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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!

vapour: (pic#15103300)

[personal profile] vapour 2022-08-03 04:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Childe doesn't bother explaining that it's not that he can even read thoughts so much as Yoo Joonghyuk is projecting. He doesn't need to, though. He recalls the other as quite resourceful and more than intelligent enough to figure it all out on his own. The comment about only the weak needing charity causes the awakened aion to cant his head in slight curiosity. Ultimately, it's not something he can argue when he himself believes the exact same thing. Despite the other moving to get to his feet, Childe let's him and offers a simple smile. ]

Fair enough. [ still, is it better to just leave him alone? Childe wonders, but the other Yoo Joonghyuk managed to fight off the Kenoma influence when they all suffered in the cave. Childe himself gave in after five days. Will this Yoo Joonghyuk do the same? Or will he give in this time around?

It'll be a lot more fun for Childe if he were a Kenoma this time, admittedly, because he'd often wondered how close to the edge this man had been in the choice of crawling to the light or fading into the dark.There's certainly a Childe that could have resisted the Kenoma to the end and embraced the Pleroma, but the circumstances simply didn't allow it for him. He can only wonder how many of the aions could have just as easily ended up in the other sect if things had played out only a little differently.

The sudden coughing up of black sludge catches his attention, watching it splatter on the floor apathetically. It's pretty gross, and it would definitely be nice if there was another way to attune to the Kenoma than this.
]

I guess I can leave you alone for old time's sake. Once you stop resisting, you'll be free to move around again and get access to the Citadel and the rest of Achamoth.

[ with that, the awakened Kenoma will get to his feet again. ] Try not to put yourself through too much agony. It's really not the good kind of pain you get out of a big fight.
warmare: (パニック)

[personal profile] warmare 2022-08-03 04:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[The difference, to Hayame, is negligible. Why waste time pondering something you would never begin to understand, and weren't equipped at all to know? She knows her limits... and they border up decidedly firmly at anything to do with magic.

But before she can snap back with that reply, hackles raised instinctively at detecting such an attitude in anyone else (but herself)...

The woman turns around and acts like she's seen a ghost. Hayame didn't expect it so much that she half-startles as well, jerking back.]


Wh- What?
rosethorns: (12)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-08-03 04:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[And there it is—the reaction she truthfully expected to to receive from him the moment she realized just who it is she bumped into here. Cold civility and suspicion, a combination that raises the tension to a degree that is only just bearable. And he has every right to be leveling it her way.

For her part, Dorothea does not flinch away from his gaze, though it is clear in her eyes and in her down-turned lips that she is taking no pleasure from this.]


Of course. It’s not our intent to be needlessly cruel. [To do so would go against the very ideal they hoped to strive for.] Though that is a cold comfort for those pulled into conflict, I know all too well.

[She forces herself to take a steadying breath.]

I hate that it came to this, Claude, I truly do. But I could not allow myself to sit idly by while those I hold dear put themselves on the line for this.

[Words mean little more than nothing here, she knows. That doesn’t stop her from feeling compelled to to make that much clear.]
ktizo: (🎵 stories sown along the way)

[personal profile] ktizo 2022-08-03 04:47 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh, but it was." He smiles, wistful as he recalls his home. But then Claude asks about the Convocation.

"Ah, well- though we were all considered equals in Amaurot, there were fourteen of us who were chosen for their expertise in certain fields to become a part of the Convocation. They would see to it that everything that fell under their care was in order- for example, Mitron was the specialist when it came to aquatic life. Lahabrea was the Speaker of the Convocation, but also the specialist in creation magicks. And so on! Of course, those were only their titles, but once you were raised to join the Convocation you were mostly known by said title rather than your actual name."
eightfoldfiend: (I tried to eat a village once.)

[personal profile] eightfoldfiend 2022-08-03 04:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[A low snort.]

Like I said. I walk to darkness because I have no other choice.

I refuse to be consumed by light. I will not become one with the ordering forces of the cosmos. That cannot happen.

[He lifts his head and peers around.]

Why do you care anyway, mysterious voice?

Do you intend to stop me?
emblazer: (157.)

[personal profile] emblazer 2022-08-03 05:04 pm (UTC)(link)
It'll be easier if I show you.

[ Is he recruiting? He sure is recruiting. ]

That is, if you want to join the rebel forces. If you go to Achamoth, you'll have a life of luxury, but you'd also have to obey the Regent at all costs. If I hadn't found you, the Kenomas likely would have held you down and made you drink the black sludge, which is why I want to give you the chance to choose for yourself.

[ It's probably a good thing Thoma beat them to the punch. He has yet to be successful elsewhere no matter how quickly he's been moving between shrines. ]
theorems: (pic#15394099)

[personal profile] theorems 2022-08-03 05:22 pm (UTC)(link)
I have as much evidence as you do. Theory would be a strong word.

[Nothing around them feels tangible as far as he can reach- except himself. He can feel the touch of his own skin and cloth, just like he would if he were conscious. So perhaps this is consciousness? Somehow?]

Technology seems like a stretch, from my personal experience. What is your experience with... magic?

[No harm in at least mentioning it, right?]
bloomforyou: (💎26)

[personal profile] bloomforyou 2022-08-03 05:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[ ranmaru is physically different in some ways, but they’re details that only the people he’s closest to would ever notice. his eyes have narrowed, even his hair has smoothed itself out as if the pain of reformation aged him.

he doesn’t remember. he refuses to remember. his pulse jumps as he answers his name. ]


My name is Ranmaru. Ranmaru Ai.

[ his gaze drops; his eyelashes flutter as his lids fall halfway, ashamed of the inquiry. it’s as if chilka’s hand isn’t even there despite ranmaru looking straight at it. ]

…I will save the hearts of the humans in this world.

[ his noble words belie the truth of his presence here, among the kenoma. no amount of insistence that he’ll continue his duty here can change the fact that he accepted the end of the world whispered in his ear. ]
galdorleod: ([black] inviting smile)

[personal profile] galdorleod 2022-08-03 05:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[ As Howl draws closer to the stranger, he feels a vaguely familiar reverb within his mind. He can sense him, thanks to their shared Legacy — not just his presence, but his soul, manifested as traces of his thoughts and feelings. Even without trying, their psyches will overlap to some degree; effort is needed to keep it from happening. As for Howl, he allows it openly. There has only one other Celebrant Aion in Horos until now, and his reactions with her have... not been typical.

The stranger will likely be able to sense his curiosity, and the fact that he truly does intend to do him any harm. Howl hopes that does at least some of the talking for him.
]

Follow me. We aren't safe here, so close to the Shrine. [ He beckons for him to follow. ] My name is Howl. What may I call you?
horniness: (043.)

[personal profile] horniness 2022-08-03 05:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[ England... what a strange name. He's never heard of it, meaning their worlds of origin must be quite far apart, but Malleus' own educational forays into many locations outside of Briar Valley is still very much a work in progress. The real question is why their host would import a butler from another world with him? ]

Are you meant to be my valet or escort then? I require no such thing.

[ He's already had a long history of caretakers and people fussing over him simply due to his position, and even if he has no access to his magic at the moment, he's far from helpless. ]

Unless you happen to know where I might locate a map or have some regional information to share, I don't see how you'd be of use to me.

[ But he's here already... it wouldn't do to abandon a butler with no master to serve. How troublesome. ]
undertheweight: (uncertain)

[personal profile] undertheweight 2022-08-03 06:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, if he's defending them, Wrathion supposes it can't be that bad. The only member of his actual, blood family that he would defend these days is Ebyssian. And Ebyssian had earned that right.

"At least your circumstances have changed. But I suspect that you had a good deal to do with that yourself."

It's speculation, again. Wrathion certainly isn't the type to go crawling back anywhere, to anyone. (He tells himself this, but there's a very glaring gap in this thought process. It bears the name 'Anduin'.) There's also the simple fact that Bruno is in no ways near as prideful as the dragon is. (Though that is a very common draconic affliction...)
horniness: (047.)

[personal profile] horniness 2022-08-03 06:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Yes, that makes sense. He'd been approaching the quandary with a human's physiology still in mind, but certainly they must have adapted at some point to their environment to subsist effectively within it. ]

I would like to observe it one day... this civilization you claim exists on the moon, though it may not be possible for a while.

[ He has yet to figure out how they got to their present world and how to travel outside of it nor has he found anyone within the shrines who has anything enlightening to offer on the subject. ]

The shells we emerged from appear to have no mechanism or enchantment to control our travel. Have you ever encountered them before?
apostolus: (pic#15855486)

[personal profile] apostolus 2022-08-03 06:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Finally! Someone here willing to indulge her instead of being a mean, uncaring jerk.

Road sits up in delight, entire face transformed into a picture of girlish joy. Her hands clap together in front of her as she looks up at her newfound savior, not at all bothered by the fact that he's leaking black sludge from his eyes. ]


Yay! [ Even her voice is high-pitched and clear, ringing through the air. ] Usually I play tag or hide-and-seek with my uncle, but this room isn't very good for that...

[ Her wide smile mellows into something more thought as she tilts her head, contemplating alternatives. ]

Oh, I know! How about you tell me a story instead. Whatever your favorite story is.
regression: (pic#15851395)

[personal profile] regression 2022-08-03 06:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It is because he would be an s-rank if it weren't for the post-partum nerf? He doesn't control the setting. He really is struggling, but at least with enough willpower and force, the cultist is having some trouble prying his hand off of their neck. ]

And let them do whatever they want with us?

[ Joonghyuk continues to skip over that he's here because he followed someone here. He tends to give himself permits for everything while judging others. They can hear the footsteps of reinforcements coming, but his gaze shifts back to Yoojin. ]

You— [ He doesn't know his name. ] Stay awake.
zauneyete: (Pointing with scissors)

[personal profile] zauneyete 2022-08-03 06:36 pm (UTC)(link)
He isn't here to hurt anyone, the boy says, holding a flaming sword.

[ His tone is acrid, and sarcastic, mean to a fault, Silco mocks even while he stepped away from his daughter, but offered her a look over his shoulder, just for a second, as if he was trying to tell her -- maybe even plead with her -- that he'd explain later. Do to her, the boy had said, as if Jinx wasn't strong enough to handle the essence they all had to drink.

As if she was weak. Jinx was so strong, stronger than him, he didn't doubt for a second that she would pass with flying colors, and probably accept it faster than him, even.

He tried to reach his power, instead of saying anything else, even though he doubted it would work. He tried to vanish from sight, and he was sure that it would have been... Bad, if it has happened, but close enough to Rand, close enough for everyone to see him, he isn't able to vanish from sight. He shrugged, gloved hand tightened on the knife.
]

Shame.

[ He said, to nobody in particular. He's not even that fast, but it's sudden, when he moved away from Jinx and toward the boy with the sword. He's no practiced swordsman, and Silco has done little to make himself more adept at such things. He preferred to find other ways to be of use, but... The more this boy talked, the more he was going to confuse Jinx before Silco has the chance to tell her himself. He couldn't have that.

So with three quick steps -- human quick, not aion quick -- to clear the distance, he tried to swipe him with the knife, at that leg he'd been keeping his weight off of -- Although a practiced hand would be able to deflect.
]
Edited (Html fail ) 2022-08-03 20:09 (UTC)
predispose: (pic#15852732)

[personal profile] predispose 2022-08-03 06:57 pm (UTC)(link)
As much as I'm against that idea, we are severely outnumbered here.

[ I don't think we have that much of a choice. He doesn't say out loud, but it's implied. Without powers, they may as well be regular civilians pit against Awakened folks.

He has to assume that he followed them here. The benefits, the perks, it's the kind of early footing one could make use of in some universe unknown to them.

He doesn't even realize he's drifting off until the other man's words stirs him more awake. ]


Han Yoojin. I'm awake. [ his hand grips tightly at his chest, trying to quell the fiery sensation building inside him. ]
horniness: (029.)

[personal profile] horniness 2022-08-03 07:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He wonders if that was the purpose of the black liquid... to make him lose control so he'd be easier to tame. He certainly feels less stable than he'd been before drinking it.

But the vile, rotten feeling escalating form within is difficult to suppress even when he knows that the ribika is correct. If he gives in, he knows he'll become the monster the people from his own world already see him as.

His nod is stiff as he tries to settle down and focus on anything else. ]


I am not getting riled up.

[ His voice is slightly petulant when he says that. ]

I was merely correcting an unfortunate assumption as you did mine. I suppose we are even now. Do you have any knowledge of what the Regent intends to do with us now that he's fed us such a foul wine?

[ That's what they both should really be focusing on. He'd come here because he had been told their host requested participation in their welcome banquet, and if this is it, he's deeply disappointed. ]
regression: (pic#15851283)

[personal profile] regression 2022-08-03 07:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[ thanks. and then he dies as expected of all useless sunfish.

Except he doesn't die right away. The sound of fighting in the near distance has him pause, but only for a moment. Most people would retreat back to the safe haven of the geode cave, but Joonghyuk has lost a number of lives to being passive (the reverse is also true). In general, it is not his style.

Unless is right because he doesn't retreat. Instead, he hovers near the action, but behind what cover he can find. It's best to assess and gauge the combat prowess of those in this realm without being detected. Even when the battle dies down, he doesn't make himself known, though that won't be his choice. Someone who can handle themselves in a fight most likely can sense his presence.
]
rosethorns: (07)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-08-03 07:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[Dorothea does as she’s bid, carefully turning the bowl over in her hands as she takes a seat. She understands all too well having to make do. She holds it out, offering Cait an appreciative smile for the tea.]

Altogether too much, if I’m being honest. [She sighs.] The Emperor I fought for… She was a close personal friend, you see, and I wanted to help her and her cause however I could. I fought, I tended the wounded, I sat in on war councils…

[Her earlier cheer seems to disappear, brows furrowed and mouth turned down into a frown. If the war was a stage, Dorothea played the part of many roles by necessity.]
regressor: (GIVE IN)

[personal profile] regressor 2022-08-03 07:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ciel's assessment on what she held wasn't wrong, and it wasn't right. Her body looks like it might break. Honestly, it looked like it already had, with those large, puncture scars splashed over the front and back of her narrow chest. No human should be able to survive that. Maybe if she hadn't ended up here... she just wouldn't have. It looked like someone had wanted something from her, if the broken fingers were any indication. Had she given it to them... ?

"Carmine" notices very well that Ciel doesn't answer her question. She notices.

But she doesn't say anything. Ever since she woke up a Regressor... she had been living her life knowing every one of those days was borrowed. No... Stolen. That one day, someone would come for her and she would have to give them back. But that was fine. This was... Wasn't it fine? As long as she didn't have to answer the call of Hell's Gate she'd turned out too weak to resist, if she could avoid hurting anyone anymore... She didn't care if her life was difficult. She didn't care if she had to hurt.

And right now... She doesn't call out Ciel's obvious dodge, not in words. In the silence, perhaps, that follows immediately after, her breath slow and shallow against the other woman's chest, but... What she says is,]


Ah... I thought I was wearing a nightdress...

[Hadn't she been, the last moment she remembered, bleeding out on the concrete? Well, it didn't matter. It's hard to care about someone seeing you naked when you've sold your body as many times as she has. Even harder when you barely felt like it belonged to you, as if it were just some vessel for the mind with all its holes in it and all of the overwhelming sensations of being able to feel emotions. But she was being offered... and if so,]

Please...
undertheweight: (rueful)

[personal profile] undertheweight 2022-08-03 07:18 pm (UTC)(link)
There is at least an occasional attempt to hold himself accountable in Wrathion's head. They don't always fail. And surely, Anduin tends to bring out the dragon's better qualities. Inasmuch as he's chided the Young Lion on his softer outlook in the past, when Wrathion thinks about it, he could not deny that Anduin's approach delivered results.

Perhaps it truly was better to catch flies with honey.

Anduin's next words shake Wrathion from his thoughts, and he chuckles softly. Even he isn't immune to the passage of time, and at the moment, that is so very obvious. But he can smell the fear on Anduin, now, and that makes him less bemused and more...sad. What had begun as a grin closes slowly. Carefully. As if the dragon has not taken great care already. It's telling.

"I grew up." That's obvious. "You aren't the boy I met in Pandaria, either, you know." That statement is a bit rueful, regardless of its truth. And even though he wants to say he'd never hurt Anduin, Wrathion knows the reality of their situation.

"It's not my fangs and claws you need to worry about." His tone is a bit dry, now, but he knows Anduin is quite clever enough to get the dragon's meaning.
horniness: (004.)

[personal profile] horniness 2022-08-03 07:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Naturally, we'd have to leave to explore this world.

[ Staying here waiting for someone to find them is terribly unproductive, and how often does Malleus really get the chance to wander unimpeded? ]

I imagine the both of us can also take to higher grounds to gain a better view of the world at large, or do your wings only work underneath the water?

[ They look like they could be used for flight, but he doesn't know enough about the dragons of the sea to have a valid conclusion on the matter. ]
regression: (pic#15851098)

[personal profile] regression 2022-08-03 07:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Joonghyuk doesn't quite care about the nature of how one projects or reads thoughts, he simply commands Childe to not perceive in whatever way possible. Sometimes, you make demands regardless of how futile it is and that would not change. The ooze continues, now finding exit from other orifices starting with his nose. Somehow, some way, he stays standing, but barely.

His expression darkens, grave, as he considers Childe's words. He will only be able to move when he stops resisting...? This won't pass? His teeth grit tighter as he musters all the willpower he has in this weak body, but they clatter. His shoulder shake next—it feels cold. It feels like the blight is clawing him from the inside, hollowing him out to what he once used to be. Empty... But how is it different from now? It's different, he tells himself.

Dark eyes look at this blackened hand, stained and vile, before he flicks his wrist to shake off the excess. It's an attempt at cleanliness yet it's foiled when he wraps himself with his own arms, trying to steady himself. He says nothing.
]

No. [ In the end, part of him doesn't want Childe to leave. He will tolerate an audience. ] Stay and tell me.

[ There's no promise to stop resisting. It's in his blood, but at least he should learn more about what all of this means. Whether he'll retain it under this agony, he doesn't care. He needs distractions from the despair. ]
fulminations: (pic#15346990)

[personal profile] fulminations 2022-08-03 07:56 pm (UTC)(link)
No one particularly interesting.

[ So no one they know, unfortunately. The owes of playing from obscure series... But Hyunjae doesn't seem so sad about that because Yoojin is here! ]

There are some people, however. I didn't try talking to them yet... For the most part, I was weighing on which path to take.

[ He motions over to the crossroad. ]
lachtara: (Resigning)

[personal profile] lachtara 2022-08-03 08:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Emet-Selch gives him a look of earnest admiration. Most people wouldn't get away with an intrusion into his personal space, it's telling that Hythlodaeus would be allowed to lean on him without protest. His friend is the rare (sometimes reluctant) exception.

"This is a crossroad at world's end." He looks out to the space in front of them where the world had crumbled into darkness. To think that he would have to see their world fall again in this dream when he thinks of this moment so often while awake.

"After a world meets its end, souls come here in order to choose their path in the world ahead. Whether they seek to embrace the comfort of light, or rather they choose the kindness of the dark."