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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!

rosethorns: (10)

Dorothea Arnault | Fire Emblem: Three Houses | Celebrant

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-07-31 02:52 am (UTC)(link)
i. Dreaming - The Dark Outside
[Such a wondrous and inexplicable sight laid before her, a tapestry more grand than any mortal eyes should rightly see.

Dorothea doesn’t know how long she’s been swept away in this terrifying and beautiful cosmos, but eventually she finds herself drifting closer and closer to the awaiting emptiness of the void. It beckons to her as memories of years spent at war whisper ceaselessly in the back of her mind, no matter how hard she wishes to forget. Something about it feels almost poetic—the kind heart of the diva slowly but surely worn threadbare by the unavoidable tendrils of violence, until it can do nothing but buckle under the weight of it and succumb to nothingness.

Such a tragic opera it would make.

She’s so caught up in it that she doesn’t notice you until you’re practically right there beside her. Before she can even really think about it, she flinches and shoves at you with a mixture of suspicion and contempt marring her beautiful features. A familiar feeling, one etched into her as a struggling child that never truly went away, even as life seemed to brighten for her. Rooting out the darkness in one’s heart was a hard thing indeed.]

ii. Rebirth
[The comfort of the warmth surrounding Dorothea proves to be a meager shield against the slow rise of unease that accompanies her returning senses. She pushes against the all-encompassing embrace tentatively at first, but the resistance serves to only stoke the embers of that unease into full-blown panic. It feels like it takes a small eternity for her to break free.

By the time she finally crawls out to the cool, open air, her heart is pounding heavily in her chest and her limbs are shaking traitorously beneath her. After she takes a few lung fulls of shaky breaths, it finally hits her that she is crouched there on all fours, completely naked. She sits bolt-upright, arms hurriedly attempting to cover herself up as she glances about in search of anyone who might be nearby. Blessedly, the peculiar surroundings seem devoid of others for the moment, but the thought of wandering around here naked is not an eager one.

A handful of feet away sits a large crystaline boulder that immediately seizes her attention. She grabs a broken piece of the chrysalis she’s just crawled out of—meager defense is better than none at all—then scrambles to crouch behind it where she can mostly keep herself hidden from view from the cavern at large.

Her nerves are rattled enough that the moment she glimpses movement, she throws the glass-like shard in her hand at it without much thought.]


I’m not decent! So just… stay back! [The briefest of pauses as she feels her cheeks reddening, then she adds:] Please.

iii. Returned - Pleroma

a - for fellow newbies
[Dorothea could think of worse places to end up after such a tiresome and eventful day than this. Clothed and secure and surrounded by such a wondrous sight, she would be hard-pressed not to finally let her guard down a little. And frankly, she’s thankful for that; being on edge for so long is far too tiring.

By now she has shaken enough of her apprehension to dare to venture around the area a bit to take in the sights of the ruins more fully. A blanket is draped over her shoulders, less of a fashion statement and more of an extra layer of comfort, judging by the way she pulls it tightly against herself with both hands.

She drifts along the shimmering shores mostly without aim until her path draws her close to someone seated on the sands. Judging from either their expression or their garb, Dorothea pegs them as a fellow newcomer, which puts her at ease enough to get her to approach. She’ll settle down beside them with a quick flash of a smile before turning her gaze upwards toward the watery ceiling above them.]


It’s beautiful. Like something out of a fairy tale, isn’t it?

b - for established characters
[Dorothea had been glad for the opportunity to get some space and rest for a time after all she’s endured since waking here, but before long some of her earlier unease begins to return. Not so much from current circumstances, but rather the lingering question of what the future would hold for her now. As beautiful and ethereal as this place is, it’s clear to see that this is only something of a waystop.

She seeks out someone who looks like they know what they’re doing here—anyone who doesn’t look like a lost puppy draped in the simple clothing she and her fellow new arrivals wore—and strides toward them with as much confidence as she can muster. She tentatively reaches a hand out to their arm to get their attention.]


Excuse me. [A quick flash of a smile—seemingly genuine, if brief—before she continues, words direct yet cheery.] Hi there. I was just wondering… what comes next, here?

iv. Wildcard
[Feel free to throw anything my way, or shoot me a DM if you’d like to plot something out beforehand. For those canon-familiar: I’m playing Dorothea from mid-late Crimson Flower route, so she’s post-timeskip!]
entsetzt: (scarecrowicon2)

The Dark Outside

[personal profile] entsetzt 2022-07-31 03:04 am (UTC)(link)
Crane stumbles back at being shoved, but doesn't seem troubled by the gesture. He fixes Dorothea with his one good eye, and then past her, to the infinite darkness beyond.

"Beautiful, isn't it." He remarks. "To see death distilled down into its purest form." That's what the darkness is, the stripping away of ambition, hope, thought, consciousness, self, everything into just...darkness and silence. Forever.

"Most people would run screaming in terror from such a perfect oblivion, but we walk towards it. Why do you think that is, my dear?" Despite his appearance, Crane's voice has a strangely soft, quiet, almost fatherly tone to it.
rosethorns: (03)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-07-31 04:40 am (UTC)(link)
The juxtaposition of his appearance and way of speaking somehow feels oddly fitting in this place on the edge of nothingness. Her dark expression softens, though only marginally; something about being spoken to in such an easy, familiar way out on the boundaries of the void makes her feel uneasy.

“It’s unavoidable, isn’t it? Oblivion.” She lets her gaze drift away from him and back to the dark expanse before them for a moment. “A natural endpoint. A reprieve from the cruelty of the world.” Such a darkly poetic sight indeed.
entsetzt: (6)

[personal profile] entsetzt 2022-07-31 05:32 am (UTC)(link)
In his own world, Crane had been responsible for more than a little of his share of that cruelty, and he smiles thinly. "For most, yes. I intended to achieve my immortality through more conventional means." He follows Dorothea's gaze out into the darkness.

"But facing this now, I wonder why I ever thought to bother. All our victories and failures, our names themselves swallowed up and forgotten in darkness." He tilts his head at it in curiosity. "The orphaned punchline of a joke that nobody remembers."

Maybe the Joker had been onto something after all.

"Doctor Jonathan Crane. Delighted to meet you, my dear."
rosethorns: (07)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-07-31 08:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Dorothea realizes now that after five years of war, she had much the same thought lingering in the back of her mind, lying in wait to be acknowledged. What was the point of it all? At the time she could see the justification of it—believed in it, truly, even as it pained her to play such a crucial role in it. Only out here did it finally seem right to give it voice, this stranger’s own words serving to help spur it on.

Less of a stranger now, as he introduces himself. “Doctor,” she says, clasping her hands in front of her and offering a slight nod of her head in greeting. Enough of the tension has drained from her now that she sees no reason not to return his politeness in kind, though it is somewhat strained. “Dorothea Arnault,” she replies in kind.

She eyes him, taking in his curious appearance once more. One thing he has mentioned sticks out in her mind. “Immortality, hmm? Such a curious thing to seek.”

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bingos: (pic#15500540)

IIIA

[personal profile] bingos 2022-07-31 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
[ After all the different places she saw in the Digital World and even her own you would think Miyako would be less captivated by the world around here. But even now, far away from everything she knows, she can still see the world as a beautiful place. Watching the marine life float by over them is something serene, it calms her done a touch - and despite how friendly she's been and aggressively willing to help she's just been a touch on the side of unraveling.

Maybe it's the exhaustion from the day setting in or the way Hawkmon has leaned on her side and taken to a nap — She had tried, but it's far from unusual for her to stay awake worrying about things. And worry she does yet, stomach twisting in knots at the thought of her family and friends.

She snaps out of it in blinking confusion when someone materializes next to her, touching her by the arm. A young woman she thinks she's seen in passing when she helped give out water earlier. She smiles reflexively, her brain not catching up: ]


Huh- what? [ Another moment later and she does catch on, humming to herself. She threads her fingers together on top of her knees as she nods: ]

It's like a dream. [ She agrees, choosing to continue on a less serious route, turning back with a smile: ] It'd be a pretty perfect place for an underwater date, huh?
rosethorns: (06)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-07-31 04:45 am (UTC)(link)
[Dorothea can certainly relate to her weariness. It isn’t until taking a seat here upon these otherworldly sands that she realizes she’s been on her feet just about the entire time she’s been here. Such an easy thing to forget when so busy—she knows that all too well by now—but the need for downtime certainly can’t be ignored forever. She tries not to pay too much mind to the way the exhaustion settles itself down on her shoulders and maintains a steady cheer to her expression.

It's easy enough to do when in such a serene and wondrous place as this, especially in the company of someone who also seemed to appreciate its beauty.

The girl’s response draws the chime of laughter from Dorothea, her smile brightening. She clasps her hands together in delight.]


Oh, absolutely! Lay out a cozy blanket for a one-of-a-kind picnic with a special someone… [There’s a playful glint lighting up her eyes.] It doesn’t get more romantic than that.
bingos: (00_0027_84960581_p0_master1200)

[personal profile] bingos 2022-07-31 05:17 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's so much easier to pretend things are okay - focusing on the here and now. And the here is fun, earns a laugh without restraint. She holds up a finger to make a point: ] Well, it might get cold really quickly down here! But I'm sure there are people into that sort of thing.

[ She could be, too, with the right person - but she doesn't linger on it as she thinks and muses: ] But I don't know, a nice clear night on a mountain top where you can see the stars could beat it! Especially with a nice refreshing onsen to relax in... Or, oh, Spain has these really nice hotels overlooking the city where they serve really nice wine!

[ She has her priorities in order, at least (not really). Her smile is bright as she shifts, placing weight on her free arm: ] But all of that sounds a lot more fun with friends.

[ She may or may not have mentioned some of the things they were supposed to do together by mistake,though Dorothea is certainly not privy to it. But she can't stop thinking about them, especially not now. ]
Edited 2022-07-31 05:18 (UTC)
rosethorns: (02)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-07-31 08:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[Those priorities are certainly in line with Dorothea’s own, and it proves to be something of a boon to fall back into old habits of dreaming up fanciful scenarios. A simple and fun distraction is just what she needs after the upheaval her life has taken in bringing her here.

Dorothea nods along as she adds more delightful scenarios to consider, smile bright.]
I like the way you think. [She laughs, short and joyous, before adding another to their growing list.] Makes me think of these fabulous gardens in Enbarr, not far from the opera house. A delightful place to take a stroll with a sweetheart or friends.

[Dorothea has been doing her best not to dwell too much (at least for the moment) on what may have become of her friends while she was spirited away here; things in Fódlan had been tumultuous even before she’d had that ominous dream upon awakening here. Blessedly, there is plenty enough to provide a distraction here until she is ready to confront it.

She glances back up to the impossible dome of water overhead. Her cheerful tone takes a slightly more contemplative turn.]
I wonder what other sort of delights this world has to offer.

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bloomforyou: (💎20)

dreaming

[personal profile] bloomforyou 2022-07-31 09:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ ranmaru stares back at her for a long time in silence. he moves with the appropriate distance when shoved, although he could have easily stood strong against it, but he doesn’t react any further than that. he’s waiting for her to give him more, whether that’s calling him a name or getting more violent. neither of those come to fruition in the time he waits, however, so he finally acknowledges her mild rejection with a nod and turns his gaze up to the darkness around them. ]

Did it help?

[ his voice is even, but not unkind. he just wonders if she feels better for being able to defend herself. ]
rosethorns: (12)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-07-31 08:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Maybe. [One word, clipped and curt. Dorothea studies him for a moment, suspicion still dancing in her eyes. Then that defensive exterior of hers seems to deflate slightly and she sighs. When she speaks this time, much of the previous hostility in her voice has given way for bitter-tinged uncertainty.] Not really.

[She crosses her arms over chest and joins him in examining the surrounding void. The longer she remains in the proximity of such emptiness, the more it seems to beckon to the lingering doubts hiding in the dark corners of her mind. What better place to acknowledge them than here?]

Sometimes I wonder what the point of it is. [Fighting back, fighting for safety, security, an idealized future. Could any of that really be achieved? And if so, would it even be worth the cost?]
bloomforyou: (💎22)

[personal profile] bloomforyou 2022-08-01 02:17 am (UTC)(link)
It?

[ ranmaru echoes her, though the vague object means something to him as well. he’s sure that she’s been fighting her own battles, as humans do, but they’re probably thinking of different things as the darkness around them seems to both go on forever and press down on them whenever they stop to think. ]

What are you running from?

[ he doesn’t sound as if he’s accusing her; they’re all running from something in their dreams. they’re allowed to. the emphasis of the question is sympathetic—ranmaru is trying to escape something, too. ]
rosethorns: (04)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-08-01 06:26 am (UTC)(link)
[She shrugs, staring deep into the void as if searching for some sort of answer. She’s not sure she likes what she sees (or perhaps more suitably, what she doesn’t see), but the longer she stares at it, the less wrong it begins to feel.]

Ceaseless struggle? The endless search for security in life?

[With a sigh, her attention drifts back to him.]

Why do they always seem so out of reach, no matter how hard we fight to see an end to it?

[The songstress has spent five years breaking her heart bit by bit as war subsumed her life. Willingly so, despite everything. She made a valiant effort to hold fast to her compassion through it all, but the heart can only take so much, couldn’t it?]

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leicesters: academy (002)

iii

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-07-31 11:12 am (UTC)(link)
[Claude had been distracted gazing up at the ocean above himself, his back turned, when he's startled by a familiar voice. Sure, they didn't share the same class, but it's hard to mistake a fellow student of the Officer's Academy. So he turns and offers her a quip--]

Yes, but it pales in comparison to your beauty, my lady.

[He's serious for... all of a couple of seconds, before he breaks character and winks.] Sorry, didn't want to break the fairy tale immersion.
rosethorns: (05)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-07-31 08:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[It spoke volumes of just how rattled this day has left her that she hardly realizes just who it is she has approached until he turns and that familiar voice hits her ears. She pulls back slightly in her surprise, one hand shooting up over her mouth. Though once the initial shock wears off, she can’t help but laugh.]

Claude! Thoughtful as ever, I see. [A smile is paired with her playful tone.

She certainly hadn’t expected to see a familiar face here—especially not one that seems… somewhat younger than she last recalled. Though perhaps it is best not to dwell on those circumstances for the moment.]


Goodness, I must say, it’s… well, something of a relief run into someone familiar in this mess.
leicesters: academy (136)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-07-31 08:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Likewise. [And similarly, he's still trying to puzzle out whether she looks older or if it's just his imagination -- he really has more tact than to just ask a girl her age. Joking around aside, though, he realises he should probably get right down to business.]

I'm still trying to figure out everything going on here, to be honest. But I think if we stick together and go along with these people, [The Pleroma, he means,] we stand a better chance. What do you think?
rosethorns: (07)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-07-31 10:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[She offers a wry turn of her lips.] Well, I don’t much fancy our odds of getting out of here without their help.

[She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t considered it, at least briefly, upon arriving here. The Pleroma have largely been kind to her and thus far haven’t given her any reason to doubt them… yet past experience has made her a tad cynical, to put it mildly.

Either way, Dorothea knows very well the importance of a strategic alliance. Speaking of:]


Quite the turn of events, to find us in league together now, wouldn’t you say?

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superbshot: <user name=malagraphic> (Happy)

3B

[personal profile] superbshot 2022-08-01 01:55 am (UTC)(link)
[Caitlyn Kiramman definitely didn't look like any lost puppy. She'd been here from the get-go, arranging supplies and making certain that the newcomers were fed and clothed. Being from a mercantile clan and having taken charge of some of the logistics, she was in her element. So Dorothea might've seen her giving directions, moving crates, and generally making herself useful.

As she's approached, she smiles warmly, setting aside the ledger she'd been writing in and giving Dorothea her full attention.]


Well, I suppose that depend on you, miss. I am assuming you've decided to throw your lot in with the rest of us Pleroma. When you've fully accepted it, then you'll have the choice to either join us in Greentruth, or find a place in Godsblood. After that...it'll depend on what you're willing to get involved with.
rosethorns: (06)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-08-01 05:56 am (UTC)(link)
Good to have options, I suppose.

[A quick tilt of her head and a teasing smile. The remark is offered genuinely nonetheless—if you’re going to find yourself in a whole new world, isn’t it better to have a wealth of possibilities before you? Figuring out where to start is the important part. More seriously, she continues:]

Truthfully, this whole situation, [she gestures broadly around them] is quite a lot to take in. What is it like out there, around… Greentruth and Godsblood?
superbshot: (Talk Hopeful)

[personal profile] superbshot 2022-08-01 09:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ah, her heart and that smile. Caitlyn offers an apologetic smile, simply because nobody should be caught up in this and be so cheerful.]

It's...a little complicated, if I'm being honest. It is a war, after all, and our territory is fairly limited at the moment. Greentruth is the only firmly Pleroma aligned city, though Godsblood is welcoming enough. Greentruth is beautiful, a city built into the tops of trees, but it's hidden away by necessity. Godsblood is a fairly standard mercantile city, a port near the sea. But Godsblood recently saw conflict, and it is technically allied with the Regent, so Aions like us must remain hidden.

[Cait takes a quick breath and offers her hand.]

I'm Caitlyn, by the way.

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chronosynthesis: (❖ Fragility)

II

[personal profile] chronosynthesis 2022-08-01 04:04 am (UTC)(link)
[Syrlya's movement as he enters the cavern isn't subtle at all--just sheathing his blade as he crosses the entrance. This place is always more empty than it looks like it should be, but he can't take for granted soldiers from Venera will be aiding any Kenoma trying to intercept new Aions.

It is the thrown piece of crystal cocoon that actually draws Syrlya's gaze straight to Dorothea, and--oh. Of course that would be a problem.

He slaps a hand over his eyes.]
I'm not looking! And you probably don't want to stay down here naked.

[So he still takes a couple steps in, reaching to start unlocking the clasp on his cloak so he can hold it out by an outstretched hand.] Will this do?

((Will ping Misa in within a couple comments!))
rosethorns: (05)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-08-01 05:59 am (UTC)(link)
[No, she certainly didn’t want to stay down here, naked or otherwise. Part of her immediately starts debating whether she should reach for another chunk of crystal the moment she let that first one fly, as useless as a tool that would be. Thankfully, the man who stumbles upon her has the decency to cover his eyes the moment he realizes what he’s seeing. Some of the tension seizing her eases, just marginally.

That offered cloak, however, just might be the most wonderful thing she’s seen in some time.]


Yes, that should suffice.

[She moves to stand, but hesitates a moment—running naked towards a stranger is not normally the brightest of ideas. But she is cold and exhausted and she knows there’s not much to be gained by dithering here.]

I’m making my way over, so no peeking now!

[He hasn’t given her any reason to doubt him in these few scant moments, but it doesn’t hurt to be firm. She’ll make her way over towards him, stepping carefully amongst the crystals, and will move to take the cloak and quickly drape it over herself, should he hand it over with no fuss.]

((Wonderful, thank you!))
chronosynthesis: (❖ Master of Fragmentation)

[personal profile] chronosynthesis 2022-08-01 06:21 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not, I'm not... [He holds it gingerly between his fingers, so she can easily pluck it from his grasp. Up closer, it's a lot more obvious that he's not human. The hand she claims it from is extremely pale green, and waxy like plant stems.] Tell me when I can look.

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You're good!

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Yeah!

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byleth: (001.)

ii;

[personal profile] byleth 2022-08-06 09:47 pm (UTC)(link)
[ That voice is rather familiar even if it feels like it's been an age since he'd last heard it. The lengthy slumber that had consumed him not too long ago had left him more than a little disoriented, and he's sure he's still reeling from the ripple effects of it as he tries to adjust once again to a new world, a new time(?), unsure if he's in Fódlan or if death had indeed claimed him mid-battle again.

Still, coupled with the general traits he remembers from Dorothea and her familiar comportment, he's sure it's her, though he has enough sense to avert his eyes before he thinks of shuffling close. This is quite awkward and not how he expected to approach the students of any of the other houses, and he can't help wondering if he's still dreaming. ]


My eyes are closed.

[ If he had any garments, he'd offer them to clothe her, but he's a little... empty-handed at the moment. Not even his sword had traveled with him. The best he can do is give her some privacy while he attempts to regain his bearings, though he's a little uneasy given their present allegiances. The Adrestian Empire wouldn't pass an opportunity to put a dagger to his throat. ]

Do you recall how we got here?
rosethorns: (05)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-08-08 02:19 am (UTC)(link)
(( i've been playing her here with female byleth in mind thus far, so i hope you don't mind a little identity confusion to start with? ))


[It’s an odd mixture of feelings, to discover that she’s not alone in this place. Finding that she isn’t the only one stumbling around here is a sad sort of comfort, but considering the embarrassing state they are both in, its a trepidatious one at best. She manages a quick glance at the approaching man—primarily to see if he is true to his word about closing his eyes.

She’s struck by an odd sense of familiarity with the man, though she’s almost certain they’ve never met. She can’t quite pinpoint why though—something in his features or his manner of speaking, perhaps?—and it hangs in the back of her mind like an incessant itch.

Was she simply delirious from her frantic escape from that crystalline prison? Perhaps her thoughts are still something of a jumbled mess from that haunting dream she’d found herself having just prior to coming to her senses here.

The dream that she tries to search past in her memories as she considers his question.]


No, I’m afraid I don’t. [She sighs.] Just the haze of an odd dream and then… finding myself here.

[Dorothea pulls her arms tightly against herself, partly to ward off the chill and partly to cover what she can.]

I suppose it’s fair to assume you’re as clueless as I am here, then?