[WORLD ONE | SEPTEMBER INTRO LOG]

[spellbindmods]

Who: The new coven members, old blood & Palai people
Where: In and around the city land of Aimintas
When: Day 61
Open/Closed: Open to All

The initial setting information found here should be utilized for threads here.

There's no official OOC account for the Palai people. You're free to roleplay their actions and reactions on your own, as in depth as you want -- asking questions, hand-waved interactions, becoming best friends. The new world is your oyster!

All characters are told briefly what their powers are by Genette -- no extemporaneous details. For instance, if your character has the ability to detect lies, they'll be told as such -- no warning about limitations, repurcussions or the like. They'll also be given a variant of this letter so they aren't totally ignorant of the situation -- though of course adapt this letter to the current setting and surroundings of the game.

This setting may be familiar to you -- maybe you caught a glimpse of it when you first visited. Maybe this is your first time experiencing this weird world and the panic is setting in. If you're totally lost, a tall human woman with a long scroll of paper will stop by to give you the run down. She'll also give you a letter, which may give you more questions than answers since the information is a wee out of date. (Maybe someone else can fill in some gaps for you). What you may not know is that this world recently experienced something of a tragedy. You wouldn't be able to guess this based on the festive energy in the air. The main marketplace where you've shown up finished reconstruction last night, and after grief comes joy to the Palai -- those lizard creatures you see wandering around. They're now hosting a festival to celebrate their success and the lives of those both still present and those lost. It's also a chance for them to host one of those big celebrations like they'd previously seen in human books. However, their resources are limited -- don't blame them if things are a little cut-and-paste! A ▢ One of the preferred methods for masking grief in the Palai world is playing games. Because the Palai are still on their shrimp kick (the old blood characters are probably sick of them at this point), the shrimp are being used as part of a few festival games: Shrimp Scoop: Live prawns have been placed in a tank of water. Instead of paper scoops, players are handed small scraps of cloth which they may then dive into the six-foot tall tank to try and grab the prawns with -- no hands! And no magic or your prawn will be revoked. For extra incentive, sacks of golden coins have been tied to the prawns. These coins can be exchanged for goods and prizes, though what your character receives for their coin -- no matter how bland or wacky -- is up to your character. Shrimp Shock: Dead shrimp have been placed in a wading pool. Your character and another character enter the pool while Elto shock the shrimp out of the water. With about 20 shrimp in the water, the character with the most shrimps caught out of the air wins an allotment of coins. Whack-a-Shrimp: Eltos have powered six large, stuffed shrimp dolls (made with cloth), that will pop out of cut holes in a large game board. Hit the shrimp as many times as you can in 30 seconds, and your number will amount to the coins you receive. Shrimp Fest: Is your character a big eater? Your character is given a plate of cooked jumbo prawns. If they can eat all 50 jumbo prawns in 30 seconds, they win 100 coins. B ▢ What good is a festival if there's no face painting? Don't worry, you have more options than shrimp. Palai have an assortment of paints and are making colourful designs on both their kin and coven members -- your request may not look exactly as you want it to since they have bumpy hands and claws that get in the way.

This is all pretty juvenile, but fear not! For the mature sort and adults of Aimintas, there's a more quiet part set up that may cater to your older interests. A softer atmosphere, away from the excitement of things. If you want to wind down from the thrill of being magicked away to a new world, this is probably the best way for it. C ▢ Fans of alcohol will find that the Palai have broken out their best spirits for themselves and the coven. Some of these aged spirits are decades old and have aged accordingly, giving them a bitter flavor with a nasty bite of alcohol. Others are more recently distilled or imbued with magic for an extra buzz. Accordingly, some drinks can get you inebriated pretty quickly. Some drinks are essentially giddy truth serums. Others may have an effect on magic or telepathy. Pick your poison! D ▢ The environment in this more secluded area of the marketplace is supposed to be more relaxed, but it's also the best place to sit if you want a front row seat to the fireworks exhibit the remaining Eltos are putting on. Through balls of dye and their electrical powers, they're quickly blowing up the sky with arcs of color that rain down in the form of bright pieces of glitter once the spectacle is over. They also have a special service they're offering -- the Eltos have a grasp on electrical magic, which means they can draw certain things in the sky with these dye balls. If you have a request for a written message or a drawing of some sort, they'd be happy to comply with your wish! For the real adult experience, however, you may want to check out the large rolling cart that Palai are pushing around the marketplace, landing it in the fireworks area. This cart is filled with all of the eggs that were a product of their mating season, and this part of Aimintas is the warmest. E ▢ For newbies and those who missed the egg train, your character can instead be Egg Parent for a Night. The Palai are holding their eggs to warm them for the evening, but (like most parents with new babies) they're certainly trying to show off their creations. Hold them, pass them around -- or maybe even act a fool and fend off a fiercely angry Palai parent.

Finally, the Palai are getting used to the standard familiar faces, so they aren't unaware that there are quite a few new faces in the mix. Based on how familiar your character is, they'll receive a nice little gift from the Palai. Older coven members will receive a scrolled parchment that lists them as honorary citizens of Aimintas and a handmade, harden clay sculpture of their likeness. It may not look a lot like them, but they tried. F ▢ What about new members? Well, they get the Aimintas Starter Kit: an unmarked vial containing Palai mating pheromones (makes your character affectionate, etc), a bag of cooked shrimp, a collection of their baked goods and energy drinks (containing Elto magic that makes magical abilities hard to handle), and a harmless paper flower. Your character likely isn't used to the dangers of some of these items, so maybe someone can help them...or is it too late? G ▢ Because the Palai recognize new faces, these new coven members will be dragged to other coven members who they do recognize. In an effort to help make introductions, the Palai are trying to connect new members with old members in order to foster friendships. Say hi to a new, awkwardly introduced covenmate...? H ▢ Wildcard! How will your character interact with this new and unusual world?

Comments

[snipers]

shrimp-a-palooza! with special guest star: that one dude with the hat

[ this is weird. this is really, really weird. okay, the whole ‘new universe’ thing is the weirdest thing of it all, but when she separates herself from that — the weirdest thing is that this feels like a summer festival, complete with games, take-home pets. the only thing that seems to be missing are masks and fireworks. but the last thing yukari remembered from home was that it was late january, still bitter cold on the top of a tower.

well, at least she had someone familiar at her side. ]

C’mon, Junpei, I bet you get a few more.

[ junpei’s been sticking to yukari’s side like a very attached puppy waiting to go home from this strange place, certain that it’ll be left behind if he’s not in extremely close proximity. they’ve stopped in front of the whack-a-prawn, and junpei twirls the soft hammer in his hand. ]

Oh! Oh, I’ve so got this. Lemme smash!

[ iori steps up to the plate board, cuffing his sleeves up for The Drama, and the timer starts. still not used to the hammer, it starts out a little slow, then starts to pick up the pace, wham! hit. wham! hit. whump. miss. wham! hit--! in the final stretch, he goes to slap down a big shrimp baby on the opposite corner of the board...!

and overreaches, trips, and falls flat on his face. ;__; ow. looks like there’s gonna be no shrimp heaven now... maybe help him up? yukari certainly isn’t, she’s standing to the side, trying her best not to break down into giggles. a palai offers her a bag of coins — up until that point, he didn’t do... that bad? ]

Looks like you’re still A, [ snort ] Ace Defective. [ snerk ]

[ still face first on the ground, baseball cap askew, and voice muffled, junpei takes his time picking himself up. ] ...I’m keeping the pet shrimp.

[ oh, honey, this isn’t the game where you get the pet… please save them from themselves. replies will come from both with no tagging order unless you'd like one! ]

e;

[ she doesn’t know why she’s been given this egg. she doesn’t know why it’s relatively cool to the touch or why several of the little lizard people seem more than happy to hand off the egg to unsuspecting humans, but here yukari is, gently cradling the egg in her hands and trying her best not to drop it. usually she figures she’s pretty good with kids, but not… not when they’re. in egg form. what is this how did this happen what does she do.

the worst part of it all is that the actual parent of the egg she’s holding has gone missing.

um.

so! this is yukari, approaching the nearest coven member, keeping a protective grasp on that tiny little child. ] Hey —! Excuse me! D’you know anything about these guys? One of them handed this to me, and … I lost ‘em in the crowd. Can you help me find them?

g;

[ NO SHE CAN MAKE FRIENDS ON HER OWN — oh god why. hi there, stranger. here’s yukari getting basically shoved all up into your business because this is your wildcard prompt! ]

E

[needmetoo]

[Perhaps it'll be a relief (or perhaps not, since Xion doesn't look a day over fourteen), but when Xion turns to reply, it'll be easy to spot that she's carrying an egg of her own. In a sling, but... still an egg.

Her eyes widen slightly when they see what Yukari's holding.]

W-well, um... [She glances up at Yukari and realizes belatedly that hey, she hasn't seen that face around here before.] Did... you just got here, right?

[snipers]

[ she bobs her head in a nod ]

Yeah, I did. [ it's safe to say she has no idea what's going on, but hey, she's glad for any sort of help. ] I was wandering around and... they handed this to me.

[needmetoo]

Well, um...

[This is going to be awkward to explain.]

There was an attack, a few days ago. It was a surprise, so a lot of the Palai died. So... [She gently hefts her own egg.] A lot of the eggs don't have parents anymore. And they're giving some to us to help.

e

[transcutation]

[Cagliostro had already avoided a crowd of proud parents earlier so it's not hard to surmise what's happened to this girl the moment she starts talking. The amount of sympathy Cagliostro feels for her... is pretty much none.]

And how am I supposed to identify them? Their parental resemblance?

[Yeah, she ain't helping]

[snipers]

[ ..... ]

.. Yeah, that's a good point.

[ look, even if calgiostro is nasty, at least she speaks the truth. ]

Ugh, I guess this'll be a lot harder than I thought.

[transcutation]

[Hey, for some dumb bleeding heart who hasn't just dumped the egg on someone else yet, Cagliostro's surprised Yukari agrees with her that quickly]

In the first place, why'd they even give it to you? Seems like a good way to lose your kid, case in point.

[Her interest seems, at best, academic as she casually sips her drink. She's not about to let someone else's predicament ruin her festival leisure.]

g!

[birthrighted]

[ Valko looks offended that some girl is getting all shoved in his face, but he soon lets up on the expression when he sees how cute she is. What can he say? He's easily swayed. It's always more forgivable to have a girl shoved in your face than another dude. He does give a frown to the Palai responsible for this meeting however. ]

They really shouldn't treat a lady that way.

[ He looks to her then and offers her a smile. ]

I suppose they want us to greet each other. My name is Valko.

[snipers]

[ oh! someone's called her a lady, how nice... usually she'd brush it off with a roll of her eyes but this guy's kinda cute so ... for once, she'll let it slide.

just this once though. ]

Yukari. [ she laughs a little, brushing off her cardigan and smoothing out her sleeves. ] Sorry we had to meet like this, but I guess it's better to have a friend than be on your own, right?

[birthrighted]

[ but of course she's a lady! or well she's certainly pretty. he doesn't quite understand the clothes she's wearing, or the origins of her name, but he's just taking it all in slowly but surely. ]

I've never heard a name like that before. [ he means it as a compliment, offering another smile. ]

And yes, I had been trying to face all of this alone, but it's not working out well for me I'm afraid.

SHRIMP

[mapsio]

[Haru's immediate thought at the festival is fond memories of spending a school destival with her friends. The laughs they shared, the time they spent together. The food, the games... all of it.

Her train of thought is only broken once she spots the two over by the whack a prawn, and without thinking about it... she giggles at them.

Especially the one of the hat on, sorry hat guy.]

Are you okay?

[She's going to call out to him, still...giggling....]

HEAVEN.

[slugout]

[ do they have an audience? yes they dooooo. a class clown only knows one way to deal with embarassment like this especially in front of (what sounds like) a cute girl! yukari too, i guess. he starts to roll around in the dirt, clutching at his heart and making a big show of his fake pain. ]

Owowowowwwww... I'm doomed! Yukaricchi — if I don't recover, wear my hat by your heart, always... remember me... Remember who you are, Simba...

[ cue a shoddily acted fake death a la opening scene in zootopia, before junpei rolls onto his back, in the dirt... leaving haru and yukari in silence. nice awkward silence. ]

[snipers]

[ it won't be quiet for long... ]

Yeah, he's fine.

[ she nudges junpei's hip with her foot before stepping over him and standing next to haru ]

He'll stay down there as long as you give him attention, so just ignore him for now.

s h r i m p . . . . ლ(́◉◞౪◟◉‵ლ

[ensorcel]

[ camilla is rather useless when it comes to saving people from their own awkward sadness, but what she is good for is making things worse. she is cradling her own stuffed crawfish to her bosom as if it were a baby when she catches the two. the destruction seems oddly natural for some reason. she wagers the two of them are used to it by now. ]

Now now, chin up young man. I'm sure your lovely girlfriend here is appreciative of your attempt. You were undeniably close, after all.

[ and then, she turns to yukari with an equally sweet smile. ]

And you, do be gentler with your poor boyfriend. Teasing is all well and good, but make sure it waits until you are certain he isn't too banged up. You know how delicate men's egos can be.

[ girlfriend?? boyfriend??? camilla, why!!! ...thankfully she's just teasing the poor duo. ]

im sorry that junpei iori exists

[slugout]

[ junpei is still trying to pick himself up off the ground, his hat still!! a mess when camilla strolls over. from his vantage point, things are very confusing. who is this lady? what is she wearing? did she find an actual shrimp baby? how does she know who his girlfriend is? did she find an actual shrimp baby — wait. ]

Whoa whoa whoa, lady, wait, what? [ he scrambles to his feet as fast as his gangly teen boy limbs will let him, unconsciously standing next to yukari as he stares at this lady, agog — and realises he has a question. ]

... Does that... armor actually work?

[ i mean, the battle panties were technically armor, but... this seems so much more substantial... and.. not as bouncy... ]

i'm not

[snipers]

[ yukari has only a moment to feel bummed that junpei didn't win her a stuffed prawn (camilla makes it look so endearing, for some reason??), but she's quickly on the defensive, waving her hands. ]

Oh, geeze, no no! Stupei's not my boyfriend. [ AhahahahAHaha awkward... laughter. ] I'm not sure my boyfriend's here, actually, but... It's definitely not Stupei.

SHRIMP

[actus]

[ .... what did he just witness? he's unable to suppress the chuckle, even with his hand curled up in a fist over his mouth. that guy is just clueless isn't he? still, it's reminiscent of the time he fell on a treadmill, so he can't really blame the guy entirely .]

They're poisonous. The shrimp. They bite.

[ no they don't????? ]

[slugout]

[ junpei is slowly picking himself up off the floor. slowly. veeery slowly. like he's got creakier bones than a 17 year old ever should. (he doesn't. he just likes the drama.) ]

Doesn't matter...! I earned that attack shrimp. They don't have dogs here, I gotta make do!

[ junpei no. ]

[actus]

[ junpei yes. ]

... Woof?

[ yes, he in fact just deadpanned a bark at you, junpei. what of it? it's perhaps as ridiculous as you wanting to keep the shrimp as a pet after learning they were "poisonous." uh-huh. yep. ]

shrimp!

[pussywhips]

[ Ann stops to watch the whack-a-shrimp action, her interest piqued by this very... unique guy. Hm. Anyway, she isn't standing too far away as she watches him whack away, her arms crossed in front of her—in fact, she's kind of secretly rooting for him at this point, since he's so into it.

The second he goes down, though, a kind of snort-laugh leaves her. This is what concern looks like! ]

Hey, are you okay?

[slugout]

[ ann takamaki you are an angel and he loves you. less than he loved (loves? :c) chidori but still more than most people, i guess. but he is the tank, so he's made for hits like this — or like when he gets excited and runs into walls at the dead ends of tartarus — and bounces back pretty well.

still! he won't turn down concern from a cute girl!!

junpei scrambles to his feet, all dust and missing hat (which gets rescued at the last second, and first priority for cleaning) and smiles for ann. ]

Hehe, yeah! Sand's not so tough.

e

[cadventuretime]

[Rottytops looked down at the egg, then into the crowd of people. Uh oh...]

Huh! Iiiinteresting. I had heard that they were doing this, but didn't think they would do it to somebody who just got here.

That Palai? Wanted you to be the mother of her child. How are you at parenting?

[Unfortunately she's trying to be honest here. She had known that many of the palai were trying to find parents for the orphaned children, and so made the assumption that this was more of that. The fact that the palai parent would probably want it back hadn't even occurred to the rot-brained zombie.]

[Oops.]

[snipers]

[ almost immediately, yukari goes absolutely pale. ]

Oh— oh, god, no. [ she quickly shakes her head ] No— I mean, I love kids, I'm great with them, I think, but... [ ahaha, awkward. ] I am wwwwaaay too young to think about this kinds stuff right now.

SHRIMP

[crownless_king]

[He'd never really been to a festival proper before. And this seemed like it was straight out of one of them urban JRPG type games. Just with a lot of shrimp. Like...a fucking lot of shrimp. And weird shrimp prizes. Like the nigh hyper-realistic shrimp doll he had traded in coins for. You know those giant ass teddy bears you can get from the fair? Yeah, that, but in shrimp form. Honestly, the only reason he had it at this point was for the reactions.

And who did he happen upon while perusing this weird ass festival? Why Mermaid Cultist herself, and some dude that probably had an ID card that introduced him as "the comic relief".

Yeah, he over heard them. And yeah, he knew exactly what he was going to do. Which was why, from behind Yukari (and the doll, bless it's freakishly large size) came a voice she would probably regret recognizing]

Mermaid cultist! I've found you at last!

[snipers]

[ jesus christ, she knows that voice, and she regrets recognizing it. honestly, she'd completely forgotten about this guy since hitching a ride down to the city but oh well! time to reach down and grab junpei by his shoulder, all giggling coming to a stop. ]

Junpei. Junpei get up. [ she's practically hauling him to his feet now. ] We gotta go.