spoofer: (piano)
Xistentia: Mod ([personal profile] spoofer) wrote in [community profile] xistentia2017-11-04 03:08 pm

War with D.E.S.T.I.N.Y.

Characters: Ensemble cast, any/all characters of Xistentia!
Summary: D.E.S.T.I.N.Y. comes to Xistentia for the first time, bringing with it violence and havoc. Combat against enemy agents, healing, emergency sanctuary, and "Drift Compatibility" happen here. Refer to the OOC plotting post and the mod announcement!
Date(s): November 4-18
Warnings/Notes: Violence, death, psychological themes, trauma. Please warn for anything else in your subject headers!

WAR WITH DESTINY
By headsman's blade or battle-axe
Fight For Your Life

Everything is, in short, super fucked. Era Ra's warning came at the right time, forewarning of some of the weapons and fighting styles that could be expected from D.E.S.T.I.N.Y.'s agents, but still, the people of Xistentia have not faced a force like this before. The ragtag combination of fighting styles and tactics promises both versatility and confusion.

For better or worse, D.E.S.T.I.N.Y. is in similar chaos.

The first to come are ships from the Western sea, bearing a mix of warriors in and monsters. Some wield old-fashioned steel swords and others bear laser blasters, and their armor is just as varied. Some creatures appear domesticated, while others are feral and snap at their own. However, one primary feature identifies the enemy: their war color is red, which adorns flags and uniforms. Interestingly, the sea and sky of Xistentia seem to be fighting back in their own way, massive waves and a storm, even animals pestering them as they attempt to land the beach. However, it's only a matter of time before the mainstay of their forces reach land, some two hundred fighters. It's then that sentient fires start to whirl into the forests, leaping from tree to tree.
You have the home court advantage. Even the foliage itself seems to cooperate with you, aiding in efforts for stealth by keeping you downwind, twigs failing to crack when you misstep. Soon, you're joined by Xistentia's other forces-- a handful of battered ships taking air, an odd assortment of elves and talking dogs, demons and aliens from outer-space, coordinating counter-attacks.
BATTLE MODE: ATTACK

You're locked in combat with a woman who seems oddly familiar, though you don't know her face and can't think of her name. You hit her in the head, and now a narrow slice of her face shows through her red-rimmed helm. She wields a rifle tipped with a heavy blade, though it crackles with electrical energy. She is a proficient swordswoman, deftly parrying and striking against you, her face eerily expressionless. Her blade has a switch that, when activated, will send out a net that numbs your limbs and drags you to the floor. Here's hoping you won't face this demon alone.

She's not your only problem. You may have noticed, that in every epic battle with evil wizards, there's always some kind of a problematically gigantic elephant. This is one of those days. At least, there's only one, its trunk as wide as a car, its feet moving slow, so that it might crush the trees rather than trip over them.

Fight one or both, or fight the hordes of nameless minions around them. Either way: there's plenty to do. Those of you who thought things were too quiet here? You'll be busy today.

SEEK SANCTUARY

Fighting isn't for you? Well, you'll want to get out of the way, then. The "wards" protecting the city are failing, and people are heading toward The Temple where the protections remain the strongest. Here, the injured need healing in the stone beds. The civilians do their best, comforting children, cooking food, trading intelligence, repairing weapons and armor where possible. Feel free to pitch in; they need all the help they can get.
BATTLE MODE: SUPPORT (PSYLINK)

And here, you've reached the Temple, you've laid yourself down on one of the many glass-and-stone beds within the safety of its stone walls. You know what the other Xistentia residents have told you about it— this is the next phase, after the memory share had raised shields against the psychotropic rain. This is the PsyLink. Through this bond, you are said to be able to activate special defenses. No one seems to know exactly what they are, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And beyond the Temple walls, times are desperate indeed.

Each drift requires at least two people. Your daemons will find and connect you, seemingly at random— and you may find yourself with the unlikeliest of partners.
Drift Compatible

The Kissing Booth participants find it easiest. Everyone else-- it's a wild jumble, finding yourself caught up in a firehose of not only your own memories, but that of someone else. Everything they think, everything they feel, is intertwined with your mind.

You can't get caught up in it. You have to let the memories of the past, your predictions for the future, and the terror of war flow in and out of you, without neither resistance or pursuit, gently tuning them out. And in this serenity, this psychic silence, this acceptance of not only yourself but the other other, you find perfect connectivity— harmony with your PsyLink partner.

In this space, you find yourself having strange conversations. You and your partner will share ghostly images, some of which seem to be images from the past— while others seem to be present-day moments from the battle outside, fighting the enemy, as if you are somehow in two places at once. You must find traction and stay in the now and stay calm, but it's harder than you think.

The instant you latch onto that memory or emotion, it's a mistake... but you forget.

Your shadow is here. Whether out-of-context, or right here where it was meant to be, it's trying to kill you.

But you're not trapped here alone. Someone is calling your name, a familiar voice in the pandemonium. That voice comes from your drift partner. It's up to them to pull you back, remind you of who you are, and balance you. Hold on to them - they're your anchor, but you'll have to do the same for them. A successful drift means helping each other. Do it well, and you'll help to power the temple's defences. Fail, and there'll be trouble for everyone seeking sanctuary here.
monologue: icons by <user name="manual"> are commissioned, please dnt w/o asking. (xi.)

[personal profile] monologue 2017-11-12 12:39 am (UTC)(link)
[ it's not bad at first, really.

the shooting.

juno's done it before, but never off "stun" not since the proctor. not to... kill. but he sets his mouth firmly because that's what these soldiers are out for: blood, and he's not willing to let them have it. the gun that shepard loans him is weighty and takes getting used to, wants to misalign his entire shoulder if he bears in on it wrong, but with some practice rounds and some adjustments, he's good to go from their place firing off at them.

but it's long and juno finds that the boost to his reflexes and adrenaline that the theia affords him is waning. his hands cramp, his ribs ache, and a badly-displayed spatter of gore like an expressionist art exhibit is sprawled across the ground.

so when shepard grabs him, he almost wants to shove her away. not yet, he's got this, he's got it, just give him a minute, but her grip is firm and she's pushing enough that he lets go.

is almost happy to, but his fingers still hold their shape loosely as he looks at shepard and gives her a rictus grin. ]
What, you don't like my shooting, sir?

[ god even his voice sounds nauseous, wavering a little as he tries to look less green. ]
upside: (pic#11724116)

[personal profile] upside 2017-11-22 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
( she mans the gun like she was meant to, like she's been trained to do, a marksmen's eye caught in the tight aim, finger on the trigger, pulling in rapid succession one, two, three. unlike juno, shepard has never used a "stun" setting before -- training from n1 to n7 raised her to be a soldier, to put her heart into the war and lay her body down fighting if that's what it comes to. every fight is life or death, but thankfully for her side of the war, she's got a lot of fight in her.

her gaze drifts back to juno when he speaks, lips turned up in a half-hearted chuckle, that quickly rights itself as she sets back to the task as hand, firing the gun. she tuts her tongue, and the shake of her head doesn't effect her aim.
)

Not at all, solider. You might be the best shot I've ever seen, as a matter of fact. ( again her gaze drifts, watching and waiting, green eyes meeting juno's in a mix of amusement on top of -- parental worry. ) Your clients must've appreciated that.
monologue: icons by <user name="manual"> are commissioned, please dnt w/o asking. (Default)

meanwhile @dad

[personal profile] monologue 2017-11-27 12:22 am (UTC)(link)
[ juno shifts from his position so he can sit up a little more, rest his head against something solid, to take a few solid breaths of fresh air instead of breathing in the heat and plasma from shepard's rifle. while he doesn't like being told to rest not of his own accord, he can concede to shepard. he's not sure why, but there's something about her he can trust, something familiar that makes him sink down a little lower and ease up the tension in his shoulders as he meets her eyes for a second and then looks down between his feet. ]

Came in handy a couple times. Used to be the best shot around 'til I lost my eye. Now the implant kind of just [ defeated in a way, brow dipping ] does most of the shooting for me, these days.