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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!

leicesters: academy (006)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-08-02 12:39 pm (UTC)(link)
No, I'm afraid not.

[And he's sure he's never heard of a 'Hyrule' before. He runs a hand though his hair, thoughtful, then grimaces and quickly stops. He still feels all slimy, his usually unruly dark curls plastered to his head. Gross.]

I was at Garreg Mach before this, though I don't suppose that means anything to you? Regardless, I promise I don't want to hurt you.

[She looks more alarmed by their situation than by him, specifically, but he wants to reassure her all the same.]
regressor: (PANT)

[personal profile] regressor 2022-08-02 12:40 pm (UTC)(link)
[If this were her world... how could she explain it? Most people had been kept by their government so ignorant of what Contractors were that they would be shocked to hear of such things, to learn there might be holes in their memories extracted in a lab or people simply eliminated for having seen too much. But this... No, this had to be a whole other world, like the woman who had picked her off the floor of that crystal cavern had said.

And if she explained... If she could explain...

Hei had understood. But Hei had been human once. Still was all too human, despite somehow being a Contractor. This man... If it truly was a foreign land and she couldn't rely on terms like Hell's Gate, Contractor, Regressor...]


My power...

[The Kenoma feeds the images into her mind more amplified than they'd ever been. The memory of blood on her hands and hot on her face when she released the destructive vacuum field she was capable of summoning with a look and a will, dropping the mangled and swollen corpse of a would-be attacker to the ground. The feel of rubble beneath her feet where she stood on the edge of sheer destruction, dust and screams in the air where a crowded building had once stood before she'd opened up her abilities in the parking garage below the surface.]

I don't want it back...

[The woman who had brought her here had told her there was no Hell's Gate, and she had been so relieved... but ever since she'd swallowed that black sludge...]

The price is- The price is too high...

[She remembers it, just enough to be terrified; What the blood of children had tasted like on her tongue. The same sort of children she'd learned to care for, as a Regressor, to smile at and crouch down to listen, to cook for... She remembers just enough that she suddenly chokes, struggling to swallow and failing as she turns weakly to the side and retches, black Kenoma dribbling out of her throat and gagging her.]

Why...

[Even that, though, was better than her obeisance.]

Why is it back... ?
Edited 2022-08-02 12:41 (UTC)
bythelight: (16)

[personal profile] bythelight 2022-08-02 12:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Once she's offered the blanket he hooks it around his shoulders, wraps it around himself (including over his lap, for some small modesty) and tries to shiver himself warmer. Still, he does at least make an effort to sit up straight -- to try and muster some dignity despite the awkward situation.

"The first," he admits. "You were expecting more?"

His eyes flit around the cave, brow furrowing in thought as he takes in the crystalline structure. It doesn't appear, on the surface, full of other people -- nor the sort of place he'd expect them to be constantly arriving. Then again, he did just emerge from a crystal. He supposes his expectations on this will need to be... adjusted.
leicesters: academy (139)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-08-02 12:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Ack. [Poor guy... Claude actually feels a little bad at the way he just walks off, without being any the wiser, but maybe that's for the best. He doesn't want to make too bad of a first impression with his new allies beyond a little (mostly) harmless mischief.

Grimacing, he looks at Caitlyn.]


It wasn't, actually. A nice guy called Thoma gave me some food and brought me here. Do you know him? [It's an innocent seeming question with its own intent; he wants to get a feel for everyone here, and asking others about their fellow Pleroma seems as good a place to start as any.]
leicesters: academy (146)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-08-02 01:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Aha, and now you're getting a good look at my lithe, graceful build? You are interested in me!

[He drops his hands back to his sides, grinning. They're really having two entirely different conversations here. Or more accurately, he's choosing to gloss over both provocation and threats.]

Seriously, though, we're floating in space and all you can do is act all grumpy and aggressive? At least try to enjoy it a little.
mygig: (52)

kjsd!!? oh my god.. you guys are suffering enough from this guy's presence alone, pls....

[personal profile] mygig 2022-08-02 01:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Them's the breaks, kid. I'm not going to stand around and do nothing just because you didn't bring your Gameboy.

[Totally dating himself here. Gameboy?? What a boomer. He does decide to venture out into the sand, though. Pick up the rock from the sand.

Look, just be glad he's not bending over and is actually crouching down to get it. He picks up the shard, raises it to face the light of... whatever star is lighting this place, if at all, and looks at it as if to try and figure out if this is some actual amethyst or whatever.

Demonic shell, at least, it doesn't seem to be.

So he finally twists to look back at the temple, and he can't help the grimace.
] And people call me tacky.
fisherwife: (We couldnt find you anywhere)

[personal profile] fisherwife 2022-08-02 01:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[She frowns a little, staring quietly up at the crystal as she tries to figure out where to go from here. What in the world happened?]

no, I'm afraid that name is unfamiliar to me too. It sounds like something in the Gerudo territory... [Maybe Urbosa would've had a better indication??

His reassurance is a bit surprising, but it makes Mipha smile lightly at him
]

Thank you. Likewise, I have no intention of harming anyone. [Unless they try to come at her first] Are you injured? I can heal you, once I manage to find my feet again. [Her own nakedness doesn't really bother her, though it's odd to be without all of her jewelry and her shawl. But Zora didn't really wear clothes anyhow, so she figured he might be the more awkward-feeling one.]
leicesters: academy (003)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-08-02 01:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Years. [Claude repeats that slowly, as if it confirms his suspicions, but it still isn't something he can quite believe. He has no reason to hide his obvious surprise -- she has the advantage on information (and, yes, years) over him, so he just scrambles to process just what that means.] Oookay.

[He has so many questions, but he supposes he should start with the obvious point.]

Someone explained to me that Aions are brought here not just from different worlds, but different points in time, too. So I guess it can only be the case that you're from my future... The last I remember, Edelgard had only just declared war, and launched her attack on Garreg Mach.

[And while he'd fought hard alongside Byleth, Dimitri and the others, he knew a losing battle when he saw one, though the fact she says years also tells him it's a long and protracted war. Maybe she wasn't satisfied with conquering only the monastery...]
bloomforyou: (💎1)

[personal profile] bloomforyou 2022-08-02 01:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[ ah… there go his shorts. ranmaru merely gives a firm nod in response, like a soldier taking orders from his commander. ]

It may be easier this way. But I’ll respect your decision… let’s not waste any more time.

[ the faster cassius attunes, after all, the better! that’s why he wants to reboot, right? ]
mygig: (60)

[personal profile] mygig 2022-08-02 01:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Nah, I'm good. [He makes to get up, groaning like the dramatic idiot he is, taking his time also because he's definitely going to play his age — and to be fair, he feels what he assumes is his age for the first time.

He dusts his body just to dot a paragraph into the whole motion.
] So, how was the trip here?
bloomforyou: (💎41)

[personal profile] bloomforyou 2022-08-02 01:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[ ranmaru is already here with her, in the darkness. the time for comforting words and healing that broken heart have long since passed, even though he knows it’s his duty. he should be reaching out to save her from these dark thoughts, but that’s an impossible ask when he’s just as vulnerable. ]

…the world thrives on conflict.

[ it sounds like a conclusion he’s newly coming to, and he frowns. ]

The only way to escape is to take yourself out of it.
leicesters: academy (126)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-08-02 01:29 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm alright, just a bit tired. And cold.

[He's trying not to sound whiny about it, but being damp and naked pretty much sucks in the worst possible way. He wraps his arms around himself and grimaces.]

But I think I can walk a bit now... Er, if you don't mind the fact I'm butt naked, that is. We might be able to figure out what's going if we explore. [The cave's not huge, and given they've been uninterrupted so far, it's surely safe to look around outside.]
mygig: (53)

[personal profile] mygig 2022-08-02 01:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[Now that there's a modicum of decorum (not that he minds any of that, really, but at least the robe does give him some sort of flare that he usually feels naked without) he does look at the temple before them. ] A little bit on the nose, don't you think?

But okay… questions, then! [He raises one hand, four fingers - weird seeing them without his gloves.] Who, what, when, and where. Let's get those out of the way, shall we?
ricordi: (012)

[personal profile] ricordi 2022-08-02 01:37 pm (UTC)(link)
No, but my knowledge of geography is limited, especially the names of locations. [the captain however, should know. he'll be certain to ask later, and hope the crew won't mind a detour, even if it's just to drop cassius off.]

But if you know where Auguste is, we could meet there as well.

Now... for your name. What is your name, so we could meet easier?
mygig: (52)

[personal profile] mygig 2022-08-02 01:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Right? What the hell is this? [ Lottie throws him the end of a thread, and he'll unravel that yarn. He opens his arms, then places his hands on his hips, obviously unimpressed. An opinion is better than nothing, even if Dante was too full with them when he was about Lottie's age.

He tscs.
] I take it it doesn't look the same every time, right?

[Kinda creepy if it were the case.] Kinda dull if so.
Edited 2022-08-02 13:47 (UTC)
ricordi: (006)

[personal profile] ricordi 2022-08-02 01:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[cassius helpfully slides off of the stone slab to make way for her, sitting down on the floor and uncaring of the temperature against his skin. what is it to him, compared to the icy coldness of space?]

If by "crystal palace", you mean the caverns full of crystalline structures, yes. I made my way outside of the building connected to the cavern, and was found by someone, so I was brought here.

[someone he trusted, to boot. but cassius bears no ill will towards eustace. he had a reason, surely, because eustace always works with an agenda in mind... or a mission, and thus cassius doesn't blame him even if he's in this situation now.]
predispose: (pic#15852766)

WILDCARD ME

[personal profile] predispose 2022-08-02 01:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[ casually slides my paws all over yaywon. I don't read ]
Edited 2022-08-02 21:09 (UTC)
mygig: (45)

Re: 2

[personal profile] mygig 2022-08-02 02:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[As long as you know who you are, Gen, as long as you know.

Shaking his hands as though he washed them and didn't find any paper towels to dry them with, he does look at the goo that covers him with some sort of inquisitiveness, rubbing a bit of it between his thumb and forefinger. As though being swallowed or stuck into goo is just part of a day with a 'y'.
] You know what they say: the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

[And really, give the guy a Johnny Yong Bosch voice and that could be straight out of another brat he knows.

Except, save for the arm (or lack of it, there is), there's where the similarities end.

He rolls his shoulders with a groan, grimacing.
] How long was I inside that thing?
dancinglight: DNS (Default)

Martyr Shrine [Endwalker Spoilers]

[personal profile] dancinglight 2022-08-02 02:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[Tsubaki could have sworn that she had passed out in the bed in her room at the Baldesion Annex. Digging herself out of the chrysalis finally after some trouble, she let out a sigh. She felt like she'd run a mile or something. Could that just be the aftermath of her fight with Zenos, or something more? It was hard to say these days. The first thing she had noticed was the shard on her left hand, embedded in the scales underneath her middle knuckle, but had no time to really question it as somebody offered a helping hand. Oh, thank god. Maybe some explanation? Accepting the help, she started to climb out, still not aware of the fact that both of them were quite naked.]

My thanks. Do you have any idea--

[Wait. Now she's starting to realize as she exited the chrysalis that not only is her savor someone familiar but also... he's naked. Cheeks flared up as she looked away respectfully, it was then she realized that she wasn't much better. No wonder why the wind felt chilly. She let out an embarrassing squeak as she hid behind the chrysalis as she looked around for something to cover herself with. Was there anything inside of it? What now?]

U-uhm... I... [SIGH.] This is not how I thought we'd meet again. My apologies.

[But despite their situation right now, there is some relief in seeing him again.]
Edited (Shhh this was the first time I commented) 2022-08-02 14:14 (UTC)
warmare: (死ぬ)

[personal profile] warmare 2022-08-02 02:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[Despite the general air of disinterest and dislike that radiates off of her, Hayame is actually paying a great deal of attention to how this idiot handles her bow. Not just because she didn't want him breaking it, but because... he actually seems to almost know what he's doing. Unlike the bows used by the rebels of Greentruth, the symmetrical shortbows, hers was far longer, asymmetrical with the grip on the lower part, but he handles the arrow like he knows what to do with it, same with the position of his fingers...

And then he says something stupid, and her expression grows almost dead. Did he think that was... humurous, when the answer was so obviously incorrect?

She doesn't even reply. She folds her arms beneath her tightly bound breasts and looks down at him expectantly, her fetlock-length mane slipping over one shoulder as she cocks her head and asks,]


Well?

[Whatever could the problem be... ?

If he was going to ask stupid questions, two could play at that game.]
cutlery: (set phasers to stunning.)

sweats

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-08-02 02:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[ What Sirius wants is something Sebastian can't help but be interested in. It's somewhere in between professional interest and his very nature, but it's a piece of the conversation that's set aside for now. The other two parts pair much better together, and they may just lead back to that topic regardless. ]

No apologies needed, I would say. Energy aside, it does feel a tad obvious... It seems there are rules in place that prevent me from hiding my being so fully. [ He shrugs again, even though it's actually something he's more than a little annoyed about. ] And besides, the assumption would be mutual.

[ That wry smile is cooler now, but the humor doesn't leave it. The other question is an interesting one to be posed at all, but his answer comes smoothly. Even if it feels sudden, it doesn't seem to be the first time someone has asked for his viewpoint. ]

I find humanity extremely interesting.

[ The short answer first, though saying "humanity" instead of "humans" is very intentional. ]

I have a unique position, certainly. I am only ever a guest to their world, but my kind are always watching. I have watched them build great empires, only for them to forget them. They make great works, only to burn them. Watch long enough, and you are struck by the impermanence of their toiling. Their lives are so very short and fragile that there's hardly a point to them at all. A single human life is no more significant than they would find an ant's to be.

[ There's a purposeful pause that's time given to let his words sink in, but the "but" is clear in his tone. ]

...And yet, human desire knows no bounds. Like a candle burning at both ends, humanity will strive for what is impossible, what they cannot have, because their own mortality is the ever-present end. Their lives are so short that they must go ever forward and never look back, since they do not have the time to do so. It is a habit that brings them misery and glory in equal measures. Their struggle is endless, but it makes their world ever-changing. The world they are born into will have changed completely by the time they naturally die. Is there not something quite admirable about that? It is an ambition I do not possess, so I cannot help but to be fascinated by it.

[ He cants his head lightly and as he finishes, he's now watching Sirius's reaction a bit more intently to see how he's taking all of Sebastian's thoughts as a whole. ]

Watching them struggle is nothing short of exquisite.
ricordi: (011)

[personal profile] ricordi 2022-08-02 02:22 pm (UTC)(link)
[cassius nods gravely, before turning his head to clear his throat, the sludge coming back up like bile. he sighs softly... and lays down properly on the stone slab, his long, long hair fanning out and away from his head.

he closes his eyes as if about to sleep, as if rebooting is something as simple as sleeping. however, he can't find his functions-- he should be. and then he realizes that he can't actually recognize what his augments are. they're clearly working otherwise he would have been dead on arrival, but he just... cannot tell they are there.

come to think of it, his magic is not present either. how is this possible?]


There's something wrong. [he opens his eyes.] I can't reboot.
fisherwife: (he kept doing his monologue)

[personal profile] fisherwife 2022-08-02 02:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[She makes a soft huffing noise, keeping her laughter to herself even as she looks down to avoid showing her smile] I don't mind, I won't look.

[It's embarrassing, sure, but she reminds herself that she's a healer and it's not like he's Link so, you know. It's fine!!

She pushes herself to her feet and tucks one leg behind the other, bowing politely-- albeit wobbly
] I am Princess Mipha, of the Zora.
eyeofthavnair: (𓀠 4)

[personal profile] eyeofthavnair 2022-08-02 02:39 pm (UTC)(link)
The Earth-Warder... [he tries the title out on his (well, Varshahn’s) tongue. There are none among the First Brood called that; in fact only Tiamat and Bahamut really have titles. The names of the Twelve that are aligned with earth pop into his head, but neither of those seem right either (and nor are they associated with dragons). Fascinating…

(Of course, the phrase "before he fell to madness" is also quite interesting, but perhaps not appropriate to discuss right now. Though he cannot help but be reminded of his brood-brother.)
]

Then they must see you as their patron. [It’s charming. He smiles down at the skittering things, one of which is watching him in turn from the safety(?) of Wrathion’s shadow.] Is this a common occurrence with other creatures? Back in your homeland?
ktizo: (🎵 and yet our hope remains)

[personal profile] ktizo 2022-08-02 02:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah, he's talking to a rodent of some description. His mistake! Still, she seems afraid of the crab, so Hythlodaeus nudges the crab to start walking the other way. It leaves with the crumb of sandwich in its claw still, and Hythlodaeus smiles.

"What curious creatures indeed. And what are you, I wonder?"

He squints at Mrs. Brisby- yes, definitely a mouse of some kind. Wrapped in a scrap of fabric, no less. How adorable!