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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!

rebirth; artisan shrine

[personal profile] expiera 2022-08-04 01:59 am (UTC)(link)
The newly awakened Aion will be on his lonesome, but once he comes to (and overcome his state of undress), it will be obvious that there's some sort of commotion outside. The cause will be immediately obvious once one approaches the cavern's entrance: there's a confrontation going on.

One singular feminine figure, hooded in a dark blue robe and wearing a mask, and a ragtag group of soldiers who don't look particularly experienced or well-equipped. They're roughly half a dozen clutching their weapons in their hands forming a defensive line on the path that leads to the cavern's entrance, but there's a nervous energy to them despite the fact that the woman appears unarmed.

"Make way and retreat if you don't want to be hurt. You know your lot is powerless against Aions." The woman's voice is cool and detached.

The soldiers in her way don't move, and she takes a step forward.

"This is your only warning."

Looks like it'll come to blows any moment now... May be best for spectators to stay as just that?
apostolus: (pic#15828693)

[personal profile] apostolus 2022-08-04 02:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ No, no, he should definitely transform one day. She would absolutely love to see that.

But they're both nerfed (and naked) now, left with nothing but their senses and wits. Not the most ideal of circumstances, but she's weathered through worse. Her entire family has.

She listens to what he says with half an ear, her eyes restlessly moving from one sight to another. None of the scenery is familiar to her, but none of it is shockingly odd either. Are they somewhere still on Earth, or a realm similar? It's the revelation that he can (or could) fly that pulls her gaze back towards him. ]


You can fly?

[ She asks it with a bout of girlish surprise, eyes opening too wide as she stares up at him. ]

I've always wanted to be able to fly. [ Though technically she sort of had, every time she'd "borrowed" Lero from the Earl for an unannounced excursion. ] Will you take me flying with you when you can again? Pretty please?
cutlery: (is this like the new sexually oblivious)

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-08-04 02:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ But you're the one that wanted to play, he thinks, but absolutely does not voice beyond a slightly increased frown. Ultimately, he's a bit of a pushover... Sebastian makes a thoughtful noise, but of the three, he knows which he's personally inclined towards right away, but he at least makes a show of considering the others. ]

Well... I know a great many stories.

[ An absurd amount, actually, where it might as well be infinite. He's always enjoyed the stories that humanity creates, and combine that with the ability to recall anything perfectly and you become a walking library. Then beyond that, he has no shortage of personal anecdotes, since visiting the human world for the past few thousand years of their history has given him quite a few (though they tend towards the dark or macabre, considering why he visits in the first place...). But also as such, it's quite necessary to narrow it down. ]

What sorts of stories do you like? Or I suppose which sort would you like to hear?
onelifeforlove: (02.)

[personal profile] onelifeforlove 2022-08-04 02:02 am (UTC)(link)
Things should be named after things you'll remember. Important things, and always things you know. I'm Spottedleaf because of my coat, and because I provide healing through herbs and plants, among other things. There's one that may be named Firepelt, for example, when he gets his full name - he's the brightest orange I've ever seen. Our leader is Bluestar; she's a lovely blue-grey color, and she's led ThunderClan for a very long time now. Halftail, Oakfur. Darkfoot. Tigerclaw.

Important things that you'll remember, and always things you know.

So I think Greentruth is a good name for a place to reside.
pyojeol: (pic#15847970)

[personal profile] pyojeol 2022-08-04 02:02 am (UTC)(link)
[Sooyoung wisely decides not to answer his question, but maybe her silence and shifty-eyed expression is answer enough. She absolutely assumed J to be That Stinky. It's like the spiderman meme, when two demon bullies can identify each other on sight. She really looked at J and saw horns and went "possible troll".

case in point, her squinty eyed expression immediately turns suspicious,]


So you're not here to pick on me, but to pick... me up...? Why?

[are u here just to pick up chicks and teens, regina jeorge.......]
definitelynotalich: (Default)

[personal profile] definitelynotalich 2022-08-04 02:05 am (UTC)(link)
Vaden's eyes narrowed slightly as he thought about how to describe the Amenos ornaug. It was a weird creature, certainly, and apparently, they could be quite vicious.

"An ornaug is a strange beast, Anemos being where mine was from. It's four-legged much like a canine but it is covered in scales and fins. Its head is covered in a hard, white, bone-like tissue. I have been told that they tend to stick near water in their native habitat. They are carnivores and pose a real threat to travelers. Or so I have heard."

He fell silent as he considered the question. Were they his friends? He certainly never really considered them so - he wouldn't stoop so low to call some of the them friends, would he?

"No, I would not consider them as such. It would be - ah - untoward for me to be friends with such... Colorful characters. We simply work together. That is all."
arcaneward: (11)

[personal profile] arcaneward 2022-08-04 02:08 am (UTC)(link)
Hmm.

[ She stops walking and moves to stand in front of him, maybe uncomfortably close, standing on her tiptoes to do it. It takes a moment, but she finds what she's looking for and lowers herself back to her soles, putting her hands on her hips. ]

You... don't look like a Childe. I'll call you Tartaglia.
thulium: (wait huh what)

[personal profile] thulium 2022-08-04 02:11 am (UTC)(link)
Garrus straightens a little, attention sharpening. "Have you?" he asks. He knows the history of humanity's first contact as well as anyone. 2023 is more than a century too early.

"Who'd you meet?"
coerthantorment: (61)

rebirth

[personal profile] coerthantorment 2022-08-04 02:14 am (UTC)(link)
Estinien hasn't had cause to visit the Seeker's shrine before. The last cycle, he had been told there were no crystals to be seen, and so he didn't bother visiting it himself. Arriving now, he sees it is quite beautiful. The strange building looming over it seems somehow familiar... from a place he'd been, maybe? He remembers a country he had stayed that was full of these things.

He appears from his teleportation a short way from the cavern, just in time to hear a roar. A familiar sort of roar, one he recognizes from himself - is that another dragon?

He flies towards the entrance of the shrine just in time to see two researchers starting to move away from it. Then, they see Estinien glowing, six-winged form and yelp again, slinking back against the stone.

"An Aion..." one of them breathes in awe. Estinien decides to ignore them and focus on the new arrival. He comes to the mouth of the cave, folding his wings. He bears the traits of a dragon and an angel, perfectly white from head to foot. Meanwhile, the dark tones of this particular dragon look almost familiar.

"To think I'd find another of your kind..." he murmurs to himself.
ktizo: (🎵 was looking at you)

[personal profile] ktizo 2022-08-04 02:20 am (UTC)(link)
Hythlodaeus hears the commotion and makes his way over to the entrance, blinking at what he sees. One woman, by the looks of it- and several soldiers? The soldiers seem nervous, and Hythlodaeus feels badly for them. If they're nervous, there must be a reason. He doesn't know what she means by 'Aions', but she must be far more experienced then this group.

He hesitates for a long moment. Without knowing if either or both sides are going to attack him on sight, he's rather afraid of being seen. In his weakened state he doesn't see what good he can do... he might simply earn their ire.

...Well, he doesn't think he could stand himself if he didn't at least try. So he steps forward, trying to sound more confident than he actually is.

"Please, if you have been given the chance to flee... maybe 'tis best to do so?"
ktizo: (🎵 stories sown along the way)

[personal profile] ktizo 2022-08-04 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
"It sounds fascinating. I have seen many a critter, and I can say I have never seen anything quite like that! If only I could see it..."

If only he could judge it based on its merits and faults, to see if it would have been a good fit for Etheirys... alas, he doubts the beast is here.

"Well, I suppose if you simply work together you may not know them very well. Mayhap some day they will surprise you!"
undertheweight: (better than you)

[personal profile] undertheweight 2022-08-04 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
What a curious amalgamation. Wrathion has no idea what an angel is, and he has never seen a white dragon before. By that alone, he figures he's no longer on Azeroth. He finds that realization more than a little disturbing, in truth, but instead of dwelling on it, he takes a slow step forward, one taloned foot moving in front of the other, before he lowers his head, burning crimson eyes locked on the...elf. Yes. Definitely an elf, to judge by the ears, but like no elves he's seen. Though there's a vague resemblance to a sin'dorei.

There's a whuff of hot breath as Wrathion inhales the elf's scent, bony brows furrowing, but the sheer curiosity has him eschewing challenge and using his words, instead.

"Who are you? And what is this place?"

His senses are too good to have missed the murmur, but it is likely that there is time to ask about that later. And strangenesses aside, the elf does not seem like he'd be suited to his father's service--and that is a relief.
regression: (pic#15851350)

[personal profile] regression 2022-08-04 02:27 am (UTC)(link)
[ Pity, charity, sympathy, empathy—he wouldn't accept them under normal circumstances. Perception helps him settle... He made a demand and Childe is listening to him. Questions. He shuts his eyes which start tearing with the same black ooze. ]

This world. What is happening.

[ He can make the leap that the voice he heard is the Regent's intentions, but realm is still a question for him. Is this whole world the Regent's hub where they make plans to reach every inch of the galaxies and destroy the worlds?

Just the thought has him gripping onto his own arms tightly, obviously unsettled and angry. There's still disbelief despite the feeling of loss nested in his chest. Every time he thinks of home, there's dread. He doesn't like how this feels, but it better than the aftereffects of the vial.
]

Why did you yield.

[ Joonghyuk believes accepting this bane is relinquishing agency—he prizes that too much. For survival or not, he tells himself this is something he can outlive despite the voice in his head asking for rest and end. ]
undertheweight: (swagger)

[personal profile] undertheweight 2022-08-04 02:29 am (UTC)(link)
He'd have to have heard of such a thing to attribute it. Azeroth didn't have the term, though it surely had the affliction, and Wrathion likely would recognize it if he saw his companion in the throes of it.

But the human isn't. Not yet. He can take pride in the fact that he's holding it together so well that Wrathion can't tell.

"I'm not fond of staying in cities, unless I've no other choice. I find them...a bit cramped, even at the best of times. I'm sure you understand."

And, even better, it's true without lying!
regression: (pic#15851278)

[personal profile] regression 2022-08-04 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
[ no........ he has issues.

Sorry. He has no control over the gunk coming out of him, not bleeding from other holes. Maybe the Kenoma should figure out a different type of initiation ritual. His head hangs as he gasps for air, finding short reprieve in between. Shoulder shake once, but his gaze stays fiery and unyielding.

Despite that, why am I still alive? Despair continues to coil around him, deep with its barbed wire.
]

Unless it's a healing potion, I don't want it.

[ So, yeah, he thinks he can be picky. Being in life or death situations never stopped him before. ]

[personal profile] expiera 2022-08-04 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
[The mention of Gnosticism is interesting. Ciel would know it with her questionable Church background, at least to a certain measure, though a particular reincarnator's memory only goes up to the past 800 years. Much like how there are different schools of magecraft developed by different families rooted in different traditions, there are powers within the Holy Church that similarly sees variance due to the exact nature of the faith. They are fringe and minor however, as the most powerful sacraments are powerful precisely because they are the most widely believed across the entire planet that humanity inhabits. That this man would know of it...

He's absolutely not ordinary.]


It is a little uncanny, isn't it? Almost like confirming that the roots of human beliefs do overlap across dimensions in some way, no matter how strange and alien our new situation seems.

[And likewise, her expression shifts to a quieter smile once he confirms the Abyss. If he's chosen, then that makes things easier. She does glance at Howl and seems to look pensive for a second as he hands her the basket, but ultimately accepts it and doesn't say anything more. Her companion has stepped up to handle this, so she'll let him do just that, even as he's continuing forward while missing pieces of himself.]
regression: (pic#15851291)

[personal profile] regression 2022-08-04 02:42 am (UTC)(link)
[ A low bar is still a bar!! Maybe they can gaslight themselves into thinking this is a dream... And maybe what has happened at home that they did not like is also a dream. Maybe they will wake up soon and all will be better.

It's hopeful thinking he entertains for a moment. His gaze flickers to the dark, then back to her as they try to logic this mind palace.
]

The light can also be depressing in another sense. [ He can't argue the rest... It is better to see. ] You can't make a clone.

[ Double-checking. ]
settingup: (i'm running and i'm just enough)

[personal profile] settingup 2022-08-04 02:43 am (UTC)(link)
[ Does this guy just never talk? Is that his whole deal, because it's kind of seeming like that's his deal. The pointing really doesn't answer Atsumu's question either. Yeah... that's the crystal he fought his way out of, what does that have to do with--

Oh...

Ugh.

Atsumu can't really describe it, but there's something viscerally upsetting about watching this man crawl into the still sticky rock he was just birthed from.
]

H-Hey! Get outta there!
Edited 2022-08-04 02:46 (UTC)
kablams: (068.)

[personal profile] kablams 2022-08-04 02:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ oooooh no, he did NOT just--

well, one thing Jinx is not well-known for back home is her patience. or ability to keep her cool. or having any cool at all, actually? or being predictable, or like. common sense, most of the time, or--

o-okay, you get the picture.

needless to say, she doesn't enjoy being straight-up dissed by this punk and she isn't about to take it sitting down?? ...yeah, okay, she's standing up but whatever, it's a turn of phrase. so, despite being far weaker than she should be (--drugged, she's definitely drugged. this shitty little asshole DRUGGED her, or--), she's lunging for him in one quick and lithe movement, and aiming to jab the sharper end of the ragged crystal directly for his shoulder, exhaling a ragged and angry sound of outrage-- ]
rosethorns: (02)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-08-04 02:49 am (UTC)(link)
It’s a plan, then! [Dorothea gives her a nod to match, pleased both with the idea and having someone be as excited as she is about it. And what Miyako says is undeniable—people naturally need a reprieve when the weight of the world is on their shoulders. There will be plenty of work to be done here in Horos.

She’s still not so sure what sort of place she’ll find for herself here, but there are no end of possibilities.

And she is still learning this about this world as it is. Achamoth? She mentally jots that one down.]
Oh? I don’t believe I’ve heard of that one, but I have heard of a city called Greentruth. Supposedly it’s built along the treetops. [Such a curious thing to imagine, perhaps with its own fairy tale-like wonder just as this place.]
lachtara: (Warming)

[personal profile] lachtara 2022-08-04 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
Hythlodaeus' soul had been chained to Zodiark. With everything destroyed - Zodiark included - his soul belongs to a dead world. It would deteriorate in the vastness of oblivion with no Lifestream to replenish it, as aether always would.

Emet-Selch looks on at the darkness below them. Of course, he would have the friend he longed for in this dream, only for them to be taken away. Only to thrust upon him the responsibility to tell his friend that his soul is destined to fade all while looking him in the face.

After a few moments of hesitation, Emet-Selch permits himself to tilt his head to one side and lean on Hythlodaeus in return. "We may be apart for a time," He closes his eyes and takes a steadying breath. "but I will see to it that you live again. No matter the cost."

A statement that he means with all of his heart.
zauneyete: (you kids and your rock music)

damn kids can we keep this PG

[personal profile] zauneyete 2022-08-04 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
[ Silco had really no chance against Rand. That was obvious. He was small, didn't have a flaming weapon, and frankly wasn't going to be of much use. He would fight him, because the alternative was...

Jinx reminded him of her presence after Kaeya arrived, and while Silco had been just about to say something --

A rock hit him, square in the back. He stopped, his shoulders tight, and up, and he turned around, to look at Jinx, complete with his coat pulled around her shoulders, complaining about not getting to participate. Yes, that was indeed Jinx.
] Jinx -- [ He said, a touch sharp. ] We'll talk about it when we get out of here.

[ It was, as Kaeya would notice, odd. The way he said it. Sarcastic and mean were Silco's two most used tones of voice, but occasionally he was serious, with business. This was none of that, and about as exasperated as a... parent would be. He stepped back from the fight, his knife still held out, but with Kaeya there... He turned to look at him, and offered a nod. ]

Think you can buy us time to get out? He's even already injured. [ Back to that sarcastic, mocking lull, like flipping a switch, as he took another step back toward the small girl wearing his coat. ]
ktizo: (🎵 no matter where you go i'll find you)

[personal profile] ktizo 2022-08-04 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
Closing his own eyes in return, Hythlodaeus takes the time to cherish the feel of Emet-Selch by his side- the warmth of him, the sound of him as he speaks. He reaches out to take his hand, giving it a squeeze. He knows that Emet-Selch would do anything, but he's still under the impression that Emet-Selch is just as dead as he is at this point.

"Why don't we speak of happier things? We are together now, dream or no. Time spent with friends should be a joyful experience."

That's not to say there can't be serious moments, but... they've been apart for so long. He smiles, shifting to sit up more before turning to face Emet-Selch, on his knees. Then he spreads his arms expectantly. Hug him, Hades!
subsist: (pic#15626303)

in the right place this time,,,,

[personal profile] subsist 2022-08-04 03:06 am (UTC)(link)
[ by now, kaeya is used to the whole routine: pick a shrine, check to see if any new aions have hatched, and then bring them back to achamoth. or attempt to, if a pleroma has found them first. he wins some, he loses some, but the results don't slow him down. if anything, there's more urgency to his actions, because if he can be quick enough, then he can avoid another unnecessary fight—

fate, however, has something funny planned for him this time around.

he arrives at the visionary shrine just in time to see a bewildered newcomer and a familiar face already there. his first instinct is to manifest a frozen sword, but... confusion overwhelms him when dextera just?? goes inside the crystal? what? ]


...

[ without saying anything, he switches to plan b: crystalline, bitter cold ice begins to form at the bottom of the cracked egg, building upwards in an attempt to lock dextera inside. slowly and surely.

it's like welcoming him home. ]
kablams: (→040.)

[personal profile] kablams 2022-08-04 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
Geez, Jeeves... glad I don't have to deal with any of that! Life is a lot easier when you just--

[ she spreads her hands wide and makes an explosion sound effect with her mouth, ]

--when you've got a problem! Especially when that problem is snooty and rich and turns their nose up at you.