raiamods: (Default)
raiamods ([personal profile] raiamods) wrote in [community profile] ethyraia2021-08-08 03:57 pm

hatching mini-event 003

WHO: All PCs
WHAT: New characters arrive on Ethyraia as MONSOON FLOODS ARRIVE at the Basecamp!
WHEN: August 8-21
WHERE: Basecamp Leviathan & nearby fields
NOTES/WARNINGS: mentions of corpses, flooding, and cult religion


AUGUST MINI-EVENT ❀
CONTENT WARNINGS: mentions of corpses, flooding, and cult religion

Players who participated in our TDM are welcome to keep their CR and the content of those threads. Please make sure to chat this out on the OOC intro & CR meme before making assumptions. This log demonstrates our attempt at approaching engagement aspects within the setting a bit differently and providing people more options directly geared towards the establishment of CR. Let us know how it works for you!

❀ MONSOON BLUES



There are giant thunderheads on the horizon, and the air smells like ozone and petrichor. The skies are black and very little sunlight gets through — but when the sky cracks open along with the newly hatched dragon's eggs on the 8th, the locals aren't up in arms over it. Instead, they are grimly preparing for the inevitability of...

"Monsoon season," Thorkill will explain to anyone listening. "We're all shored up for it this time. Should ride it out just fine so long as we stick together." And the rest of the Adamant's survivors have plenty that the hatchlings can do to help do just that! Hatchlings will be paired up and sent off to help secure the camp: here are sandbags to be made and lined up at the edge of camp to brook the floods, securing non-permanent buildings or structures, and helping to dry or prepare food for longer term storage.

However, Thorkil's engineers insist the washes they've dug should do their job. The tunnels left by the moles are at high risk of flooding and further damaging the entire base's foundational integrity, though, so engineering will be dedicating most of their efforts in the direction of continuing to repair the sinkhole damage.

After a full day of rain, though, these levees and washes aren't feeling quite sufficient. Some of the floodwater is washing into the edges of camp. Don't expect standing water, but it certainly leaves everyone feeling on edge. Most people will still get an itchy rash from contact with any standing groundwater. The particularly sensitive may get blisters! Sunya may also ask for hatchlings' help in distilling the compounds from the Starspire plants that neutralize the acid's effects on skin.

Life around the basecamp:
The weather will worsen over the next two weeks. The winds pick up and some of the buildings at the edge of the encampment get acid-washed. Hope that new community garden that Vidar and Zhongli built is being babysat! The power will begin flickering around the 3rd day of the rains, and on the 5th, the power will cut out completely for 48 hours. Hope you have good night vision! It's rather dark inside the Leviathan, and there are still those pesky shredder mole holes (schmoles?) to contend with. Anyone that can create a light source or is lucky enough to have a flashlight is going to be in high demand!

☆ The power cut hits in the midst of opening night of The Wrath of Ejayla Bon, a play panned as a commercial failure back on Earth that developed cult status amongst the theatre nerds the world(s) over due to its rousing musical features and encouragement of crowd participation. Along with the interactive piece near the end where the villain is (symbolically!) torn apart, there's fun for the whole family! (sidebar: ribbons are used in place of actual gore!)

Vidar has graciously opted to donate one of his Gundam's reactor cores to the NPCS! Given the issues with the power, removing it becomes a top priority during the monsoon! Ian Fowler has been tasked with its removal. Maybe he could use a hand...? Someone to hold the flashlight, bring snacks, etc cetera?

☆ A group calling themselves the Guardians of the Leviathan has cropped up. Part cult of personality, part religious fervor, this group was started by one of the Adamant's survivors by the name of Petra. They claim to have had a different dream than everyone else prior to the Thessyx visit, and they have begun preaching with fervor that Doomsday is coming.

❀ WASHED AWAY


But minor irritation is the least of the camp's worries. On the 9th, after a second day of active storming, Rémi can be heard from a rather alarmingly large radius yelling at some poor underling who seems to have turned tail and ran when the rains started, leaving a group of agricultural harvesters stranded!

Given the reckless action and the danger posed to the rest of the camp as a result of this, Rémi is petitioning to have this person jailed until the process of restorative justice can be started.

The situation feels more pressing when, after three days of heavy rain, three human bodies surface at the edge of camp, washed in by the flood. The remains are old, eaten by the elements, time, and a lot of acid rain. Anyone working at the aid station may be responsible for bringing them back under the cover of the basecamp for burial, and anyone drinking from Thorkil's stash in engineering may hear him telling a sad story of a group of people that splintered off from the Basecamp over a year ago and moved inland. The bodies, he assumes, badly decomposed and identifiable only through genetic testing, are what remains — though he notes that the group was larger than three when they set out, he acknowledges they may never find the others' remains. It's hard not to take this as a sign of what may be to come for the poor missing explorers.

A few notes:

☆ Tensions rise with the water level. As tempers fray, NPCs will be somewhat more testy than usual, and while the goodwill garnered by the PCs is still intact it seems rather less valuable as a currency in and amidst the troubles. No one can seem to decide if anyone should be sent out after the missing group of harvesters.

☆ One of the small congregations of NPCs is starting to get irate about the preferential treatment the Hatchlings are having. These people will be colder, pick fights with the Hatchlings, speak up against them in group settings. They will point out the fact that the Thessyx could have visited at any time over the last three years and helped them and chose not to as their reasoning.

❀ SEARCH & RESCUE

The Zeta Harvesting group is roughly a day's travel from the basecamp, in variable terrain that's prone to wash-outs from the monsoon. The flooding that blocks their way back will be a challenge to navigate, both due to strong, unpredictable currents and the fact that the water does have a mild acidic bent.

Their mission, assigned by the Agricultural group and guarded by Rémi's security volunteers, was to head into the open fields to gather some of the few edible native plants in the narrow window of their growing season. These crops are largely berries and roots that grow under the cover of some of the coniferous trees in the rocky outcroppings nearby. The berry plants and root-plants largely survive by the shade of the trees' branches, but once the flooding starts, there will be no eating them anymore. They'll be washed out and damaged.

Those who were caught in the storm have retreated to neighboring caves, where they are undersupplied and dealing with a bunch of nervous botanists who fancy themselves farmer, all of whom are largely convinced that the caves will flood if they remain here too long. They push anyone accompanying them to try to find a route out of the caves, encouraging their protectors to go out in pairs with the remaining rain shields to scout a safe route home through the trees. Plus, it sounds like something is breathing deep in the caves...

Anyone from the basecamp who volunteers to go seeking the harvesting group that went missing can still communicate intermittently with those stranded, but the comms are spotty. The storm's magnetism seems to be affecting messages, sending them twice or garbled or not at all. Sometimes it sends them to the wrong people altogether, so it's a good time for some fun misfires, or even some phantom messages by the people who owned the comms before! Feel free to have fun with this.

What's more, the road has been washed out by a flash flood — so if anyone who can fly or teleport or has a hovering vehicle feels like going to play hero ... Well, we're not going to discourage them!

A few notes:
PCs are also welcome to have been part of this harvesting mission, which left on August 7th. If anyone wishes to say their character needs a rescue, feel free! This may influence how and why hatchlings might volunteer to go out into the storm to help out! (Note: Newbies will arrive after the harvesting mission has already left, so only pre-existing players can have accompanied the NPCs out. However, new Hatchlings are more than welcome to help out with rescue efforts!)

☆ Standard guidelines for auto-NPCing apply! Feel free to name them, help them or, um, have them dramatically killed! Whatever suits your narrative. Rémi will not be accompanying anyone on this mission, but he will be rather more liberal than normal with his supplies. It seems as if the PCs are starting to earn his trust!

❀ THE TROUBLES WITH QUIBBLES

Monsoon season seems to have kicked off the migratory pattern of many of the creatures native to Ethyraia. A small herd of squirrel-like creatures have taken temporary shelter near basecamp, huddling underneath the junction of dragon wing and body when the rains come on, and they will scatter afterwards. These creatures will not venture into the basecamp properly, but will be seen frolicking on the exterior of the Leviathan and may interfere with patrols done around the premises. They will also be trying to steal food whenever they have the opportunity! Hope you weren't planning on enjoying that... odd, broccoli-flavored... cold gelatin bar...?

Although playful, these creatures may become aggressive if they feel threatened, and it doesn’t take much to startle them. They have a sharp bite that causes many potential symptoms, including a significant drop in body temperature, increased spatial awareness, altered perception of both sound and color, and a short temper. It also seems to enhance feelings of combativeness and a competitive nature in those prone to them, and some individuals may experience nightmares.

But they're so cute, though?

A few notes:
☆ The effects will last 3-5 days. There is no known cure or antidote.

☆ You could always try biting one back...? (mod note: do not do this.)

☆ The creatures will move on in their herd after about a week of terrorizing the local population. They've got places to be!

☆ They would make terrible pets, as their, um, bodily excretions are truly rank, and they will pee on everything and everyone you love. Highly against recommendations.

❀ HATCHING

When the new Hatchlings emerge from their eggs on the 8th, the Adamant's survivors are as ready as they've ever been! Each newcomer receives a bundle from the community outreach group containing non-gendered toiletries and clothing — which is random in both size and style — and some tubes of protein paste. After a shower, the new hatchling will spend a few days quarantined in an area of the Theatre set up with emergency bunking and privacy screens.

Given the weather, the new Hatchlings are mostly trapped in the basecamp. Anybody up for a rousing game of tic-tac-toe? Ensign Ashley Porter will be flitting around introducing himself to everyone and explaining that he's terribly sorry you're all stuck here! He has a questionnaire prepared for your characters that includes a list of their likes, dislikes, allergies, etc what planet they originally come from and their technology familiarity level. He's also designed a technical fluency guide to help anyone from a less developed world adjust! Isn't he just the best!

A few notes:
☆ Your character will at some point be pulled aside and asked about where they're from, what year, any personal information they wish to share, etc. This is not an interrogation, but a friendly chat. Captain Childe has deferred this duty to her various underlings, and she will likely not make an appearance here unless a Hatchling says or does something very interesting or meaningful — if they do, please let us know in the MOD QUESTIONS header!

☆ The NPCs will be as forthcoming about how the Hatchlings have arrived and what they know about the Chrysalis as possible. Unfortunately to both, the answer is 'not much'. They will still try to be transparent about this.

☆ Characters cannot join up with the Security team until they have proven themselves competent and community-oriented to Rémi, but the Engineering division is led by the friendly Thorkil and always needs help. Similarly, the Dr. Hyacinth's Aid Station and the Theatre-cum-Childcare Center are always ready to take on new people! Please read up on these places in the LOCATIONS page if you plan to have your character sign up.

☆ While it's not mandatory that the Hatchlings work, those that don't 'pull their weight' so to speak will find themselves being increasingly shunned by the community, and the quality of their rations and their overall care will decrease. There isn't enough to go around on the best days, much less when someone isn't contributing at all!


wittingly: (I ɢᴇᴛ ᴅᴏᴡɴ)

[personal profile] wittingly 2021-08-09 07:37 pm (UTC)(link)
hypothetically should one investigate the breathing in the caves... what they gon see bro
wittingly: (Tᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ғɪᴠᴇ ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴀɴᴅ ᴍʏ ʟɪғᴇ ɪs sᴛɪʟʟ)

Ian Fowler | OC

[personal profile] wittingly 2021-08-09 08:51 pm (UTC)(link)
gundam surgery

( Off a little to the side of the engineering corp, Vidar's 20 foot tall giant fucking robot has been known to stand vigilant while Ian goes poking around inside it. He usually doesn't do it in the rain, particularly with no power, so it's something of a spectacle to behold. One long-haired hippy looking nerd straddling a ladder uncomfortably high off the ground, a makeshift tarp tenting them, further blocking out what little light is making it through the storm clouds, practically shoulder deep in this thing.

Having a less than stellar time of it, actually, so there's no small amount of frustration roiling around in there when he peels out to cast a quick look on the ground around the tent.
)

Hey, man.

( Called with purpose to the nearest passer-by, followed by a jerky nod -- the universal come here signal. )

Can you just... like, hold a light for me? It's... kind of really important.


structural collapse

( Ian's unfortunately intimately familiar with the tunnel situation going on under the camp, and the implications surrounding it as it relates to the infrastructure above. No small amount of effort is going into reinforcing the high priority locations, but they only have so much man-power. The flooding is only making things more precarious.

It's lucky that he's there when it happens -- one of the smaller tunnel offshoots, not a particularly high traffic area, but one Ian remembers on his mental map. He recognizes the warning signs; the ground sinking in a way that almost looks like deflating. The way it travels quickly and surely toward where the inevitable unsuspecting victim happens to be standing. Dirt beginning to crumble away just a meter away from their feet.
)

Hey, don't stand there- hey- Move!

( It starts out with the slow tone of dawning realization, and ends with sharp and sudden urgency as the ground gives way.

He throws out a hand, and a bright blue glow can probably be spotted emanating from his chest beneath the fabric of his shirt. The ground beneath their feet lurches, but it isn't to join the rest in dropping eight or ten feet into a rocky sinkhole. It's to form a decidedly unnatural, safe island in the center of it all. Matter bending. Neat.
)


closed: nate

( It's been a rough few... days? Weeks? However long it's been since They showed up at camp. It's not exactly like it was a subtle secret that he's been a little more on edge here than he was in New Amsterdam, but the appearance of their alien guests kicked things up to something next level. Add onto that the fact that he got bitten trying to help one of those fucking squirrel-lemurs untangle itself from a mess of fishing line, and the end result is one unusually distant, unusually crabby asshole.

When he manages to hunt Nate down, it's with a rail rifle slung over his back and a rain shield hanging from one arm. Long sleeves despite the muggy weather, boots laced up, clearly ready to do distinctly non-engineering things.
)

Hey. I'm gonna go bring back one of the harvesting groups, they're stuck in a cave three or four clicks from camp, they're cut off by a wash.

( The general vibe is very just so you know, like it's a grocery run and he wanted to keep Nate in the loop. )
sunmon: (Default)

[personal profile] sunmon 2021-08-09 11:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Would people who joined Alina on her excursion be back in time to participate in the Zeta harvesting group?
sunmon: (pic#14852750)

alina starkov | shadow and bone (open)

[personal profile] sunmon 2021-08-09 11:28 pm (UTC)(link)
01. search & rescue -ish (OPEN - early august 11)
[ alina wakes from a nightmare — one of the quibbles had turned her into a snack after climbing into the supply closet of the theater — late in the night and makes her way to the showers. evidence of engineering's construction around the sinkhole limits her to the ones at the far edge, but she showers off the night sweats and walks with wet hair to the edge of the camp.

apparently, she's not the only one who couldn't sleep.
]

Worried about them? [ it's going around. those bodies left everyone especially uneasy. ]


02. light in the darkness (OPEN - august 12)
[ alina is in the theater when the lights go out. there's screaming, at first. the fun kind. the kind that suspects this is related to the tarring and feathering of the villain. but when they realize it's not, the panicked milling begins.

alina scales the lighting rig slowly to get her feet back on level ground, only to find some of the other theater volunteers chattering in front of the switchboard unproductively. it's not their problem.

the audience trickles out, back towards their homes and bunks, and soon the theater helpers do too. the power isn't coming back, apparently, and it's too dark for much else. alina slips out of the theater too, but she doesn't head for the bunks. instead, she heads for engineering.
]

How can I help? [ she asks whoever's around. swaying flashlight beams glint on the steely decorations of the engineering department, stark and bright. alina holds out her hand, opens her palm, and starts the glow of a tiny sun. ] I assume you need to get a better look at something.
unwings: (pic#14232327)

Castiel | Supernatural

[personal profile] unwings 2021-08-10 01:31 am (UTC)(link)
SANDBAGS & WEATHER HAZARD;

[ Castiel wastes no time giving aid. Following instructions is his forte, and simply being useful is plenty enough of a dopamine kick for him. Figuratively, as he doesn't really... do neurochemicals. He’s just built different (literally). A crew member hands him two sandbags, and when Cas doesn’t start walking for the trench line, they attempt explaining the instructions again, which Cas quickly corrects. ]

I know, I'm waiting for more. Keep stacking, please.

[ it’ll be about six or seven sandbags before Cas feels adequately stocked, not so much that he’s hit his weight limit, more that he can't see over them anymore. Such is how he makes his trips to and fro, building up the floodwall with his new companions.

Later, when the same floodwalls fail and the power starts to flicker, Cas passes by someone struggling to change batteries in a flashlight. one tumbles out of hand, rolling out beyond the barriers, into the rain. Most people get an itchy rash from the rain, and Cas isn’t an exception, however, his rash will heal much faster than others. Wordlessly, he steps out, mild grimace at the red spots cropping up on the arm and hand exposed to the rain, and snags the stray battery. Cleaning it on what dry parts remain of his coat, he hands it back. ]


This may help.

[ opening the dry hand, golden-white light emits from somewhere beneath the skin of his palm, highlighting the lines and creases. It’ll give enough light for the stranger to see what they’re working on, the same offered to anyone else he encounters in need, though it only lasts several minutes at a time. ]

THE INTERACTIVE PLAY;

[ Castiel has never been to an interactive theatre production, so he’s keen to investigate. Unfortunately, he ends up one of those chosen to participate. Once the villain’s been symbolically quartered, Cas lingers on the stage, despite the heavy hinting that it’s time for guests to return to their seats.

Picking up the stray ribbon, he’s apparently taking this moment to give his critique of the work. ]


Entrails look nothing like this. They’re more... sinewy. Lumpy and coagulated.

[ he’s rubbing a piece of ribbon between his fingers, head at a tilt and frowning, before crouching down to speak directly to the symbolically dismembered villain on the stage floor, post their dramatic death. ]

Is it the glorification of mob violence or the horror of it that’s meant to be centered in this piece?

THE CULT;

[ Having seen many a Doomsday in his time, much of them long foretold and carved into old stones or ancient tombs, Castiel stops to give a listen to the street preachers, nodding along at the grim ramblings before engaging with them like an investigation. ]

Can you be more specific about these visions? Were there any beasts, repeating symbols, or cataclysmic weather? [ the questions are earnest and serious, cas willing to consider that a selection of mediums may have witnessed something supernatural. ] Was anyone enthralled in a trance-like state, or speaking in tongues?

WILDCARD;

[ Cas can also be found volunteering at the Aid Station, and would reasonably participate in the rescue mission. He’s also received Wanda’s spellbook, and can be found pouring over it at a table somewhere. Feel free to put him anywhere that works for the prompt you have in mind, or hit me up [plurk.com profile] wuzzafuzzle to plot! ]
Edited 2021-08-10 01:42 (UTC)
wittingly: (Default)

[personal profile] wittingly 2021-08-10 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
Oh my GOD that thing is nightmare fuel
firelords: (010)

azula | avatar: the last airbender

[personal profile] firelords 2021-08-10 07:43 pm (UTC)(link)

one 🔥 monsoon blues

of all things, it is a flood that threatens them. and while her first days are spent alternating between some state of rage and blatant refusal to do just about anything helpful, she is quickly catching on the fact that, if she does not wish to suffer consequences, she will have to make some effort to play along.

never mind that she has vested interest in staying dry. her first encounter with the water, just a splash from when she tossed a stone into it, has left a rather nasty little mark on her forearm where the skin blistered.

it is no surprise, then, that she is in full (freshly de-gooed) armour when she is paired with another lucky sandbag-duty companion.


I said to the left. Have you never followed orders before?

evidently, hauling sandbags is you job, though the flame around her hand does provide the sole, if eerily blue light source.

two 🔥 washed away


finally, she has convinced enough people of her impending adult status that she has been granting her very own hammock, which… she does not quite consider adequate. It is, however, better than to be grouped with literal children, as if she is not about to be made the next fire lord, as if she has not been the one to bring ba sing se to its knees just a few months ago.

sleep eludes her nonetheless. she has not felt safe since before the comet arrived, she knows the world is out for her blood, this one and any other she might occupy. the shadows beneath her eyes are growing darker by the day, she looks equal parts hunted and haunted, avoids mirroring surfaces.

most of all, however, her patience has grown thin. all around they’re debating those dead bodies and missing harvesters, as if a few civilian lives were all that much to discuss to begin with.

perhaps your assigned space is nearby, or perhaps you just happen to be around her in some communal area – either way, here’s a charming teenager.


Why do they care so much? They are just… farmers.

three 🔥 wildcard.

ooc: hit me! i'm cool just about anything, but if you would like to throw some ideas around first, you can find me on plurk at [plurk.com profile] nehelenia or on discord at 𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬#9403. :) i’m generally happy to keep tdm stuff canon, too!

individual starters i’d be 100% down to write if they strike anyone’s fancy: dealing with quibbles in some form, immediate post-hatching things for fellow newcomers, going along for a rescue mission to get some local harvesters back. lmk if you’re interested. u.u
skagzz: (devious)

1

[personal profile] skagzz 2021-08-11 03:25 am (UTC)(link)
If I move her left, Princess Fluffybutt cannot reach the tea table, and then what kind of tea party would it be then, BIOTCH? I'M JUST TRY'NA BE A GRACIOUS HOST.

[ Tina only signed up for sandbag duty because it got her out of school. Somebody paired them up thinking the kids would get along, or that peer pressure might be more effective on Tina than...well...anything they've tried so far. ]
righteously: (¹⁵ Aɴᴅ I ғᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴀ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴀɢᴏ)

Dean Winchester | Supernatural

[personal profile] righteously 2021-08-11 07:32 pm (UTC)(link)
righteously: (⁸ Aɴᴅ ɪғ I ᴄʟᴀɪᴍ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀ ᴡɪsᴇ ᴍᴀɴ)

𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛

[personal profile] righteously 2021-08-11 07:34 pm (UTC)(link)
( this is a place anyone can chuck a prompt at me at any time, follow your heart. no need to ask, but if you have questions you can hit me at [plurk.com profile] rifting )
Edited 2021-08-11 19:36 (UTC)
righteously: (¹⁵ Wɪᴛʜ sᴏᴍᴇ ɪᴛ's ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀs ᴡᴇʟʟ)

→ 𝑠𝑎𝑚 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑒

[personal profile] righteously 2021-08-11 07:48 pm (UTC)(link)
( The whole rescuing people mission is kind of Dean's whole thing, and it makes for an excellent excuse not to overthink... stuff. Unnamed, unspecified stuff that he's definitely not gonna freak out about. He swings by security to scope the place out, to get his foot in the door, and to shoot his shot asking for a grenade launcher (the response was firmly: no). Not exactly a surprise that he's not the only one in line, and with Cas working diligently to reinforce the anti-flood precautions, Dean's short a duo for the buddy system.

Wouldn't you know it, the guy with Sam-length hair happens to be other Sam, and also has the distinct vibe of a guy who isn't just a civilian.

(cops are still civilians as far as he's concerned.)

He's got the countenance of a guy who served, which knocks Dean's in-the-field stranger-wariness down about 20%. Whether or not it holds up remains to be seen, but either way they walk out of the encampment strapped and with purpose. There's only one brief pitstop: at the gate, before the rain shields become a necessity.
)

Hold up.

( Followed by pursed lips, a cursory glance around, and a nod to step just a little ways off the foot path for a little less visibility. He's not trying all that hard to keep his whole super hero thing a total secret, but he's also not yelling it from the rafters, is all.

Two fingers to Sam's forehead, one muted glow beneath Dean's shirt, and the rippling shimmer of light and air. Thou hast been blessed, my child.
)

Congratulations, you're rain-proof. Don't hog the shields. Let's go.
Edited 2021-08-11 19:52 (UTC)
pridecroweth: (pic#15015560)

[personal profile] pridecroweth 2021-08-11 10:08 pm (UTC)(link)
see, the thing about magic is that it's very fucking no bueno for him. it's not exactly a #notallmagicusers scenario, but it's definitely something he's uncomfortable with, so dean's finger gets a fucking look as it ventures close, and that shimmer of light makes his mouth drag down at one corner. he doesn't quite jerk back away from him — he's too controlled for that — but he goes tense in a way that reads ready for a fight rather than scared.

Did you skip the FBI training day where they warn you about getting cozy with the cops?

aka: what the fuck was that, what did you do, why didn't you ask first!! he thought y'all were bonding, dean!! consent matters!!
righteously: (⁸ Tʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇ ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜ)

[personal profile] righteously 2021-08-11 10:25 pm (UTC)(link)
( Hilariously, he gets it -- or he would if he spent five minutes thinking about it. He spent a lot of years being magic-phobic, but you deal with it for fifteen years you start getting a little desensitized to it. He's a bull in a china shop when he's mission-mode, rolling on through brusquely and inconsiderately so he can get the show on the road. )

It's not as weird as it seems, trust me.

( By way of dismissive apology, because... he is a dick, sorry. )

You're rain-proof, stab-proof, and bullet-proof for the next couple hours until it wears off. You're welcome.

( All said to the tune of you ready to go or what? )
pridecroweth: (pic#15015558)

[personal profile] pridecroweth 2021-08-11 10:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Buddy, guy, it's exactly as weird as it seems. I get the sentiment, but don't pull that shit without asking.

it's not a no, it's just a tell me next time. his tone is military-neutral rather than obviously irate, the sort of unfailingly-polite-but-brusque tone you sink into when you recognize the other option is lashing out.

but his skin's crawling beneath the veneer of professionalism. simbria and her jade cage are never very far away. the idea of being bulletproof is almost as disturbing as the magic itself, because survivor's guilt is a helluva drug.

he hauls his bag up on his shoulder, jaw set. he's got a rain shield anyway, because he isn't going to just blindly trust, of all things, fucking magic.

still. there's work to do, and they're the ones showing up for it.


Let's move out.
skagzz: (Default)

Re: MOD QUESTIONS

[personal profile] skagzz 2021-08-11 10:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay but what happens IF Tina bites a quibble?

Also what are the chances of her catching one to attempt to make a pet?
skagzz: (Default)

[personal profile] skagzz 2021-08-11 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
1. ITCHY BITCH // AID STATION

[ Tina only signed up for sign bag duty because it wasn't SCHOOL but she got bored AnYwAy and MIGHT have jumped in ONE puddle and now she's ITCHY ALL OVER. ]

Make it stop, doc, MAKE IT STOP. [ This person may or may not be a doctor. Tina just NEEDS ATTENTION NOW. ]

2. The Best Worst Play // At the Theater

[ Tina went to The Wrath of Ejayla Bon because SOMEONE convinced her it was a hilarious B-movie (she did she convinced herself) and honestly it was FINE but it was like, not great or anything, but THE POWER JUST WENT OUT, and Tina starts LAUGHING HER HEAD OFF. ]

ENCORE, homes. This is fucking Shakespeare.

3. MY NEW BEST FRIEND // NEAR THE QUIBBLE...HERD?

[ It's near dawn out where the wings join the Leviathan's body. Anyone who has already met Tina would be shocked to see her sitting so quiet, so focused, and all at the ass-crack-of-dawn. She's got a pillow case and a week's worth of gross food...oh god...is she trying to...catch a quibble? ]

4. NETWORK SHENANIGANS

DO NOT CLICK
righteously: (ᴛʜᴜɴᴅᴇʀ)

[personal profile] righteously 2021-08-11 11:05 pm (UTC)(link)
( And there's when he finally gets the message, kindly corrected on how strong Sam's feelings are about the whole thing. His hands come up in placating surrender, conceding in a way that isn't quite as visibly contrite as most decent people would have, but does at least clearly communicates the understanding. No hackles raised on his end at the confrontation, know when to admit you're wrong, know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, etc. )

Message received.

( And then stoically tucked away without dwelling on the moment too hard. Nary a comment on that rain shield, either.

And they're off, marching through wet grass and mud, lacking the sharp acidic bite that usually comes with the gentle, constant sprinkling it's been doing for the last two straight hours. Better than the downpour from this morning, anyway.

A few minutes in not exactly companionable silence passes before he cuts a look over to Sam.
)

Where'd you serve?

( Because did you serve isn't a question. )
pridecroweth: (pic#15015524)

[personal profile] pridecroweth 2021-08-11 11:09 pm (UTC)(link)
sam happens to be within earshot. he's on his way to help with one thing or another — if there's one thing this man is good at, it's community outreach. but he overhears her just the same, and that statement... christ, it's just like the kids back home.

it isn't like kids are all naturally low on empathy. but when your life has been scrambling to survive, struggling against the rigors of a system stacked against you, a lot of them resort to dog-eat-dog. yeah, yeah, stanford prison experiment is bullshit, lord of the flies is just the same, but the truth is that traumatized children get hard and mean in, not every case statistically speaking, but more than a few.

azula hadn't flinched at the dead bodies in the adamant. even when they cracked open a door that had been sealed airtight for years, where the corpses still looked fresh as when they died.

so he folds his arms, steps up beside her.


You think farmers don't have families?

his tone is gentle rather than chastising. posed as a genuine point of curiosity. he knows better than to try and lead her to an answer himself.
pridecroweth: (pic#15015298)

[personal profile] pridecroweth 2021-08-11 11:29 pm (UTC)(link)
he knows he's not subtle.

walks like a vet. talks like a vet. he's got an m4a1 and he carries it like a soldier, cross-body, muzzle down. the long hair doesn't dispel the sense of it, and he's got the ranger motto tattooed on his arm, sua sponte. it's the oldest one he's got. the coordinates for the al-hajarah came after.

so it doesn't get his back up the way discerning other, more private things about him might. he just works his jaw off to one side, then:


Afghanistan, 2002. Iraq after that. 75th Ranger Regiment.

the rangers have their own badass cred, but he doesn't say it to brag. at the end of the day, he's not proud of having served, nor the reason he first wanted to. he'd been a dumb kid with an us versus them mentality, caught up in the fervor after 9/11. time tempered that. breaking bread with the families of his unit's translator tempered that. all the things he's learned about the hows and whys of the wars afterwards tempered that.

sam barely likes who he was back then anyway. the military helped to shape him into the man that broke billie's heart, and he can't say he didn't deserve the fallout that followed.
righteously: (¹⁵ Mᴀᴅ ʙᴜʟʟ ʟᴏsᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴀʏ)

[personal profile] righteously 2021-08-11 11:43 pm (UTC)(link)
( Dean's answer is an appropriate low, impressed whistle and one matching little shake of his head. Not a military man himself, but he knows the ins and outs of it fairly well -- vietnam vets turned hunters make for interesting offspring. The rangers are no joke. )

Guess that explains the subtle, nuanced fuck around and find out thing you're putting out.

( By which he clearly means not subtle at all. )

Remind me to hide the soap bars when we get back.

( Does he really think Sam's gonna go Full Metal Jacket on him? No, obviously not. Just trying to irreverently cut the tension with the poise and delicateness of a hamfisted sledgehammer. )
Edited 2021-08-11 23:44 (UTC)
pridecroweth: (pic#13445667)

[personal profile] pridecroweth 2021-08-11 11:55 pm (UTC)(link)
at least it wasn't a thank you for your service. most people are happy to clock him as just a cop, not many recognize the ranger motto, and the sort of people comfortable throwing around those platitudes don't usually give anyone a few shades south of lily white the time of day to begin with.

still, he snorts.


You think these people have bars of soap to spare? That's your first mistake.

come on, man, they're obviously low on supplies. the comment works — sort of. it does cut the tension, but then there's the joking-but-not implication that he'd actually stoop to that sort of hazing shit, and after a moment:

I'm not mad. I just don't like magic.

it's not like he's been announcing he's a shifter all over the place either, but the longer he's here the less he cares. it's not earth.

Page 1 of 7