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

TDM #3

TDM #3
DREAMING (new characters)
At first, there is nothing. You are nothing. Whatever existed before ceases to be if for a moment. Then, bit by bit, you start to become aware. Where there was not even darkness now is a dim haze, gentle and almost mist-like. You have limbs again and beneath your feet lays a path of light reaching out like limbs of a great tree beneath you, twisting and climbing out into the horizon.

You take a step forward for what else is there to do? As you walk you begin to remember what it was you were doing before the nothingness; maybe something as simple as chatting with a loved one or close friend. Maybe you were just beginning a great journey or facing off against an old foe. Whatever it was, you get the distinct feeling that wherever and whenever that was, it is not here. Not now.

The path of light twists off into different directions. When you look up you can see that it is not a sky above you but the sky of everything, a grand cosmic tapestry littered with not mere stars but galaxies and clusters of galaxies that gleam like crystals against the velvety backdrop of space. Admire it for a moment, if you will. You don't know how long you will drift here, but you are not alone. Other wanderers will come and go as you bask together in the vastness of creation.

It seems to you that there are two paths to walk in this place, the light and dark beckoning in turn.

THE LIGHT AT THE CENTER
One leads you to the center, splintered fragments folding together and colliding until only one thing remains: a light that speaks to you with the voice of all there is and has ever been. It greets you simultaneously as an old friend and as a lost child, both rejoicing in and mourning your arrival. You remember it too, somehow, with a feeling of complex nostalgia, as if returning to a place recalled from your distant childhood.

You’ll feel the same of the other wanderers that join you in the light; you know their faces, their voices, and as you reflect upon the world of your birth, you may witness fragments of theirs as well. You feel a comradery, then, a synchronicity of thought and emotion. Are the lives of others truly so different from your own? Or are you simply two hands of the same, greater being? Though some individualistic part of you may resist, the longer you spend in the light, the more you will find yourself becoming one with it.

Despite this welcoming call, no matter how eagerly your pursue its embrace, before you can fully submerge yourself in this oneness you will find yourself being torn away. As if seized by the impossibly long, cold arm of a creature unseen, you are plucked from the edge of fulfillment. The last thing you will remember is the sensation of your world, and all the others your experienced here, collapsing into nothingness.

THE DARK OUTSIDE (CW: deep despair, ego death)
The other leads towards the outside, where the splintering becomes so great that the vestiges of reality can do nothing but collapse back into the abyss at the end of everything. As you wander to these barren outskirts, your thoughts will not be drawn to familiarity and oneness, but instead to memories of discontent and waste. The darker the path becomes, the more you find yourself dwelling on life’s disappointments and injustices, of the things about yourself and your world you find wanting.

If you see others here, at first they will feel frightening or contemptible, as if representing to you the worst experiences in your life. Even if they are someone you’re certain you know, that familiarity and affection will be stripped away in the face of the great emptiness before you. In the end, you were all the same. In the end, none of this was worth it. If you approach the end together, you may even form a kind of kinship around this acknowledgment, as the need for paranoia and hatred fades.

Slowly, the darkness encroaches, and you can see it devouring all the things you once knew. Memories of your home, of those you loved, dissolve into nothing, and you can only reflect on the barren emptiness in your heart as you see it happen. In your final moments, though, you feel peace with it all, knowing that there was no other way. You step from the edge of the last dwindling fragment of being and are greeted by silence.

THE END
No matter which way you go, you are left with a single impression: you feel the world you came from die. It's a realization that transcends logic or sense; it weighs on your heart and leaves the vestiges of dark memories dancing in your thoughts like motes of ash. It's a memory of your home crumbling away into nothing as if consumed from within by rot. Returned to the void, all that's left to you is to be reborn.

REBIRTH (new characters)
In a new time and place, you awaken. Stirring within a capsule of warmth and isolation your senses will slowly return, only to observe that you are trapped. Your body, as it wakes, is tangled in close, yours eyes unable to open, as if still within the womb. You are held tight in the embrace of something unyielding, so smothering that at first you only have the strength to struggle for moments at a time. Yet, as you persist, the pressure begins to relent in turn; it may take hours, but eventually you will find the purchase to push, to claw, to fight, and it will all give way.

The chrysalis surrounding you bends like flesh and cracks like glass. It tears as you force your fingers through, finding liberation one inch at a time, until finally you have emerged. As if having undergone metamorphosis, you feel old and new all at once. You are weak, piteously so, but the markings and scars of your previous life remain. As you slump down upon the smooth cavern stone, you realize that you've just wrenched yourself free of gigantic crystal, though its hollow, shimmering form is now in pieces on account of your passing. Somewhere on your body, a shard of similar material remains embedded.

The cave itself looks almost like the inside of a geode, the walls and ceiling bedazzled with greyish crystal that shines with all the colors of the rainbow. While they vary wildly in size and shape, only a few have grown large enough to hold a form like yours, and you can see the one you just escaped isn't the only one bearing a passenger within. They may have already hatched, or they may still be lingering in stasis. Either way, there's enough time that you may have a chance to speak to yours unexpected peers, or to perhaps to struggle to find something to cover your naked body with. You feel the chill of the open air against your moisture laden skin, a distant light trickling in through the cavern's opening.

Make the most of this time. It won't be long before you're interrupted.

[Mod Note: If you don't want to deal with your character being naked in front of the others at that location, feel free to assume they emerge at a different time than the others of their legacy. Characters will be 'hatching' over a period of several hours.]

DREAMING (OLD CHARACTERS)
For those already in Horos, they will find themselves in the same dreamscape as the new arrivals, only, this time, it's familiar. You'll feel more cognizant of your surroundings as you reawaken in this psychedelic realm, more in control of your emotions. What's more, you recognize that light at the center and the darkness at the edge: it's the Pleroma and Kenoma respectively. The one you are attuned to will call our to your soul, and though you are technically free to wander as you please, the closer you get to the force of your opposite sect, the more it will grate against you spiritually. Pleroma attuned nearing the Kenoma will feel as if its presence is desperately trying to tear them apart, and Kenoma attuned nearing the Pleroma will feel as if its light is burning them from the inside out.

More importantly, you notice that entirely new souls are wandering here with faces you didn't see in the cavern. It gradually becomes clear that they are Aions in the same state you were prior to your rebirth, lost and wandering this stretch of the cosmos with no idea what's to come. Maybe this is your chance to ease the confusion of their arrival, or maybe you'd simply like to scope out what kind of people are on their way. It's also possible for you to run into Aions already in Horos, wandering just like you are. Unfortunately, things are a lot less neutral than they are the last time you shared this realm.

No matter what you do, eventually the cosmos above will begin to burn out, just as it did the first time you were here. As darkness swallows reality itself, you will wake with the visceral memory of your world corrupting and breaking apart.

SEARCHING (OLD CHARACTERS)
Soon after the dreams begin, it will become clear that the Aion NPCs of either sect are also aware of what's happening. For those in Achamoth and Greentruth, the imminent arrival of new Aions will become a matter of official discussion. All able Aions will be called upon for their aid, in whatever way they can offer. Getting to the shrines themselves will be easily accomplished via teleportation. What's would be more complicated is ferrying any new arrivals back to a secure location. Thankfully, this is something both sects have already prepared for.

All characters will have the opportunity to acquire a 'returning stone' if they don't already have one. In all cases, this will amount to an amulet made of the same shimmering material as the shrine monuments, though the stylization differs between the Pleroma and the Kenoma. While regular Aion teleportation can bring you to any of the shrines you know the sigil and location of, a returning stone is magically programmed to bring its wearer back to a specific destination to which it is attuned. Normally, these stones will only be able to store enough energy for one 'return' a month, but it turns out that the ambient power created by the shrines being active will temporarily super charge them. Though it's not guaranteed, this means they may generate enough energy to perform multiple returns for TDM purposes. More information about returning stones can be found on the powers page.

Spare returning stones will be issued to all Aions so that they can be used to bring back anyone they collect, as it's possible to bring someone alongside you if they are also wearing a returning stone. Where your stone leads will depend on your sect.

PLEROMA
Tehri will be the one to supply returning stones, based out of Greentruth. She will not travel to Godsblood to deliver returning stones to those that have not visited Greentruth, but it can be assumed that Greentruth's visitors can pass them along to anyone who has been staying in the city. The returning stones are set to bring them to a secure location beneath the water of Godsblood's coast. From there, new arrivals will have to be allowed to rest and then brought up into the city when they're ready.

Greentruth is limited in its resources, but it will attempt to send troops to the Innocent, Seeker, Wanderer, and Firebrand shrines, all of which are close to the forest. Compared to the last attempt, these troops are a bit better armored. Meanwhile, bolstered by recent events in Godsblood, bands of Resistance members and guerrilla fighters will turn up at the Artisan and Sovereign shrines. The Resistance members will work willingly alongside with the Pleroma Aions, but the guerrilla fighters seem to have their own priorities and that is mostly that they have a beef with the Achamites. These reinforcements will struggle against powered Aions, but they might be able to delay any troops sent by Achamoth or Hylici.

KENOMA
Xishen will be handing out returning stones to all Kenoma the day after the dreams begin for the Aions that don't already have one. She'll explain how to use them, and state that the Regent expects for them to head to the shrines once they become fully active. The Kenoma will have whatever mundane weapons or supplies they need at their disposal for this mission, along with minimal Achamite reinforcements. Due to injuries and death in both Godsblood and Venera, many are in recovery or on their return to Achamoth. She'll reiterate not to rely too heavily on them; after all, only the Aions are able to quickly move between the shrines and at the Citadel. The regular troops will have to be deployed by river or by land, and mobilizing them will take time. They will feasible be able to reach all of the shrines to some degree or another, but will more easily populate the shrines of the Martyr, Celebrant, Lover, Champion, Visionary, Sovereign, and Firebrand.

The Hylicians will be called to fill in the ranks of the diminished Achamite troops. They follow the orders that they are given but are very standoffish otherwise, even more than usual for them. Xishen herself says she will be traveling to the shrines and the Kenoma will be expected to communicate their movements to her as they work. Dionys remains in Achamoth to 'keep watch'. All Kenoma Aions will be given a familiar vial of black sludge, and are instructed to feed it to any Aions they capture at the shrines. It will cause the same effects it did in the cavern, though it will resolve in a few days rather than a week.

RETURNED (ALL CHARACTERS)
New characters that are found a the shrines will be brought back to one of two lodestones, depending on which sect they are taken by. This will be accomplished by their escort putting a 'returning stone' around their neck that will enable them to be teleported to a secure area in their sect's territory. It is advised for your character to be taken by whichever sect you'd like them to end up in.

TO THE PLEROMA
In a dazzling flash of psychedelic light, you will find yourself brought to the Pleroma's lodestone: a monolithic rock set in the center of temple-like ruins. The entire cavern is hidden away beneath the ocean waves, just outside of Godsblood, and the ceiling itself is comprised of nothing but a barrier of water, as if held back from filling the space by some unknown force. The waters surrounding the lodestone are exactly body temperature, with swarms of tiny, violently iridescent fish darting through it. Crabs that look as if they're made of pure, clear crystal wander the sparkling, sandy shores.

There isn't much here in the way of accommodations, but it's comfortable enough that the new arrivals brought in by the Pleroma can take a moment to catch their breath. Some relatively plain but assorted new clothing will have been brought to the cavern to make sure they are actually clothed, as well as blankets and basic food items. It's a good time to ask your questions, or if you are an established Pleroma, to help out your freshly arrived peers. After all, their welcome at the shrine may have been a confusing one.

New arrivals will be permitted to leave the lodestone's temple when they are ready. Unfortunately, the only ways out of these place are through your choice of either swimming through pockets of water that eventually lead to the surface, or by spelunking through a series of tunnels to make your way the cliff faces near the city of Godsblood. More information about the city itself can be found on the setting page, though it would be preferable to keep TDM interactions to the lodestone area. As characters emerging from the shrines will start our as Untouched (more info about attunements here) they will not be permitted entry into Greentruth until they have attuned to Pleroma.

TO THE KENOMA
As your returning stone activates, you will feel yourself thrust into a suffocating void, only to emerge just as quickly somewhere else. The most pressing thing on the minds of anyone taken by the Kenoma will be the vial of pitch black sludge they are forced to drink, whether it is before or after their arrival. Maybe their 'escort' from the shrine gave it to them, or perhaps another Kenoma does soon after they arrive. If not, one of the Achamite cultists wandering around definitely will. Dedicated servants to the Regent's will as they are, they are not afraid to gang up on the vulnerable new arrivals and force it down their throats.

Once in your mouth, the potion will slither down your throat as if it's a living thing. The effect takes hold quickly: as this darkness creeps through your insides, it will embolden your darkest and most despair inducing emotions, plaguing your thoughts with the worst sorrows of your life. What's worst, it simultaneously seems to awaken some form of enhanced psychic empathy within you, both projecting your thoughts for others to hear, and allowing you to receive those of the others around you in kind. Black ooze will begin to seep from orifices, or the space around your shard. The effects of this contamination bring out your worst, and its recipients will be forced to live with these effects until they accept the force corrupting them into their souls.

This world is not good enough, a voice speaks to your through the Kenoma. This suffering you feel, the cruelty that has birthed this darkness in you... it is simply the rot that is consuming this existence. A better universe awaits, one forged by your own hand, and all you need do is first bring about this broken reality's end.

How long this goes on will depend on how long the characters is able to fight it. Acceptance of the Kenoma can come as quickly as immediately, if your character is inclined towards it, or it could be drawn out to take a few days. In the meantime, they will have to stay in the barren halls surrounding the Regent's lodestone, and will not be permitted to exit into the greater Citadel as the current Kenoma are. All that will immediately be offered to them down there are stone slabs that can be used as beds and formless white robes that reach down past their knees.

Of course, that doesn't mean the characters that are already of the Kenoma can't do something about that. If they desire it, they will be able to bring food or other supplies to those suffering with their Kenoma infections, and it will be equally within their power to try anything from bullying them into accepting to lovebombing them. Once a character accepts the Kenoma and attunes to it, they will be permitted to leave, but for the sake of the TDM interactions should be kept to the lodestone area.

QUESTIONS
Is this TDM canon?
Mostly! It's part of an in-game event. However, only threads with new players that app and are accepted will be considered game canon. Threads between old characters will all be canon, but threads involving new characters that don't apply or aren't accepted will either need to be tweaked to remove their involvement or made non-canon. New characters will also be able to decide TDM threads aren't canon if they end up changing directions.

Who can toplevel on this post?
Anyone, whether they are a new character or a current one. However, we do ask for current players to do their best to tag new characters. If you are bringing in a new character and want a current character to bring them into your sect of choice, post your request here! ICly, current characters are fighting to claim new arrivals, but it's up to the player of new characters where they ultimately end up going.

When is this TDM taking place chronologically?
The beginning of August. The shrines will be active and forming Aions during that time. The dreams will start around the 29th of July. All current Aions will be able to sense when it's time for the new arrivals to start emerging.

What are the shrines like?
Every shrine is comprised of the crystal-filled cavern character emerge inside and then the massive statue symbolizing the relevant Legacy built on top. More information about each shrine can be found in the "Aion Shrine" section of the setting page.

Are everyone's homeworlds really gone?
That's a complicated issue, and while the fate of their world is not without hope, they may certainly get the impression its been destroyed from the dream they had. Alternatively, they may refuse to believe what they felt and attempt to dismiss it as only a vision. More about this situation will be revealed as the game goes on.

Can I only experience one end of the dream sequence prompt?
New characters may experience one ending, both endings, or neither. If they experience both they will struggle to recall which came first or which feels the most 'true' to them, as both will simultaneously be the thought they are reborn with. If your character refuses to pursue either path they can simply linger in the middle until the infinite worlds above them start being extinguished one by one, eventually expelling them into darkness in a similar style to the light prompt. Which dreams they experience will not dictate their initial sect affiliation.

Is it possible to pull another character back from the end of the light or darkness dreams?
Yes! If your character is able to resist the pull of either end, they will have the chance to try to pull another character back from the edge of the abyss or the edge of oneness. Whether or not they succeed is entirely up to the other character, though.

Do you come out of the chrysalis wet?
For most intents and purposes it's the same experience as hatching out of a real butterfly chrysalis, so yes, a bit.

How does attunement to the Pleroma or Kenoma work for new characters?
More information about sect attunements can be read on their dedicated info page, but in summary: when new characters are brought to Horos, they will be in the state of being "Untouched" meaning they are not attuned to either sect. By the end of their first month in game it is expected they will either attune to Pleroma or Kenoma, though for those taken by the Kenoma's forces, the transition will be forced within the first few days. If taken in by the Pleroma, it may take then some time to attune to Pleroma, depending on the strength of their spirit, but it could also happen almost instantly if they are allowed to. How quickly it happens will depend on how strongly they align with the Pleroma's traits. Characters who have been taken by the Pleroma but that remain Untouched will not be allowed into Greentruth until their attunement to Pleroma is complete.

Can a character taken by one side end up attuning to the sect of the opposite one?
This is theoretically possible, yes: a person taken by the Kenoma could potentially resist the Kenoma's call, and someone taken by the Pleroma could end up falling to the Kenoma while staying with them. Generally, though, we recommend that you have your character be taken by whichever sect you want to end up in, as doing a switcheroo will cause narrative complications that might bog their introduction down in plotting that will need to be done with the mods. It can happen, but it is not to be done lightly!

bythelight: (3)

[personal profile] bythelight 2022-08-05 11:18 pm (UTC)(link)
An unfamiliar term?

He -- well.

He'd thought, even if he were somewhere else, that they would at least be...

At least be somewhere that understood what a Titan was.

The thought has him reeling a moment. A misunderstanding, surely. Perhaps they have never heard of Titans because they called them by another name? Yet then this person -- how did they --

"Yes," Anduin says, trying to catch up with himself before the confused silence draws out. "Perhaps you simply call them something else."
warmare: (渡す)

[personal profile] warmare 2022-08-05 11:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Your oily little paws.

[Another person might have insisted it wasn't that... but Hayame just corrects him. What, the bows he was familiar with didn't require maintenance? ... Not that she had to do it right now, so quickly, but.

She still does it. Just to drive home her point.]
dancinglight: DNS (Default)

[personal profile] dancinglight 2022-08-06 12:01 am (UTC)(link)
There was a sense of disappointment, but it wasn't all that surprising. In the end, it wasn't that big of a deal, but enough for her to feel a little let down.

"Mayhap it best that we find something to wear first before we have this conversation?" she said with a sigh, still wondering what happened to their clothing in the first place and where to find something to cover for the time being.
pyojeol: (pic#15847968)

can i have all of him this time....

[personal profile] pyojeol 2022-08-06 12:17 am (UTC)(link)
[They come to a stop, and for a moment Sooyoung wants to demand -- hilariously -- for him to keep going. If they keep moving, then she can keep that tidal wave of emotion threatening to overwhelm her at bay. She can keep herself intact for just a little longer.

Instead, she runs her eyes over the person standing in front of her, watches them slip off the mask and the hood, watches them look down at her, eyes glinting. She'd jolt at the sight of tears -- but she's already frozen by the sight of him. He's looking at her and his mouth is shaping words and something must be wrong with this place because her vision is growing fuzzy around the edges and she can't hear a single thing. just the blood rushing to her head like a drumbeat --

she lurches forward unsteadily, like she can't decide whether or not she wants to grab onto him or punch him -- and ends up planting the book in her hand against dokja's chest instead,]


...Which one?

[words are her lifeblood and yet she can barely get them out, the corners of the book press harder against skin]

Which one are you?

[which one is this? which kim dokja?]
pyojeol: (pic#15727370)

[personal profile] pyojeol 2022-08-06 12:52 am (UTC)(link)
[Words that should sound scornful, and instead are sorrowful.

That too, is Kim Dokja's fault. Sooyoung opens her mouth, -- but Yoo Joonghyuk's already moving on, saving her from having to flounder for an appropriate reply. She focuses on his next words instead, huffing at the familiar tone.]


Yeah, yeah. You better thank me properly when we get out of here.

[Even her jibe sounds half-hearted. That's just what happens when you hear 'Kim Dokja' while in < Kim Dokja's Company >, apparently.

But the light is bright, and everything that comes with it is distracting -- along with the feeling of nostalgia that grows stronger with every step. She doesn't want to dwell on it,]


...How long is this gonna take?

[so she'll just annoy yjh with questions ig]
pyojeol: (pic#15721051)

[personal profile] pyojeol 2022-08-06 01:17 am (UTC)(link)
You're assuming a lot from a -- [she'd look at her imaginary wristwatch to really drive home the punchline but

well, she doesn't have one. never mind, she goes on anyway]


-- what, five minute encounter? You don't know if I'll stay with the Ple... Pleroomies or whatever. [PLEROOMIES?] Maybe we'll turn out to be sworn enemies.
kablams: (vlcsnap-2021-11-22-18h13m00s850)

🥰🍫🥰 i feel loved,

[personal profile] kablams 2022-08-06 01:22 am (UTC)(link)
[ Silco isn't wrong: the transport from the Lover's shrine to the Lodestone sitting within Achamoth is... disorienting. it seems to be the theme of the day - disorientation, being thrown outside her element and made to flounder among whatever the hell happens along the way. Jinx has been in Horos a total of what - twenty minutes? half an hour?

and her nerves are frayed, patience fraying with it when they coalesce at their destination, her knees giving a little unsteady wobble and her grip on Silco's forearm tightening. it really is like Hextech - yet beyond it. individual teleportation--? the Council would eat their heart out.

but she's already forgotten about it by the time they've arrived. Jinx tears her flighty gaze away from the man in front of her, eyes sweeping over the interior of the Lodestone's hall; she wants to know how it works. she wants to know what just happened. she wants to know where she is, why Silco is doing Silco things with people she doesn't know; she wants a bath and some clothes and (is it all really... gone?)

...the tension in the sit of her shoulders says it all. she's been a (relatively) good girl so far, but if he doesn't start talking quick -- her distracted obedience is going to turn ugly real fast. ]
kablams: (vlcsnap-2021-11-17-15h09m39s546)

[personal profile] kablams 2022-08-06 01:30 am (UTC)(link)
[ what could a girl want more in life than another bad influence?? honestly.

his lack of reciprocation doesn't bother her at all, thanks! and thankfully for him, she doesn't have any adorable explosives in dreamland to leave behind as a parting gift, either. sad. real sad. he'd look kinda cute with pink splattered all over him. it'd really bring out his eyes.

Jinx is sweeping back and giving him one last little pat-pat, ]


Isn't it nice when someone just... gets you? I mean, the conversations I usually have in here aren't usually so...

[ she trails off, already turning toward the black abyss as if something inside of it had called to her. as if she'd heard something from within.

maybe he heard it too? maybe. ]


...Don't suppose you're going that way, too. Are you?
chronosynthesis: (❖ Chaotic Potency)

[personal profile] chronosynthesis 2022-08-06 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
[--Well, that's immediately threatening.

Syrlya's hand falls to the hilt of his sword, gaze flicking between them.]
If you intend to make this a fight...
cutlery: (he is frickin frolicking)

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-08-06 01:47 am (UTC)(link)
[ He laughs, and it's warm and genuine as he nods. ]

Why, it is indeed quite nice.

[ And he has a sense (or a guess, more accurately) about what she means about her conversations, but it's a detail easily tucked away and moved past. Sebastian follows the line of her gaze to look at the void, and though his smile is calmer from the laugh, the corners of his eyes are still turned up in a smile. ]

Perhaps as such, I shall indeed. That darkness may as well be my home, so the choice feels obvious for me.
fallingsand: (78;)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2022-08-06 01:58 am (UTC)(link)
Circumstances? Yes. That. Circumstances. Under these circumstances. Ha, sorry if... that. Didn't sound that way.

[ Bruno gives an awkward little laugh over that. No, he wasn't trying to be rude, honest. ]

Though I more meant the whole dream thing? As the circumstances? I'm not sure why my indecision would matter there.
fallingsand: (39;)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2022-08-06 02:05 am (UTC)(link)
You and I have really different concepts of a trap, huh?

[ No, nothing Silco had said had been technically a lie but finding himself in a place with no way to leave unless he... takes something? Something he couldn't say he liked the look of. Kenoma, as it had been called. It looked like black ooze, and Bruno felt it would sure taste like black ooze, too. Overall, seemed bad, man, and yet, he would still reach out with an unsteady hand to take the vial he was being offered.

If it'll only take a moment, although once he had the vial in hand, he balked. He didn't try cracking it open and downing it right away. Instead, he reached up to put a hand against the crystal embedded in his own sternum, looking down at it.

He had really been trying to ignore that part from the get-go — another weird part of this mess, one he hadn't really wanted to acknowledge. The color of unrefined emerald — a cloudy green — roughly shaped like an hourglass.
]

So, what? Will something bad happen if this thing just doesn't... what was it? Attune?
kablams: (vlcsnap-2021-11-17-15h57m41s510)

[personal profile] kablams 2022-08-06 02:07 am (UTC)(link)
[ his hand is big. way bigger than hers. when's the last time anyone held it and swallowed it up this way? her dad? Vander?

thinking about that should make her hurt, but it doesn't. it just makes her... angry. angry, and resigned. people always leave. people abandon you, betray you. being hurt isn't an acceptable consequence; it leaves you vulnerable to more hurt. right? he gets it?

he definitely gets it. is that why he's looking at her like that? ]


But... I don't just want it to stop.

[ if he gets it--

whatever had been in her eyes before is slowly morphing into something else. the vulnerability is evolving into a low burn, something that is quickly consuming whatever had been building there and using it as kindling to feed the flames.

if he really gets it, then she'll know. if she tells him - she'll get her answer either way. anyone else - anyone else but Silco, and she knows what kind of response she'd get. what she should be expecting.

but somehow... somehow, with this one... ]


I want to make them stop.

[ she hates them. 'them;' it doesn't matter who, maybe. she hates them and she wants them to suffer and she wants to be there when they do. she wants to be the one to do it. oh, does she want that so god damn bad-- ]

And I want them to know it was me.
gravings: (090)

[personal profile] gravings 2022-08-06 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ Gray actually hasn't found much to outright scurry from since she's arrived in Horos, but the sudden roaring shout behind her sets her flight response aflame. But before she can do much more than jolt in place, she's caught by the cloak. Immediately she reaches for her hood and draws it down low over her head, anxious that the rough handling will cause her hood to slip off.

So given her all-hands-on-deck dedication to securing her hood, she's otherwise at the mercy of the knight who's grabbed her; she hunches under their grip, trying to keep her face turned away. ]


Y-yes, that's me.

[ She doesn't see a point in trying to lie about it. If anything, she feels that making the attempt would only make the knight angrier.

She's content(?) to leave her response at that and subject herself to the displeasure of her tormentor, but for better or worse, Add is feeling especially chatty today. He speaks up with mischievous cheer from the safety of Gray's cloak. ]


Ihihihi! What's up, Bean Girl?!
definitelynotalich: (Default)

[personal profile] definitelynotalich 2022-08-06 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
Vaden listened attentively to the explanation of what the other did for work and he was perhaps mildly disappointed when he heard that he was no more than a paper pusher. A very important paper pusher, yes, and someone who certainly saw much cross his desk, but still. His minor disappointment was overshadowed by his intrigue at the idea of creation magicks, populating a star (did he mean world?) in such a way.

"By creation magicks - do you mean conjuration?" He was rather confident that wasn't what he'd meant - conjuration didn't create anything new, only summoned it from elsewhere - but he had no other context of what that could really mean. Vaden was not so stupid that he couldn't extrapolate based on the name on the tin but, well, such a thing didn't exist where he was from.
zauneyete: (Ouchies)

you SHOULD bc we adore you

[personal profile] zauneyete 2022-08-06 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's still disorienting every time he used these stones. It's always more violent than Silco expected, and sharper. He wasn't used to traveling by hextech gates, but he always felt like the violence of it was similar, that womp of motion, and then they were at the lodestone. It's familiar, but in the light of the lodestone, the crystalline halls, Silco feels as if it is...

Perhaps not different, but he feels like he can see it all differently. He watched Jinx, more than the rest of the attendants, or anything like that. One cultist swooped in, ready to present her with the vile drink, but Silco waved them off. Jinx wouldn't take that from them, and if they tried... There was no way that it would last.

When she stopped looking around, when the frantic pass of her eyes slowed, he took the opportunity, and led her to a seat to the side, where the benches were. He sat down, and and ran a hand down his face, fingers across his lips. How did he even begin to describe...what had just happened.
]

Runeterra is gone. [ That's as fine a start as any. ] I don't know how, but with it Zaun, and...everyone who didn't arrive here. [ Silco stopped, then, the dead air said all it needed to. He had thought she was gone. ] I've been here for around five months.

[ Silco didn't reach out, of course -- Silco never reached out, but he ran a hand through his hair, almost ritual in the motion, as if the fact that Jinx was here was enough to calm most of the tension and the hate from him. ]
vapour: (pic#15074565)

[personal profile] vapour 2022-08-06 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
Haha, me? [ three blue lights suddenly appear midair above Childe's head and shoot forward like bullets in blue streaks of light made of water. Even if they hit their target, which is Syr, they will hurt quite a bit, but they won't hold their structure and won't cause much physical damage. As soon as they land (or hit something else) they burst into a remaining harmless splash of water. This course means that they don't pierce anywhere near as deeply as an actual bullet can, but they probably shouldn't be too lightly either considering the pain they cause upon impact.

If Syr gets hit by any, great. If he blocks or dodges them, even better.
]

Nah. This fight is definitely your fault for showing up in the first place. You put me in a bad spot, it can't be helped~.

[ he'll have to ignore Miyako and Hawkmon for the moment, but he has not forgotten about them. ]
zauneyete: (I can be nice)

[personal profile] zauneyete 2022-08-06 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
It's certainly not trivial.

[ It's said, with a touch of lightness that doesn't really match the seriousness of the situation, but while Silco treated it seriously, in the light and dark, trapped in this space, this dream. It feels so far away. The distance is a rare thing, as Silco is so mired in the Kenoma, in the purpose. He's sworn to it, but more than that, he recognizes the power it will offer, so he does his damndest but...

In this dream? He recognizes how ridiculous it is.
]

I suppose, if you wake up, you will find out soon enough how...serious it is.

Perhaps you'll even prove yourself, and end up where I am. [ A shrug. ] As long as you don't go for the irony.
ricordi: (015)

[personal profile] ricordi 2022-08-06 03:12 am (UTC)(link)
Hmn, the terminology is unknown to me. What does it mean?

[no, wait... cassius shakes his head, realizing that this is not the right question to ask. context is important, when they're not calling themselves that term, but the people of this world are. so it means something to them.

so he'll amend.]


Rather, what does it mean to the people of this world? What are we expected to do, that they call us that?
subsist: (pic#15697789)

it's true 🥺

[personal profile] subsist 2022-08-06 03:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ kaeya arrives at the lodestone not too long after. using the returning stones is no different from waypoints, really, but going through the suffocating void and the sudden snap of reappearing elsewhere never fails to make him all tense. he only relaxes once he sees that silco and jinx made it back here without a hitch. at least that's one less thing to worry about.

when silco runs his hand through his hair, kaeya wonders if he should step in or if he should leave them be. he doesn't need to know the relationship between the two to realize that his presence is only going to cause more problems if he stayed, so the latter option wins out.

announcing himself doesn't happen until silco finishes talking. ]


... Silco. I'm heading back out, to see if there are others.

[ it wouldn't hurt. after all, leaving fire guy behind at the shrine meant that the pleroma have a better chance at picking up any new aions who will hatch there, so he can't exactly let them keep that advantage for long.

he turns to jinx next, and when he holds his hand out, a new frozen sword manifests in his grip. it's cold to the touch, but there won't be a threat of frostbite. not if he doesn't allow it. ]
Here. Since you were meant to have it, before that man interrupted us.

[ he'll leave once jinx takes the sword from him. no need to stay much longer than that, he thinks. ]
zauneyete: (The worst)

[personal profile] zauneyete 2022-08-06 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
[ Silco watched him, when he took the vial. The man was cautious, overly so, but Silco could appreciate that, on some level. Had he shown up in a new world, and told to drink a vial of something that looked like that, without the ritual, the show, or being forced? He certainly wouldn't have been quite so willing. he also wouldn't have believed a word anyone said, either. That, however, is a feature of Silco being... Silco. Suspicious and looking for betrayal at all times, to a fault. ]

Well, you won't be able to access any of your powers.

[ He said, simply, and watched him, when he said that, as if looking for an answer. Many came with their own, Silco had found. He hadn't, but that hadn't stopped him from finding... ways to make it work, as he slowly came into his own. ]

Beyond that, you won't find Achamoth welcoming, if you refuse. We have to attune to the Kenoma, otherwise... you'll find your shard won't be very functional.
settingup: (the greatest alive)

[personal profile] settingup 2022-08-06 03:47 am (UTC)(link)
[ Atsumu is still too early in the Kenoma’s journey through his body for it to really be telling him much of anything right now, and that’s part of the reason for the look he gives Amos now. What the hell is this man talking about? He doesn’t know what it’s supposed to be telling him yet, but he sure knows how it’s making him feel; nothing at all feels right about what’s happening to him.

Nothing at all feels right about any of this. This guy just poisoned him, and is now trying to soothe him like he’s a fussy child rather than a dying man.

Oh god… Is he a dying man? Is this killing him. His already ragged breathing turns frantic as he starts to hyperventilate. He doesn’t want to go out like this, on the cold stone ground in some weird cave in fantasy bullshit land. No no no, this isn’t supposed to be how it goes.

Weakly, he tries to drag himself away from Amos, mind spiraling as he struggles to think up some way out of this. He’s a clever kid in many ways, but nothing in his life could ever have prepared him to have to deal with this kind of situation. He grits his teeth as he tries and fails to push himself back onto his feet.
]

Worth what? Me dyin’?!

[ Well… technically… eventually. He’ll hear the message at some point, and he’ll struggle with it even harder when he does, but the Kenoma is strong, and the Kenoma is clever in its own way. Atsumu felt his world be destroyed, and even if he hadn’t full processed it or come to terms with that reality, the Kenoma will do a damn good job of shoving it into his face repeatedly to chip away at him.

And will it really be worth living a full life without all the people and things he cares about no longer part of it?
]
settingup: (i'm running and i'm just enough)

[personal profile] settingup 2022-08-06 03:48 am (UTC)(link)
[ S-shit… called out like this, huh? It was kind of annoying to not be allowed to answer, but it’s true that this wasn’t really a question that Atsumu wanted to answer in this first place. Is there a good way to get out of this? And what the hell is with this guy’s weird way of speaking anyway? ]

Since you went and interrupted me in the first place, I don’t really wanna say it now!

[ Ha, nice! That’s a good excuse that doesn’t sound like a petulant child pouting or anything.

God, that did sound so lame, didn’t it?
]

Besides, that’s personal anyway. Who goes around talkin’ about their heart wails or whatever?
settingup: (i won't give up)

[personal profile] settingup 2022-08-06 03:48 am (UTC)(link)
[ Atsumu feels ill and moody, and having to explain this is making his already hurting head hurt more. Magic bullshit is already a lot to deal with when you’re not used to it already, so having to explain it is almost beyond him. ]

You’re feelin’ stuff too loudly!

[ Did that make any sense? It probably didn’t, but he doesn’t really care. He just needs this man to stop…

Feeling.

Apparently.
]
settingup: (no no no)

[personal profile] settingup 2022-08-06 03:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ It’s a small blessing put there by some benevolent outside force so that both of these fools didn’t have to stand behind rocks as they yelled at each other. Instead it’s only one of them, and it seems like he’ll have to stay behind that rock for a little longer. ]

Are you kiddin’ me?!

[ The last one? Is that some kind of sick joke? He guesses if one of them has to be naked, better this girl than him, but he really, really doesn’t want to be. ]

Can’t you take another look around real quick?

[ Please, just find him a shirt he can tie around his waist or something. ]