aionmods: (Default)
Aion Mods ([personal profile] aionmods) wrote in [community profile] aionooc2022-07-30 12:18 pm
Entry tags:

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!

wavetrain: <user name=animatedwings site=twitter.com> (pic#15836499)

[personal profile] wavetrain 2022-07-30 11:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Tsunami cocks her head, frowning. The word 'man' is wholly unfamiliar to her, but she finds she understands it anyway. Weird, but not the weirdest thing that's going on here, not by a long shot.

"Huh."

He's right: she doesn't really get it. How can a scavenger have the soul of a dragon? It explains what she's looking at, but... it definitely invites further questions. Like, a lot of further questions.

That can wait for later, she decides. Not least because he looks a bit uncomfortable about the question :/

Tsunami nods decisively. "Okay. Alright. Let's go." A pause. "I... don't know if I can fly, though." She sounds a bit ashamed to admit it.
pyojeol: (why is hsy always angry)

[personal profile] pyojeol 2022-07-30 11:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[i can't believe hsy just punched a CHILD

hsy would too if she hadn't purposefully run STRAIGHT to Road in order to hit her, so this one is on her. she'd suspected at first, the lack of pain on her hand confirms it -- she's either dreaming or her consciousness is being projected somewhere or Road is just a God -- invulnerable to physical damage. none of this makes her feel better, and the frustrated expression on her face reflects that.]


Hit me back then, if you're so upset.

[she grumbles, noticing the way Road doesn't CARE. it's like road punched her instead wow, especially with how dissatisfied hsy is feeling right now.

isn't pain the best way to wake up from a dream? is she really stuck in kumbaya star land until she walks gently into that good light???]
cutlery: commission by <user name=copyking> (sorry I yelled "killin it")

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-07-30 11:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The sound of footsteps draws Sebastian's attention immediately, and it's with a little more sharpness in his gaze than he would be inclined to show under normal circumstances. But as the man and woman seem to know each other, it's at least quickly back to a polite neutral as a result, and all for the better. The feathers on Howl's face catch his attention far more.

Again, it strikes him as uncomfortably strange to feel almost deaf and blind, at least compared to what he's normally used to. It could just be coincidence, of course. But considering the fact that it's only through being quite used to this particular face that his own feathers aren't showing, he's a little curious if he's looking at his kin.

...But if so, all the more reason to be polite, isn't it! Or at least, he's certainly not looking to fight while he's in such a sorry state, loathe as he'd be to admit it. ]


Oh, quite fortunate indeed, so I am grateful... It suppose doubly so that my— ah, arrival, I suppose, does not seem to be a surprise.

[ He may not particularly care about being nude, but other people tended to... Sebastian laughs a little as if bashful, then shakes his head lightly. ]

But yes, I do indeed have many questions, so I apologize in advance. I hardly know where to start... [ A small lie, and he has to admit, it's quite nice to be able to do so again! ] Well, I suppose with what you had said? You called me an Aion. What does that mean, precisely?
undertheweight: (I will see you burn!)

[personal profile] undertheweight 2022-07-30 11:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[At Claude's admission, Wrathion scowls. He'd had a very similar dream, though it was Azeroth that had died. A low, dangerous rumble starts in the dragon's throat. If you thought his hot breath was bad, his heated body is probably no joy to be around, either.

At least you're not chilled any more? Wrathion still doesn't seem inclined to have Claude as a snack, for all of his expressive unhappiness.]


The dream of Azeroth's death felt all too real to me, as well. Should it prove that this is not your world, and the dream was not a dream, you have my condolences, Claude von Riegan.

[Wrathion backs off a few paces, giving him some more breathing room. The growl does not abate, however, even as he swings his head towards the shrine's entrance. His expression is uncertain, however.]

Do you hear something?
arcaneward: (aerith-1586)

omg rand al thor!!!

[personal profile] arcaneward 2022-07-30 11:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She's so focused on her own thoughts, watching the fish swim by beside her that she doesn't quite hear him at first, startling just a little when she realizes she's been spoken to. It takes her another moment to realize that she is, in fact, hungry, and as if on cue, her stomach growls. ]

I think so, [ she says with a small laugh, moving to stand up. ]

Thank you. I'm Aerith. I think I'm new here.
coerthantorment: (6)

rebirth

[personal profile] coerthantorment 2022-07-30 11:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[Though he is not exactly unconcerned with the fates of new arrivals, Estinien's focus this cycle has been shifted by the urgent matters at hand. More than anything else, he wants to find a Kenoma to sink his claws into, to stop them in their tracks as they arrive to enslave yet another poor soul. He would visit justice upon them, make them pay for the harm against his dearest friends that they are complicit in...

This is mind, he's almost disappointed when he finds the crater the Martyr's shrine is nested within ostensible empty. No soldiers to bear down upon, no Kenoma guarding the cavern... a flash of dissatisfied anger twinges through his gut. He will hunt as long as he needs to, he swears. He will make them pay.

...Nevermind, he forces himself to think. He will check the interior for any developing chrysalis and be on his way.

Given the utter distraction of his mindset, he is caught completely off guard to see a familiar face within. He arrives in the shrine's entrance in a halo of light, his otherwise draconic appearance swathed in traits decidedly angelic. His body is white enough to glow in the dim lighting, six feathery wings extended around him. He lands gracefully on his clawed feet, but his gaze catches on Aerith, a helpless flutter of confusion and hope arriving in his draconic eyes.]


...Aerith.

[It arrives as only a murmur.]

I... had thought you lost... Were you slain?

[He trails off, guilt pounding through his heart and he contemplates the idea that she had been somehow dissipated, her shard left to regrow in a shrine not her own. Had he not searched hard enough? He had tried so hard to reach her...]

All this time...
coerthantorment: (111)

[personal profile] coerthantorment 2022-07-30 11:36 pm (UTC)(link)
I've tagged for an Estinien pick-up! He recognizes her from a previous player... tragically he got very attached in the brief period before that had to drop. He's going to be so confused.

(Also I apologize for the weird appearance description, he's had some fairly wild plot stuff happen to him recently that has left him mutated into a weird seraphim type form.)
apostolus: (Default)

[personal profile] apostolus 2022-07-30 11:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She likes this.

Righting herself, Road takes a half skip-step forward, bending slightly at the waist and lacing her hands behind her as she smiles (slightly creepily) up at HSY. This definitely means she is a normal child, right? Because only children can act so absolutely unhinged. ]


Fighting isn't really that fun though. Playing games is so much better.

[ Her eyes alight and she straightens, like a brilliant idea's just come to her unbidden. Her hands unclasp, circling back forward so she can clap them together. ]

Why don't we play a game instead?
lachtara: (Reproach)

I. The Dream

[personal profile] lachtara 2022-07-30 11:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Ah, Someone who wanders the shadowed path of their own volition. Emet-Selch watches from the shadows as they wander deeper and deeper into the darknesses thrall.

They walk confidently, not like most of the unsure arrivals that he's seen. Is it confidence or bravado? ]

Where are you going? Do you even have the faintest idea?

[ His voice calls from an indistinct place among the shadows of the forest. ]
dragonmount: (🔆 i love this dumb sweater.)

mr wheel of time himself! but also: omg aerith!!

[personal profile] dragonmount 2022-07-30 11:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[ thank the light she moves to stand: he'd been ready to try kneeling, but it would've been awkward and probably a little painful. there's a smile that tugs at his mouth at her stomach growl, and he frees a hand to offer her one of the sandwiches.

which is at odds with the way his heart sinks at the introduction, the blank lack of recognition. he could, should say something to her. surely she should know that he remembers her, or — some other her? that her memories are gone? he has no idea.

but, no. arriving in horos is awful without him adding another burden. arriving at horos now more than ever. so he says, ]


You only think so? [ and, ] I'm Rand.
stellium: (pic#15846750)

lumine | genshin impact | wanderer

[personal profile] stellium 2022-07-30 11:41 pm (UTC)(link)
DREAMING - THE LIGHT AT THE CENTER
( she is no stranger to, well. strange worlds. she's seen plenty over her time traveling, jumping from one to another, always with her brother. but he isn't here, she can't feel him -- it's an ache that never goes away no matter how long it's been. aether, she thinks, yet for a moment the thought isn't accompanied by the agony of separation but a warmth that doesn't abate. it grows as she finds herself just one among many, part of a greater whole-- )

What is this?

( she says, not out of anger but simple curiosity, eyes turning upwards - the call is stronger, pulling her. it's unlike anything she's ever experienced. and that's saying something, lumine thinks to herself, with a small smile. )


REBIRTH - WANDERER
( it has been a long time since lumine has felt helpless, the panic rising up in her throat at being unable to move all-consuming, chasing the dregs of dreaming away. even the warmth does nothing to calm her -- where is she, how did she get here -- the inability to claw her way out, to fight, only makes it worse. she doesn't know how long it takes before she can move a finger, before she can move a hand, a fist, to pound against the smooth walls of whatever it is that keeps her trapped. calling out for paimon does nothing, she's trapped, alone, and--

and then: nothing. no resistance, and the crystal shatters, sending lumine spilling across the floor. scrambling to her feet, it's not her modesty that her mind goes but her sword -- nothing. as for paimon -- also nothing. which can describe where she's found herself, now that she has a chance to look around. not quite dropping her guard, lumine begins to wander from crystal to crystal, pressing her hand against one or two that she thinks might have someone inside. what--

where is she?

should someone else 'hatch', lumine will immediately go to their side to help them up, offering a steady hand.
)

Just wait until you've regained your footing. Then we can figure out a way out of here.


RETURNED - TO THE PLEROMA
( it seems that there is no end to being pulled from place to place here; first the dream, then the cavern of human crystals, now this. but this at least seems to be the last stop, and by now lumine is eager to get out and explore. she's clearly not in teyvat anymore; a long way from aether, and any chance of understanding what happened to her, and him.

but most everyone else here seems just as confused as she is; perhaps figuring out what happened here will lead her back to teyvat. it's a start, at least, so lumine is willing to go with it. it's the only thing she has, and that's gotten her pretty far before. though without paimon, things look a little more grim. after all, who's going to be her emergency rations now?

that teyvat might be destroyed, and her twin along with it, are options she will not entertain.

dressed in simple traveling clothes, lumine looks to strike up a friendly conversation with anyone who looks open to exchanging a few words, be they new arrivals or those who have been here a while.
)

Do you think that the sea creatures are watching us from up there? ( she asks someone near her, tone light as she stares up at the ceiling of water high above. ) I can just imagine one getting to close and then falling through with a splat.


WILDCARD
[ feel free to throw anything at me! ]
horniness: (086.)

[personal profile] horniness 2022-07-30 11:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[ A sea dragon... and not one of the kinds he recognizes from his curious forays into books on marine biology nor any kind his classmates would claim familiarity with, otherwise those from the Coral Sea likely would have mentioned them by now.

...Intersting. ]


Hoh? Why did you not introduce yourself as such earlier then? Our paths crossing may have not been entirely up to coincidence.

[ He gestures to himself. ]

I am Malleus Draconia, prince of Briar Valley. I see it only fitting to reveal myself to you as you have done the same.

[ And to indicate that they have too many similarities, making this situation feel deeply suspicious. ]
pyojeol: (pic#15846932)

[personal profile] pyojeol 2022-07-30 11:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[IT IS... though hsy has a sinking feeling that if she tried robbing atsumu then he'd be able to beat her up since her arms are now the equivalent of twigs. maybe atsumu is also a weakling?

she can't tell since he's behind a rock, naked.]


Atsumu? [he looks anime so she wasn't sure at first, but that's a Japanese name, right] -- Were you in Japan? Tokyo?

[the last thing she remembers... japan was fine, wasn't it? asuka ren and the other japanese incarnations had made sure of it this time... hsy thinks, forgetting to introduce herself,]
arcaneward: (aerith-0870)

[personal profile] arcaneward 2022-07-30 11:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Once, what feels like a lifetime ago, someone had crash landed on her flowers and asked if she was an angel. She hadn't understood what Zack had meant at that time, and still wasn't sure now, the murals of stained glass on the walls of her sanctuary notwithstanding.

But this? This is what she wonders he meant (and thinks maybe it's even more ridiculous he'd confused her for one now), and she raises a hand to block a little bit of the light before her eyes adjust, and she frowns. She's not afraid of monsters, but even so, this one knows her name, seems to know her, and she's just wary enough of being in a new place that she retreats just slightly. ]


I'm sorry, but I don't know what you mean. I don't think I was? But I don't understand where I am.
Edited (remembering which prompt was which orz) 2022-07-30 23:45 (UTC)
arcaneward: (Default)

[personal profile] arcaneward 2022-07-30 11:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Estinien!!!! I'm so sorry to crush his dreams :(
regressor: (HOPE)

[personal profile] regressor 2022-07-30 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[She wasn't even aware that the man she has stopped isn't human... until after she reaches out in her desperation to clutch at anyone in reach, and she felt fur instead of skin. But even with that... even with the nearly angelic, strangely-horned face that comes into view... She doesn't have the time nor the space in her mind to worry or wonder what he is. He is there, he has come closer, leaning over her...

And his hand is gentle on her cheek, where here flesh is cold and clammy.

As if in reaction to his stare, to the unwavering confrontation of his own shard... the blood-red crystal embedded at the base of her throat begins to ooze even more of the black sludge, the excess spilling down her narrow chest to stain her white robe, to stain a hint of a large scar situated just over her heart.]


I'm not afraid...

[Not of dying. She is afraid of living, of what she may do if she lives but forgets what it's like to feel bad about hurting someone, what it feels like to live peacefully, what it feels like to make someone smile.

Her unbroken hand leaves his left to try and reach for him in turn, attempting to curl weakly in his shirt, on his arm. Though her expression is upset, her brow furrowed, her eyes fairly radiating her desperation...

There aren't any tears, as if she simply doesn't quite know how.]


I promise I'm not... So, please...
cutlery: please do not take! (I'm barbeque as fuck)

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-07-30 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Compared to the sharpness, the surprise is worn much more openly on his face as the snowflake appears, since that solidly puts it into the realm of unfamiliar. Especially so with the explained source. Magic is familiar to him, but only in rather specific forms, and definitely not anything granted by a god. Quite the opposite, in fact, since it was thanks to magic that he could be called and contracted, but deities and demons were something of opposed existences...

It's something he's curious about as a result, but it also feels inconsequential compared to the rest. More than a sense of danger, he feels a deep sense of annoyance when Kaeya mentions that it's not safe, since to even have to care about such a thing... What a pain. He can't help but breathe out a little sigh as Kaeya inspects the area as a result, but his displeasure is gone quickly as the conversation turns to introductions.

Sebastian laughs, and there's a bit of a wry note to it as he gives as much of a bow as he can at the moment. It's not much more than a slightly deeper than normal bow of his head rather than the full gesture he would prefer, but such is the situation at the moment, he supposes. ]


Please, it is I who am lacking in manners at the moment. [ and clothes, which is what he's obliquely joking at... ] I am Sebastian Michaelis, Mr. Kaeya. You have my thanks.
undertheweight: (suspicious)

Wrathion | World of Warcraft| Seeker

[personal profile] undertheweight 2022-07-30 11:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Dreaming (all a-jumble)

Dragons are not often given to sleep, much less dream, so Wrathion's hackles are already raised. Is this some trick of the Old Gods, an attempt to trick him, as they did his father? Or the Light--it was as likely to trick him, perhaps, as anything else, despite his oldest friend's trust of it.  He's whirled around in a mad dance, and unable to find much purchase for his clawed talons.  It's designed to frustrate him, and he lets out a bellow of anger. Good way to attract others to his location. But he can be a fool, sometimes.

The darkness draws him first, even as it stokes the fires of rage within Wrathion's chest. He knows well that he's disappointed many people in his time--the other remnants of his own dragonflight, Ebonhorn. Anduin. Their most recent meeting hadn't been cordial. He'd deserved that punch. And while he had gone off to search for the Dragon Isles, he'd heard that Anduin had been kidnapped, had heard that Greymane and Turalyon held co-regency in Stormwind now, and...

He hadn't returned to the human world. So what kind of a friend was he?
Turning away, he pursues the light out of curiosity, mostly. And hope. Isn't that one of the things they had discussed while in Pandaria? Light. What hope meant (though oh, how he had scoffed at that. Hope was for the ones that needed it. Dragons were curators of their own fate, or so he'd argued.) and how it was important to instill such in others. 

Wrathion had scoffed at that, too, and yet here he was, chasing it. There's a sense of people he (negotiably) cares about there, yet despite how he searches, he finds nothing. So Wrathion is drawn, again, back down into the darkness (and is that N'zoth's laughter, hollowly ringing in his ears, before silence fills the darkness?) The dragon fears that it is....


Rebirth: Shrine of the Seeker

It feels as if he's back in the egg. Impossible. There were so many memories he'd built from that point, from before that point. He must fight, there's too much at stake, too much to lose now. Whether this is still his egg and he's bound and dreamed the rest, or if this is some new, strange thing that N'zoth has dreamt for him, it matters not at all. When he has the strength, Wrathion flails--clawing, punching, kicking, biting--whatever will free him now. Eventually, it smashes and shatters, depositing him on the cavern floor, though he quickly gets to all fours and roars a bellow of challenge.. The crystals remind him something of Azerite, but a deep inhale of air tells him that this is not Azeroth at all.  

That knowledge has him crouching and growling, smoldering red eyes burning with ire as he gazes around, taking in the rest of the cavern. His nostrils flare as he turns to regard the doorway, and he crouches lower. Wrathion doesn't fill the cavern as a dragon, but his wings are uncomfortably close to the ceiling when he stretches them out. He turns again to the doorway, tail lashing as he sticks his snout towards the one or two researchers who have come to be an audience to the shrine's awakening.
"What are you looking at, mortals?" he snarls. His disposition may have taken a hit on being sundered from his world. Just a little. He probably should drop that 'mortals' crap, though.


Returned (To the Pleroma)

He wonders if this is what it was like, waking beneath the waters of Vash'jir and looking up through the waves to the surface. He'd talked to the Champion more than half a dozen times, though he'd never had the cause (or the necessity) to speak to them of their time below, attempting to save Azeroth from his maddened father. It's nice to look at. Calming. He slumps against one side of the cavern, eyes half-lidded and dull, not blazing. He allows the local wildlife to climb his crossed forepaws and clack their claws at him without snorting or otherwise shaking them loose. He's aware he'll need clothes, but it seems so tedious to shift to human form, then try on clothes that will be just be damp when he breaks the surface. Though the thought does cross his mind that he could always dry them, and then he raises his head, and snorts.

Wrathion doesn't want to actually hurt the crabs, after all. Even when he'd been manipulating others on Azeroth, it had only been for the good of the planet. He sighs, and lowers his head down to his arms.
leicesters: academy (006)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-07-30 11:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah... Same for you and your world.

[Claude is surprised. The dragon is kind, much kinder than he expected, and it makes him wonder what the personality of the white beast at the monastery was like, besides just being angry and destructive. Were they capable of being intelligent and kind like this, too?

To the question, he goes quiet, straining his ears.]


No offence, but I can't hear anything over your growling. Is someone coming?
horniness: (022.)

[personal profile] horniness 2022-07-30 11:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[ ...Is that what they do? Truly, he does not know. His own manner of being raised had been quite cloistered, and he'd mostly interacted with his caretaker, Lilia, as a child. He supposes Lilia would have indeed come to aid him if he ever needed it. ]

...Perhaps, yet they may be in a place where your words and voice cannot be carried to. How unfortunate.

[ He does feel some pity for her, as veiled as it is. He knows how frightening the solitude is to some, especially those unused to it. The world will darken soon, also increasing the apprehension of this small child. That's probably why he isn't in a hurry to leave her alone.

His fingers flip upwards to try and conjure some fire for her, yet he finds his magic still dormant and unresponsive. He'd expected it would have returned to him by now after waking up, making his brows crinkle in irritation as he continues to try and flick his flames back to life. ]


...This cave may have some advanced level of warding.

[ Possibly to contain someone like him, which makes him further uneasy. Hopefully, his magic will work outside of it. ]

Follow me, if you truly wish to be heated.
undertheweight: (Default)

To the Pleroma

[personal profile] undertheweight 2022-07-30 11:55 pm (UTC)(link)
(ooc: he's still in dragon form atm so enjoy that.)

There's a whuff of breath from behind him that might just blow his wet hair in a line. Hot and just a tad sulfurous, before a voice rumbles out.

"Anduin? What are you doing here?"

It's more than a bit surprised, and rather familiar--if perhaps an octave lower than the Young Lion is used to. To his credit, Wrathion recalls himself and which form he's in at the moment, and does not bowl Anduin over with his snout. That is a whole lot of dragon, regardless.
pyojeol: (pic#15719889)

[personal profile] pyojeol 2022-07-30 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[The more happy Road looks, the more annoyed HSY gets. She's not like Dokja, coolly and politely sarcastic, or like Yoo Joonghyuk, ice cold and immune to all. Her emotions fluctuate quickly from one extreme to the next, easy to pick up. Case in point, there's a shine of suspicion in her eyes as she turns her gaze down to Road (wow at least road is shorter than her, small miracles). Games, huh?]

Like what -- I Spy? Twenty Questions?

[there's a momentary flash of something -- a fragment of an image of a group of people hop-scotching across a fiery landscape -- some falling, others being pushed off. HSY bats the image away,]

I'm not gonna play if you're just gonna suggest something weird.

[she knows what games REALLY MEAN!!!]

[personal profile] scienceandmyth 2022-07-30 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
She doesn't say anything. Mrs. Brisby watches him with wide eyes as he walks past the little rock she hides behind. A human with ears, a tail and horns...?

She begins to back away from the rock to make space between the two of them. No sudden movements. Nothing to catch their attention. She needs to escape, please don't turn around! Her feet lands on something that makes an absurdly loud cracking noise. She freezes.

Oh no.
arcaneward: (11)

returned

[personal profile] arcaneward 2022-07-30 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Do you really think that would happen?

[ Aerith says it with the same curious, light, tone Lumine herself had used, staring up at the water above them. She squints, thinking. ]

They seem to be staying up just fine, but... Maybe there's something preventing them from getting too close to the edge.

[ Glances over. ]

Like.. a forcefield!
undertheweight: (Default)

[personal profile] undertheweight 2022-07-30 11:57 pm (UTC)(link)
One somewhat surly dragon, requesting a kind Pleroma to escort his irritable arse as needed? (Alternately you could always as him for a ride back, but beware your reception...)