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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!

wildrawr: (pic#15860171)

[personal profile] wildrawr 2022-08-07 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
[ okay, so he thinks he gets it a little better now.

This guy is a complete basket case.

The question is does he bow for this nutjob and spare himself a potential public episode that will definitely make him look like the bad guy, with his luck, or?
]

. . .

[ ...

without a word, Ozymandias will get a bow exactly the way Kotetsu would greet someone back home.
]
wildrawr: (pic#15860083)

[personal profile] wildrawr 2022-08-07 01:27 am (UTC)(link)
"...Well, yeah. You got that right, no question."

Kotetsu barely even realizes that he's finally started to accept that this dream isn't some bad fish, afterall, just a crazy unexpected situation that he's wound up in.

At the very least, it looks like he's not as alone in this situation as he thought. That can't be a bad thing.
baltimores: (079; so he’s dead?)

[personal profile] baltimores 2022-08-07 01:40 am (UTC)(link)
You're not dying.

[ Well, technically, not right now, at least. That isn't what the Kenoma does to you when you first ingest it. He thought that's what the outcome would've been, if you didn't accept it, and turns out the alternative is a lot worse.

But once they're back in Achamoth, they should be fine. Amos lifts his hand from Atsumu, letting him attempt to crawl away. They'll be out of here in another minute or so. It doesn't really matter anymore, so he lets himself get a little distracted, eyes more on the cavern's entrance than Atsumu himself. It should be too late for any new threats to come... but... ]


Can't really explain it to you until you accept it. Won't have to then. You'll understand.

[ For all his faults, for the way he's forced Atsumu into this, he really does believe that. He also knows that if he couldn't convince anyone the first time around, the chances he convinces anyone here and now seem small.

He'll take it. Amos cradles his returning stone in one hand, glances from the cavern's still-empty entrance to Atsumu's form, and his voice grows softer. ]


We're almost home.
subjugate: (0 9 5.)

[personal profile] subjugate 2022-08-07 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
[ The bow is sufficient enough that he'll accept it. Of course, he would have preferred the man get on his knees, but the floor is full of crystallized formations. No need to make his bleed all over Ozymandias' feet at the moment. ]

There may be some merit in keeping you around after all.

[ Which is good because he's still absent of any useful ways to dispose of those standing in his path, a problem he would rather rectify sooner than later. ]

Seeing as you weren't the one that summoned me, do you know who did? Were they so filled with awe and terror at my appearance that they could only bare to lay eyes on me for but a moment? That cowardice does not bode well for them.

[ At least it guarantees a short and quick death once Ozymandias confronts them, so he can return to more important matters. ]
subjugate: (0 8 6.)

kenussy - a; hope this is okay

[personal profile] subjugate 2022-08-07 02:23 am (UTC)(link)
[ ...As always, the Knights of Camelot are shameless. Abhorrent and shameless. This one saw fit to try and snatch the good wine he'd finally been gifted with after chugging down that abysmal black fluid.

Before her fingers can even graze the bottle, he plucks it away with narrowed eyes, recognizing the knight, even though he'd rather not have to deal with them yet again. ]


The spawn of the Lion King. Though you have inherited the Lion King's beauty, you are lacking in grace. Perhaps if you beseech me with more humility, I may see fit to share my spoils.

[ But in the meantime, he's going to pour the wine nice and slow and relish in it splashing into his cup as he lounges on the most throne-like chair he could find... which is just a regular chair, but he placed it higher than the others so he could feel important. ]
deductiondance: (confused)

[personal profile] deductiondance 2022-08-07 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
Well, it may not bother Byleth, but it bothers Holmes, not that he'll say anything to that effect.

Holmes takes the nod of acknowledgement as a good sign, but his cheer is quickly deflated by the other man's next words.

"Prisoners? That's certainly not ideal..." Bit of an understatement, perhaps, but the man is a master of downplay. "Perhaps we ought to stick together. Safety in numbers and such."

The question strikes him as a bit odd-- is this Byleth part of the armed forces? "I'm a civilian, I suppose. A consulting detective, actually-- I have to wonder if whoever captured me was out for my wits! Ah ha ha ha!"

Bit of an odd time for laughter. It must be to bolster his own morale or something.
deductiondance: (smirk)

[personal profile] deductiondance 2022-08-07 02:31 am (UTC)(link)
"Now, don't tell me you don't know what a detective is! I suppose a consulting detective is a rarity, though..." Holmes smirks, tilting his head back slightly. "As for your other concern, that's quite all right-- you would be surprised how much you could actually help, even in a similar situation to myself."

The man talks in such an antiquated manner... you have to wonder where or even when he's from. Well, the where might be indicated by his notable British accent, a hybrid of posh and something less so.
wildrawr: (pic#15860096)

[personal profile] wildrawr 2022-08-07 02:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ keep him around? That's nice of him, Kotetsu guesses. Being alone out here kind of really sucks. ]

I'm not... actually sure who 'summoned' us.

But you talk like you're very comfortable with the idea of being summoned like this. How come?

[ Kotetsu goes back to crouching down and idly picking at crystal splinters while this conversation continues, as if he might find something of use mixed in between. Overall, though, it's just something to distract him from the damp cold he's feeling right about now.

It a little drafty with this whole no clothes thing going on still. Not that he's complaining, just... yeah, okay, fine, he's complaining even if just to himself.
]
subjugate: (1 4 6.)

[personal profile] subjugate 2022-08-07 02:35 am (UTC)(link)
[ ...Morax. Not a name nor a concept he has any familiarity with and certainly not his name. To dispel any chance of this impudent human from getting it wrong a second time, he does actually answer his question, his voice rising in the small space. ]

The King of Kings, blessed by the sun god himself, beloved by his people, their cherished Meryamen, also known as Ozymandias! Carve it into your mind now and never forget, just as I carved it into every temple I built.

[ Lest Ozymandias be inspired to carve it onto his forehead for him. He doesn't appreciate being misidentified. ]

Now, I believe I issued an order, and my patience is withering ast.

[ He can find someone else more talkative if this human continues to bluster about without actually saying anything useful, though he'd rather not have to. ]
deductiondance: (laughing)

[personal profile] deductiondance 2022-08-07 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
Holmes pauses, then starts laughing, sharp and raucous. There's an edge of stress to it, but mostly it's just utter bemusement at Ryu being the way he is.

"You may have had a point were we back home, but I think most of these people have bigger fish to fry than judging us for poor etiquette." He says this through leftover chuckles, heaves a sigh.

"You certainly aren't obligated to take the hug, dear boy, I just thought it might-- I don't know, help? Somehow?"
wildrawr: (pic#15860177)

[personal profile] wildrawr 2022-08-07 02:43 am (UTC)(link)
"No, I do... just don't really get to talk to any of them that much."

Antiquated speech, British accent, consulting detective.

Truly, Kotetsu has zero idea where or when this man is from. Even sadder is the fact that he's barely even noticed these things to begin with.

Maybe this sort of lack of perception is what happens when you find yourself middle aged and suddenly automatically pegged as an old guy forever.

Still, if he can be helpful to this this man, it's worth a shot, right? "Okay," Kotetsu relents, looking to the other man now. "If you think so, then ask away."
subjugate: (0 7 4.)

[personal profile] subjugate 2022-08-07 02:58 am (UTC)(link)
Summoned... us?

[ He squints slightly. He hadn't thought this man to be another Heroic Spirit. He's so ...unimpressive. So lacking in presence.

So small and unremarkable. Never mind that he and Ozy are the same height. ]


It hadn't occurred to me that you would be either opponent or ally. For the sake of your future victory, pray to every god you know that I am not your opponent.

[ Though he'd rather save his energy and efforts for a more worthy opponent and just let his sphinx deal with this, but he's still unsure who the players in this latest new war are and what reasons they have for bringing them all here. He'd initially assumed he'd merely be restoring this world to grandeur to alleviate it from the follies of its own demise. ]
vapour: (pic#15074510)

[personal profile] vapour 2022-08-07 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
[ What, really? He's also a god? Childe is quiet, squinting ever so slightly before realizing he's actually merely caught in this set of golden eyes just like he used to find himself with Zhongli's.

With an huff, he closes his eyes and goes to recall what this newcomer was asking him in the first place.
] Right, where to start?

[ Ozymandias said he wanted a quick explanation but none of this is quick. Even so, Childe chooses to go with brief instead of thorough. ]

Let's see, you were brought here to fight in a war to decide the fate of this world. The Pleroma and Kenoma are supposed to cycle and shift power from one to the other to maintain cosmic balance, but the Pleroma has refused to turn its ruling time over to the Kenoma. The Regent wants your help in bringing this iteration of the world to an end and bring about a new one to start the cycle all over again.

[ that's through enough, right? At the very least it should give this individual something to create questions from in order to learn more. ] Also, I had nothing to do with you showing up here. You just looked like someone I know that I didn't want to see. I'm neither guilty nor a coward. [ It's not always the case and probably won't last for long, but for now Childe has an honest clean slate to declare without fear of it being found out as a lie. ]

Also, you're a newly hatched aion. You move really well for one and it was unexpected.
subjugate: (0 3 0.)

[personal profile] subjugate 2022-08-07 03:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ That's quite a lot to ingest. Summoned for a war by 'The Regent'... surely, a human king to other humans but not a divine one anointed by the gods. The time of divine kings who inherited the will of the sun god had long past when last he'd been summoned, and what existed in its place were mere men and women, fragile in both body and demeanor. Only the Lion King had arisen since then with promise. He doesn't expect this world to be any different, hence why the Regent likely required someone like him to usher in the new cycle quicker.

It's an interesting ambition. Most crave power or recognition. Conquest. The Regent simply wants order restored from where it had been disarrayed. Ozymandias would like to confront them to better ascertain their goals, but this is a promising start.

He almost misses the comment that proceeds the explanation, too busy simply letting Childe's words percolate in his mind. ]


Hmm...? Oh that? Did you really expect me to crawl on the ground after my awakening?

[ He laughs once, the sound sharp and abrupt. ]

I grovel for no man nor regent. I left the womb with my head held high and have not lowered it since. Now, take me at once to this Regent. I wish to hear their desires for this world straight from their mouth.
subsist: (pic#15626264)

[personal profile] subsist 2022-08-07 03:34 am (UTC)(link)
It's difficult to explain, but — you can feel it, right? When it tells you how this world is beyond saving.

[ kaeya thinks back to when it was his turn to go through this process, wondering when was it that they finally gave in. it felt like the last possible moment but... ]

I can't tell you how you're meant to accept it, exactly; it's something you have to come to terms with yourself. If you disagree with what it's saying, then it's much harder.
affal: (118)

[personal profile] affal 2022-08-07 03:48 am (UTC)(link)
( makoto's tongue clicks against the roof of his mouth. )

A terrible pity.

( for beings used to and secure in their own immortality, that could be one of the greatest misfortunes that might befall them — less perhaps the waste of time, as time was not finite and scarce and therefore had no true value, but the waste of effort. the skewed opportunity cost of something that was once very nearly in hand, guaranteed in writing and simply not having been actualized by action yet, and which was now suddenly and irrevocably lost. this really is one of the few ways to truly wound a demon, isn't it? for one to whom pain, anguish, or death is merely an object in abstract, concepts that might as well be idioms in a language that don't properly translate.

makoto is only a demon now through transference, having been human long enough to remember all of them well enough that he still had the reflexive shy tenderness toward them. it's a weakness that he tries his best to hide, buried beneath a veneer that he had perfected to wheel and deal among the upper crust of hell with as little attention paid to his origins as possible.

you will, a voice seems to say from within him; his own voice, actually, though in the way the Kenoma can sometimes twist, feeding you its own desires in a way that makes you feel as though they were your own. the only reason makoto senses it now is because he actually does understand sebastian in this. as much as the Kenoma's end-goals align with his own, they do not compare with makoto's ultimate mission in exacting his revenge over J. so he will not press the other demon on that, instead chuckling lightly at his specifications. )


That is the aim. Though you may have opportunity yet to at the very least pose stipulations, even if it's not in the way you might prefer. The Regent has mentioned that they take suggestions from those who earn their ear.

( what suggestions might demons have for a world without suffering, though... that's why makoto's never thought about it, or at least outside of his own desire for oblivion. his version of hell has a currency based on human anguish, so... it would be quite a paradigm shift. )
ricordi: (003)

[personal profile] ricordi 2022-08-07 04:27 am (UTC)(link)
[what kaeya says are even more abstract, illogical concepts that cassius is silent for, the frown on his face showing how he's struggling to understand this. moondwellers have never faced this sort of dilemma before, something so fantastical, and while he enjoys watching illogical events unfold to study how people react... he is now in the center of one.

and in an unpleasant state to be in, at that.]


I cannot agree to what it's saying because I haven't seen any evidence. The woods I saw outside of the caverns I came to was alive, and the people here look well. [does he think they're lying? no, the thought never even occured to him.

but...

he looks up at kaeya, determination written on his face.]


As someone who has been here longer than me, it is only logical that you know more, and to ask you. What have you seen?
eightfoldfiend: (all mimsy were the borogoves)

[personal profile] eightfoldfiend 2022-08-07 04:37 am (UTC)(link)
The kind that needs to be experienced to be appreciated.

[He's hoping for a confrontation, preferably a bloody one. Something to help him focus and pull together his fraying edges.]

fightingevilbymoonknight: (point-steven)

[personal profile] fightingevilbymoonknight 2022-08-07 06:28 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh, I doubt they could have covered up the attack on New York," Steven agrees. "Or the whole thing where Thanos destroyed half of all life across the universe and then the Avengers brought it back." His face falls a little. "I guess we're from different universes then, yeah?"
wildrawr: (pic#15860109)

[personal profile] wildrawr 2022-08-07 06:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ A line had officially been crossed for Kotetsu. Staring back up at Ozymandias, he's going to slowly rise to his feet until they're standing at the same damn height apex looking up to face the sun same damn height.

That's just not going to fly here.
]

All right, enough, naked boy wonder. This isn't my first rodeo or dealing with whelps like you that can't have the decency to respect their elders.

[ folds his arms over his chest in the no nonsense kind of way a dad does. ]

I mean, did you really honestly think I was from around here and just chose this dinky little backwater cave to lose my clothes and hang around buck naked for funsies? Well?

[ Yeah you're getting a dad lecture, Ozy. ] A little mutual respect here can bring incredible and unexpected results, you know.
Edited 2022-08-07 15:03 (UTC)
affal: (48)

[personal profile] affal 2022-08-07 07:29 am (UTC)(link)
( no, no. he knows. he's familiar enough with the feeling to feel its bitter sting, like the burn of battery acid against one's skin — of taking someone in hand, in giving them something of yours personal and intimate, and yet feeling an inexplicable distance, sensing just enough of a lag in their words and reactions that you got the sense that they were more deliberate than automatic. makoto had grown so obsessed with getting J to fall in love with him, telling himself it was the primary vehicle for the ultimate goal of his revenge, but — in truth, he wanted to force out whatever caused that distance, his animal instinct to tear away the vestiges of whoever it was that J still loved, who he still thought about for just a passing moment whenever makoto took his hand, when he pressed close, when he claimed his lips... ah, if only he could make him forget, so he could keep him jealously to himself.

though makoto might not be who ranmaru wants to see right now, he is nonetheless who is here with him now, and that alone should at least be enough to circumvent the disorientation and pain of solitude. he is welcome to use him for that, to cling to him as a drowning man might a drifting piece of flotsam, for just long enough that he remained afloat until real help could arrive.

the pad of makoto's thumb moves swiftly, almost with a sort of practiced ease, sweeping away the track of tears. )


You won't, so long as you accept me here with you now.

( he pauses, thoughtful. )

Change can be a storm, as can be loss and pain. You can weather them.
killandrecycle: (Totally believable smile)

[personal profile] killandrecycle 2022-08-07 07:48 am (UTC)(link)
The girl definitely seems to appreciate the sound of her own voice. Despite the fact she looks like she'd be easily broken by any half-capable fighter, she speaks with the authority, or perhaps simply feigned authority, of someone not used to having questions asked when she makes a demand.

But any authority she believed was hers was indeed being questioned, and it was obvious that annoyed her greatly. She is not used to diplomacy, there was no need for it in the might makes right world she came from. You 'won the debate' if you survived your enemy's attempt on your life. To say she is not used to using words to solve her problems would be an understatement. Should she even bother? It'd be a simple matter to overwhelm a powerless man. In the past, she wouldn't even question the choice to do just that. But if this is to be an 'ally', it made sense to use a lighter touch, as against her nature as it was.

The girl closes her eyes, and sighs in an overly dramatic way that makes her frustration even more obvious then it already was. When she speaks, her voice is a carefully controlled tone. She SOUNDS like she's trying to speaking in a pleasant tone. Her clenched fists give away just how much she wishes she could simply resort to violence, however.

"All right. Fine. I was hoping to leave the explanation to someone else, but I guess if you're going to be stubborn, its up to me after all. The dream. You saw a dream while you were still inside that thing." It is clear that she isn't asking a question. "We all saw similar ones when we first woke up here. You saw some pretty horrible things, didn't you? Don't think I'm going to sugarcoat this, wherever you're from? Its gone now. Anyone you know, anyone you cared about? They're gone now. Any hopes or dreams? Forget them." The almost happy smile she wears on her face definitely seems to give off the impression she was enjoying herself.
dragon_rider: (httydiii_0063_Layer-23)

returned

[personal profile] dragon_rider 2022-08-07 08:09 am (UTC)(link)
"Management team...?" Hiccup's response was dubious at best - As if he's rolling the phrase around on his tongue to see if he can suss out the meaning. He can guess, but it's a laughable idea - but then coming from ye olde days where it was so much faster to sort things out with a sword or an axe... Management teams are about as foreign to him as almost everything else Kotetsu was saying. Seriously, what's a yelp and why should he care?

He's not sure he wants to know. Somewhat banged up from his coming-and-going into the shrine, part of him wonders if it's the right thing to do to stop and talk to the man who's clearly. Not all there, probably. "Yeah, okay," Hiccup exhaled, waving a hand before placing them on his hips with a raised brow. "Let's pretend I understand even half of what you're saying —"

"— Welcome to the Lodestone! Your one stop rest-and-relaxation resort after your birthing! You think it's bad? You didn't see the cave and 'management team' us first guys got! Why you're practically in paradise right now," Hiccup starts with all the flourish of an over-enthusiastic tour guide as he spreads his arms, "oh! We've got it all. You want a sight you'll not see anywhere else? Our underwater cavern allows you a birds eyes - or fish eye's - view of the aquatic life. Want to get up close to them? Just step on outside of our little safety bubble and you can swim right out!"

"Swimming isn't for you? Well, that's okay too, the second exit is for the little more adventurous at heart - let's go spelunking! You won't get lost. Probably. Now, we do recommend not running off to the suface - yet. There's food, courtesy of the hardworking resistance fighters of Horos. Some clothes if you're cold. No beds, but who really needs those, right? Take some time, get a load off, talk to some of your fellow new birthers!"

He resettles, arms landing on his hips once more after all the dips-and-waves of his explanation with a certain amount of wariness. "I'm going to regret asking this, but any other questions?"
leicesters: academy (099)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-08-07 12:30 pm (UTC)(link)
So your plan is to... wait for her to maybe reappear and offer us a magic solution?

[Claude would like to hope the same thing of Byleth, who has proven before that she can cleave through time and space itself if the situation calls. But...]

I don't know, just waiting around and praying is a little too much blind faith for me. Isn't there anything we can do here and now in the meantime, that'll get us closer to some answers?
leicesters: academy (002)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-08-07 12:42 pm (UTC)(link)
"Not sure how I'd feel about a stranger getting a peek straight into my soul like that," he jokes with a grin, "but it sounds interesting. What do souls even look like?"

It seems like a useful power to have, and it would make politics a much easier affair, if one were able to gauge another's character with just a look. But at the same time, he's relieved that power doesn't seem to exist here.