beleos: (Default)
beleos ([personal profile] beleos) wrote in [community profile] kenoslogs2023-04-21 04:58 pm

The Seeds of Unrest, Phase Two đŸŒ±


UPROOTED
Time has not been kind thus far, and the future will be no kinder.

The slow passage of days to weeks has seen both cities increasingly ravaged by the untamed growth of the enlarging roots. Their size is enough to uproot buildings by their foundations, if not bisect them entirely where they push through unfettered. In the worst-hit areas, entire blocks are left abandoned - if even standing at all, displacing families and leaving businesses in ruins.

Cetina and Kathova have been in near constant contact with Bearers via Communion, feeding them information about which areas to focus their lifesaving efforts. Yima’s Manor and the Seat of the Tribune - despite their closeness to the Trees - have been fortified by your leaders and act as a base of operations for each respective faction. You will be able to return to either to find sanctuary from the chaos beyond, but the innumerable civilians are not so lucky.

Bearers are tasked with rescue and recovery efforts and requested to assist hands on the ground with taking refugees to temporary shelters. Survivors must be dug out of the debris. Those who are capable of healing will be enlisted to assist at hospitals and triage centers. Supplies must be gathered and harvested from areas that are collapsed and too dangerous for civilians to navigate. If you are feeling generous, you can go on search and rescue missions, as many people are considered missing in both Highstorm and Springstar. Some areas are completely cut off to regular foot traffic by the massive, winding roots bearing countless Blight-blooms. Citizens are succumbing to the Blight flower’s effects persistent from phase one with more and more frequency.

While both cities slowly succumb to a deepening catastrophe, the situation worsens.

STIRRING STORMS

As the days pass, inexplicable and unnatural weather occurrences will randomly plague both cities. They can last as long as a full day or as little as an hour before dissolving entirely.
  • Flurries: this snow is tainted by the Blight, making the snowfall look like ash. Any organic matter it touches will be affected by reopening wounds, re-infection of illnesses, or re-experiencing injuries that may have healed over years ago.
  • Thunderstorms: these storms carry a frigid rainfall and heavy cloud cover, making already difficult-to-navigate disaster zones harder to clear. As each thunder bellow crashes overhead, you might swear you hear a familiar voice reaching out to you in the fading rumble
 one that sends a message - either from the future or past.
  • Fog: dense clouds of thick, freezing fog will roll in randomly, making visibility even more precarious. In your search for survivors - or your companions, you may find yourself coming face to face with someone else, instead: a version of yourself (or a companion) from another timeline. You may also hear your own voice calling out to you from within the fog, attempting to beckon you further into the mist.
  • General Note: Exposure to any of the above weather patterns will increase your Blight infection.
THE BLIGHT COMES FOR ALL
As if it were not enough to see the cities that have become your salvation at the end of the Timestream falling to collapse and ruin, the Bearers will slowly begin to realize their previous immunity to the Blight is eroding. They will begin to show symptoms of infection that increase into May’s event. ( For more information on the effects of the Blight and purification methods, please see the OOC Summary. )

Now that their last bastion - the Bearers - are just as much in harm’s way as everyone else, the populous’s efforts to formulate a temporary stop-gap solution are being rushed to completion. Time is not on anyone’s side. They will continue to work with those who have been kind enough to volunteer their resources and brilliant minds - collecting materials and attempting to figure out a way to avert their otherwise inevitable destiny.

ORDERS

Orders from your leaders will come as soon as infections among the Bearers have been confirmed.

🌙 YIMA will stress for all Zenite Bearers to prioritize their well-being and to avoid unnecessary exposure, to manage their symptoms as much as possible. They must fight for their own survival to bring in the birth of a new universe - and their lives are too precious to risk. Beyond that, she asks them to save what they can of their people and their most critical structures with the understanding that hard choices may be necessary.

🌞 CYRUS will implore all Meridian Bearers to prioritize the general population's lives and turn their efforts to save as much of Springstar as they can. He will note that Bearers have ways to help keep one another from suffering too much contagion and to coordinate their usages appropriately, to keep one another safe, and watch their backs.

ANOTHER EN-TREE-TY
The Tree of Life continues to sicken, yet - thankfully - the progression of the Blight is slow. Still, Bearers will find themselves occasionally compelled to take a moment to sit beneath its boughs and vibrant leaves, even as some begin to show signs of discoloration and rot. Any characters who sit with the Tree with the purple leaf they found on their person after phase one will find it warming to the touch, its veins laced with gold. This effect will be even more effective if taken into the cavernous roots beneath the Tree! While this may fill you with a temporary sense of calm, it doesn't seem to have any other effects... yet still, you are compelled, if not curious.

The Tree has offered you this gift for a reason. Perhaps you will find its use before long.

...As long as you - and Kenos - survive long enough to discover it.

CODING
hyperpotamous: (008)

Re: QUESTIONS

[personal profile] hyperpotamous 2023-04-21 09:16 pm (UTC)(link)
SO. An obvious question about Tree-chan since John has been trying to Commune with it a lot since he's been here, would he be able to get anything new and interesting out of the jumble he usually gets if he sits with the leaf? He'll probably have Blight dumped on some poor NPC before he tries this since... making the Tree worse would be Bad lmao
fishfearme: (gentle neutral)

Byleth | Meridian | Advocate

[personal profile] fishfearme 2023-04-21 10:13 pm (UTC)(link)
❈ I. Nurse Joy (CW: Mild Gore).

[Gruesome wounds were not unfamiliar to Byleth. Ever since Jeralt had taught him his very first healing spell, when Byleth was still too small to effectively wield a longsword, he'd quickly learned what a human looked like beneath their fragile skin. He also learned other vital things such as: how loud a person can scream, how humans can survive impossible wounds yet die to nothing at all, that the core temperature of a human body was hot enough to steam, if the air was cold enough.

He became desensitised to it, off and on the battlefield... and in the hastily erected triage centre he had offered his healing expertise to. It wasn't an established hospital, just a building that was still standing, set up close to one of the roots' epicentres - and through the doors a parade of civilians in various states of sickness or injury. Byleth, experienced in what a human can survive and what they could not, mentally catalogued who was a lost cause, who might live, and who'd survive, unless complications occurred.

Outwardly, he had more tact. Expressionless, unflappable, as if the chaos and stress of the environment simply bounced off him, he carefully directed those coming to the triage centre to their respective areas - the Blight victims quarantined in a separate hall, of course - and administered emergency healing magic on those who came in pissing blood and on death's door, for whatever good it did.

So, for anyone strolling in, either carrying wounded or needing healing themselves, they'll be met by Byleth: dead-eyed, tired, suspiciously dark stains on his equally dark tunics and... a clipboard and pencil in hand. Those tall enough or nosy enough would be able to see that the writing was incomprehensible to all but Byleth himself.

This is your Nurse Joy in these trying times. Enjoy?]


❈ II. Wildcard.

[If anyone wants to do anything specific with Byleth, hmu in the discord and I can make us a closed starter! When he's not being Nurse Joy, he'll also be in Alenroux to ensure their occupation isn't being negatively affected by the chaos happening in Springstar and Highstorm (and to take a break/avoid the Blight).]
hyperpotamous: (Default)

[personal profile] hyperpotamous 2023-04-22 01:12 am (UTC)(link)
OH HOW INTERESTING. Poor Tree friend though!!

One more question though about that feeling that it's urging him to stay. Would it feel like it wants him to stay because it wants to protect the Bearers or because it's trying to call people to it for its own protection?
exhound: (32)

Vander | Exalt | Meridian

[personal profile] exhound 2023-04-22 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
i. give me shelter
[Much to everyone’s dismay, the roots and the Blight show no signs of slowing down as the weeks progress. More buildings getting overrun by the dangerous plants, more people getting sick or injured. And the longer this goes on, the more severe the effects and the damage seem to be. Before long, it becomes clear that there’s going to have to be a concerted effort at fortifying as many safe spaces away from the disaster zones spreading throughout the city as possible.

By what feels like a miracle, the streets immediately surrounding Punch Drunk have so far remained unscathed. Vander and the proprietors of the neighboring bars and eateries have been called upon to convert their buildings and the space around them into a shelter to help out those displaced by the roots’ destruction.

a. set up
Perhaps you’ve been recruited in helping set things up around this block in the entertainment district. If Vander catches you at an idle moment, he'll give you a gentle nudge to get your attention.]


Think I could borrow you for a bit? [He motions with a thumb over his shoulder back toward his bar.] Gotta make some room inside, and I could use a hand getting the furniture in there moved.

b. downtime
[Maybe instead you swing by at another point in the week, when the shelter’s full of displaced and injured people. There’s a low murmur of conversation throughout the crowded space, the voices tired and often fearful.

There should be folks bringing in a another run of supplies any time now, but for the moment, things are about as calm as can be reasonably expected. Vander joins you along the front of the bar’s counter, leaning back to rest one elbow on the wooden surface as he glances over the crowded room.]


It’s a shame it’s gotten this bad.

ii. rescue mission
[But Vander isn’t content to spend all his time around the relative safety of the makeshift shelters. Once everything is well enough in hand with that, he’ll be out and about around Springstar, looking to help people as the roots’ spread becomes more and more destructive in nature.

Whether the two of you set out on today's mission together or decided to join up after crossing paths out in the city, you and Vander are now working together to lend a hand over in the academic district where a only a few hours ago another rapid expansion of the roots overturned yet another building.

There’s no telling how many people might have been nearby when it occurred, but time is of the essence if any unlucky souls trapped in the rubble are to make it out of there. The collapsed building had fallen against its neighbor, making for a treacherous place to tread. Vander stops alongside some of the debris that has blocked one of the entrances to the (mostly) still-standing building, then casts a thoughtful glance in your direction.]


Think if we clear this out a bit, we might have a straight path in.

iii. fog of war blight
[With a task to scout out and fetch any possible supplies in a section of the city that’s been rendered too dangerous for civilians to linger in, you and Vander set out one chilly morning. It’s a straightforward trek for the most part, until a chill seems to seize the air as morning slowly stretches toward mid-day. Before either of you could even realize, a dense and ominous fog seems to roll in to drape across the mostly silent streets.

Vander comes to a halt, gazing around at the surroundings with unease clear on his features. Everything around seems as still as death, and it makes the lack of visibility even more concerning. Then, faintly, Vander’s almost certain he hears an indistinct voice calling out for just a moment. His gaze searches fruitlessly through the fog clouds around them in search of its source—if there even is one.]


You hearing that too?

iv. wildcard
I’m down for anything around rescue efforts, weird weather effects, or blight mitigation (or if you want to Blight Blast him, be my guest, lol). Hit me up if you want to plot or want a custom starter!
muchalucha: (pic#16286349)

quetzalcoatl - meridian - stargazer

[personal profile] muchalucha 2023-04-22 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
i — rescues
[ The call doesn’t need to go out, at least for Quetzalcoatl. As soon as the roots start to cause enough damage that buildings are effected, she’s out in the city to help. There’s no question of what needs to be done, since she considers Springstar to be under her loving protection. ]

a. digging
[ If there’s a collapsed building in Springstar, you’ll absolutely find Quetzalcoatl putting her rock hard abs to use. Or, well, kind of. It’s technically more divine power than muscle power, but hey, got to show the goods when you’ve got them, right?

It’s clear right away that she’s a good fit for this kind of effort, though. There’s a piece of rubble that’s huge—far too much for even the strongest regular human to be able to move. But for a god?

She grabs onto the piece with both hands and bears her feet down into the ground before she starts to lift the piece of rubble with a grunt of effort. It’s not easy, exactly, but it’s doable! It gets moved out of the way and half tossed to the side with a loud sound, but it’s then that she notices that she has company. So, she beckons you over and nods to the remaining task before her. ]


Ah, ÂĄven a ayudar! Do you have a way to seek people out, maybe?

b. dino
[ Or you may be underway with the efforts to try to clear a building that’s recently collapsed on your own. Regardless of how well you might be faring on your own, you’ll be joined by the local sun goddess, though not quite in the way you expect. There’s a flicker of light from above as something passes in the sky, and if you look up you will suddenly see a, uh. Dinosaur.

You might not even see Quetzalcoatl herself as the pterosaur swoops in to land, but as its clawed feet come to rest and it bows down slightly, Quetzalcoatl is quick to hop off its back over its shoulder. Her appearance and her ride go without question since she just looks at you with concern instead. ]


Hey! Do you need help? Is someone still in there?

ii — blight
[ Or you’ll also find Quetzalcoatl at the Seat of the Tribune as she does rest when she has to. She doesn’t complain at all for how tired out the process of excavating the city makes her, but you might notice her taking leisurely naps in the grass or eating large quantities of food. She may not technically need to do these things, but they’re the easiest way to replenish her stores of mana that keep her going. No need for the [redacted] method of mana transfer yet. Unless
?

But even without that natural limitation, her hard work also means that the Blight is taking its toll on her. At the beginning, things are fine, but as the days pass, it’s clear that the Blight is noticeably effecting Quetzalcoatl. Yet even so, no matter when you come to speak with her, the response is always the same. ]


a. giving
[ Earlier into things, you might find yourself getting approached by Quetzalcoatl if you’re showing signs of Blight. Without much ceremony or introduction, she’ll just take a seat near you and give a little wave of hello, but she also gets right to the point. ]

The Blight has gotten to you too, huh?

[ She hums a thoughtful sound as she reaches up to just under her lip. The little green gem that looks like body jewelry isn’t, as a matter of fact. She removes her Shard and smiles encouragingly. ]

I can take care of some of that for you. It’s no problem!

b. receiving
[ Or indeed, things start to look pretty bad for her and likely earlier than others because of her easy willingness to take on others Blight. She’s wrapped up in as many blankets as she could borrow since if there is something she’ll complain about, it’s the cold. The chill that seeps through her is especially unnatural for her. Though she won’t ask for someone to take her Blight directly
 She’ll at least lead into it by gently complaining. ]

Ay, why does it have to be cold, you know? Everything else is fine, I can deal with that, but the cold
!

[ She makes a dramatic noise of distress before pulling those blankets even more tightly around herself as if that’ll help. ]

Horrible!! If there’s someone to blame for the Blight, I’m going to break their back, you know!

iii — wildcard
[ Plotting comment is here, but a standard wildcard if nothing works above! For my Highstorm Homies, feel free to hit me up if you want Quetz but they wouldn't go to Springstar, since we can likely figure something out to get them to connect! ]
Edited 2023-04-22 04:39 (UTC)
hyperpotamous: (012)

cw: mild gore, radiation injury

[personal profile] hyperpotamous 2023-04-22 06:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ picking through the increasingly hazardous city eventually lands him in this random hospital because it's a decent shelter when one of the freak storms crops up. he's not looking for a doctor because he can technically handle it himself; the thing about necromancy that john doesn't mention all the time is that it works just fine on the living and the dead. it's easier to just be the death guy because then no one expects anything and he doesn't rush to offer himself as a healer specifically for this reason.

still, it's easy to assume he needs it given how he's sat hunched on a bench and favouring his left arm, which at a glance does not look okay in the way radiation burns do not look okay. as soon as john is aware that he is no longer alone, he straightens up and proceeds to act like everything is fine because haha of course it is. ]


Well. You look like shit.

[ not that he's one to talk. ]
kinaesthesia: (6)

Gavial | Advocate | Zenith

[personal profile] kinaesthesia 2023-04-22 06:21 am (UTC)(link)
i. the croc doc is in
[After things really start getting bad around the cities and a fraught rescue mission made her finally rip off the harmonization band-aid for need of her Healing Arts, it’s not long until she gets sent off to put her skills to use at one of the hastily put-together triage sites. It’s a few blocks out from the Highstorm market’s main thoroughfare, but it’s at least just far enough from one of the more recent eruptions of the roots to be safe.

Gavial is clearly in her element here. It might not be a battlefield, but she’s no stranger to piecing people together in a disaster zone either. And the place is bustling, as injured civilians and Shard-bearers alike come in from the nearby wreckage seeking treatment. There’s a look of determination on her face, sometimes even slipping to a pleased grin, as she barks orders at other volunteers and patients alike, keeping things moving.

a. treatment time
Whenever the next lucky (or unlucky, given the general circumstances) person gets brought over for treatment, she’ll wave them on over to the small area she's gotten herself set up in.

If you’re a fellow Shard-bearer in need of some healing, she’ll direct you over to a place you can get settled with a]
C’mon, let’s sit you down over here, [while she looks over your injuries.

Or

If you’ve brought over a recently-rescued civilian, she’ll help you get them laid down over on one of the unoccupied cots, then give you a nudge.]
Gonna need a hand with this, help me out.

b. field trip
[But if you’ve got need of her over in the disaster zone proper, it’ll be easy enough to drag her away from the erected tents at the triage site and into the thick of things. She’ll toss a few supplies into a bag and sling it over her shoulder, then fix you with a sharp look.]


Where d’you need me?

ii. downtime
[Overworking has never really been a concern for Gavial before. Even despite her illness, she’s always had bountiful stamina and a strong drive to keep herself going. She knows her limits, and knows in that physician’s brain of hers how to spot signs of overexertion before it can get her in trouble.

The Blight kind of complicates things. She overestimated the extent to which Shard-bearers could handle it, even after their kind started showing their own symptoms. And, being to eager to try to take the burden of it off of people she figured would be worse off, her own symptoms were undoubtedly starting to get worse.

Case in point: she’s not really all that sure how she got here. “Here” being a small community building where a number of people were taking shelter from a thunderstorm that has rolled in. She remembers being on her way to the Academy to try to check in on things, and then
 it’s a bit of a blank, until she finds herself here, off in one quiet corner by herself.

It’s frustrating, even more so when coupled with the general exhaustion and other more worrying signs she’s begun to notice. As she leans back against the wall, she feels a familiar twinge that’s got her wincing. She closes her eyes and carefully presses a hand against the left side of her abdomen, where the more prominent cluster of Originium crystals (and, ever since arriving here, her Shard) are located.]


Damn it, not now


iii. wildcard
Gavial’s going to be a busy-body running around Highstorm mostly, rescuing and healing people, dealing with Blight stuff, etc. I’m open for whatever, so hit me up if you want to plot or want a closed starter!
kinaesthesia: (Default)

Closed starters

[personal profile] kinaesthesia 2023-04-22 06:22 am (UTC)(link)
[Some closed starters incoming!]
zauneyete: (Cigar points)

Silco | Zenith | Harbinger

[personal profile] zauneyete 2023-04-22 07:15 am (UTC)(link)
✩ SPIRNGSTAR ✩ SA-BLIGHT-AGE
[ It was getting remarkably easy to to accrue Blight, enough so that the first experiments with it -- down in Kowloon where nobody would care if someone down there was met with a burst of the blight to expel it -- it was easy, and the effects were hard to miss. There was no choice, in whether to take in the Blight, unless he wished to hole up in Yima's manor, but he had a business to run, addicts to create, and Kowloon, though it did not suffer the roots and effects of the Blight itself, had people down here from above -- more than usual -- seeking solace from the roots and Blight topside, to escape into violence and drugs below.

They brought it with them, of course, and being exposed to the Blight from clientele had its...detriment and its uses. It was difficult to use his touch after some time, when his powers seemed to flag. It was cold -- chill, like being doused in cold water -- a myriad of other effects. The feeling of illness, the sensation of things degrading... Each time it started up, before his powers completely petered out, and he was left defenseless, Silco slipped from Draumahol via cornerstone, up and vanished out of nowhere from the location, to appear in Springstar.

For what good would it to for them if he offloaded this in Highstorm? Even though he had little...fondness for your average person, it was simple math. And where was the place that he could deal the most damage? Why, the Seat of the Tribune, of course. It was easy, while his invisibility stayed active, to sneak his way there, the only indication of anything might be amiss was the smell that wafted on too-chill breeze and smelled of foul, over-burnt tobacco.

The invisibility fades, either through intent -- or because the Blight has progressed too much -- and Silco is there in the throng of people in Spirngstar, suddenly present, and it doesn't take him long to lock eyes with a target, and smile. Whether it's an individual that frequents the seat, or a shard-bearer doesn't matter, but he starts to move closer, either looking for their shard, or to meet their eyes -- to give them a good hit of that Blight, and expel it from himself.

Someone might...want to try to stop him before he causes too much trouble.
]


✩ HIGHSTORM ✩ MANUAL LABOR
[ Though he wasn't generally... concerned with the well-being of the residents in Highstorm -- as evidenced by how he had reacted to those in his way -- once orders filter through, there's little choice, is there? They will need fodder for whatever comes next, and he'd promised Yima monsters, hadn't he? So though she had called out for help, Silco wasn't the one helping. No, he was short, wiry, and lean, and he wasn't exactly going to be doing any heavy lifting to free people from the rubble.

Though, that didn't mean he wasn't helping. "Helping".

Joined by GregĂłr -- who now had slowly-healing burn scars across his green skin -- and another of his staff from Draumahol -- someone who was aligned with Zenith, obviously -- he looked over a space that had lost half of a building, the structure crumbled, and the large vining and twisting roots seemed to threaten to pull more of the building down if they weren't careful. Though, supposedly, there were people who'd been in the building, and some of them might be underneath. With the glove off from his left hand, and a cigar perched in his (still gloved) right, Silco reached out to his two assistants, and pressed fingers against their exposed neck or wrist -- and if he had to hoist himself up on his toes to do so, it's best not to comment on that -- before he gave them a quick hit of what would "help" in this trying time.

They stumbled, their bodies warping before anyone around them, their muscles growing, their bodies going taut and ready, veins bulging and their movements jerky. They were left with twitching and reacting to the drug for a few moments, before Silco tipped his head at his associates, and they took off in a streak that was too fast for the sudden influx of mass that they'd taken on, before they started clearing debris and large rubble.

Though, if someone gets close, they will snarl, or twitch, or even turn to face a new arrival, until from somewhat off in the distance, Silco spoke up.
]

Focus. Don't worry about them.

[ And they do. Obediently. That's probably fine. Right?

And if there's the smell of an incoming storm, or the creep of fog closing in, that's nothing to worry about, surely.
]


✩ WILDCARD ✩
[ If neither of these work for you, just toss me something! Even if we didn't plan something! And if you want a closed starter, just hit me up on plurk or on discord at Jillidan#4930 and I'll write you a closed starter! ]
erbe: (110)

Rin Tohsaka | Zenith | Harbinger ❉

[personal profile] erbe 2023-04-22 02:55 pm (UTC)(link)
(Preface: while Rin will spend the majority of her time in Highstorm it is likely to catch her in Springstar to "catch some sun". Yet she is the type who would try to ignore most calls for help on that side unless she saw someone else actively struggling to rescue others. It's then that she'd pitch in. So feel free to have a little liberty with the following prompts with that in mind.)

✧ 1. Care and Consequence
[Tohsaka doesn't like showing her hand, but she has a soft spot for the weak and helpless. Unable to just sit around and mind her own business or twiddle her thumbs, she'll be actively pairing up with people for Search-and-Rescue efforts. The young woman will play one of two roles: if her partner has superhuman strength she will use a spell to search out bodies in the rubble and act as a guide; if her partner is only standard human strength or less she will ask that they scan and detect where the bodies are, and she will send magical energy through her limbs to reinforce them beyond normal human strength to pull away the debris.

Optional: Eventually both parties accumulate enough blight for it to be concerning. Rin will stop them from progressing any further, because they can't help if they're dead or become invalid. However she'll seem to skirt or dance around the subject of nullifying their 'infection'. Is she shy, or does she actually have an aversion to going that far to help others?]


✧ 2. Pain & Persistence
[Over exertion doesn't help anybody, but Tohsaka pushes herself nonetheless. After all, what's a little pain? However it's not simple physical limit pushing she's doing. After making some concerning compromises to the herbal medicine she uses to suppress her magic crest she'll be left in the unfortunate position of finding out that what she made wasn't good enough. The consistent use of her magecraft has activated her crest time and time again. Awakening the circuits within her after they had been so briefly sealed upon her first arrival.

Such crystallization of knowledge is a heavy burden to bear. It weighs on her like an anvil, and doubles down on the stress that the blight already provides. At times Tohsaka will seem sluggish, feverish, or incredibly fatigued. She may faint, or drop to the ground hissing in pain as she clutches desperately to her left arm. This can happen anywhere, at any time. Perhaps she collapses while you both are searching for survivors, maybe you find her curled up in pain at one of the medical shelters, or maybe you're just down the road and watch her topple like a house of cards from afar.

Either way she'll need help restoring her magical energy to get things under control. To do so she'll need to imbibe body fluids, which means either drinking blood or sexual fluids (Rin is 18).]


✧ 3. Sweet Somnolence & Frights in Fog
[This one is a little more open and loosey-goosey. If you want Tohsaka to experience one of your character's alternate timelines feel free to just drop it on me as a nightmare or a reflection in the fog as they try to navigate through. However if you want an alternate timeline from Tohsaka follow the link in the wildcard section to request a tailored starter! Options are:

✩ Erasure of self and identity after a summoning ritual for a Sumerian Goddess
✩ Confrontation with her legal guardian who, unbeknownst to her, killed her father
✩ CW: Body and Insect Horror — Falling victim to crest worms

I'm also flexible to warping these to better suit needs for the CR. Let me know.]


✧ WILDCARD ✧
[Is what you want not available here? I'd be happy to write a starter specifically for you if you're interested. Just let me know here (or via one of the contact methods listed there).]
erbe: (228)

Closed Starters

[personal profile] erbe 2023-04-22 02:56 pm (UTC)(link)
✧VASH✧ cw: enventual vore-like elements & incestual implications
[The dream is not unlike a memory. Spring may have been on the horizon, but she remembers the chill of winter being unusually bitter and hanging around longer that normal. Perhaps also the general anxiety felt by Kenosians helped paint the picture. After all, there was fear. Fear that her sister Sakura would descend upon the Emiya household and kill them all.

Which is why, in the beginning, there are flashes of Rin collaborating with two others. A young man with reddish hair, and a child with tresses of snowy white. The young man and child homunculus follow Rin's direction with in making what they hope to be the weapon to help them defeat Sakura.

The dream quickly cuts away before that can happen. Instead of tucked away underground now the trio from before are in a large back yard of the Emiya estate. A workshed can be seen in the distance, but closer than that is Sakura. Her eyes deep red as black ribbons dress her body like writhing strips of cloth. That same red that overtakes her eyes spreads across her skin. Like a crack in porcelain it stretches along her face, neck, and down her left limb to the back of her palm.]


Sister, [the Dark Sakura calls out with sadistic, twisted affection.]

Sister hand her over and I may be kind enough to kill you quickly.

[Some black, oily sludge coats the yard. Rising up to engulf their ankles. Catching and tainting anyone careless enough to touch it to sap magical energy, or life force, from them. Even so Rin stands between her sister and the little homunculus girl. Vash is a bystander. A witness permitted to stand alongside the homunculus Illya and her "edler brother," Shirou with the red hair.

Rin seems to answer Sakura's offer with the toss of a turquoise gemstone which explodes near Sakura, but it seems her prehensile ribbons shoot out from the aforementioned sludge and bind together to shield Sakura from the attack. Tohsaka swears under her breath.]


✧GRAY✧
[While Tohsaka had mostly been avoiding Springstar, she does occasionally visit for some sun. However with the weird weather she has half a mind to just turn back. Yet on her way to do so she catches a glimpse of brilliant silvery-gray hair. The little voice in her head tells her to leave well-enough alone. To just ditch and forget about it. But that hood is all too familiar, and... Well, Gray seems to be struggling quite earnestly. Rin has a weakness for such things.

Cursing herself under her breath, Tohsaka balls her hands into fists and hurries to Gray's side no matter what she may be getting into. Once they're within arm's length the young woman reaches out to rest a hand on Gray's mantled shoulder — careful to be sure not to mess with that hood she has constantly up.]


Hey! Looks like you need a hand.


✧MORDRED✧
[In truth Tohsaka didn't expect Mordred to spend as much time with her as she has. Consistently coming by to harass her, and sometimes even hollering through communion at her. This leads to them patrolling together (or more like Mordred nipping at Rin's heels like an agitated dog). As they look for places to clear and people to help the fog rolls in. Quick and unavoidable. Surrounding them and obscuring their vision. However before they're able to navigate out something reflects in the mist.

It begins quietly. With the sound of sniffles and the crack of crystal. A small girl with her hair up in pigtails. She tries rubbing away the wetness at her bright, blue eyes - yet the shine of tears and the red, puffy cheeks remain. Her despair is nearly palpable. After all, how can she prove herself? After her sister was taken away she's been practicing nearly nonstop to prover herself. To be worthy of The One Who Stayed. She has to make sure it wasn't some weird fluke.

The young girl babbles something to this effect, but immediately stops the moment footfalls can be heard at the steps. Her father, a lithe man, descends to the mage workshop of the basement. He comforts her. Not like a father comforts their child, but like a teacher comforts a student. The young girl looks up at him in wonder. Seeking his guidance and praise. Clearly yearning for something which he will not give — affection. Whether non-existent or simply withheld is unclear.

The scene cuts away. Those blue eyes older now. Dry and looking on with yearning, but no longer at her father. No, she stares down from a roof while looking upon a sidewalk. Transfixed on another girl. Just about a year younger than her with a thicker build and shorter hair. It's clear now that young girl was Rin, and this image of her now is stalking a nameless young woman on her walk home from a friend's house. The look of longing for something you know you will never have... perhaps it's familiar?]
Edited 2023-04-23 01:15 (UTC)
helloween: (011đŸ«€)

II

[personal profile] helloween 2023-04-22 03:47 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Though the surroundings have been falling to shit more and more lately, Dark stubbornly has been ignoring as much as he can. As much as possible until the Blight inevitably destroys his home or fucks him up— all the fun stuff.

As thunder begins to roll, he spots Gavial. What a coincidence.

Dark snaps a dying, limp leaf off a nearby plant between his fingers. He approaches Gavial after cutting through the crowd of the shelter. His hair and skin are wet from the rain, but that's fine. He's unbothered and he's sexy. His cloak stylishly swings behind him when he hits her up for conversation: ]


Hey Gavial.

[ Despite her not having met this side of him, Dark addresses her with familiarity. He rakes his fingers through his bangs and grins at her. ]
bakedapple: (Default)

link 🍎 meridian, savant

[personal profile] bakedapple 2023-04-22 05:02 pm (UTC)(link)
1. revived ~ meridian only

[ It doesn't take 100 years for Link to come back to life this time. It's barely been a week when he emerges from a gossamer cocoon beneath the Tree, his head swimming with fading imprints of restless dreams. The only thing he brings back with him to the Seat of the Tribune are scattered memories of one, specific dream, and a horrible, chilling ache that clings to his spine and limbs.

He might be alive once again, but that doesn't mean he's whole. It takes another two days of recuperating at the Tribune before Link can leave his room to do anything besides eat. Having declined every offer for a retainer — even temporarily while he's recovering — he can be spotted shuffling to the mess hall attached to the dormitory to snatch a tray of food before hurriedly shuffling back. He talks to no one and doesn't even seem to notice anyone around him in the first place, eyes averted and deep in thought.

He's better on the third day. This time, he exits his room in time for fresh breakfast. Instead of shuffling along, there's some energy in his steps. His eyes scan the room as he enters, and he actually mutters a few hellos to others as he passes them by. With food in hand, he pauses at the end of the line to look out at the rows of tables — looking for someone, anyone, who can tell him what the hell he's missed for the past week.

After he takes a seat, he places his palms flat on the table and gazes at the person across from him. His expression is stiff and serious, like he has something he wants to say, but instead he says, quietly,
]

How are you holding up?

2. rescue

[ Cyrus doesn't need to ask twice. He didn't need to ask at all, really. The people he's lived among since being reborn in this world, the natives of Springstar and Highstorm alike, are suffering. They rely on the Shard-Bearers to protect them in times like this, and although Link is feeling far from capable at the moment, his self-doubt does not absolve him of the duty to help in whatever way he can. He starts, perhaps unexpectedly, with a trip to Highstorm to check on a handful of people in particular; he knows that other Meridian might scold him for doing so, but he simply wouldn't be able to assist in Springstar if he didn't check on them. The following day, he stays in Springstar — not just because he needs to focus on his own allies now, but because spending the day in Highstorm had felt strangely and distinctly uncomfortable, in a way that it never has before.

Link knows the streets of both Highstorm and Springstar well enough by now that even the destruction of important landmarks and buildings does not stop him from checking on the people he's worried about. He can be seen hurriedly weaving between civilians and soldiers alike on the way to his various destinations, although he is not so single-minded in his determination to get there that he won't stop and lend help in an emergency.

Unfortunately, there is little good news to be heard at each one of his stops. Some places, once familiar, have been reduced to a pile of oversized roots and rubble. Some are in the process of becoming similar piles. Others are whole, but deserted, its residents having evacuated... or so he hopes.
]

(a. casualties)

[ But there are a few whose status are not so easily discernible. Link lingers in front of these spots — a school, a store, a house — knocking insistently on the front door and squinting into the dark windows. There's no answer, no mark near the entrance to signify it's been swept and emptied, no notice of quarantine warning of Blight inside. He can't just leave, not knowing what's going on. What if the people he came to see are in there? What if they need help?

He's getting anxious and starting to consider breaking in when he feels a mental nudge. He can tell it's another Shard-Bearer, from the insidious intrusive thought that rises in the back of his mind, of turning to them and holding out his hand and expelling this freezing feeling that's started to accumulate around his Shard. But — no. He shoves the thought aside. Instead, he turns to face the intuited presence and calls out to them.
]

Greetings! Hello, over here! [ Raising his non-Blighted hand to wave them over, he does a poor job trying not to look so desperate. ] Do you know these folks, in here? [ He points, glancing back at the silent building. ] Do you know ... what happened to them? Where they are?

(b. recovery ~ springstar only)

[ Every day is worse. Quieter, emptier, colder, and somehow... slower. The sky, once burdened with ever-present sunlight, is darkened by ashy, unpredictable storm clouds. But is it hopeless? No. Link refuses to believe that Springstar is inching closer and closer to a death spiral, despite all signs pointing to that being the case. Something needs to change, yes, that much is clear, but that doesn't mean it's hopeless. There are still things that can be done to lessen the suffering of others, to buy time for someone somewhere to figure out a way to counteract the Blight and the roots, and to minimize the damage going forward... and if doing those things can make a difference, Link is going to do them. (And, in the meantime, continue to ignore what's happening within his own head and body.)

There's a never-ending list of ways to help, but today, Link finds himself helping Meridian soldiers and Shard-Bearers with containing a partially collapsed apartment building. The despair among the workers gathered is palpable. This collapse wasn't expected to happen so soon; roots and vines had been spotted, but it wasn't expected to become a severe risk for another few days. That assumption had been wrong. Half of the building's units are completely gone. The safety and accessibility of the remaining half has been rendered unknown. If it weren't for the screams of help that filter into the cold air from within the rubble and surviving portions alike, it would be easy to usher the evacuees towards the makeshift shelters nearby... but, a simple solution like that is no longer possible.

There are so many people milling about in a hurry that it would be easy to miss the diminutive Hylian, standing at the side of a pile of collapsed bricks and shattered glass, near the border of the collapse.
]

Somebody... Can somebody help me with this?

[ Although he yells out to no one and does not look out at the crowd towards anyone in particular, he knows there are people around who might hear him. And, maybe, who will take the time to come over. Standing on top of one of the thick, trunk-like vines, he's trying to lift away the remains of a heavy piece of wooden furniture. Although he's managed to lift it a few inches, he's straining just to keep from dropping it, and definitely can't get it all the way up on his own.

It would be simple to just put it down, to let it drop back into the position he'd found it in, but that isn't an option.
]

3. wildcard

((Or, tag him with something else! Link's OOC plotting comment is here; anything mentioned there is fair game. Or do you have an idea you'd like to hit me with?? That's definitely welcome too! in any event, you can poke me if you want to discuss. Also, I'm happy to match format, so if you'd like to switch to prose, go for it.))
Edited 2023-04-22 17:19 (UTC)
hauntedking: (13)

ii

[personal profile] hauntedking 2023-04-22 05:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Dimitri is silently very glad to see Vander up and about again, especially after the altercation a month or so ago. He's gladly volunteered to help with saving people, with working on making sure this place stays inhabitable, whatever that might mean. For now he stares at the rubble with a sense of resigned determination. ]

I think you're right. Let me try...

[ He strips out of his coat and steps forward, examining the pile of stones and masonry and the nstarts at the top, first removing small pieces and then working down, trying to get some of the larger, heavier pieces out of the way. His muscles strain and there's a grunt of effort as he tugs one particularly large chunk free and sets it aside.

He's stronger than he looks. And he looks pretty strong.
]
hauntedking: (Default)

I

[personal profile] hauntedking 2023-04-22 07:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Dimitri has been working almost tirelessly to help people out of the rubble or to try and lead others back to relative safety. He's also been using his own magic to heal those that he can. It's an endless task, it feels like, but leading them (bit by bit, one by one) back to some sort of shelter helps. He'll save as many as he can. All of them, if possible. To do otherwise is to fail.

He's just finished leading one group back to the hospital and he's pausing to draw a breath. To ease some of the ache out of his limbs. There's a familiar face and he glances up with a tired look.
]

Byleth. I didn't realize you were here.
fishfearme: (look down)

[personal profile] fishfearme 2023-04-22 10:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, Dimitri. Hello.

[Byleth's words were a little slow, and he blinked a few times, as if his recognition of Dimitri had been somewhat delayed. Honestly, he had walked over here in a half-zombie state, more focused on the newcomer's physical state than who they actually were. He lowered his pen from where it had been (poorly) poised to start scribbling details.]

Out saving people to the detriment of your own health, I'm assuming. [he sighed quietly.] Yes, I was roped into being a triage medic about...

[He stopped. He honestly couldn't remember how long he'd been here for.]

...a while ago.
fishfearme: (look down)

[personal profile] fishfearme 2023-04-22 10:42 pm (UTC)(link)
As do you.

[Byleth's heavy-lidded gaze lingered on the injured arm, his pen pressed against the paper on his clipboard. Though it looked like a terrible injury, John seemed unbothered by it. He recalled their conversation at the Meridian mingle a while back, him being capable of manipulating organic matter or... something like that. So...]

Are you dying. If not, then you'll need to wait to be healed. There's a priority system in place.

[First time ever Byleth was scraping the bottom of the barrel here. His Crest Stone felt uncomfortably hot behind his ribcage (like an overheating engine...), and he was rationing out his healing spells for those who really needed it.]
hauntedking: (11)

[personal profile] hauntedking 2023-04-23 02:27 am (UTC)(link)
Well, if you put it like that, you almost make it sound like a poor decision.

[ He laughs aloud, although it's a little hollow. ]

...do you need help here? I'm only taking a moment to rest, but if there's anything I can do... please let me know.
gravings: (067)

Gray | Meridian | Advocate

[personal profile] gravings 2023-04-23 04:19 am (UTC)(link)
[ When it comes to her physical capabilities, Gray wouldn't call herself proud, but she's at the very least assured. She's used to being strong and fast next to normal humans, to having stamina and endurance that will allow her to push her body to its absolute limit. In many ways she's perfectly engineered for the rescue effort Cyrus has put his Shard-Bearers up to. Even her usual caution and fear are overshadowed by her sympathy for the people of the city. They are the living dead, crying out from the slowly emerging hell that is Springstar; she hardly needs to strengthen her hearing to pick out the cries buried in the rubble waiting desperately to be found. Two urges war in her: one to shut everything out before it overwhelms her, and the other to throw herself mindlessly into the rescue effort.

In the end, she does both -- working herself to the edge of ruin, crawling away before she falls apart, and back again. The work is merciless, compounded by the specters that begin to plague her. ]


A. Graves (Springstar)
[ With the scale of devastation throughout Springstar, it's inevitable that there would be a large death toll despite rescuers' best efforts. After a newly fallen building has been picked clean for survivors, there remains the grim work of retrieving those who couldn't be reached in time.

Gray's skills are probably better spent elsewhere. She knows that the dead are dead, and no amount of care for their remains will change the fact. It's really just a compulsion that makes her spend a bit of time helping survivors dig out the people who were their loved ones — and if there are no survivors to claim a body, she lays them out neatly where the ground is clear.

It's terrifying to see so many dead all at once even to a former gravekeeper, but familiar customs keep her anchored by a thread. An old prayer drifts to mind as she lays another body out, and she signs the cross out of habit. ]


Lord God, in whom we all find refuge, we appeal to your boundless mercy. Please grant the soul of your servant a kindly welcome...

[ She falls silent, the prayer left incomplete as she becomes lost in thought. ]

B. Alternate reality (Springstar)
[ The fog only worsens the distress of Springstar's citizens, their efforts to survive and aid each other now put on hold by the sudden onset of freezing, cloying fog. Even Gray has second thoughts about trying to navigate in the fog, which sends chills through her that go deeper than the temperature. Whispers of Blight stick to the surface of her exposed skin in a mist and crawl down her throat. Her mind feels foggy too, and she wonders if the shape emerging from the fog in front of her is in fact a dream...

She sees a girl in a cloak. It's a drab cloak of homespun thread that Gray recognizes from her own closet in Wales. The girl shares Gray's height, her build, her complexion. Her very face. What differs is the girl's brilliant golden hair. And beyond that, the girl's expression: beautiful and clear, with eyes that grasp the world with a gentle fist. Though she hasn't said a word, her essence is command; she controls herself and all that she sees with her dignity, and she arrests Gray's attention and body down to their deepest fibers.

The girl is brilliance and nobility.
The girl is Gray's worst nightmare.
The girl is perfect and alien all at once.

The girl neglects to don the hood of her cloak, so when she turns those eyes to Gray, Gray feels as though she's sinking into the sun. The blonde girl is surely some manner of hallucination, but a whisper drops from Gray's mouth like a boulder. ]


King Arthur...

[ The blonde girl doesn't respond, considering Gray with elegant bemusement that slowly darkens into an indescribable expression.

This is probably all very confusing to any third parties that happen to be in the fog as well, maybe even tagging along with Gray... ]

C. S.O.S. (Springstar)
[ Late in the month, it begins to feel like the difficulties will have no end. Blight packs itself onto Gray like flies on a corpse. Though she has a strong sense of self-preservation like most people, the nature of her Blight robs her of her sense of time. She wanders Springstar, destroying roots without a clue for how cold she's becoming or how much of a chore it's becoming to move her body.

She can't remember what the cause was, but the next thing she knows, she's on the ground. Ashen snow blankets her; it eats at the time of her cloak so that it becomes washed out and threadbare, and the scar over her nose bursts fresh with thick, sap-like blood.

It suddenly seems very possible that she could die like this. Her body feels like it no longer belongs to her. She's in a pitiful state, but she no longer has the luxury of thinking of her dignity; she needs help, and soon. Fear worms its way through her, but even that feels distant. She casts a line out via Communion to any Shard-Bearers in the immediate area, her "voice" small and faded. ]


Is there anyone there?

Wildcard
(( Feel free to hmu for something different! Gray's plotting comment is also here. ))
gravings: (070b)

[personal profile] gravings 2023-04-23 04:47 am (UTC)(link)
[ Rin is correct in her evaluation that Gray needs a hand; her already drab cloak is somehow even more faded and worn like it's been left out in the sun for years, and the scar over her nose bleeds freshly anew with a strangely thick, sap-like consistency. Gray startles when Rin touches her shoulder, looking very much like she's been shaken from her sleep. Fatigue unsettles from her eyes, stepping aside but not completely leaving as she tries to get her bearings. ]

... Miss Rin?

[ She doesn't notice as a mist begins to move in, much more quickly than a mist ought to. Soon it will become a fog, beating out the sun that has become so ill-suited to Springstar as of late. ]
intervener: (â–„ canna.)

[personal profile] intervener 2023-04-23 05:27 am (UTC)(link)
[ it has been a long few weeks, hasn't it?

it had taken Vash a hot bath, a good stiff few drinks, and some uneasy staring at the walls of his quarters in Heliopolis before he had finally managed to succumb to sleep. the state of the city - of both cities - is like a steady, ever-present buzz in the back of his head; people are suffering. day by day, hour by hour, the situation only grows direr, more frantic, tenser.

sleep should be a temporary respite. a little break, just long enough to refresh and recharge.

...what starts as nothing more than average, uninteresting dreams begin shifting. they twist, turn on themselves, faces and voices he doesn't recognize piercing the familiarity of landscapes and people he recognizes. eventually they all melt together, dissipate - leaving Vash somewhere far beyond the stretches of his own mind. for a moment, he can do little except take in his warped surroundings with disorientation and confusion. the sense of wrongness permeates every cell of his being as if somewhere, on some subconscious level, he is able to recognize he doesn't belong here.

he moves not more than a muscle save to turn his head from a girl with dark hair and vibrant blue eyes - Bearer, something inside of him whispers - to the homunculus whose very appearance serves to cause the hair at the nape of his neck to bristle. it's enough to send his internal defenses kicking into gear, though it outwardly manifests in little more than a slight rigidity in his posture where he stands. he doesn't know what's happening here, but--

Sister?

his eyes find Rin; he may not grasp how he's gotten here or who, exactly, she is - but she is the only tendril of familiarity he has to grasp here he's sure of it. ]
intervener: (▣ creeping mazus.)

rescue - b;

[personal profile] intervener 2023-04-23 06:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ the crunch of boots over glass and debris sounds from over Link's shoulder; it seems his call for help has not gone unanswered. not long after, a pair of dirt-smudged, black-gloved hands appear to his left, accompanied by a blond head of hair that bobs into view where Vash comes to climb the massive root the Hyrulian is stood upon. ]

Got you--

[ Vash is hefting what appears to be the decidedly thick and sturdy armoire up alongside Link; between the two of them, they're able to leverage it up and fight gravity. ]

--hey, you see something?

[ if Link thinks he hears a trace of hope in the other Meridian's voice, it wouldn't be his imagination. the scene that's unfolded around them is... horrible. the cries of the trapped, the injured, the families of those whose bodies are buried beneath the rubble - it's a backdrop that is more than enough to turn the stomach and squeeze the heart. if Link's managed to sniff out a survivor, well--

that would be nothing but fantastic news. ]

Page 1 of 47