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

JANUARY TDM + SETTING UPDATES


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

SPRINGSTAR, αιώνιος ήλιος

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

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

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

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

HIGHSTORM, луны-близнецы

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

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

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

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

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

ALENROUX

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

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

KOWLOON

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

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

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

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

TRY TO JOT DOWN A FEW NOTES

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

FRONT PAGE NEWS

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

DON'T LOOK TOO CLOSE TO THE SHADOWS

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

AAH! REAL MONSTERS

If the cities didn't have enough to deal with, Springstar is taking the most hits. The city of sun may not be dealing with as many patches of darkness (for truly, Meridian's light touches all) but that does not mean that there is no danger within the city of eternal sun. Attacks by people such as vampires, ghouls, and other intelligent, people-eating races are on the rise, and fearful whispers hint that they are coming from the Below, some even suggest that this is the hint that the balance is shifting. Kowloon has always existed with relatively little strife toward Springstar, but that seems to be changing. Be wary on the streets of Springstar, bearers, you may find that lurking around the corner are hungry murderers of varying levels of danger. The attacks are not... constant, but they have begun to increase in frequency. By this time in the month, they are moving to several times a day, and the legionnaires are having difficulty keeping up with the attacks. Even one of the more well-known Meridian higher-ups, Agapitos Voreen, has been seen fighting in the streets, flanked by his second, a large, emerald dragon-born woman. All of these combined efforts have not yet been able to turn the tide, and it's clear that Kowloon was always a threat, but one that until recently, had been kept well in hand.
OOC NOTES
  • Welcome to Kenos! As a reminder, all new players need to submit a request, and proceed through player screening to apply to the game. Apps are now open!
  • This log is Game Canon. Any characters who are not apped to the game will disappear. If Cyrus or Yima are asked, they’ll explain that this sometimes happens since not every soul has a strong tether to Kenos and sometimes return to the Timestream. They may return to Kenos one day, but for now, weren’t able to make the full journey.
  • As a note primarily for current players, closed toplevels/prompts are not allowed in this log. If you would like to interact with the setting changes in a way that isn't open to all characters (new and old), we ask that you instead make a log in [community profile] kenoslogs.

  • FOR NEW PLAYERS:

  • When characters emerge from their cocoon/the ground, they may be wearing their normal clothes or nude. Up to you!
  • At some point in the days after leaving the Tree of Life, new Shard-Bearers will have a dream, even if they're usually not capable of sleeping. All new players should read this post since this details how they'll learn about both factions and their goals and should help them make a decision about which Faction they'd be drawn to.
  • Characters who arrive and harmonize to Zenith will receive a bonus token!
  • When meeting with either Cetina or Kathova, along with their shard or sunbeam, they will be given a Kenotebook! Think of this as your text-based comm. (This is also opt-out, so if you want it to not be ready/lost, go for it!) Any AC with the Kenotebook must be doubled, so make sure you are aware of that!
  • As a reminder, your character has a Shard somewhere on their body that encompasses their soul, so keep note of where you're sticking it on their person for reference! Additionally, they have a tattoo of their Aspect somewhere on their body. Please be mindful this Aspect will be assigned to you upon approval and whatever you choose for the TDM may be temporary (for new characters)!
  • For the Island Hopping prompts, all locations will be fully open and accessible to all characters once they are freed from their rather harrowing ordeal at the Tree of Life. For prompt ideas and any general information about the cities and what you can find there, please see the Locations section of our Wiki!
  • New characters will not have access to any canon abilities on the TDM until they Harmonize, AKA make a choice of which faction they choose to support. For some characters, this may be an easy decision, but it make take others time. We just ask you keep this in mind!

  • CODING
    siriusly: (do i get any say in this at all.)

    [personal profile] siriusly 2024-01-13 03:18 pm (UTC)(link)
    Manabu does something of a double-take, not expecting to be acknowledged directly. He straightens up, fingers closing gently around the amber bead for safety while his attention shifts to the stranger. She looks rather official with how she's dressed, and he'd have assumed she was some sort of authority figure here until he hears our worlds. His eyebrows lift.

    "Aa, you...you, too? Did you wind up stuck under some huge tree?"
    siriusly: (those are sugar-free gummi bears)

    [personal profile] siriusly 2024-01-13 03:24 pm (UTC)(link)
    Manabu startles a little at the sound of a voice, his head quickly whipping around toward its source. He blinks, gawking for a beat before processing what's being spoken, since the fact he's not the only one stuck around here is...strange, to say the least. When things get weird, it's often he finds himself bumbling into the weird...if it wasn't already engulfing the platoon, at least.

    Same? Sap and crystal...

    "Yeah, it..." He blinks. "Wait...where did that thing go?" The crystal. Multi-pointed, multi-faceted star-shape...it felt very important. He'd had his hands on it moments ago before his attention drifted. "It was just here a moment ag--huh?"

    He blinks, finally noticing the star-shape painted over his heart.

    "Uh...ye-yeah...it...was floating...but I think...it's here now?" Somehow that feels right, even though it also sounds weird to say.
    siriusly: (MY WHAT.)

    [personal profile] siriusly 2024-01-13 03:25 pm (UTC)(link)
    "Geh-!!"

    It's not so much the surprise of another person nearby, it's more the fact it's a girl. Manabu only confirms that for half-a beat before turning his head to politely avert his gaze, missing the critter-bits in his haste to not be a weirdo.

    "Uh, ah..." Sky-Fairing Commission? Is that a thing he knows? It sounds formal, but unfamiliar. "Mm-Manabu Yuuki. SDF. Sirius Platoon."
    sterngaze: (neutral: tousled)

    C

    [personal profile] sterngaze 2024-01-13 04:58 pm (UTC)(link)
    [The man waiting to one side of the coffee cart is pale and soberly dressed, draped in charcoal-grey robes decorated with golden yellow. He is perhaps slightly less than average height, and blends in quite effectively with the mood of the Tomes, and of Highstorm in general.

    Though even here, those dark eyes of his are striking.

    He has been waiting since before Grace got in line, but his hands are quite empty, clasped round each other with a steady patience that belies the faint irritation creasing his brow. He’d be reevaluating his need for a cup of coffee, if it weren’t for the fact that he’d already paid.
    ]

    Do you mind if I ask—in what way? [At least when he addresses her, the vague annoyance clears from his expression, leaving only polite interest in its place.] I haven’t yet had occasion to sample that one.

    [Mostly because the barista seems inclined to take every excuse possible to avoid starting his drink.]
    arrowslinger: (I believe I can touch the sky...?)

    [personal profile] arrowslinger 2024-01-13 07:06 pm (UTC)(link)
    Yukong stares for a moment, and then comprehension hits her and she chuckles: soft, amused, not unkind? Not malicious, anyway. More...

    Well, the sort of chuckle someone would do when their kid did something funny and cute. That type of chuckle.

    "Ah, youth. I nearly forgot what it was like." She says this more to herself than to anyone else, a murmur that might be audible but isn't going out of its way to do so. Then, louder, her voice takes on a hint of authority: "At ease, soldier. I can stand behind you if that would make things easier. You're hardly showing me anything I haven't seen before."
    siriusly: (aaa oh no my hand's become sentient)

    [personal profile] siriusly 2024-01-13 07:17 pm (UTC)(link)
    He missed that softer remark, but haven't seen before makes an eyelid twitch, and instead, he turns around, folding his arms. The backs of his ears give away how red his face is.

    "That, that isn't the point!" he declares. "It's a matter of respect. So, so let's...set that aside and try and figure out what's next?"
    arrowslinger: (there's nothing to it)

    [personal profile] arrowslinger 2024-01-13 07:29 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Yukong's a tired 70 year old trapped in the body of something much younger, in human terms: maybe this is why she instinctively was drawn to the pancake bitterness? Two like minds (kind of) trying to make sense in the chaos of food choices?

    Because she's not human, which is the sort of thing that should be put into one's first tag when you belatedly realize it doesn't show up in most of your close cropped icons, but in my defense it's fucking cold, which is a terrible defense. But she's got ears, she's got a tail.]


    I suppose you may be right. [But, much like Yukong, it's time to focus on what's important.] If we were aboard the Luofu, I might have tried something similar, but I'd like to think I'd have...

    [She hesitates for a moment.] ...better choices. Some songlotus cake, or a tuskpir wrap.

    [But, you know what? She's fucking taking a pancake. She's grabbing a plate and taking a pancake. And if she looks unimpressed by it, well.

    She might be.]
    annmorous: (002)

    Ann Takamaki | Persona 5 | Exalt

    [personal profile] annmorous 2024-01-13 08:06 pm (UTC)(link)
    1. HIGHSTORM
    [Ann was intrigued by Yima when she began addressing the new arrivals, but she's taken aback and... honestly a little starstruck when the woman speaks to her personally, shaking her hand. She's obviously no average woman, and she also doesn't know if she can trust her, but all the teenager manages to stammer out is a jumbled, 'Umm, right! Thanks for the vote of confidence,' before Yima is already gliding on to the next person and away.

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


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

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


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

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

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

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


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

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


    Thish is shooo goooooof!

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


    4. WILDCARD
    [Pick your own starter! Feel free to pm me if you want to discuss other scenarios.]
    arrowslinger: (then I can do it)

    [personal profile] arrowslinger 2024-01-13 08:42 pm (UTC)(link)
    It's taking a lot of self-restraint to keep from saying something like how it's been many years since she blushed before an unsheathed sword, but she does. Her lips twitch in amusement. She can't smother that. But as nobody can see that, it's okay, everyone's dignity is intact.

    "Very well."

    Back to the more pressing issue instead of teasing the children. "I remember a dream. I remember leaves. If I didn't know any better, I'd assume I was a victim of the Plagues Author and you should put me down before I become a true threat to you and all else. But this situation doesn't seem right for that." Yukong keeps talking, pitching her voice so it's...smooth. Confident. Less rambling and more a monologue to distract the kiddo from the fact his broadsword is waggling in the air.

    "There must be others- what is the last thing you remember?"
    escardos: (pic#16854342)

    flat escardos | fate/strange fake | new player

    [personal profile] escardos 2024-01-13 08:50 pm (UTC)(link)
    1. bearing fruit
      [ rebirth is painful, apparently. painful, weird, and sticky. flat escardos sits on the soft ground that he pulled himself out of, staring blankly at the expanse ahead of him. he blinks once, twice, and thrice, before he stands up with a start, as if shocked by a current of electricity. ]

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

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

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

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

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

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

      [ in alenroux, however, flat learns true hell.

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


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

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

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

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

    3. wildcard
      ( hmu through dm or [plurk.com profile] odasaku if you want to plan something specific! or just throw something here, i'm usually pretty flexible! )

    1

    [personal profile] ex_fend346 2024-01-13 09:02 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Subaru tips his head as he considers that, eyeing Yima's form as she flits from one guest to another. In a peculiar way, he'd found her familiar, if only for a certain resemblance to someone else.

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


    She has a certain presence.

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

    I hadn't expected a personal greeting.
    kinaesthesia: (4)

    real monsters

    [personal profile] kinaesthesia 2024-01-13 09:02 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Lucky for Percy, there’s been someone else poking around Springstar this past week totally not looking for trouble.

    Well, okay, it’s true in a relative sense. Is she hoping to find any more of these attacks happening around the city? No, of course not; too many people have already gotten hurt. That’s kind of the whole reason she’s in the city despite the bad vibes. Does she expect that there’s been anything done to make sure they definitively stop happening? Also no, which is why she is technically looking for that trouble. If it’s gonna happen, she wants to be on hand to either fight the damn things off or make sure she can patch up the wounded before they can go dying there in the streets.

    So far, it’s been hard to pinpoint how or where an attack might take place. Springstar’s a big place, and big places have a lot of hiding places for smart things on the hunt for innocent people. Gavial can’t be everywhere at once, and it’s a lot easier to stumble onto the scene after the fact, following the worried chatter and signs of commotion to their sources.

    Springstar might be growing increasingly more weary of the boisterous Zenite’s presence in the city, but she’s determined to help regardless of their attitude. And despite all their complaints, it’s probably a good thing that she is when the time comes where she finally does catch a tell-tale scream of an attack in progress. She turns on her heel and reaches up to pull her healing staff from its loop in the bag over her shoulder, breaking out into a sprint along half-remembered streets to seek out the source before it’s too late.

    And it seems that she’s not the only interloper stepping in. She knows she’s on the right track when she hears a shout and another booming growl fill the air in response as she turns a corner—and finds a young man valiantly facing down the wolfish creature. And maybe in a bit of trouble himself when the beast moves to close that gap between them.

    Gavial curses and hurries forward, reaching out with her empty hand to grab him by the back of the shirt and unceremoniously yank him to the side just as the creature makes an abrupt lunge for him. It stumbles in the wake of the unexpected whiff of its attack, giving her the opportune moment to try to drag him alongside the nearest cart for cover to look him over.]


    Think you made it mad.

    [She might be grinning? Good job kid! You saved the girl, but now you’ve got a fight on your hands. Good thing the croc doc is here to help.]
    cyfaredd: (Default)

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

    [personal profile] cyfaredd 2024-01-13 09:04 pm (UTC)(link)
    a. springstar

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

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

    b. highstorm

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

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

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

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

    3. wildcard!

    (( Hello Kenos friends...!! this is Lazdo, Link's player, with a second character ✨ Howl is back, but now from book canon! Any characters who knew the previous iteration of Howl from when I played him in Kenos are free to bring him up! Book!Howl is twice as ridiculous, very Welsh, and has terrible 80's hair. Please dunk on him to your heart's content. ))
    siriusly: (oh no he thinks he's funny)

    [personal profile] siriusly 2024-01-13 09:08 pm (UTC)(link)
    His shoulders relax a little as the topic shifts off the Completely Embarrassing to the task at-hand; Manabu's head tilts to look upward into the seemingly-endless trunk and distant canopy. His brow furrows at some of the terms the woman uses - Plagues Author? - but her cadence reminds him a little of some of the officers of Spica Platoon, the women who excelled in data collection and analysis. Calm, focused, confident.

    "Before that dream? Or...before that. Because I remember being asked to make a choice...but it wasn't really much of a choice from where I'm standing."

    1

    [personal profile] ex_fend346 2024-01-13 09:08 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Subaru had been standing a short distance away, minding his own business as he brushed dirt off of his suit, when Flat's voice cuts through the relative stillness around him. His shoulders jump in surprise before he turns, just in time for a deluge of nonsense words to spill forth.

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

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


    ...Are you alright?
    annmorous: (003)

    ib

    [personal profile] annmorous 2024-01-13 09:17 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Ann had been exploring the Tomes more out of curiosity than anything; any self-respecting Phantom Thief knew that getting a lay of the land was the most important part before deciding on a next move. Still, it's cold, so she's come to the nearest place she could find to take refuge from the winter chill, following the smell of coffee to a popular-looking cart. Once she finds a seat out of the few that are left, she's in the midst of pulling down her hood and shaking off the snow when someone addresses her.]

    Lightweight? But aren't they--

    [Wait. She pauses mid-sentence, looking at him as if she's seen a... you know.]

    Akechi?

    A

    [personal profile] ex_fend346 2024-01-13 09:18 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Subaru had the misfortune to walk right into this throng of people, unable to leave as the crowd had formed swiftly behind him. He doesn't pay the speech as much mind as he should, a mounting unease too obvious in clear green eyes, but the voice beside him cuts through his thoughts.

    So his attention centers on the man beside him. ]


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

    [ And he would be reluctant to hope. ]
    kinaesthesia: (42)

    2, alenroux

    [personal profile] kinaesthesia 2024-01-13 09:25 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Gavial doesn’t too often make trips to Alenroux overnight, especially since things started calming down around the pastoral island a few months back. But things are still dangerous there on occasion, and with the uptick in violence around the streets of Springstar, she’s of a mind to make a little trip there to check things out there for a bit, just for good measure. She spent the weeks following the last Oracle appearance far too relaxed for her own good. Keeping busy suits her much more.

    The first few hours after night falls are spent inside with others; the nights were long here, and trouble didn’t usually spring up the moment it got dark. Better to wait it out for a bit, she figures. But clearly someone else staying at this homey little place is a lot less patient about it than she is (which is saying a lot).

    She turns, crocodilian tail swishing idly behind her, to give the guy a flat look.]


    If you don’t want to go out alone, you can just say so, y’know. [She rests a hand on her hip casually, her expression warming just a little with the hints of a grin.] But if you’re so eager to say ‘hi’ to the spooky things in the woods, I don’t mind heading out now.
    escardos: (pic#16002350)

    [personal profile] escardos 2024-01-13 09:27 pm (UTC)(link)
    Oh! Uhm...!

    [ flat startles when he realizes that there's someone that's right. flat's basically talking to himself now, isn't he? he looks up at the other person that has approached him, blue eyes wide and bright. ]

    Yes! I dug myself out of the ground, so I was wondering if I had become part plant or part zombie. What do you think?
    annmorous: (004)

    [personal profile] annmorous 2024-01-13 09:27 pm (UTC)(link)
    Presence! That's a good way to put it. She's so mysterious and cool...

    [She sighs wistfully, like she can only aspire to such lofty heights. Then she turns to survey Subaru, surprised that he's also a newcomer; if she had to judge based solely on appearance, she would have guessed he already lived here.

    But of course, she knows better than anyone not to judge a book by its cover, so she sets that aside for now. He might be just as lost as she is.]


    I suppose if she wants people to join her, it pays to get to know them personally.
    escardos: (pic#16560895)

    [personal profile] escardos 2024-01-13 09:33 pm (UTC)(link)
    I mean, of course I wouldn't want to go alone. I have no way to protect myself at the moment. But I figured that if I go with someone that's part Godzilla, then I think we would be safer.

    [ it's obvious, right? who would want to put themselves in a risky situation unnecessarily? especially with his abilities weakened as they are, even if he did have them at full power, he's just not suited for offensive fights.

    nevertheless, his excitement doesn't seem to be deterred in the slightest. at the tentative agreement, his eyes are practically sparkling with curiosity. ]


    Aren't you excited? Or, could it be that you've already been here? If so, what kind of creatures are here? Is there any chance that we can talk to them or perhaps bring them back as a pet?

    [personal profile] ex_fend346 2024-01-13 09:35 pm (UTC)(link)
    I... [ He trails off, followed by the brief flicker of a frown as he realizes that in their own way his senses have also been blunted. ] I don't think you are either.

    [ Subaru drops to a crouch, if only to be closer to eye level, looking the fellow over thoughtfully. ]

    Aren't you a human?

    [ The question feels strange on his tongue, for all that he should know the answer. ]

    [personal profile] ex_fend346 2024-01-13 09:40 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ He hums softly in agreement. If he notices the inspection, it doesn't show. ]

    A personal touch, as they say.

    [ If only a fleeting one.

    His gaze lingers on Yima only a few moments longer, turning to give his companion full and proper attention. There's no more that he can glean from watching Yima weave through this party, he's sure. ]


    I admit, I didn't expect such attention myself.
    escardos: (pic#16002353)

    [personal profile] escardos 2024-01-13 09:43 pm (UTC)(link)
    Hmm...

    [ he hums, head tilting as this stranger looks over at him. flat, at the very least, doesn't seem to be disturbed in the slightest, as he seems to be doing the very same thing. ]

    Yeah, let's go with that! [ a beat. ] But I've never seen anything other than a human become a zombie-- wait, that's a lie! There was that one book about the cat, wasn't there? Okay, so animals and humans can be zombies. But that means that if a human is a zombie, then wouldn't that still make the zombie a human?
    kinaesthesia: (8)

    III

    [personal profile] kinaesthesia 2024-01-13 09:43 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Gavial doesn’t always pay the most attention to the brush of Communion in her mental space when it crops up from an unfamiliar presence, but the feeling of pain that accompanies it and the particular request that he makes has her immediate attention.

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


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