![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
- adam parrish (trc),
- amanda perry (sgu),
- andrew minyard (aftg),
- arthur stuart (velvet goldmine),
- axel johnson (oc),
- blue sargent (trc),
- declan lynch (trc),
- era ra (final fantasy xiv),
- farraige oconell (oc),
- hanako rosalina nurumi (oc),
- jim kirk (star trek),
- john (taz),
- john murphy (the 100),
- joseph kavinsky (trc),
- katniss everdeen (thg),
- kenzi malikov (lost girl),
- rafaello d’este (oc),
- ronan lynch (trc),
- shane (oc),
- spock (star trek),
- vanyel greyjoy (skyrim),
- vex (lost girl),
- will solace (chb)
Mingle Log #1: Landmarks of Xistentia
Characters: All characters who opt in
Summary: A party to mark the first wave of incoming characters in Xistentia, punctuated with weird physics and an unexpected trip to the heart (or mind) of F.A.T.E.S.
Date(s): Late May 2017
Warnings/Notes: Sexual content and other potentially offensive or triggering material to be noted in headers.
It starts with the daemons, because of course it does. At sunset, they begin to ring and beep and urge you to follow directions through the city. For those with animate daemons, be they animals or people, the programs are even more intrusive. Pushing and pawing and urging you to get up and go. The destination is not far from the first reclaimed parts of the city— a tall tower covered in overgrown moss and trees, located near the beach, the Westernmost edge of the city. Even with the chaos of vegetation growing over it, it's clear that the building is a miracle of technology and style.
"Connection is essential," the daemon tells you. "However, genital contact is not required."
You have reached the Central Citadel, and it's time to party!
But F.A.T.E.S. is as susceptible to peer pressure and trendy trends as anyone else! Early birds will find that the atrium lounge is a true mess at first. Birds nesting in the ceiling, thorn plants all across the floors, and the bottles and cups at the white bar are empty. As parties go, this sucks. However, within a few minutes of the first arrivals, changes begin to overcome the club area visibly. It is exactly the same as the way the city has begun to accommodate the visitors, but far more accelerated. Soon, the lights begin to power on, filling the room with ambient illumination. Plants recede, but do not disappear entirely. High above, the ceiling suddenly morphs to display the starry night sky. And most importantly of all, there's booze.
With any luck, someone around here knows how to bartend, because F.A.T.E.S sure does not. Various liquors from across the multiverse are available, along with drink umbrellas, speared olives, mixers and wedges of fruit. However, the cocktails that automatically fill the glasses vary in taste from acceptable to horrific. Luckily, the bar does not keep anyone out.
If you're more than thirty minutes late, the kinks have worked themselves out. The party is now in full swing. F.A.T.E.S. has surrendered drink mixing duty to various refugees[1], resulting in much more palatable alcoholic beverages. Someone even found chicken fingers, which are making the rounds.
However, it appears that the invisible supercomputer is still trying to DJ. Predictably, the music ranges wildly based on the listeners-- one moment, you have 17th century lute music; the next, Trance. Blink 182 may even make a brief auditory appearance. It is not particularly easy to dance to this nightmarishly incoherent soundtrack, but it does provide a cross-section of multiversal experiences, for those of us who care about that kind of thing.
Alternatively, you can explore. The Central Citadel is filled with odd rooms. In the presence of only one or two explorers, the tidying effect doesn't happen nearly as quickly. Characters may find jungle-eaten conference spaces, computer laboratories, or even more sophisticated situation rooms thronged with vines and flowers. Somehow, the screens and monitors seem to work just fine with blossoms poking out of the harddrives. Rooms with beds are available as well, some of them already pre-carpeted with romantic roses. You might also find your way into a gym, where slightly rotted bokken and a dusty boxing ring nonetheless make for an interesting way to meet people who aren't into roses and laptops.
Characters who meet new CR at the Citadel have a special experience. When the two (or more) individuals get to talking, their daemons both abruptly interrupt with a very important, not at all loaded question. "Do you want to see something cool?" If the daemon was too big to come inside, the question is posed via earpiece or whatever other device.
The correct answer is "Yes." And with that, the characters are abruptly transported to The Telexistence Temple, on the Easternmost edge of the city. The sudden quiet seems deafening; the darkness is almost blinding before one's eyes adjust to the lines of light running through the tall stone walls. It is much cooler here than it was at the Central Citadel, but it has its own eerie dignity.
"In the future, this is where you may access information about your worlds. Recovery information, save points, and both passive and active world entry points are located here." A beat. Possibly the daemon is watching you stumble around. "Most of the tools have been disabled in order to prevent damage from inebriated users."
However, two pieces of technology continue to cooperate. First, a huge slab of glossy black stone the height of a desk, emitting holographic Head Up Display upward, the Chronological Cartographer. Your character must touch the device. Immediately then, a bright flowing diagram of data begins to spin through the air, whirling with lines and circles and familiar names. It is a chart of the worlds your characters have lived in before and the people they have met in the past timeline. The splitting point to Xistentia is clearly marked, and your future here is a red line wavering in darkness. Toy with it a little, and you'll even be able to pull up significant dates, friendships, enemies. Moments of transformation. F.A.T.E.S. remembers it all, and it is only a quick teleport from the Citadel. (Fortunately, it is also a quick teleport back.)
Second, there is a monitor with another HUD. It displays a HUD with a single prompt: Amenities needed?[2]
Starting the next day, the Temple will be accessible to all characters at all hours. Those granted access the night before will be able to find their way back with companions.
Footnotes
Summary: A party to mark the first wave of incoming characters in Xistentia, punctuated with weird physics and an unexpected trip to the heart (or mind) of F.A.T.E.S.
Date(s): Late May 2017
Warnings/Notes: Sexual content and other potentially offensive or triggering material to be noted in headers.
Mix and Mingle
Landmarks of Xistentia
It starts with the daemons, because of course it does. At sunset, they begin to ring and beep and urge you to follow directions through the city. For those with animate daemons, be they animals or people, the programs are even more intrusive. Pushing and pawing and urging you to get up and go. The destination is not far from the first reclaimed parts of the city— a tall tower covered in overgrown moss and trees, located near the beach, the Westernmost edge of the city. Even with the chaos of vegetation growing over it, it's clear that the building is a miracle of technology and style.
"Connection is essential," the daemon tells you. "However, genital contact is not required."
You have reached the Central Citadel, and it's time to party!
EARLY BIRDS
But F.A.T.E.S. is as susceptible to peer pressure and trendy trends as anyone else! Early birds will find that the atrium lounge is a true mess at first. Birds nesting in the ceiling, thorn plants all across the floors, and the bottles and cups at the white bar are empty. As parties go, this sucks. However, within a few minutes of the first arrivals, changes begin to overcome the club area visibly. It is exactly the same as the way the city has begun to accommodate the visitors, but far more accelerated. Soon, the lights begin to power on, filling the room with ambient illumination. Plants recede, but do not disappear entirely. High above, the ceiling suddenly morphs to display the starry night sky. And most importantly of all, there's booze.
With any luck, someone around here knows how to bartend, because F.A.T.E.S sure does not. Various liquors from across the multiverse are available, along with drink umbrellas, speared olives, mixers and wedges of fruit. However, the cocktails that automatically fill the glasses vary in taste from acceptable to horrific. Luckily, the bar does not keep anyone out.
FASHIONABLY LATE
If you're more than thirty minutes late, the kinks have worked themselves out. The party is now in full swing. F.A.T.E.S. has surrendered drink mixing duty to various refugees[1], resulting in much more palatable alcoholic beverages. Someone even found chicken fingers, which are making the rounds.
However, it appears that the invisible supercomputer is still trying to DJ. Predictably, the music ranges wildly based on the listeners-- one moment, you have 17th century lute music; the next, Trance. Blink 182 may even make a brief auditory appearance. It is not particularly easy to dance to this nightmarishly incoherent soundtrack, but it does provide a cross-section of multiversal experiences, for those of us who care about that kind of thing.
Alternatively, you can explore. The Central Citadel is filled with odd rooms. In the presence of only one or two explorers, the tidying effect doesn't happen nearly as quickly. Characters may find jungle-eaten conference spaces, computer laboratories, or even more sophisticated situation rooms thronged with vines and flowers. Somehow, the screens and monitors seem to work just fine with blossoms poking out of the harddrives. Rooms with beds are available as well, some of them already pre-carpeted with romantic roses. You might also find your way into a gym, where slightly rotted bokken and a dusty boxing ring nonetheless make for an interesting way to meet people who aren't into roses and laptops.
BONUS ADVENTURE: THE TEMPLE
Characters who meet new CR at the Citadel have a special experience. When the two (or more) individuals get to talking, their daemons both abruptly interrupt with a very important, not at all loaded question. "Do you want to see something cool?" If the daemon was too big to come inside, the question is posed via earpiece or whatever other device.
The correct answer is "Yes." And with that, the characters are abruptly transported to The Telexistence Temple, on the Easternmost edge of the city. The sudden quiet seems deafening; the darkness is almost blinding before one's eyes adjust to the lines of light running through the tall stone walls. It is much cooler here than it was at the Central Citadel, but it has its own eerie dignity.
"In the future, this is where you may access information about your worlds. Recovery information, save points, and both passive and active world entry points are located here." A beat. Possibly the daemon is watching you stumble around. "Most of the tools have been disabled in order to prevent damage from inebriated users."
However, two pieces of technology continue to cooperate. First, a huge slab of glossy black stone the height of a desk, emitting holographic Head Up Display upward, the Chronological Cartographer. Your character must touch the device. Immediately then, a bright flowing diagram of data begins to spin through the air, whirling with lines and circles and familiar names. It is a chart of the worlds your characters have lived in before and the people they have met in the past timeline. The splitting point to Xistentia is clearly marked, and your future here is a red line wavering in darkness. Toy with it a little, and you'll even be able to pull up significant dates, friendships, enemies. Moments of transformation. F.A.T.E.S. remembers it all, and it is only a quick teleport from the Citadel. (Fortunately, it is also a quick teleport back.)
Second, there is a monitor with another HUD. It displays a HUD with a single prompt: Amenities needed?[2]
Starting the next day, the Temple will be accessible to all characters at all hours. Those granted access the night before will be able to find their way back with companions.
Footnotes
- Some may be NPCs! Please avoid killing or maiming them without mod discussion first.
- Go here and fill out the form, reply to that comment, if your character is going to take F.A.TE.S. up on the amenities request.
2;
He almost rushes over, almost grabs her and pulls her into a hug. His fingers dig into his palms as he forces himself still, waits for his heart to not seem like it's about to jump right out of his throat before he turns fully around, scanning the room for Adam.
And then, he takes a deep breath, and, as nonchalantly as possible, slides over to Blue. ]
Thought you only did parties wearing togas?
no subject
Small talk with strangers wasn't exactly Blue Sargent's favorite pastime.
She notices Ronan -- or rather someone -- coming up next to her from out of the corner of her eye and in an instant, there's already a clipped retort of denial waiting on the tip of Blue's tongue. She didn't like making small talk with strangers at a party, much less did she want to do it with some random male.
(After all, she can count on one hand the number of boys that she's met and liked.)
But then, it's Ronan's voice and her mouth cracks into a wide, somewhat lopsided grin that gives way to a quiet laugh that shakes Blue's shoulders more than it does make noise. ]
I didn't have any sheets to spare.
no subject
It's a relief to have her there, but it raises questions, too. One especially is burning the tip of his tongue, and he lets out in a rush of air, sounding more worried than he wants to. ]
Where's Gansey?
no subject
(Is it a weird thing for her to find that in Ronan? Unexpected? Likely. But weird? Not so much. She cares for him just as deeply as she does Gansey, Adam, and Noah.)
The sound of Gansey's name makes something in the center of her chest clench tightly, almost painfully. And for a moment, it feels like the wind has been knocked out of her. Gansey. He'd been there with her, trying to protect her from whatever it was that had a hold of Noah, but in all the inky blackness and earsplitting noise she'd lost him. The warmth of his body close to her disappearing moments before she'd found herself in the ocean. ]
You haven't found him either?
[ She doesn't want to entertain the idea that they're here without him, despite how it seems to be the case. ]
no subject
Shit. Ronan gnaws on his leather bands for a second before he stops, startled into grabbing her chin, not as gently as he'd like, and turning her face towards him. She still has the marks from the Unmaker, when it took hold of Noah. Ronan remembers all too well meeting her and Gansey in the hospital, but he also remembers the scars fading slightly, the black eye disappearing.
It's stark and angry here, marring her skin in a way that makes her look badass and terrifying at the same time. She'd been so close to losing her eye. ]
When did you - get that? [ It probably sounds stupid, and he feels like he knows the answer. But that also means that he and Adam are from her future.
That she doesn't know about Gansey dying. ]
no subject
Blue's right about to open her mouth and question Ronan about something when suddenly his hand takes a hold of her chin, jerking her head to the side with a little more force than she'd anticipated. And considering she hadn't anticipated the action at all, any kind of force was surprising. ]
Ouch. Hey! What're you-- [ She cuts her words off with a huff and when Ronan questions her, Blue reaches up to carefully touch the wound in question. She hadn't taken any care of it -- no bandaging, no antiseptic, just a little water to clean whatever blood had dried on her skin. -- and it still looks relatively fresh even in its beginning stages of scabbing over. Inflamed, a little swollen at the edges, and accompanied by a dark smudge of violet-black underneath her eye. ]
After the party. We left early because things just didn't feel right and when we got back to my house, Noah -- Well, not really Noah -- but something was inside of him, like he was possessed by something really dark and really evil. [ Her brows furrow as she relives the memories inside of her head -- and for all she knows, Ronan's completely unaware of those events, she'd gone straight from there to here. No pit stop to visit Ronan and Adam in between. ] Gansey and I were trying to help, but... [ A shrug. Hopeless. Defeated. A look not very becoming of Blue. ] I don't know, it was all black everywhere and then, I was here.
no subject
She doesn't know, and Ronan is pretty sure he can't tell her. ]
So you haven't gone to the hospital, yet?
[ There are some things he must be able to say, right? Things like Gansey telling him and Adam about their relationship - as if they were oblivious, blind idiots. Well, Adam might have been, considering his reaction, but Ronan hadn't really cared. Of course he hadn't cared, his crush on Gansey had long ago turned into a brotherly love.
He bites on the insides of his lips then, eyes scanning the room for Adam again, before he looks back at Blue. ]
Okay. Adam and I - the ones that are here, in this... world, with you? We're from your future. [ It sounds so insane. But Blue is used to time being funny. ] We've lived through you getting this injury. We came to see you in the hospital. Noah was possessed, and that - that thing, it possessed parts of Adam, too, later.
[ Ronan remembers, starkly, darkly, being attacked by Adam. After heated kisses and falling asleep tangled up in each other, the next time they touched was when Adam tried to gouge his eyes out. Not Adam. It hadn't been Adam. ]
It's connected to Cabeswater.
no subject
Not that she could tell, at least. So, she was stuck with having to make due with a little bit of fresh water and a lot of crossing her fingers. Who knew what kind of bacteria was floating around in the air and whether or not getting it into an open wound would have caused any serious damage.
(But, on the plus side: at least she still looks pretty badass, right?) ]
I probably should've, but it doesn't hurt much anymore. I cleaned it the best I could, so I think it'll be okay.
[ Ronan starts explaining everything and it makes Blue's head feel like it's spinning. Time definitely didn't move in straight lines for them, but this was about as weird of a thing as it had ever done. Ronan and Adam were from some point in her future and while she had literally a thousand different questions for him about it, she also knows just how dangerous it is knowing that sort of thing. She can't help the curiosity, though, growing up surrounded by people who could tell what the future held and being the only one who couldn't had made her covet that sort of knowledge and those possessing it.
Then, he adds the kicker about Cabeswater. ]
If it's connected to Cabeswater then.... [ Her legs feel a little wobbly. Probably not a good sign. ] I think I should sit down.
[ And she does just that, finding a nearby empty chair and plopping herself down on it. ]
Do you know what it is?
no subject
Adam would probably tell him not to do it. It's partly why Ronan does. ]
The thing that attacked you, and possessed Noah, it's a demon. It came from the tombs, you know, the third sleeper bullshit thing. Turns out wasn't bullshit.
[ He sits across from Blue, putting the bottle on the table before nudging it towards her. ]
no subject
Even hearing Ronan confirm it didn't make it sound any more believable. Then again, the line between what could and couldn't be "real" had been blurred a long time ago.
She grabs the bottle, taking a drink from it and wrinkling her nose at the brief burn of alcohol down her throat. ] Do you think it's here, too?
[ If they had both ended up here, then what stopped a demon from coming along? ]
no subject
We - we got rid of it. But then before this, it was like it was back, but outside of Cabeswater, and I'm not talking about possession of people that were connected to Cabeswater. You remember that oozing tree my mom showed us?
[ Thinking about his mother still hurts, a punch straight to the heart and piercing through his lungs. It makes him worry about Matthew, all over again. ]
The same thing was happening, but all over. Adam and I went back to Cabeswater and found the portal to this place.
no subject
She pulls one of the more useless clips from her hair, pinning her bangs back with it for no reason other than to keep herself busy -- and because a few of the strands continued to poke her in the eye, which was a little annoying.
Blue nods at his question, that's one of the images burned into her memory, she doesn't think she'll ever forget it. ]
Why is all of this happening again, though? I don't understand... [ Because so many things that had happened in her life up until now came with an explanation she understood, right? ] And what's so special about this place that so many of us ended up here?
no subject
Did your daemon not explain? From what I gather, this place is like... the last place from where we can fight what's happening back home. It's not the demon anymore, it's this virus that's looking like the Unmaker.
[ Not that Ronan understood exactly how they could fight, or how they ended up here, and why it was them, and not Gansey and Henry or anybody else. He was just as much at a loss as Blue was. ]
This place, it's a computer program. I think. I don't know what it means about us. We might be in the Matrix, or something.
[ Ronan went back to gnawing at his leather bands, his stomach roiling over what it could potentially mean. ]
You found out where you're going to live, already?