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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!

entsetzt: (scarecrowicon4)

[personal profile] entsetzt 2022-08-08 05:35 am (UTC)(link)
Crane raises a spindly finger at her. Dorothea's defiance seems to energize him, and he lets out a low, mocking chuckle. "There it is." He asks, taking another step towards her. "Do you feel it? The pounding of your heart, the blood rushing through your ears. Your eyes dilating to take in more light and allow better vision of your surroundings, for whatever good it will do you here. Your muscles tensing, priming for action. It's called the flight or fight response Miss Arnault, one of the oldest survival instincts baked into the human psyche. In a single second, when confronted with a threat, your body prepares itself to either run...or confront." He cocks his head to one side, examining her. "I must admit I'm somewhat impressed you've chosen not to run. But, please believe me when I tell you it won't matter. I have made the study of fear my life's work, after all." Not once does Crane raise his voice, continuing in that calm, almost professor-like tone, as though he was conducting a class.

"There's no need for such false bravado. Surely you must understand the time for that has passed. It's just you and me here."

Crane's life may be about to be snuffed out by the darkness to join his world in eternal sleep, but it seems fate has been kind enough to provide him one last chance to do what he does best before oblivion claims him; to spread terror for terror's own sake.

"It's okay to be afraid."
theorems: (pic#15370259)

[personal profile] theorems 2022-08-08 05:37 am (UTC)(link)
[One path, clearly lighted better. But too bright, if Viktor's honest with himself. It hurts to look at, even if it seems like it would be... safer. Probably more pleasant an experience.

The darker path, further from the center is where more of these dead stars come from, if he had to assume. So perhaps the stars haven't actually blotted out themselves, but a darkness covers them from being seen. Far from seeming cozy, that direction seems almost hostile, somehow. There's a science to feeling vibes, and those from that direction are some rotten ones.

And yet... He can't entirely write it off, either.

Viktor nods toward the darker path.
]

What draws you to that one? Surely you can tell- it won't be kind.
fallingsand: (70;)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2022-08-08 05:47 am (UTC)(link)
[ His first urge in reply to such a question is to deny being drawn towards the dark path at all. That would be what a rational person would do, declare no interest and march steadfastly into the blinding light ahead.

But that isn't true for Bruno and he's never been a good liar.
]

It's familiar. [ He admits, at last, with an exhale and a slump of his shoulders, like he'd been holding that back all this time, afraid to say the words. His answer, for once, lacks the usual nervous stammering to it. ] I've spent so much time in the dark already. I already know how it'll hurt. It won't be anything new.
eightfoldfiend: (hold me like I’m a barbed wire fence)

[personal profile] eightfoldfiend 2022-08-08 05:47 am (UTC)(link)
That's right.

[He stretches his arms out in front his chest, fingers laced.]

I promise not to make it "boring".
zauneyete: (Shifts Eyes right)

[personal profile] zauneyete 2022-08-08 06:03 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's less of a fun surprise, when someone came from a world that already had powers, although the comment was. Interesting. He watched, his mismatched eyes cautious, evaluating. Were they dangerous, if people didn't want him to access them? That would be a boon, for the Regent, and for the rest of them. He'd been about to respond, that there would be new powers too, but --

Silco supposed Bruno didn't require any more convincing, did he?

He drank it, and Silco watched, to make sure it didn't come up, before --
]

That's the Kenoma. Don't worry about it, you'll be fine in a bit.

[ He stepped back, clearly about to leave. He didn't need to be around while his body tried to...do the thing it did when they were vulnerable and struggling like this. ]
chronosynthesis: (❖ Seize the Moment)

[personal profile] chronosynthesis 2022-08-08 06:05 am (UTC)(link)
Should he let her know she may not have a choice, the way other people start randomly developing abilities.

... Eh, she'll figure that out if it happens. "Well, I'm sure you'll find plenty of use for that as well."

[personal profile] expiera 2022-08-08 06:57 am (UTC)(link)
Hmm...

[Deep thoughts...]

How are you used to it working, then?

[They may or may not be going in circles. She's letting him eat anyway, happy to wait while he chews and swallows, the basket is also staying well within his reach. Take his time!]

[personal profile] expiera 2022-08-08 07:15 am (UTC)(link)
[...Well. That sure was a Face, huh? Ciel was ready to make one right back, until Howl decides to be

Chivalrous (???), so now she's just at a mild loss. Blinking a few times, she tilts her head to peer at Sebastian from behind Howl. Then at Howl proper, since he's looking at her. She's fine, see? 🤔]


Yes, likewise. We can tell you more about how things work on Horos later, but as you can see, the shrines are active now, so that means there are others like you we Kenomas have to meet and greet. Can you please go back with Howl, Sebastian? I'll be headed for a different shrine, but I'm sure we'll meet again later at the Citadel.

[Unless he has any other pressing questions now?]
dragon_rider: (httydiii_0060_Layer-26)

[personal profile] dragon_rider 2022-08-08 07:17 am (UTC)(link)
Hiccup is not sure what he expects from the older man - In the silence that precedes his response it's only filled in the creak of his prosthetic as he shifts his weight. Something told him the man didn't quite get it, maybe in an obtuse way people avoided the reality of the situation. The way he leans in doggedly reminds him of the conspiratorial ways the twins used to do so and that was never a good sign.

He can't help but be more than a touch flabberghasted when Kotetsu does respond. "Wha—?!" Hiccup breathes out the exclamation, moving his arms outward in a gesture that could only be are you kidding me? Before shaking it off. "You do realize this isn't actually some vacation, don't you?" He finally states, quickly, "there are people right now that just arrived, like you. They're in very real danger, we all are."

"Whether you want to or not, that's a fact we all have to accept," he adds in - quieting from exasperation, "so rest up for now, because when we move out there won't be the time for it."
Edited 2022-08-08 07:18 (UTC)
dragon_rider: (httydiii_0052_Layer-34)

[personal profile] dragon_rider 2022-08-08 07:31 am (UTC)(link)
Hiccup's gaze turns from one to the other and then back again. A finger tapped the side of Inferno, more for want of something to do than apprehension. He can't deny there's something funny — off about the young woman who must be around his age. He can't forget how it didn't feel like she was really trying to hold him down during that hostage time -- wasn't it too loose? And, now, here she is offering and not forcing the vial on the newcomer (like she was giving him an option)? It makes the part of him that still wishes to believe in people think that, maybe, she wasn't so bad - That there was good in her that the Kenoma can't blot out entirely.

"Well, you'd be right. I'm pretty sure the first batch of yaknog tasted better than that," Hiccup agreed, the usual wit inflecting in his tone as he turns his attention to Ciel, "wouldn't you agree?" He notes the way the woman's gone quiet, impassive. It's like watching an impenetrable wall go up. There's definitely something different - She's swathed more in shadow. He tears his attention away.

He, too, neither picks up a stance that's either offensive or defensive - although there's something in the air to it. The other man, pretty even by his own standards, stands tall. Like someone far more ready and accepting of their circumstances than they had been - but then, this treatment is different. He wonders if the Kenoma subjugate their new allies in the same way.

"So, seems like I'm intruding on something," Hiccup adds lightly after a moment, "it seems like no one else is coming - How about a picnic?" It's half a joke. Only half, because he's not entirely certain the woman before them will really let them leave without a fight. Maybe she will, but even so, he yoinks the bag of supplies off from over his shoulder and tosses it in the space between them. An offering, one way or another. "You must be hungry," he addresses this at Hythlodaeus.
lifespanned: (pic#11709528)

[personal profile] lifespanned 2022-08-08 08:32 am (UTC)(link)
[ The illusion, coupled with the strange field of magic beneath her feet throw her for a considerable loop— her boldness aside, she's never seen the field of battle so directly. As a result, she can't help but let out surprised yelp, and then a girlish shriek from the sudden pain, losing her balance briefly in her run from the painful shocks. Perhaps slightly comedically, she stumbles out of the ring of magic on one leg, and then tumbles down onto her side, gripping her leg below the knee with a hand.

Before, it'd been just business. But now? She feels personally affronted, still feeling the after-images of excruciating pain in her legs. She'll be sure to remember this, after this is done. What should she do? Try to disable another one of Syrlya's limbs? Or—

The amulet.

No, she'll pin her gaze on Dorothea instead, petrifying her hand around the gem— trapping the item inside. Dorothea will feel her fingers and palm begin to turn to stone under Misa's spell, but Misa herself remains on the ground, looking at her just long enough to do what she has to before turning her attention back to Syrlya, who's she sure is about to deal another blow to her - she's already trying (key word: trying, as her legs remain feeling a bit like jelly) to scrabble back up to not be caught completely unaware. Still, using time for that little stunt has left her more open than she'd like, so she's bracing herself for impact as soon as her attention turns back to him. ]
tohell: (pic#15864479)

[personal profile] tohell 2022-08-08 10:48 am (UTC)(link)
That I do! [ At this, J visibly perks up, clasping his hands together with a smile as he assumes a more helpful stance than the attitude from a mere few seconds ago. If they spend much longer together, Anduin will probably come to the unfortunate conclusion that J's moods are changeable as the wind; prone to turn stormy or clear with hardly a moment's notice. ]

I'm happy to fill you in if you have any burning questions concerning your new home. [ Don't mind him dropping that bombshell on you, Andy. Please do enjoy the emotional fallout of everything it implies! ]

Let me guess, you're probably thinking something along the lines of, "Where am I?" or "Can I leave here?" [ As he offers to answer them, J ticks off a few decent guesses by counting each upon the fingers of one hand. Meanwhile, he seems to be enjoying himself a little too much, considering how his cat-like tail curls and flicks about in delight. ]
wildrawr: (pic#15860179)

[personal profile] wildrawr 2022-08-08 12:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Kotetsu leans a little away from Hiccup at his exclamations, glancing off to one side awkwardly as he takes the chastising. Regardless of what is going through his head, he certainly hadn't intended to get the other so worked up and feels guilty now.

Once the boy calms down, he'll look back to him, contemplating what he can say here before speaking once more. This time, he's more hesitant and there's a clear sheepishness to his tone. He also avoids eye contact despite facing Hiccup.

"Uhh... so What exactly do you mean... 'Move out?'"
snakeandfangs: (pic#15418452)

[personal profile] snakeandfangs 2022-08-08 01:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[ oh. whoever this man's brother happens to be is also taller than toge? actually, yoojin is also taller than toge. feelsshortman. ]

A moving tattoo. Can't say I've seen that around...

[ but that doesn't mean he doesn't exist. grumpy and cold seem to be a pretty defining trait given how friendly most aions happen to be? even if they're not on the same team, so to speak. ]

I know a woman who is like a lizard, but she's far from one. She has a tail and scales on her face and arms and she's really, really nice!

[ and she does have reddish hair?????? is this the same... ]

But why a red lizard?
dissonyance: (7)

[personal profile] dissonyance 2022-08-08 01:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[ leaks slowly nods a few times. wherever they are, wherever their destination may be... it does feel quite imposing. he doesn't care for threats or warnings though, and until he encounters one? he has no reason to feel anything for them. ]

How will you deal with this threat, if one happens to find you?

[ he stares coolly at this man, wondering. are all two canes like this? ]
superbshot: <user name=malagraphic> (Amused)

[personal profile] superbshot 2022-08-08 01:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[Caitlyn tips back the bowl, letting the warm liquid wash through her. She's...not fond of the Lodestone area. It's cold.]

There's a portal set up here. You could reach Greentruth in a single step. Godsblood is up, through the caverns. A short hike, nothing too far.

[There is one thing...]

However, in order to go into Greentruth, you've got to accept the Pleroma. It's something you'll naturally do, without intending to, just by holding on to hope.
cutlery: (contouring man...shit's magical.)

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-08-08 02:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, I do always appear where I am needed...

[ He laughs lightly, but it's a joke mostly for himself. "Needed" probably isn't the right word to describe it, after all. It's much more that people want his power. They may convince themselves that they need it, that there's no other way than to sacrifice something precious twice over, but he rarely found that it was the case. Wherever it was that this void was calling him to, he was definitely intrigued to see which side of that question it would fall on.

But as it's nothing that Matt has to worry about, he doesn't elaborate further. Sebastian bows his head lightly, since clearly, impeccable manners are important to him. ]


So it has been quite fun to chat, Matt.

[ But with the formality given, he walks towards the darker path. Just before he truly steps in, Sebastian does glance back over his shoulder to give one last word, almost an afterthought. His smile is easy, and though he doesn't actually know, his words are delivered with the confidence of as if he knew it as a certainty. ]

Until next time.

[ It's probably a little strange, just how confidently Sebastian walks into that abyss. There's clearly no hesitation as his already dark figure seems to be swallowed up by the further darkness. He almost seems perfectly at home in it. ]
cutlery: ('stralian etiquette)

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-08-08 02:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Ah. Too obvious, clearly... He inwardly scolds himself for showing his reaction so openly, but truly, that had caught him be more than a little surprise. Seeing Howl take a more defensive position gets him to sigh lightly, but he catches the stone easily and follows the instructions before at least offering an explanation. ]

Do pardon me. Your name simply caught me by surprise, Miss Ciel, as it is uncommon. My... [ He pauses as if half-considering what to say, but it's really more catching himself in not needing to tell the half truth of what his master's name was ]former master had the same name. And hair color, as a matter of fact...

[ He shakes his head lightly, though it does come with another sigh. Really, what a bother. ]


But, no, we needn't linger further, especially if there is work to be done. Thank you yet again for your information and assistance.
definitelynotalich: (Default)

[personal profile] definitelynotalich 2022-08-08 02:21 pm (UTC)(link)
It was almost funny how the two of them were similar but also opposites - Vaden loved hearing himself talk, and would typically speak with a rather grandiose sense of self. If he were home he could even lean on the handful of kings and dukes he's saved the lives of, working for the High King of the Daggerfall Covenant, the list could go on and on. Titles like that meant nothing here, though, and he was a stranger in a strange land. His authority was nonexistent here, and he felt like he had none of his magic to back him up.

He, on the other hand, was more than used to diplomacy - it was what he was bred to do and how he'd been raised, even if he was the most useless of all of his family's brood. No matter his position in the hierarchy of the Tharys family he was still one of them and he had been taught all of the things low nobility were and, well, over the course of his travels he'd met so many people that had challenged his own prejudices he'd learned quickly to keep his mouth shut in many situations. It was a lesson this irritating child before him clearly needed. He'd run into plenty of children who hadn't had the rearing he'd had and they were all much more pleasant than this.

Regardless, watching her try to struggle though the attempt of being the absolute worst example of nice someone could muster was amusing to him. He couldn't help the quirk to the corner of his lips that formed a cruel little smirk as she forced her way through her explanation, though it didn't last and his face soon returned back to its usual hard expression. His discontent was clear enough, though he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of wailing and throwing himself into grief (if that was what she hoped for).

The news was bothersome - he'd gone through all of that hard work to create a temporary alliance between the three warring factions so that they could stop Molag Bal and the planemeld and all of that had been, apparently, for nothing. Not to mention his friends acquaintances were now supposedly gone, and that made him feel a certain way. He believed her in this, at least, and wouldn't push back on it.

"I rather doubt that things are as bleak as you make them sound," he started. He wouldn't be brought down by this revelation - not when there were so many kinds of magic that existed. Besides, no matter how he felt, he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. "There are a myriad magicks out there; one will surely restore such lost worlds." Or rewind time enough that he could warn the Mage's Guild and they could work to stop this happening.
ricordi: (006)

[personal profile] ricordi 2022-08-08 02:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Why ask me, I'm not the one in danger? [genuinely confused.

is this one of those hypotheticals? then he shakes his head, acknowledging his mistake. he'll have to amend.]


You're asking to find out what I would do, in order to have an idea of your own process of decision-making in the future, yes?
reallyfishy: (★ neutral)

[personal profile] reallyfishy 2022-08-08 03:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Hey there! Thanks for bearing with my slow reply: that would be excellent! I absolutely apologize to Gray in advance for Raven's...Raven-ness, though.
Edited 2022-08-08 15:55 (UTC)
theorems: (pic#15350324)

[personal profile] theorems 2022-08-08 04:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[Yeah. That feels like honesty.]

Better an old pain than an unfamiliar one. I understand.

[Take the lashes one knows already, the scar tissue will defer the pain. The new hope and promises of light could just mean disappointment in a different way.]

I am indecisive, too. It should be a clear choice, but...

There is vulnerability in the light, isn't there? Light cast on every flaw for all to see. The possibility of rejection.

[And despite that, Viktor doesn't find himself shying away from it.]
passio: (pic#12160322)

kaeya was stacking ice for four days. sorry

[personal profile] passio 2022-08-08 04:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[ dextera has no plans to get out of the egg once he’s in it, at least not until his questions are answered. with a furrowed brow, he puts some sincere focus into touching the strange chrysalis around him—testing its give, suffusing it with his purification, but nothing seems to work.

he sighs, frustrated, but by the time he turns around, the crystal has already reformed halfway behind him. ]


—?!

[ as anyone’s would be, his first instinct is to think that his poking and prodding has borne fruit, but when he actually reaches out to touch it, it’s cold. ]

Agh?!
heavybreaths: (Thinking)

[personal profile] heavybreaths 2022-08-08 05:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[Vader breathes in, his interest piqued. He mentions magic, and Vader disregards that as just a name for some other form of power, something different than the Force if no other reason than what he's talking about isn't something that it can do.]

Intriguing. Instantaneous travel between two points on a planet is...not possible in the wider Galaxy.

[Some sort of localized hyperdrive, maybe?]

Even hyperdrives are not instant. Though...they allow the crossing of interstellar distances, but time is still required. It would be of interest to me to see our technologies combined, in the future.

[The implications of that would, in fact, be staggering.]
worsetwin: (15 - 04)

Rebirth

[personal profile] worsetwin 2022-08-08 06:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ianthe had been happy—for a sufficiently lenient definition of "happy"—to lie sprawled on the floor amongst the shards of her chrysalis, dripping and thinking unconnected, hateful thoughts, until this...person interrupts and instantly becomes the focus of the aforementioned thoughts.

Go away.

He fails to immediately burst into a shower of blood and viscera, because why would anything ever go Ianthe's way, so instead, she sits up and stretches, any annoyance smoothed into an expression of boredom, and extends a hand to this rude fellow so that he can help her up if he's going to be so insistent about it. The hand in question is skeletal and golden, yet not cybernetic, and it moves with the ease of a living limb.]


Well. If I must. The floor hasn't got much to recommend it, I suppose.