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TDM 016 & 4th WALL EVENT: NO WALLS BETWEEN US
| TDM 016 & 4th WALL EVENT: NO WALLS BETWEEN US |
00. An Arrival and a Broken Wall?! You should be coming out of the water, the Nameless Island's own inherent energy drawing people in. It's like being suspended between realities and abruptly pushed from behind through a rift in dimensions. It may make you sick, or that might be the motion of the ocean, lifting you to the surface and carrying you to shore. Waterlogged and covered in sand, new arrivals should be greeted by robots who welcome them with towels and bracelet devices. The A5 card already loaded up, and if you don’t manage to get away from them quickly enough, they should usher you toward the Laid Bare Spa, where new arrivals will be offered free massages, a sauna, hairstyling, and their clothing may come up permanently missing. But you should be given a complimentary towel to leave with if needed! Should. That’s how things are for newbies - and maybe today, some newbies will arrive the usual way. Others might be surprised to hear that there is another "you"... already here! If and when you finally meet this other "you," there's simply no way to agree on who the so-called real version is. Your histories may be the same or they may be wildly divergent, but those little differences don't change the fact that you are who you say you are. Some islanders might even find themselves running into a much older or younger version of themselves. Duplicates and doppelgangers, you say? People who look and sound familiar but are just a little bit off? What strange anomalies have washed up from the ocean! On the other hand, maybe you’re not new here at all, or so you think. You’ve definitely been on this Island for months already. You can't exactly remember what you were doing here before, but you have the modest home and personal effects to prove that you existed. You’ve always been someone who greets new arrivals at the shore. You know very well how things work on the island, and how many of the buildings are abandoned and in dire need of repair. You know that beyond the city lingers a thick fog that obscures much of the wilderness from view. Wander too far into this fog, and you will find yourself mysteriously looping back to where you began, your memories of what you were doing and how you got there erased. You know all of this. You’ve already claimed a place to live in the now, whether a rundown apartment in the City, a tent on the beach, a bed in the barracks, or your own space at the House of Worship. You’re a veteran at this by now. Aren’t you? I. A WHOLE NEW YOU The fog has thickened off the shores of the Island and in the areas that have still been obscured. So thick that it looks not unlike the heavy clouds of the recent storm. But late into the night and early into the morning, the fog seems to encroach on the Nameless City even more, blinding and catching Islanders traveling through in areas normally free of its effects. Anyone who gets caught in the especially heavy mist might find themselves suffering from more than just the usual amnesia. The fog no longer only takes memories, but can also alter your memories... and you. You may forget your time on the Island. You may forget your life before. But you’ll remember something else. You’ll remember a life entirely different as if you lived it yourself: you are a merperson who has always lived here, in the waters around the Island. Those grand underwater cities look like ancient ruins to others, but to you? You still see them as beautiful and palatial as the day they were built. You are a Native whose memories are fuzzy, but you certainly remember living your entire life here in great happiness and luxury. And once you step out of the mist, you might even find yourself physically changed to match what you recall, with fins or tentacles and gills to allow you breathe beneath the waves. You might be completely transformed, or just enough to make life underwater as easy as it's ever been. Someone else attempting to free you of these delusions will find that the more they try to force you to remember your true life, the more real and convincing your undersea life begins to feel. You must embrace this new (old?) life, embrace this new you in all ways and live it to its fullest. Completing Auspicious Acts will help bring out glimpses, hints, flashes of memory and recognition that perhaps this is not who you once were, and allow you to return to your former self. But the longer you take to embrace this, the harder it might be to let go. Some of these changes could become permanent. II. LET XXX BE YOUR GUIDE Things have been strange, not just for the people of the Island, but the robots as well. The typically welcoming robots that offer their assistance in guiding new arrivals or encouraging Islanders to visit the various locations seem to be scarce. There are fewer of them running around the entertainment district and other establishments. To ensure that new arrivals continue to have a pleasant Island experience, robots will be recruiting Islanders as mentors and guides: mentor guides, if you will! Volunteers will lead other Islanders around the Island as a means of helping them become better acquainted with the locations available here for your fun and entertainment, and they will be rewarded with credits for their hard work. Guides and sightseers alike could be someone fresh and new to the Island, someone who insists they’ve been here for years, or even someone that a robot randomly dragged off the street. Mentor guides will all receive a very form-fitting and revealing uniform - no two are the same! - and, of course, a glossy paper map of all of the available sights on the Island. The pictures are big and detailed, and cute sex toy icons point out various key sights such as the recreation center, the bath house, and the library. There are even suggestions for which Auspicious Acts are the best for each location! Strangely, none of the maps list the same suggestions, so each map encourages its own unique experience. Mentees will also find that their mentor’s voice is very appealing. So appealing that just listening to them speak is enough to get you feeling some kind of way. The more they talk, the more of a reaction you have. Your body begins to burn or itch and it’s very hard to pay attention to their words when thoughts about all the things you could be doing to them instead keep coming to your mind. The only way to relieve these thoughts might be to make your mentor stop talking altogether, or follow through with some of those helpful map suggestions. Maybe you need them to mentor you in more ways than one? III. SITCHES GET GLITCHES You’re walking down the road, or in your own home, or visiting a friend and suddenly something happens out of the corner of your eye. There’s a soft pfzzzzzzt and the feel of static on the skin. You turn and realize that the wall is suddenly gone. Or, maybe the glass in a store window disappeared. Perhaps someone’s clothes just vanished off of them in the middle of the street, or the chair you were sitting in at the cafe suddenly poofs right from under you. It’s as if the world around them is malfunctioning - little glitches that can last for seconds, hours, or even days before returning to normal on their own. Nothing that could seriously harm someone, but enough to be quite inconvenient. At least completing an Auspicious Act in the affected area or with the affected person seems to put it to rights immediately. Unfortunately, this doesn’t stop these glitches from happening again. You may be concerned, and the robots understand, but if asked they will insist it’s just the world adjusting as the Augur welcomes so many new people! Nothing to be worried about, obviously. It will take time for fluctuating energy levels to adjust, that’s all. Some robots might even say it’s the perfect time to enjoy having so few barriers between you. Embrace the open nature of the Island and share yourself and your home with others. Walls are only meant for keeping out what you could be letting in! OOC Notes:Enjoy a mini Fourth Wall event, Islanders! As such, this test drive meme is open for anyone to create top levels, not just prospective players. Current player characters, characters you want to play in the setting but can't app full-time, drive-by castmates, duplicates, canon AUs, characters that normally would not be allowed such as fandom AUs and genderswaps (not including characters under 15), formerly dropped characters, etc. are all encouraged to come in and play! As all other test drive memes, this one will be game canon. Characters who fourth wall but do not app will disappear after a few days to a week, along with their home (if applicable) and all of their possessions. Please label your top levels as to whether you are test driving [TDM] or fourth walling [4W]. (Of course, you are allowed to change your mind! But our rules regarding appable characters will still apply.) Since auspicious acts are an integral part of this event, potential and current players can swap one Auspicious Act on their card for one of their choosing, if needed for any of the prompts. As usual, prospective players can use an Act and swap it onto their card if they choose to app into the game. If you have any questions, please ask them below. N A V I G A T I O N |
lord ares | hades game | 4w
ii. let me be your guide--
ii!
So he tries to just walk by without acknowledging the man's presence. Maybe if he gets ignored, he'll go away. At least, that's always what Felix hopes, but it rarely seems to work...
no subject
if there's one thing ares is good at, it's recognizing a warrior when he sees one. so while the raven-haired man might not be bearing arms or dressed head to toe in armor, the blood of the enemies he's slain drips from him like a perfume, drawing ares to him when he passes by.
"you'll forgive me for interrupting your stroll," he starts, offering a hand in introduction. "the automatons on this island have given me a task to perform, but in truth, i feel like my talent is being wasted, and it would be put to much better use elsewhere."
in truth, he isn't sure why he's stopped to speak with him, other than in hopes of garnering more information about the island. he's got the map, sure, but that doesn't tell him how or why he's here. what use would a war god be to a place like this? surely he can bring something better to the table than just sex, right?
"what is your name?" he asks, returning his attention to this truly capable warrior. it's impressive, his body count.
no subject
Felix actually is bearing arms - he carries two swords at his hip, which never leave his side. He sighs when ignoring the man's presence doesn't work, though he continues to ignore the offered hand.
"None of that is my problem. Why do you want to know?"
no subject
his eyes reluctantly pull away from the steel, and turn instead to their wielder. the handshake is declined, but ares doesn't mind-- it isn't the worst rebuff he's experienced. neither is his attitude; if anything, it's admirable. a good warrior is remorseless.
"because it would be rude not to give a god your name." but he doesn't stop to get an answer. "those are impressive blades at your side. you have experience with them, i assume?"
no subject
Still, he gives the man a flat, unimpressed look. "A god. Really? You couldn't come up with anything more believable?"
But when Ares brings up his swords, it's almost like he flipped some kind of switch. Felix's eyes come alive and a challenge of a smirk appears on his face. "Of course. I learned to swing a sword before I learned to read or write as a child. Someday soon, I will surpass all others with the blade. If you doubt me, duel me and see for yourself."
He draws one of his weapons, a simple but high-quality silver sword, and offers it to the stranger hilt-first.
when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object
"i don't doubt you, young swordsman. my name is lord ares, and where i come from, i am the god of war. people like you usually call upon me for the tides of war to turn in their favor. one thing to remember, young myrmidon, is that there will always be someone better than you."
ares finger slides off of the tip of the sword, drawing the smallest drop of blood that rises from his skin like smoke.
"i would love to see your finesse, though not against me. surely you have some form of practice space you can share?"
>:D
He watches the blood disintegrate in the air; at the very least, Ares has some kind of magic, that's for sure. He's not angry at the reminder - far from it. He does frown, though, mulish and annoyed.
"Of course there's always someone better. Especially here, with people from multiple worlds. If you're as good as you say you are, that only makes me want to duel you more. I learn nothing from fighting with an unworthy opponent." He keeps the sword held out, expectant.
sorry for piling fremblems on you but ii!
She doesn't know him. She is near certain she has never seen him before, even here. Yet there is something about him that strikes her as familiar in the same way a scent can make a fuzzy childhood memory surface.
In truth it could easily be said that he looks as though he belongs, as though he could give a tour himself; there is no line of his body that doesn't suggest confidence and he is certainly dressed for the part. But she supposes she should reach out to be certain.
"Are you a new arrival?"
ares would pick crimson flower route lbr
ares spots edelgard around the same time she spies him, drawn to her by her bloody history. there's some part of him that's drawn to those who are drawn to war, a sixth sense as it were. he considers it part of his godhood, an ability that allows him to see another's bloodthirst. and while edelgard's motivations, he can tell, aren't driven entirely by a need for bloodshed, it does seem the only path for her to achieve her goals, and he isn't about to fault her for that one. she has the right idea.
she approaches him first, and the two seem to have met their match in terms of confidence. good, ares loves a queen with a spine. "i am," he returns gently, his soft-spoken voice contrast to his domain, "but i've already been entrusted with the role of guide. i am a much better commander, however, and i can't seem to find my blade anywhere."
a moment, as he regards her. thinks it over. "has your war yet ended?"
I'd expect nothing less!
His tone is silken, the question surprisingly intimate. Half a dozen answers wind through her mind, each of them honest, each of them a formal statement of longing to return to the war he asks about and finish what she started, but she manages to rein them in.
"No." It feels like an understatement. There is so much more to do. "But how do you know about that?"
i
She's been forced into one of the ridiculously small togas that the robots seem so fond of. She has a stack of towels in her arms as she wanders about.
"Do you need anything?" She asks as she stops at the edge of the bath Ares has taken up in. Curiously peeking at him over the stack of small towels.
no subject
"i'm alright," he returns, his voice cool and collected, though his gaze has now taken an interest in her. she seems familiar in a way that he can't quite place. "i appreciate it. what about you, dear heart? you seem like you need a load off. join me, let's talk."
ares is determined to find why she's so familiar. ares never forgets a name or a face, and this one will drive him wild until he can answer it.
no subject
He's similar to her as well, though she can't place why. She eyes him for a moment before taking a quick glance around. She doesn't spot his clothing with that glance, so that doesn't answer any questions about why he seems familiar.
"Sure." She's supposed to be working but she knows how the robots are. If it seems like she's doing something that leads toward fulfilling an Auspicious Act, they'll condone it.
She sets the stack of towels down before slipping out of the too-small toga. That is neat folded and set beside the towels before slips into the water with a sigh. There's absolutely no hesitation or attempt to cover herself, though she doesn't settle into the water too close to him.
"What do you want to talk about?"
I. look at me post it in the right place this time!
Then again, she was quite familiar with the shape of him outside of his armor.
Most mortals and gods alike would think twice before sneaking up on the god of war, but Aphrodite is not most and it's when his eyes are closed and his guard is down that she sneaks in close. Only as many steps as she needs to reach out and brush the tips of her fingers up his ears, reaching to cover his eyes with her hands, and she whispers, lips against the shell of his ear if she can manage to get close before she's startled him.
“My lord, it's cruel of you to bypass my temple and not let me know that you've come.” She hums, "Did you not sense my presence?"
no subject
"mm, i cannot say i did," he murmurs, sarcasm thick on his tongue. "i must have overlooked the detail of your temple, though i can imagine it's beauty. did you not sense my presence, lady aphrodite?"
behind his smarm and his sharp tongue, his heart is hammering. the moment he'd picked up on her, the moment he'd sensed her arrival, his heart had fallen into his stomach. he knows he's doomed to never be hers in her entirety, but that doesn't stop him from calling her his wife, from lusting for her and taking her any moment she'll allow. he's fought wars in her name, slaughtered and spilled blood on his hands for her to bathe in if she wished.
no subject
“Something drew me here.” She fibs a little, having not felt his presence until she entered the room, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a string of fate that she hadn’t perceived. Arms drop to loop loose around his neck from behind, hands on his chest. A few things that Ares might notice is different is a few pieces of jewelry that has been added to her normal ensemble: A fine golden armband with a green stone inlaid decorated her upper arm, while a glittery, blue and pink beaded friendship bracelet hung loose around her left wrist. Gifts from Fjord and Jester respectively.
Quickly, the odd feeling is being replaced by excitement. Immediate, selfish relief to count Lord Ares here among her lovers, and no Hephaestus or Zeus to interfere – what more could a goddess want?
She leans in, mouthing along the shell of his ear, “For a moment, I was afraid you’d come to drag me back home.”
no subject
she's here now, though, and ares could raise armies in his joy. never does he want to bring her back to olympus. staying here on this island, alone and unbothered, no one in the way, no husbands to keep him from her. he could spend an eternity here, in the warmth of this bath and with her thin arms around his shoulders.
"i had," he admits, breathless suddenly. "that's precisely why i came, but now that i have you..." his head tilts down, forehead pressing to her cheek. "i never want to let you go back to him. why would i want to take you back to your husband when i could have you as my wife here?"
no subject
"You're moving quickly, Lord Ares." She giggles prettily, just a little bit breathless, and wipes the wet that the humid bath air leaves on his cheek, "Most people can't wait to be free from the Augur."
But he understands. Of course he does. Without even saying it, he knew why she wouldn't want to go back home. Mortals and gods alike often mused about the mismatch of love and war, seemingly like oil and water, but they didn't understand. More than the other gods, they understood each other - flawed in the passion that made them more human than the others. Athena knew warfare but didn't know what it was to fight and die and bleed like Ares did.
Aphrodite bled in her own way - in the way she couldn't help but fall in love with mortals, knowing that they would, someday, leave her alone.
"I missed you, my lord." She sighs, and presses her cheek against his, then stands- intent to circle around and join him in the bath, but she stops first and leans down to press a kiss to his lips, letting her long pink hair fall down in curtains around them.
no subject
he's fooling himself if he thinks she can't pick up on what he's feeling, on how his heart is hammering.
"quickly?" he says, smirking. "all of those years courting you and trying to take you for my own? trying to show you how my wars are nothing without your love?" his tone is light, but his words are true down to his heart. she doesn't give him a chance to continue, though, when she kisses him, and ares feels himself relax a little more into the bath.
a broad hand reaches up to cup aphrodite's cheek, but his other arm stays extended over the edge of the bath. his skin shines with the leftover water, catching in the dips of his muscles, his chest heaving a little as his breath deepens in the face of his love.
"i missed you, my love," he returns in a whisper, his eyes still closed, close enough to her that their lips brush when he speaks. "i'm simply happy to be near you again."
no subject
She doesn’t need to ask permission to join, and the water sloshes dangerously close to the top of the tub when she slips one leg in, then the other. Into his arms, her legs straddled on either side of his lap, where she belongs. Her voice is bright and cheerful, ready to catch him up on everything she’s done in his absence, thrilled to introduce him to her little world here on the nameless island.
“I had an arena created here, in your name, my Lord." Arms wrapped loose around his neck her fingers play in his hair, maybe she's fantasized about Ares arrival for a long time, "With enough beasts and weapons to keep you entertained.”