Hijinks Mingle

[potentite]

Who: Everyone!
Where: Anywhere around the hub!
When: Days 103-105
Open/Closed: Open mingle!
Notes: See this post for details on the moon prompt and this one for the telepathy/dream/spirit prompts!



[A | Flower Gleam and Glow]
[The nearby moon is still passing close to the hub island, meaning the effects are still in play. Perhaps now is the time to stop and smell the large lit up sparkling moonflowers that have bloomed? Or be annoyed by the mosquito-like insects that came with them.

Alternatively, the deer seem to draw some sort of energy from the moon's light. Given their size, at least their sudden aggression and proximity to the base camp isn't the worst thing in the world but a kick would still break a rib or other bone so be careful! Possibly help each other deal with these cute but troublesome fauna.]



[B | Eavesdropping]
[For some reason, the telepathy will suddenly get rather wonky. Characters won't know why it's happening, though of course no doubt there will be ponderings, but it means characters won't be in control of their ability to broadcast — or more specifically, not broadcast — their thoughts. Time to find out secrets of an embarrassing nature. Or maybe something sadder is going on in your character's head.

If this wasn't bad enough, the area around the signet might experience burning or tingling. Just try to keep a lid on your brain for the day and distract yourself from any annoying pain.]



[C | Talking In Your Sleep]
[Or maybe your character just doesn't have the most interesting thoughts. Maybe they're busy thinking about pie instead of their upsetting childhood. That's fair. Pie is great.

But surely sometimes it haunts their dreams. With the telepathy running amuck, it's no wonder dreams and nightmares are leaking through, too. Of course, it doesn't have to be an accident. Feel free to grab a friend and share a fanciful dreamscape together on purpose! But for those nuts that are tougher to crack, accidents can and will happen.]



[D | Who You Gonna Call]
[Last but not least, as Friday rolls around, there seems to be something odd going on with the island. If your character is inclined towards the spiritual or supernatural, they'll no doubt notice the strange heavy thickness hanging around. There are whispers in the air and all of new energy just feels solemn. Might be good to give people a heads up and keep an eye on it.]

Comments

[rootandbranch]

I don't really get mine, either. There's a lot that I don't know about what I can do. But I showed up in Vern's dream before, and I knew it was his dream, and this is the same way...

[he nods to the east.]

What's that way?

[splinten]

Did that happen here, or is it because of the way your souls are connected

[Dirk glances Eastward. It gets darker, and... a little off.]

It was Baytown back on Earth. Its actual nature in my dreams is currently indeterminate.

[soulcomet]

[asking her not to worry might be asking too much of her. but he's succeeded in reassuring her, just as he always has, even all the way back to the very first day they met — and when he takes her hand, she instinctively steps closer.]

[she's still not really convinced that they won't find a path in this dream that will lead to something inarguably a nightmare, but she also doesn't want to pry too much — she'd rather wait until he's ready to talk. and Dirk has, again, as always, helped her feel safe here, after all.]

[a thought crosses her mind briefly — if this is what it's like to have an older sibling. Madoka has always sort of wondered.]

If you don't mind me being honest ... maybe it isn't a nightmare, but personally, I wouldn't say it's the happiest dream, either.

You could say that I'm uniquely qualified to help you change that.

[rootbound]

[gashes his palm open on a (metal) nail and kneels next to Geir, gathering him in again with his uninjured hand]

Hey.

[oneandmikleonly]

...the intent to maneuver for power isn't necessarily malicious either, Jay. If the point was that your motives aren't pure and selfless, you've made it, but...

[shrugs]

No one's perfect.

[spaceforged]

[The beasts give chase, a few creatures bursting into a run. Ahead of her, the path leads up a wide clearing with walls too steep to climb. If she turns to face the way she came the predators lope into view. They fan out on either side to prevent her escape.]

[oneandmikleonly]

[where is he headed/is he following anything in particular? the books don't attack him, they just sit there on their shelves being variously messed up.]

[splinten]

[Thanks, books. He is.... a goddamned moron who is trying to find the source of the noises so he's following that.]

[oneandmikleonly]

...I don't think I know quite enough about dreaming to will waking up...

[he's in the habit but this situation is sort of, new,]

Right, then. I guess I went straight for the weirdest-looking parts, so maybe if we just head back it'll become innocuous again.

[rootbound]

...go away...

[the small papery voice is barely recognizable as Vern's, but it is his, and it comes right from the mass of shadows]

[rootbound]

...well...that's not too far off from what's happening here anyway, so...

So there's that.

[he sounds a little calmer.]

[finagles]

[ In all fairness, McGillis is behaving somewhat recklessly. A (childish) desire to take his frustrations out on these animals is propelling him as much as the thought that he'll protect the base, as much as a desire to practice his skill.

So he takes the incensed retort in stride, instead using it as a reminder to himself to check his behavior. Also, to check on this young fighter, as he seems to be having a time of it, with only himself and his sword. Either his ability is one that won't be of much use in this scenario or he's reluctant to use it. The large white wolf curves his stride in towards him, gaining speed and momentum to lunge directly at one of the antlered creatures that lunges for Noctis.

That's one more down, with still so many to go.

He locks eyes with the boy for a split-second in rapid passing. ]

I'll try.

[ Spiked with the expectable amount of adrenaline, his tone retains steely determination. This isn't altogether easy, no, but in this form, he'll have an easier time herding the beasts than Noctis will.

He urges himself to think like he's in a mobile suit. These are other mobile suits, not forest creatures (and one should be far more terrifying than the other), McGillis tasked with scattering them away from an important ship. With that mantra in mind, he begins to move as if deploying defensive pattern strategies, herding the deer as best he can into a single group while sending them out into the fields. The stragglers are snapped at when they fall out of line.

Risky to take on this many at once, but no more than running towards them in the first place was. It mostly works; they aren't as tight-knit a group as he'd have liked, but the majority run from him and in the general direction he aimed for. Eventually, though, close combat catches up with him. One of the agitated deer's kicks lands on him -- with relatively low impact, but hard enough to wipe him off his feet for a dangerous couple of moments.

Up again, and back into a sprint to keep himself out of harm's way, but noticeably slower. He scans the area for Noctis.

McGillis doesn't know exactly what his plan is, but it sounded like he had one in mind once the deer were far enough away from the coven. ]

[spaceforged]

[He reaches up and rubs at the signet in his skin. It had been burning all day no matter what form he was in. Getting out into the woods had kept him from losing his temper on anyone. They aren't at fault.]

That's right... [The thought doesn't settle his worries at all but it does turn his mind away from the sounds of war that had echoed and lingered past waking. Had they messed with the balance or... Wait. It's not the island out of whack. It's them.]

Wait. I've never heard of the bones leaking energy. Have you?

[soulcomet]

[the feeling is absolutely mutual, Jude. she squeezes his hand back, hoping she's being just as reassuring.]

[and she is fine, really — she's lucky, in a sense, that she doesn't really remember anything that could truly haunt her dreams.]

Mmm ... I'm thinking, maybe, when this is all over, we need to do something nice for everyone.

[talim]

[ jude hums, tilting his head with interest. ]

Yeah? What did you have in mind?

[rebells]

All right.

[He's focusing on this fountain, although he'd be looking at it from more of a ground view, and there would also be people milling around the plaza.]

[spaceforged]

Being imprisoned? Yeah, I do. [His mind works on just how to get her out of this cell. The walls are too steep to climb. Unless they could possibly tear into the walls and create footholds.

He gets to his feet and raps his knuckles against the stone.]

...Are the hallways curved or straight lines? [He glances up at the grate again. Shiro pauses and looks back at her over his shoulder.]

What are the guards?

[rebells]

[Wow. On more than one level. He shakes his head.]

That's diabolical . . . she was a conqueror from the beginning, then. She was trying to reestablish her race?

[rebells]

[Oh my god??? Oh my god. He can't . . . actually deal with someone using logic to argue that from the outside, he looks like a decent human being. He opens his mouth and shuts it again.]

--I'm not going to sit here and argue with you about how I'm not actually a good person. That would be ludicrous.

[antemeridian]

... That's exactly right. Friendly fire is worse than no support at all. [ 'better... work alone, sometimes... human'?

a slightly curious furrow of the brow and a small frown, but an otherwise neutral expression. ]

Did the person you spoke with before not offer you their aid?

[spaceforged]

...just remember you're never alone. It might seem like a burden to others to ask for counsel or help. It isn't. The more intel you have, the better you can do your duty. You can always learn more.

But be patient with yourself. You'll become a better knight with each trial you face. [He looks back over the lake, his eyes tracing the ripples of light on the water. There's not much else can give in terms of advice. It's all things he'd prepared to say to his second as he carefully worked and trained with him.

The lack of resistance like he would have expected meant the material has run a bit short.]

[splinten]

Yes. Amongst her people, she was the undisputed tyrant and leader because of the colour of her blood. They have a caste system based on what they call the haemospectrum, ruled by those rare trolls with fuschia blood. You can imagine her experiments to replicate that in humans didn't go well.

[He pauses, and deciding out of explaining the 'she originates two universes ago from ours' bit, he just explains,]

Her lusus released a noise called the Vast Glub that wiped out the entire troll population. It's why she fled to our planet and sought to repopulate. But even before that, she was a conquerer. The Alternian Empire stretched far across the galaxy. They have an extremely violent and acrimonious culture, for reasons I've been led to believe are due to external influences.

There are a few troll survivors, like there are a few surviving humans. Unfortunately, we mostly only got to really meet the shitty ones.

[HE KNOWS THERE ARE COOL TROLLS OUT THERE. MEENAH SEEMS COOL. THE NUBBY HORNED ONE SEEMED HILARIOUS? INSTEAD THEIR SESSION WAS HAUNTED BY GAMZEE.

At least their was Fefetasprite. Dear, sweet Fefetasprite. Not technically a survivor, but cool.

Arquiusprite will not be commented on.]

[oneandmikleonly]

Does that mean I was winning?

[jay activated mode: very low-grade troll]

But okay, we can stop. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable anyway, just...that's how I see it, when I look at you and what you've done here.

[oneandmikleonly]

[it takes some listening and waiting in the middle of the library, but eventually you can work out that the breathing comes from the northeast and southwest quarters, and the roaring from northwest and southeast. the sounds are...in the walls...it's likely he can only track one set at a time, though, separated as they are]

[decipheringeye]

She did... but I wasn't really ready to start a big new project like this at the time. So, I just ended up procrastinating...

[As she talks, there's a telepathic flicker of Madoka's face.]