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Entry tags:
- #event,
- alec lightwood (shadowhunters),
- aymeric de borel (final fantasy xiv),
- barclay odell (oc),
- clary fray (shadowhunters),
- jace herondale (shadowhunters),
- jaden cosgrove (oc),
- mandy slade (velvet goldmine),
- nico di angelo (chb),
- rafaello d’este (oc),
- ronan lynch (trc),
- tamsin (lost girl),
- will solace (chb)
Crash Log #1 & Will-o'-Wisp Mini-Event
Characters: Second wave of Xistentia arrivals, greeters/rescuers
Summary: The second wave of characters arrive in Xistentia unexpectedly early... only to face an unexpected threat. D.E.S.T.I.N.Y.'s multiversal attack is disrupting the energy flow, causing a very unusual stampede— of will-o'-wisps, that lure travelers off their path with thoughts. It's up to the residents of Xistentia to help the newcomers!
Date(s): Mid-June 2017
Warnings/Notes: Coercive magic, collisions, moderate injury, dystopian themes
Early in the morning, the glow of light to the East, where F.A.T.E.S. resides, begins to turn red in warning. Seconds later, all of the daemons begin to project the same message to their owners. The alarm continues to repeat until the characters acknowledge.
F.A.T.E.S. WARNING SYSTEM
Threat Assessment: Mild
Phenomenon Type: Native Creature Behavior
Predicted Duration: 24 hours
Due to the cosmic energy disruptions by D.E.S.T.I.N.Y., will-o'-wisps are engaging in unusual migratory activity. Residents are advised to remain in the city, or be on-guard against a low level of psychic influence. Wisps feed by creating visual, auditory, and olfactory illusions based on the viewer's needs and temptation. Individuals in compromised emotional states are more susceptible.
The migration will be complete in 24 hours.
It seems straightforward enough. But as dusk begins to fall, the distant sounds of crashing and outcry come from the beach once again. It's familiar-- the first wave of Xistentia residents arrived the exact same way only 2 weeks ago. They're going to need your help.
For the second wave of Xistentia arrivals, the day is not nearly as ordinary.
Exit one dimension, enter the next. It was chaos: pressure against your ears, light bending in an impossible, unimaginable way. The very molecules of your body vibrating against one another. If you have windows, the view outside makes no sense. Even if not, your hands, your face, your feet seem like an uncertain thing. It's the feel of reality itself tearing apart, reshaping, reconnecting, thread by thread.
And suddenly, there's a beach— or ocean, whichever you land in. Smoke. Fire. Salt water churning up, fizzing around. It's dark— you've arrived at nightfall.
Maybe you crash, in a ship wrecking into sand. Maybe you merely stumble out of a portal, a ragged wormhole in space. Or maybe you fall off the back of an incredible steed, some creature that carried you into this place. Either way, there's pandemonium around you. Incredibly, severe injuries are far and few between— nobody's screaming about the dead. But you might have to help pull someone free of wreckage, or move quickly to salvage burning belongings from the landing craft. Maybe it's the crafts themselves, that you're trying to salvage.
Likely, you don't know them, these other strangers who arrived here[1]. Maybe you don't trust them— you just came out of a dying world, after all. But you all have one thing in common: you're here now.
When you get a second to breathe, the danger doesn't end... because that's when the wisps come.
At first, they're just a stream of pretty lights. Like fireflies, except that their illumination holds steady as they float through empty air. It's helpful for those of us who don't have night vision. However, as the minutes wear on, the terror and stress of the day starts to change to longing. And then the illusions begin. Voices of lost loved ones calling out, or flickers of familiar figures in the distance. The scent of burgers or cinnamon cake floating through the trees.
Maybe the ones you lost aren't lost after all. Maybe there's dessert out there. Isn't it tempting to follow? But watch your step-- there are ditches, fast-flowing rivers, and sleeping trolls you might run across. The wisps are impervious to these dangers, but you likely are not.
As rescuers venture into the forests, the wisps' illusions change to accommodate the wishes and fears of the new intruders. Each person sees their own illusion, blind to the experiences of others. However, to be forewarned is to be forearmed. Resistance from the psychic intrusion is far easier when you know what you're dealing with. Still, that doesn't mean that persuading a traumatized apocalypse survivor is easy. They've been through a lot, and if you're claiming that they're seeing things that aren't there, who's to say you aren't imaginary, yourself?
And the trolls get cranky when their sleep is disturbed.
By morning, however, the wisps have cleared and the other creatures of Xistentia are off on their business. Maybe that's when you choose to come out and help, to find new refugees sleeping in trees, thickets, beach-wrecked fuselage, and other places they had found sanctuary for the night.
The second wave of arrivals comes into a city that is very different from the one that the first refugees did. Sure, there are still animals and overgrown trees intruding in many buildings and streets— but the center looks very civilized now. Eight full city blocks where the hedges are groomed and the building facades are clean and orderly.
There are a number of fully operational businesses, including restaurants and a tailor. Agriculture is taking off gradually, albeit in a disorganized fashion, thanks to the fact most of the people involved are amateurs. Street lights, the beacons that sense character interactions, are fully operational throughout the day-- likewise, most of the city's functions work just fine now, including indoor lights, plumbing, electricity, etc. Cable isn't great, though. Depending on how badly your encounter with the Wisps was, you may also get acquainted with the hospital. It still looks shabby and moss-eaten, but its glowing recovery enhancement beds work very well. Better bring someone with you, though!
hells yeah
Footnotes
Summary: The second wave of characters arrive in Xistentia unexpectedly early... only to face an unexpected threat. D.E.S.T.I.N.Y.'s multiversal attack is disrupting the energy flow, causing a very unusual stampede— of will-o'-wisps, that lure travelers off their path with thoughts. It's up to the residents of Xistentia to help the newcomers!
Date(s): Mid-June 2017
Warnings/Notes: Coercive magic, collisions, moderate injury, dystopian themes
Wisp Mini-Event & Crash #2
Wish you were here. Love comes in waves
A WARNING FROM DAEMONS
Early in the morning, the glow of light to the East, where F.A.T.E.S. resides, begins to turn red in warning. Seconds later, all of the daemons begin to project the same message to their owners. The alarm continues to repeat until the characters acknowledge.
Threat Assessment: Mild
Phenomenon Type: Native Creature Behavior
Predicted Duration: 24 hours
Due to the cosmic energy disruptions by D.E.S.T.I.N.Y., will-o'-wisps are engaging in unusual migratory activity. Residents are advised to remain in the city, or be on-guard against a low level of psychic influence. Wisps feed by creating visual, auditory, and olfactory illusions based on the viewer's needs and temptation. Individuals in compromised emotional states are more susceptible.
The migration will be complete in 24 hours.
It seems straightforward enough. But as dusk begins to fall, the distant sounds of crashing and outcry come from the beach once again. It's familiar-- the first wave of Xistentia residents arrived the exact same way only 2 weeks ago. They're going to need your help.
CRASH LAND INTO ME
For the second wave of Xistentia arrivals, the day is not nearly as ordinary.
Exit one dimension, enter the next. It was chaos: pressure against your ears, light bending in an impossible, unimaginable way. The very molecules of your body vibrating against one another. If you have windows, the view outside makes no sense. Even if not, your hands, your face, your feet seem like an uncertain thing. It's the feel of reality itself tearing apart, reshaping, reconnecting, thread by thread.
And suddenly, there's a beach— or ocean, whichever you land in. Smoke. Fire. Salt water churning up, fizzing around. It's dark— you've arrived at nightfall.
Maybe you crash, in a ship wrecking into sand. Maybe you merely stumble out of a portal, a ragged wormhole in space. Or maybe you fall off the back of an incredible steed, some creature that carried you into this place. Either way, there's pandemonium around you. Incredibly, severe injuries are far and few between— nobody's screaming about the dead. But you might have to help pull someone free of wreckage, or move quickly to salvage burning belongings from the landing craft. Maybe it's the crafts themselves, that you're trying to salvage.
Likely, you don't know them, these other strangers who arrived here[1]. Maybe you don't trust them— you just came out of a dying world, after all. But you all have one thing in common: you're here now.
When you get a second to breathe, the danger doesn't end... because that's when the wisps come.
At first, they're just a stream of pretty lights. Like fireflies, except that their illumination holds steady as they float through empty air. It's helpful for those of us who don't have night vision. However, as the minutes wear on, the terror and stress of the day starts to change to longing. And then the illusions begin. Voices of lost loved ones calling out, or flickers of familiar figures in the distance. The scent of burgers or cinnamon cake floating through the trees.
Maybe the ones you lost aren't lost after all. Maybe there's dessert out there. Isn't it tempting to follow? But watch your step-- there are ditches, fast-flowing rivers, and sleeping trolls you might run across. The wisps are impervious to these dangers, but you likely are not.
SAVE THEIR SOULS
As rescuers venture into the forests, the wisps' illusions change to accommodate the wishes and fears of the new intruders. Each person sees their own illusion, blind to the experiences of others. However, to be forewarned is to be forearmed. Resistance from the psychic intrusion is far easier when you know what you're dealing with. Still, that doesn't mean that persuading a traumatized apocalypse survivor is easy. They've been through a lot, and if you're claiming that they're seeing things that aren't there, who's to say you aren't imaginary, yourself?
And the trolls get cranky when their sleep is disturbed.
By morning, however, the wisps have cleared and the other creatures of Xistentia are off on their business. Maybe that's when you choose to come out and help, to find new refugees sleeping in trees, thickets, beach-wrecked fuselage, and other places they had found sanctuary for the night.
WELCOME TO THE CITY
The second wave of arrivals comes into a city that is very different from the one that the first refugees did. Sure, there are still animals and overgrown trees intruding in many buildings and streets— but the center looks very civilized now. Eight full city blocks where the hedges are groomed and the building facades are clean and orderly.
There are a number of fully operational businesses, including restaurants and a tailor. Agriculture is taking off gradually, albeit in a disorganized fashion, thanks to the fact most of the people involved are amateurs. Street lights, the beacons that sense character interactions, are fully operational throughout the day-- likewise, most of the city's functions work just fine now, including indoor lights, plumbing, electricity, etc. Cable isn't great, though. Depending on how badly your encounter with the Wisps was, you may also get acquainted with the hospital. It still looks shabby and moss-eaten, but its glowing recovery enhancement beds work very well. Better bring someone with you, though!
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
hells yeah
Footnotes
- Some of these can be nameless, plot-device NPCs to facilitate interactions! But even in this case, please avoid gore in describing their current state of being. Anyone dead or catastrophically injured will have disappeared by the time your characters make it to Xistentia. There are no corpses or dying here.
- But like OOCly ask permission ofc.
b
Rose has experienced their tricks before, but perhaps because loss has been such a prominent theme in her life she still succumbs. ]
Hey there, wildflower.
[ Her head snaps in the direction of a voice she hasn't heard in over thirty years. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind she can also hear Boston playing on a dated eighties radio. The first song he'd ever sang for her, the beginning of her own love of music. The beginning of her love for him.
It's Ren. She can see him, she can-
'Whatever you're seeing, it's not real.'
Magnus. That's right. She was with Magnus, she was. She'd found him in the woods after searching for crash victims. They were looking for Alec together, she thinks. Had they already found him? She can't remember. The blond shakes her head, still unfocused. Still looking out through trees at the vision of a man she'd do anything to truly see. ]
What's the matter? Don't frown like that, c'mon.
You know how much I love your smile. It'd probably light up the whole night.
Stop, [ she says, quiet. It was meant to be a thought, but is uttered as she tries to collect herself. She knows he's not real. Ren's dead and he's not coming back, he's not getting the second chance that she did. She tried to resurrect him already and it was a harsh lesson in why the dead need to stay buried. Just remember the stench of rotten flesh and scraping sounds of him shambling towards her is enough to make her stomach threaten to turn. ]
Magnus, I- We need to get out of here, I can't. I'm seeing things. I'm sorry, I don't.
[ 'I don't know how to make it stop.' ]
no subject
A faint song, something he remembers hearing centuries ago. The quiet whisper of cold laughter, a flash of teeth. Further back, there are other things the wisps could find, but he keeps an iron door between himself and those thoughts. He tries to stay alert, so he has both eyes open when Rose starts drifting into memory. Then, because no magic needs to be at work to let those images of the past get a foothold on his thoughts, he says what he says to her for both her sake and his own.
It's not real. The past can revisit you, yes, but it's had its turn to make a mark on either of their souls. Magnus doesn't want to see anyone get pulled into its grip again, not himself, not Rose, no one. He reaches forward when she speaks, slowly moving so he's able to lay a gentle hand on her shoulder. The whole time, he's careful to project each move, to show he means no harm. ]
Walk with me, all right? [ In the same cautious manner as before, his hand slides down the length of her arm, looking to get a grip on her hand. ] We're going to leave.
[ That he says as much to either of them as whatever's lurking in the area. They're going to leave and get some distance between themselves and these specters of their pasts. He might not know exactly what it is that Rose is seeing, but the sound of her voice is more than enough to incite an urge to get her to safety. ]
We're going to go somewhere safe, all right, my dear? [ Ducking his head, he tries to look for eye contact with her, to help her focus on him and not whatever she's seeing. ] All right? You and I, we'll meet up with Alexander. [ It's tempting to look around, but he doesn't. He keeps his eye on her. ]
no subject
Alright, [ she answers, giving a nod. His hand to her shoulder is a good call. It helps to ground her a little to what's real (Magnus, Xistentia) and what's not (Do you want to hear me sing, wildflower?). More than anything, she thinks, but-
Magnus is talking again and she tries to focus on that through her hazy stumbling down memory lane. ]
Right, yeah, I'm. I got this. [ The blond lifts her own hands then, slapping her cheeks and shaking her head harshly. A bit exaggerated - to hopefully help lighten the mood - and smiles. Nevermind that it doesn't quite reach her eyes. ] We gotta' get Alec. That's, y'know. That's more important.
[ More important than chasing phantoms in the wood. Or perhaps more important than just her problems, since she does have issues with belittling her own issues. Easier than facing them but not exactly the healthiest thing in the world. ]
no subject
Then again, that's probably exactly why they do, isn't it? He reaches for both her hands with his after she slaps herself, giving a quick shakes of his head. It's sympathetic, not critical. He understands the need to try and hurtle oneself back to reality. ] We'll find Alexander and won't let these things bother us any longer, okay? [ Once again, he's sort of saying it for both their benefit.
It makes him deeply uneasy, thinking of a situation where they're both being lured down the road to the past. They could easily get trapped like this. One of them has to stay alert at all times.
So, he'll start up chattering or humming or rattling off potion ingredients if need be, but he's not going to leave Rose behind. Literally or metaphorically. ] Let's walk, shall we?
[ Walk away from here.
Post-haste. ]
no subject
Okay, [ she agrees. If he keeps talking, she can focus. So, honestly, she probably wouldn't mind listening to him prattle on about whatever his heart desires. Whatever might help. Though now that she's a bit more of mind (Where you going, wildflower?) she keeps her gaze straight ahead (Stay a while.) and picks up the pace. The faster they get out of this forest and away from these things, the better. ]
Sorry, I'm. Usually better at not letting this stuff get to me. Thought I was done chasing past phantoms.
no subject
He squeezes her hands, both to comfort and ground her. Stay here, Rosie. ] I think we all have that thought one time or another, [ he says softly. ] 'I'm done letting the past have a hold on me.' I don't think any of us anticipate something like this. [ Here, he lifts their intertwined hands to indicate the situation around them.
It's not exactly your run-of-the-mill encounter. ]
And you don't have to apologize to me, Rose. [ He ducks his head a bit to make sure he meets her eye. ] I understand.
no subject
No, usually not. But you'd think after four worlds, I would've learned that these places always find a way to surprise you.
[ 'You don't have to apologize,' he says but... It still feels like she should. That she should be stronger or smarter or something to fight off this influence. ]
I know you do, dude. M'just... It's hard, I guess. I hate this kind of stuff getting to me.
no subject
In his eyes, she deserves some peace. ]
I've had that thought a time or two, [ he admits, smiling wryly as he takes a step, hoping to lead her with him. ] What if we make a pact to go easy on ourselves and others if things we can't possibly have predicted catch us unawares?
[ Hm? That would theoretically eliminate the need for apologies. ]
Each of us experiences it, my dear. [ Magnis gives a little shake of his head. ] You're no less strong for feeling affected.
no subject
I can try. Kind of hard to go against all that training of 'be strong enough to face the worst, or else.' [ She'll never think any less of Magnus for being caught unawares, of course. Just herself. Always herself.
Either way, she starts to step along after him ignoring the calls of wildflower weaseling their way into her brain. Ugh. ]
no subject
Overjoyed, really. Especially given the circumstances and how much he's been leaning toward worrying. For people from two worlds, no less. ]
I think all we can do is try. [ He considers the second part for a moment. It sounds familiar. Not because it's something he's heard directed his way. 'Break noses and accept the consequences' though... ] And I don't think you have to go against it all at once, Rose.
One moment at a time isn't a bad way to go.
no subject
I think Simple Plan had as song called 'Me Against The World.' I could quote it, but I think the title alone speaks for the edgelordiness of it.
[ Also, ] It doesn't really apply anymore though since I got Van and you and Rafa. Vex, too, I guess. He's there. [ She teases. Vex is definitely part of her pack at this point. ]
But I'll. Try. To take it a little less at a time, maybe.
no subject
That's what he feels, anyway. ]
I suppose that makes it 'Me and Mine Against the World' doesn't it? [ Magnus smiles a little, then adopts a contemplative expression. ] You're right, that does take some of the edge off, doesn't it?
[ He's over that though. Lonely days are gone, gone, gone. And whatever they have to face now? He's more than willing to face it alongside others. ]
Baby steps. [ He gives her hand a squeeze, beginning now to sort of stroll along. ]
no subject
Just a little, [ she concedes, with an amused huff. ]
[ While she knows he's right, 'baby steps' can be frustrating in and of themselves. It feels like not enough progress is being made, that she should be better somehow by now.
But there again, she's thought that for a long while. Either way, she easily follows him now with the voices of distant past growing fainter all the while at the stray from the will-o-wisps. ]
Did I ever tell you how I got into music?
no subject
A little, [ Magnus reiterates, holding up his free hand with thumb and forefinger nearly touching one another. Tiiiiny bit. He's smiling a tiny bit too.
Then, more seriously: ] I don't believe you have told me that story. Is it one you'd like to share?
[ They talked about music quite a bit, about the music she likes. He has pieced together a little about the story, but nothing detailed. When she mentions it, he does find himself wondering if it's related to what she's seen or heard. Or if it has more to do with what they were talking about.
Or, maybe, if it's a little of both. That'd be understandable, given the circumstances. ] I'd be happy to listen, if you like.
no subject
His name was Ren. He went by the stage name 'Luke Johnson' though because when he found out what 'Johnson' was slang for in English he said he laughed for days over it. Knowing him, I actually believed he did. [ There's a bitter-sweetness to recalling it all. She'd never talked much about Ren, not even to Roxanne or Charlie or the Morgans. ]
He was in a band, Puddle of Paint. The guitarist. I never... got to see him play, actually, but his love of music was obvious. Infectious. [ A pause. ] I'll show you his picture, sometime. I got it in my guitar case.
no subject
That's not a tease, either. It's serious. He most certainly knows what it is to have your heart captured by an artist. Romantically or otherwise. ] He sounds like an amazing person, Rose.
I'd love to see him, [ he says, the words easy, but not exactly casual. He watches her for a moment. ] Is that when you learned to play the guitar? [ He cocks his head to the side, the question casual in the way that his comment was not. It's to leave room for her if she'd rather not answer. ]
no subject
He was. One of the best souls I've ever known, [ she adds, without hesitation. Ren might have had his shortcomings - what had led him to the ring wasn't anything good, after all - but he wasn't a bad person by any means. Anyone who was willing to make the sacrifice for her that he did couldn't be. ]
I learned after he passed, actually. He, uhm. He left his guitar for me. So the one I have was actually his.
no subject
He means a lot to you. [ Magnus uses the present tense, not because someone is alive or not, but because the meaning's still alive. Obviously, if she carries mementos of him. A picture, his guitar... ] Was it the guitar that inspired you to learn then?
[ Again, he doesn't mean the guitar itself inspired her, more like the gift of it. He's curious, but not in a nosy way. Just wants to encourage her to talk if she's ready. ]
no subject
Still, she fell in love with all of them despite herself. So maybe it is easy, in some ways. Terrifying and hard in others. ]
He does, [ she doesn't hesitate to say, also in present tense. He's never left her after all this time even if his life was over. ] It was. It just seemed right, y'know? To carry on his memory that way and... Well, after everything that happened after he died I needed a job that would help me move, so.
Roadie work was big in the 80s. A blond-haired, starry-eyed young adult who was apirising to be a musician was appealing I guess to some bands looking for hired hands. It worked out well. Got to move, got to play music, got to live a cool life roaming around and seeing things, learning about humanity first hand... It was pretty great, all things considered.
no subject
Falling might be easy, but picking yourself up afterward? There's something Magnus has struggled with.
Profoundly. ]
You carried the best parts of him with you? [ It's not entirely a question. It's more like he's saying this is something he's done. That it does seem right when you lose someone, to let yourself hold onto something that was important and carry it into the future.
He's done that with people - people who didn't die. ]
It sounds like you have some fond memories of that time. You've been playing since then? [ That is a question. ]
no subject
An expression she learned fairly quickly from humanity was 'you don't always get what you want.' ]
More or less! I picked up some other instruments along the way, too, like piano. Violin. Flute. I really want to learn how to play the drums, but just never found the opportunity.