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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!

bingos: (00_0023_85424810_p9_master1200)

[personal profile] bingos 2022-08-03 02:45 am (UTC)(link)
[ The pair in turn look less than amused. Hawkmon looks -reasonably - affronted at being called an 'it'. Miyako looks annoyed, crossing her arms as she folds her arms. Less so at the question than in general how the other is treating her partner - Like a thing. ]

I'm a he, thank you very much. [ Hawkmon's response comes quickly, lacking some of the usual politeness the Digimon carries when tempered. He takes a little hop back on his claws, flapping his arms in the motion: ]

[ Maybe they're just getting way too used to digimon being normalized in their world they forgot people's confusion in the past and yet, Miyako shifts pressing a hand on her hip and letting the other rest at her side with a tilt of her head: ] We were together, but that's not weird; We're partners after all.

pyojeol: (pic#15848792)

[personal profile] pyojeol 2022-08-03 02:47 am (UTC)(link)
[Sooyoung follows, she pushes forward until she's walking next to Yoo Joonghyuk -- if she can, if he's walking fast then it's inevitable that she'll lag behind -- leaving some space between. She tells herself that it's for her comfort as much as it is for his, and maybe it is.

she's already found him, so she doubts that she'll lose him. ...still, she keeps him in her sights anyway, squinting at that black coat of his that seems to blend in the dark. no matter what direction they take --]


Head towards the light.

[but that's a given, right?? yjh wouldn't just walk into the DARK, right??? (laughs)]
predispose: (pic#13904709)

[personal profile] predispose 2022-08-03 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ Nobody should be bleeding black ever. He coughs a little but, it's a bit pointless. He's already swallowed it. The mere suggestion of possibly throwing it back up does not get a good reaction from the cultists either. ]

I think it's a bit too late for that, ahjussi..

[ He's shivering a little, biting back a more harsher response that is unlike him. Fuck, this thing is really messing with him, isn't it? He's a bit unsteady, but he keeps himself grounded. He's gone through worse. He's felt worse. There's a distant.. feeling of fear now. Ah. If it wasn't obvious before, it is now. None of it was working.

His eyes widen a little as they start to call for reinforcements. ]


H-Hey hey, there's no need for that!

[ sweats internally. he can only imagine his brother wouldn't take any of this laying down, so something tells him that this guy here with him is likely to put up a fight as well. based on the expression on his face. damn. ]
wavetrain: <user name=animatedwings site=twitter.com> (pic#15836495)

[personal profile] wavetrain 2022-08-03 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
"Hmm, I guess you can watch," she says magnanimously. A pause, and then, because she can see how interested he looks, she adds, "It's not going to be very exciting, though. They're really small."

And, of course, she's not exactly a very experienced hunter... but she's not going to just admit that.
bingos: (00_0007_92179993_p9_master1200)

[personal profile] bingos 2022-08-03 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
Hey! You never know. You can't apply regular arrow logic to another world. [ She does not, however, deny she's not seen a real arrow in her life - She's pretty sure she can't count Angemon's arrows of literal light as seeing a real one. ]

As a matter of fact -

[ She grins rather mischeviously before turning her head to look in the direction just a distance from them at the bird who's watching warily as if he knows whaere this is going: ]

Hawkmon -

Is this really a good idea?


[ Time to convince the bird to fly up there. ]
dissonyance: (6)

[personal profile] dissonyance 2022-08-03 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
Fascinating.

[ this outburst... whether constrained or not, certainly has piqued leaks' interest. as he tilts his head to one side, causing his ears to follow suit, he wonders if that kind of attitude was present before consuming the odd liquid. he wouldn't say or not that it had quite the same effect on himself, but. he also knows that he comes from a place that isn't pleasant. a place that he wanted to make less pleasant. and so... ]

I do not know where Briar Valley is, nor do I wish to visit. However.

[ and leaks holds up a hand, claw of a nail wagging as he does with his finger. ]

Perhaps you should keep in mind that we are both of different homes. Worlds, universes. That sort of thing. And because of that, our perspectives are equally based in one of those...

[ a few slow blinks, and he goes back to reclining. ]

... do not be so easily riled, lest you be taken advantage of.
fallingsand: (34;)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2022-08-03 02:56 am (UTC)(link)
Making me so loud? I. I've barely said anything!

[ That only throws him into further confusion and, on that note, there's a break in the misery and despair as it's replaced by that. Confusion, worry, if he knew what he was doing he would stop it! ]
dragonmount: (🔆 036.)

[personal profile] dragonmount 2022-08-03 02:57 am (UTC)(link)
[ in the not so far distance, a fire lights the space.

more like a torch than a conflagration, though both assumptions would be wrong. it's a blade made of pure fire, shaped by the Light, held in the hand of a boy whose footfalls become louder the closer he comes. this is foolishness, truthfully; it's only the power wound around his leg that keeps him from limping too obviously right now. but in the end, he couldn't keep away from the shrines completely, not with everything happening. not with his long-held vow to be the person going out to find new arrivals when the time came. not with the mixture of rage and fear that shivers under his skin and makes it hard to be still.

he calls, ]


What do you think you're doing?

[ ...crashes into this father-daughter reunion like an asshole ]
tselyak: (4.)

LEE god bless you..... we love to see him

[personal profile] tselyak 2022-08-03 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ in turn, there's something innately familiar to FrostNova about this new stranger and his general stature, the general look of him. something homeworld, passing for someone that she might've run across in her travels; her days in Lungmen are a near and intimate memory, and the recollections straighten her posture, sharpen her awareness.

her accent is likely identifiable as Ursus, if he has the ear for it. ah, she exhales, and marinates on the proffered information for a beat.
]

I wouldn't underestimate restauranteurs. I've heard that most crimes take place in places of dining.

[ austerely and flatly, but not unkindly; is she joking? who knows. ]

At any rate... [ another low hum, melodic. ] Are you any good?
wavetrain: <user name=animatedwings site=twitter.com> (Default)

[personal profile] wavetrain 2022-08-03 03:03 am (UTC)(link)
"Hmm."

She doesn't sound reassured. She doesn't want to seem foolish, but... Everyone here is so small. If the magic that made this is anything like the animus magic she's more familiar with, which eats away at the soul of the user every time a spell is cast... wouldn't it be even riskier to the souls of creatures so much littler than dragons?

But... maybe it's a completely different kind of magic. There's so much Tsunami doesn't understand about this new situation...

She lowers her head a little to peer at Syrlya.

"You're not from here either, right? Do you have magic, where you come from?"
rosethorns: (04)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-08-03 03:03 am (UTC)(link)
[An end. Such a simple word for so enormous a feeling.] Yes.

[His expression appears to say as just as much as his words to confirm the unpleasantness he too must have experienced through his dreaming. Somehow, that makes it hurt worse. If it hadn’t simply been her own head playing tricks on her, it meant a narrowing of the possible excuses she could reach for to explain away the experience as trivial.]

I suppose it would be too naive at this point to hope that it is as meaningless as any other dream?

[She knows it's a pointless question; he is clearly as in the dark about all of this as she is. Quite simply, the songstress cannot yet relinquish her denial of what she knows in her heart may very well be true.]
amemoryorus: (Bild35)

[personal profile] amemoryorus 2022-08-03 03:04 am (UTC)(link)
I'd love that! I do have a prompt on her TL that could work, but feel free to make up your own starter if you prefer.
predispose: (pic#14160309)

[personal profile] predispose 2022-08-03 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
[ thank you for your service...

y'know, he wanted to see a familiar face, but now that Hyunjae is here he feels annoyance and would much rather go back to sleep. ]


Of course I am. So imagine my surprise when I find you here instead.

[ He can't help but squint a little when he stands closer beside him, but he doesn't shoo him off for now. Too accustomed to the strangeness when it comes to the Guild Leader. ]

It just means he's somewhere else. [ there's a bit of a bite in his voice, body trembling just slightly. "he might not be here." he's somewhere. somewhere is better than nowhere. as much as he enjoys his space from the crowding of his younger brother, it's better knowing where he is than not. ]
dissonyance: (41)

[personal profile] dissonyance 2022-08-03 03:12 am (UTC)(link)
If I were to tell you I did not expect to wake up again... would you believe me?

[ leaks quietly fixes his stare on some star that sparkles quicker than the ones around it, and then hums as it fades from view. ]

That my reward for living the life that I did would be a peaceful sleep, bereft of light? I hoped I would get to keep that solitude, a permanent one.
predispose: (pic#15852777)

silence you

[personal profile] predispose 2022-08-03 03:15 am (UTC)(link)
[ well, she is korean and.. hasn't heard of him? that's a surprise. he's not famous across the world yet but, it's hard to miss a mention of who he is by now. ]

Seoul, Korea. Are you from somewhere else, Han Sooyoung-ssi?

[ Yoojin assumes they are from the same world, but her lack of response on his identity is certainly.. something. maybe she's a hermit? just lives under a rock? would explain her manners for sure.

he raises a brow in response, curious. ]


You must have at least heard of the Haeyeon Guild in Seoul, given it's one of Korea's three largest guilds.

[ UNLESS YOU REALLY ARE LIVING UNDER A ROCK?? ]
dragonmount: (🔆 hanging out.)

[personal profile] dragonmount 2022-08-03 03:19 am (UTC)(link)
[ warmly, ]

I feel the same way. So do a lot of people, here. [ he asks himself: what would abel say to her, now? ] We look out for each other, all of us. So that we can protect whatever we can, together.

[ he wishes he could say, you'll be safe with us. but he isn't sure safe is a thing that exists in horos, not even in the secret hideouts of greentruth. ]

You won't be alone here. I can promise you that.
rosethorns: (02)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-08-03 03:19 am (UTC)(link)
But I would say it’s rather astute. [She gives him a brief, appreciative smile.

Dorothea would normally like to think of herself as a very adaptable sort of person, though she supposes even she must have her limits.]


So much of my experience in this world so far has been, well, overwhelming. So a reminder to think things through when I have the chance is important.
zauneyete: (Not the only thing I stick in my eye)

[personal profile] zauneyete 2022-08-03 03:20 am (UTC)(link)
We'll fix it --

[ When we get there is what he meant to say, but Silco, in all of his paranoia, noticed the change of the light down the cavern, deeper within, before someone stepped out. Silco recognized him from the Regent's address, one of the fools who'd tried to attack the Regent' wasn't it?

Silco did look intimidating, turned toward Jinx, reaching out to her, his hand almost on her shoulder, about to teleport them back to the lodestone, where they would be safe. Strapped to his back, very obviously was a wicked, curved blade, and with the mismatched eyes -- when he looked over his shoulder, even he dwarfed the teenager girl he was with, who very obviously had just emerged from a crystal. He looked... like a villain.
]

This doesn't concern you, boy.

[ He said it, derisively, over his shoulder. Even so, his eyes slid back to Jinx, and he rolled his eyes, as if to ask her: "can you believe this fucking guy?" ] Stay here.

[ He said, unwisely. He should know better than to just tell Jinx to do something, but... Silco was a fool. He turned around, and slid the knife from its sheath, and flipped the grip in his hand. What was he going to do with that? He literally has a flaming sword? ]
cutlery: (clearly you're just an apple juice hater)

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-08-03 03:20 am (UTC)(link)
...It would be quite the coincidence, I would say. To share such a specific dream is...

[ He trails off with a discontent noise. It's not impossible, exactly, at least with what he knows. It's technically something that would be in his own ability (normally, anyways), since stepping into a dream was sometimes an easy way to lead someone's heart. But that sea of stars simply didn't give him the impression of being that sort of manipulated dream. And besides, lacking the seal on his hand was more than proof enough that it was quite real, but that little detail isn't one he's inclined to share. ]

We are both left with a sea of questions, but nary an answer...

[ Sebastian looks to the crystals again as he considers them, but with a shake of his head, looks back her way. ]

—Forgive me for being so forward while we are as we are, but perhaps there are answers to be found elsewhere. If you are feeling able to walk, would you care to see what we may be able to find, Miss? I shall keep my gaze elsewhere, I promise you.
settingup: (i got stamina)

[personal profile] settingup 2022-08-03 03:21 am (UTC)(link)
[ "Don't be afraid" would be a more comforting thing to say if this man hadn't just taken out one of men that are meant to be watching them... taking care of them? Whatever the people milling about are supposed to be here for anyway.

Keeping them in mostly, because even if it's not like Atsumu has a squeaky clean personality, it's also not as if he's got deep Nietzschean ennui that has him longing for the end of all existence. The Kenoma had to work at him for a bit, digging at fresh wounds and fears created by the perceived end of his own world to really take root.

And in the meantime? Those people working for the Kenoma's cause were needed to keep people like him from trying to flee.

So Atsumu remained stuck where he was, and now he's being questioned by a strange man with wings about his struggles with the Kenoma, and it's not nearly as unnerving as his experience tripping out on the stuff, but it's still enough to have him taking a half step back as his brow furrows.
]

What're you askin' me for, if you're gonna cut off my answer before I can even give it?

[ He's still confused and rattled by his recent experiences, and being rude seems like a good defense against some of that confusion. ]

((No apologies! I'm here for it.))
lachtara: (From the Shadows)

[personal profile] lachtara 2022-08-03 03:26 am (UTC)(link)
It is an ask for him to perch on the uncomfortable ground. But...fine. Emet-Selch sits without protest, even if it does take a little effort to crouch down and situate himself with any small amount of comfort.

He looks at the sky for a few brief moments, but his gaze soon wanders back to Hythlodaeus. The stars could be seen at any time but his friend is here only within the confines of his dream. A friend he has longed to see for an age.

For the first time since he arrived here, he smiles just a little.

Then the question of their abilities soon rears its head though, as it was surely bound to do. "Naught is amiss. This world is not our own; it smothers our senses and dampens our creation magic." Ever since he arrived here it felt like one of his basic senses was missing given his lack of ability to see the souls of others. It has always been there, as had his creation magic. To have them gone so suddenly was jarring.

"I cannot see your soul either, but I remember what it looks like so clearly."
scarabwings: (Default)

[personal profile] scarabwings 2022-08-03 03:27 am (UTC)(link)
[Layla's laugh is brief and muted.]

Or at least the best story.

[She tips her head back, peering up along the length of the monolith.]

This place is ancient. Even if they've been using it all this time, there's a good chance the meaning behind it's changed over the years.
bingos: (00_0026_84960581_p4_master1200)

[personal profile] bingos 2022-08-03 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
[ Miyako frowns to herself - The man speaks of Darkness as a good thing. But her experience has been the exact opposite. When she's come in contact with it, it's like a weight on the soul crushing everything down into despair. Something that turns people inside out.

But she thinks, for a moment, of Ken who'd been touched by it the most. She can't deny that he's perhaps one of the most determined of them and the most couragerous. He suffered through the darkness for so long and tried facing it again — ]


I'm sorry, but I don't really get it.

[ She's upfront, honest - maybe even a touch apologetic as she shakes her head. ] I do think the world needs both and they need each other to exist properly... But that doesn't sound right at all.

Everytime we've faced the Darkness someone's gotten hurt. It's always someone wanting to control everything or destroy it. I just can't see anything beautiful about it.
definitelynotalich: (Default)

[personal profile] definitelynotalich 2022-08-03 03:31 am (UTC)(link)
"Well, comfortable compared to the many times I had to make camp and rough it in the wilderness," he admitted. More comfortable than the geode he had found himself in. The idea of roughing it while naked and covered in goo didn't appeal to him.

He didn't have much to say on the water. In truth, it reminded him of the housing in Betnikh that he had toured at one point. He likely would have bought it if it weren't for the fact it was in Betnikh.

"Yes - all creatures have things they like. I had a mud crab back at home and I learned what it liked. That particular crab had a fondness for taking things I was holding so we had something of a game, too, where I would hold things and it would take them from me and scuttle away." He continued until the crab started to scuttle away, at which point he let it and he let his hand come to rest in the sand. He looked at the stranger properly, large eyes examining the stranger.

"I like to collect odd things others aren't so fond of," he eventually admitted.
bingos: (kizunamiyako36)

[personal profile] bingos 2022-08-03 03:33 am (UTC)(link)
What other differences? Where they arrive?

[ She blinks over at him curiously, leaning her arms against her knees as she thinks on. She remembers a long time ago - Back when she was transported to another world the first time. She'd done so willingly think it was a grand adventure only to come face-to-face to fighting. She'd always had the option to go back but this is...

Different. They've got not choice in the matter and in this case, her own experience, isn't the same as others; There's more people here who've never wound up in a position like this; ]


Mm! It is strange, but you get used to it. Sometimes, you just got to accept the situation as it is, and go on the adventure in front of you. I'm sure there will be times it won't be easy, but you're not alone.