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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
    wolof: I craved the taste of it (A poison so sweet)

    [personal profile] wolof 2024-01-14 10:50 pm (UTC)(link)
    Akua blinked a few times, before her head tipped. "I don't know what those are," she said, but clarified after a brief moment. "Well, I know what armories and training yards are. We do have those scattered about the seat, where the Legionary trains."

    But they are tucked away, really. Places out of the way as to not disturb the populace, efficient use of space to tuck away on an island where there was only so much.

    "It is power of a different sort than you are used to, I think. This is the power that is used to craft great works. To bring our worlds back, it will require an incredible amount of sacrifice, and power can always circumvent sacrifice."

    So. It's difficult to equate, since high tech world vs. low tech, but Manabu can probably put together that she is talking about magic.
    annmorous: (003)

    [personal profile] annmorous 2024-01-14 11:46 pm (UTC)(link)
    I'm not broke, you know! Can't a girl splurge every once in a... Oh.

    [How can she pay for this much? Even if she had her card from back home, it's not like it would work here. She had enough for just a piece of pie and the bad coffee, but got carried away in the moment.]

    Umm... Want to help me out and split the bill? [Despite how much it pains her to part with it, she nudges the pie Rin is eyeing toward her.]
    annmorous: (007)

    [personal profile] annmorous 2024-01-14 11:58 pm (UTC)(link)
    Yeah...

    [Her expression falls. Subaru seems sweet, so she already feels bad for him that he's missing a brother. It makes her think of her parents, her friends... Part of her still doesn't want to believe they're really gone. At least the Phantom Thieves have to be somewhere around here, or so she wants to hope. They always manage to get out of a bind in the end, don't they?]

    I hope you find him, too. What does he look like? I can keep an eye out for him.
    redsoil: (pic#16220816)

    WILDCARD(I) B! feel free to sense his divinity too :>

    [personal profile] redsoil 2024-01-15 12:10 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Apollo is a name he recognizes distantly. From reading of his world, from time to time; of the gods of Hellas, root-shaping existences that resemble Springstar's culture and language and architecture and origins so very, very much. It isn't a surprise to him, to see Greece in Springstar — any more than he had found the hint of his own sister in the depths of the beyond. The melding of the two eras as the Ptolemaiac answered a few... curiosities he held. But this young woman, of course, was a new curiosity.

    He sits across from her without excuse or preamble, casting the golden laurels of his crown onto the table with a particular carelessness. Dressed in the white robes of upper-tier priests of the Church of Helios, he is a striking redhead — expression lax and engaging as he massages his temples and crosses one bare leg ( save for the golden jewelry upon his ankles ) over the other. ]


    It means they're gone, but not lost forever unless you decide to ditch them.

    [ Set drawls the words, clipped and rich of accent, red eyes fixing upon her in the next moment. ]

    Really, it is whatever belief you can live with. Or die for. And believe me, there is little room left for those who cannot commit and embody their conviction, little god.
    Edited 2024-01-15 00:10 (UTC)
    escardos: (pic#13770497)

    [personal profile] escardos 2024-01-15 12:15 am (UTC)(link)
    Oh, so the sunlight thing is false for you guys!

    [ flat nods, humming in interest as he files the differences in a part of his head. ]

    Hm, hmm, interesting... oh, and the water has something to do with how running water is clean therefore can block vampires or stuff. Maybe you guys would sink? But even Mister Van Fem has no issue with it, so you shouldn't either.

    [ he pauses, recalling their conversation for anything else that might pique his interest. for someone that enjoys absorbing information like a sponge, though, that's not too difficult. ]

    Oh, you said you visited other worlds, right? Is that something vampires can do in your world?
    Edited 2024-01-15 00:15 (UTC)

    [personal profile] ex_fend346 2024-01-15 12:22 am (UTC)(link)
    Oh, thank you.

    [ He opens his mouth, hesitates, and closes it again. Kamui's face is one that he would know anywhere, but in a place like this, description alone may not be enough.

    But they do have other options, don't they? Subaru is no stranger to telepathy, but he knows it tends to catch humans off guard. ]


    If you'll allow me to, I can show you.
    siriusly: (have you ever tried to read fob lyrics)

    [personal profile] siriusly 2024-01-15 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
    "Well, if what they said is true, and my galaxy is in danger...then I'll have to play things the way they have to be here until I find a way to do better. Or until I can get my platoon back."

    He nods.

    Then hesitates.

    "...Aa...but...that...didn't tell me how to navigate this...giant tree..."
    siriusly: (have you ever tried to read fob lyrics)

    [personal profile] siriusly 2024-01-15 12:27 am (UTC)(link)
    He looks back to her, uncertain, those dots not fully connecting. There's no magic where he's come from, after all. Manabu's clearly trying to visualize something, but seeing no familiar tech in sight is leaving him grasping at straws and scratching at the back of his head.

    "I...I don't understand what that means I can even do. Without the SDF, or my friends...what am I supposed to do about any of this? I'm all for helping, but..."

    [personal profile] ex_fend346 2024-01-15 12:30 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Subaru folds his arms as he considers all of this. Humans have the oddest theories. ]

    Nothing considered "holy" or "clean" affects me any more uniquely than it would a human.

    [ He had, in fact, been submerged underwater for several years due to certain circumstances. Not that Subaru thinks to divulge this, because it's both a long and short story, and here he already has questions to answer. ]

    As for traveling between worlds, that was something we were given, for a price.
    fursuit: (Default)

    truly bc he hit me like a freight truck and now i stan :/

    [personal profile] fursuit 2024-01-15 12:38 am (UTC)(link)
    Well, tell ya what, if we have a way to watch 'em here? I'll be the first member of your anime club.

    [ tezca no, ]

    But, yeah. Something like that. You got a whole new versus old thing going on. [ He takes his first drag from his cigarette, then motions grandly with his hands as he explains. ] You had the dream, yeah? Well, what they were talking about, that's the deal, apparently. You've got the goody two-shoes Meridian that wants to save the worlds, and you've got the not exactly good two-shoes Zenith that are tryin' to make something new.

    [ He shrugs ]

    Least, that's what they tell you. Didn't get a chance to dig into it all that much last time I crawled my way outta here. Was a little bit preoccupied with someone else beating me out here, honestly, but don't worry about that. Just personal shit. [ divine siblings rivalries, you know how it goes, ] Looks like you had a hell of a time getting here, though. That blood?
    annmorous: (008)

    [personal profile] annmorous 2024-01-15 12:44 am (UTC)(link)
    Do you have a picture of him or something? Go right ahead.

    [She looks a little puzzled; she hadn't quite guessed what he had in mind or the reason he's asking permission.]
    escardos: (pic#16851448)

    this is beautiful never apologize

    [personal profile] escardos 2024-01-15 12:51 am (UTC)(link)
    [ flat is shoved back and he looks just slightly disheveled as he runs a hand through his hair. ]

    Parallel world or not, that doesn't mean that I don't know a Rin Tohsaka from Fuyuki that fights every other day with Luvia. [ he pauses, giving her a curious glance with a raised eyebrow. ]

    Y-you know Shirou Emiya, right? He's my friend as well! You brought him to London! And now he's Luvia's butler!

    [personal profile] ex_fend346 2024-01-15 12:53 am (UTC)(link)
    In a manner of speaking, I suppose.

    [ With her go-ahead, Subaru concentrates on the memory of his brother. Though accustomed to telepathy in the form of words — a voice — an image isn't difficult to conjure via Communion. Neither is it difficult to convey the visage of a young man his age, fair-skinned with intense blue eyes framed by long, dark lashes. His hair is likewise dark, though not so much as Subaru's, a little longer with a natural wave to it.

    The expression Subaru recalls in the moment is a rare, almost shy smile, because of course he would think of his younger twin at his most endearing. No bias. ]


    That is Kamui.
    Edited 2024-01-15 00:54 (UTC)
    infinitejustice: (Eh?)

    2

    [personal profile] infinitejustice 2024-01-15 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
    [This atmosphere isn't so unusual to Athrun, as he's seen similarly somber scenes following some victories in the past. Sometimes, victories just don't feel like they can be celebrated.

    Then, he picks up what Ann had said. He turns toward her with an expression of curiosity on his face.]


    Are you sure? I mean, I'm not offended or anything, just curious.
    annmorous: (007)

    [personal profile] annmorous 2024-01-15 01:17 am (UTC)(link)
    [Ann's no stranger to bittersweet victories herself, but there's still something about the atmosphere here she can't quite put her finger on. She bites her lip, then decides to offer Athrun a more honest reply.]

    Oh... Well, I just kind of feel like I'm intruding on something I haven't been a part of, so it isn't my place to comment either way. I might just be imagining things. You know?
    abye: (pic#16297325)

    yuca collabel ( meteor methuselah )

    [personal profile] abye 2024-01-15 01:28 am (UTC)(link)

    — BEARING FRUIT ( VARIANT ).

    [ Rather than linger at the Tree, he leaves as soon as he can. A stumbling, diminuative figure that cannot bear to remain in the dirt, and easily refuses to help any struggling figures as they claw their own way from the grave. They shouldn't come out, they shouldn't be here. Allowing them to be here, in the end, is wrong and needs to stop. It all needs to stop. The moment he hits the nearby Cornerstone, he calls out into the ether — take me where I can make it stop

    And so, he finds himself in Highstorm. Dazed and dirty, with moss in his hair and blood under his fingernails. A child, no more than eleven, with dark eyes so emptied out of life and a stillness to him so strong that he seems, at times, to be frozen in time. To be dead, walking and shambling. Thin-wristed and battered around the knees, rubbing at his eyes as he walks into the depths of Highstorm without even a look-back at potential of Meridian, of Springstar. ]


    maman, the kittens will not eat.
    my hunting dogs, my wolves with iron teeth.
    — set our course, bearing eight-two-six.
    — lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
    — it must end, end, end.

    [ He speaks in fragments, wobbly-limbed and disoriented, until finally the child with dark eyes and hair collapses in the street and curls his fingers into fists, into his hair by his ears and covers them, as if to block out the sound of something unending around him. Too much. Too much. ]

    — HIGHSTORM.

    [ Yima appears. Yima addresses them all, and seated in a high-backed chair in her Manor's yard, there is a child with dark eyes, who looks at her

    with such hatred.

    No, no. It is not hatred in those eyes, so fast does he swallow it down. It is guileless confusion, his mouth pulled into a deep frown and brows knit, helpless and unhappy as he looks through the crowd and looks and looks and finally settles upon someone. In his hands is one of the seasonal drinks, lurid and bright in the cup, and he looks vaguely disquieted by its presence, holding it up in offering to the individual he has picked out of the crowd. ]


    Um, would you want this? Mama told me to never accept anything from a stranger. Someone — someone said "mama isn't here anymore", though...

    — WILDCARD.

    [ OOC. Anything goes! Yuca can be found anywhere as an Unharmonized Shard-bearer, seeking information and alliances by playing up his "helpless child" role. Notably, Yuca is a child in shape alone, and is actually a millenias-old immortal entity that really, really wants to die! He's here to noodle around, potentially as a future replacement for another character who will be PERMAKILLED ( coughcoughbondrewdcough ), and is only here for some fun time atm. One day...... he's 110% a future Zenite, potentially a Stargazer or Harbinger, but for TDM purposes, he's [REDACTED].

    For anyone new who wants to TDM, here's a free toplevel to tag into for fun! I'm Pax, player of Set, Bondrewd & Drizzt Do'urden! ]
    infinitejustice: (Thinking)

    [personal profile] infinitejustice 2024-01-15 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
    Hmm. Yes, I see your point. At times like this, I'd be more inclined to observe, too.

    That they want us to see this says something about them, though. I feel like they want to be candid with us. That we should join them for who they are, not who they want us to believe they are.

    [Not that Athrun trusts either faction leader. He'd rather have nothing more to do with any charismatic leaders with silver tongues if he can avoid it. Unfortunately, that seems to be an inevitability here and now.]
    damnpire: (pic#12094807)

    [personal profile] damnpire 2024-01-15 01:52 am (UTC)(link)
    Manabu glances away and looks back, and D is still staring without having turned away. The only fortunate part is, for as lacking as D is in emoting at all usually, there isn't any disgust or judgement in the gaze either.

    After a long moment or two, D finally says in a surprisingly low and soft voice, "You have a Sunbeam. Have you decided to stay with this side?"

    For some bizarre reason, D sounds a lot younger than all the Gothic garb makes him look.
    damnpire: (pic#12042624)

    [personal profile] damnpire 2024-01-15 02:01 am (UTC)(link)
    [The hand is noted, but D actually doesn't glance pointedly at it much less acknowledge it for right this moment. Out of politeness rather than a lack of care.]

    They have been recently. We hope to find out why soon. You should be careful while you're out. It may be creatures from a place below this city called Kowloon. Demons, and vampires, and those who prey on others.

    [The sword has no sheathe on him, so he instead holds it low, pointed toward the ground.]

    You should have someone heal your hand.
    settingup: (had to forfeit)

    island hopping | highstorm

    [personal profile] settingup 2024-01-15 02:02 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Atsumu wasn't there to hear Percy's barely veiled comment about Yima, and that might be for the best. She's a big part of the reason that he's part of Zenith in the first place, and as time marches on he finds himself getting just a touch more... protective of a woman who probably doesn't need that much protection.

    He is there for that reflecting pool run in though, and grunts in mild surprise when he feels someone bump into him, turning to look at someone who is clearly a new arrival given the fact that Atsumu has never seen him before, and he's got that sort of fresh meat look about him.
    ]

    No kiddin'.

    [ Not that Atsumu was looking where he was going either, otherwise he would have noticed the guy backing up. He does glance in the direction that Percy was backing away from though, and makes an idle comment without a lot of thought behind it. ]

    Freaked out by something you saw in that, or what?
    zauneyete: (Dramatic Entrance)

    highstorm obvs

    [personal profile] zauneyete 2024-01-15 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Perhaps it is like meets like. Perhaps he only notices it, only to see it swallowed by confusion, or perhaps it was merely a trick of the light. A glancing blow that's so quick that most wouldn't notice it. Silco, however, knows what to look for -- after all, did he not do the same? Did he not also swallow his anger and confusion so fast that it's nearly imperceptible?

    When the boy shoves a drink in his face, he looked down at it. Silco cuts a rather terrifying figure, not from height of course, but the way his eye never blinks, looks down at the boy with a glowing pupil.

    The cigar in his hand is foul. There's an agitated energy to the man, as if... as if he's looking for something. As if... there's something he half expected, and did not see. He tapped the cigar to clear the ashes, and they drifted to the ground.
    ]

    No. I don't take drinks from strangers either.

    [ Most people would tell the kid that his mother was a smart woman. Silco didn't bother with such niceties. ]

    Just toss it, if you're not interested. Next time, I would tell them you don't want what they're offering.
    siriusly: (i think he's dead.)

    [personal profile] siriusly 2024-01-15 02:11 am (UTC)(link)
    "A-?" A what? Oh-- Manabu glimpses down at his hand briefly at its mention before focusing back on the pale stranger.

    This side...

    "If...if it has to be sides, I guess so," he replies slowly. "I gotta admit, I don't really get why there'd be an argument...about wanting to save people if they can be saved. But I got yanked out of a giant tree like a day ago, so I bet I'm missing a lot..."
    aurokinetic: (pic#16132583)

    hazel levesque ♇ pjo

    [personal profile] aurokinetic 2024-01-15 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
    i. springstar

    [ There's something in the way the small teenager holds herself than demonstrates apprehension. Listening to the speech had been important - hearing what either side said more so. Her fingers twist at the fabric of her sleeve, of the dirty torn flannel she'd woken up in. She should have changed or taken a shower, but as a demigod you learned that in the face of danger such things were a luxury. Maybe she wasn't in immediate danger - maybe - but the adrenaline of waking hasn't worn off yet. ]

    [ But then, when she died she had been buried alive under thousands of pounds of stone, mud, and gems. Her life had ended without even an attempt at digging herself out then, to face such a situation again - ]

    [ Hazel tries to ignore her nerves, which is easy enough when you're an ADHD kid who's mind is racing a million miles a minute. Jumping from things like how Springstar feels more wrong than right - more Greek than Roman. And while the two camps may have found an ally in each other, there's still some sort of internal hardwiring that makes nerves antsy. Or maybe that's just the whole speech entirely and the sad-looking man who leads in. ]

    [ She grimaces in sympathy. She may not have been a Praetor long, but she's seen Frank have minor freak-outs about public speaking enough to know when it's hard (a few dozen child-soldiers becoming zombies who fought you does that). But still she mumbles, half to herself but loud enough to hear: ]

    I hope this place has a no weapons policy in the forum.

    [ Because it sure feels like a Julius Caesar situation from the whispers of the nearby people. ]


    ii. highstorm

    [ While Springstar offends her good Roman citizen demigod senses in its Greekness - sorry Springstar - Highstorm fairs only slightly better. It'd taken a long time to embrace her position as a Child of the Underworld and while Highstorm clearly isn't that it's the touches of darkness that remind her of times she'd rather not relive. ]

    [ Touches of darkness that the reflecting pool shimmers with; Her mother's face. At first kind and warm and then there's that angry, empty look. The one burned into her memory, but before she can really look at it the expression shifts and someone steps toward her to get her away from it. She shakes herself out of it, unsettled, as she scurries away from the pool itself. ]

    [ The woman who claims the halls of this manor, Yima, is a sight to behold. She holds herself with the regality of a goddess - and from the way the people here speak of her, she might as well be. When she takes her hand, Hazel thinks it feels gentle but something wiggles a bit. Gods only care about you as long as it serves them. ]

    [ Not all the time. Terminus protected Rome and that little girl. Her father had allowed her to live. It's the thought of her father that pulls her from that daze. As if Yima's comment catapulted her into the present with realization and understanding: ]

    ... I can't even feel him.

    [ 'Him' isn't quite what she means to say. It's difficult to think of her Father, lord of the underworld and the dead gone. It's difficult to realize that after all this time her connection with death is simply gone, that she can't even feel the stones beneath her feet that had been a constant companion. ]

    [ If there was anything that rooted her to the spot it was that as a Child of the Underworld you knew when things were dire - when death had life by a stranglehold. ]

    notes
    [ feel free to make up a wildcard! i'd be happy to do monster fighting or some silliness with the new drinks. hazel is a daughter of pluto and has currently not-present death radar. she will most likely be zenith and possibly advocate/iconoclast ]

    [personal profile] ex_fend346 2024-01-15 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Those who prey on others.

    The furrow of Subaru's brow deepens further. He is himself a vampire, though in the moment his body doesn't feel quite right nor whole. His senses are dulled, his strength and ability to heal somehow depleted. ]


    Do they not have alternatives in this place?

    [ No world but his own seems to keep prey, so he doesn't expect that such a system is present here. Still, surely there are provisions of some kind? ]

    I'm new, so I don't know where to find a healer...or much at all about this place, really.
    escardos: (pic#13478925)

    LMAO YOURE GOOD

    [personal profile] escardos 2024-01-15 02:24 am (UTC)(link)
    [ flat listens as well as his attention span can allow him, but in reality there's quite a bit that falls through the gaps as he realizes that he has very little interest in another faction battle. he wasn't interested in the clock tower that he was a part of for almost ten years, and he's even less interested now.

    'not everything has to be inefficient'.... well, he figures that's true. if they were, it wouldn't be human, would it? he eats another fancy cheese, thinking. ]


    So basically, he's upset because he's not charismatic enough despite Meridian doing so good? [ huh... ] Has he tried acting classes?