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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!

heavybreaths: (Thinking)

[personal profile] heavybreaths 2022-08-04 04:33 am (UTC)(link)
Intriguing.

[It is yet another oddity, but not really. There are creatures out there that can and do utilize the Force, having seemingly miraculous abilities to people that don't know it. His assumption is not challenged, but his interest is piqued.]

You have a bond with...Miyako, was it?

[He had paid attention, after all. Hawkmon certainly had spirit, he could see that, and if the girl was his partner, then perhaps they'd find an equilibrium. Timidity was often counterbalanced by an impulsive partner.]
rosethorns: (04)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-08-04 04:34 am (UTC)(link)
[She offers a quiet nod of thanks for the tea, but lets it sit for the moment, instead simply enjoying the comforting warmth of it in her hands.]

I prefer mostly to fight with my magic, but I’ve a deft enough hand with a sword for when someone gets too close. [One can never be too careful, and having a physical weapon can prove invaluable in situations where magic is less feasible.]

Is there much fighting? A silly question to ask about a war, I know, but it helps to get a sense of the scale of it, I suppose.
superbshot: (Talk Left)

[personal profile] superbshot 2022-08-04 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
Swords we can provide.

[Magic though? Well, that's good news. Jayce would be excited to have another Mage around, given his interest in the topic.]

I'm afraid the fighting has ramped up, of late. Early after my own arrival some months ago, there were only a few skirmishes, but things have gotten more intense. The battles are, however, small in scale. They tend to be between Aions like you and I, rather than between mortal soldiers.

Those battles do happen, but it is Aions that represent the real power in this war.
ricordi: (011)

[personal profile] ricordi 2022-08-04 04:53 am (UTC)(link)
Comfort is not important to me, this is not the worst thing I have used in the past. [after all, he's had to lay down naked on bare ground... not too long ago. but the atmosphere here is far different from the moon's, which makes it much milder in comparison.

a pause, before he closes his eyes.]


Thank you.

[gratitude is important, especially to someone who is doing such a thing for a stranger.

then he does close his eyes, his breathing slowing down as if about to sleep. it happens quickly, unnatural for other people but typical when cassius wants to force a reboot. for a few minutes, it will be like this...

but he opens his eyes, and his brows furrow. something is wrong.]
gravings: (004)

can't stop me

[personal profile] gravings 2022-08-04 04:55 am (UTC)(link)
[ The next time they meet, Gray is puttering around the halls around the Kenoma lodestone with a stack of towels and spare robes in her arms, the better to help the incoming Kenoma deal with all the black ooze now coming out of their orifices, which she's learned from experience stains white clothing terribly.

All the while, her defenses are quite low. She knows to be wary of knights in white and red armor, but given that there are none in the area, she has no reason to think that anyone would take particualr interest in her. With her nondescript black cloak (plus neck fluff) and her hood pulled low, she could probably be mistaken for any of the servants that haunt the halls of the Citadel. ]
zauneyete: (touches face)

[personal profile] zauneyete 2022-08-04 04:57 am (UTC)(link)
Hm.

Well, hopefully you won't complain about difficult work, either.

[ Silco was not unused to working hard. Growing up in the mines, slaving away for Piltover's money, scrabbling his way up and making the Lanes with Vander, and then -- Well. Creating a Drug empire in a subjugated undercity wasn't easy. This world, though, challenged him. In new ways. ]

I'm run a bar, where I'm from. [ Well, ran a bar one stole from their archnemesis and best friend turned betrayer. Who's counting. ] I can assure you, this is far more difficult than that.
lachtara: (Flair)

[personal profile] lachtara 2022-08-04 04:57 am (UTC)(link)
There is a loud dramatic sigh from Emet-Selch - or should it be 'Hades' in his friend's presence? "Oh...fine." The exasperation is more of a quiet acceptance than reluctance to do what he's been asked. How could he refuse after saying something like that?

So he leans in and wraps both arms tightly around Hythlodaeus, squeezing him with all the intention of not letting him go. He may have frowned and huffed but feeling the warmth of his dear friend brings the faintest of smiles to his face.

How long ago was it that he had told his fellow Kenoma that he longed to hold his friend in his arms once more?
chronosynthesis: (❖ Deja Vu)

[personal profile] chronosynthesis 2022-08-04 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
[Syrlya's never actually been to the Innocent shrine before, and the almost idyllic peace of it makes him stop for a moment as he looks out the valley.

... But he's not here for that. It looks clear from the outside, so he turns to cautiously step into the cave.]


Hello? [He can see the back of a figure, already clothed so it can't be someone new, with someone who is.

So he picks up his pace to approach and see who it is.]
amemoryorus: (Bild32)

[personal profile] amemoryorus 2022-08-04 05:04 am (UTC)(link)
That's true. Looking at it like that, we'll probably never know what it was originally created for. But knowing its current meaning couldn't hurt in this case. It's really all we have to go on.

[She gives the monolith one last considering look before turning towards her companion, one hand reaching out in offering.]

I'm Tifa.
ktizo: (🎵 i'll find you)

[personal profile] ktizo 2022-08-04 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
Pleased that he's gotten his way once more, Hythlodaeus wraps his arms around Emet-Selch and sighs contentedly. He nuzzles into him, smiling wide.

"There... was that so hard?" He squeezes him, and holds the hug in place. He could honestly stay like this for a long time... just feeling Emet-Selch in his arms once more brings him a satisfaction that little else could compare to. His heart skips, and he closes his eyes.

"Has anybody ever told you that you give excellent hugs?" Had Hythlodaeus? He doesn't quite recall.
ricordi: (006)

[personal profile] ricordi 2022-08-04 05:10 am (UTC)(link)
Rest is not important to me right now. [but even as he says that, he still steps closer to eustace, bare feet making almost no noise on the dirt ground.

instead, cassius believes answers are more important.]


Where are you taking me? [he's prepared for a long walk, even as he is. it's not as if he ever shied away from difficult physical labor.]
ricordi: (015)

[personal profile] ricordi 2022-08-04 05:16 am (UTC)(link)
No. [a simple answer for a question that doesn't need any other one. perhaps he was looking for something deeper, some sort of explanation but... cassius has none for him.

he studied the crystal that housed him, and found nothing.]


But there is still a piece in you, isn't there? [like cassius', still stuck just above his navel. he hasn't been able to get it off.] It may have answers for you, if you've managed to find it.
amemoryorus: (Bild84)

[personal profile] amemoryorus 2022-08-04 05:24 am (UTC)(link)
[Tifa watches in amazement as he lowers himself down from the sky. Back home people were capable of amazing feats with the help of materia. Things like strength, healing, and magic. But a person actually flying isn't a common sight.

The bag he tosses her gets a curious glance before she's bending down to open it. Maybe she shouldn't be so willing to accept things from a stranger, but she had been the one to call him over. A relieved smile breaks across her face at the sight of clothing, and she wastes no time in immediately pulling it on.]


Other guys? [Her brows furrow in confusion for a moment. He can't mean the other people in the shrine because he's pointing in a different direction. But she hadn't seen anyone else approach...]

Are they dangerous?

[For all she knows, he could be the dangerous one. But he gave her clothes, so the least she can do is give him the benefit of the doubt.]
zauneyete: (smug)

[personal profile] zauneyete 2022-08-04 05:31 am (UTC)(link)
I did. [ He answered, and was unbothered to do so. It's not even a secret, as they get new aions, it's not even worth hiding it. Silco is a man who hoards his secrets like they're currency -- which they are -- and he's not often going to give them out. These basics though? He'd wished they'd simply given him a few morsels of information, before they'd carted them all down to the ritual site. ]

For starters, they will ask you to choose a side, in this war. Beyond that... you'll have to fight it. No... [ A wave of his hand, describing something nebulous. ] Pretending to do so, and getting out of it. Lucky you, to show up here in just this time.

[ She'd missed... well. It had been eventful. He clasped his hands together, and there was a scarred smile, to accompany it. ] Other than that, very little.
fallingsand: (55;)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2022-08-04 05:37 am (UTC)(link)
[ The trip was harrowing, quick or no, at least for Bruno. It was like being dumped into a dark, airless space, inspiring a moment of terror, and then, just as suddenly, it was over. That wouldn't save Silco from having a startled Bruno grab onto him as they reappeared at the Lodestone. Thankfully, the retainer lingering nearby to hand the robe off intervened before there could be any further exclamations or complaints, both thoroughly forgotten to instead mumble a quiet 'thank you' for the robe and pull it on as soon as possible.

There, one less horrible thing to deal with, if only a small one.
]

...to what? [ Bruno smoothed the robe down before looking up and giving Silco a funny look. ] Uh, n. No. That's. I think I'm fine, for now, thanks?

[ His gaze wandered off again, this time to take in where they had actually ended up. Huh. ]

Is it just me or is this place kind of, I dunno, spooky?

[personal profile] expiera 2022-08-04 05:39 am (UTC)(link)
[A nightdress.

It sounds so innocent, so mundane. Then why does it also feel just as faraway and difficult as the life (if it can even be called that) 'Carmine' may have led? This body, this frame, so fragile that it truly feels like a wonder for her to even be alive. Miracles do have two sides to them, for better and for worse.

She can't imagine it, and it would be presumptuous to do so. So she doesn't.]


Mhm.

[She hums in acknowledgement, but doesn't attempt nudging the other woman off her. Her bag is right at the side, all she has to do is reach out and pull it closer. There's some mild shuffling and rustle of fabric, and after a few moments, something large, soft, and smelling lightly of lavender falls on the red-haired woman's shoulders to envelop her whole. It's functionally more of a bath robe that should fit most adults, but with Carmine's size, she may as well be a child suddenly draped in a very large blanket.]

Do you need help getting to the sleeves?

[She's not sure if that may be needed, but she may as well ask. Do anything she can for this woman, everything in her power to assist with, until they inevitably fall back into the abyss of their own carving that they could never escape from.]
wolof: (Sonnike Beauty)

[personal profile] wolof 2022-08-04 05:43 am (UTC)(link)
You can't smell anything.

[ She said, deadpan. Boy, that was an ability she'd never heard of before. She considered it for a moment, before she moved on. ]

You're in a dream, right now. I don't think she can hurt anyone, here. When you...awaken... you may end up in different places in the convenient, let alone...

[ Would his sister choose Pleroma? If they are in different places, they may never meet, until they are on the battlefield. ]

Let's just say, finding her will be difficult, even on the best of days.
fallingsand: (34;)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2022-08-04 05:54 am (UTC)(link)
I mean, easier than the other options must be, alright? That doesn't mean... like... easy easy...

[ What is Bruno even trying to say at this point? Even he isn't entirely sure but then Viktor is apologizing and Bruno decides it's a conversation best dropped at that point. ]

No, it's. It's fine. I shouldn't be calling something like that easy, anyway, just... [ Just nothing. He leaves it there. ] Let's start over. Hi? I'm Bruno, welcome to the middle of space or something, no one actually seems to know.
fallingsand: (36;)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2022-08-04 05:57 am (UTC)(link)
Ah. Partner. A... talking bird partner. Uhhh.

[ Bruno is aware of someone who can talk to animals and understand them, but the other way around? That's new. He tilts his head while looking at Hawkmon a moment longer, his attention having dived downwards again when he spoke. ]

That's something alright. [ It's the best he can do. He is suddenly reconsidering his position on this truly being a weird dream he's having. ] Hm? Oh, the. Yeah, the future. Yes?

[ And looking up again. ]

Okay, but if it's real, isn't that a bad thing? Because I'm thinking it's a bad thing.
fightingevilbymoonknight: (Default)

[personal profile] fightingevilbymoonknight 2022-08-04 05:59 am (UTC)(link)
Marc would be pleased, indeed. That's the plan, after all. Let no one know his weakness. His many weaknesses, at that.

"Well. I'm pretty okay with cities, but I know some people who aren't. Guess you're one of those. Where are you staying, then? If you don't mind me asking." The conversation is half intel-gathering and half distraction. If he's talking, and listening, and categorizing information, he's not reliving the damn cave.
tohell: (pic#15768338)

[personal profile] tohell 2022-08-04 05:59 am (UTC)(link)
Lucky for you, I happen to be quick on my feet. [ Said like it's supposed to be the punchline of a joke. Because, well... There isn't anything like human feet to be found, if Anduin should look down. Only two strong feline legs poke out from his trousers, ending in paws that resemble the shape and size of a lion's. One lifts to show off his toes, which give a little wiggle to attract Anduin's attention if he hasn't devoted his full attention to J's most appealing feature. Yes, J's on a rescue mission. That won't stop the demon from preening after a compliment, and maybe begin fishing for more.

Aren't his toe beans adorable? He thinks so. Anyway, back to business! ]


You're not looking so peachy, kiddo. [ J's expressive brows raise as the newcomer pushes himself through what looks like a spike in pain, judging by his concentrated efforts to breathe. Hmm, J cocks his head to one side as his three eyes flick over Anduin's figure without any sense of modesty. Who'd have guessed demons weren't big on such a prudish notion? ]

The whole re-birthing ordeal isn't the most graceful of ways to make an entrance. Don't tell me- [ J's face falls a little, his expression hedging towards incredulous. This kid, is he some kind of klutz??? ]

Did you manage to hurt yourself before I leapt to your rescue?
wolof: (The Girl who (didn't) Climb the Tower)

[personal profile] wolof 2022-08-04 05:59 am (UTC)(link)
[ Akua lifted an eyebrow. Small-minded, was she? She didn't say anything, but she did think to herself that this Darth Vader was rather full of himself, and who he was. Then again, perhaps in his world, they didn't follow the same rules. This one certainly didn't, did it? ]

The Pleroma is a gathering of individuals. We've had a string of minor victories, however, so have the Kenoma. The Regent is the leader of them, and rules over them with an...iron fist, if you would

Honestly, if he wasn't so dead-set on destruction, I wouldn't take issue with the method.

[ It's the theory she disagrees with, not the method. ] You will find that some among the Pleroma are...pacifists, and may take issue with any...more violent tactics.

[ Although, if her smile said anything, that didn't seem to stop her. ]
fightingevilbymoonknight: (point-steven)

[personal profile] fightingevilbymoonknight 2022-08-04 06:00 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh, good. I doubt anybody's going to be able to do a whole amputation in a magic underwater cave, after all." Oh, but! "There's water, though, it's pretty cold, that might help to keep it from swelling up," Steven suggests, motioning to the gentle lap of the saltwater against what shore there is in here.
fightingevilbymoonknight: (suit-steven)

[personal profile] fightingevilbymoonknight 2022-08-04 06:06 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh, I didn't meet any, personally. But they were certainly on the news. An army of a species called the Chitauri attacked New York through a portal that one time in 2012, and there's a colony of Asgardians in Norway right now, after Thanos destroyed their homeworld. Oh, right, Thanos, so I guess that's three species, but I don't actually know what Thanos was, come to think of it. They called him a Titan but who knows if that's a species or a title? Not me."
wolof: (Always Red and Hearts)

[personal profile] wolof 2022-08-04 06:16 am (UTC)(link)
The statue at the center -- a figure with their crown in their hands, looking at it like they were weighing the decision -- Akua can almost feel it looking down at them, the weight of that admission -- of course he was, a practically a Callowan Fairfax in appearance, he looks every bit the kind of person they would have eaten up.

"It's a shrine, where we Aions are... born -- arrived -- whatever verb you choose to use. We show up based on...well -- our attributes?"

The Horosian equivalent of a Zodiac, really.

"The crystal you were in before you woke, that housed you, until you burst through. It's difficult to tell when they come out of dormancy."