beleos: (Default)
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
    clockpunk: (003)

    [personal profile] clockpunk 2024-01-16 05:09 pm (UTC)(link)
    No, like, he's about two feet tall? But he could be big size. It's kinda hard to explain.

    [ chrono you're not even trying.

    even though shez can't see it, he hand-measures himself. conclusion: not that tall ]


    I'm maybe 5'8? Dunno how it's relevant though.
    corvidant: (d012)

    [personal profile] corvidant 2024-01-16 05:17 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Friend. Partner.

    ... yeah, Akechi is out. ]


    I would not particularly mind it. [ Being called a monster, that is, not befriending one, but he doesn't bother with elaborating on it. ] But you should know that, human or not, those creatures are not looking to make friends. If you go outside, you will be expected to fight-- and I hear there have been several casualties. It would be wise to exercise prudence.

    [ ... both of which must be traits Flat lacks in, he gets the distinct impression. ]
    sheezit: (s22)

    [personal profile] sheezit 2024-01-16 05:27 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ ... yeah, maybe do try a bit harder, Chrono! ]

    You called your twenty foot tall buddy a little thing! Kinda sounds like you'd have to be even bigger! Honestly, at this point it wouldn't surprise me.

    But okay, so. Dran is two foot tall, then? Is he maybe just... really, really wide?
    cyfaredd: (laugh)

    [personal profile] cyfaredd 2024-01-16 05:32 pm (UTC)(link)
    No.

    [ Howl turns to look... up at the very large teenager beside him with the same starstruck smile plastered across his features. ]

    Not at all. In fact, I'm quite impressed. With how everyone talks about her, I think I might have been expecting a matronly old woman.

    [ But the real Yima is a mommy of a different kind. ]

    Are you with the "Zenith" then, young man? Do you know her? What's she really like?
    erbe: (259)

    [personal profile] erbe 2024-01-16 05:40 pm (UTC)(link)
    Mm, in my world mages were compelled to keep knowledge of magics a secret. The more people who knew about magic the more it would dilute its power. You could say that the more the light of science expands is equal to the amount that the shadow of Mystery and its magics recede. As such the Association's first rule is to keep the truth of magecraft away from those who aren't already mages.

    [First rule about fight club is to not talk about fight club, ya hear?]
    abye: (Default)

    [personal profile] abye 2024-01-16 06:02 pm (UTC)(link)
    She has a lot of knowledge? Is that why she thinks she knows better than that black stuff that killed us?

    [ The opinion that Yuca holds for her is — heedless of what she can offer, really. He hates her, automatically and without hesitation. How dare she pull him ( anyone ) from Oblivion and force them to carry on for some goal she embodies. A future? A new world? There's no reason for it. There's not even a scrap of respect for her in him, just loathing. Bitter and exhausted.

    Outwardly, he wraps himself around the image of a lost child. A precocious eleven-year-old with skinny limbs and a well-tailored outfit that marks him as, perhaps to someone like Silco, of an upper echelon. He's dirty all the same, bloodied around the knees and shins, and hasn't complained even once about being in pain. Not like he really feels much, with his nerves gone dead and useless over time.

    More importantly, he perks up a little at a particular set of words. Curious and eager, as he leans forward a little in his seat, hands still holding the cup. ]


    "Work"? What kind of work do you mean?

    [ The man with the cigar is skeevy enough, and has cruel eyes. Silco reminds him of Dora, in a way. Hungry for something. ]
    abye: (pic#16297354)

    FURBY SCREAMING

    [personal profile] abye 2024-01-16 06:09 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ He barely lifts his head when the barely-audible croon of a small animal finds him. The bite that follows is just enough to blast past the deadened nerves of his latest incarnation, accompanied by the — the siren call of her mind, to his own. Her mind. Similar to his own, detached and distant, acting out in fits and bursts of dwindling energy. ]

    Ow.

    [ He does rasp his way through the yelp, jerking his arm back from the cat's teeth as he keels onto his side and draws his limbs up, away from her. Badly as he wants to be dead, there's no reason to allow himself to go without a fight when this time he was so close to making a difference. Weary and shellshocked as he is, he screws up his face ( young, and ancient of eye ) into as terse a glower as he can.

    He looks like a sulky, petulant prepubescent child with round cheeks. There's nothing intimidating about him. ]


    — you horrible thing, don't bite me like that. What do you want, anyways? Food?

    [ Nevertheless, the pain she's caused

    has brought him a measure of clarity again. ]
    abye: (pic#16297330)

    [personal profile] abye 2024-01-16 06:14 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Being told he should dump it is one thing. Yuca isn't entirely willing to concede his beverage to just anyone, not when he's so small and vulnerable in comparison to others; it's the worst, being this small, and he wishes he could just skip the confines of youth and be an adult. Even speeding up his development in his carrier's womb hadn't been enough. But, in a way, he is very obedient. When Chrono physically holds his hand out for the drink,

    he hands it over without protesting. Dark eyes blinking in a way that could be seen as surprise — whether at the directness of the other boy, or his own willingness to obey, he couldn't tell. ]


    The menu said they'd do things to us. What kind of people want to drink things that make them do things they might not want to?

    [ Idiots do, his internal dialogue sighs. ]

    Um. Thank you?
    abye: (pic#16297381)

    cw yeah just a blanket warning for suicidal ideation

    [personal profile] abye 2024-01-16 06:27 pm (UTC)(link)
    Why? Why would she be so cruel?

    [ "She saved you", the man says, and Yuca's mind converges on that point. On those words.

    "Saved". Saving him from peace, condemning him to more torment. To the myriad of memories that swim through him as his hand trembles and seeks a point of contact, anything to ground himself in the present, in his life as Ys. As Yuca. His pulse is jagged, breathing ragged with the sheer anguish, the weight of his pain, as he twists under that heavy hand and tries to find it with his own. Reaching around his ribs, to seize at Amos's pinky and ring finger.

    Clutching at it. As if he were a lifeline.

    But, he's not. Not at all, he's a shackle. Another living person who shouldn't be, who needs to stop because anyone who lives is another way for the Methuselah to — to come — that woman did this to him. ( "It's too cold for Rain," oh Rain. Rain. If he was gone, then... why was Yuca forced to go on without him? Without Machika. ) ]


    Whatever. Whatever you want. Just get me out of here, please.

    [ With dirt under his nails and moss in his hair, he's the picture of a brand new Shard-bearer. ]
    damnpire: (pic#12042638)

    [personal profile] damnpire 2024-01-16 07:01 pm (UTC)(link)
    [If Tony only knew the aesthetic Zenith had crafted for its cityself: full night, all dark and haunting vibes, and now covered in a blanket of chilly snow... D would definitely look like a person who would say, "Zenith." And maybe he still does, his pale face, unnatural beauty, and black leather.

    Maybe he looks like the kind of person who would find joy and resolve in making a new world from the scraps of so many old ones. But instead, he says:]


    Meridian's.

    [Later, Tony can think back on this and find it ironic after seeing Springstar.]
    damnpire: (pic#12042672)

    [personal profile] damnpire 2024-01-16 07:15 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Hmm. D thinks this over for a second, and then he reaches out around Subaru through communion to get someone close to come help with the hand. Maybe he should consider investing in a healing spell.

    He never did only because his own technically still worked, and he was always a hired sword not a doctor. The bedside manner is lacking is all.]


    If he's here, you'll find him sooner or later. What are your names?
    aurokinetic: (pic#16133689)

    [personal profile] aurokinetic 2024-01-16 07:18 pm (UTC)(link)
    How do you not know if you have a soul?

    [ The question is almost immediate - he looks human. Maybe something like the mist is deceiving her, but he doesn't seem like a monster. Only monsters don't have souls. The idea of not having one, after spending so long in the Underworld, isn't something she'd think of. ]

    I guess things are always pretty weird. Really weird, but...

    [ It's been a while since she'd been alone. Not since Alaska, not since she died and came back. She doesn't want to do it alone anymore. She shakes her head, just a touch at the suggestion. Yima still reminds her of the way people treat Godsand. ]

    ... Ladies like her don't have time for kids. [ Besides, she thinks to herself - she doesn't think she wants her help. ]
    aurokinetic: (pic#16197859)

    Re: I

    [personal profile] aurokinetic 2024-01-16 07:19 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ For a moment, the girl doesn't look convinced. And then with her own smile, more amused than not she answers: ]


    That's what they all think before someone gets stabbed.
    abye: (pic#16297330)

    IIB. hi mary it's pax

    [personal profile] abye 2024-01-16 07:27 pm (UTC)(link)
    I wouldn't mind that.

    [ Across from Tony, there is an itty bitty child. Somewhere between those nebulous preteen years where he could be nine, he could be eleven or twelve; round of face, skinned of knee and eyes so dark, they might as well be a reflecting void. His expression is schooled in a measure of wonder at someone having the audacity to just

    you know

    say shit. ]


    Technically, we are all dead to begin with. The lady in charge made us all come back, without even asking our opinions. If you don't want humans around, I think that's your right to make happen.
    Edited 2024-01-16 19:27 (UTC)
    baltimores: (137)

    [personal profile] baltimores 2024-01-16 07:39 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Kid needs a haircut.

    That's stupid, he says, and Amos is ready to get his hackles up again. It's not stupid—

    But then Tony brings up a point that's actually relevant, and the hackles lower. He blinks. It's something that is going to have to be addressed, but the how... ]


    We wouldn't. I don't... know how it's going to work. Not yet. I've never been in a perfect world before. But one wouldn't have people like that, so I figure there's a way to prevent anyone from messing it up. We wouldn't let them.

    [ A beat. ]

    Yima would know. She'd stop it before it could even start.
    kaientai: (128)

    [personal profile] kaientai 2024-01-16 08:15 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ incidentally, ryouma has also met that akechi. ideally, he's hoping this one won't be as much trouble as that Caster had been. ]

    Nope! I'm the real deal!

    [ the last person he'd tried to explain this to didn't believe him and suggested if he was going to impersonate someone, he ought to choose a more famous person, so his bar measuring success in this area is pretty low. ]

    Which, if nothing else, should tell you I'm perfectly capable of protecting you.
    siriusly: (doip)

    [personal profile] siriusly 2024-01-16 09:43 pm (UTC)(link)
    "No problem!" he declares, turning to nod in the affirmative. With his eyes closed. Because he is polite.

    He'll open them up when he turns away again and look ahead, because he's polite, not a total idiot. "If you notice anything ahead of us though, say so...two pairs of eyes are better and all."

    The idea that getting out of here would require bonking magical soul rocks together or finding someone who already can is so astronomically far from his mind that this is going to be...very slow. Long has it been since he's been stranded anywhere without a means to contact backup (or any good tech at all...or pants), that he's already doing an inventory of the place as far as defensible locations or potential weapons go. Man, if he could snap one of those thinner root fibers, maybe that could be something of a lash? But it's pretty far out of reach...

    "Strange," he murmurs as he goes, climbing over an ingrown root. "The gravity feels about as normal as Destiny...and the air's not doing anything weird to our lungs? That I can tell so far, anyway." There's always a risk of undetectable threats that way, wandering alien planets without PPE.
    siriusly: (i--wait. huh??)

    [personal profile] siriusly 2024-01-16 09:47 pm (UTC)(link)
    Pretty lady laughing prompts an involuntary rush of blood to the face that Manabu ever-so-hates, but if he stares and listens with more earnest, surely that won't get noticed as a character flaw of some sort. Any worry about that is immediately benched in light of the little spectacle at play from her palm.

    "Woh--wait, seriously?" he blurts, catching himself leaning in and quickly straightening back out. He squints. "Seriously? It's not just a weird trick? Like, real magic...?"

    Yes, Manabu, man who hatched out of a giant seed pod, real magic.
    siriusly: (ahahaha......what............)

    [personal profile] siriusly 2024-01-16 09:49 pm (UTC)(link)
    [not me logging into my Kei account on reflex fdjbh]

    Manabu's head perks and attention snaps to the call of the incoming figure, prompting him to sit up straighter, then just stand up outright; he closes his fingers around the little marble, stuffing it into a pocket.

    "That, that bad?" he replies with a weak smile, his eyes wincing. "I guess that's true...I'm still trying to wrap my head around...all of this." His hand leaves his pocket to gesture about.

    "It's kind of insane, right?"

    He hesitates.

    "I mean, no offense, just, to me, it--"
    siriusly: (those are sugar-free gummi bears)

    [personal profile] siriusly 2024-01-16 09:51 pm (UTC)(link)
    Manabu scratches at the back of his head.

    "Why's it a competition at all?" he wonders aloud, then ducks his head slightly, sheepish. "Aa, I, I mean...once I heard 'bring back worlds,' I tuned out a lot...I don't really know what any other angle could look like."

    Deeply informed decision-maker Manabu Yuuki.
    siriusly: (have you ever tried to read fob lyrics)

    [personal profile] siriusly 2024-01-16 09:52 pm (UTC)(link)
    Manabu's ears redden as a tattletale to his embarrassment that he's not vocalizing, thanks.

    "Wizard," he echoes, a couple shades incredulous. "Is that a codename...?"
    sheezit: (s7)

    3

    [personal profile] sheezit 2024-01-16 09:56 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Highstorm may not exactly be a welcoming place to Meridians right now, but Shez can deal with their questioning what-ifs and the occasional ugly stare for the sake of exploring! ... and getting lost, as he often does.

    That's how he winds up at the diner, not so much for a meal, but because it's enough of a landmark that he can orientate himself back on track. Still, it doesn't hurt to try out some of the food while he's here... or, he can try, provided this one particular patron hasn't just run the place out of stock! ]


    Whoa, you've got yourself a whole feast there! [ That's a very healthy appetite-- for very unhealthy treats, but still! He's impressed! ] Did you leave any for the rest of us?
    clockpunk: (013)

    [personal profile] clockpunk 2024-01-16 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
    What the hell, where are you guessing this info from? He's a dragon! He's normal-shaped!

    [ ignoring the fact that dragons don't have any consistency to their shape whatsoever. but the idea of some sort of flat-fuck-friday edition dran was extra weird.

    okay let's try and explain. ]


    So he's either in one form, where he's small. Or he could be in this other form, which is from his future? Where he's all grown. The small one is more likely, probably? Oh, but the big one just goes by Chronojet.

    [ that's probably even more confusing, not helped by the hesitance in chrono's voice. even after years of dealing with Weird Timespace Shit he still hasn't got it all worked out. ]

    Who are you, anyway?
    sheezit: (s24)

    [personal profile] sheezit 2024-01-16 11:15 pm (UTC)(link)
    Hey, hey-- not my fault you won't tell me what a dragon even is, to begin with! People here come from all sorts of places, you know!

    [ So until he gets a better explanation, Shez will be picturing a big flat pancake dragon in his head, thank you very much!

    Either way! It's not the weirdness that he minds so much as how unhelpful that description is. And there are ways to put Communion to good use here, but first: ]


    Anyway, I'm Shez. And who are you? Pretty sure I've never heard you in Communion before.
    clockpunk: (005)

    [personal profile] clockpunk 2024-01-16 11:19 pm (UTC)(link)
    People do stupid stuff all the time. If the menu said it, I guess that counts as enough of a warning for them?

    [ chrono is assuming the drink is some kind of alcohol, rather than a potion of ill-effect. still, the sentiment would remain the same either way.

    he shuffles quickly over to a nearby potted shrub, pouring the colourful drink into it and leaving the cup on the edge of the plant. littering was bad, but he was giving himself a free pass considering - well, everything. he returns with a shrug. ]


    No need to say thanks. You're-- here by yourself?

    [ he falters, instinctively ready to ask after the aforementioned mother. but it didn't seem right, somehow, to bring it up again yet. ]