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
    settingup: (i'm not convinced)

    [personal profile] settingup 2024-02-11 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
    [ And if Atsumu's friends where here--

    Actually they'd be desperately hissing at Atsumu to stop pissing off the apparently powerful non-human. It's better not to think about how not on his side they would be if they were here.
    ]

    Nah. You're free to move along though.

    [ He will refuse to move until Tony does now purely out of stubborn pettiness. ]
    dreamflowers: (16883970)

    [personal profile] dreamflowers 2024-02-11 03:58 am (UTC)(link)
    I'll take your word for it.

    [Such luxuries were not often afforded to someone like Jade. Being poor and frequently broke sucks, though there were times where she had no one to blame but herself for that.

    [Pretty sure she can splurge a bit on what coin she scraped up through likely questionable means. Don't ask.

    [After ordering a cup, Jade takes a brief moment to inspect the drink, sniffs it, makes a face. But then once she takes an actual sip, she blinks hard.]


    That is... pfff. Wow. Okay. Not what I expected...?

    [What was she expecting?]
    a_noble_flame: (072)

    [personal profile] a_noble_flame 2024-02-11 04:45 am (UTC)(link)
    [Alice can't help the light little laugh she gives at Jade's expression.]

    Isn't it? It was much the same when I first tried it as an adult.

    [That said Alice isn't half so tentative with her drink. She does sip at it as well and tilts her head some as she considers the taste.]

    Mm, a little bitter. Very nice.

    [Her expression does say she enjoys it. Alice is also the sort to go around drinking straight black coffee though like some kind of fiend.]
    revivia: (pic#16997864)

    [personal profile] revivia 2024-02-11 05:37 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Do the plants here care about compatibility? These two are oil and water. He is a tireless worker, not at all deterred by the threat of getting kicked when he notices that nothing's happening quite yet and lifting his other hand, clasping hers gently between his palms along with a little soil and a hard seed sandwiched between their hands. ]

    Maybe it needs some time. [ just a guess? ] I don't know much about magic.

    [ This actually would be a great excuse to hold hands with someone you like. Too bad it doesn't cross his mind. ]
    dreamflowers: (16970411)

    [personal profile] dreamflowers 2024-02-11 05:43 am (UTC)(link)
    [It wasn't that long ago that Jade gave the regular stuff a try. But this is... different.

    [After a couple more sips, some redness starts to color her freckled face, as she glances over at the other woman.]


    You don't suppose they put anything... weird in these drinks, yeah? It feels kinda weird.

    [She smells it again, trying not to think about how thoroughly held her other hand is. What a tragedy.]
    a_noble_flame: (019)

    [personal profile] a_noble_flame 2024-02-11 05:51 am (UTC)(link)
    ... Weird?

    [Uh. Huh. Alice eyes the coffee cup in her hand now. And then the one in Jade's hand.]

    Well. Yours might have cream and sugar and such in it?

    [Alice very confidently thinks if it were poison she would have noticed. Yeah, poisons the first thing her mind goes to. Other than, y'know, cream and sugar.]

    Is it sweet?
    revivia: (pic#16997864)

    [personal profile] revivia 2024-02-11 06:02 am (UTC)(link)
    [ He nods briefly, collecting himself by piling up a frankly outrageous amount of savory and sweet pastries onto his plate. Which is more like a tray. It's partly distraction, but he still has full intent to eat it all. ]

    ...Time can be fickle. It isn't logical. [ Time shenanigans are a nightmare, he's learned. ] But you're right that there's always a chance that our worlds are safe.

    [ He can't rule out that this is an elaborate scheme for them to wage war for a promise they don't know can be fulfilled, for a world that could be veiled away, obscured by illusions of destruction. Still... ] It's not a chance I'm willing to pin my hopes on.

    [ Safer to assume that everything is in shambles, and to work from there. Though knowing that Yuri found some familiar faces here is a comfort all the same. ]
    dreamflowers: (oh shit did i leave the oven on?)

    [personal profile] dreamflowers 2024-02-11 06:11 am (UTC)(link)
    [Yeah, no. Jade has been poisoned before (hah) enough times to know if she was straight up consuming some. Though who knows, maybe things are different in this world?

    [Well. She doesn't feel like she's dying at least. That's... something?]


    Cream and sugar. Right. I'm just not used to sweet things.

    [Such extravagance was also one of those things rarely afforded to her broke ass.

    [And yet because of that, she takes a sip, her other hand twitching. Nope. It's fine. She's fine. Still not dying.]


    Actually, I'm not sure anymore. You wanna try some? I've got the palate of a bloody leoran to know one way or the other.

    [Which are known for mostly eating grass, so. Not creatures in possession of a very sophisticated sense of taste.]
    Edited 2024-02-11 06:47 (UTC)
    enlist: (pic#16988682)

    [personal profile] enlist 2024-02-11 06:14 am (UTC)(link)
    [ We strive for better paw. ]

    You'll have to be more confident than that, Sho-kun. Put decisiveness into your actions.

    [ He's doing that thing again where he says one thing when it also applies to other things, but this is the responsibility of a caring, generous mentor. :p ]

    Don't you want this seed to grow?
    wolfish: (lean)

    [personal profile] wolfish 2024-02-11 06:20 am (UTC)(link)
    [ If anything, Yuri appreciates big eaters. Maybe it's just how he is, maybe it's because he grew up in a country plagued by food poverty. Either. Both. ]

    Everyone has to hedge their bets here... [ A pause as he adds some berry tarts to his growing collection. ] Just depends on which claim you find more believable.

    [ He can be evenhanded about this, well aware the amount of objective information is scant. Damn near everything boils down to take their word for it. The lot of them are left to play the hand they're dealt as best they know how. ]

    Personally, I don't see how you make a single ideal world when everyone's ideal is different.
    a_noble_flame: (011)

    [personal profile] a_noble_flame 2024-02-11 06:56 am (UTC)(link)
    [To be fair Alice has eaten food on the floor well outside the five second rule so she's probably not one to talk about taste. It was for a good reason though!

    After a moment of thought she offers out her free hand, accepts Jade's drink and takes a sip from it without hesitation. The moment she does though she blinks a few times in obvious surprise.]


    Oh that is very good. It's certainly sugar and cream ...

    [She tips her head again as she offers the coffee itself back.]

    ... Maybe vanilla as well? I admit my family has always had excellent chefs but I've never had a diverse palate myself.
    dreamflowers: (16970411)

    [personal profile] dreamflowers 2024-02-11 07:16 am (UTC)(link)
    [Two of those things Jade recognizes. But...]

    Vanilla? What, is that another kinda bean?

    [The sweetest thing she's ever had were dates, and she's somewhat allergic to those. Not that it stops her from eating them. Still. Not a whole lot of variety in her life when it comes to foodstuffs.]

    I mean, it's good. Just giving me a weird... "buzz", I guess you could call it. More so than the plain one did.

    [Sure as heck wakes her up, though.]
    revivia: (pic#16998172)

    [personal profile] revivia 2024-02-11 09:10 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Ah, yes, everything is a teaching moment. Thank you, dear sensei. ]

    Of course.

    [ It's not about the seed, it's about the fostering of his own potential. Or something. He goes along with it and cups both his hands firmly around Reiji's, unbothered by the dirt getting onto his useless little half-gloves. ]

    Is this decisive enough? [ It's not asked with any sarcasm, he may as well be assessed on his handholding skills here. ]
    recordless: (pic#16812982)

    [personal profile] recordless 2024-02-11 12:39 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ does sho have a ship in canon, i'm going to grill you about tokyo aliens now

    But he can rest assured that even though he might not know much about magic, his current handholding partner does, and in fact is so excited to talk about the subject (read: show off her prowess) that she starts squeezing his hand in excitement. But like, in a weak baby way. ]


    Oh, I do though! If there's anything you want to know about Arcanum [ the way i'm getting gbf ptsd from this ] you can just ask me! I am one of the greatest Arcanists in all London after all.

    [ She isn't. Though immediately after she makes that boast her expression dims, lips pursing in thought. ]

    Though the magic here is pretty different from what I'm used to.
    a_noble_flame: (067)

    [personal profile] a_noble_flame 2024-02-11 04:23 pm (UTC)(link)
    I believe so?

    [Alice looks thoughtful about that though. She's slightly realizing now that alongside the fact that she gets to eat more simply because of her status in society and military rank at home she eats an awful lot of things she has no clue about.]

    It's a flavoring added to deserts. Chocolate is another common one as well as rosewater.

    [Or at least rosewater is still common in her world and time period.]
    sterngaze: (neutral: commish)

    [personal profile] sterngaze 2024-02-11 06:40 pm (UTC)(link)
    No, it’s not.

    [Liem doesn’t know where that is, except that it must have been somewhere in the place she was before, and that means it’s been swallowed up by Oblivion. Seeing her reaction, he remains where he is for now, making no move to approach and offer assistance while she’s still so jumpy.]

    This is the Tree of Life, in Kenos. It’s where new arrivals emerge, after the Tree pulls them here.

    [And, he guesses, grows a body for them? He’s not fully clear on how a big tree can do either of those things, but he’s long since decided that this tree must have some kind of divine connection to reality, so he’s not too worried about how strictly logical any of this might be.]

    You’ll be weak for a few days because of it. Don’t try to push yourself too hard.
    diegeticmusic: (though im about to wreck)

    [personal profile] diegeticmusic 2024-02-11 08:38 pm (UTC)(link)
    [The theater sounds exciting - Grace was never really a theater person before, but since becoming the muse, she's gained new appreciation for all kinds of things. So she's definitely eager to check it out...

    Until he bursts her bubble.]


    A bit of trouble...? Enough to damage the whole building?

    [Based on what she's learned about this place since coming here, she can imagine... But she doesn't want to make assumptions.]
    diegeticmusic: (and paths proved untrue)

    [personal profile] diegeticmusic 2024-02-11 08:42 pm (UTC)(link)
    Different timelines...?

    [That's a whole new wrinkle. Grace frowns, turning that one over.]

    I've heard about... parallel universes before, and the Mandela effect... [Which probably means nothing to him, hm.] When people remember things differently, and conspiracy theorists think that it's a sign that people crossed from one dimension to another.

    [Not that she really believes in stuff like that, but then there's been so much weirdness in her life lately that maybe it's true after all.]

    I guess I thought we were all coming here from different planets, but we really seem to be coming from different realities entirely.
    enlist: (pic#16991339)

    [personal profile] enlist 2024-02-11 08:47 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ This is so cute this is what their relationship should have been like instead of Reiji brutally killing Sho over and over again. Tch. ]

    Very good! Now tell the seed to grow big and strong!

    [ He's having way too much fun with this... ]
    diegeticmusic: (who doesnt know how)

    [personal profile] diegeticmusic 2024-02-11 08:47 pm (UTC)(link)
    Heh, that obvious, huh.

    [She laughs, lightly.]

    It's going as smoothly as it could, I guess. I met some people early on who were a big help in explaining things.
    diegeticmusic: (or is it just me)

    [personal profile] diegeticmusic 2024-02-11 09:06 pm (UTC)(link)
    ...Well, I guess it's better than doing it with violence.

    [That's the other method Grace has been subjected to recently. Though Athena was smiling when she did it.]

    Are... there a lot of newcomers this time?

    [Grace looks around, like she expects more arms to pop out of the ground... which isn't a crazy idea.]
    diegeticmusic: (not a breeze)

    [personal profile] diegeticmusic 2024-02-11 09:25 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Well, at least he accepted that.

    When he backs up to introductions, she can't help but smile at that. He got there eventually, so she'll allow this conversation to get back on track.]


    I'm Grace. It's nice to meet you.
    diegeticmusic: (everything i set upon)

    [personal profile] diegeticmusic 2024-02-11 09:46 pm (UTC)(link)
    I see. Sounds like any major city, then. Other than the whole... eternal night thing.

    [Night and day, going back and going forward... this seems like a place of binary choices. Or at least attempts at binary choices. Hmmm...

    She finishes getting her food and steps back from the buffet.]


    I don't know where you're sitting, but... well, I don't know anyone here. [She shrugs her shoulder.] And I wouldn't mind hearing more about Highstorm, if you're willing to share.
    diegeticmusic: (too many dreams unsung)

    [personal profile] diegeticmusic 2024-02-11 09:49 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Some measure of cruelty, and some measure of mercy... Hm. Grace supposes she can agree with that... even though she would rather show mercy, most of the time. Then again, is mercy always the right way? Mercy for Aphrodite meant allowing her to wallow in her sadness and fears, never improving. So...]

    Well, they both have their practical uses, and knowing when to use them is important, so... yeah. I guess I do think that.
    hauntedking: (07)

    [personal profile] hauntedking 2024-02-11 10:33 pm (UTC)(link)
    That's what it feels like, although I cannot say I've ever had experience with even other planets before my arrival here. So the difference is... perhaps academic. Although encountering people who ought to be familiar to me and yet aren't...

    [ He trails off with a sad smile. ]

    Well, it does leave marks, doesn't it? But... there are worlds where gods are very real and others where they are dead - or never existed at all. Others where there are demons and others where those are mere figments of imagination. It's strange, isn't it?