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
    sheezit: (s10)

    accept your fate

    [personal profile] sheezit 2024-01-13 05:13 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Excuse you, he is OLDER THAN YOU--

    Anyway! There's obvious relief stamped across his face as their combined efforts finally succeed, her body drenched in sap and dirt, but safely pulled out. It may not be someone he recognizes, but that doesn't matter right now.

    (Even if she thinks he's some kid, what the hell.) ]


    Yeah, I know. Crazy stuff, huh?

    [ Huge understatement right there-- yes, he knows, that's exactly what he thought upon rescue, too. Maybe there really is something about cycles in this place... ]

    Look, I'm going to need you to just breathe for a bit, okay? I know how that whole experience feels, and you'll definitely get your answers, but for now, just know that you're safe. [ Well. Mostly, but that's part of the lengthier explanation. ] You're not hurt, are you?
    diegeticmusic: (across the storming seas)

    [personal profile] diegeticmusic 2024-01-13 05:14 am (UTC)(link)
    [She startles, too, but of course if she's going to say something as random as that in the food line, someone's going to comment on it. Good going, Grace!

    Though, actually, that this person recognizes the name Sappho definitely gets her attention. Is he from Earth? Her Earth, or...

    How common is the name Sappho across dimensions? Why does she have to consider this? What is her life?

    No time for spiraling, time for talking!

    She smiles at the man, giving a little embarrassed shrug.]


    I guess I did, but... a big chunk of my memories are missing. [It's way more complicated than that, but that's the short version.] They come back in little bursts. When I see or smell something familiar, usually.

    [Like the prawns. Honey-coated seafood on the coast of the island... Definitely something she remembers.]

    Infamous, though? Really? [Wasn't she just a gay poet? Man, Grace really should have paid more attention in history class.]
    hauntedking: (07)

    [personal profile] hauntedking 2024-01-13 05:17 am (UTC)(link)
    I'm afraid I don't know the name... Neither Calliope nor "Greek" are familiar to me.

    [ He smiles apologetically. ]

    My people only had one goddess and I didn't learn much of the gods of other lands, unfortunately. But-

    [ He blinks and then he dips his head in a little bow; he's apparently being polite! Not every day he meets a god(dess), although there are a few here he knows. ]

    Well - I'm very pleased to meet you, Grace. I am Dimitri Blaiddyd... King of Faerghus. Or I suppose all of Fodlan, now.
    baltimores: (012)

    ia

    [personal profile] baltimores 2024-01-13 05:18 am (UTC)(link)
    [ And here is a grown-ass man with a plate full of pancakes, absolutely drenched in maple syrup. And with a healthy amount of whipped cream on top. But at least there are berries, too? That's surely enough to count in the respectable meal department.

    Amos is walking on by after having just finished loading his plate up when he hears the remark. Stops. Looks at Akechi. His pancakes. The pancakes still available for the taking. Akechi again.

    And, baffled, ]
    What's wrong with pancakes?
    diegeticmusic: (to be seen)

    what if I want to fight it instead

    [personal profile] diegeticmusic 2024-01-13 05:21 am (UTC)(link)
    [It's the purple hair! Short king!

    Safe, he says. Sure. Every time she gets dragged away to some new place against her will, things always work out great for her.

    She takes his advice, though, taking deep breaths and spitting the last of the dirt out of her mouth. Ugh, it's all gritty. Disgusting.

    When she gets her breath back, she finally answers his question.]


    No. I... I think I'm okay.

    [She remembers lots of pain, but looking at herself now, she seems totally fine. Weird. Or well, not that weird. She's sturdier than when she was a normal human, so...]

    Thanks. For the help.
    corvidant: (d007)

    [personal profile] corvidant 2024-01-13 05:32 am (UTC)(link)
    [ One the one hand, this guy sounds like an adult, and there's always that side of Akechi that's looking for approval.

    ... on the other hand, he's clearly a functional idiot, if Akechi is being charitable. The minute he has his powers back, Ryouma is getting kicked to the curb. please do not imprint on him with Friendship, ugh!! ]


    A band of thieves, more like it; vigilantes, technically. They used to disguise themselves and make use of mysterious techniques in order to perform changes of heart. As a detective, I was the one to uncover their identities and methods.

    [ Do not ask him how. ]

    I would find it hard to live in my same era and world and have never heard of them. I believe they made it to international media coverage, to say nothing of how quickly news spread over the internet. Would you perhaps be computer-illiterate?

    [ Insulting the guy to his face AND HE SOUNDS SO PLEASANT, TOO... ]
    kaientai: (004)

    b

    [personal profile] kaientai 2024-01-13 05:34 am (UTC)(link)
    [ ryouma isn't a god, but he's a guy who has dealt with enough magic and generally weird stuff to know something's worth paying attention to when he sees it. unfortunately, dealing with it doesn't make you an expert, so that's all he's got — just a feeling.

    he's just passing by when he overhears her, though, so taking a couple of steps back, he swipes a drink off the tray of a passing waiter. he sips it and also helps himself to a vacant seat at the table. there hadn't been any of these festivities for him when he'd gotten here, so he might as well enjoy it. ]


    Well, I don't know any guys named Apollo, but maybe I can help?

    [ probably not, but he offers anyway~ ]
    corvidant: (d007)

    [personal profile] corvidant 2024-01-13 05:40 am (UTC)(link)
    [ The mention of other effects immediately has his eyes narrowing in suspicion-- at the menu, not so much at Link. ]

    Oh? You have me intrigued.

    [ Not enough to make a guinea pig out of himself, of course, but this guy has... clearly had some type of encounter or another with this mystery drinks and their mystery status effects. He'll exercise prudence, as long as current company indulges his... scientific curiosity.

    (Or: how can Goro Akechi weaponize this entire menu. ]


    You sound as though you speak from personal experience. Is that correct?
    diegeticmusic: (bright and clear)

    [personal profile] diegeticmusic 2024-01-13 05:45 am (UTC)(link)
    Oh, it's fine. You don't have to... I mean, it's not like that.

    [No need to dip his head or anything like that... although apparently he's a king. Sheesh, what are the rules of courtesy in this situation...?]

    It's nice to meet you too, Dimitri. Or, uh... King Blaiddyd? Sorry. [She chuckles.] It's my first time meeting royalty. I... can't say I'm familiar with your kingdom, though.
    kaientai: (209)

    [personal profile] kaientai 2024-01-13 05:52 am (UTC)(link)
    Oh, haha, that's easy! See, not everyone's worlds are exactly the same, so I must just be from a world that doesn't have any Phantom Thieves. I've talked to someone else who's from a version of the world where some of the people are centaurs.

    [ the simplest explanation, he figures, and easier to explain than his whole magic time travel business. ]

    But that's so interesting! I guess we really lucked out managing to end up with somebody with your skills, huh? We can go looking for clues whenever you want!
    corvidant: (d008)

    [personal profile] corvidant 2024-01-13 06:00 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Ah. Here come the war flashbacks...

    With some effort, he manages to push the memory of his indignity to the back of his mind, yet a forlorn sigh still wells forth, his face all too solemn before he offers his reply: ]


    I have history with them.

    [ ... a bit of a drama queen, and maddeningly unhelpful at that, but it's all he's choosing to offer.

    It's only then he turns around to fully face Amos and his... offensive mountain of sugary goodness, extra syrup dripping down the sides and a white crown of cream topping the abomination in all its sinful glory. For once, he feels like making conversation over food might fail him. ]


    But you seem to clearly [ have shit taste ] favor them. Might not be wise to overindulge very often, though.
    arrowslinger: (If I just believe it)

    1

    [personal profile] arrowslinger 2024-01-13 06:02 am (UTC)(link)
    "I've been trying to figure that out myself," Yukong says in response, seemingly indifferent to the fact that everyone's nude right now. And to an extent, she is. There's far more important things than being naked.

    The Foxian is...tall. She looks young, relatively speaking, but there's something about her which implies something far, far older; Yukong carries herself in a self-assured way that only comes with age, and for a moment, she looks tired as she gazes up. Staring at nothing, maybe.

    But only for a moment. Her tail swishes. (She's got a tail. It's very fuzzy.) Her attention turns back to the stranger, and her ears prick, ever so slightly, forward. (She has ears. Foxian for a reason.) "I am Yukong, of the Luofu's Sky-Fairing Commission. And you are?"
    diegeticmusic: (you think youve strayed)

    [personal profile] diegeticmusic 2024-01-13 06:05 am (UTC)(link)
    [She looks up from her shard, then goes ahead and lets it go back into her body. Probably safer than just... having it out for anyone.

    She lifts an eyebrow at him, taking a sip of her own drink.]


    Oh yeah? Are you just a helpful guy, or...?

    [Grace is a little on guard. In her experience, people offering "help" usually want something in return...]
    hauntedking: (26)

    [personal profile] hauntedking 2024-01-13 06:06 am (UTC)(link)
    Dimitri is perfectly fine. I don't see a need to stand on ceremony.

    [ He flashes a smile. ]

    I'm not terribly surprised. We're likely from different... worlds? Realities? It's difficult for me to wrap my head around.
    baltimores: (113)

    d

    [personal profile] baltimores 2024-01-13 06:07 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Ohhhh, prawns are good.

    ... Not good (or bad??) enough to inspire that sort of reaction, though. Amos has been here for over a year now, and attending these shindigs has become something of a staple for him — for the promise of meeting new shard-bearers and hopefully helping them acclimate, as is what he feels to be duty; but also because, like. The food is pretty much always awesome.

    His plate is currently empty. He'd been looking at loading more up on it — maybe the prawns, as a matter of fact — but what slips out of Grace's mouth has him looking at her curiously instead. And, okay, yeah. Looking more like a gym bro than a history guy, one could forgive him for staring at her like she's just spouted off the ramblings of a madwoman, but Sappho happens to be a name that inspires some recognition. ]


    Friend of yours? [ He's still looking at her oddly, but his voice is soft enough. ] ... ain't that like, ancient history?

    [ Which is really relative considering the world they currently find themselves in, let alone the ones everyone came from, but it's still a real question. ]
    arrowslinger: (I believe I can fly)

    pancake hell

    [personal profile] arrowslinger 2024-01-13 06:12 am (UTC)(link)
    [So, Yukong's a political person. She's been forced by chance and circumstance to think in tactical, practical, political terms. For...

    ...many...

    ...years she's served in a political position, and understands things like going to parties and making small talk with people to figure out the lay of the land, eating food, figuring out the cultures and the norms. She's not a merchant, but she still gets it. This isn't her wheelhouse, but she can fake it.

    So, for similar reasons, Yukong's there, at the party, staring at the table with her arms crossed because it's not bad, per se, she averages out to neutral on pancakes, but-]


    It does seem an odd choice, I'd agree. [She wasn't gonna say it, but it feels a bit like going to a party only to discover some amateur accordion player blasting out Greensleeves in terms of, "This isn't the worst thing possible, but, what? Why?"]
    corvidant: (d007)

    [personal profile] corvidant 2024-01-13 06:21 am (UTC)(link)
    I see. The concept of alternate timelines and worlds is something often reserved for fictional tales where I come from. If we're to live it in the flesh, I suppose I'll just have to strive to be a worthwhile main character.

    [ Or maybe the villain. He's got some experience in that department. MOVING ON... ]

    Of course, the sooner we get started, the better. Time spent idle does not suit me, although I suppose I could put it to good use by starting a lighter investigation. Or are you making a game out of having me guess your name?
    kaientai: (160)

    [personal profile] kaientai 2024-01-13 06:22 am (UTC)(link)
    [ that's a very fair assumption to make on her part, and it probably doesn't help that a lot of people tend to think he looks a little shady because he's not trying to be it's just how his face is. ]

    Yeah, that's not so strange, is it?

    [ he smiles, carrying on just the same even though he can tell she's put her guard up. ]

    I'll admit, I've only been here for about a month myself, so I'm still learning, too, but I had a lot of time to wander around and think.
    kaientai: (042)

    [personal profile] kaientai 2024-01-13 06:32 am (UTC)(link)
    I'm sure you'll do fine! I don't really like to sit around much either — or I want to start climbing the walls — but there's plenty of work to do down below. [ he's encouraging! also: half of that "work" involves just getting your bearings in the place... ] Being open-minded about that sort of thing is the best thing to do around here, honestly. A lot of people come from interesting places.

    [ funny he should say that right before moving onto introductions... ]

    I'm Sakamoto Ryouma. Nice to meet you!
    corvidant: (d006)

    release him

    [personal profile] corvidant 2024-01-13 06:34 am (UTC)(link)
    [ If only it was a simple matter of odd choices... ]

    Unfortunate, is the word I'd use.

    [ Why is this kid so terribly dramatic about a handful of sugary goods...

    Regardless! His lifelong nemesis -- pancakes, that's the pancakes -- may find ways to keep sneaking up on him, as though they hide in every corner, lurk beneath the shadows, just waiting for their prime opportunity, but he's already dealt with enough war flashbacks for a day. Or a lifetime. Multiple rebirth cycles, even.

    (His number one rule in the world he hopes to create: no pancakes.) ]


    I realize that's a rather unpopular opinion, however. [ A hot take, as the youths would say it. Alas, Akechi is an old man's soul trapped in a kid's body. ] The truth is many find it to be comfort food. A valid strategy to draw in the more frazzled newcomers, wouldn't you say?
    kaientai: (056)

    island hopping

    [personal profile] kaientai 2024-01-13 06:59 am (UTC)(link)
    [ ryouma is also partaking of the free food, happy to see it after a month of getting by on his own. he's done pretty well for himself so far, but there had been no fanfare and welcoming parties when he'd shown up. he glances over when someone speaks up and can't help but chuckle a little at the question. ]

    Well, no, it was a fine speech; it just wasn't what they wanted to hear. He must've done something that shook their confidence in him at some point.

    [ he's only been here about a month, so he's hardly on the up and up about everything in Springstar politics, but he has a good sense about these things. he'd come up during turbulent times and had seen how the actions and inactions of well-placed men drastically altered people's opinions of them by the day.

    more importantly, he spots a weird-looking cheese he hasn't tried yet on a serving plate nearby and reaches for it. ryouma is confident he'll enjoy it a lot more than politics. ]
    cutlery: (do normal human things)

    [personal profile] cutlery 2024-01-13 07:04 am (UTC)(link)
    [ He’s lightly surprised that she’s so candid about the amnesia, but he just gives a friendly and gentle smile as if to ease her of the embarrassment. It’s an interesting thing, but it also sounds very inconvenient to him… But he also possesses a perfect memory, so. He may just be a bit biased on the topic. ]

    I see. Then I suppose it makes sense that food would evoke it. The senses are tied so strongly to memory, especially smell, no? I at least hope that the one that has returned to you is… [ He trails off with a little laugh ] Well, no, I imagine it is an interesting one indeed, considering.

    [ There are two ways that he can dip into the anecdote of his own recognition, but he decides to go with the more “recent” of the two. ]

    Infamous may be a strong word for it, but her poetry caused a bit of a stir where I was from. First just for the marvel of it surviving, for it was only discovered in the past year, but then for the translation. England has a great love of history and archaeology, but what it finds does not always align with how they preferred things be done in the day.

    [ He gives a small shrug ]

    Of course, how the papers described it, you would think the poetry to be far more lurid than it is.

    I-a

    [personal profile] ex_fend346 2024-01-13 08:07 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Perhaps Akechi noticed a figure drifting about on the periphery. Perhaps he didn't. Which proves the case might dictate how he takes to Subaru appearing at his elbow now, not quite so close as to crowd, yet near enough that he might startle someone who wasn't paying attention.

    He's clad in what seems like a dramatic Victorian suit, complete with a high collared cape so long the dark fabric pools on the floor. Were Subaru possessed of his usual faculties, his presence might be odder still, but for now he looks like one hell of a cosplayer. ]


    I take it you aren't fond of them?

    [ Subaru's voice is soft, though lower than one might expect of him, almost dreamily serene. He's taking the situation awfully well, evidently. ]

    Subaru | Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle

    [personal profile] ex_fend346 2024-01-13 09:16 am (UTC)(link)
    I. Highstorm
    A. Courtyard
    [ It isn't very difficult for Subaru to gravitate toward the eternal night of highstorm. This isn't owed to being a vampire, vulnerability to the sun is little more than a myth, rather his presence is borne of a certain understanding. Everything comes with a price — all wishes do.

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

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


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

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

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

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


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

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


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

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

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

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


    Are you all right?

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

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


    Ah...

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


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

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


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

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

    IV. Wildcard
    [ ooc: Have other ideas? Feel free to throw a wildcard prompt down here! ]
    baltimores: (056)

    [personal profile] baltimores 2024-01-13 10:19 am (UTC)(link)
    [ ... Who has a history with pancakes.

    The answer does little to satisfy; at the same time, Amos isn't going to press. Just stare back at Akechi, almost as if he has the moral high ground to judge him in what just might become the pancake wars if they aren't too careful.

    Except this is a gathering for new shard-bearers, which this guy clearly is, and pancakes are not that serious a business. (Probably.) So he stares, blank and empty, before shrugging — and though little about his expression changes, there's a much more amiable quality to his voice now. ]


    Well, shit, yeah. This is a good time to overindulge though, ain't it? It's not every day we got all this set up out here.

    [ This is for you, buddy! And your kin. With that settled Amos glances at the rest of the spread that remains present throughout the courtyard. ]

    Alright, you got a history with pancakes. [ Still weird. ] Plenty of other stuff here, though. What's your poison? Might be out here somewhere.