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beleos ([personal profile] beleos) wrote in [community profile] kenosooc2024-01-12 02:07 pm

JANUARY TDM + SETTING UPDATES


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 [community profile] 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
    cattish: (my motto is "whatever works")

    i'm saying they're both harbingers for the furby recognition of it all

    [personal profile] cattish 2024-01-16 07:37 am (UTC)(link)
    [ there is a cat. a little white shape that appears before Yuca, all soft fur and sharp bones and big yellow eyes, its pristine fur marred by blood that has turned tacky and rust-coloured. it circles the child curled up on the ground – (she searches for his scent, curious at his resemblance to Miharu) – and when it is satisfied with its inspection, creeps close enough to press its nose, damp and gentle, against the bare skin of his arm. it gives a trill, the sound sweet.

    and then it bites him. ]


    Maow.

    [ in his mind, Yuca feels a gaze that is curious, searching—but detached. ]
    kaientai: (005)

    [personal profile] kaientai 2024-01-16 07:40 am (UTC)(link)
    I try to! That's really the best part, honestly.

    [ he'd always wanted to see the world and never had the chance, so he really hit the jackpot with kenos. ]

    Anyway, it's the Oracle ritual itself that makes me wonder. It's apparently cyclical, and yet no one seems to have any solid information about what happened before. No one knows exactly what the Oracles are or what they're capable of, and that seems to be the case on both sides.

    I really don't like libraries, but I made it a point to do my research just this once.

    [ book learning has never been his strength. ]
    appeale: (because honestly—)

    2: alenroux!

    [personal profile] appeale 2024-01-16 07:57 am (UTC)(link)
    [ unfortunately, it may seem fairly obvious that Flat has found someone even less suited to offensive skills than him: Rudbeckia is a delicate-looking young woman, with fine gold-spun hair and rosy cheeks, who moves with elegance and a noble bearing. someone who looks like a doll brought to life, or the illustration of a fairytale princess. she laughs in a soft, warm voice at his efforts to cajole her. ]

    Um... The monsters that are left in this area don't really want to be friends so much.

    [ so exhausting, honestly. why does she still have to do this? well, it's not like she can imagine how else she can behave, short of holing herself up in Set's temple for the rest of her life. she really only wanted to come out here and check on the remaining monster population, since it's been a while. now she's stuck with this guy? ]

    I-I can communicate with them, so... all the ones that are friendly, I helped move to a safer place a while ago. [ a pause. ] They do eat people, too. Even the nice ones.

    [ If you want to get eaten, don't drag me into it. ]
    baltimores: (140)

    [personal profile] baltimores 2024-01-16 09:10 am (UTC)(link)
    [ He nods along absently; yeah, yeah, smells and tastes triggering memories makes sense. If he didn't read that somewhere once himself, then he probably heard it somewhere. Possibly this exact moment, but it sounds right?

    But she's right — it also doesn't matter. What matters is what Grace says next, and at first, it's all Amos can do but blink.

    Stare. His arms fall to his sides, empty plate dangling from one of his hands, the idea of food forgotten. Because what she says sounds nuts, but... ]


    Yeah? God of what? [ The curiosity in his voice is genuine; he probably shouldn't, but he believes her. ] You grow up like that, slowly getting memories back, or is it only happening now?
    baltimores: (021)

    [personal profile] baltimores 2024-01-16 09:13 am (UTC)(link)
    Yeah, I can see that.

    [ A deadpan response to Flat's professed inability to relax; no further comment, though. It's not a bad thing. It's also maybe not a good thing? Right now it's bordering on an annoying thing, but... ]

    I don't know who Alan Grant is. [ Still deadpan; Amos just stands there. Tragically Flat has come across one of the least curious people ever. He's content to take things as they come, seek nothing new out. Just vibe — which is maybe why he's content to keep going with(/accidentally encourage??) this, too. ] I don't think so. What I do know is if you go wandering out too far —

    [ pause. Amos looks Flat's smaller frame up and down, as if for emphasis — ]

    something's probably gonna kill or eat you. I'm guessing you'd prefer to avoid that.

    [ Or at least he hopes the kid does, but who knows... ]
    baltimores: (101)

    [personal profile] baltimores 2024-01-16 09:25 am (UTC)(link)
    [ A blink for the audacity. Honestly, maybe even a little respect? Like, if you're gonna be a genocidal weirdo, at least be upfront about it. Score a point for child-like logic.

    Even if the rest of the argument is flawed. The hint of respect goes away as Amos rolls his eyes. ]


    Because I didn't ruin shit. [ And he actually hasn't, for once! Not in this case at least. ] Can't tell me to fuck off and die for something I didn't do. We find people who're gonna break the new world? Cool, we kill them. But there're good ones out there who don't deserve that — who're gonna make the new world better — so we let them come and help build it.

    [ There's a degree of finality to his voice, like he doesn't care if he just made a good argument or what. It's what Amos is pretty sure is the right thing to do, so they'll do it, no ifs ands or buts. ]
    baltimores: (077)

    [personal profile] baltimores 2024-01-16 10:02 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Ah. Amos watches her cross her arms; isn't sure if she's doing that to curl in on herself a little or steady herself or what. It just tells him that he wants to continue to take a gentle tone — and also to not put himself in a position of authority. Not with her; not now.

    He looks out across the expanse before them, at the rest of Highstorm in the distance, up at the eternally night sky. ]
    I hear you. Whole thing's weird.

    [ Well. He doesn't know what she's specifically talking about at all, but...

    He looks back at Hazel. ]


    I wasn't missing anything like that when I first came here, but world I was originally from? No magic. Shit, I didn't even know I had a soul — [ but it's impossible to ignore that now, what with the very physical evidence and all. He shrugs. ] Guess what I'm saying is there's an adjustment period. It'd be weird if things weren't weird, right?

    [ A beat. ]

    Maybe Yima could help you get that connection back, though. Maybe not in the way you're used to, but... I dunno. When she's a little less busy. She can be pretty good with things like that.
    baltimores: (026)

    [personal profile] baltimores 2024-01-16 10:04 am (UTC)(link)
    [ His breath catches in his throat. It's been so long since he last saw a kid look the way Yuca does now; it's like his heart is caught in a vice, the ability to breathe tight and difficult.

    He keeps his hand on his back. A steadying presence; willing to use his body to shield him if need be. From the cold, the rain(?), anything in Highstorm... ]


    She saved you from Oblivion. [ Of course that woman would be Yima, and...

    It's been so long since he's been around a suicidal kid. He hates this. ]
    She would've thought she was doing the right thing for you.

    [ Amos swallows, thick. ]

    It's too cold for rain. Might snow later, but... hey. Let's get you out of the cold at least, okay? There's a diner nearby. Can get you a hot meal, somewhere warm to sit, gather your bearings...

    [ He doesn't know what happened to this kid. Is afraid (oh, right, that's what fear feels like) to find out. Hopes it can at least be alleviated for now, before they figure all of this out. ]
    tresemme: (🍼11)

    [personal profile] tresemme 2024-01-16 10:28 am (UTC)(link)
    [ luckily, unlike some people, tony likewise respects the stern finality. although he fully believes that humans will ruin everything again, given the chance, he can also—reluctantly—acknowledge that it’s possible not every single human deserves to be killed on sight.

    he puffs an annoyed breath, bangs fluttering up so amos can see both rolling eyes.
    ]

    That’s stupid.

    [ just because he’s not biting doesn’t mean he’s going to let amos have the last word. ]

    Why would you let people have the chance to mess it up in the first place?
    clockpunk: (001)

    shindou chrono | cardfight!! vanguard g | exalt

    [personal profile] clockpunk 2024-01-16 12:43 pm (UTC)(link)
    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 [plurk.com profile] 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. ]
    clockpunk: (006)

    highstorm!

    [personal profile] clockpunk 2024-01-16 01:34 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ the end of yima's address has chrono scanning the crowd, a distrustful scowl on his brow. he'd heard it before, pretty words from someone so willing to give everything up for a selfish future. he zones in on yuca, out of place amongst the older crowd, yet with a focus stronger than most.

    there's something disquieting in that gaze, the reminder of an entity much older than the small, fragile host body it occupied staring out through eyes that could barely contain its presence.

    but it's gone in a flash, and chrono blinks, forgetting that ominous memory entirely as he's approached. ]


    Ah- I think it'd be safer to just dump it, right? [ he holds his hand out for the drink. ] You wouldn't want to take your chances.
    cyfaredd: (oh? :3c)

    [personal profile] cyfaredd 2024-01-16 02:55 pm (UTC)(link)
    Older?

    [ Howl gives the stranger who'd approached him a curious look, but his words make him look back in the direction Yima disappeared. Ah, right — she would be older, wouldn't she? If she's really the central figure of this entire world, like everyone says she is, second only to the Tree itself. ]

    Ah. I supposed you'd be right about that, wouldn't you? But I'm hardly one to turn my nose up at a lady who uses magic to refine her appearance. And with such style and skill...

    [ Indeed, he is grinning even wider than before. But with Yima no longer being in sight for him to gaze longingly at, he turns to his new conversation partner and props a hand on his hip. ]

    Is she single? Do you know?
    cyfaredd: (Default)

    [personal profile] cyfaredd 2024-01-16 03:08 pm (UTC)(link)
    "There, there," Howl immediately says with a good-natured laugh. "No need to be embarrassed for me. Embarrassed for yourself, well... that's your authority."

    His eyes sweep around the dark cavern, composed of dirt floor, dirt walls, and dirt ceiling, with gnarled roots as thick as a man's arm weaving in and out of the soil. Frowning, he can't help but think how easy it would be to get out of here if his magic were working, but... it isn't.

    "I suppose we don't have much of a choice but to start walking in one direction, do we? Come. And," he adds, "my name is Howl. Wizard Howl. At your service."
    corvidant: (d006)

    [personal profile] corvidant 2024-01-16 03:12 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ There's the feeling of a single blink shared over Communion, a moment of silence. ]

    I see now why you took such an interest in my name. I suppose it's not uncommon to share one with historical figures. [ Coincidentally enough, these are both samurais, albeit from different eras. ]

    However... You happen to share both, first and last name. Is it some kind of homage?
    cyfaredd: (hmm...)

    [personal profile] cyfaredd 2024-01-16 03:25 pm (UTC)(link)
    Neither side can succeed, or will succeed, because their goals are set upon false premises to begin with.

    [ And he gives a little shrug, like extra punctuation at the end of the sentence. Whether Howl is right or not, he's clearly convinced that he is. ]

    And yes, precisely! Not just one world, but "all" of them? It's preposterous. And these relics we're meant to collect to do it, these "Oracles"... you can just go to the Tree and look at them? They're tangible objects capable of being perceived by a regular person? And yet, they're supposed to have that level of power.

    [ He throws one hand back into the air dismissively. It's ridiculous. ]
    Edited 2024-01-16 15:25 (UTC)
    corvidant: (d008)

    [personal profile] corvidant 2024-01-16 03:27 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ The presence itself doesn't startle him as much; without his Persona, Akechi has no supernatural abilities to speak of, though his senses are no duller for it. Being something of a triple agent in his (now past) life does requirement a level of constant alertness, after all.

    ... the outfit, however, does earn a single arched eyebrow. Had this been the metaverse, he could almost have mistaken Subaru for someone else, though the meek attitude was much more fitting of (Choose Your Protag Name) rather than the ever exuberant Joker. ]


    I might go as far as calling them my personal enemies.

    [ What Goro Akechi lacks in dramatic attire, he clearly more than makes up for in personality...! ]

    That aside, they might be best suited for a breakfast buffet rather than a welcome feast. I suppose it could be different in an alternate iteration of my world, though...
    corvidant: (f022-pixiv-user-166475)

    [personal profile] corvidant 2024-01-16 03:50 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Listen... As long as no one presses him about The Great Pancake Incident, he has no reason to begrudge bystanders who just happen to like the treacherous treats (treatcherous?) that Amos seems to favor. He is a Grown Up now, perfectly calm and reasonable.

    (But does that stop him from sparing them one final side glance with murderous intent? No. No it doesn't.)

    Thankfully, his newfound companion has the good sense to move on from Triggering Content, and Akechi recognizes the offer of food as an attempt to strike conversation, as he himself often resorts to. ]


    Poison.

    [ It's said pointedly, his expression impassive enough that it's hard to tell whether he means it as a jab at Amos's choice of words or... as an actual answer to the question. ]

    I'm somewhat partial to sushi and Japanese cuisine, especially to more exotic dishes. [ A bit of a smile, and then: ] Are you familiar with fugu?

    [ ... yes, that's the poisonous blowfish. ]
    cyfaredd: (suave)

    [personal profile] cyfaredd 2024-01-16 03:52 pm (UTC)(link)
    Ah. I did, didn't I?

    [ He sort of did forget, but the making of the comment itself — not the sentiment behind it. Howl peers at the woman and concludes that he must have caused some offense. With how unenthused most people seemed, he didn't think twice about mumbling aloud his own doubts, but perhaps it was to be expected if the people here have really bought into the whole "us vs. them" story that's been peddled to them.

    Smiling in a not-so-honest way, he puts a hand to his heart and bows slightly at the waist.
    ]

    Forgive me, in that case. I have only what's been presented to me thus far to judge either side, after all. Perhaps you'd be willing to tell me the real truth? I'd much rather hear it from a true believer, and not some low-polling politician.
    corvidant: (d006)

    [personal profile] corvidant 2024-01-16 04:05 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ You're fine, you're good, the ears and tail never bothered him anyway. He's seen plenty of non-human entities even prior to arriving in Kenos, and he wouldn't expect the actual end of the universe to be no less teeming with variety than his personal experiences with the metaverse.

    What really matters here is: Yukong seems unimpressed with pancakes, and while this isn't exactly the first step into blooming friendship -- because Goro Akechi does not make friends -- it makes her tolerable, for the time being. ]


    Songlotus cake and tuskpir wrap... I can't recall having ever heard those names. They must be from your world's cuisine, I presume?

    [ The actual first assumption being that they do, in fact, hail from different worlds. The alternative would be taking her for a Persona... or a cosplayer. ]
    fursuit: (Default)

    [personal profile] fursuit 2024-01-16 04:18 pm (UTC)(link)
    Yeah, NPC fits pretty well. I'm the helpful guide kind, but when it comes to helpful items, well, I ain't a charity.

    [ But once he sees those Command Seals— Tezcatlipoca is openly surprised to see them, but it turns into a sharp, amused laugh. Now he feels like maybe he should take this more seriously. But... It's not exactly like this is the deal he'd signed up for. He can be sure the kid isn't from Chaldea, since the fact they only had the one made it easy. And this isn't exactly his Lostbelt either.

    ...Still would be fun to give him a hard time, though. ]


    Well, well, would you look at that!

    [ He laughs more and points at Flat's hand with his cigarette. ]

    Hey, don't worry about the blood. You ain't gonna hear a complaint from me. Makes more sense with the tat, since that'd be a real interesting one for an actor.
    corvidant: (d012)

    [personal profile] corvidant 2024-01-16 04:25 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ In the pair of seconds it takes his expression to soften from mild surprise to realization, his mind has dashed right through every scenario involving the Phantom Thieves in this place, with Joker being the more favorable option-- if only in terms of temporary cooperation and a good brain to pick apart. Ann is... admittedly on the lower end of the IQ spectrum, but she is vastly preferable over the likes of Ryuji.

    (He loathes to admit, but even the dumbass would be a kinder choice than the two who can make him feel something slightly akin to remorse.)

    So, Takamaki it is. And while they're at it, he may as well address the obvious elephant in the room: ]


    What's the matter? A ghost is the least to expect out of a world that's long gone.

    [ And just like that, his attention shifts back to the menu, all too nonchalant about the prospect of Armageddon. It's not as if his world hadn't already ended before he came here. ]

    I take it you've only recently arrived?
    sheezit: (s19)

    iii

    [personal profile] sheezit 2024-01-16 04:43 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ 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! ]
    cutlery: (WE LOVE YOU WEIRD AL!)

    [personal profile] cutlery 2024-01-16 04:47 pm (UTC)(link)
    Well, I assume so. That seems fair enough when she is the one that brought us here. Saved us, in fact.

    [ Though he does add that last part almost as an afterthought... He has his doubts about that part of the claim, but his circumstances are also different than most. Don't count aion as part of plot ever,,, ]

    Either that, or we all steward over it together, presumably. Which would you prefer?
    corvidant: (d006)

    [personal profile] corvidant 2024-01-16 04:56 pm (UTC)(link)
    Fairly straightforward, that one.

    [ And boring at that. Hiccups, seriously?

    The plague one, though... hmm. That's interesting. It has potential, though it does beg some caution. ]


    Though, a plague from last year... My, I seem to have run into a veteran. I'm only a newcomer myself, so I have much yet to learn. Would you mind telling me some more about it? I'll pay for your choice of drink in return.
    tresemme: (🍼5)

    [personal profile] tresemme 2024-01-16 04:56 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ does it seem fair enough? in another context, maybe, but tony doesn’t want to too easily agree with anyone that hasn’t proven themselves to him. ]

    Neither, duh. I don’t want to give it to some lady I don’t know, but I don’t want to be responsible for a bunch of people I don’t care about, either.

    [ which is part of the problem he sees in going to meridian—that would be bringing back a lot of people he doesn’t care about, and who actively disdain his existence. neither move seems like the best one here. ]