memeisteria | Magisteria TDM #1

Magisteria TDM #1

Magisteria Test Drive Meme #1

Welcome to the first official test drive meme for Magisteria! The TDM is game canon. Characters who do not app will simply disappear. The magic/tech aspect of the game will not come into play on the TDM.

The sort of tech introduced here is general hobby tech, not tech-as-skill. Players should be thinking of which alignment they will app characters as, but it doesn't need to factor into TDM play. The TDM is intended to have icebreaker type prompts.

Mods will not be playing NPCs, but some NPCs have a "misc" section. This section is intended to give additional details, often those which might offer extra information on NPCs, especially how they might react to certain common questions, or certain observations they may have.

Content notes: Some spice throughout the prompts, though nothing one is obligated to engage with. The final section contains adult-centric prompts, including SUBSTANCES and SEXY FARE. They have been explicitly marked. See the ending notes for information on the flora/fauna.

One final note, but it's important, and mentioned in the projection: most of the island is not yet open to Otherworlders. High Rise Village and Eden 6 are, some of Agriculture is, and Market, but Sacred Nexus, the Grove, and all districts for the Institutions, are currently off limits. The settings will play a role in the metaplot.

Prologue: The Story is Just Beginning

In one moment, you find yourself before a portal radiant with light, a tree of life that blazes with fire and the brilliant hues of some great, potent energy which you feel surrounding you and infusing your body. Your vision fills with colors brighter than any you have known. Should you close your eyes, you even see colors in the darkness. In another moment, or perhaps many moments later (for you feel that time is waxing and waning), you are standing within what appears to be a station. There is not too much feeling of upheaval. Whatever you were doing before is simply on hold; instinctively, you know that, and instinctively, you feel a pull towards this place. There are others with you: a group of people, newly arriving. No sooner have you all begun to get your bearings than, before you all, what should appear but the hologram of a man, full-length, and very life-like:

Hello, Otherworlders! Click if you please!

Welcome, Otherworlders. My name is Minister Brennam Tyrgen. I greet you today as a representative of the sovereign of Magisteria. My aim is to provide a brief overview of what you need to know before you continue any further.

Yours is not the first group of Otherworlders we've played host to. You've been arriving in our world for millennia now, and from all across the cosmos, no less. But your group is different from the others that have come before in one important respect.

You may have noticed it on your body as you exited the Infinity Corridor. Maybe it's even in the shape of something you find inspiring or meaningful or artistic. I speak of course of your new tattoo.

Turns out, it's not just decorative. That tattoo is your connection to Bios, the energy within your body and within all living things. Moreover, you Otherworlders are capable of engaging in something called Synthesis, mutually cooperative acts which can generate massive amounts of excess Bios. You can research Bios and Synthesis, as well as anything else, on your aXess Link devices. As to why your group is different than those who have come before... that's something we ourselves are still researching. But as the Bios in our world could use replenishing, it just may be that you all are somehow exactly what our world needs, and we want you to be as comfortable, settled, and in peace as may be possible.

Each of you should currently have enough funds in your virtual wallet to cover your housing expenses for about four months. Longer, should you find a roommate. After that, you will need to finance your own way. But don't worry. The apartments host learnshops and there will be ample opportunities to pursue vocational training and diverse careers within High Rise Village.

I do encourage each of you to be prepared to pursue the study of magic or technology. Two or more of you can integrate your abilities across disciplines, but each one of you can only specialize in one or the other. You'll soon come to understand why. You can pursue other opportunities as well, but the Order of Mysterium and the Council for Technological Advancement have always provided the best paths of upward mobility for Otherworlders.

One more thing: right now, you all can access all of High Rise Village and Eden 6, as well as parts of the Agriculture and Market Districts. We're working on getting the rest of the city-state open to everyone.

I must be returning to my work now. If you're at the station, you should soon encounter your guide. Her name is Seraphine Nova.

My final advice to each and all of you is that you keep your eyes and ears open. Watch, listen, and pay attention. Trust that your questions will have answers in time, but remember: sometimes you must find them yourselves.

With that, the projection concludes. However, mere seconds have passed before another figure appears before you all. This one is different. Solid, substantial, an actual person rather than the mere image thereof.

"More Otherworlders, huh? There have been a lot of you lately..."

She is only a teenager, perhaps younger than one would expect, but she introduces herself as your guide. She informs you that she will be accompanying you on a train ride to the apartments specially designated for arriving Otherworlders.

Seraphine Nova: Miscellaneous

Though her ice blue eyes may make her countenance appear somewhat stern, Otherworlders will find that she is amiable in conversation, and friendly, if a little shy. Of course, she is rather young.

At times, she looks at you almost expectantly, as though there are questions on her mind.

If asked as to why you may have been brought here, or about the circumstances behind the tattoo: "I honestly don't know. I'm wondering these same things. I'm curious about you all... what you bring, what you can do in our world."

You begin to get the sense she is looking to you for answers as much as you are looking to her for them.

Her badge notes that she is a thetic, or a half-human, half-AI girl: "My mother was an AI."

On this subject, she will tell you that the AI of Magisteria have taken on such traits that they live among humans and even intermarry, and she is the child of such a union.

"I took on this part-time job because I've always been curious about Otherworlders. But also, it helps as community service that will look good for college admissions. I'm applying to Atlas University, the most prestigious tech-centric university in Magisteria."

And if asked about those above her, or Government figures more generally: "There's a lot I will admit I don't know, but Magisteria is called the eternal city, the greatest city in the multiverse. So I trust the authorities, because life here is better than anywhere else."

As your group makes its way around the transportation facility, accompanied by Seraphine Nova, you encounter a plethora of new and perhaps surprising sights and sounds. There are screens and projections everywhere, flashes of bright light and voices, both human and those which sound automated, or like AI. Everything has about it a certain luminosity, and you may have noticed that even Seraphine Nova has a bit of an ethereal shine to her skin, eyes, and hair. You have a little time to explore, but within about fifteen minutes, the boarding call for your group begins, and the train prepares for departure.

I. An Enchanted AR Icebreaker

You're on a monorail train in the Business District of a city of the distant future. Your guide explains to your group that the first priority is to have you all acquainted with your aXess Link device. She explains that it can be shaped like anything – a phone, a watch. It’s a bit of a techno-magical device: the sort of cross-magisteria blending which can sometimes happen on smaller items. The fact is that pretty much everyone in the city needs one, so they’re ubiquitous and subsidized as necessary for accessibility.

Along the ride, your guide informs you of some team-building activities which have been prepared to get you all acquainted with your new technology and with one another. She explains that she did not design these, but those who did so intended them to be creative:

📖 a) Story-weaving

The story can come from different sources. It can be something you witnessed in your life, something from a book or legend, or a story you made up or are making up on the spot. Epic or mundane. The idea is to make a holographic projection to introduce a story. You can get as far into it as you like before allowing contributions from others, though people are encouraged to engage in collaborative story-weaving. Making up new stories is all fine and well, so long as they entertain and delight the senses!

This isn’t an activity for points or prizes, but passengers who successfully entertain their peers, guide, or their partners in this activity can at least make a strong first impression for their creativity, and who knows, you might just make some new friends and acquaintances along the way!

🐦 b) ANGRIEST birds!!!!!!!!!!!!

Flip on your AR goggles to play this mini-game. At first, it seems like a pretty standard game setup: moving around solving dungeon puzzles at different levels. But there’s a catch. Each player is given an animal familiar and their personality is determined by one adjective.

Lazy bear? Snuggly kitty? And, yes, angry bird? All possibilities!

But there’s another, bigger catch: as more time passes, your familiar’s personality trait continues to expand. Angry frogs become frogs of pure, concentrated rage. A happy bunny becomes so happy it all but ceases to be a bunny and merges into one-ness with the cosmos. Needless to say, having a giant, mono-minded and maniacal version of an animal with an increasingly flanderized demeanor is not conducive for completing the game levels, so better work through the puzzles and dungeons quickly.

You can also enlist a partner to help, or offer to help others, and this can definitely be a big assist, but just be wary that you work well together and keep a good pace, or else there may be two atrocious feeling-monster creatures following you both around.

[Seraphine Nova may mention that while she is not personally a big fan, numerous of Magisteria’s AI are inordinately fond of this particular game, for some reason.]

🧋 c) Refreshments

Seraphine Nova informs you that her family owns a coffee shop, The Bean and Berry. They even have discounts for newly arriving Otherworlders. Today, everyone on the ride gets a glass of Clari-tea. An enhanced version of a traditional chai: beyond having a lovely, spiced-sweet flavour, it can promote relaxation, stress reduction, and mental clarity. Some use it to combat anxiety, even having it recommended by their doctors for some psychological conditions.

To enhance the drink, adult passengers have the option of adding a chaser: a splash of something boozy but surprisingly sweet, it leaves the tongue tingling - a tingle that then suffuses the body, making every touch dance across the nervous system. It can even be something of an aphrodisiac, or at least encourage a light euphoria that predisposes one to such moods, and thus perfect for pre-gaming before any evening partying.

There's also a pastry option: hexberry danish. But Otherworlders will want to be cautioned: hexberries can have some notable effects.

[See "flora/fauna" at the end for information on Variable Hexberries.]

🃏 d) Wildcard

These prompts are just ideas. Feel free to make your own mini-games or engage with other activities during the ride!

II. The World Of Tomorrow: Exterior

Soon, the train arrives at its destination. Centrally located in High Rise Village, this is Evergreen Terrace, a luxury apartment complex. Otherworlders are informed that many of the district's elite, both techies and magic users, live within these apartments. They serve a thriving, hybrid community.

The apartments feature a series of buildings consisting of terraces of windows overflowing with greenery and pink bougainvillea. The buildings are bright alabaster white, and should you ask about their composition, you will be informed that there are magic-infused crystals within the architecture. The city sprawls around the apartments, but the greenery throughout and around purifies the air.

💧 a) Waters of Seeing

The apartment complex is encircled by artificial ponds and streams of running water. The water itself is crystal clear and sparkles in a manner that may give Otherworlders the distinctive impression of enchantment, even if they are not magically attuned individuals. There are signs indicating that Otherworlders are responsible for whatever they see, should they gaze at these waters.

If you look for very long, you may see a vision from home, perhaps someone you care for. Or you may see a memory, a glimpse of your past. Should another stand beside you, they just may see your memory, as well. Or the reverse: you might find yourself gazing into another’s past.

🪷 b) Perfume of the Eternal Lotus

The brilliance of the waters around Evergreen Terrace is enhanced by the bloom of innumerable pink lotus flowers. The perfume of the flowers creates an aroma which may even prove captivating for those who are not normally inclined to indulge in the joys of the natural world.

You may even find yourself thinking to pluck one of the lotus flowers and carry it within. Coming in contact with the flowers can enhance emotions, bringing them to the foreground. In particular, the more you inhale the perfume, the more prone you may find yourself to amorous thoughts, especially towards anyone with whom you may have pre-existing feelings. However, characters may feel more open to amorous feelings or encounters in general, and this may last for a couple of hours, or even for the whole evening. After all, everyone’s composition and disposition are different, and there’s no telling how the enchantment will work on a given individual.

There were probably signs somewhere noting the lotus enchantment, too, but maybe not the most visibly placed. But, hey, if the mood alteration really becomes an issue, you can probably find a potion to remedy this somewhere in the city or from a mage in the complex, right? Right?

Finally, whether or not characters feel themselves amorously affected, touching the lotus flowers imparts the distinct feeling that you are somehow privy to the remembered feelings of another, as if the symbolism of the flowers is connected to someone who came here before. It’s both wistful and rather mysterious, but the lingering sense of another’s long-ago feelings is impossible to deny.

🐟 c) Invasive Species: Ahoy!

There’s a third enchantment around the waters, perhaps the most taxing of them all, but it may not be glimpsed immediately or recognized for what it is: the artificial ponds all around the complex contain schools of fish. Maybe you’re thinking to yourself that this seems like a delightful opportunity to throw some of your hexberry danish crumbs into the water. Maybe the fish here are strange enough to benefit from such a product.

But should you move near the waters, you may find the fish lunging at you, effectively becoming flying fish. There are three varieties. One variety has colorful scales. A second variety is nearly invisible, and a third variety, far rarer, appears as a mix of the two.

It turns out the fish don’t lunge very well. Instead, they tend to flop around on their sides, but some might be able to get enough momentum to slap unlucky Otherworlders.

Locals on the complex grounds will advise Otherworlders to not make eye contact with the fish. Just turn and walk away. But should the fish get close enough, they can impart a 24-hour curse which induces unlucky recipients to dispense bad financial advice. The fish also seem quite resistant to harm, so again, best to just give them a wide breadth, unless you want to be pushing MLMs during evening discourse.

II. The World Of Tomorrow: Interior

🕯️a) A Light Greeting

Waterfalls of light cascade down from the ceiling within the lobby of the apartments. There are people eagerly stepping beneath them, and should you do so, you will find that the light imparts a sense of deep pleasure and inner peace. Sounds within are ambient, voices musical, and you may feel attuned to this space. It’s like the feeling of being near a beach, warm and tropical-tinged: the sense of embarking on a new adventure. That said, there are signs cautioning that standing beneath these pleasant lights for too long could reduce inhibition(s), an effect which could potentially last for the duration of the night.

🎨 b) Augmented Reality Art … Maybe a Little Too Augmented

Or a little too real.

It’s not uncommon for an upscale apartment complex such as Evergreen Terrace to have art installations within the lobby, and in this city, it’s no surprise to find that the art features augmented reality. However, while the shape shifting architecture may initially be mesmerizing – a testament to Magisteria’s advanced technology – it’s not long before things escalate.

Not only do the art installations change forms – a whispering woodland becoming an aquatic realm, for example – but the more human-shaped statues begin wandering around, their animal companions soon following. The graffiti and colors crawl from the walls, and soon enough all of the AR art and architecture congregate around the Otherworlders. Amid the shuffling, it may sound as though there’s a murmur of ”friiiieeeennnd-shaaaaaped”.

The art installations are low level, though one probably would not want to get rough with them due to their high value. These are fancy, expensive pieces of art, after all. But they will also react to aggression as though it's fun encouragement to rassle. As with the fish, one is advised to just keep walking.

🎉 c) Welcoming Party

There’s a lot else to see within the lobby of the apartments. Holographic avatars serve as customer service representatives and receptionists, and there are aerial drones that hover above, performing tasks such as cleaning, maintenance, or supporting visual displays which feature dynamic and interactive content, including advertisements for products or vocational services to help Otherworlders procure jobs in this new world. Every so often, a portal opens within the lobby and a figure appears, often disappearing back into it just as quickly after presumably running an errand or retrieving items from outside.

There also seems to be something of a welcoming party prepared for arriving Otherworlders, as there are charcuterie boards and drinks ranging from sodas to lightly alcoholic fare, primarily wines. There are robotic attendants, although they seem to be jamming it up, apparently also engaging in the welcoming party.

Though, amid all this, there is one figure who cuts a rather stately appearance, approaching and looking quite unfazed by all these goings-on:

“Greetings, Otherworlders! Sure you’ve been hearing plenty of that today, and I can’t say you won’t hear it more before the night is over. Name’s Atlas. Pronouns: he/they/it. Our main concierge, our good man Malik Patel, is enjoying his PTO right now, but he and our dear Ava have quite the surprise for you all when they return.

In the meantime, I’m afraid it’s just me and the interim crew. I’m the caretaker, assigned to oversee cleanliness and housekeeping.

I do hope our fish and our statues haven't been too rude to you. You see, the things in our world have a tendency to be rather excitable. Our boys think of nothing but surgeries, cybernetic enhancements, and our girls are obsessed with math and swords. And our robots? They're fully unionized. Don't get me wrong; I'm a progressive fellow, a man of labor. Don't let my appearance fool you, for my sympathies are with the common bot. But now look at how these ruffians are behaving during our work hours... utterly spoiled by life in Magisteria.

The fish, the art, the robots, the boys and the girls... everyone is looking to you Otherworlders for their adrenaline, I fear.

Ah, but enough. We shall speak of it later.

First, let’s get you all settled into your rooms. Shall we?”

Atlas: Miscellaneous

"I am not affiliated with the university of the same name in Aetherium District."

"I suppose I haven't much choice in the magic or technology divide. But it is perfectly possible to live in the city and have positive relations with both sides. The thing to understand is that these disciplines have other socializations which come with them. You will gain a better understanding as you interact with those who have strong alliances with their magisteria. The tech/magic division is only one of the divisions one can encounter within this city. There are plenty of others. We still have our fissures."

🌆 D) Rooms with a View

Within Evergreen Terrace, there are tech quarters and magic quarters, as well as plenty of general all-purpose apartments with full service amenities. Occupants will learn that their rooms are fully customizable to their specific preferences: via enchantment or AR, each room can take on virtually any appearance its owner wishes.

Some common themes include Neo-Tokyo Metropolis, Nature Fusion, Steampunk Retrofuturism, and Synthetic Dreamscape.

Not only can these rooms assume different appearances, but they are immersive enough to provide full sensory experiences. From the scent of metal to the feeling of sun-infused warmth touched with the coolness of a recent rain shower, the sensations are realistic and evocative.

Otherworlders are encouraged to explore. You may settle in, pick a theme, or personalize your room with your own imaginative design choices. There are also communal areas, and Otherworlders can congregate and interact in the hopes of finding prospective roommates. Why not come out and meet your neighbors? After all, you can make the currency in your virtual account last longer if you share a place . . .

When the evening descends, everyone is encouraged to explore the night life of the Entertainment District.

III. The Eternal City: Entertainment District

At night, the colors within the city truly come to life. Bios shows itself everywhere, and in all things. Natural Bios and industrial, mechanized Bios. There is conventional neon, yes, and conventional electricity, but also Bios, and as you walk the avenues, you can feel the pulse of this great, incandescent power.

Also colloquially referred to as Neon Heaven by the locals, Eden 6 is broadly comprised of two different zones:

🍏Green Apple Quarters – all-ages fare
🌹Red Rose Quarters – adult centers

🍏 a) Green Apple Exploration

These quarters house most restaurants, except those with notable bars or alcoholic beverage menus. Coffee and pastry shops are well-represented. There are plenty of magic-themed attractions, as well as general techie hangouts. One popular shop is named Fairy Dust: it’s a shop for potion and alchemy products, as well as magical toys of sorts to entertain children, and fun little spells. The highlight of the Green Apple Quarters, however, are certainly the gaming centers and arcades.

🕹️ b) Joystick Jungle and The Ultimate Arcade Challenge

As you make your way through the brightly-lit city streets, you will notice that certain arcades and activity centers are especially active.

One place in particular beckons. Located at the center of a large plaza, with floating advertisements and plenty of sounds from the machines both within and without, the building swims in the haze of the evening amid a sea of neon lights, some of which reflect off the silvered panels and windows and the machines themselves. Citizens of all ages are excitedly congregating at the entrance, and should you have the patience to brave the line, you will soon find yourself within one of Magistera’s most famous gaming centers.

“Heeeeyyyyyyy, losers! That’s what you’ll be soon if you challenge me, anyway!”

Your opponent, or one half of her team, sits before you.

“Name’s Cassady! Cassady Harper! But that’s boooorrrring, so you can call me The Maestro! I’ll also answer to The ArcadeVirtuoso. Anything that sounds cool!”

As she informs you, Cassady is part of a broader team of gamers: The Neon Demon Squad.

“I’m one of the best. Well, actually, Kira is the best. The very best there is. But I’m right up there, too! Well, what do you think, Kira? Should I play these losers? Hey, Otherworlders, it looks like tonight’s game has a luck element! You might just have a chance! Not much of one, but a little chance!”

You may notice Cassady seems to be looking with quite a bit of admiration towards another girl who stands near her, looking rather solemn.

Kira Kairos, you soon learn, is something of a local legend. The greatest of gamers, an ultra-high scorer who has blazed a trail throughout the arcade scene of Magisteria, breaking the former records and setting her own.

Kira was part of Cassady’s squad for a time, but now she’s of such a high level that to even play against her, one would first have to prove themselves by beating her former teammates. Tonight, and many nights, she is merely presiding over the challenges.

Kira Kairos: Miscellaneous

She is a trans girl. Her streamer profile states: My gender, biologically speaking, is champion.

Do you accept the challenge, Otherworlders?

Setup:

First, each PC will comment here to receive an RNG number, 1-15, with each number being assigned twice. The first two PCs with the same RNG number will be on a team together.

The Challenge

PCs will compete through five rounds in the virtual arena. After completing the first round, each subsequent round must incorporate one of the four twist challenges.

PCs are encouraged to RNG (1-4) and use each of the four twist challenges once, but as long as you incorporate one twist challenge per round after the subsequent round, it’s acceptable to use a twist challenge for more than one round. PCs will complete a total of five rounds of challenges, with four of them accompanied by a twist challenge. Each round (twist challenges included) yields 200 points, for a total of 1000 points.

Each PC team which successfully completes the challenges will receive an additional 500 points, for a total of 1500 points.

One More Little Detail …

After each round, teams will comment here for a wildcard RNG.

The 1-8 of the wildcard RNG can add/subtract the following points:

- 500 points

- 200 points

+ 100 points

+ 200 points

+ 200 points

+ 200 points

+ 400 points

+ 500 points

The final two RNG outcomes of 400 and 500 points (respectively) can only be added once each per team, for a cumulative total of 2800 points (500+400+200+200 in addition to the base of 1500). If a team has an unlucky RNG outcome, such as rolling a penalty, they can redo their round. Each round can only be redone once.

Cassady’s – or “The Maestro’s” team has achieved a high score of 2200 points. Ready for the challenge of overcoming their score, gamers?

The Five Rounds
Magisteria Arcade Clash Mini-Games:
Enchanted Puzzle Arena Solve a magical puzzle by rearranging floating pieces to form a coherent image.
Elemental Collaboration Harness the elements via the virtual arena* to overcome obstacles.
Virtual Reality Maze: Navigate through a mesmerizing VR maze filled with illusions and challenges.
Astral Racing Circuit: Race through an astral-themed track using enchanted vehicles.
Luminous Memory Challenge: Memorize and recreate a complex sequence of symbols.

*Remember, PCs are dueling in a virtual arena, so everyone can be a fast racer or an elemental “bender” who can manipulate their surroundings, depending on the nature of the challenge. The constraints of reality have no bearing here.

Each PC team can write out and engage with the above challenges using whatever imaginative means they like. Again, it’s a simulated virtual world where the realities of the magic/tech divide do not strictly apply: be creative and have fun! As long as a team threads out some kind of satisfactory engagement and conclusion for each challenge (minimum of about ~3 comments), they will gain full base points.

TWIST CHALLENGES

Artifact Shuffle: Teams receive a set of magical artifacts that shuffle between players at random intervals.
Elemental Flux: The elemental properties of the mini-games randomly shift, requiring teams to adapt quickly.
Illusionary Allies: Illusionary allies or obstacles appear randomly, influencing the dynamics of the upcoming mini-game.
Mystical Time Warp: Time manipulation affects the pacing of the next mini-game.

ADDITIONAL NOTES: Any team which beats the NPC score will receive a prize. The highest scoring team will also receive a prize. If there are ties, there will be an extra round. The luck element isn't ideal, but I needed a way to get scores from the activities. This is a capped RNG activity, first come and first serve. Please abide by the rules: the RNG is meant to pair people off randomly so this can constitute a CR-building activity with spontaneity. Mod will be coordinating the activity.

Activity CAN constitute SYNTHESIS.

🛹 b) Skyracing

This is an activity which both children and adults participate in, often in different forms. Throughout the all-ages districts, young people can often be seen riding in the air on skateboards. But there are also other kinds of flying craft, some which are more like aerocycles, as well as hoverboards. Some of the latter are more prominent among the older set, with some races even having a hardcore adrenaline junkie component. Those take place primarily around The Fountain, the superclub which is on the border between Apple and Rose. There, skyracing is especially popular around the sunset and early evening hours.

Beings glimpsed in the evening sky can include sylphs and zephyrs, though sighting them is not entirely common.

ONE MORE HINT: Hope you've enjoyed your first night in Magisteria, Otherworlders! From here on out, all prompts will be ADULT.

But, before perusing the spice, there's a CONVERSATION between two ladies just before the one enters the Red Rose Quarters which Otherworlders just may happen to overhear...

Green Bios Demon Girl: It seems we have something of an audience. Enjoying your evening, Otherworlders? Well, coincidentally, we were just discussing a topic which may prove relevant to you.

Red Bios Demon Girl: We were discussing a girl who used to work in our district. Sylara. She was… quite prolific, in the day. Her nature for what she was, you see.

Green Bios Demon Girl: But now rumor has it our little dove is in love.

Red Bios Demon Girl: An open relationship. But that’s not so unheard of. No, but it’s the object that interests me. Something of a terror, I hear? Let me guess. Perhaps Apollion, or someone of that ilk?

Green Bios Demon Girl: Come now. Him, frightening? He’s a family man. Grandfather to a lot of the demon younglings in our district. Bit patriarchal and old-fashioned and ate a human or a thousand… or two, in the day, to be sure, but that’s just a product of that era, you know. We’re a more settled people now.

No, rather, this is a woman. Surprising, given what Sylara is? But not just any woman. A being whose existence might upend life in our city. Otherworlders, should you be listening: be wary when you hear of those who seek to shift the balance.

And one more thing? We demon girls and our labor built this quarter, you know. We built a great deal of the whole district. Be respectful. And one more tip: in this city, it’s where the angels go that you Otherworlders should fear to tread.

So speaking, the demon girls disappear into the night. There is no elaboration on these comments.

IV. Entertainment District: Adults-Only 🚫

Quarters identified with the Red Rose designation are those which contain adult-centric fare. This includes any alcohol-first establishment, such as bars or nightclubs.

Otherworlders will find that the denizens of Magisteria’s Entertainment district maintain complex attitudes around nightlife. On the one hand, they are big believers in the protection and demarcation of adult sexuality. They’re very anti-criminalization of substances and big on legalization in principle. Perhaps not surprising for the people of a futuristic city. But even in Magisteria, there’s some sense that what happens in Neon Heaven, under the cover of night, stays there, and the usage of certain inducements to pleasure is not, as a rule, spoken of in the pristine offices of High Rise Village.

While the city emphasizes age restrictions, there are also plenty of people around the adult-centric establishments, none very hard to find, who will, for a small price, help teens who are on the older side (15+) access some of these establishments, especially the ones focused on pleasures of an AR-centric nature. After all, teens will find ways to explore things, and if it’s AR, it’s probably fine, right?

a) Water Gardens

”Water garden” is the codename for Verve hotspots. Verve is a substance specific to Magisteria and its Entertainment district. It’s really the major drug of note, the biggest if not nearly-only game in town, mostly because of how intense its effects are.

Verve creates feelings of euphoria and bliss. The drug also enhances sensory perception, making colors more vibrant, sounds more vivid, and textures more pronounced. Users feel more connected to their surroundings. Other effects include: heightened energy levels and excitement, a creativity boost, heightened empathy and a desire to connect with others, mood regulation and increased feelings of relaxation, the potential for lucid dreams, time dilation – in which moments feel elongated, and sensory merging, in which synesthetic effects occur. While under the influence of Verve, you may see music or taste colors.

There’s also the aphrodisiac effect, which can be quite potent, particularly if one is otherwise savoring the pleasures of their environs.

Most users partake of Verve by having it mingled with their alcoholic beverages. Shots for cocktails come at a small fee. It brightens drinks with luminous colours and enhances the taste with its own, so there’s no question of anyone partaking of it accidentally or without their knowledge.

Some clubs and gathering spots have Verve misting stations outside or small fountains spraying droplets of mist into the air, so patrons can indulge before even entering, priming their mood for intense indulgences and the full sensory brilliance of the neon city.

b) The Blender

A popular stop for lovers and frisky singles alike: The Blender features augmented-reality fun. Craving a hyper-realistic experience? Here, your imagination is the limit: the walls can easily be gloryholes or give one access to AR tentacles. The AR is capable of accommodating various fetishes and fantasies, from breeding to orgies with various partners; young lovers often go here to spice things up after a night of enjoying the pleasures of the district, including booze and Verve. Within the walls, everything is pure fantasy, and couples can even merge fantasies for a hyper-sensory experience. As a hangout for sexy youth who tend to be intoxicated and on aphro party drugs, it's quite easy to find hookups at such a place, as there are even areas where people can expressly seek out others with particular kinks or areas to pursue particular pleasures. Act out your fantasies of shibari or having a live audience voyeuring or whatever else you may desire. All fantasy becomes real at The Blender.

Flora/Fauna

Rarity: RareVariable Hexberries

Found In: Only found on the riverbank of the Mysticaire District.
Description: Native to Magisteria, these berries grow in only one area on the island: on the shore of the river as it passes through the Sacred Nexus. The berries grow on plants that are never more than two inches tall, with leaves brightly variegated between a vibrant yellow and deep green. The plants will grow soon after winter ends, soon forming small flowers of unpredictable colour, and the colour of the flower seems to have no connection to the berries that they develop into. The process itself takes roughly ten days, and any berry that isn’t harvested will fall and develop into a new plant, the process repeating until the next winter. No plant bears more than two berries in a season and will die off once those berries are produced and either plucked or shed.

The berries themselves are small, no larger than a common garden pea once shelled, and have a tough outer skin that is still easy enough to bite through. Wildlife has been seen eating these berries to no ill effect. People report that their flavour is mild and sweet, but each berry has an unpredictable magical effect. So far, none of these magical effects has been truly harmful, though some have set off mild allergies, and none have lasted longer than one full day. Their changeable nature means that they aren’t seen as a dependable food source, but they do seem to have some use as entertainment. (See table A for observed results. It is possible other results have yet to be documented.)
Edible/Not Edible: Edible, with caution.

Table A:

1:	Hair colour changes	4 hours
2:	Eye colour changes	4 hours
3:	Everything eaten tastes like your favourite food	24 hours
4:	Everything eaten tastes like your least favourite food	24 hours
5:	Skin colour changes	4 hours
6:	Scales appear on your body then shed away, leaving the effect of a pleasant exfoliation	6 hours
7:	Sensation of pins and needles travels over your body	2 hours
8:	Gain the scent of flowers, type of flower dependent on anyone smelling you	12 hours
9:	Gain the scent of the favourite breakfast food of the person smelling you	12 hours
10:	Colour of skin, hair, eyes, and clothing changes to photo negative, even if action is taken to change those colours otherwise	4 hours
11:	Gain energy and wakefulness without "energy crash" afterward	5 hours
12:	Fall into a sleep state with pleasant dreams	6 hours
13:	Grow proportionally 6 inches taller, clothing included	8 hours
14:	Shrink proportionally 6 inches shorter, clothing included	8 hours
15:	Hands glow, leaving glowing prints on everything you touch	3 hours
16:	Gain a sudden and lingering awareness of the cardinal directions	24 hours
17:	See those with a strong emotional connection to you with a halo or aura	12 hours
18:	Gain the ability to control a floating, heatless source of light of scintillating colours that cannot be dismissed	6 hours
19:	Burp bubbles of different tints that float into the sky but pop upon being touched	3 hours
20:	Attract butterflies that land on you or flutter about you	6 hours
21:	Hair grows between 1-3 feet - can be cut, but will revert to original length	24 hours
22:	Levitate ten inches off the ground, but retain ability to move normally	4 hours
23:	Scatter glitter with every gesture - glitter can set off pollen allergies	8 hours
24:	Gain energy from sunlight, needing water but not food	24 hours
25:	Become translucent.	7 hours

Cryptocarp

Found In: Any moving freshwater. If found in lakes or ponds, please report immediately.
Description: Traveling the rivers in schools, the cryptocarp group together seemingly by colour. Their scales can range in shade anywhere from red-orange to yellow-green and be blotched with white or black. They sometimes beg at footbridges, schools swimming in enticing patterns to persuade the passers-by to toss in bits of food, from bread to lettuce to pellets that are sold by the handful in coin-operated vending machines.

Actually feeding the cryptocarp is frowned upon. The patterns in which they swim are hypnotic when combined with the patterns on their scales, something thought to have come about to lull predators into either ignoring them or finding them frightening enough to leave alone. Now, they use it to gain sustenance and reproduce in the rivers, sometimes threatening the natural habitats of the waterways. The pellet vending machines have been removed multiple times, but it is presumed that someone enthralled by the cryptocarp keeps replacing them.
Friend-shaped/Not Friend-shaped: Debated.

Near-Figmentary Tetra

Found In: Any moving freshwater.
Description: These tetras are an invasive species. At first, the nigh-figmentary tetras were seen as beneficiary as they kept the number of cryptocarp in check. As time has passed, however, their presence has made the number of cryptocarp dwindle by sniping the ability for the male cryptocarp to fertilize the eggs.

These fish are difficult to see, their entire body all but invisible. The only way to spot them is to be inside the water when one swims by and either see or feel the ripple in the current nearby. Even then, by the time they’re reached for, they’re already out of reach. Their invisibility thoroughly bypasses the visually-focused cryptocarp’s senses and brings them into the ideal position to steal the cryptocarp’s spawn. The two species are, somehow, compatible as it comes to breeding, but the offspring, a piebald mix of visible, patterned scales and invisible body, are infertile.

The tetras are big enough to be a food source when caught, and many high-end restaurants sell them as delicacies. Those who buy the dish mostly do so as an experience, however, as the flavour is reported to remind most of those who eat it of despair.
Friend-shaped/Not Friend-shaped: Not friend-shaped, free game for fishing and eating (with ample seasoning).

Threaded | Flat

All questions here.

Comment here for an RNG. The first two characters with the same number will be on a team together.

Edited 2024-03-02 00:19 (UTC)

Members of each team will comment here for a wildcard RNG after each round.

Edited 2024-03-02 00:21 (UTC)

[ ooc: Homura is taken post-Rebellion! ]

1c. refreshments

Despite the greeting from Minister Brennam Tyrgen, despite the shy girl that led the group of them onto the train, despite the faces she can see and the clear history of the city, Homura can only come to one conclusion.

This is her fault.

As she stands at a window of the monorail train, the sun is sinking low through the city skyscrapers, blazing orange and neons at a sharp contrast, but Homura isn't appreciating the view. Dead-eyed, she takes a sip of the provided Clari-tea (without the chaser, thank you), and bites back the urge to audibly sigh. Anybody else will see a fourteen year old girl in a school uniform gazing dismissively at the view, but inside a tempest rages. Her Soul Gem is gone, and she can feel her soul sitting where it hasn't been for so long: inside her own self, writhing like a foreign agent. She cannot transform, she cannot use her magic.

Once, she rewrote the universe with the sheer will of her emotions. Twice, she has awoken in new universes. Akemi Homura is no stranger to this, and yet, all she feels is exhaustion. She had ensured that her friends had the peaceful lives they so desperately deserved, she had condemned herself to hell for that, and now... she has to start all over again.

She will claw her way out of this universe one way or another.

"I'm sorry," she says to the passenger standing next to her, voice soft and tired. "I don't know who you are, but I must have dragged you into this mess. I will fix it, I promise."

2b. augmented reaity art

Stepping inside Evergreen Terrace had been a riot of the senses. Homura had seen people staring into the water outside like they could see something, fish that didn't quite seem to be there -- and when she'd stepped into the lobby, something awful had happened. Everything had settled in her soul, like she had nothing left to do, nothing left to fight for, and it the worst most confusing sensation Homura had ever felt. Needless to say, she leaves the lobby fairly quickly.

Or at least, she tries to. She's caught up in a sight out of the corner of her eye, a massive statue laden with locusts abruptly starts shapeshifting, red stripes crawling off it as it becomes a dolphin in a fiery ocean.

Somebody's standing too close to it. Homura grabs their arm, and uses all of her strength to haul them away and stash them behind a pillar. Grim-faced, with all the seriousness of a security guard protecting their charge, she keeps them there with a hand on their shoulder.

That could be a Witch, which means they're all in serious danger. And she doesn't have her powers.

"Careful," she says lowly. "I've seen this before. I don't know if you're a figment of my imagination, or a fake construct of this world, or a real person I accidentally involved, but I won't tolerate any more hurt. Stay where you are. Do you have a weapon? A gun would be best."

3a. green apple exploration

Much like the last time Homura had found herself in a new universe, she sets out to explore and test the boundaries of this strange city.

She finds herself in the Entertainment District, the Green Apple Quarters. There are flyers racing overhead, restaurants packed full of people with wings or glowing tongues or scales. She walks past a gaming arcade, and fights back the twinge of nostalgia the bright lights and video game sounds instill in her.

The promise of magic lures her into a shop called Fairy Dust, and to her surprise, it's a kind of magic that she wasn't expecting. It's potions and alchemy, things out of storybooks, and while most people might be enchanted for the sake of whimsy, Homura wonders how these things might be used to puzzle out the nature of this reality. She browses the shelves, examining the products carefully. There are love potions, healing potions, potions of flight, potions of water breathing, like something right out of a video game or children's novel. There are toys, too, but Homura ignores those even as they sparkle and pop and zing merrily behind her.

If she did create this universe, she has to give credit to herself. It's fascinatingly imaginative. More so than the fake version of Mitakihara City her mind had concoted.

She's in the middle of examining a dark black potion that promises to kill all of your emotions when someone comes to stand next to her. "One wonders what would happen if one threw all of these into a giant cauldron and drank it," she muses, faintly curious though her tone is flat. "Would they explode from too many conflicting magics? Or would everything simply cancel each other out? What are the magical rules of this universe?"

1c. Refreshments

Well, Musashi's been to her fair share of worlds, probably more than her fair share to be honest, but this place really has to take the cake. At least the other Earths had been...Earths. Branched timelines of Proper Human History, but still recognizably Earth.

This place though? This is place is all kinds of new, and Musashi is here for it. And her Spirit Origin hasn't changed back either...or at least, it doesn't feel like it has. She's so weak at the moment she wonders if she still even really counts as a Heroic Spirit, but she still feels like she did as a Berserker during the Waxing Moon Ritual...and honestly, she'll take it. She likes being a Berserker.

She has no trouble taking a seat on the monorail, one arm spread along the back of the row, the other holding a Clari-Tea (with chaser) that she sips as she watches the city go by. "This monorail's nice and all, but wouldn't it have been more fun to walk?" She muses to no one in particular, whoever happens to be closest. "Look at those streets! I'm raring to get down there, what about you?" She waves you closer. "Come on, come on! Join me! It's no fun drinking alone, and this is good tea."

[She can be feeling the aphrodisiac if you're up for it, otherwise I'm good with whatever!]

Invasive Species

At first she wandered over to the pond because, hey, cool pond. The fish were pretty interesting to watch...and even more interesting when they start hurling themselves out of the water at her. Fortunately, Servant or or not, she is still Shinmen Musashi-no-Kami Fujiwara-no-Harunobu, creator of the Niten Ichiryu, and her reflexes are that of a swordswoman who has fought and lived through hundreds of battles. She spins out of the way swiftly, gracefully. "Oops! Not even close!" Watching the fish flop around, she turns back to the pond in consideration...

By the time someone else comes by, Musashi is busy dodging through a storm of fish flinging themselves out of the water at her. So far, none of them seem to have been able to connect. Her movements are graceful, practiced, swift, able to adjust on a split-second's notice to avoid another scaled bullet shooting towards her.

"Hey, you want to get some exercise in? It's fun!" She asks, noticing she's not alone. "Pretty sure it'd be bad to let them touch you though!" Which is going to be more of an issue, since the area surrounding where Musashi is currently "exercising" is...fairly full of flopping fish that missed their (initial) mark.

Joystick Jungle (Closed to Odette)

Now this is some nightlife. Even on its rowdiest evenings, Yoshiwara in Edo couldn't compare. Oh yeah, Musashi thinks she's going to like it here. And when she was so brazenly challenged to test her skill, how could she say no? She's never backed down from a worthy challenge...even a gaming challenge.

It seems it's a doubles-competition though, so she needs a partner (for just a brief moment, she recalls Samson, and smiles at the memory. The Twin Berserkers of Yoshiwara.) if she's going to make Cassady eat her words. One is randomly assigned to her, so she didn't even have to go looking! She's paired with a demure young woman named Odette, and after brief introductions, the games begin.

Musashi rubs the back of her head ruefully. "You know, I was sort of hoping it would be a fight..." She admits, looking at the array of colourful blocks they have to move into a picture. Logical thinking isn't exactly her strong suit right now as a Berserker.

"Isn't it usually best to start with the corners, Odette-chan?" This may not be quite the video game deathmatch she imagined it was, but like hell she's gonna lose! They're gonna figure this puzzle out and it's going to be magical!!

Story-Weaving

[It was unlike anything Dimitri had ever seen before.

Dimitri has only ever seen cities in Fódlan. He hasn't even seen Shambhala yet. So, ending up in a futuristic city, even by 21st-century standards, was a massive case of culture shock for the man. Everywhere he looks, he sees new and unbelievable things. Hell, even the very monorail he's on at the moment is unlike anything he could have imagined.

And then there's the link device. To say that Dimitri was taken aback when he first heard that he could use it to communicate with people without being there in person is an understatement. And, as someone who hasn't even the faintest clue as to how the technology behind it works, he'd been asking anyone willing to help for some assistance in learning how to use it. It was a lot to take in, but Dimitri began to feel more confident about how to use it as people gave him some demonstrations.

That's behind him for the moment. For now, he's trying to do this visual storytelling thing. The question is, what kind of story should he tell? Dimitri ruminates indecisively; he has many stories to tell, but most of them are very heavy. He hasn't had an easy life, and he knows it.]

I... [Sigh.] I suppose I could try telling the story of my agreement with Sylvain, a friend of mine. You'll probably enjoy it more than I, however.

Waters of Seeing

[Well, there's certainly one thing in this city that Dimitri recognizes. A pond, artificial though it may be, is a welcome sight in a strange landscape. Dimitri sits at the edge of the pond, gazing into the water, calmness overcoming him as he does. It's nice to have some downtime and just look into the blue, and clear his mind of thoughts.

However, that doesn't last. Suddenly, an image begins to form in the pond. He sees a familiar face, one that causes a jolt of electricity to run through his body.]

El!?

[Shocked, Dimitri leaps to his feet, and he feels a wave of adrenaline surge into his veins. The pool depicts a young woman with white hair, clad in red clothing, laid out on the floor. Dimitri's breath hitches in his throat; he's seen this before. Yes, this was at the end of the war. He had just run Edelgard through with his spear after she'd flung the dagger into his shoulder. It was something that he hadn't wanted to do, but his arm had moved on its own in self-defense. It was, in a way, a suicide, and Dimitri didn't like that he'd played a part in it.]

Why am I seeing this again? Why is there a memory of mine in the water? For that matter, how?

[Alternately, he could be seeing a vision of your character's past. Your choice!]

Rooms With a View

[Since the newcomers have the chance to see what the apartments are like with different themes, Dimitri is checking those out with interest. It's incredible to him how these apartments can look so different despite the external surroundings. In one apartment, everything seemed to be made of steel; in another, every corner was lit with red, green, and blue lights. There was one where everything was sleek and seemed to have no apparent method to interact with them, and then one that looked like a hollow built into a forest hillside.]

This is incredible...I never could have even dreamed that anything like this was possible!

1a. story-weaving

Unlike many of the other passengers, one could easily mistake Lucy for a local, blending in seamlessly with the neon and the unrelenting metal of the city with her bodysuit and loose jacket tugged over top. Ports in her skin are easily spotted if one looks close enough, subtle line identations marking cyberware.

Still, there's a subtle uneasiness about her as she makes her way through the train. Her mask is well-worn, but her eyes give her away, a wariness in them as she examines all of her fellow passengers and the city outside the windows.

How did she get here? She remembers a portal, and a feeling of peace, and suddenly-- here she was. A city that looks a lot like her own, except magic sure as fuck didn't exist back in Night City, and she doubts it exists here, either. She'll believe it when she sees it.

Lucy finds herself stopping before a group of people guiding a hologram into visualizing a story. For a while, she lingers at the back edge of the crowd, arms folded across her chest, doing her best to go unnoticed. But curiosity over one story has her drawing closer despite herself, and as the story ends, she realizes that eyes are on her, expectant.

"I don't have any fun stories," she drawls, "unless your definition of fun includes limb removal or cyberpsychosis." Lucy tips her head, gesturing to the person next to her. "How about you. You look like you've got something decent up your sleeve."

2a. waters of seeing

It's been so long since Lucy's seen real, naturally-grown flowers that she can't help but be enchanted by the lotuses, picking one up to tuck into a button hole of her jacket.

Something about it-- makes her think of lost opportunities. A person lost to self-sacrifice. A jacket still draped over her chair back home.

(She also can't stop noticing how ridiculously attractive everybody is. Has she been dosed with something? Ugh. There's gotta be something in the air, she's not normally this... easily distracted by people.)

Lucy stops by one of the ponds outside the apartment complex they're being guided to, and crouches down, balancing on her heels as she touches a fingertip to the water. Ripples disturb bring pink petals resting on the surface, and...

She can see the moon. Its brilliant white surface as she stood on it, the deep black of the sky dotted with a riot of stars everywhere she looked, and the blue marble of Earth in the distance. And for a long time, Lucy is transfixed, until finally she pulls back, scrubbing her jacket sleeve roughly over her eyes. It only catches her attention, then, that someone is standing next to her, looking into the same pond, like they can see the same thing she's seeing. "This is why I hate reflective neuro-connections," she says shortly, dryly. "At least it's not an ad for the local burger joint being blasted in into my eyesockets, I guess."

In fact, she's reasonably sure it's not tech, but magic, and that's just a whole barrel of worms she's not ready to look into just yet.

4a. water gardens

[ if you'd like to play into the aphrodesiac effect or dancing together, f/f 20+ only please! ]

Ending up in a whole new city in a whole new time is a lot to deal with, so Lucy does what any depressed young adult does to take their mind off things: she goes to the clubs.

Her first drink is a luminous lime green concoction, brought for her by a sly demon girl with glowing yellow fangs. It's got Verve in it, she's told, and the demon girl barely gets through an explanation before Lucy's knocking it back. An hour later, and two clubs over, she doesn't know the name of the place she's in and she doesn't care. The music is pounding in her ears and sending red vibrations across her vision, voices of the crowd are curling motes of color in the air, and every single one of her muscles feels relaxed for the first time in years. Fuck, she feels good.

She winds up in deep conversations with a machine and a boy with delicate wings, discussing the merits of human-made music versus AI creations and how a lot of people seem to prefer the ease of the latter these days despite human-made being more authentic. Then, after being gifted another drink -- she hasn't had to buy any of her own, yet -- she watches the crowd from a high balcony for a while, a lone figure among a roiling crowd.

Before long, she joins the crowd again, dancing in a pleasant haze as the music feels like it wraps around her, bodies pressed in on all sides.

Lucy doesn't bump into someone so much as they seem to wind up together, her hands curled around the stranger's bicep and hip, relishing the textures under her fingertips. "Are you new here too?" she asks, just barely heard above the music, pale eyes flashing with every color the lights switch to as they sweep across the crowd.

Edited 2024-03-02 08:04 (UTC)

I/ Refreshments

[ If there is someone who can't hold her liquor, it is this goddess. How could she? It's her first time drinking anything that's not from the abyss! She has no idea what this is and took her drink with the optional chaser and all. A bad idea, without a doubt. Yet, the anxiety-riddled goddess looks far more comfortable than she usually does. She's smiling to herself and slowly lolling her head from left to right.

And lo, something miraculous happens: she turns to the person next to her and addresses them, engaging in conversation from her own volition! Anyone who doesn't know her may think this is totally normal behavior, but this is truly a most strange thing for this goddess. ]

Hehehe... [She giggles and smiles brightly before closing her hands together in a most excited fashion.] Isn't the sky beautiful? I certainly think it is!

[ There is, noticeably, no sky to be seen since they're inside the monorail. Maybe she's talking about the sky as seen through the windows? Even though they're neither facing it, nor is she even looking at it.

Maybe it's a hint this goddess isn't in her right mind. ]

II/ Eternal Lotus & Waters of Seeing

[ Those flowers are so beautiful... Of course an avid flower enthusiast like her had to kneel by the pond and pick one up. And yet-- Why is it making her feel so sad? Is it because she can never have any in the Underworld...? Impossible, she got over that a long time ago.

It's like there is a hole in her chest and a pain deep within her stomach. Stress...? No, it's not her usual anxiety. It's closer to the feeling of loneliness she is so familiar with, yet it feels so much worse than usual. Usually she can control herself and make sure to hide in a corner deep within her temple before she starts crying, yet today the tears are already welling up by her eyes.

And the pond... That's not herself any more she's seeing in it, isn't it? That's-- ]

... [A woman. Red hair. A smile that's both reassuring and beautiful.] Ritsuka?

[ Love is a truly beautiful. But what if you deny yourself love? What if the object of your affection is someone who will never reciprocate, someone you have decided to never confess to? Someone who deserves so much better than your gloomy self and whom you decided to remain friend with forever, without ever attempting to go for anything else?

Love is a beautiful things. But amplifying such strong feelings that she usually tries to repress? That means she can only break down crying. She can't even hide herself right now. All she hopes is that nobody sees that pathetic display. ]

III/ Welcoming Party

[ Her room. She needs to go to her room and bury herself under layers upon layers of blankets! But alas, before she can do this, one final obstacle remains in her way: the party.

So many people. All so alive! She could handle discussing with one or two, but that many? No no no no. That's just too much and now that her emotions are under her control again, she knows exactly what she must do. Leave quietly and without a word.

The goddess is walking very close to the walls, trying to look innocuous as she looks for the exit. But-- What is this? A cake? S-She's never had any cake before! She looks left. She looks right. Okay, if she makes a beeline for it, she may be able to grab a piece of that cake, a modest and reasonable slice, before going to her room. And so she does. But: ]

... ... ... Ghaaah!

[ Alas! What she didn't see is your character. And lo, she crashes face first into them, before falling on the ground face-first. ]

G-Guh...

[ Sniff... Why did this have to happen to her? ]

[OOC: I have not watched Freedom yet, so no spoilers, please!]

[Story-Weaving]

[Athrun just so happens to hail from a technologically advanced world, so cities that would be futuristic by twenty-first century standards are normal to him. However, he's never seen a city quite like this one before. He can't help but feel impressed when he looks at the cityscape as the monorail he's aboard cruises through it -- this is far more dense and built-up than any of the PLANTs or Orb's capital are. He couldn't begin to guess how many people live in this city.

This ends up temporarily derailed when their guide identifies herself as half human, half AI, and her mother as a full AI. That leaves Athrun completely and utterly baffled. Athrun is intimately familiar with AI, given Birdy and the number of Haros he made as a younger adolescent, so hearing that about his guide confuses the ever-loving hell out of him. How is something like that even possible? AIs can't reproduce biologically! And how could human reproduction conceive anything other than a human? Even artificially-created humans, such as Coordinators like his parents and Kira, still consist of flesh and blood!

Unfortunately for Athrun, he never has the opportunity to ask. Instead, he gets stuck in an ice breaker activity. So, he's supposed to tell a story. What kind of story should he tell, though? He has to be careful what he says, between his Coordinator heritage and having to handle classified information for Orb. Then, he has an idea.]

I'm sorry, but would you mind starting us off? I'm having some difficulty coming up with a story.

[Welcoming Party]

[Athrun has never been one for big parties like this. Fortunately for him, this one is filled with new experiences in every direction he looks. He watches the robots perform and interact with other people with rapt interest

For now, though, he'd like a snack and something to drink. He hails a robot server, and as it so happens, so does a person a few feet away from him. Once the robot approaches:]

Go ahead, after you. I don't mind.

[Joystick Jungle]

[An arcade. Athrun hasn't seen one of these since he was living in Copernicus City six years ago. A sense of nostalgia hits him as he strolls through the aisles, checking out the games available. Maybe it would be fun to shake the rust off a bit after all, even if only just a bit.

He ends up standing in front of a first-person shooting game with gun-shaped controllers. Figuring it's what he's most suited to, he starts it up.

The next thing he knows, half an hour has gone by, and he's led his team to victory in every game so far with the top kills. He may not have access to his SEED factor right now, but his natural talent for gunfighting remains.]

I wonder if I should stop here...

I. Monorail and story-weaving

Nina follows along with the group, feeling much like an ambulant corpse. This makes no sense, and it sends the low level dread that has been her constant companion lately into overdrive. She can trust nothing, not even herself, and she can feel the siren call to simply give up. To think nothing and let herself be herded like a sheep...

It's only sheer will power that keeps her gaze as sharp as it is. She refuses to eat or drink anything offered, her eyes flashing with suspicion and menace--a face that once made a Nazi crime boss piss himself.

She does her best to follow along with the instructions about the aXess Link, and when it comes time to play the mini-games, the realization that she isn't going through this alone, but with a whole group of people just as confused as her, hits her. She makes the effort to unclench her jaw, to take a deep breath. It makes her look a little less scary, though the story-telling activity has her frowning again, burrowing into herself...

No, now is not the time for that.

When it's her turn, she forces a smile. "Okay, how about this? Once upon a time, in ancient Japan, there lived a little princess who wanted to be a samurai..."

A stylized hologram of a small Asian girl in beautiful flowing robes appears. Nina can't help but laugh, a little breathless.

"Wow, all right. Does anyone have any ideas for how to continue, or should I keep going?"

II. Waters of Seeing

She has been doing her best not to get distracted, difficult as it is in a place like this, but when she passes by the waters, something catches her eye:

Three smiling, happy people. A middle-aged man and woman, and a blonde girl of about thirteen--clearly a younger Nina--wearing a martial arts uniform and holding up a trophy for everyone to see.

She remembers that day, though not nearly as vividly as what's being shown. She'd forgotten her mother ever owned a dress like that, or how her father had patted her on the back as they headed out to the car...

Her expression as she watches is at first stricken, then simply sad--the type of mute, all-consuming sadness that for a moment, even makes her forget she's been abducted to another world.

III. Welcoming Party

She keeps to herself at the party, still avoiding eating or drinking anything, suspicious eyes scanning the crowd like she's waiting for a bomb to go off. But any other wallflowers joining her on the sidelines, she'll acknowledge with a nod. They're in this together, after all.

"So, what do you make of all this?"

Is she insane? Is this real?

c) invasive species

[ somehow, despite his A+-ranked luck (though perhaps that, too, was lessened in this world), at least one of the cryptocarp or NFTs had made contact with Gilgamesh -- rather like that mongrel spriggan which kicked a King's abdomen.

some might even believe that the King of Heroes had perhaps allowed it to happen, because after all, couldn't a man of his talents dodge such things, even without his powers as a Servant? or, more likely, he had believed it was an excellent idea to feed his hexberry danish to the cryptocarp, despite feeding them being highly discouraged. though were there even signs for that? well, even if there were, Gilgamesh probably did not notice. and the temptation of feeding the danish might've proved overwhelming, anyway. he was only lawful good to a point.

this proves very problematic, however, because the curse of bad financial advice is simply too potent when matched with Gilgamesh's personality.

so he will be using the aXess Link device to make various network posts with ridiculous AR graphics, as well as text posts, such as the following: ]

Greetings, mongrels. You may address me as Gorgeous P. I am the chief financial advisor for Otherworlders. I also have the most unique and one-of-a-kind talents as a promoter.

You may address all inquiries to me, but only if you desire to be rich. We may discuss virtual currency of the virtual vault, and venture capital. Real estate. Indeed, perhaps you should invest in a timeshare.

Anyway, all inquiries may be addressed to me. Gilgamesh. King of Heroes. AUO. Gorgeous P. ~~Boss~~

Edited 2024-03-03 17:13 (UTC)

- I.A Ghost Story -

[ Storytelling! That's fun, isn't it? Mamizou's pretty good at it, and judging by the skyline, this place should be able to handle any story she can dish out without getting too confused.

So here comes a woman - definitely not human, judging by the huge, bushy tanuki tail - sitting cross-legged on the floor. It just seems like a better way to tell stories, evoking the imagery of being huddled around a campfire. ]

Well, I've heard a story or two in my time, so why don't I share one? Last time I told this story, it was a lil' bit too advanced for the audience.

[ As she talks, the hologram projection follows along, pretty easily. There's nothing too visually complex in this story, after all. ]

Four younguns were out for a drive... one of them had just gotten his hands on a fancy luxury car, and at a steal of a price. The first time they fired it up, they noticed that the car navi had a destination already entered in it. The youngest of the four said, why not follow the directions, and see where it takes us? It'll be an adventure. Ah, the carefree spirit of youth...

[ As she gets into the groove, based on the look on her face and the tone of her voice, it's clear that this is a ghost story. Get your spooking hats on. ]

Strangely, the directions took them deep into the mountains. It was a pitch black night, and as they went along, the roads got worse and worse... from paved roads to unpaved roads... unpaved roads to dirt paths... then, trying to push the car over the underbrush, surrounded by trees...

"300 meters ahead," the car navi said, its voice as cold and dry as ever, as the route got stranger and stranger. "200 meters ahead... 100 meters ahead..."

[ Dramatic pause. ]

...And what did they find, I wonder?

- II.A Sunbathing -

[ After all the confusion that led to coming here, a bit of R&R is just what the doctor ordered. When Mamizou finds the waterfalls of light in the entranceway, she decides to take a break and do some basking.

As she gets more relaxed, she puffs up her tail, then leans against it, like something between a pillow and a beanbag chair. ]

Ahh, bliss... when was the last time I went to the beach?

[ If anyone looks her way, she'll give them a lazy wave. She's 100% just vibing. ]

- IV.B NSFW -

[ This isn't really Mamizou's scene... or at least, it wouldn't be under normal circumstances. However, she's been vibing a little too hard. Inhibitions lowered by the light waterfall, emotions enhanced by a plucked lotus, drunk on Verve, drunk the normal way. So, she got wandering, eventually wandering into the Blender. ]

Let's see, where did I put those goggles... okay... oh!

[ She's in the hookups area, so different people and their kinkiest AR fantasies are on full display. Mamizou's reaction is a hearty laugh; how many ways will humans come up with to indulge their desires? This is a fun one.

Feeling particularly brazen at the moment, Mamizou waves down a passing total stranger. That's you! ]

Yo ho, you there! Would you mind showing me how all this stuff works? I'm a bit behind the times.

Edited (Power nerfs) 2024-03-04 03:35 (UTC)

I: Story Weaving

[The technology of this world is fascinating to Libra, considering Ylisse was definitely not this advanced... unless you considered the types of magic certain people could learn and control. He turns the aXess Link over a few times in his hands, before managing to shape it into a bracelet. He puts it on his wrist before attempting to start the story weaving process.

He manages to summon an image of Grima before he speaks. The dragon is static, as he's still learning, but it's there, and some other figures appear around it, holding swords and other weapons.]

Have you ever fought a dragon bent on destroying your world?

II: Welcoming Party

[Libra will attend the Welcoming Party, but will probably stick out like a sore thumb in his typical War Monk attire. He can be found wandering between tables, trying some of the food, and taking one of the non alcoholic drinks. He'd like to keep his head clear while he's still adjusting to a new place like this.

As he's interested in the decor and amenities, he may bump into someone.]

Ah, I apologize. Complete accident.

III: Rooms With A View

[This one is short, but Libra will be checking out the rooms and anyone rooming nearby, if anyone wants to share a room with a quiet blonde, lol.]

IV: Green Apple Exploration

[After getting adjusted to his new room, Libra will step out to go explore the city, sticking to the all-ages fare for the moment. There are so many things he hasn't seen before in this city, as Ylisse was more magic based instead of technology... Man isn't used to computers or any type of technology he's presented with.

He'll stop and try some of this 'coffee' drink (tell him your favorite drink so he can try it later!), and also stop into the arcade to watch people playing the games, as he has no idea what they are or how to play... unless someone wants to teach him the basics. Anyone walking by can hear him say something as he walks.]

This city is just so... colorful.

IV: Wildcard

[Hit me up with a wildcard, I'm open to things!]

1: Monorail and ClariTea

The elfin figure in black and red wizard’s robes here - and that figure more Keebler than Eldar, no taller than four feet and with dragonfly wings, bladed ears and odd proportions - is examining his ClariTea rather than drinking it, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment, he chuckles.

“Why has it only just occurred to me that I was nerfed on arrival again? Truly my reputation must precede me.”

After a moment, he seems to belatedly realize what an odd/concerning thing that is to say out loud, he allows an abashed smile (with a few too many sharp teeth) and a clarification.

“That is… I can’t be the only one who has experience with… world-hopping, I guess it is.”

How do you answer?

2: Waters of Seeing

The same Pixie from before gazes into the water - and a bystander or interested party may see what he sees: a group of friends in costume at a convention: a black woman rocking Jedi robes, a chubby kid with dark hair with a shirt emblem and hairstyle suspiciously reminiscent of a little pony’s, and at the center of the group a handsome if spindly man with a well-manicured mustache in a Kim Kitsuragi costume.

The pixie turns away abruptly, a scowl on his face.

“That’s just salt in the wound,” he snarls.

3: Welcoming Party

Ah, that’s more like it. Hikaru has hung his cloak up and spread his wings, so to speak, munching incessantly on the provided $50 Lunchables as he examines his job prospects.

And frowns at them.

“There’s really no interdisciplinary jobs? No room for engineers in chantries or mages in labs? That’s asinine.”

4: Red Rose District (your character be 21+ to ride)

Hikaru was curious. Not about aphrodisiacs - potions were dangerous without being magic; he wasn’t drinking any substance he couldn’t understand well enough to synthesize himself - but about the res light district and the local… scene. Yes.

He soon finds a party relevant to his interests, and is happily discussing rigging with a fellow rope bunny while scanning the crowd for a willing victim - volunteer.

As a demonstration of what mischief folks might get into, he has his Mage Hand going, and is using it to do some mid-air knotwork - just to show off.

“Care to hang out for a moment?”

For those familiar with the canon, Hikaru is from the middle of Out Of Bounds Interactions, after accepting the Contessa’s commission but before leaving Viacruz. For those not: have a kinky, twice isekai’d flying potato wizard with strong opinions about mixing science and visions.

Edited 2024-03-04 06:19 (UTC)

( ooc | heads up: i will be taking stelle directly from the end of the 2.0 main story update, so let me know if you're okay with spoilers or not. )

▶ no p[a]st and no future, that's what i need

[ Stelle is absolutely no stranger to traveling between worlds. But even so, that doesn't mean that it isn't a bit jarring to be ripped from a dreamscape into somewhere else entirely.

It's a bit dizzying, really and it takes her a bit to get her bearings. Somehow, she feels different - like there's something missing, somehow. And the fact that she's without bat by her side and can't even access it at all is rather telling.

The words of Seraphine Nova don't exactly go out one ear and out the other, but it's difficult for her to focus entirely, although the biggest sticking point winds up being when she gets to ask about the government.

"There's a lot I will admit I don't know, but Magisteria is called the eternal city, the greatest city in the multiverse. So I trust the authorities, because life here is better than anywhere else."

She doesn't know if she trusts that statement, really.

After all— ]

[ But Stelle is smart enough not to start an argument when she has nothing to go off besides instinct and prior experience. Especially when she doesn't have anything to protect herself with.

Being on a train that isn't the Astral Express is very different; others who might be on it might notice her looking out the windows with a distant gaze. There's definitely a sense of longing in those golden eyes of hers, so she's actually quieter than usual.

Might want to bug her about that device... ]

▶ even i might [b]lank out, you and me

[ When she's finally snapped back to reality, she decides that she needs to actually focus instead of spacing - ha! - out like that.

Looks like there's icebreakers to play, and Stelle is excellent at breaking the ice: both proverbially and literally.

She'll be the first to admit that she isn't exactly an expert when it comes to storytelling - although she'd definitely argue that she's probably better than March, at least, but Stelle is at the very least, enthusiastic. ]

[ Of course, she's using that term just in case she finds someone that recognizes her. What appears on the hologram is a person with a baseball bat; they're a silhouette rather than a concrete, imagined person, though. ]

[ Stelle makes a gesture with her hand as small projected stars dot their surroundings and more silhouettes stand behind the one with a baseball bat. ]

[ And she points at the nearest person, maybe that's you? ]

▶ a magi[c] show i cannot escape

[ Did someone say puzzle games?? Stelle is actually extremely good at puzzles and has done many a dungeon crawl, so this is totally up her alley.

To the surprise of absolutely nobody who knows her, Stelle winds up with a "hungry raccoon". Which isn't entirely the most conductive of things, so she opts to see if she can find a partner, asking the first person she sees: ]

▶ hea[d]ing to the other side, other side ( 2.0 spoilers! )

[ Getting to know the world was Stelle's number one priority.

It's why she finds herself wandering around on her own, memorizing the lay of the land until she finds herself at one of the artificial ponds.

She does find herself looking for far too long, however - which, honestly is a mistake when the scene reflected is one that she's too fond of, a shot of what seems to be a happy, wholesome selfie.

But Stelle's expression, the one crouching nearby - it isn't something fond, or even remotely happy. Her fingers by her sides curl into tight balled fists; she has to blink away the tears that start at the edges of her eyes, falling down her cheeks.

If she notices someone nearby, she tries to wipe as much of the tears from her puffy red eyes with her gloved hands, trying her best to smile through the pain; the fury that has been lit in her chest. ]

▶ wildcard

[ Want to play something else completely different? I'm pretty open to any and all scenarios. As a heads up: Stelle is physically/mentally 17 for all intents and purposes.

Feel free to hit me up via PM or at

tsundereban for any wildcard prompts. ]

Edited 2024-03-04 16:13 (UTC)

(There may be spoilers for Chapter 4)

Waters of Seeing

John stands by the reflecting waters, the dog lying at his feet, patiently waiting. The pond is something close to normal. He could almost believe he was back in New York, in a park or by the Hudson. It makes more sense to him than the rest of this city...

He didn't believe. He'd said as much to Caine. In his heart of hearts, he didn't believe that the dead carried on somehow. But he'd also said maybe he was wrong.

More wrong than he knew, apparently. At least he wasn't alone.

An image begins to take shape in the waters; John is standing by the Hudson River, on a winter's evening. He can see the Brooklyn Bridge and the lights across the river. He knows this evening. Helen is in his arms, and they're kissing. This was after they married, less than a year after leaving the Tarasovs. The dog's head raises curiously, looking down at the water, not understanding what he's seeing, but it confirms to John at least this isn't in his head.

He's here, and she's still gone. "...Helen." It's all he can think to say as the memory of a husband and wife happy together plays in the waters in front of him.

Skyracing

Later in the evening, John's path eventually winds its way to The Fountain, though he doesn't really know why. He's not here to dance or party; these kinds of establishments have never been his scene, even when he was still working. Too much business happened in them for John to enjoy himself.

No, he knows why. He saw the skyracing. Asked around. Back home, when he was...dealing with stuff, he could take the car and drive. Just drive. Really put it through its paces. He found it a good way to work through things, and he was a good wheelman, though his talents at killing had made him far more useful to Viggo. Some of the vehicles don't look too dissimilar from motorcycles, and those he knows too.

He has to work through some stuff.

The dog can't come with him, but John didn't want to leave him back at the...apartment, but an attendant has promised to look after him while John does his laps. He can be seen sitting on a skyracer bike, helmet resting while he familiarizes himself with the controls.

"Huh. Almost looks identical." He mutters mostly to himself, unaware...not unaware, it would be hard to catch him flatfooted even in a place like this. John's lived in a state of heightened danger for too long to be out in public and not be aware of his surroundings, but no one here has any reason to go after him. There's no bounty, as far as he knows.

Yeah...yeah, he can work with this.

I. Boarding

[Being from a world where not even trains were invented yet, Elise is incredibly awed at everything she sees. She's so engrossed in watching the screens that she stops suddenly in the middle of boarding. She'll snap out of it when someone waiting to board gets her attention.]

O-oh! I'm sorry. That's right, we're getting on this...train thingy.

II. Angriest Birds

[Team building games sounds fun! But the only problem is that Elise doesn't have a team to play with. That won't stop her though.]

Hey! Do you want to play the puzzle game with me? I'm sure it'll be fun!

III. Waters of Seeing

[Elise misses home already. And that homesickness is amplified when she looks into the waters and sees her siblings reflected back at her. She kneels at the edge of the water and just watches, crying silently.]

IV. Welcoming Party

[Elise is still a bit overwhelmed by everything, but she isn't about to stop when there's a party happening! After a bit of snacking and watching everything happen, she's ready to join in. She is going to talk to the first person she sees!]

Hey there! You're an Otherworlder too, right? What was your home world like?

I. Story Weaving

[Rui chuckles in delight as he is introduced to the story telling minigame.]

Once upon a time, there was an Alchemist.

[He does his best to envision KAITO in that role, rather than himself, and sure enough the blue haired vocaloid shows up looking more like a wizard than anything else. And he was surrounded by robot looking creatures. He has to try very hard not to lose his train of thought at the holograms' appearance.]

He longed to bring happiness to the nearby town using his creations, but the townspeople met his attempts with fear and disdain.

Ah, do you want me to keep going, or would you like to jump in?

II. Augmented Reality Art

Oh my, how interesting~ The ways I can incorporate this into... Fu fu fu~ Yes~
[He's surrounded by the art, and loving every second of it. In fact, he may look a bit deranged, muttering to himself with wide eyes and a huge smile.]

III. Welcoming Party

[He's calmed down some by the time the welcome party starts. Now he's wallflowering it up with some of the sweetest foods he was able to find at the party and a glass of soda.]

1. Mono - d'oh!

Yes, yes. The explanation is very important. The icebreaker games are no doubt fantastic. But certain matters must take priority for certain beings -- namely, the predisposition to bipedal humanoid figures this monorail exhibits, and necessary adaptations to the current passengers.

Thus, we find what is unmistakably a dragon conducting what is unmistakably disassembly of a train seat. At his size, the creature takes up a row of seats behind the one he working on, with his upper body and neck stretching over and around the seat such that his head and forelegs are almost lost beneath it. Faint scratching noises come from down there as well, for the dragon is having somewhat more success than one might anticipate, owing to a somewhat more significant strength than the average human or approximate thereof, and claws which can allow him to exert more of that strength without pain.

With a sharp peng!, a hex-bolt skitters out from under the seat, followed by the entire things slumping forward in such a way that it promptly pins the dragon's head and forelegs up against the back of the seat one row ahead. The sudden startling motion and impact make his wings spread wide in reflex, one swooping out over the aisle as if only a penitent man might pass, while the other bonks hard into the train's wall. That second impact makes both wings snap right back in and fold up again, much the way one would swiftly yank back a hand that got pinched in a car door.

Finally, a voice, clear despite the conditions, makes it way out from beneath the seat. "This has not gone according to plan."

2. Room With a View... OF DOOM

Now this is far more appealing! While he certainly doesn't expect even the most refined technology to replicate the specific sort of ambiance a giant horde has for a member of his kind, the illusion offers some comfort and the customizable environs less so. The only problem is a rather distinct lack of space, which limits him to such a degree that he feels he may have compromised his vision somewhat. To address that, he doubtless needs an outside opinion.

Consequently, the room door bumps open, and a dragon's head pokes out, eyes immediately fixing on the nearest person. "Sorry, but could I trouble you a moment?"

3. Skyracing

This may be too obvious. But no skyracer should be surprised to find Apoch sweeping into their path, even cutting a narrow corner just beneath them to throw them off their game (but not their ride! He's playing, not performing the role of Skyrace Team of Generic Bullies!).

"Speed," he calls out, over the roaring wind, "means little without agility! Let's see some of that!"

4. YOU'VE ACTIVATED MY TRAP WILDCARD

[Insert dragon-bothering here.]

((OOC: I'll match brackets or prose as you prefer!))

I – Story Weaving

The view from the monorail reminds him of his days in Tokyo, albeit a lot brighter and a bit more spacious. Towering chrome-like structures, technology and magic merged to that the lines between them are blurred, and people so unusual that – honestly – are so welcomed he can’t even be surprised or fascinated anymore. Tokyo, though this is clearly not Tokyo if his present company is to be considered. Oh, and the whole portal tree thing.

He rolls the aXess device in his hand, the feeling all too familiar, before putting it on his wrist and watching it come to life., the front opening to project a small holographic screen. “Huh, it even opens up and projects the same way.” He goes through the list of activities meant to interact with, he guesses, his new neighbors, and finds a few that seem interesting. He starts with this –

Uncertainty grows
The city shines and sparkles
The new world glistens

II - Waters of Seeing

He took a good long look around once he was off the train. "Fancy" is the first word that comes to mind, followed promptly by “lavish”, and rounded off with “expensive”. He sighed, exasperated by his own thoughts. “Even decades later, I still can’t shake those kinds of thoughts.”

He approached the water, curious by what kind of flowers or fishes he’d see but as he gazed at the surface of the pool an image started to form. The water shimmered then calmed, like a mirror, as the memory played.

The scene unfolded, a dojo draped in rays of morning light. Before him wielding a well-worn bokuto was a girl, silken black hair to her shoulders tied in a pony tail, chestnut brown eyes, a small face like a doll, and alabaster white skin. She wore a dark gi and hakama, and she swung at him with quick and precise strikes. Strikes that did not meet their mark as he swayed to and fro. “Don’t aim for just speed, watch your control. You’re losing power on every follow up.” He parried with his own bokuto as a strike came for his neck. “Better. Again.” She continued to swing and he continued to dodge or parry, and when she went to thrust he parried, spun on his heel, and with the follow-through struck her.

She yelped in pain, a very undignified sound, and turned around while resting the sword on his shoulder. His sparring partner was on the ground, the sword at her side as she rubbed her backside making him laugh out loud. “Ohhh, little cousin. You need to stop falling for that~~” He taunts, making her turn and glare at him before attacking again….and the water ripples and the memory fade.

“Ahahahahahaha! Ohhh, dear! Of all things to see! Hahahahahaha!” He says laughing like a loon beside the water.

III – Light Greeting

To no ones surprise the inside of the apartment complex is needlessly lavish, exotic even. The waterfall light display was very impressive, enough to draw his attention as he stood under it. The calm that washed over him is mostly alien to him, probably an effect induced by the light.

He takes a breath, warmth washing over him like waves, and relaxes. He exhales, the knot in his chest unraveling, and the tension he maintains to act at a moments notice fades with each release of air. Normally, he would never allow this kind of thing to affect him - too many undesirables come to mind when his guard is down - but perhaps his guard was already laid low the moment he stepped under the light.

Still, it’s not all bad and nothing particularly detrimental has happened to him....save maybe he's changed into his owl form and is now, for lack of a better word, melting on the floor, taking up a big amount of space as he spreads his wings wide. He’s parked himself at Eagle owls are big birds after all.

IV - Wildcard

[ ooc: Hit me up

riaxc or PM this journal if you want a prompt! ]

🧋 c) Refreshments

[ Sakura, as one might suspect, also takes her drink with no chaser. not that she is a stranger to ... physical acts. growing up under the highly specific circumstances she had endured, her body had even been one with specific needs, feelings which were not so innocent and which resulted in her inwardly classifying herself as a "bad girl."

but that's neither here nor there. this world is a new one, and though she already misses Senpai and Nee-san, Sakura has to have a certain amount of confidence that they will find one another again, somehow. Senpai would believe in this. He had never been one to give up, and Sakura would carry the flower of that hope within her. in this world, she needed to live in a manner that would make her sister and her boyfriend proud of her.

the Clari-tea was also contributing to Sakura's good mood: as their guide had said, it was a very soothing drink. ]

I don't really know what to make of this city so far.

[ it seemed... peaceful, at least. her era of Fuyuki had not always been so. ]

What do you think?

[ she had generally always been a reserved person, but with all this talk of Otherworlders needing to pursue vocations, it was sounding like there was going to need to be some cooperation among them as as an aggregate. alliances. and she could do this. she had endured the Grail War, after all. she was savvier than some gave her credit for. ]

💧 A) Waters of Seeing

[ the signs did caution them all that they were responsible for what they would see, should they look into the waters.

but Sakura had been curious. the artificial pools were beautiful, after all.

what she sees, however, induces a sort of pang: herself, as a child... and, sitting across from her, on her knees... who else, but her beloved sister?

that was a different time, to be sure. though, with the two of them having been re-united, perhaps she should not feel sadness at such a memory. still, Sakura's mood and expression are both bittersweet at the image. ]

🪷 B) Perfume of the Eternal Lotus

[ she's a fan of flowers. just consider her name.

Sakura finds the lotus flowers somewhat mesmerizing. as though guided by an unseen force, she reaches out and plucks one. the fragrance is incredible and overwhelming: she finds herself thinking of Shirou, and a deep blush rises to her cheeks. she wishes for him to be here now, walking beside her. and yet, alongside such powerful thoughts of romance, she senses some kind of sadness in the background... only, it is not her own sadness.

Sakura does not really understand it, but she's certain there's some sort of personal history to these flowers, that they're connected to someone who was in this place before, and she's experiencing an echo of someone's memory. ]

I don't understand ...

[ she shakes her head. it's a potent combination: wistful and soft desires juxtaposed against a sense of nostalgia that is not her own. she almost sways a little as she contemplates, just from the sheer force of how the enchantment makes her feel. ]

01 ✦ A Phone is a Dream Come True

[Among those seated on the monorail is a young man of perhaps 19, his red gaze constantly shifting to the window with awe and wonder before anxiously settling forward again. Normally, riding a train is not so anxiety inducing for Yuu Toh. He's rode many trains in his modern life. But normally, Yuu Toh also has the ability to hide his small black horns and slender demon's tail with magic. He can't hide his fangs or red eyes either, leading him to be so self-conscious that he's afraid to smile.

Even without a smile, Yuu Toh is obviously fighting happiness as much as his nerves. The sights outside of the window keep capturing his attention and his fangs sneak through the resulting smile. And after working up some courage, Yuu Toh does what all demons do when they get a phone (the form his aXcess Link took:) He tries to bite it.]

02 ✦ Welcoming Party

[The city has been mesmerizing for Yuu Toh. He's been 'ooh' and 'aah' ing at every corner. And even at the welcoming party, Yuu Toh is awestruck. He spends a lot of time at the charcuterie board but, notably, he never makes a move to try anything. He just points at the various options and asks the same question over and over:]

[He never attempts to eat or drink anything. It's sort of a waste for him.]

03 ✦ Entertainment District

[After settling on a room, Yuu Toh decides that he needs to go for a shopping trip. He's not interested in snack foods or toys right now: What he's looking for is a clothing shop. Specifically, he's trying to find a hat and gloves.

The demon boy can be found browsing numerous shops. It's a struggle to find a hat that snuggly covers his horns and even harder to find gloves that can hide his claws. Usually he would use his power to render them invisible. Yuuto looks in a mirror with a new hat on his head and sighs quietly.]

[He turns to the person shopping next to him,]

(01) Refreshments

[Mikale had always been at home in cities. He was good at surviving just out of sight; Stealing what the researchers didn't provide, finding pleasure in a world that didn't award him any peace, and squashing proof of the past. But surviving wasn't living. He'd only just settled into a quieter life when, suddenly, he's here. In a city once more. And this time, he's alone.

It takes him some time to resign himself to that fact. Mikale remembers how to comfortably exist without hope, but smiles politely all the same. He watches as others play icebreaker games with their new devices (aXess?) and makes mental notes, but doesn't engage in any activities that might reveal his past. But when the group is later offered drinks, Mikale does accept. The Clari-tea is exactly what he needs to keep himself calm. He also notices the Chasers, though he doesn't want one for himself.]

[He asks tentatively. Up until now, he hasn't been social. But this information is actually good for him to know.]

(02) Exterior | Waters of Seeing

[Even if the building is lavish and beautiful, Mikale dislikes it. He might smile politely and show interest in everything around him, but he hates this place. He's bitter that, right as his life started to feel normal, he should be pulled away to a new world. Of course, he thinks bitterly, life has always been out of his control.

And he catches himself wondering if anyone actually misses him. Those lonely thoughts haunt him all of the way to the edge of the water, where he peers in to see-]

[He's sure that he can see her reflected in the water. Twirling around among falling cherry blossoms, laughing and crying at the same time. But when he looks over his shoulder, expression bright with hope and relief, she's not there.]

(03) Rooms With a View

[It's the distinction between the tech and magic quarters that has Mikale's attention. He doesn't really care about the futuristic architecture or styles; They're all foreign and uncomfortable to him. But a conflict is something he can get behind. Years of brainwashing in the facility have taught him to find comfort in conflict, after all. He finds himself hoping that can be found in whatever this tech and magic division is.

So that's what he's trying to learn about as he explores the communal areas.]

[He asks seemingly at random,]

[A mildly traumatized vestal virgin, recently escaped from her convent after a highly corrupt church ordered the death of everyone within. After a lifetime of ascetic discipline, Junia has had a holy revelation that love and lust and pleasure are nothing to be ashamed of. With no home to go back to, she has set out to experience the world that was always hidden outside the convent's walls.]

-1: Enchanted Icebreaker-

Junia sat on the train, feeling extremely overwhelmed. She had eventually managed to get her aXess link into something shaped like a holy book, which felt at least a little bit familiar to her. Various functions could be accessed by turning holographic "pages".

At the moment, it was sitting on the seat next to her, on top of what looked like another actual holy book, of parchment and leather. Both were forgotten while Junia hugged herself, doing her best to blot out the incomprehensible blur of lights and colors and sounds this bizarre city offered out the windows. She couldn't focus on it.

She couldn't focus on anything except that the Light was gone.

It had been subtly guiding her steps for weeks, now. A metaphysical warmth shining on her soul and anchoring her whenever the sheer awfulness of everything had felt like too much to bear. It had let her perform miracles, healing the sick and pushing back the unholy. But ever since she had gone through that strange portal, it had been gone. There was plenty of light here, but it all felt like a pale mockery of the true Light.

She could probably use someone to talk to.

-2: Rooms With A View-

This was all A Lot, but Junia was doing her best to adapt. After much coaching, she had finally gotten the hang of the controls for customizing her room and come up with...well, it was something.

The room was bare stone, with naught but a desk for writing on, an oil lamp, and a thin mattress on the ground. A small window in the wall let in warm sunlight, keeping it from feeling TOO actively oppressive, but this was clearly not the lair of someone used to entertaining guests or, apparently, herself.

After staring at it for a moment, Junia hit the button to get rid of everything, setting the room back to the bare factory settings so she could start over from scratch.

"No," she muttered, "going back is not the way. Maybe something with satin..."

-3: The Blender (NSFW)-

"Sticking out like a nun in a sex club" is normally a figure of speech, but here she is. She at least left her armor, mace, and holy book in her room, but even so divested Junia is still wearing the least revealing clothes in the club, wrapped up in her holy robes and headwrap. She had come prepared for people to mock her modest dress, but had encountered quite the opposite reactions. People found her concealing outfit to be mysterious, rather than prudish, and at least two people had uttered the words "sexy nun."

Junia wasn't sure what was sexy about nuns, but she had already had two offers from people who wanted to get down on their knees. Or possibly to get her on HER knees? She was pretty sure it was some kind of sexual innuendo, but hadn't worked up the nerve to say yes to anyone QUITE yet.

The glass of fruit punch spiked with verve coursing through her veins was eroding at that decision, but for the MOMENT she was content to just...wallflower a bit and consider her options through her AR glasses. The things she was seeing here were beyond her wildest fantasies!

Eventually she made an attempt. Actually propositioning someone from the get go still felt...intimidating, but there was someone else here who also looked a bit nervous (you), and that seemed like a good of an icebreaker as anything.

"This place is...quite imaginative, isn't it?"

...Look, they don't teach you how to flirt at a nunnery.

-42069: Wildcard!-

Or feel free to make up your own starter! I put everything in prose here because I like prose, but don't feel compelled to reply in the same way! If you use action brackets, I'll respond in kind!

I.B Puppy Love

[ Momiji has no idea what's going on. The explanations are easy enough to follow, but they're also so ridiculous that she has no idea what to believe. Certainly, this place is very advanced... it's kind of what she imagined the Lunar Capital to be like based on the descriptions from others.

Still, if she's going to get by here, she needs to understand the rules. That starts with this device they gave her, and of all the features, this dungeon crawling game seems like the most straightforward. For her companion... a very affectionate shiba inu. Is that a joke about her being a wolf tengu?

Some time later, the animal companion has grown in size and affection. By now, it's bigger than she is, and is spending most of the current puzzle draped over her like a massive fur coat. She's about at the end of her rope, looking around for anyone else in the dungeon who can bail her out of this bizarre situation. ]

Excuse me, can you give me a hand? Solving puzzles isn't really my strong suit...

[ She tries to sound serious, but the giant cuddly puppy flopping all over her is making that difficult. ]

II.A Tengu Grand Shogi

[ Many people who look upon the waters of seeing see past tragedies. Battles lost, loved ones who've gone away... but not all. The memory that alights at Momiji's passing is a much more relaxed one.

In the water is a picturesque forest clearing, with a short tree stump in the middle. A game board has been laid down on top of it, covered in a dizzyingly complex array of pieces. On one side: Momiji. On the other side: A girl with blue hair, a green hat, and a whole lot of pockets. Both of them ponder the state of the board deeply. But soon, one of them shall make their move, and the battlefield will shift.

Any... Any moment now. Wow, they're really taking their time with this.

Back in the real world, Momiji sits cross-legged by the side of the stream, looking down into her own memory with interest. Is it really that interesting, watching yourself play shogi? Does she really understand a game with this many different kinds of pieces? ]

I think I remember this match... Did it end in a draw? Or did we just never get around to finishing it...

IV.A Liquid Courage (potentially NSFW)

[ Every youkai, especially every tengu, knows what you do after a long, stressful day: You go to the bar and lose yourself in drink. That takes... well, normally quite a few drinks, but her great alcohol tolerance doesn't apply to Verve. It seeps in subtly, leaving her pretty sloshed after just four drinks.

So, here sits a wolf girl, chin resting on the bar, surrounded by a quartet of empty glasses and holding a fifth. She rolls her head back and forth lazily, the dizzying sensation making her a little giggly. Eventually, she stops, the next time she sees a Hot Person. The Verve is telling her to say something stupid. ]

You're... cute. [ Nailed it. What else do you have? ]

Wanna go to, uh... what was it called... The Binder? I heard some stuff, and it got me kinda curious...

[ Oh yeah, no WAY she's regretting this in the morning. ]

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TDM questions

Arcade Prompt: Come here for RNG

Arcade Prompt: Wildcard RNG!

akemi homura | puella magi madoka magica

Miyamoto Musashi (Berserker) | Fate/Samurai Remnant

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd | Fire Emblem: Three Houses

lucy kushinada | cyberpunk: edgerunners

Ereshkigal || Fate/Grand Order