must surely accept it.]
ourtomorrow: ([kenzuna] ah?)

[personal profile] ourtomorrow 2022-08-02 10:59 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ken looks thoughtful. ] Hmmmm...That's a good question. Try not to jump to conclusions - I suppose?

[ He should elaborate. How to put this, to be as clear as possible. ] You'll see many things that differ from your world, but also many things that are similar. It's tempting to believe what you reason based on prior experience, but no two worlds work quite the same, fundamentally. Keep an open mind, and build your perspective based on the information you gather here. It's all right to take your time.

[ He chuckles, self-conscious. ] Though that's not very concrete.
mygig: (55)

[personal profile] mygig 2022-08-02 11:01 am (UTC)(link)
You sure about that? This place looks pretty set on keeping you in check.

[Not to mention that when you're thrown into some sort of space between worlds, consciousness, dimensions, whatever the hell, the concept of rules themselves might just be silly. He did have to fight a guy wearing a jester outfit on a giant ball once.

Still annoying after all those years.

He looks at where the suit of armor points to, considers it for a moment, then shrugs.

Then looks at the other possible destination.

And they call him dramatic.
] There's a reason why those who are betrayed say that they were "kept in the dark", you know? You can suffer from darkness. [A gloved hand raises a finger.] But you can also inflict it.
ourtomorrow: ([kenzuna] calm)

[personal profile] ourtomorrow 2022-08-02 11:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ken shakes his head. ] I haven't recognized anyone else. Until I heard your voice, I thought perhaps it had just been Wormmon and myself.....

[ He also looks concerned by this, but less "worried" and more "trying to solve a puzzle". Something about him and Miyako-san is needed by this world......Something other than evolution? Neither of them can evolve their Digimon very far without a Jogress partner. But there must be something. He needs to keep investigating.

.....And, honestly, after that horrible vision (it had been a vision, hadn't it? He doesn't want to assume, but his heart had clenched and anger had flared within himself, anger shot through with guilt. The world's destruction would be bad enough, but what hurt the most was watching helplessly)....

His voice enters its Sappy Register. ]
It's good to see you.

Did you hatch from a rock, too? Ken-chan hatched from a rock. I helped.

[ Uh-huh, Wormmon. Sure you did. ]
fightforthejoyofit: (processing2)

[personal profile] fightforthejoyofit 2022-08-02 11:19 am (UTC)(link)
If anyone is in need of distraction right now, it is certainly Zenos.

To say that his feelings post-Godsblood are something of a confusing mess is perhaps the understatement of the era. They were a confusing mess before he learned of Emet-Selch's great triumph, and have only become more messy and confusing as Himeka's captivity has progressed. The conspicuous absence of his usual confidant (as loathe as he usually is to engage in such self-reflection, and as baffling as that relationship continues to be; the small blue bird-girl's attachment to him defies all reason) has not helped matters. Beyond that (and yet tied inexorably to it, of course), he should, he knows, welcome the opportunity to prove he has some value to the Regent and assuage any doubt (including his own, because Himeka has always known how to get under his skin) as to the sincerity of that allegiance.

This should, therefore, be a blessing. Violence has always been his refuge, has it not? So if there is a certain heaviness to his sigh as he unsheathes his sword, an uncharacteristic tension in the roll of his shoulders, then it is likely just the general malaise of Achamoth post-deployment lingering even outside the city. Probably.

Zenos nods, casting a glance back towards his revered ancestor. "Will you be joining me, or are you content to observe?"
leicesters: academy (128)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-08-02 11:36 am (UTC)(link)
I feel like a stiff breeze could knock me over right now, so it's a little hard to believe I'm stronger than anyone here.

[He laughs at his own expense, polishing off a rice ball before reaching for another.]

That's fine... I'm used to being treated as an outsider, anyway. [And keeping secrets about himself, disappointing though it is to have to do so here.] We just look like regular people to them, right? There's no obvious giveaway we're Aions?
lockedon: (pic#14244924)

[personal profile] lockedon 2022-08-02 11:47 am (UTC)(link)
Most people would be.

[ But hey, he'll take her eerie acceptance over crying and screaming, so it's with a small shrug of his own that he turns around back towards the entrance of the shrine, expecting her to follow him.

But first—he fishes something out of his pocket and tosses it to her. It's an amulet, the design probably unfamiliar to her. ]


You'll need this to get back.

[ Back where? Who knows. But also: ]

You're what?

[ Finish that thought, Mordred. Do it. ]
tselyak: (4.)

[personal profile] tselyak 2022-08-02 11:47 am (UTC)(link)
[ do not ever tell FrostNova about: a) the Internet, and b) furries, because her entire life belief will be shattered (syke, they won't be, but. y'know). how could she live knowing that there's so much lurid content around bnuuygirls... the acclaimed mmorpg final fantasy 14 would fuck her up.

anyway.

she smiles wanly again, at the accusation that she could've said something that was less of a complete downer, which is her way of saying: ha ha, punked you. how very fucked up of her, tbh.
]

Oh? Your masterpiece?

[ go off, queen. be cringe. ] I suppose it's gauche to ask an artist what their work is about, but I will. [ spill the beans, babe!! ]
leicesters: academy (008)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-08-02 11:50 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks!

[He takes the arrow first, examining it and twirling it in his hand with an unnecessary flourish (part habit, part being a playful showoff), then takes the bow. It's heftier than anything he's used to, even the one occasion his grandfather had allowed him to hold Failnaught back at House Riegan.

He nocks the arrow, and aims the bow up, trying to draw back the string... but while there's a little give, there's also way too much resistance for him to be able to pull it back all the way, not to mention his arms just aren't long enough. And while aim isn't important, he won't be able to get the kind of travel distance he needs on the shot.]


W-who was this bow built for, a bear?! [He puffs. It's... a rhetorical question, given she's standing right beside him, but he's definitely sweating while he tries to pull this off.]
tselyak: (4.)

[personal profile] tselyak 2022-08-02 11:51 am (UTC)(link)
[ FrostNova is militaryー she carries herself as such, with sharp posture and sharper eyes, which soften like morning snow when she's addressed. a slight, thin thing, compared to the bulk of the man who towers over her. ]

Nothing that's made me feel the need to move away from them.

[ translation: if there's a giant monster in there, it hasn't killed her yet. so. come at her, fate. try to get lucky.

that said:
] ..."The Baywatch tune", you said. [ careful, Dante. ] Sing it for me. [ uh ]
tselyak: (5.)

[personal profile] tselyak 2022-08-02 12:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[ virtue comes in as many shapes and derivatives as vice; FrostNova, whose life has always stood in the border between justice and vigilantism, along that fuzzy, snow-gray line of rightful violence, doubts that Kenoma and Pleroma are very different at all.

hope and despair are siblings. nothing is more tragic than family with their teeth around each other's jugular.

Hayame is beautiful, in a way. FrostNova, with her thin limbs splayed on sand, looks up at the centaur's silhouette and takes her in, the patterns of her violence and all. she has never been cowed by size or blood or someone's capacity to wring their prey's neck between their fingers.
]

If not now, when?

[ they'll fight, and maybe they'll die. why not now? why not to a total stranger? ]
regressor: (FLOOR)

[personal profile] regressor 2022-08-02 12:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[It seemed they were all stuck here. Trapped here.

It's not that she isn't familiar with it. In the last 48 hours, she has been smuggled out of the country she had tried to hide herself in after the war, held by an organization that wanted to experiment on her, transported bound and gagged inside of a suitcase, and held in safehouse after safehouse... Not that it had kept her that way. Safe.

Not that she deserved to be, either. But to endanger all of these people in the process...]


I don't... "reboot"...

[It sounds like something a robot would say, if robots could speak. Or perhaps, more like a Doll. That was almost familiar.

Taking his advice, sort of, she slumps against the slab of stone in a heap of bony limbs, trying one more time to wipe the sludge from her lips and chin. If she could just... If she had something to focus on...]


You got brought here from that crystal place, too... ?
leicesters: academy (098)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-08-02 12:25 pm (UTC)(link)
I did! I just didn't think the likelihood of collateral damage was gonna be that high.

[He skulks off with her anyway, half-whispering back and still looking sheepish. Ah well, it was kind of fun while it lasted, even if he feels bad for poor Yuuta.]

I guess I'll just quiz a local later, see if they understand how the barrier thing up there works...
leicesters: academy (099)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-08-02 12:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Sure. But where to meet might be a bit tricky... Do you know a city called Derdriu?

[Is this guy even from Fódlan? Out here in the vastness of the stars, knowing all that he does about how vast even his own world is, he thinks not, even if he hasn't quite cottoned on to the concept of other worlds just yet.]