⏳ THE SCORCHING ISLE: Oracle Event One ⏳

[beleos]

ARRIVAL

All Bearers have heard whispers of them - the Oracles. Mysterious and unknown entities of an abstract nature, they serve as the heart of each faction’s cause - both as a means to an end and a very real stepping stone in achieving their objectives. To claim an Oracle means growing ever closer to victory: to see your homes restored as they were, or to herald in a new one of your making.

So you go.

A Cornerstone has been set up for each faction; one for the Zenith and one for the Meridian in Yima’s manor and Heliopolis, respectively. They warn you that upon transportation, your safety cannot be guaranteed and there is no telling what waits for you beyond - to be prepared. To make sure you have whatever you deem necessary with you before you go, as there is no telling when - or how - you will be coming back. CONTINUED HERE...

NOTES

Upon your arrival, you woke up with an HOURGLASS NECKLACE. Please refer to the Time Mechanics on the OOC Summary and bottom of this post for details on its usage.

The COURTYARD is frozen in time. Player Characters and the Great Tree are the only signs of moving, free life in the courtyard. During the intro, time magic does not work.

Characters are free to investigate but cannot move beyond the courtyard if you choose a prompt during the intro. You may mingle among your fellow Bearers or speak with [MR. TIBBS] if you so choose. (Also? LOOK AT HIM HELP)

Iconoclasts and Stargazers will notice Aspect benefits/detriments now.

All characters will be weak for the 24 hours - think like mild flu - and unable to leave until Mr. Tibbs has dispersed them. This is the time in which any threads with the NPC will be carried out.

The INTRO concludes with said dispersal of PC’s once interactions concluded. They will be sent to a location around the castle of your choosing; they are free to move about freely from here. Your prompts can start with you waking alone or in the presence of others - whatever you’d like!

Your character will innately understand how to use time magic from this point forward. It will come naturally to them, like a skill they were born with.

CASTLE: OVERVIEW (p a s t)

The Scorching Isles is home to the Atirat, a people of sea-dwellers who have the ability to walk on land. (Think mermaids with the ability to shift back and forth between human and mermaid forms.) As such, much of the Scorching Isles is covered in large bodies of blue water and glistening pieces of ice to accommodate their lifestyle.

THE CASTLE, however, is what dominates the landscape and it's where the Shard-Bearers will be spending their time. The white castle with colorful glass windows is obscured by a thick layer of clouds and fog. Nearly every location on the island has a thin layer of fog that rolls through it, which gives the entire Island an inescapable chill. The castle has artfully built rooms with a CAVALCADE OF DECORATIVE ICE, lavish mirrors, and white plants accented with blue decorations. Several portions of the castle are submerged due to the aquatic nature of the native residents.

And everywhere you go, you find them - STATUESQUE BODIES FROZEN mid-movement. They are haunting reminders of the power in your Hourglass - the very real power to decide their fates.

The castle has many winding paths to explore, as castles often do. There are sleeping quarters, HALLWAYS, a wine cellar, and a few large rooms presumably for diplomatic affairs. Players can use these rooms at their own leisure for whatever purposes they see fit. (Exploration, combat, or supply gathering.)

However, many of these rooms will require some strategy to access their full potential! Atirat were much more comfortable being underwater than many Kenosians may be. Therefore, rooms of higher importance may be COMPLETELY SUBMERGED or require swimming through an underwater pathway to reach them. Very minimal supplies will be kept out in the open for all to reach. More desirable supplies - such as warm clothing, small weapons, treasure, and the like - will be located past or within one of these flooded areas.

Players may gather supplies within and preserve their Sand or use their Sand to make other rooms accessible and gather whatever lies within! The larger the asset you attempt to unfreeze, the more Sand it costs - and the more drained/vulnerable you will be as a consequence, so choose your path ahead wisely.

Currently, a pervasive fog is preventing you from wandering beyond the Castle's limits. Should you try to venture past it, your Sand will rapidly be stolen and you will find yourself suffering the same fate as the islanders if you don't move back to safety quickly... However, if you ask Mr. Tibbs what lays beyond the mist - he will tell you about the thriving farmland, the once-bustling village surrounding the castle, and the beautiful coral reefs beneath it. Sadly, they're beyond your reach - but maybe if the Bearers decide to unfreeze them when the week is up...

LIBRARY (s a f e z o n e)

The ROYAL LIBRARY - A treasure trove of knowledge, history, and glimpses of a fractured past scattered throughout. The lower floor of the Library is void of much reading material and contains several intricate-looking art pieces on decorative pedestals.

A spiral staircase dominates the center of the room, with its once delicate structure overtaken by sheets of formidable ice; it leads you toward the upper levels where a sea of books awaits. There are isles and isles of books, most perched on intricately carved shelves. Many books lay in piles or are discarded onto the floor, and scattered papers are common throughout.

Curious Kenosians may pick out books from the shelves and read on various topics, but players may also pass through this room on their way elsewhere. This area will function as a safe haven where violence and the taking of others' Sand is not allowed; do not disturb the books or Mr. Tibbs won’t be happy!

NOTES

Characters who wish to receive a book with lore specific to the island may comment [HERE]. You will be RNGed a book from a pre-written list of topics. The books may give you a deeper look into the island, its inhabitants, and its history! (Only 1 book per player! Please assume all other books they read are about commonly-available topics.)

THE EATING PARLOR (p a s t)

There are no basic amenities on the island. No hot water, no warm beds, and no salacious magazines (that you know of. heh heh). That would make the Eating Parlour a wise stop for anyone. After all, this could be the perfect chance to procure some provisions!

The EATING PARLOUR has all the equipment one would need for meal preparation. Dried plants hang from the ceiling, and the walls are lined with mason jars filled with every strange manner of presumably edible thing (Is that a head over there? Hmm… maybe you should check).

The parlour also comes with a garden under a massive windowed dome so that the inhabitants could have fresh produce at hand. Many plants have withered, but there are some salvageable plants if you know how to look for them. But beware… Some of the plants have a strange blue glow. These plants can spell potential disaster.

If someone should make contact with these glowing plants, they will crumble into glass shards - glass that will quickly burrow its way under the skin and curse that person with Blight. Blight will make all resources within that person's vicinity slowly age and eventually crumble to dust. (Which I relate to on a personal level tbh.) Iconoclasts will be immune to its effects.

NOTES

Please see the "Blight" section below for more information on its effects.

TREASURE ROOM (f u t u r e)

Faint singing can be heard coming from this room. Once you hear the song, it dulls your senses and leaves you in a haze. There is no stopping your feet from guiding you to it through the doors and into the Treasure room. The door slams shut at your back, sealed with a wall of ice and magic.

Players will find themselves lured to an icy chamber bordered by a ring of cold blue fire. There is a deep pond that surrounds the platform you’ve found yourself standing on. Beyond its glassy surface and crystal clear water, one can glimpse all manner of treasures - from crowns, jewels, ornate statues in various statues of repair, scepters, spears, and books that seem impervious to the water's cold chill.

As you come to your senses, you will find yourself frozen in place and at the mercy of a large statuesque being before you. This beautiful and horrifying figure in a perpetual song is the SIREN, the only Atirat you’ve seen in person. She measures nearly 20 feet (6 meters) from her head to the tip of her long-finned tail. She cradles an icy shard in her arms, singing to it as if it were a child.

She sits serenely in front of a large hourglass filled with white sand, which is bordered by a spear and a lance. Emblazoned in faint text at the base of where she sits reads: “The future lies in our hands.”

NOTES

Welcome to the Siren’s Chamber! Players must use their wit, charisma, or some good ol' fashioned elbow grease to escape the room or break the Siren’s magic. The Shard that the Siren holds contains dormant time magic that players may activate by using the Sand within their necklace. Players can access the future in 5-second intervals and use whatever they find in that time period to escape their predicament.

For example, if they activate the shard by using their time magic, that shard will begin to glow blue. The room around them will shift, and it could change to a point in the future where there is a sword nearby. If you can grab it, now you have a weapon! When the 5 seconds are up and time returns to the present, you will still have that weapon on your person. You may also try verbal communication if you’d like. If your character is someone who would try and talk their way out of a situation diplomatically, they may give it a try!

It is up to player discretion/creativity to think of a scenario you’d like. Each “future" does not have to be the same across player encounters! What one group experiences may be tailored to the player wants (because branching timelines exist). Let your imagination run free!

HALL OF MIRRORS (p r e s e n t)

Should you reach the rightmost wing of the massive castle Library, you will find a door hidden in the very back of one aisle against a wall; it looks as though the door used to be concealed by magicks that have since dissolved.

The stairwell leads down and into darkness. Once you reach the bottom, shimmering light cast from an unknown source beneath sheets of glistening ice will illuminate your new surroundings; you are in a maze of mirror-like ice. This labyrinth is silent save for the quiet creaking of shifting ice that may disquiet you and leave you uneasy regarding the stability of this area… but it holds beneath your feet.

Mr. Tibbs had told you that the “Kaleidoscope” - where your Sand is counted - rests through here, so eventually, you must brave the journey. Is it a trick of the light? Maybe the product of an especially active imagination…?

Did you just see one of your reflections move without you?

NOTES

Please refer to the OOC Summary for details on the Hall of Mirrors!

THE BLIGHT and TIME MECHANICS

BLIGHT

Blight is an infliction that will age supplies and infect people with a creeping disease that steals their Sand. For objects, this includes weapons, food, and items like cloth. It will take a few days to deteriorate things beyond use - so watching your supplies and acting accordingly is in your best interest. Generally, it will make it more difficult for PC's to get by given that their already scarce resources will dwindle and deteriorate - especially since it's 'contagious' through touch.

The Blight will not act quickly enough to severely hamper infected persons, but repeated exposure will cause effects to a person's body - notedly protruding VEINS in the face and extremities, a lower body temperature, and increased agitation. These effects start out mild and grow more severe with each 'dose.'

Characters must touch an object/person that is Blighted to become inflicted with Blight themselves. When that happens, it will become easily identifiable as Blighted from the faint blue, shimmering outline around the infected subject, as well as the WITHERED, FROSTBITTEN or ashy appearance it takes as it progresses.

However, there is one single perk with Blight. (Or is it a perk?) Players will feel reduced impact by the cold surroundings, making the climate around them somewhat more hospitable. Beware of falling victim to a chill you can't feel...

TIME

To use your Sand, each character is granted access to and innate knowledge of a spell they channel from their Shard that automatically manipulates their Hourglass. This allows the remote control of Sand (aka gathering and dispersing), as well as the ability to pull Fragments of time from Shards.

Fragments are literal pieces of you taken from your Shard. They manifest as memories or images displayed on little shards of broken glass (think of the memory being played out in real-time on the mirror's surface), and can be crushed to convert into Sand automatically, either voluntarily or by force. The only stipulation is that the parties must be close to one another, and the Fragment must be exchanged while both Bearers are still. This means someone has to give it to you, or you need to immobilize them before you take it - one way or another.

Once the Fragment is crushed, the memory and associated time of that person's life is lost and your character will suffer amnesia until the Oracle is claimed. How deep this goes is up to you; they could lose a large chunk of time - even all their memories surrounding a person or place for a big payload of Sand, or they could lose very little for a meager net gain.

Sand is automatically gathered or distributed by your Hourglass and added/subtracted to your running total. No need to micromanage. Convenient!

Please note that using Sand to unfreeze anything (resources, a door which can be then opened, etc) is an unpleasant experience. Each time you use Sand in this way, your character will be left feeling weakened and flu-like for an hour or two, which will leave them vulnerable. This effect stacks and scales up to outright KO-ing them for a few hours if they go crazy, so unfreezing too large of an area is off the table!

NOTES

• An OOC POST will be coming shortly explaining how Sand is going to be tallied and the Oracle claimed.
• Should your character attempt to unfreeze any NPC's, please respond [HERE]. NOTE: unfreezing NPC's may result in physical violence with CW's for severe mental instability/illness and a potential reference to self-harm.
• HAVE FUN!!!

CODING

Comments

gu yun ✨ "factionless" (meridian) ✨ harbinger

[liuli]

i. library/at peace.

[ as things settle into place, gu yun can often be found in the library. he's dressed a little differently than he was before they left - namely, he's better armed than before, with a sheathed sword on his hip and set up in plates of light armor instead of lazily dressed in silks. if he's unused to it or bothered by the weight of it, he doesn't really show it, but he is a little less of a lazy layabout than he was back in springstar and highstorm, tall backed and calm as he leans against a shelf with a book in his lap. there's also a monocle perched on his nose! wow. at some point, gu yun managed to scrounge up a brush pen and some of the blank or more useless papers on the floor, and occasionally jots something down on his personal notes.

at one point, with one of the books, there's a sharp noise like a laugh? he leaves it for a moment, and scribbles something down on his makeshift notepad.

... and then picks up the book and starts scribbling something in it? what is he doing. don't worry about it. ]

ii. music to your ears

[ congratulations on getting lured here. gu yun hates it also! it's very hard to pretend you're deaf when people use magic to CHEAT, but, upon immediate entrance and understanding of the treasure room, gu yun glances to his side at his companion. this is a man in battle mode - focused and paying attention to their surroundings, with one hand at the sword at his hip almost immediately.

... right. it's fine. gu yun reaches up with one hand, slowly, and pulls his liuli glass from his face, tucking it into an unseen pocket somewhere on his armor, and says, in a soft, low voice, his eyes never leaving that massive hourglass and siren together: ]

How lovely. [ hm. ] I suppose silencing her is the only way out. [ considering the slammed door from behind them and the big, juicy Hourglass prize.

...gu yun glances over at his companion, just briefly, and then back to the siren, his hand tightening around his sword, and then to the treasure pond around them. there's a slight pause. ] Much of a fan of music? I have an idea.

[ hm, ]

iii. mirror mirror.

[ in the hall of mirrors, gu yun walks through the halls with one hand on the right wall, unimpeachable and silent. his mirrored doppleganger does the same, only - the mirrored ones eyes are closed.

a small child runs by his feet - a young, well dressed boy who must be some kind of royalty, then abruptly turns, hiding behind the doppleganger's legs. his face starts to turn a strange color - ashen, the life seeming to drain out of it, and then, he collapses in a pile. there's the sound of distant shouts, from somewhere in the room.

gu yun doesn't react, and neither does his doppleganger. it speaks, though.

That was our fault, you know.

no response.

the doppleganger clicks its tongue. We can't ignore ourselves forever.

no response.

gu yun's mental strength is fairly impressive. that, or he's just really good at pretending to ignore someone. either way, there's a very tense, strange peace as the doppelganger and man walk through the maze. it's a strange sight, and one that looks like it might be broken at any second, especially if someone happens to come across him. especially when the doppelganger leans out of the mirror and says, mouth curled up in a smile, Are you watching how we guide? Do you think it's a lesson? There's nothing to be learned here. It's just because he has to -

and out of nowhere, gu yun turns, and throws a punch with the speed of a martial artist, that the doppelganger dodges out of the way with a cheerful laugh. it seems gu yun has had enough of the sound of his own voice, today, and he snaps over his shoulder, ] Stay back! [ at whoever's behind him, be they meridian or zenith, and begins to attempt to beat it down.

maybe don't stay back. or join in? the only difference between them are those constantly closed eyes on the mirror doppelganger. ]

iv. out and about/misc

[ despite the chill, gu yun doesn't seem particularly bothered through the rest of their time in the castle. he moves throughout the castle with purpose, surprisingly quiet despite the armor he's wearing, and gathers necessities. food provisions from the eating parlor, carefully plucked plants from the garden, avoiding the blight with practiced dexterity and ease, and even exploring some of the lower rooms for supplies, wading through low water on light feet even in the cold.

iv. - a:
you might even see, at some point, a black crow flying through the castle. it's hard to catch - a fast little thing like a black shadow, but everyone's pretty jumpy - and it sails overhead and through the castle itself. following it is an infuriating ordeal of nothing, as it seems to have no pattern to its flight or place to return to.

you can try to catch it, if you'd like, though it is infuriatingly difficult to capture, dodging hands and weapons and spells alike. at one point in your wild crow chase, it stops, settling on the head of a statue, and cocks its head to the side to look at you. and just stares, then lets out an unassuming croak and puffs up its wings. aw.

iv - b:
or: at one point, you can find gu yun in a bedroom, having crossed a small river's worth of water. though there's nothing really in here worth stealing, there are two frozen statues locked in some kind of embrace? or maybe they're trying to kill each other. it's kind of hard to tell. either way, gu yun seems to be observing it, leaning up on his tiptoes to get a glance at their faces before he pulls back and comments, ]

In death in the same coffin, please bury me. [ a line from some kind of poem, perhaps, quipping immediately after; ] So much for a love like bathing in fire.

[ guess he did notice you coming into the room after all. hey there friend. ] Come to pay your respects?

[ or not friend? this would be a good place to attack someone, maybe. it's hard to tell if gu yun's really prepared for it; his back is currently turned, though he's still armored. who knows. he seemed pretty useless back during the initial arrival. an unharmonized target might be a piece of cake.

iv -c:
[ towards the end of the week, you might find gu yun a bit outside of the hall of mirrors, holding a fragment in his hands. it's of a fairly decent size; he's rolling it in his palm, silent and focused.

who knows why... ]

wildcard

[ nervous and sweaty screaming. send me a disco pm @ protags#8655 if you'd like a closed starter! if you'd like to do any sand stealing or fighting definitely dm me so we can plan. ♥ ]

private starters 🧐💜

[liuli]

ivb!

[salvageable]

[ Having familiarized himself with most of the castle, Dokja turns to the nooks, crannies, and bedrooms. There's much to observe and take note of, certainly some actions he could potentially take as well, but for now, he flits through each room without purpose.

He stops short in an occupied room, gaze stilling on the backside of someone he doesn't recognize before it shifts over to the frozen figures with an impassive stare. Dokja doesn't seem at all surprised to be addressed upon arrival, he wasn't exactly trying to be sneaky about it. ]

I didn't really know them.

[ Didn't know them at all, actually, and he continues forward into the room to take a closer look. ]

You think they were lovers?

[liuli]

[ oh it's the guy who couldn't do a pushup

dokja's meridian, so gu yun gives a slight, partial wave over his shoulder in greeting, then steps back a bit to look at the two figures from a different angle and to come to the edge of the watery area, in case dokja needs any help getting across. ]

Maybe. They froze in some kind of passionate embrace, but what type of passion's yet to be quite discerned.

[ the black crow from the hallway at some point has come into the room, settling on the doorframe, but gu yun doesn't pay it any attention, instead leaning back a little to make sure dokja's okay. ] From what I've heard so far, likely not. Not much here seems to be love over war, so to speak.

[salvageable]

[ he's going to mcmurder hsy

He's also going to murder whoever designed this castle because he's so sick of all this water. Dokja's careful as he crosses over to make it to Gu Yun's side without needing much assistance because he's the kind of guy who can do more than one pushup. ]

What kind of things have you heard?

[ There's a second's worth of distraction as he glances over to where the crow sits. That's weird, but okay. He then starts circling the frozen pair, thoughts drifting over to the sand around his neck as bad ideas start forming in his head. ]

i.

[lockedon]

[ A monocle....what a fancy-ass getup.

For his own part, Eustace looks more like the war-seasoned soldier he's meant to be rather than the harried furry trying to escape the crowds of Springstar. There's an ivory rifle strapped to his back that gleams under the library light and the forward step of his feet is more predatory and purposeful.

Instead of striking out for any of the various castle rooms, he heads first for the library—which seems to be the same idea any number of other people have had, based on the bodies present and the books spread out on nearby tables. He ignores those and heads instead for the bookshelves themselves, eyes scanning for any titles and covers that look promising.

But rather than taking one off the shelf, he instead addresses the other figure in the room. ]

Found anything interesting?

[ Every time he's tried to hunt through a bookstore for information before it's never really worked out in his favor, but maybe this time will be different.... ]

[liuli]

[ yeah i have to fight mr. tibbs for monocle dominance

oh, it's the furry guard dog. gu yun does not, once again, say that - he looks up from where he's writing something in the open book on his lap, and then snorts lightly, glancing back at the information in his lap. he looks briefly to the gun and back, but doesn't seem too bothered by it? good for eustace to be packing heat.

the question has him sigh, though. ]

Oh, not much. A future seer with terrible eyesight. [ he taps the book, absently. ] A warning against changing the future too much, and a name from an errant traveler. You?

iv-b

[glowup]

We've got to stop meeting like this.

[In front of some locals in a compromising situation, he means, obviously. Anders isn't sure why he's come down to these bedrooms - the practical supplies aren't going to littered around people's private quarters, unless they'd been stocking up on un-Blighted food prior to whatever left them... like they are now, being peeked at by Gu Yun (if that is his real name).

But! Here he is, and he enters the room properly with a short sigh, frowning at the frozen figures before looking away with some discomfort. The people here who were simply frozen in their daily lives are one thing to face, but these two in their serious embrace...

(He has assumed beyond any doubt that they're tragic lovers. Call it the romantic in him.)

Well, he'll move to crouch in front of a chest in the corner and pick at it, somewhat uselessly. He is not a rogue, this is silly.]

While we're here, we may as well invade their privacy a bit more. Where do you suppose they keep the spare daggers and potions?

[That's what normal people keep in their homes.]

[liuli]

The gossip's going to be unbearable.

[ now that's a familiar voice! gu yun's got a smile on his face as he leans back to look at anders - a black crow flutters into the room and settles comfortably up on the doorframe, but he says nothing about it, instead raising a hand in greeting. he's like maybe one iota less tense to see a familiar face, but when you've got a castle full of people trying to kill each other, can you blame anyone?

he does seem pleased, though, stepping back from around the embracing (or murdering each other) couple. he's going to look at the bed, checking the covers to see if there's anything particularly useful in terms of warmth, and eventually pulling off the sheets. ]

If the embrace is any indication, there might yet be a dagger or two around. [ considering... everything. gu yun kneels beside the bed to check underneath it, and then pauses to watch anders, propping his arm on the bed. ] Do you know how to pick locks, Anders?

iv-b!

[epiprocta]

[ Why does this place have so many fucking rooms.

He's still dripping water from damp clothes he makes his way down the corridor, shoving open one door to check the room's contents, then moving onto the next in search of any supplies he can forage -- no luck yet. And while he's definitely startled when he opens this door to find someone already there, he's even more startled by the sudden comment.

There's the grid of bootsoles against the floor as Gen tenses slightly, lowering his weight defensively onto the heels of his feet as he looks Gu Yun over from head to toe. -- armor. Is this guy looking for a fight? ]

... didn't even know they were here.

[ Gen's voice is a guarded deadpan as he spits out his response, and his hand's reached for the back of his belt, though he hasn't drawn his weapon just yet. It's just a cautionary measure, just in case. ]

What, you came all the way here just to look for more of these poor saps who got stuck?

[liuli]

[ oh, it's just a little guy!!

gu yun glances back briefly. somewhere above gray's head, a crow flutters into the room and sits on the doorframe, but it does nothing except drop down like it's nesting, fluffing its feathers and getting comfortable.

he takes a moment to assess, too, though it's not particularly noticeable, before he shrugs a shoulder with a light clank. ]

Why'd you come all the way out here? [ there's no heat to the question, light - almost teasing. he also has been hunting for supplies, and closer inspection does reveal he's got a small pack over his shoulder, though... that's maybe less pressing or exciting than the sword at his hip. ] I suppose I could ignore them, but this is the first time I've seen a tableau quite like this, so it caught my eye.

What do you think? Stuck in a lover's embrace, or about to kill each other?

i!

[sanguinary]

[Library man with a library plan... The vibes on this guy are different from before, huh? Small differences, but one that a sword's eye would pick up on.

Meanwhile, Matsui is more or less completely unchanged despite the general cursed state of affairs, except for the fact that he's Crankier because he's cold and tired. HIS OLD BONES!!! He has a book in his own hands, too, but he can't help looking over at the kinda-sorta laugh from his fellow book buddy...]

With the amount of strange things that people have been finding within these books, I can't even begin to hazard a guess as to what oddity has made you laugh.

[All he's finding is broccoli soup, god help him.]

[liuli]

[ idk what you mean he's clearly useless

no im kidding. this is definitely the posture of a soldier if nothing else, though... it seems gu yun's attitude isn't too different. he glances up at the familiar face - oh, it's the blood guy - and then snorts, tapping his book with a fingertip. ]

Someone who thinks they have a sense of humor. There's a bit in here about this time magic. I think whoever wrote it must have been blind, based on their penmanship and bad taste.

[ he's allowed to make jokes about this because he's blind sometimes. anyway. ] What about you, little sword? Any luck?

iii

[regression]

[ Joonghyuk didn't quite follow Gu Yun into this space... They happened to enter the halls at different times, but in mere minutes he has unintentionally caught up. His dark gaze stays forward, ignoring the quiet double that walks beside him in reflection, and instead the silence is full of "Gu Yun's voice."

The taunting was never aimed at him. A blessing, though he feels he is watching something he shouldn't—these types of festering wounds are never meant to be seen. It was starting to get annoying and he had the thought to cut the doppelganger himself, but fortunately Gu Yun snapped and is whaling on his unwanted twin. ]

We should leave.

[ He advises. While not helping. ]

[liuli]

[ yoo joonghyuk, the most helpful man in the universe, is here! gu yun is a little busy, at the moment, considering he is trying to beat down his own doppelganger. infuriatingly, it fights as well as he does, the same way he does, and the two of them clash a few times before gu yun leaps backwards, at the same time as his doppelganger.

he barely has enough time to look at who's there - he dodges underneath a punch from his mirrored self, with his eyes still closed, who laughs like this is very fun, and snaps with all of the sarcasm you'd probably come to expect: ] Excellent idea.

[ his doppelganger steps back, light on his feet just like the regular gu yun and says, amused, Oh, come on. Bored already? That's not like us. Only cowards run away. ]

iii!

[lifespanned]

[ Guess who had just wandered in here after him by accident? This girl... the strange visions of people collapsing into dust are creepy enough, but what's more alarming is that this guy jumps into a good ol' fashioned beatdown on the reflection of a little kid out of nowhere. The fact that these apparitions are actually doppelgangers doesn't immediately click for her, as she only caught the tail end of their conversation — she just thinks it's some creepy little ghost kid. ]

Stay back?! Wait a minute, this doesn't feel like a good idea...!

[ Every horror video game villain that can travel through mirrors only gets stronger when there are more mirror shards?! This is basic horror fan knowledge? For a brief moment, Misa flounders with whether to listen to this guy's advice, taking a half step forward as if she's about to intervene.

Well, this guy's apparition isn't really her business, but it's just in her nature to butt in to situations she's not really asked for in, so she's reaching into one of the pockets of her coat to pull out the pit of an avocado that she ate earlier, unceremoniously chucking it at the doppelganger's head. ]

Go on, shoo!

[ She's helping (????). ]

miss misa i love you

[liuli]

[ this is

the last thing that either gu yun or his doppelganger was expecting. the avocado pit hits right off the top of the closed-eyes version of gu yun, who has one second to blink like a confused dog, and the actual gu yun takes his chance immediately and swings his armored fist around to clock himself right in the nose and send him flying back into the mirror. the doppelganger falls back a mirror, and then tumbles back another one, for a moment totally out of sight.

less than gracefully in reality, gu yun hits the ground on his ass in a clunk of metal, surprised and relieved for the moment of reprieve - he turns his head to his savior, an unfamiliar young lady, and gives her a grin? it's a little delighted, a glimmer of amusement in his pretty peach blossom eyes. ]

Excellent timing, miss.

wildcard, mirrors

[pyojeol]

[This isn't the first time Sooyoung's had to fight some kind of version of herself and it probably won't be the last, but she'd been expecting more of a fair fight? Like fighting a version with all of the same powers and weaknesses, not tussling with a doppelganger who can slip n'slide into mirrors -- that's definitely new -- and she can't tell whether she's more bothered by that or by the fact that her copy is so unaffected by the cold.

Look, it's the principle -- she's trained with copies before, so she's annoyed that it's taking her so long to deal with this one. Why couldn't it at least be stupid? But no, it's just as annoyingly clever -- evidenced by the way the doppelganger reappears beneath her, reflected on the glass floor, and reaches out to snag her by the ankle, pinning her in place.]

Shit -- !!

[Sooyoung lands hard on her knees, effectively trapped, as the doppel!hsy laughs beneath her.

God, you're pathetic. No wonder Yoo Joonghyuk went for it -- if I were this weak, then I'd kill myself too!]

Would you shut up -- [WHY IS HER DOPPELGANGER SO CHATTY, SHE'S NOT THIS CHATTY IN REAL LIFE IS SHE?]

[liuli]

[ this tag made me laugh irl bc it made me think about work. never interrupt a girl fight

anyway

the doppelgangers? obnoxious. the closer they get to the end of the week, the more times gu yun has had to find himself into this stupid labyrinth, but, he's starting to get the hang of dealing with his own. his doppelganger walks the mirror with a sort of wistful ease, his eyes closed, appearing and reappearing just to remind gu yun of his regrets every now and then. he seems to know that psychological warfare might be the more effective mannerism, although, gu yun's strength of will and own ability to play incredibly deaf is advantageous here. he's let his medicine run very low.

he hears the thump of someone hitting the ground not through his ears, but rather, feels it on the cracking, icy surface, and straightens from the corner he's found himself around. a black crow flying over his head makes a caw noise, and gu yun abruptly turns.

maybe the doppelganger's not expecting it? sooyoung probably isn't. but, seemingly out of the shadows of the blackness, a fucking bird comes diving downwards. it all happens very quickly, because one minute, there is a decent sized crow coming straight for the hand sticking out of the mirror like threading a needle, and the next, in perfect tandem, there's another person right behind sooyoung, who not exactly gracefully scoops her right up off the ground.

that person! turns out to be the familiar face of 'shen shiliu' who is lookin a lot stronger than he did dicking around on a couch in springstar a couple weeks ago as he picks sooyoung up like she's made of paper and takes a leap backwards, away from the floor doppelganger. at least it's a nice carry? it matches the icon! ]

What a crude tactic. Are you alright, Miss Han?

iv-a ... IM SORRY

[comelately]

[ It's hard to miss the bird flying around, considering most everything else is frozen in time in this place. At first, he thinks it's a figment of his imagination, that he's jumping at shadows - but when he sees it again, he decides that it must be real. A real bird, somehow untouched by the ravages of... whatever did all this.

He has many questions regarding the bird. It might be relevant in some way to what's going on. It might be the oracle itself! Or, perhaps, it might be lunch. Regardless, he's lacking a few critical tools: one, a net, for catching the bird and two, functional legs, also for catching the bird. What he does have, however, is Tusk.

Johnny, sitting in his wheelchair, keeps an eye on Gu Yun for some time. Once he's landed, though, Johnny slowly lifts one hand in the other, two fingers extended outward in the shape of a gun. Suddenly, a pattern of stars glows along his forearms, and a projectile is launched straight at this hapless crow. Not just any projectile, either: it's his fingernail, spinning at high speed like a bullet. Watch out!! ]

i cant believe this

[liuli]

[ first of all i read this tag at 6 am and thought it was his toenail at first and was more horrified but now that im rereading its better

anyway the crow bird probably deserves to be threatened a little bit. gu yun is nowhere in sight currently, but the bird is, staring at him, and when it's shot at, it caws, loudly, and spirals out of the way. it's impressive! maybe? it's quite the bird.

and then as it hits the ground, because it is a crow, it screams - ] BASTARD!! MORON!!

[ wow

a moment later, a person comes trotting around the corner. gu yun cocks his head at johnny. the bird is still huffing, and he comes over and unceremoniously picks it up by the legs, holding it upside down. ] Stop taunting the shard bearers.

[ the bird screams BASTARD!!! yet again. gu yun gives it a look and a rattle, and it squawks, then hangs upside down without screaming. this is an improvement? he turns his head. ]

Apologies.

iv-b

[hauntedking]

[ Dimitri's trying not to shiver from the cold, even if he's used to it. The water makes it more difficult - anytime there's wet and cold it's bad news - but he's determined to see what he can and save who he can. He doesn't want to leave these people here to simply die in their time-locked prisons. He comes up short as he sees Gu Yun - and hears him, too. ]

...pay my respects? I suppose so. I... thought we could help these people somehow. But that would require giving up sand, would it not?

[ Dimitri himself is armored and carrying a lance. But he doesn't seem hostile? ]

[liuli]

[ ah yes, a fellow member of frozen death climate hell... gu yun's not sure if he's seen this person before? but, his voice is familiar from communion, so. his eyes briefly flick over his appearance, pausing just so on the lance, before they return to the couple in their passionate... something... ]

So it would. [ and sand is such a precious resource. ] This tableau makes it look like a painting moreso than reality, doesn't it?

ii! This is late, forgive me....

[wolof]

[ The siren was eternally a problem. The music seemed to draw them in, pull them toward it, and the enchanting, entrancing song was... alluring. To Akua, there was a thread of that there, that lured her in, like magic and compulsion stronger than anything she'd ever experienced -- and she'd been ordered by people far more powerful than this Siren.

It was almost with fury, that she drew her eyes from the creature, with her back to the door, and then to her companion.

A familiar face, at least, she remembered their previous conversation. He looked more confident now, more like a leader, and at least that was something she could value. She was no follower, but she gave him the look of an equal when she tipped her head in question. ]

Oh?

What sort of idea did you have in mind?

[ She had a half-formed plan herself, but... she would hear him out first. ]

always and forever <3 (also its ok im late as hell in reply too sweats)

[liuli]

[ girl this is such a mood. gu yun has no joy being magicked into doing literally anything, and the only person who has the right to boss him around is the emperor of great liang. magic itself is still uncomfortable and the siren's entrancing song is like something right out of a fairy tale.

gu yun's gaze shifts from akua to the treasure horde. glimmering under the surface, there's what looks like a few pieces of metal, including, of all things, a lovely flute. that's what's drawn his eyes. ]

I'm finding the music for this party to be terrible. [ he glances back at akua - and his mouth lifts at the corner, into a little smirk that promises a little mischief and a little boldness, a daring kind of plan, confidence in his wry remark. ] Perhaps if we expose her to something different, we may be able to draw her attention.

[ there's something in here that suggests he is either going to play the most gorgeous music ever or.... it's going to be something else entirely. who knows. ] At least in the way of creating a distraction long enough to get her to flee.

What do you think?