JANUARY TDM + SETTING UPDATES

[beleos]

BEARING FRUIT (NEW CHARACTERS ONLY)

It starts out as a pleasant dream. You’re in your favorite place, with your favorite people. It’s a moment of idyllic comfort.

And then, it goes wrong.

The sky turns dark above, and as you look up, you see the black expanse of space spotted with faraway pinprick lights of stars. Yet, they’re not stars. You’re certain. They’re watching you. A billion eyes all looked down, and they spilled forth as if the sky itself was a dam holding back those dark waters. You reach back to the people you’re with, but they’re frozen in place. Their eyes are black, reflecting only the expanse of dark eyes. Their bodies jerk, and convulse, as if controlled by puppet strings, reaching out to try to grip your hand, your shoulder, your wrist, but you know you should pull away. Something iswrong. If fingers or appendages meet your skin, there is a chill, that runs up your body, from the tips of your toes, up your spine, a full-body experience of wrongness. Would your loved ones feel like this, when they reach out?

So you run, even though you know you won’t escape it. You glance back and see it not overtaking, but consuming. The landscape around you is being devoured, and you can see it cracking apart. The world itself is breaking, and it cracks under your feet. You fall, and the billion eyes chase after you until the darkness swallows you whole. It's coming for you, it will not stop, it will not relent, and there is nothing that can be done. What a fool you were, for ever thinking you could escape. There’s agony as if you’re being ripped apart, and then—

You cannot see. You cannot feel. You simply are. Yet even so, impossibly, a woman’s voice speaks gently.

I’m sorry it couldn’t be saved. But, come, it’s time to wake.

Your senses come to you slowly. Are you here for days? Weeks? Longer? It is difficult to say. All that you are is inert, and still. You can feel parts of you that form, but they hurt, like your body is fighting through a layer of...something. Something that keeps you from a gentle regrowth. You feel a chill, next to your heart, and while your form grows, it also fights, trying to both find a form and fight against some darkness that clings to you, like it's trying even now to consume your soul. It has a taste of it, you can tell, though not enough to take from you. Enough to know you, and while your body grows, this darkness slowly, slowly ebbs away, as if it can no longer touch you when you are whole. Something protects you, a presence. You can sense it, just like you can start to sense the presence of others. Some are close by, you can tell, winking in and out of existence just like you are. Falling in and out of consciousness like you do, as you are all collectively regrown. A groaning, creaky voice hums in your ear, with breaths that thrum and hum, like a gentle summer breeze through the leaves, and it tells you: Try to reach them. Welcome their calls. Can you hear them? Through communion. Your emotions are laid bare, in this space. Will you allow them to project? Will you try to control them? Will you reach out to your fellow new bearers, and soothe their own worries, or exacerbate their fears?

Eventually, after a long time, you wake with a start, cradled by soft, velvety plants, and sticky with a sap that smells faintly of honey and iron, an acrid scent lingers, like the edge of rot that has been swept away. You can see the veins of the leaves that hold you, lit warmly and gently by what looks like a crystal embedded above you. Yet, it’s odd, because that crystal calls to you. When you reach out to touch it, it’s warm. Familiar. Important. You don’t know why, but you know you must hold onto this because now it feels wrong for it to be suspended in these leaves. So, you pull it out.

The light starts to fade, but only in time to see as the leaves cradling you immediately start to soften and crumble, and with it comes a torrent of dirt. Soft, loamy soil starts to fill the space around you in the dark as you’re buried. Or, rather, you already were. You reach out through the dirt desperately, and your hands finds a root, so you pull while you clutch that precious crystal so close that it almost feels like it sinks into you (in your panic, you don’t notice that it does). You reach out again, and this time, your hand hits open air, and plenty of sturdy roots around to grab.

From a seed you’re born, and like a sprout, you make your way out of the ground.

And once you’ve clawed your way out of the soft earth and the roots, nearby, you see the soil shift. Another hand comes up to grasp desperately for something, anything, just as you had been.

A LITTLE ISLAND HOPPING

With the new Shard-Bearers present or en route, it is Kathova and Cetina who approach the established ones, requesting that they form mentorships with the new souls to assist them with the integration process. To this end, they have both provided a centralized zone in both Highstorm and Springstar for a series of small, seemingly casual gatherings, they happen over the span of a week, so new visitors can get the chance to spend time in both cities before they make a decision.

Additionally, as Springstar and Highstorm are holding their events over multiple days, the knowledge-hungry can participate in both informational sessions -- the tones and opinions held by both cities are doubtless to differ.

For those established bearers of the opposite faction, however, your faces are known amongst the populations of our sister cities, especially the administrators of both Meridian and Zenith, and if you try to attend the parties of either city, you will be turned away, with varying levels of aggression, depending on your tier of harmonization. New bearers are free to notice if someone tries! It seems you've stumbled your way into an escalating war.

SPRINGSTAR, αιώνιος ήλιος

In Springstar, the seat of the Tribune becomes available for such an event. While a section of the building itself has been reserved for the meeting between fresh faces and experienced Shard-Bearers alike, the hustle and bustle of Heliopolis continues around them -- acolytes still gather their robes and tomes, hurrying from their quarters to lessons. A score of young militants march in step across the yard to the training grounds. The higher-ups amongst Meridian have taken it upon themselves to wrap up their Year's End and New Year's festivities with a celebration of their recent victory over the Harbinger Oracle, as well as a celebration of the possibility of new shard-bearers. One does not have to attend every day, but Springstar's celebrations do tend to be multi-day affairs, and everyone from the scholars to the titled nobility seems keen on greeting new bearers. The tribune himself, Cyrus, welcomes bearers with a rousing speech at midday each day, speaking of their victories and their battle to stand for the worlds now lost. His speeches are met with polite applause, but is it a bit lacking in enthusiasm? Cyrus seems to brush it off with little offense, but perhaps you notice, that his eyes crinkle slightly, and he may look a touch... sad.

The celebrations are in the Seat of the Tribune, with tables draped in white-and-gold-trimmed fabrics fare filled with fare typical to Springstar's slowly brightening summer -- platters of hard crumbly cheeses and stuffed doulmades, roasted meats and fish, like souvlaki and psari plaki. There are plenty of grains and other dishes that elude to the abundance of both Springstar and Alenroux, and bearer efforts there.. The atmosphere is ambient with informality and friendliness, though topics will inevitably stray towards philosophic or political, Springstar's meeting grounds are decorated with handsome chaise lounges and slouching klismos chairs in small, intimate groupings. This is a forum in the classical sense, where people are encouraged to speak freely, no matter the topic. Though excitement charges the air, the gathering at the Seat is much more muted than what transpires outside the center of the city.

The church, too, celebrates the victory. Now that the Year's End celebrations have passed, the head of the church, Hieropoios Natalia Theodora Vaso Helios offers proclamations daily to those who will attend. Her tone has turned in tone toward driving forward, for now, that they have two Oracles of 3, Meridian's light is in favor, and she offers blessings and venerations toward the bearers who support their efforts to restore worlds. Bearers who attend these masses will feel their discord ebb from her words alone, and their shards will feel warm to the touch for some time afterward, even if they are not harmonized. If they ask anyone within the church, they will be told that it is Meridian's light filling them.

One would assume after a victory, that the mood elsewhere in Springstar is jubilant, but while there is still the occasional party outside in the summer sun in the Psychagogía district, there is a hushed tenseness to the city of eternal-sun. Stay too long, and you will eventually find the reason why, when scared locals speak of disappearing friends or family members, and there are whispered rumors of attacks. Some accuse the denizens of the Below, and others whisper about monsters in the dark. Though they have captured the latest oracle, the hope that normally follows such excitement is... tentative, at best.

HIGHSTORM, луны-близнецы

Eternally in opposition, Highstorm uses the manor's courtyard as the location for a series of events over the next week, inviting bearers new and old to join them in celebration. The members of the Highstorm council have set the small gathering in the court beneath Yima's tree, and next to the reflecting pools. The Lady Yima herself is in attendance and oversees the gathering from the balcony of her manor above. She will visit the grounds sparingly, generally when a new bearer is afoot, but she will direct any questions to either Kathova, or her more established Zenites, as she has many people to greet. Though she will take the moment to hold each new bearer's hand that visits and tell them each: "You have the potential to hold the key to a new, and better world. We believe in what you can do, and what strength you will find in Kenos. Let the memories of your loved ones, and your world, guide you to the right path, and know that your loss will be honored when we achieve our new world," before she glides away.

There are few places to be seated in the Manor's courtyard, resulting in bodies milling about as they flow and ebb between smaller gatherings, clustering in small-to-large groups with small platters and shimmering flutes of drink held in their hands. Yet, as you look, you’ll see that the selection is also quite interesting. The foods and drinks on offer are from a multitude of worlds, and so you may find a new favorite! Or something not suited to your palate at all. It’s at least a chance to be adventurous. If you try something and don’t like it, might not want to say that out loud, lest you insult someone who’s from that world. More established Zenites are encouraged to attend to help draw in new Zenites, and both new and old inductees alike are encouraged to speak about what their vision of a new world would look like. The reflecting pool itself is at the center of the courtyard, and if one looks in, they can see their memories reflected back at them. Though... if you look for too long, something seems to try and reach out for you. Can you feel the allure of dark fingertips, ready to brush against your face? If you stare too long, an attendant will pull the bearer back, just before they land right in the pool, offering unsettling remarks of “that has been happening more lately, the last person it happened to disappear. We even drained the pool, but couldn’t find them!”

Further into Highstorm, the Greenwood Yards attracts many visitors during the dead of Highstorm's winter. The doors are (proverbially, we can't let the heat out!) open, to bearers new and old alike. Attendants there will explain that this season is the best for starting some of the seeds that will grow well into early and mid-spring, but most seeds need warmth to grow. They will ask visitors to find a partner, to hold their combined hands together, and to offer shared warmth to the seed, and they will explain that seeds grow best when they come from the combined care of more than one individual. Bearers will eventually have to separate, but they will notice that the small seed in their palms has started to sprout. Visitors will also be welcome to turn fertilizer with the laborers at the yards (What's in it? Don't worry about it!) and there will be sessions held by the staff on the local flora and fauna, so consider this your primer on the native plants and animals of Kenos!

The denizens of Highstorm are putting out their bells and whistles for the new bearers, as they have less to fear in the streets (or do they...?) so feel free to stop by Benny's -- watch out for any fights, or participate, I'm not your mom -- or feel free to visit the Tomes, where a certain coffee shop has opened up a cart in the largest library in the district, offering drinks to comers and goers, which are becoming quite popular. This particular barista often offers drinks based on their shards, but as a little winter pick-me-up for the denizens of Highstorm, there are several new drinks offered for visitors! They even have a menu on display for bearers to select from!

CHEERS TO A NEW YEAR

• Springstar Sunrise - One using the crushed vines that populate Springstar in their warm season, which makes bearers want to reach out and hold hands.
• Scorching Slowdown - One using water from the Scorching Isles that makes bearers grow cold, and time seems to warp around them. (This one DOES contain a modified touch of the Blight that bearers once healed, but if brought up, an attendant will shake their head, and impress upon the patron a sense of calm. It will not hurt you.)
• Xanadu Xing - that makes bearers feel warm and totally relaxed. A spa in a cup, and you’ll feel like you had a therapy session afterward!
• Worlds Edging - A drink that makes bearers start to feel...amorous. (The Aphro Drink)
• Highstorm Hiccup - A whimsical drink that gives the bearer hiccups! Do they float a little? Yeah, but there’s no fans over your heads, don’t worry
• Pastoral Punch - A fruity concoction, it’s made from the crops in Alenroux (think a Sangria) and when drank, it fills bearers with warm memories, and reverie comes easy.
• Yima Yammer - a tongue-in-cheek drink, it fills a bearer with the uncontrollable urge to talk
• Cyrus Concussion - This drink puts bearers into a deep sleep. They have pleasant, warm dreams.

ALENROUX

The pastoral farmlands of Alenroux are seeing a resurgence of life and community, since the establishment of combined Meridian and Zenith forces, and the subsequent attempts to eliminate or displace the monsters that ravaged the island at night. With a more stable population, some of the workers have established homes, and have started opening their doors in the sunny, lush farmland, which is reachable by cornerstone, and oddly? Alenroux has taken to advertising their new interest in tourism. The small farming village has started establishing shops with wares, crafts, cooking classes, and wine tastings, pretty much an agro-tourist's dream! Drink beverages crafted by refugees from distant worlds, or dishes from other worlds! Bearers are encouraged to visit, and stay the night with a multitude of Alenroux's homes opening their doors for bearers to stay in their Bed and Breakfasts.

However, while the days are 24 hours long, so are the nights. Alenroux natives do not leave their homes, and staying in for a full day's time can feel like an eternity. You'll have time to get to know your hosts, but the night is haunted by the cries and howls of monsters in the distance, particularly on the north end of the island. Should a bearer step outdoors, they will find monsters still roaming. Take one on, if you dare, but watch out! Shadow creatures lurk until you least expect it, and may try to lure you in with a familiar voice, a soft promise, the lingering scent of a loved one. What you find in the woods might be just a run-of-the-mill big monster to fight, or it might be something deadlier, a shadow, mimicking a loved one, trying to draw you into the darkness.

KOWLOON

Though Kowloon is something of an open secret amongst those in Springstar, it was normally left to lay in the belly underneath the sunsoaked city topside, like an afterthought. Only those who already knew where it was, could make their way through the dangerous maze of tunnels and corridors that leads from the Springstar sewers, down into the Below, and then further into Kowloon. The Below is dangerous to all but the most powerful, as in the dark corridors, creatures lurk, and people make dens and nests within. Some will warn new bearers away, citing that there are Dark Things within the tunnels and that they don’t encourage anyone to stay down there for long. If you remain unharmonized, it's recommended that a guide assists you on the way down. Fellow shard-bearers who visit frequently are recommended, but particularly savvy types can find their way down on their own.

Kowloon itself is a thriving little beating heart underground, and much like its namesake, it truly is just a built-up city within a scant few blocks, the buildings are densely packed, and ascend to over 14 stories high. It’s massive, enough to occupy a large number of oddities, such as a hunting ground for monsters, and there are bars, clubs, casinos, and shops with wares from very nearly anywhere. Though if you ask where they get them, the owners of said establishments will dodge the question, or outright threaten you when pressed. Bearers will find that there are varying degrees of openness in Kowloon, after all. Don't ask too many questions, or you may not like how they answer. Kowloon is a place where you can satisfy your every vice, and that is meant truly. There are weapons dealers, drug halls, exotic liquors, and substances that could fill innumerable universes. Every world has its shadowy elements, and every world's shady types have made their way down here.

SETTING UPDATES

In both locations, information passes between all in a forum, spread and disseminated among the masses - it's a good opportunity for city residents, faction loyalists, and interested new parties to share and share alike. Once a day, after the meet-and-greets have concluded, twin missives from both faction leads are read out -- invitations for all present to explore the cities to their heart's content, and warnings about stumbling ill-prepared ( or at all ) into the Below, or worse yet, the Beyond. As Shard-Bearers new and old take in their cities, they'll all see it change throughout the month...

OOC, these are all updates to the setting at large that players both new and old are free to interact with as little or as much as they wish! Feel free to use them as prompts on this post, in your characters' on-going lives and arcs, or just let them go "That's none of my business" and ignore it. The world of Kenos is shaped by our playerbase, and these are some of the wider-reaching effects of various player plots and actions.

TRY TO JOT DOWN A FEW NOTES

As part of New Year's gifts to everybody, Yima and Cyrus gifted bearers with an enchanted notebook. They are embossed with your characters' names, and have some unusual properties. Bearers can now send each other little letters or notes, or they can address the group at large, should they wish to! This essentially serves as a network function. Please check out the AC requirements for more information about these special new gifts.

FRONT PAGE NEWS

After the last Oracle, both cities are abuzz with gossip. Normally, the oracle appearances were wrapped in secrecy, only the bearers themselves were privy to the internal happenings, and accounts tend to be scattered, as it's always relied on what the bearers can share. This time, the oracles were broadcast to the population at large, and bearer opinions have shifted wildly, based on how successful a bearer was. New bearers may hear the off-the-cuff snide comment about some bearers here and there, and they'll notice that the cities are not very welcoming to bearers of the opposite faction. The public opinion seems to be shifting as half of the oracles are captured, and their fates are being written by bearers new and old.

DON'T LOOK TOO CLOSE TO THE SHADOWS

Be wary, bearers. Whatever patches of darkness and shadow you encountered in the Harbinger's Labyrinth, seems to be making its way across Kenos. Things like patches of shadow against a building, the slightest flash of a familiar face rounding a corner, or even hearing your name called by a name long gone. Something is trying to reach you and tempt you to find it. The shadows are hungry. For something, and bearers new and old alike will be fine feasting for whatever reaches from the shadows. Step carefully, and watch your backs.

AAH! REAL MONSTERS

If the cities didn't have enough to deal with, Springstar is taking the most hits. The city of sun may not be dealing with as many patches of darkness (for truly, Meridian's light touches all) but that does not mean that there is no danger within the city of eternal sun. Attacks by people such as vampires, ghouls, and other intelligent, people-eating races are on the rise, and fearful whispers hint that they are coming from the Below, some even suggest that this is the hint that the balance is shifting. Kowloon has always existed with relatively little strife toward Springstar, but that seems to be changing. Be wary on the streets of Springstar, bearers, you may find that lurking around the corner are hungry murderers of varying levels of danger. The attacks are not... constant, but they have begun to increase in frequency. By this time in the month, they are moving to several times a day, and the legionnaires are having difficulty keeping up with the attacks. Even one of the more well-known Meridian higher-ups, Agapitos Voreen, has been seen fighting in the streets, flanked by his second, a large, emerald dragon-born woman. All of these combined efforts have not yet been able to turn the tide, and it's clear that Kowloon was always a threat, but one that until recently, had been kept well in hand.

OOC NOTES

Welcome to Kenos! As a reminder, all new players need to submit a request, and proceed through player screening to apply to the game. Apps are now open!

This log is Game Canon. Any characters who are not apped to the game will disappear. If Cyrus or Yima are asked, they’ll explain that this sometimes happens since not every soul has a strong tether to Kenos and sometimes return to the Timestream. They may return to Kenos one day, but for now, weren’t able to make the full journey.

As a note primarily for current players, closed toplevels/prompts are not allowed in this log. If you would like to interact with the setting changes in a way that isn't open to all characters (new and old), we ask that you instead make a log in kenoslogs.

FOR NEW PLAYERS:

When characters emerge from their cocoon/the ground, they may be wearing their normal clothes or nude. Up to you!

At some point in the days after leaving the Tree of Life, new Shard-Bearers will have a dream, even if they're usually not capable of sleeping. All new players should read this post since this details how they'll learn about both factions and their goals and should help them make a decision about which Faction they'd be drawn to.

Characters who arrive and harmonize to Zenith will receive a bonus token!

When meeting with either Cetina or Kathova, along with their shard or sunbeam, they will be given a Kenotebook! Think of this as your text-based comm. (This is also opt-out, so if you want it to not be ready/lost, go for it!) Any AC with the Kenotebook must be doubled, so make sure you are aware of that!

As a reminder, your character has a Shard somewhere on their body that encompasses their soul, so keep note of where you're sticking it on their person for reference! Additionally, they have a tattoo of their Aspect somewhere on their body. Please be mindful this Aspect will be assigned to you upon approval and whatever you choose for the TDM may be temporary (for new characters)!

For the Island Hopping prompts, all locations will be fully open and accessible to all characters once they are freed from their rather harrowing ordeal at the Tree of Life. For prompt ideas and any general information about the cities and what you can find there, please see the Locations section of our Wiki!

New characters will not have access to any canon abilities on the TDM until they Harmonize, AKA make a choice of which faction they choose to support. For some characters, this may be an easy decision, but it make take others time. We just ask you keep this in mind!

CODING

Comments

QUESTIONS

[beleos]

[revivia]

hello mods! i was thinking of throwing somebody onto the tdm, but i happened to read over the latest log and since i think the npcs that greet newcomers are dead/MIA (I THINK? sorry if i'm completely wrong) -- would you guys prefer that we play on the tdm as though we're backdating things/try to incorporate recent game events/generally just avoid mentioning who might've spoken to them at the beginning? this isn't to ask that pages get updated, just curious what you'd all prefer!

manabu yuuki - the galaxy railways - meridian - harbinger aspect(?)

[siriusly]

i. at the roots

"Make a choice...?"

As if there's even anything to choose. Even in his groggy, addled state, the young man knows that the things he holds dear are worth fighting for and reclaiming. What a thing to wake up to! And what a place...

Perhaps it would've been kind to have been born completely new, with no recollection of things like...modesty...he's not excited about being pantsless.

One thing at a time, though: What next? He knows what he would do - save his galaxy, of course! - but...

"How the heck...do I get out of here?"

He climbs to his feet, forgetting about the shard that's now residing within, marked by a star-shape over his heart. Instead, his attention is outward: Looking for signs of...well, signs, honestly. Signs of life, signs of direction...what's next, you know?

---

ii. in heliopolis, at the seat of the tribune

Things are moving quickly, and Manabu struggles to feel like he can keep pace. These new surroundings, the new call to action, the new attire...

Kind of stings that everyone on this planet (island, whatever) are also more prone to be taller; being 5'4" but feeling 6' is tough in any world.

He lingers in the meeting grounds often to people watch - to get a sense of this world and some idea of his place in it, now and then fiddling with the shard made manifest, or the little sunbeam given him with a thoughtful frown. He's too honest a person in expression and gesture to be inconspicuous: An easy target for those keen to either lending a hand to someone needing guidance, or someone who just loves to heckle an easily riled-up stranger.

---

iii. players' choice

Basically: If there is a neat spot/circumstance someone would like to fling a newbie at, please consider me flung and give me a starter! Gotta dip my toes good and proper in all of this, and it's a lot to take in SOOOoo

ii

[wolof]

Maybe it's something about how her eye draws toward the shortest person in the room, or perhaps it is the fact that he seems to be holding back in some measure, watching. Either the people around them, or the sunbeam in his hand. Her eyes take in the people about him, to make sure she has ample opportunity to slide in next to him.

Dressed in something red, a half-foot taller than him (sorry, Manabu) the woman looked down at the boy admiring the sunbeam with a soft sigh. Her own was woven into her hair, and she tipped her head, to meet his eyes as she approached.

"It is a lot to take in, isn't it?" she asked, her tone soft, but not necessarily warm. "Coming here, learning what happened to our worlds... it is... difficult, even if the outlandish is normal for you."

Goro Akechi | Persona 5: Royal | (Zenith ❃ Iconoclast)

[corvidant]

I. HIGHSTORM
[ Past the unpleasant experience with his rebirth -- as the locals call it -- and feeling an inclination towards Zenith, Akechi's initial travels take him to the streets of Highstorm, and he finds immediate comfort in the endless night. Reminiscing on the days of yore, nostalgia for a life that was no longer his, none of that would suit him nor the entire spirit of Zenith that beckons for a new world built upon the ruins of the old. And so, he doesn't.

Instead, he focuses on his newfound goal, determined to an obstinate level. The steps are solid in his head, the fist of which is to gather information; locals can only help so far, but it's his fellow Shard-bearers he's more interested in learning him-- if he can find any who are minimally competent. It used to be something of a rare trait, in the social circles he used to traverse.

To his dismay, socialization may be required even now, though his old tricks should still be perfectly functional in this place. He does not care for taste, yet food always makes for a good conversation starter, and so he heads over to:

a. the Manor's courtyard, where newcomers are greeted with a feast and friendly faces, hopeful for a new Shard-bearer to take their side. Mingling is useful, if nothing else, but as he ambles over to one of many tables, his eyes can't help but narrow in utter disgust for a certain doughy delight they happen to land on. ]

And here I hoped I'd never have to see these again.

[ Universe upon universe out there, with countless cuisines to try, and his first course had to be pancakes, of all things? ]

b. the Tomes, because, all right, fine, maybe he lied to himself-- as he also does best-- and decided to actually indulge in a smidgen of nostalgia. This may not be the same barista he hates misses knows, but cafes still have a way with making him feel more at home.

This menu, however, is a mystery to him. An opportunity to strike up conversation with whoever takes up a seat next to his? ]

Would you recommend any of these to a lightweight?

[ He will absolutely drink you under the table, watch him!! (Do not.) ]

II. COMMUNION
[ There is a new presence in the communal mindscape, and perhaps a minor sense of feeling unsettled. With any hope, Shard-bearers will chalk this up to a poor little new arrival in a frazzled state, as it is to be expected.

(In truth, he dreads the thought of connecting like this, far too exposed. Alas, as far as communication goes, this is most effective.) ]

Good day, fellow Shard-bearers. I will keep this brief.

My name is Goro Akechi, one of the recent arrivals. It has come to my attention that Springstar and its residents have been faced with an ongoing series of disappearances for some time now, and most of them seem to point to The Below as the likely culprit. As someone with experience as a detective, I would like to contribute to the city and solve this case, though I lack the means to [ attack ] defend myself at the moment, or to hire protective services. This is what I request assistance with, before heading over to Kowloon for a thorough investigation.

I understand the task comes with many risks, but I know the value of information, and I'd wager many of you would benefit from getting to the bottom of this, so it is my hope we can [ ugh. ] cooperate.

III. WILDCARD
[ No thoughts, head empty, just hit me!! ]

ii.

[kaientai]

[ ryouma gets it; there are plenty of things in his head that he would rather not be broadcast to the world at large, but for now, everything is fine. the bright curiosity he shines on akechi is something he doesn't mind showing off. ]

Well, that's some excellent timing! Those detective skills of yours would be a pretty big help to me, and I've been looking for someone to work with.

percy jackson, pjo, exalt

[audacity]

bearing fruit

[ dragging himself out of the earth definitely hadn't been on percy's to do list for today, and he isn't too thrilled about the last-minute addition.

not that the nightmare hadn't been horrible, even by demigod standards. not that he enjoyed the feeling of being torn apart or put back together. not that he loves the implications of i'm sorry it couldn't be saved. but he's had bad past experiences with being buried alive, and it's panicked, animal instinct that has him scrambling for the surface. he's breathing hard as his head breaks the surface, but the fresh air goes a long way towards calming his nerves. as he pulls himself clear of the roots, he gets to his feet, brushing dirt off his clothes and out of his hair. he's dressed like any normal, modern day teen: all worn jeans and long-sleeved shirt, sneakers that have served him as well in gym classes as running for his life from monsters. it dawns on him that 1) he has no idea where he is, but 2) nothing's tried to kill him yet, and he frowns, finally turning to take a look at his surroundings. his head tips upwards — and up, and up, as he looks for the summit of the huge tree. ]

Okay, [ he admits aloud, ] I'm impressed. [ and then, ] But if a giant squirrel busts out of those branches and tries to eat me, I'm going to get seriously annoyed.

[ this just. this seems like the kind of thing that would happen to him. ]

island hopping

[ in springstar, there's a lot that's weirdly familiar for him, like, vibes-wise. the familiarity doesn't make him any more comfortable with the gathering, though, nor does that make it even easier for him to focus on cyrus's speech. still, he's not unobservant; or at least, he isn't so unobservant that he misses the lukewarm reception to cyrus. with a frown, he asks a nearby bearer, ]

The speech wasn't that bad, was it?

[ or, more to the point: is it just him, or is the tribune not as popular around here as you'd expect?

the food, at least, looks pretty good. and despite some reservations, percy's happy to chow down, trying some of the grains and stuffed doulmades. truth is, while he's worried about the food — a little story about persephone comes to mind — he can't very well avoid everything, not when it's looking like it could be days before he gets home. (days, he thinks, and a bitter taste settles in his mouth. but he can't think any further out than that right now.)

in highstorm, he — nods politely when he's greeted by the lady yima, swallowing hard, as his hand is taken and he's told about strength, and memories, and loss. and after she glides away, he mutters too loudly, ]

She always this friendly?

[ the way his tone twists around the word friendly, it's clear he was tempted to say something else entirely.

call him stereotypical, but he's drawn to the reflecting pool. making himself aware of sources of water in his vicinity is a long-time habit after years of dealing with murderous gods, hungry monsters, and other mythological creatures really determined to ruin his day. he sits by the water, looking into it rather than listen to another round of speeches, and finds himself trying, by force of habit, to sense anything about it. he's heard about the need to harmonize, how powers don't come back till you do, but it still feels weird. like he's had a limb cut off. he's lost memories, he's lost senses, but he's never lost his connection to the sea.

and this water is mesmerizing, strangely, drags at his attention and shows him glimpses of things it shouldn't be able to. he leans forward, almost too far — then jerks backwards, so hard he bumps straight into another bearer. ]

Sorry! Sorry. I wasn't looking. [ which feels like a lie as soon as he says it. he grimaces, amends, ] I didn't see you there.

real monsters

[ it's impossible to miss how spooked the locals are. percy spends time talking to them when he's in springstar because, honestly? he trusts what he hears from them more than he trusts these faction heads. it's nothing personal; he's just known enough powerful, mysterious, magical types who are being super reasonable, really! that he isn't inclined to take either cyrus or yima at their word. cyrus, admittedly, does sound a lot more normal, and yima more like the kinds of goddesses he's met before (and he's met a lot of them), but — call him careful.

okay, anyone who knows him would laugh themselves sick if they heard the words percy jackson and careful in the same sentence. that doesn't mean he's never careful. he can be, sometimes. every once in a while. occasionally. at least once in his life.

so, naturally, he's wandering a side alley of springstar alone, even after hearing the whispered dangers. it's not like he'd been given a lot to go on, and mysterious monster attacks is such a normal problem compared to everything else around here — for him, anyway — that he's kind of drawn to it despite himself. maybe factions and crystals and strange wars are a lot to take in, but monsters terrorizing mortals? now that's a problem he understands. besides, he's faced a lot of monsters in his life. he isn't about to go hiding behind strangers to protect him from the hypothetical of running into one.

this definitely doesn't count as looking for trouble.

but then he hears a high-pitched scream from a nearby road — and the unmistakable sound of a roar and things crashing. he's running before he's aware of making the decision, throwing himself around the corner and vaulting over a random cart without missing a beat, rapidly closing the distance between himself and...well, trouble.

so much for careful.

he skids to a stop as he takes in the scene: a monster that's mostly human-shaped, if bigger and more muscular than most mortals, and completely covered in fur. their face is wolfish — literally — and angry, their growls baring nasty fangs. cowering beneath it is a child, her basket of food scattered across the ground, her arms thrown up over her face as she cries. the choice of target is so astonishingly unfair that it leaves percy breathless with rage. ]

Hey, ugly! [ he calls loudly. some local fruit had rolled nearly to his feet from the girl's upended basket; he picks it up and throws it directly at the monster for good measure, impacting nicely against the thing's nose. ] Why not try picking on someone your own size?

[ the good: the wolfish monster completely forgets about the girl in its irritation at percy. it rounds on him, advancing menacingly.

the bad: percy abruptly remembers that he's got no sword, no powers, and no friends to back him up.

he could probably use some assistance. ]

wildcard

[ here for funsies, mainly! feel free to hit me up for something more personalized or to drop me a wildcard. percy's from the books, somewhere circa his more recent appearances (so ~ 17 years old). any character sensitive to that kind of thing can feel free to notice there's something distinctly magical/sea god adjacent about him. ]

island hopping | meridian

[narsinssist]

[ It's a good question, Raphael has to admit. Cyrus is an affable fellow, after all, but it seems like things have been... difficult, and the fact that there have been increased attacks more and more lately certainly does not help his position, doesn't it. The devil in a human guise looked down at the boy, and shrugged with this sort of general "what can you do" sort of gesture, and looked back at Cyrus. ]

Ah, well. Perhaps this speech was not bad, but that does not mean that they have noted some failings, hm? To be a good wordsmith, one must be able to deliver.

[ And that, Raphael suggests with just a word, is the problem for Cyrus. Or perhaps, truly, it was the fact that the man wanted to let this pass without too much strife, when all around them was strife. It was unavoidable, after all. ]

I'm afraid with the current... climate, men like Cyrus must act quickly, and decisively, which are two things that most hesitate to do.

After all, the consequences of doing so can be great.

Grace (Clever primary) | Stray Gods | New Player

[diegeticmusic]

A. I Got No Roots (Bearing Fruit)

[If Grace could get through one year without some kind of earth-shattering phenomenon happening to her, that would be really great.

She comes out of the ground, then takes a moment to just sit there and try to process. The pain of her body... doing whatever it was doing (reconstituting?) is still there, the ghost of it on her skin, and she feels winded in a way she hasn't since she was still human.

Slowly, slowly, very slowly, she stands up, shakes herself off. She's still in her clothes, but they're dirty and torn. Her memories feel all jumbled up, Grace's and Calliope's, but she thinks she remembers... Hermes, bringing her a message, offering them a slice of her pizza in thanks, and then everything suddenly being ripped away, and now...

Somewhere unknown. Some new puzzle to solve. There is no inertia in the ocean.

A hand suddenly pokes through the soil, just like hers had before, and she sets aside everything she was just thinking about to help. Answers can come later.

She grabs the hand and tugs.]

B. Lore Drop (Springstar)

[This place seems jovial enough, and Grace doesn't mind stopping here for awhile while she tries to figure out what she's going to do now. If what she's heard is to be believed, her Earth is gone, and now she has to try to move on without it... or try to bring it back.

Sheesh, give her a harder conundrum, why don't you?

Of course, she's a god now, so maybe a question like this was inevitable. But she really thought she would have, you know... the whole pantheon behind her. Not just her, by herself, trying to figure out what to do.

Right now she's seated at a table in the midst of the festivities, a half-full plate of food in front of her going cold. She has her shard in her hand, tilting it back and forth in the light, taking a good look at it. Her "soul", huh...?]

I... don't even want to know what this means for the eidolon. [She sighs.] Where's Apollo when you need him...

[Thinking about Apollo makes her sad. Maybe she shouldn't dwell on her friends too long...]

C. No PSL? (Highstorm)

[Coffee. Yeah, Grace could go for some coffee right now.

She follows her nose through the Tomes (where she'd come hoping to get a few answers - thankfully there's no minotaur or furies to deal with this time), making her way to the coffee cart. The menu sure is something - Starbucks this ain't. But Grace is happy to try new things, and so she orders what looks like the least sketchy thing on the menu.

Xanadu Xing in hand, she moves off to the side to take a tentative sip. Almost immediately, her eyes go wide, savoring the taste of the best spa day she's ever had.]

...Wow. This is vacation in a cup. [She takes another sip.] Literally.

D. r/SapphoAndHerFriend (Highstorm)

[There's quite the spread here, Grace has to admit - some things she recognizes and way more things she doesn't. She picks through the selection slowly and carefully, looking for foods that are at least familiar enough that she doesn't think she'll be hit with some fun new food allergy.

It's as she's reaching for something that looks like a prawn that she's suddenly overwhelmed with a memory - one that is not hers, not Grace's, and yet entirely hers - Calliope's.

The waves lapping on the shore. The scents of hyacinth and narcissus. Stepping off the creaking boat. "I'm looking for a poet," in an old Greek no longer spoken. "Her name is..."

Grace comes back to herself and drops the prawn right back on the dish it came from.]

Did we meet Sappho!? That Sappho!?

[Oops, maybe she shouldn't say that out loud.]

[[OOC: Grace here is a Greek goddess, specifically one of the Muses (Calliope). If your character is a god themselves or otherwise attuned to divinity, feel free to notice that right away! To most people she will look like a normal human, but she will tell them what she is pretty openly - it's not a secret at her canon point.

If you'd like to plot something other than what I have here, feel free to hit me up at dandywonderous!]]

BODYSLAMS also wildcard!!

[sheezit]

[ Since catching word of new arrivals, Shez has taken it upon himself to do rounds around the Tree of Life. It's been months now, but he can still vividly recall how overwhelming it had been, the whole experience-- the suspected live burial turned rebirth, the dream, the news that his entire world was gone. He'd been fortunate to have a familiar face find him and help him acclimate, and he hates to imagine others who might have had worse luck.

He hates to imagine another familiar face could be left on their own, that another friend would think themselves alone at the end of the universe. And so, he's come.

When he spots a hand pushing out of the dirt, there's no time for a second thought: whether friend or foe, they need help, and so he dashes forth to grab it. ]

It's okay, I've got you-- [ A bit of reassurance, if they can even hear him, as he continues to pull. ] Just a little bit further now...!

Subaru | Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle

[ex_fend346]

I. Highstorm

A. Courtyard
[ It isn't very difficult for Subaru to gravitate toward the eternal night of highstorm. This isn't owed to being a vampire, vulnerability to the sun is little more than a myth, rather his presence is borne of a certain understanding. Everything comes with a price — all wishes do.

Subaru cannot imagine the cost that would come of any wish that affects all worlds. The universe is vast, and he knows this well. Because of this, he finds himself at Highstorm's welcoming party, lurking by the reflecting pool. His black, Victorian-passing suit renders him a dark, willowy pillar overlooking the water.

For some time, he stands there in utter silence, even when he senses approach. Reflected in the water is a boy who is most assuredly his age. His manner of dress differs, but his necklace matches Subaru's, as does the dramatic, beyond floor-length cape he wears. They're practically bookends. ]

...It is a cruel thing, to be shown what you've lost.

[ He states this, seemingly out of nowhere, tone so calm it may strike as detached. Yet the sorrow in his green eyes is terribly clear as he watches the water. ]

B. The Tomes
[ Given his particular constitution, Subaru hasn't any need of coffee. The smell is pleasant, however, which leads him to loiter around the café regardless. His dramatic apparel doesn't stand out overmuch in a sea of people so diverse, so he enjoys a sense of relative anonymity.

It's only when he garners pointed staring that he, at last, feels pressured to actually place an order. The trouble is...none of it really does anything for him. For that reason, he simply stands there holding the warm to-go cup between his hands for a time before turning to the nearest passer-by. ]

Excuse me. I don't drink coffee, but it seems a shame to waste this... [ Why did he buy it then??? ] Would you like to have it?

[ He punctuates his modest suggestion with offering up the cup. ]

II. Springstar Streets
[ Though Subaru doubts that he would choose Meridian, doubting that any price could possibly compensate for a wish spanning all worlds, he finds himself concerned by reports of monster attacks. Already, he's become aware that his full strength isn't available to him, yet he's compelled to investigate just the same.

He cuts a stark figure as he strolls the streets, his clothing largely black, his long cape trailing after him. It's a strange thing, to have his senses dulled like this — to not be able to sense what lies around him. Even so, Subaru is stronger than his appearance would suggest... ]

A. Helping Hand
[ When Subaru catches wind of someone being attacked, he doesn't hesitate to intervene. Despite his slim build and soft features, he effectively knocks the assailant away from their would-be meal with a strange degree of fierce precision.

Whatever manner of sapient monster he attacked, when they round on him to retaliate, something in his eyes prompts hesitation. Instead of fighting him, they retreat. His eyes remain trained on them until the figure is no longer in sight... And perhaps, just for a moment, the intensity in his eyes is visible before it melts away and he turns a concerned frown toward whomever he'd assisted. ]

Are you all right?

B. No Help Required
[ Perhaps it's because of the way that this place has changed him that Subaru is mistaken for prey. He could only surmise as much, when he is the one attacked. Seized forcefully and knocked into a wall, it would only be natural to assume that he needs a rescue.

Only Subaru flattens his hand and strikes his attacker right in the sternum with all the force he can muster. Admittedly, it isn't as much as he should be capable of... But it's enough jarring resistance to knock the monster to the other side of the alleyway. Rather than pursue such an inconvenient meal, his attacker withdraws, leaving Subaru there, regarding his gloved hand curiously. ]

Ah...

[ He has most certainly broken some bones there, unused to not having the full extent of the strength with which he was born as a pureblood vampire. ]

III. Communion: Help Wanted
[ As it turns out, Subaru required help after all. Accustomed as he is to both being stronger than this and regenerating, he has never had to contend with broken bones. Yet the proof is plain for him to see, as the state of his hand and the pain radiating throughout it are impossible to ignore.

That same pain pulses through his attempt at reaching out to others, despite himself. ]

I apologize for the abrupt nature of my request, but is anyone here a healer? I'm not recovering as I should, and it's...difficult to bear with.

[ Pain is no stranger to Subaru. As such, the normal distress that should accompany that pain seems curiously absent. Instead, there is only an odd melange of perplexity and mild concern. ]

IV. Wildcard
[ ooc: Have other ideas? Feel free to throw a wildcard prompt down here! ]

III

[kinaesthesia]

[Gavial doesn’t always pay the most attention to the brush of Communion in her mental space when it crops up from an unfamiliar presence, but the feeling of pain that accompanies it and the particular request that he makes has her immediate attention.

So the response he gets comes with the brash and concerned feeling of someone getting right up in his space.]

Got yourself in some trouble, I take it? What happened? I should be able to help.

Ann Takamaki | Persona 5 | Exalt

[annmorous]

1. HIGHSTORM
[Ann was intrigued by Yima when she began addressing the new arrivals, but she's taken aback and... honestly a little starstruck when the woman speaks to her personally, shaking her hand. She's obviously no average woman, and she also doesn't know if she can trust her, but all the teenager manages to stammer out is a jumbled, 'Umm, right! Thanks for the vote of confidence,' before Yima is already gliding on to the next person and away.

She's still watching her, twirling the end of one of her blonde pigtails around her finger with the look of someone lost in thought, remarking absently to the person next to her.]

She's really beautiful, isn't she...?

[Is she a little in awe, like she'd just encountered a celebrity? Something like that.]


2. SPRINGSTAR
[Her response to Cyrus, on the other hand, is a little more reserved, probably because she's had more than enough of politics to last her a lifetime. Even so, the speech and the lukewarm applause it receives isn't totally lost on her as she watches the crowd, puzzled.]

I thought you guys were winning, but the mood seems kind of...

[She trails off, feeling awkward, like she's intruding on something she isn't a part of. Maybe it would be better if she stayed quiet to avoid making the weird vibes worse, so she just laughs and puts on a ditzy act when she catches the eye of someone who overheard her.]

Umm, haha, never mind! Forget I said anything.


3. BENNY'S
[Speaking of weird vibes, what's with the creepy goth city that is Highstorm? It looks like a villain's lair (which, she secretly thinks makes Yima even cooler in her mind), but when she explores, Ann happens across a diner that looks a little closer to what she's familiar with.

So of course she goes in, and can be found with a plate stacked with waffles, topped with fruits and cream, and other plates with slices of pies she wanted to sample too. The coffee is awful, but she's almost crying with joy while she digs into the waffles, cutting and eating a piece.]

Thish is shooo goooooof!

[Never mind the others, she's joining the Benny's faction. bye]


4. WILDCARD
[Pick your own starter! Feel free to pm me if you want to discuss other scenarios.]

1

[ex_fend346]

[ Subaru tips his head as he considers that, eyeing Yima's form as she flits from one guest to another. In a peculiar way, he'd found her familiar, if only for a certain resemblance to someone else.

This is, however, owed more to the air about her than her looks. ]

She has a certain presence.

[ He settles with calmly making this comment, idly tracking Yima's movements still. ]

I hadn't expected a personal greeting.

flat escardos | fate/strange fake | new player

[escardos]

1. bearing fruit

[ rebirth is painful, apparently. painful, weird, and sticky. flat escardos sits on the soft ground that he pulled himself out of, staring blankly at the expanse ahead of him. he blinks once, twice, and thrice, before he stands up with a start, as if shocked by a current of electricity. ]

No way! Was this like that one scene in the Matrix? Or are we going to be the waves of zombies that try to eat the plants? [ he looks down at himself, patting some of the dirt off of himself. ] I don't feel very zombie-like, though. I don't have rotting skin or a taste for organs...but maybe that will come later?

[ but as he checks out the state of himself (clothes could be doing better, but otherwise all surprisingly healthy and its place) he realizes a couple things amiss ]

Huh. It's all so quiet. And I think my eyesight got worse? Do I need glasses...?

[ yeah, this newly-budded resident is just sitting on top of the mound of dirt he dragged himself out of, ignoring anyone else that might be sprouting or walking around. ]

2. island hopping

[ listening to the speech in springstar is a bit difficult for someone as hyperactive as flat. it's not like he understands much of the situation yet, so a lot of it is still flying way over his head. instead of focusing on the contents of the speech, though... ]

Hmm...don't you think that the guy making the speech should be a little better about controlling his expressions? Especially the muscles around his eyes and stuff-- I wonder if he has a suggestion box?

[ in alenroux, however, flat learns true hell.

and by that, it means having to stay inside for an entire day-- or, well, night. the first hour was fine, but by the fourth hour... ]

Hey, have you heard those voices? I'm pretty sure they're calling for you~.

[ he has decided to make this everyone else's problem. ]

Don't you wanna go check it out? Wouldn't it be cool to see what's outside? Maybe it's someone that's actually looking for you. Or it's a friend that we could both make. Come on, let's go outside~!

[ it's not like flat has many (or any) offensive skills. therefore, he has to goad someone else who does to go out there with him. ]

3. wildcard

( hmu through dm or odasaku if you want to plan something specific! or just throw something here, i'm usually pretty flexible! )

1

[ex_fend346]

[ Subaru had been standing a short distance away, minding his own business as he brushed dirt off of his suit, when Flat's voice cuts through the relative stillness around him. His shoulders jump in surprise before he turns, just in time for a deluge of nonsense words to spill forth.

It isn't that Subaru doesn't understand the words. He does — it's the combination that he finds perplexing, eyebrows pinching together with a given concern. Flat seems too animated for it to be delirium, and yet...

Subaru finds himself drawn nearer, if only to be sure. ]

...Are you alright?

Wizard Howl // Howl's Moving Castle (novel) // Zenith, Iconoclast

[cyfaredd]

a. springstar

[ Within the crowds gathered at the Seat of the Tribune to engage in the year-end celebrations and listen to Cyrus' speech is a plain-looking, unremarkable man, whose status as a new Shard-Bearer is given away by the simple, standard clothing offered to those who have just arrived. Howl leans against a marble column towards the back of the crowd, arms crossed, looking largely unimpressed with Cyrus' speech. Although the crowd obligingly offers some polite applause at the end, the wizard's arms remain stiffy crossed in front of his chest. ]

Dreadful. [ Whether you're clapping or just as unenthused as he is, he tips his head in your direction to indicate that, yes, he's talking to you, although he does not take his eyes off Cyrus. ] Far as I can tell, the "Meridian" hasn't got a chance.

b. highstorm

[ During a day of celebration around the Manor in Highstorm, Lady Yima disappears from her perch on the balcony, prompting a wave of excited whispers from the Highstorm natives and veterans in attendance. It's standard for her to come down and speak personally with every new Bearer that comes to investigate the manor, and in this instance, one of the people she walks up to is Howl. The things she says are standard: words of welcome and encouragement for those who find them in Kenos following a harrowing arrival. And then, she bows her head and retreats, off to talk to the next new arrival or to simply return to the Manor.

But Howl does not move when she leaves. He stands there, slack-jawed and eyebrows raised, watching in silence until she disappears again. ]

That's her? That's this "Lady Yima" everyone's been talking about?

[ He's just as starstruck as he is surprised. And for any nearby Iconoclasts, the truth of the matter will be very obvious, as his thoughts and emotions leak into the ambient mental space around him: he is smitten. ]

3. wildcard!

(( Hello Kenos friends...!! this is Lazdo, Link's player, with a second character ✨ Howl is back, but now from book canon! Any characters who knew the previous iteration of Howl from when I played him in Kenos are free to bring him up! Book!Howl is twice as ridiculous, very Welsh, and has terrible 80's hair. Please dunk on him to your heart's content. ))

A

[ex_fend346]

[ Subaru had the misfortune to walk right into this throng of people, unable to leave as the crowd had formed swiftly behind him. He doesn't pay the speech as much mind as he should, a mounting unease too obvious in clear green eyes, but the voice beside him cuts through his thoughts.

So his attention centers on the man beside him. ]

That depends on the strength of their wish. [ He offers his reply placidly, without any air of argument. Truly, he can't imagine these Oracles they speak of to be enough to cover the cost of anything meant to affect all worlds. ] But I can't say I can imagine how it would be done.

[ And he would be reluctant to hope. ]

Rin Tohsaka | Fate/ | Tier-2 Zenith; Harbinger

[erbe]

✧ 1. Scientific Witchery

[Those viewing pools had been a source of discomfort for Rin when she first arrived in Pelu (March) of the previous year. So, upon hearing that at least one person has disappeared into them, Rin decides to do some research and observation. Despite the chill of Highstorm's winter, she's still out in her iconic mini-skirt and thigh highs combo — but at least it's a woolen skirt, fleece lined stockings, and a warm sweater and coat she has over top. One can either catch her people watching on a nearby bench with a book in hand, pacing along the outside of the fountain with her hand outstretched as if trying to "feel" the energy coming off the suspicious landmark, or — if you're one of the unlucky ones to become entranced by the view — perhaps she's the one to pull you from the brink! Either way, she's very obviously and not at all inconspicuously taking up space and lingering around the area.]

✧ 2. Page 617

It looks like they aren't offering the special today because of the new menu. Did you want to try something?

[Rin visits the Tomes quite often for research, and today is no different. She's not usually so friendly, but with the recent loss of Zenith still weighing on her she has started to do things a little differently. Especially now that newbies are filtering in. The best thing to do is reach out and add more bodies to their ranks. This may also mean deepening relationships with her fellow Zenites too, and it seems she's still indulging in the little perks of being one of the big names to go around the shardless people's rumor mill.]

Don't worry, I'll spot you for it. I've been getting some discounts lately, so why not make full use of them?

[Interested in: Springstar Sunrise, Worlds Edging, Highstorm Hiccup, and Yima Yammer (though not opposed to the other party indulging in Cyrus Concussion and Rin having to watch over them for a bit).]

✧ 3. My Lady Doesn't Wilt

[Does Rin usually pass of hard labor to others? Yes. Is she desperate to be in the Greenwood Yards' good graces so she can add some of their plants to her new Solarium at her shop? Also yes. The latter trumps the former, so if you don't mind getting your hands dirty you'll find yourself working with a 5'2" Zenite that actually puts more strength into the work than it looks like she should have. However, when she flexes her muscles it becomes clear... when relaxed she looks smale, dainty, and ladylike. Yet as she works it's clear her body is trained well. After all... a modern mage must be well-rounded.

Yet, at the end, a staff member of the gardens approaches. "Okay, wash up! Now that the soil is ready we'll prep the seeds and plant them! Pair up please."

Rin doesn't even look at who might be near her. She simply grabs them.]

No objections, right?

✧ 4. Wildcard

(If you'd like a thread but none of the above suits you, please PM me and I'll be happy to write a customized starter. Unfortunately Rin is going to be staying mainly in Highstorm so that's a bit limiting, but it's also why I'm ready to drum up something special. She also has a Magecaft + Bath & Bodyworks type business if you'd like to use that as a wildcard option. Finally, if you'd like to reference some of what the papers might have to say about her, I made a mock-up here.)

2. because i need to have this beautiful misunderstanding

[escardos]

Oh, Rin! You're here, too?

[ the voice and appearance is difficult for flat to mistake as anyone else-- it's clearly rin! to think that both gray and rin are both in this place, even without the professor here, he can't help but think that he's exceptionally lucky.

he beams at her, just like any good upperclassman would do towards their juniors. ]

It's so good to see you again! It feels like forever ago, haha!

yuca collabel ( meteor methuselah )

[abye]

— BEARING FRUIT ( VARIANT ).

[ Rather than linger at the Tree, he leaves as soon as he can. A stumbling, diminuative figure that cannot bear to remain in the dirt, and easily refuses to help any struggling figures as they claw their own way from the grave. They shouldn't come out, they shouldn't be here. Allowing them to be here, in the end, is wrong and needs to stop. It all needs to stop. The moment he hits the nearby Cornerstone, he calls out into the ether — take me where I can make it stop —

And so, he finds himself in Highstorm. Dazed and dirty, with moss in his hair and blood under his fingernails. A child, no more than eleven, with dark eyes so emptied out of life and a stillness to him so strong that he seems, at times, to be frozen in time. To be dead, walking and shambling. Thin-wristed and battered around the knees, rubbing at his eyes as he walks into the depths of Highstorm without even a look-back at potential of Meridian, of Springstar. ]

— maman, the kittens will not eat.
— my hunting dogs, my wolves with iron teeth.
— set our course, bearing eight-two-six.
— lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
— it must end, end, end.

[ He speaks in fragments, wobbly-limbed and disoriented, until finally the child with dark eyes and hair collapses in the street and curls his fingers into fists, into his hair by his ears and covers them, as if to block out the sound of something unending around him. Too much. Too much. ]

— HIGHSTORM.

[ Yima appears. Yima addresses them all, and seated in a high-backed chair in her Manor's yard, there is a child with dark eyes, who looks at her

with such hatred.

No, no. It is not hatred in those eyes, so fast does he swallow it down. It is guileless confusion, his mouth pulled into a deep frown and brows knit, helpless and unhappy as he looks through the crowd and looks and looks and finally settles upon someone. In his hands is one of the seasonal drinks, lurid and bright in the cup, and he looks vaguely disquieted by its presence, holding it up in offering to the individual he has picked out of the crowd. ]

Um, would you want this? Mama told me to never accept anything from a stranger. Someone — someone said "mama isn't here anymore", though...

— WILDCARD.

[ OOC. Anything goes! Yuca can be found anywhere as an Unharmonized Shard-bearer, seeking information and alliances by playing up his "helpless child" role. Notably, Yuca is a child in shape alone, and is actually a millenias-old immortal entity that really, really wants to die! He's here to noodle around, potentially as a future replacement for another character who will be PERMAKILLED ( coughcoughbondrewdcough ), and is only here for some fun time atm. One day...... he's 110% a future Zenite, potentially a Stargazer or Harbinger, but for TDM purposes, he's [REDACTED].

For anyone new who wants to TDM, here's a free toplevel to tag into for fun! I'm Pax, player of Set, Bondrewd & Drizzt Do'urden! ]

highstorm obvs

[zauneyete]

[ Perhaps it is like meets like. Perhaps he only notices it, only to see it swallowed by confusion, or perhaps it was merely a trick of the light. A glancing blow that's so quick that most wouldn't notice it. Silco, however, knows what to look for -- after all, did he not do the same? Did he not also swallow his anger and confusion so fast that it's nearly imperceptible?

When the boy shoves a drink in his face, he looked down at it. Silco cuts a rather terrifying figure, not from height of course, but the way his eye never blinks, looks down at the boy with a glowing pupil.

The cigar in his hand is foul. There's an agitated energy to the man, as if... as if he's looking for something. As if... there's something he half expected, and did not see. He tapped the cigar to clear the ashes, and they drifted to the ground. ]

No. I don't take drinks from strangers either.

[ Most people would tell the kid that his mother was a smart woman. Silco didn't bother with such niceties. ]

Just toss it, if you're not interested. Next time, I would tell them you don't want what they're offering.

hazel levesque ♇ pjo

[aurokinetic]

i. springstar

[ There's something in the way the small teenager holds herself than demonstrates apprehension. Listening to the speech had been important - hearing what either side said more so. Her fingers twist at the fabric of her sleeve, of the dirty torn flannel she'd woken up in. She should have changed or taken a shower, but as a demigod you learned that in the face of danger such things were a luxury. Maybe she wasn't in immediate danger - maybe - but the adrenaline of waking hasn't worn off yet. ]

[ But then, when she died she had been buried alive under thousands of pounds of stone, mud, and gems. Her life had ended without even an attempt at digging herself out then, to face such a situation again - ]

[ Hazel tries to ignore her nerves, which is easy enough when you're an ADHD kid who's mind is racing a million miles a minute. Jumping from things like how Springstar feels more wrong than right - more Greek than Roman. And while the two camps may have found an ally in each other, there's still some sort of internal hardwiring that makes nerves antsy. Or maybe that's just the whole speech entirely and the sad-looking man who leads in. ]

[ She grimaces in sympathy. She may not have been a Praetor long, but she's seen Frank have minor freak-outs about public speaking enough to know when it's hard (a few dozen child-soldiers becoming zombies who fought you does that). But still she mumbles, half to herself but loud enough to hear: ]

I hope this place has a no weapons policy in the forum.

[ Because it sure feels like a Julius Caesar situation from the whispers of the nearby people. ]

ii. highstorm

[ While Springstar offends her good Roman citizen demigod senses in its Greekness - sorry Springstar - Highstorm fairs only slightly better. It'd taken a long time to embrace her position as a Child of the Underworld and while Highstorm clearly isn't that it's the touches of darkness that remind her of times she'd rather not relive. ]

[ Touches of darkness that the reflecting pool shimmers with; Her mother's face. At first kind and warm and then there's that angry, empty look. The one burned into her memory, but before she can really look at it the expression shifts and someone steps toward her to get her away from it. She shakes herself out of it, unsettled, as she scurries away from the pool itself. ]

[ The woman who claims the halls of this manor, Yima, is a sight to behold. She holds herself with the regality of a goddess - and from the way the people here speak of her, she might as well be. When she takes her hand, Hazel thinks it feels gentle but something wiggles a bit. Gods only care about you as long as it serves them. ]

[ Not all the time. Terminus protected Rome and that little girl. Her father had allowed her to live. It's the thought of her father that pulls her from that daze. As if Yima's comment catapulted her into the present with realization and understanding: ]

... I can't even feel him.

[ 'Him' isn't quite what she means to say. It's difficult to think of her Father, lord of the underworld and the dead gone. It's difficult to realize that after all this time her connection with death is simply gone, that she can't even feel the stones beneath her feet that had been a constant companion. ]

[ If there was anything that rooted her to the spot it was that as a Child of the Underworld you knew when things were dire - when death had life by a stranglehold. ]

notes
[ feel free to make up a wildcard! i'd be happy to do monster fighting or some silliness with the new drinks. hazel is a daughter of pluto and has currently not-present death radar. she will most likely be zenith and possibly advocate/iconoclast ]

ii

[baltimores]

Feel who?

[ It isn't that Amos means to intrude. Just that, well, he's already nearby, and couldn't help but overhear. He gets that Yima is busy, that there's only so much time she can spend with everyone here... and he should be busy too, but, well.

He's an Exalt; it's in his nature to want to look out for his people, which everyone present here has the potential to be.

... And she's a kid. One who sounds lost and in need of... he doesn't know what. Comfort? Guidance? He isn't sure if he can provide, but fuck, he wants to — badly enough that this takes priority over anything else he could possibly be doing.

His voice is soft; he hopes he's doing this right. ]

There someone you're looking for?

[ Hopefully they're here, because if not, well... he maybe isn't the best candidate to deliver the Oblivion talk but, shit, he will if he has to. ]

tony (terra e) • undecided iconoclast

[tresemme]

ɪ. ʙᴇᴀʀɪɴɢ ғʀᴜɪᴛ

[ he got out. he had the whole dream sequence thing. that’s not anything too unusual to him, considering where he came from, but he fully expects to be able to do all the things he was able to do just before waking up.

not unlike a newborn deer—and just as wet, besides—he stumbles over the dirt in a heaping rush, and just as it seems he’s got his footing, he jumps. then falls. then pushes himself up from the ground in an outrage, his pretty face twisted into an expression that suggests he’s some three or so seconds away from a tantrum. ]

Hel-lo?

[ he shakes the muck out of his hair and then, made briefly modest by the mud, exposes himself again with an annoyed flick of his palm across his torso. ]

It’s so… gross!

ɪɪ. ɪsʟᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴘᴘɪɴɢ

[ it’s really starting to get on his nerves that he can’t fly. as far as he understands it, if he chooses one of these factions, then he’ll get his powers back—but frankly, he thinks that’s stupid, since it’s not as if he’s magic. his powers are a part of him and they shouldn’t be able to be taken away from him in the first place.

and, deep down, it’s made him profoundly anxious too. he would never voice these thoughts to anyone, not blue, not jomy, but that doesn’t stop them from haunting him as they did in the dream that brought him here.

it’s why he’s just so, so sour as he’s jostled around the festivities of each town. ]

ᴀ. sᴘʀɪɴɢsᴛᴀʀ

[ tony has but one unhappy comment for the “rousing” speech given by cyrus, and he mutters it just loud enough that it’s obvious he’s looking for people to hear and engage him. ]

My grandpa gives way better speeches. I can’t believe everyone’s listening to this guy.

ʙ. ʜɪɢʜsᴛᴏʀᴍ

[ since everyone is talking about their vision of a new world, it feels only right that tony raises his hand and gives his opinion as well. he’s figured out by now that quite a lot of people here are human, but he can’t be expected to work with them on their side if they don’t respect what he wants. ]

So, what if I want a world where all the humans die out? It’s not like they’re worth anything.

iib

[baltimores]

[ ...

...

...

Flat stare. ]

You just say whatever shit pops into your head, don't you?

[ already off to a great start. it's fate ]

shindou chrono | cardfight!! vanguard g | exalt

[clockpunk]

i ; awakening

[ chrono is pulled from the earth with the violent clawing of someone desperate for answers.

it'd probably look more dramatic to an onlooker (or helper, if you're the one uprooting him) if it weren't for the fact that the odd swirl of his hair pops out of the ground before the rest of him, a snapped root caught between the strands of it. like a tulip or something. but the rest of him does quickly follow, breathing hard, fury and distress etched on his face despite the grogginess of rebirth threatening to knock him out if he continued to burn his precious, fresh energy on anger.

but that vivid nightmare of destruction, the senses he'd been fed in the mid-consciousness - it felt like he was still missing a piece of himself, a hole formed by futility. the issue with being fresh off of saving the world is finding out it didn't matter one bit hits a little worse.

he punches the ground, hard enough that it dislodges a small avalanche of dirt back into the hole he'd just appeared from. ]

Damn it!

[ tears prick at his eyes, teeth grit in a snarl. but a moment passes, the tears do not fall, and instead he shoves his hands into his hair and sighs, deep and exhausted. ]

It shouldn't... be like this.

ii ; exploring

[ not one to sit idle, chrono is out and about exploring quickly, happy enough to try and blend in with the movement of other bearers and crowds of festival-goers. his bright red hair and soil-streaked varsity jacket made "blending in" a little difficult, though.

in meridian, chrono stands out against the scholarly backdrop of the tribune like a tall poppy. cyrus's speech earns a halfhearted clap from chrono, matching the general energy of the crowd. it resonates with him, fighting for what seems lost, but there's the sense of heavy burden hanging in the air that dampens the enthusiasm significantly. also, he's still pretty fresh out the ground, so a lot of it goes over his head.

he'll stay for the food, though, pickily sorting through options for meats and flavoursome marinated vegetables. ]

It's like... Meditteranean...?

[ later in highstorm, the darkness actually helps chrono feel calmer - for all of a moment, before yima's quick approach and overly-touchy impression have him stammering out an awkward, noncommittal acknowledgement.

he's not sure he likes her at all.

so he drifts over to the tomes, drawn in by the smell of what he thinks might be coffee. which, fruitlessly, he attempts to order. the barista however seems insistent on making chrono a specified drink. this might be because of the bright red, magatama-like shard chrono has embedded in the back of his right hand. ]

No, dude, I just- are you even listening? It's coffee, for cryin' out loud!

[ the drink the barista is constructing seems to be fruity, and layered. definitely not coffee. ]

iii ; communing

Hey, uh, I don't know if I'm supposed to tune this thing like a radio, or...?

[ yes he means the mental network, no he doesn't know how he would possibly do that. anyway ]

Well, whatever. Has anyone seen a dragon? Little guy, white and blue, on wheels? Or he might be like twenty feet tall but I'm pretty sure I'd have seen him in that case. His name's Dran.

[ if anyone he knew was likely to have to deal with apocalypse nonsense again, it was chronojet; or his little alternate self in dran. ]

iv ; wildcard

[ yeah!! do somethin else, im easy!!! pm me for specifics if you like or find me on plurk at yagyuu!! also anyone with spiritual/weird shit sensitivity will get a strange background distortion from chrono. it's hard to place, but he's essentially an imagination-based power conduit. dw about it. ]

iii

[sheezit]

[ Congrats on getting the one Fire Emblem who doesn't know what a dragon is (his ancestors do and hate them though) (It's Complicated) but that aside: ]

Not sure I'd call him a little guy if he's twenty feet tall, but--

[ Wait. ]

Wait, how tall are you?!

[ The guy must be a giant, that's a reasonable conclusion to jump to! ]

Yuber ⚔︎ Suikoden ⚔︎ Zenith; Iconoclast

[eightfoldfiend]

i. bearing fruit

[Yuber's arm erupts from the ground first and his fingers claw for purchase. Moments later the rest of him rises from the dirt, soil, and plant matter tumbling from his golden hair.

Gasping for breath, he crawls forward until he finds a nearby rock and slumps down against it.

Where...?

He reaches up to rub at his brow. The last thing he'd remembered was a wall of preternatural wrongness closing in around him. It was a force that struck fear in even his twisted heart, compelling him to turn and run for his life. Then... then he'd known it was over, that the world was gone and so was he.

But not anymore. Somehow, he'd remained aware. Somehow, he's breathing again... But something is missing. He cannot feel the True Rune within him, nor can he feel his own power. Maybe he isn't truly alive. Maybe half of him truly is gone...

He tips his head back and draws one knee up to rest his arm against. He spends a while like this, reclining against the rock naked and exhausted. The moment anyone approaches he fixes them with a glare from behind a curtain of hair.]

You. Stop.

ii. Springstar

[Yuber turns away from an ornate tapestry, tilts his head at Cyrus, and watches intently as the tribune gives his speech. The energy from the crowd afterward feels more worn out than excited.]

Tsk.

Nobody here seems to think true victory is likely. Pitiful. I could help, you know...

iii. Highstorm

[Dressed now in a black suit and hat, Yuber walks the streets with a glower. When a dark woman with a serene expression approaches him to shake his hand he draws a breath to demand answers from her but finds himself deflating in mid-snarl. He's not sure why.

When she draws away again he responds to her greeting with a bob of the head that is more than a nod but less than a bow. He watches her glide away into the crowd and speaks aloud to anyone close enough to hear him.]

I can think of a few things I'd like to see in a new world. What about you?

springstar;

[kaientai]

What makes you say that?

[ ryouma — sitting nearby with his big plate of cheese and seasonal wine — couldn't help but overhear. ]

Victory can mean different things to people, after all.

therion - octopath traveler - ze...nith... maybe - iconoclast (former player)

[slashing]

i. in highstorm: manor

[ all of this talk about making a better world this, saving the world that, is a lot of bullshit. something about having your hand held by a random lady while she tells you how much shape you're going to have in a brand new world is extremely offputting to someone who has never had much of a place in any world at all, and though therion listens to yima, his doubt is so strong you could probably feel it a mile away.

leaning against a wall, a short young man in purple crosses his arms and looks out on the crowd. it's probably better to mill around here, and after a moment, he sets out to join the main crowd, pushing himself up and off the wall and putting on a more friendly affect to his voice as he asks the nearest person with a slightly lost smile: ] Hey. Where's the best place to get a drink around here?

[ I Am New, Help Me ]

ii. tomes

[ there really is just

something about standing in a room full of scholars in a place called tomes, holding a coffee called "cyrus concussion". there really is. therion is just kind of looking at the menu with an expression on the (visible) part of his face that screams something between "what the fuck" and "this is the funniest thing i've ever seen in my life". it's kind of a weird facial expression to be making at a coffee.

is he going to drink this? he has not decided. but he is just holding it. and probably holding up the line. ]

iii. springstar

[ unlike highstorm, springstar is a better place to be moving around for therion. why? it's not because its more his speed - surrounded by scholars and wizards? pass.

it's because everyone here is so passionately focused on whatever the hell they're doing that it makes for a line of easy marks. do you like the things in your pockets? i hope you have high perception because a stealthy little thief is making his way through the forumlike meeting and pickpocketing like. every single person he can see, examining the goods he receives with muted interest and working on gathering a little bit of coin.

this is the get pickpocketed prompt. at some point, you might find that something is being slipped back into your pocket? i wouldn't worry about it. ]

iv. springstar...2

[ getting attacked on the street by random monsters is a tragedy. are you being accosted? things might be looking kind of dire for you up against a man-eating ghoul, but out of the blue, a dagger comes flying through the air and nails the ghoul right in the chest. it stumbles backwards, and not a second later, a purple figure comes right up after it, grabbing the dagger and ripping it back outwards from the thing's chest, landing gracefully back in front of the poor soul being accosted.

the ghoul drops to the ground and therion grips the dagger a little tighter, then quips, dry and deadpan: ] Gods, they're letting the monsters in the cities, now? So much for guards.

[ and then, he glances backwards at whoever he just helped. ]

You good?

v. kowloon

[ now this place is more familiar. an unguided and unharmonized shardbearer makes his way down to the Below with little effort, skulking through the tunnels like he belongs here, because in reality... he kind of does. you might find a sole shardbearer moving silently through the tunnels if you're the type of person to wander around them.

after all, where else should a thief be but the underground? the seediest parts of the cities, the darkest little underbellies.

or later, with his newly pocketed cash from springstar nerds, therion can be found perusing the wares of a weapons-dealer, picking up a dagger in one hand and testing the weight. ]

There somewhere I can test this out? [ as he takes it and flips it in his hand once, twice, three times. ] Or is it a buy it and try it deal.

[ the dealer shrugs. he takes the weapon and sighs. ] Great. Helpful. Thanks. [ and then pulls the dagger free from the sheath a bit to examine the blade. therion lolls his head to look at someone else who is currently perusing. ]

What do you think? Worth the price?

wildcard option.

[ hi.. its me....sisi..... protags as usual or discord "where's gu yun" im sorry, ]

iii kind of

[furibund]

[ Nebula isn't blind - far from it. Giving up the life she had before doesn't mean she forgets things like this; There's a reason she's on somewhat good terms with the Ravagers. She doesn't pay attention to him at first - it's not her problem if someone's not paying attention. ]

[ And then he gets closer and closer. She pretends not to notice, easy enough to do when your eyes don't flicker over like others do. A small blessing of the obsidian eyes her father forced upon her, maybe. ]

[ But then he's near enough and she looks unamused as she hisses out: ]

Try it and you won't have a hand left.

[ It's a warning... Sorry, she's just like this. ]

Andy Hinomiya | Zettai Karen Children | Unharmonised | Exalt (Existing Player)

[lapdogged]

★ I. Bearing Fruit

[It turned out dying was actually an incredibly weird experience.

The chill, the pain, the sucking darkness that was as sticky as tar, fighting to drag him downwards - that was just how bloodloss felt, right? Right, Andy had thought, apathetic and accepting of the unpleasant experience, marvelling at how long it took for someone to actually bleed out - it must've only been minutes, yet he felt like he'd been here for days or weeks, drifting in and out, his consciousness (?) caught in a hungry tug of war between the darkness and...

...well, something.

But things changed unexpectedly, the story of Andy's life, really. The darkness sloughed off, he felt more aware, whole, decidedly not-dead, the unpleasantly familiar sensation of alien emotions and whisper of thoughts brushing up against his - mind? Espers. Even when he's dying they won't let him lament in the privacy of his own delirious mind. Go figure. Maybe this was an illusion? Kicking a man while he's down... it was probably Hyoubu, in which case it was very much deserved...

So, when he awoke with a start, disorientated and sticky with sap, loamy soil sticking to his clothes and skin, and automatically flailed his way to the surface, Andy didn't immediately leap to his feet and hurry to investigate his surroundings. He simply... lied back down, on that fresh, lively earth, watching as hands pushed through the soil and thinking this is one fucky death dream and/or illusion goddamn.

Any newcomers, watch your feet. Andy the Trip-Hazard is about...]

★ II. A Little Island Hopping (Springstar)

[Okay, so apparently he wasn't dead - allegedly.

In fact, Andy had no idea what his status was. He just knew that- or, well, assumed that death wasn't meant to be so vibrant? He could eat and taste the food, he could feel the warmth from the sun, watch people stranger than any esper he'd ever seen amble around, hear a multitude of voices talk about things that were beyond his mind to make up so comprehensively, even for a dream.

So, it was either real... or a very detailed and hyperrealistic illusion. He didn't know which option was worse.]

But if it's an illusion, they're sure putting in a lot of unnecessary detail here.

[He mumbled partly to himself, but loud enough to be overheard as the polite applause over Cyrus's speech quietened down. Most illusions relied on the victim's brain to quickly fill in the gaps with its implicit memory, but all of this... too detailed, too vivid.

But if this was real... other worlds? Dimensions? Great big honking apocalypses that destroyed their worlds? The concept was simply too vast for Andy to process... actually, maybe it was more comforting to think of all of this as a very real illusion, or a dream...]

Just doesn't make sense...

★ III. A Little Island Hopping (Highstorm)

[There was a pool here.

It wasn't like the pool that was on- had been on the Catastrophe, but it still filled Andy with a profound sense of... heavy emptiness. He stood at its edge, his gaze skimming over its surface where the moonlight reflected off of it, unable to stop himself from thinking about the events that led up to him waking up in this place.

How he regretted it - how stupid he felt, for tucking his tail and obeying his master over accepting Hyoubu's outstretched hand towards freedom. What did it get him? Destroying the one thing that had made him happy in life, Yugiri being kidnapped, and Hyoubu...

...

He sighed and squatted at the pool's edge, resting his chin on an upturned palm. What a mess. If this was all real, why was he brought here? Save the world? Rebuild it? This was Hyoubu's thing. Not him, not traitorous, useless Andy.]

This is when he'd kick me in and teleport a shark in there for good measure. [Mumbling to himself, sounding a strange mix of fond and disgruntled.] Honestly, I'd deserve it this time...

★ IV. Wildcard!

[OOC: Feel free to slap me with any other scenario outside of the above prompts, as Andy will be ambling around both Springstar and Highstorm. I'll be happy to roll with anything!]

II.

[wolfish]

[ While Yuri is no longer new, he distinctly remembers what it felt like. He's been around long enough to recognize many shard-bearers, but the fellow muttering to himself beside him doesn't ring any bells. With the crowd not being nearly so raucous as typical celebratory Springstar fare, Yuri can certainly hear him, which gives him the distinct impression the man is lost. ]

Doesn't make sense, but we're stuck dealing with it anyway.

[ He cuts in like an overly assertive dance partner, turning to regard the fellow more properly. Or, more to the point, to study his features. Arriving in this place can be a harrowing experience, to say nothing of how disorienting waking up buried is. If this guy is new, it's assuredly a lot to process. ]

Suppose the good news is you're far from the first.

[ So, at least, there are others who know how it is. ]

matt jamison - oc, unharmonized - new player

[semicharmed]

i. bearing fruit (nudity)

[ This whole thing is not unlike dreams Matt's had before, believe it or not.

If he were in any state to talk on the subject, he'd say: There's a certain extent to which everything in our physical world is an illusion, or perhaps an approximation. Our existence is full of false divisions–between us as souls, between this world and the "next" world. Past, present, and future aren't a line, but a circle. This is all stuff you can find out on your own if you meditate underwater in a bath of the right herbs, or if you take psychedelics with a certain ritual architecture in place. And there are certainly times when, having placed yourself in a more liminal and receptive state, competing spirits will call to you.

But his mouth is full of dirt right now, so he needs a minute.

Matt's left hand shoots free of the soil, encountering delicious open air. The rest of him, hacking and coughing, is quick to follow. He stares in amazement at the place he's emerged into.

Things he doesn't notice: that the emerald lotus tattoo over his heart has changed. It's still just as brilliantly green, but now made of crystal instead of ink on skin.

Things he does notice: that he's naked. Totally naked.

Hoarsely, he calls: ]

Hey … hey! Were you the one talking to me?

ii. highstorm
[ Let's just say Matt has found someone willing to lend him clothes, and while they aren't the band tee and jeans he'd choose for himself, they do somehow manage to convey the impression that their wearer is an orphaned hipster taking shelter in an abandoned record store.

He hasn't been here long enough to realize that the daylight's never coming. But he does think the moon looks gorgeous on the surface of the reflecting pool, here in the Manor of–well, someone he can kind of only conceive of as a goddess. As it happens, he soon meets the Lady Yima, who takes his hand and speaks to him so sweetly that for a second, he's worried he'll cry.

(There's only one thing. Let the memories of your loved ones, and your world, guide you to the right path. Matt does love the world, but he can't think of a single relationship back home that has anything to say to him, except maybe about the conditionality of mortal love. The need for severing.

That's decidedly not party talk, so he keeps it to himself.)

There's something in the water, Matt realizes as he lingers by the pool. Inky fingers that remind him a little of his dark dream–or maybe they're different? If he looks a little harder, he thinks he could figure it out–

Except then he's being jerked back, hard. And given a less-than-reassuring explanation?? ]

I'm sorry, you drained the pool and "couldn't find them"?

iii. springstar
[ God, these people love to party.

That's more or less what Matt's thinking as he navigates the sun-soaked streets of Heliopolis. Is this what it was like to party like it was 1999, waiting for the world to maybe end?

He can be found, eventually, at the Seat of the Tribune, trying to hide on the most secluded chaise lounge while also eavesdropping on every conversation of note. None of it makes any sense to him, but some new phrases stick: Harbinger Oracle, Meridian, and of course, Shard-Bearer, Shard-Bearer, Shard-Bearer.

When he overhears the first murmur of a vanished relative, he thinks, Bingo. All is not well here in Pleasantville.

Though of course … how could it be? Nothing's well anywhere. ]

[ ooc: guess who's back with all his original hands!!! I'm taking a try at resetting Matt, so if you knew him from Horos, FEEL FREE to remember him, I'm here for that shit. He just won't remember you. ]

III

[wolfish]

[ Yuri is no stranger to people-watching. It's a fine way to gather information about people, and frequently they don't even know just how much they let slip. Watching someone else doing the watching, however, is a rare occasion. In this case, it's a new face that draws his eye.

He saunters his way over to the lounge with steps that are all but soundless, taking a circuitous route so he can approach from behind. Abruptly, he drapes folded arms over the back of that furniture, off to the fellow's side. ]

So, how's your recon going?

[ Just going to voice his assumption. It's what he'd be doing, sitting there. ]

Royce Bracket | Transistor | new player...Zenith very likely...

[eventhandler]

1. BEARING FRUIT

[He would find the irony in this if he wasn't panicking. When dying, everyone goes to the Country. And here he is, in soil, like he's one of those many wheat plants in the endless fields of that place.]

[Royce Bracket is only human, though. The crystal is so inviting - it reminds him of the Transistor, in all its splendor, and his heart aches like missing a lost lover - but after comes the frightening flow of dirt and earth. He struggles, writhes, pulls himself up until his hand breaches the surface.]

[Even if someone is helping him up, he seems to be talking to himself as he does, coughing throughout it all.]

Is this...the Country? The Country. Is it? [A beat - his soft twang of a voice (ill-fitting with the stern angles of his face) spills over itself, tripping on his own tongue.] No, no. No, it isn't. C-can't be, really isn't...that at all. I would know.

[A shaky inhale of breath, finally letting his vivid green eyes fix themselves on whoever is nearby..]

...Do you have a smoke?

[Yes, this IS the time for a cigarette, of course.]

2. HIGHSTORM

2a. nerds gotta nerd

[The architect finally gets his bearings. None of this seems quite real - Cloudbank would have never allowed itself into such a messy state of affairs, both with its people and structures. Or rather, it would have never allowed itself to show the chaos brimming underneath in the claim of stagnant stability.]

[While the lure of the courtyard is from the Lady herself and her words (he doesn't say anything to her greeting, though his eyes seem to flicker, darkly, at you have the potential to hold the key to a new, and better world), he's avoiding the people there, choosing to look at the courtyard itself. He's peering at the pools, gazes up at the manor, hems and haws at the buildings - one can even find himself pressed against one, intricately examining the way the stone cracks as he babbles to himself.]

Hm. Hmmm. Not...bad. Though....as it were....no, no, the material...but then again....

[Is he, like. Okay?]

2b. time for a drink (or two. or three)

[Reality seems to catch up in the midst of curious, rabid exploration for this man, though, and eventually he tumbles into the Tomes. He's just realizing that he's far in over his head. He's not familiar with any of this. His Transistor. Cloudbank. What happened...? Red...? She's not here, is she?]

[He chooses a table and slumps into a chair, physically and mentally exhausted. He feels he could sleep for eons. And...oh, someone's already here at this table. Whoops. Royce makes a little light noise of frustration, gesturing at the menu.]

...Choose something for me. I'm not picky. Any. Any drink, it would...do, yes. Get a little bit of relief from all of this.. [A little pause.] Too many thoughts, you see. Tooooo many thoughts.

[And he sighs, running a hand through his hair.]

[Someone save him.]

3. WILDCARD

[if you have any prompt you want to throw at this weirdo math man PLEASE GO FOR IT, he is HERE to be BOTHERED]

1 - I couldn't resist.

[weallbecomeone]

[She knows that voice.

A haunting sound that settles into the very pit of her person. If she had dreams, she would say it lingers there, with every piece of information that's left her insides twisting and turning. Can she call Royce the catalyst for the way things turned in every direction? Perhaps.

She does, at least along her insides.

And each time she even thinks about the Country, the Process, it's a tonne of pins and needles all across her. As if she might never be free of that sensation.

How could he.
How could he.

And she has no voice with which to say as much. But that isn't what he's asking for and it doesn't take her long to meet his question with merely a look that must betray every single one of her sentiments.

She's ready to start all of this all over again if that's what he wants.]

karlach 🔥 baldur's gate 3 🔥 undecided

[headhunt]

i. the roots

( this isn't what karlach would consider a good time. not by a long shot. there is nothing particularly pleasurable about being buried deep into the ground—even if the soil was loose, easily giving away against her claws. the dirt still burns against the constant heat of her skin, the smell of it bitter.

still, she lets out a triumphant yell as she emerges from the ground like a bright, burning flower. it feels like a victory to be out. to escape her confines.

there's a crystal in her hand, the same one currently rocketing upwards in the air in celebration, but karlach has nothing else. whatever clothes or belonging she might have had on her person clearly didn't come along with her. this would be a concern for her but her head still buzzes with all the voices that had been in it.

a frighteningly familiar problem.

but one she's forced to deal with yet again. if it's even really happening. there's a twinge of unreality to the whole thing like it might be some horrible fever dream or the side effect of some janky magical item or just some asshole wizard. the possibilities were limitless.

so she lets out a little huff of air from her nose before whirling around on her heel. )

Raaagh!

( a sharp exclaim as she slams her fist into the nearest tree trunk. just to make sure she'd feel it. just to make sure that things are real.

the small ache in her hand and the imperfect scorch mark of her fist against the thick tree trunk feel real enough though. )

ii. between cities

( springstar greets her with strange decadence, a strong presence of the church—some things are the same anywhere you go, huh?—and a speech that the city's own people don't seem to believe in. karlach feels like she sticks out here, a big burning smear of red against these delicate creams and golds.

she doesn't linger.

highstorm is nothing like that. almost bewilderingly so, especially as lady yima takes her hands in hers with ease and sincerity. her promises feel a little too sweet and honeyed, but she seems to believe in what she's saying.

more importantly, the courtyard is practically brimming with food and drink. there are no shortage of plates moving back and forth and it's the exact kind of party she wants to be at it.

the kind where she gets to overeat and drink. the kind where—

wait.

karlach pauses as she glances down at one of the platters set out before her. she looks at it like it might be a trick of the light then lets out a long exhale after seemingly deeming to be real. no light tricks at all. )

No way.

( incredulous.

there is no way it could be the same thing, but the food on the platter looks suspiciously like one of the delicacies from the hells. the delicious kind they served at parties to mingle with mortals, not the dramatic type that the more sadistic denizens preferred.

she's never tried one before. thought about it plenty. even had a couple opportunities to try one.

but karlach never did.

now here it is.

she looks down at the platter and then to the crowd. )

These are all safe to eat, right?

( please say "yes". )

iii. touch me

( somehow things happened in a way where karlach has spent the last several hours within the greenhouses performing menial tasks. it had started as an initial request to pick up some large sacks, but before she knew it . . . she had spent much of her day all but officially working a shift. not that she minded!

there was plenty to learn about the plants of kenos and people enthusiast about sharing this information.

so, of course, when the request comes out to grow seeds through warmth—she's already all over it. unfortunately, they don't mean her particular kind of warmth. they're looking for shared warmth, the joining of the hands.

and she could do that too. )

Hey, hold my hand!

( all but shouted out as karlach extends her gloved hand, ready to be claimed by another. )

iv. wildcard

( or do something else and i'll run with it! )

III

[kinaesthesia]

[The greenhouse is an occasional stop for Gavial a couple times a week. When she first started poking around here (practically a year ago now… damn, time really does fly), it had been almost entirely in the interest of trying to lend a hand with the cultivation of local medicinal plants. And yet months later, she found herself tacking on another errand while on these trips: making sure all the plants Flamebringer had personally been seeing to when he was here stay alive and healthy.

It’s not like she knew the guy very well, but it’s a rare little bit of sentimentality for home that she chooses to indulge in here. It was important to someone from home, someone who’s not here anymore, so… why not keep up the work? It feels like an almost un-Zenith way of thinking about something, but she’s never exactly been the best at being an ideal citizen here.

So it’s as she’s wrapping up her check-in at that part of the gardens with a potted little herb carried a bit too casually in one arm that she finds herself suddenly accosted by a woman with a shout and an extended hand.

And Gavial takes her up on it without even a second thought, grabbing one gloved hand with her own in a strong, firm grip.]

Uh, alright. Now what?

[She blinks at her, suddenly realizing she’s got no idea what this woman is on about—and her eyebrows scrunch together a little in confusion because… hey, is there something familiar about this gal…?]

Alice L. Malvin | Pumpkin Scissors | Unharmonized Harbinger | New Player

[a_noble_flame]

BEARING FRUIT;

[For a moment it's all Alice can do to breath beneath the loamy soil. Inhale, exhale and drag together the pieces of her scattered thoughts as the soil crowds around her.

What was it she had told Lieutenant Vitter? That she was used to drowning above ground? For a moment the memory of resting against her older sister as she struggled to breath comes rushing back -- Sophice, Elise, what had happened to them? What had happened to her men? Where has she even been last?

Fight.

Without further thought she reacts, grasping above her and wrapping a gloved fist around whatever she can. She jerks and pulls, pulling smaller roots near completely loose in her fervor to make it to the surface.

To anyone else above it's either a terrifying sight or a comedic one depending on their temperament. A gloved hand is followed swiftly by a crown of bright blond hair. Her teeth are gritted as she breaks through the rest of the soil and shortly a set of fierce blue eyes settle on whoever is nearest by. She looks like she's ready to fist fight anyone who comes near her.

Then she abruptly stops and blinks. She studies whoever it is and then just as fierce as her gaze had been before it immediately softens. She lets go of a huge breath and more or less slumps there halfway out of the dirt like some kind of groundhog that gave up immediately when it saw it's shadow.]

What in the world is going on.

LEARNING;

[In Springstar there is plenty to arrest Alice's attention. She does attend whatever talks she can and seems extremely focused on them, particularly Cyrus' rousing speech. She doesn't miss the sad look he ends off with though and seems to be quietly thinking over it. It was very much what she expected from the speech of one who led but the crowd seems to hold no desire to be roused from it. Perhaps the talk of victories was overstated?

What ends up arresting Alice's attention the most though is the score of militants stepping out to the training grounds. Her own outfit is obviously some form of uniform as well with it's long coat and the insignia on her upper arm. She looks downright longingly towards where the militants depart to, only realizing anyone else is close by once they're gone. She looks more than a little sheepish before she murmurs:]

... I don't imagine they would let me train with them, would they.

[It would do her so much good to get in there and spar some. Even if most of those militants tower over her in size.]

[In Highstorm Alice is just as attentive when she shows up to those gatherings. Amusingly when Yima does start taking bearer's hands and eventually does the same with Alice the blonde herself looks friendly but not precisely awed by her. She stands at ready attention like she would for anyone higher up the military ladder. She even nods as the woman speaks but doesn't seek to ask her questions or stop her after.

Once that's over though and others have dispersed to smaller gatherings Alice herself takes up a spot. She's not very good at general socializing when she has something on her mind. When she's offered a drink she makes a 'stop' motion with her hand.]

I'm sorry, I can't drink alcohol.

[Later though before she leaves Highstorm Alice decides to take a moment at Benny's. It seems to be extremely popular considering how many locals direct her towards it. It is very busy but it's also very rowdy. Alice has mostly watched the scuffles that have ended up cropping up as she ate but once she's finished she casts a glance over the way of whoever is running the place behind the bar that night.]

Would you like me to stop any of this?

[Meaning yes, she'll jump into the middle of these fights is someone needs throwing out. So far it hasn't gotten that bad, mostly minor arguments and the like.]

MONSTERS;

[Alice is chiefly getting to know the lay of the land so to speak. From Springstar to Highstorm and now onto Alenroux the trip has gone alright so far. The locals have been fairly open with her given her lack of faction allegiance just yet and while earlier she was in a state of deep thought it seems that she has sat her thinking aside for now so she can talk to the locals. Most seem to come away with the opinion that she's "an overly serious woman but very friendly and polite" which really is the best boilerplate description of Alice ever spoken.

Rather than being solely bound indoors though Alice actually goes out at night specifically when she's told of the monsters outside toward the north end of the island. At least she does ask for information first before she goes out? That's a plus when it comes to her!]

Shadow creatures ...

[With familiar voices even. Alice mulls on that information a moment as she stands outside the doors of where she had been staying here in Alenroux. After a moment of rolling it around in her mind she perks a brow up.]

A sword should do the trick, maybe?

WILDCARD;

[Feel free to find Alice wherever you like. If there's a fight going on she'll probably jump in and try to help out. If you want to debate the good and bad between going Meridian or Zenith then please do! Maybe you just want to call her short and try to bully her? Feel free! PMs are open for any plotting or questions.]

learning

[muchalucha]

[ Whenever there’s one of the little gatherings for new people, Quetzalcoatl makes a point to attend. It’s not exactly to try and sway people or anything like that, but she just likes meeting new people! Besides, getting here in the first place can be really strange and scary for people, so a friendly face is probably something they need.

Alice does stick out for her uniform, but to be fair… So does Quetzalcoatl. At over six feet tall and wearing bright, revealing clothes, she definitely stands out too! But as a god, she’s very well used to it. She edges closer just in time to hear Alice’s longing comment, then laughs a little. ]

If you ask nicely, I bet they would, yes! Or if not, we do have a big Coliseum for lots of sparring too! You like that kind of fun too?

Jade "the Prophetess" | Enderal: Forgotten Stories | New player.

[dreamflowers]

i. the roots

[Dreams and visions of death and the end of the world weren't new to Jade. In fact, it kinda came with the whole "Prophetess" gig.

[But this was something else entirely. One didn't need to be a Prophet to know that. Was it the Cleansing already? Had she taken too long? She expected it to hurt more. She had dreams about it sometimes -- the blinding light, the agony, like there was a fire burning her from the inside. This felt different. This felt... disconnected. The Sea of Eventualities fades, until not even a single Glance could show her one of the millions of possibilities that this could have gone differently. To pull her magic from one of those realities and change the outcome of this one.

[But it's nothing. She's nothing. She always had been. Father was right about her. She was tainted from the start. She was an idiot for thinking she could simply run from all of it -- hide away in Duneville and not expect the consequences to finally catch up with her.

[When she feels cognizant again, part of her refuses to move. So she lies still, stony, her limbs gone cold. It isn't until that particularly resistant, rebellious part of her kicks in that she tears herself up from the dirt, kicking and screaming.

[And fuck it all, she is screaming. Her lungs expelling oxygen as she chokes somewhat on the dirt and sand in her throat, some semblance of life returning to her veins. Her tattered clothes fair no better, the shreds revealing hints of a scarred body on what now appears to be a half-feral, six-foot-nine tall elfin woman.

[After several seconds of just... breathing, she glances around. But before she has the chance to prioritize anything else--]

No...!

[She's digging into the pockets of her leather pants, until she pulls out a necklace with a small black stone attached to it, carved in a strange star-like shape. The panic on her mein turns into abject relief when she brings the stone to her chest, and she sinks to her weakening knees.]

Oh. Thank fuck.

[Not all has been taken from her -- not yet.]

ii. island hopping

[There was once a time in which Jade would have delighted in excuses to join some drunken revelry. Not because she was a particularly outgoing person in truth, but because it was a distraction. That's all it ever was. Something to forget that the world is shit and she lived in a shithole country that was torn apart by three decades of civil war. That's why she liked taverns, or just anyplace where people can relax and enjoy themselves.

["The sky can rain fire out there. In here, you'll always meet laughter and good humor." That's what Jespar had told her once. Blazes. Were they still even friends after the shitty things they said to each other? Jade intended to apologize to him the next time they meet, but... if the world really is gone...

[Despite needing a distraction, Jade is still very hyperaware of the rising tensions of the world she's in now, and that she hadn't actually stumbled into some fantastical paradise of an afterlife after all (not that she ever believed in such things. A "last dream", maybe, but not an afterlife). From the war in Nehrim to having a front-row seat to her misguided countrymen's invasion of Enderal, she'd seen her share of war, though never actively participated in one. However, that didn't stop the forces of "fate" from trying to get her involved in one way or another.

[While trying to get her bearings, Jade sets out to get the lay of the land, this time thankful not to be as frequently met with crazed red-eyed locals or animals driven to insanity by the Red Madness when out exploring. While in Springstar, she spends more time eavesdropping than making friends, casually nibbling on some cheese or bread while actively avoiding anything remotely to meat, save for the roasted fish. These things... taste similar to the kinds of things she's eaten on Vyn, but something about it feels off. Maybe she's disassociating, but it's hard to tell what feels real and what feels... just wrong. Her endeavors to obtain information fall short when she becomes lost in the moment, sitting in a chair whilst staring down at a piece of cheese like it's some bizarre puzzle she can't make heads or tails of.

[Her trip to Highstorm is met with a far less welcoming approach. As Jade listens to Lady Yima speak, her face blanches somewhat at the talk of a "new world" and promptly rips her scarred hands away.]

Nah, I've heard trash like that before. That guy was an asshole, too. No thanks. Sorry.

[Jade doesn't care who hears her, be it Lady Yima herself or the people who support her. This time, she doesn't indulge in the promise of free food, her appetite withering by the end of the speech. She is not moved.]

iii. cheers

[Some time later, she overhears a few conversations, people referring to a "coffee shop" and "barista" -- words that are alien to someone from a world where such things don't exist. Or if they did, the concept was completely new to her.]

A what now?

[Jade sees the cart and the drinks being served to other people, but she doesn't trust it. Actually, she doesn't trust much of anything in this place.]

iv. wildcard

[ooc: Hit me with something else if none of these suit your fancy! Feel free to send me a PM or hit me up on plurk at whippoorwill as well.]

Cheers

[sheezit]

[ Shez often drop by the Tomes, mostly because he isn't a coffee sort of person -- tea was the go-to popular choice of hot beverage back where he comes from -- but lately Meridian Shard-bearers don't exactly feel welcome in Highstorm territory. But it's not like he's about to let himself be intimidated by a few (okay, multiple) ugly looks his way, either.

So today he's decided to indulge in caffeine for a bit of an energy boost, and he's quick to take notice of a fellow patron who sounds particularly befuddled over the drinks on the menu. Relatable, to be honest. ]

Ah, was it the 'Cyrus Concussion'? [ He breathes out a huff of amusement-- in friendly commiseration, not mockery! ] Never tried that one, but I hear it'll knock you right out. Fitting name, huh?

tenkubashi sho / tokyo aliens / unharmonised exalt / new player

[revivia]

[ The problem isn't coming back into existence. If anything, that's the only normal part of the Kenos puzzle: the process of rebuilding himself, cell by cell, limb by painstaking limb, is something he knows with striking familiarity. The dream, the smell and feel of bursting past loamy earth, the knowledge of a world ending, the everything else—well.

That all makes a little less sense. ]

A. Springstar

[ It's hard to care or get caught up in the festivities as someone new, unaffiliated and yet unaware of the goings on here; it's... strange in how celebration can happen after the end of everything. Unfair, almost, if he allows himself a moment of pettiness. But it's not bad, watching people in their (somewhat strained?) enthusiasm, warmed with light and weathered hope for something lost.

Since there are people trying to "mentor" new souls, he'll stop loading up on his plate of food for a moment to ask a simple, softspoken question. ]

Do you like it here?

B. Highstorm

[ Despite a speech that plants its hopes solidly in the future, Highstorm feels more introspective, and it makes it easier to get caught up in the emotion of all that's happened—so he's eager to avoid the reflecting pool, more likely literally anywhere else. For example, approaching someone intently at the Greenwood Yards, grave as ever. ]

Please help me with this assignment. [ Serious handholding hours. ]

C. Alenroux

[ While the day-to-day activity of Alenroux is comforting in its liveliness, (i.) he tends to wallflower the tourist activity, studying the wine bars and demonstrations more than jumping to participate, watching them with a restrained sort of curiosity.

(ii.) Though, at night—it's easier to get involved. For those also out and about, fighting or about to get ambushed by a creature, he's light on his feet and leashed by no hesitation. ]

Look out—!

[ He will throw himself into the path of any monster available. He also doesn't have any abilities right now though, so this might be stupid? Wowee. He's eager to help, at least. (iii.) Or, in the space after a fight—he watches one of the shadow creatures ooze back into the darkness. He stares hard at its fading outline, then at the blood dripping down to his elbow from a cut on his arm. His expression—usually stoic, about as exuberant as plain oatmeal, is perturbed. ]

It's true then? We have to choose a side for power?

[ (iv.) Or! Maybe he's the one plunging forward after a monster, but for different, less violent reasons, lured in after a shadow with a sense of very stark, very obvious urgency that's taking him too far from safety, out deeper into the woods. ]

D. Kowloon

[ Thanks to growing up with the shadiest possible mentor in the world, he has no shame or difficulty in finding a guide below. While he's still Lawful enough that anyone might notice he's slightly out of place (not being Zenith aligned outright—probably doesn't help, but it's better to explore before he commits), he's mostly quiet and obscured in his dealings here, currently crouched to observe a sprawl of weapons on sale.

Or he would be, if he didn't seem a little distracted by one of the non-humans. A ghoul, or otherwise. He stares for a moment too long, studious. ] An alien...?

*. Wildcard

[ PLEASE wildcard me, silly or serious, i adore wildcards and don't know anything about anything! tree stuff, other non-tdm locations, and notebook network (notework?) also a-okay! ]

B :3

[enlist]

[ Speak of the shadiest possible mentor in the world and he will appear.

It's difficult to identify Reiji from the back, considering he's not wearing his usual attire of a (closes my eyes) purple trench coat, so when he turns around, Sho is met with a surprisingly familiar face. One that looks a little flabbergasted at recognizing someone for once?? ]

Sho-kun?

[ Just stands there with a pile of dirt held carefully in both hands. Hello. ]