TEST DRIVE MEME #4

[expiationmods]

TEST DRIVE MEME #4

Welcome to the TDM for Expiation, a pan-fandom adventure game with fantasy, science fiction, and some horror elements. We ask that top-level comments are reserved for new characters and players looking to experience a taste of the world and overarching storyline. Characters already in the game, however, are free to use TDM prompts in their own catch-alls and logs. Feel free to submit any TDM / prompt-related questions to the corresponding comment below.

New players / characters looking to app are free to use TDM threads as samples in their application. Preexisting players / characters may use TDM threads as part of their AC proofs.

You may find the below link helpful in getting to know themes of the world, locations, the people, and so on.

navigation page

AS OF AUGUST 2023: We have decided to reduce the waiting period for new updates / canons to two months. So if your canon is two months old, your character is appable as of now.

The last thing you recall is waking in a room of blinding white light. You hear voices around you, speaking in muffled tones; you get the distinct impression that they’re talking about you. And you’re on the verge of figuring out what they’re saying, you’re so close...but then the floor drops out from under you. You’re falling into blackness.

You come to after falling through this dark void, and when your vision clears, you find yourself on a…beach? Many wake up covered in sand, but some wake in the shallows of the ocean, too. Surf’s up!

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN...

SAND AND SALT (ARRIVALS)

     

After dusting off the sand (or drying off with a towel, if they had a really rude awakening), newcomers to the area find themselves greeted by the locals and directed to the city of Aldrip, where they can find food, shelter, and dry clothing, should they need it. There's mention of an inn, though some mutter that it's getting a little crowded, so maybe characters should find a roommate or make nice with the locals so they can crash on their floor—at least temporarily. Once they're in town, they'll notice that there is plenty of construction going on: building materials everywhere, half-finished structures waiting to be finished. Maybe you won't be sleeping on the floor for too long, after all.

Those who choose to remain on the beach will find the locals setting up for something that looks like a festival. Colorful tents are anchored in the sand, filling with strange-looking goods, delicious-smelling food, games, and other activities. Locals call this the "Festival of the Sun," a celebration of the hottest days of the summer, where crops begin to swell bountifully and the seas become warm and refreshing. The festival has not yet begun, of course, and there is plenty of opportunity to help out. Chosen who wish to lend a hand will find themselves enlisted to help set up or decorate tents—or even to run some of them, if they're so inclined. Grab the balloons and streamers! (Or…colored scarves and flowers, maybe.)

---

FESTIVAL OF THE SUN

     

The festival kicks into gear in the afternoon, and there are plenty of activities to draw attention. There are boat racing competitions and a sandcastle contest, as well as a grand seashell hunt taking place on the beach. All of these are free to enter, and the contests offer prizes both for participation and for winning. Participation prizes are small tokens of memorabilia: seashells, shark teeth, dried flowers, things like that. Contest winners will find themselves gifted a refreshing treat or a free meal.

Other tents boast all sorts of different games, food, and trinkets for purchase. Merchants will accept coins or other goods in exchange, but if you find your pockets empty, they may also have to help work the booths if they need a well-earned break. Better get to work, and don't forget to give your most winning smile!

Later in the evening, the locals light a bonfire and host traditional songs and dances as the sun begins to set. All clean-up work will be left until the morning; according to Those Who Were There—the locals' patron deities, apparently, though they offer little information about them—it's bad luck to work this evening after the sun sets.

THIS IS ECOLOGY

MAKE A FRIEND

     

It seems there have been new additions to Aldrip and the surrounding areas. Even the locals are surprised to see large, flightless warking birds now charging around the meadowlands in packs, not to mention the cute piglets with bunny ears and other strange animals that seem to have appeared. There’s even something that looks like it’s made of rock roaming around–its bark is worse than its bite, though. You may even find that if you befriend them, you can ride on them.

Most are harmless, but Chosen may find a few more monsters than usual roaming the area, too. It seems best to be careful—especially after dark and in the forest, when some of these creatures feel emboldened to roam a little closer to civilization.

[[WILDCARD: Players can use anything from this post to interact with! It doesn’t even have to be the ones we mentioned in the prompts.]]

---

STOP AND SMELL THE FLOWERS

     

It's not just animals that have begun to appear in the area, either. Strange new flowers and plants seem to be cropping up everywhere, as if this is a normal habitat for them. Most of them don't seem harmful, although some of the vines can be a little…aggressive. However, getting too close to some of the flowers and mushrooms could give someone a nasty surprise. This is particularly unfortunate because the locals seem quite interested in the new additions to their town, encouraging the Chosen to investigate and acquire samples.

The pollen from these new flowers isn't normal, so Chosen won't find themselves sneezing too much. Unfortunately, they may find it has some other effect on them, such as sleeping, confusion, temporary loss of sense (sight, touch, taste, etc), powerlessness, forgetfulness, or inability to speak. While these are all examples of effects the pollen might have, this is certainly not a limitation. Just about anything you can come up with—within reason—is fair game.

STRANGE MACHINATIONS

A PILE OF JUNK

     

Ask the locals, and they'll tell you all about the recent trip to the desert, including how several of them were rescued and owe the Chosen a debt of gratitude. While they're repaying this debt mostly by way of helping with building projects, they've also brought back piles and piles of…broken technology. Mostly tablets: dirty, sandy, scratched up, and missing critical components like batteries and chargers. They've very kindly piled all of these things in the eating hall at the inn, and anyone who wants to check them out is welcome to do so. It's possible that cleaning them up and matching them up with their missing components will activate them, but you may have to sift through a whole pile to do so.

But activation does not necessarily mean they're in perfect working order. They may randomly beep, as if pinging off of certain locations, or make strange static sounds if they're turned on for too long. Some of them seem to ping off of each other, too, beeping more quickly as they're brought nearer to the other tablet they seem to be paired with. When connected to the pair, they seem to stabilize a bit more. Not enough to find anything of value in the system itself, but characters might find that they can now text each other, play one of the games, or send pictures on a local network.. After about ten feet of distance, they fail again and aren’t able to be used on the local network.

---

GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT

     

Whatever happened to the locals at the beginning of the month seems to have passed—mostly. Every so often, Chosen might notice the locals acting a little strangely, stopping what they're doing for a second as if they've forgotten something, repeating something they've already said, or even flickering in and out of existence.

These experiences are minor, but Chosen might notice some other oddities popping up occasionally. Some animals seem very…odd, at a glance, like a fox that has two tails or a deer with three eyes. Look again, and you might think your eyes were playing tricks on you, because they appear normal. Fish with transparent scales, plants that change color—these are examples of the occasional oddities Chosen might encounter.

They might also sometimes hear strange noises, particularly at night. Beeping or static like the sounds coming from the tablets could easily wake a person in the night—as can the sound of a voice, perhaps even a familiar one, luring Chosen out of their beds and away from the town. The source of these voices is a mystery, and they always seem to stop before characters get too far, but you'd do well to be careful after dark.

WILDCARD

You know the drill–this is the wildcard one. Just because it’s not listed in the prompts above does not mean it’s unavailable as an option. We encourage you to do whatever you’d like to utilize the setting to its full potential. If you have any questions about what is and is not possible, please don’t hesitate to ask!

TOP LEVEL DIRECTORY

Click to view:

CANON	CHARACTER/TOP LEVEL
Arcane	Ekko
Arcane	Silco
Critical Role	Mollymauk Tealeaf
Digimon	Mimi Tachikawa
Final Fantasy X-2	Paine
Fullmetal Alchemist: Broherhood	Pride
Honkai: Star Rail	Dan Heng
Land of the Lustrous	Phosphophyllite
Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story	Mitama Yakumo
Marvel 616	Quentin Quire
Omnicient Reader's Viewpoint	Han Sooyoung
Persona 1	Naoya Toudou
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment	Kei Nanjo
Persona 4	Yu Narukami
Persona 4	Yosuke Hanamura

last updated: 8/16/23, 10:55PM

Comments

QUESTIONS / CONCERNS / COMMENTS

[expiationmods]

[weenwoon]

Does boba tea exist in Aldrip? If not, is it possible to assume that a character could obtain the ingredients to make it if they know the recipe?

Ekko | Arcane

[treesistance]

ARRIVAL

The pristine beauty of the open air beach, completely unmarred by the toxic pollution of a sprawling subterranean city (how new, how novel, how exciting), is somewhat ruined for Ekko after a few long minutes of open goggling at the crystal clear waves, because it turns out that walking on a beach with a very homemade crutch and a broken leg is not easy.

About the third time he eats shit into the lovely, sun-warm sand, he decides that maybe it's fine to just sit around having an existential crisis about waking up somewhere he's never been before. No backup, nowhere to hide, nothing. Where was he even trying to walk to??

He unhooks the hoverboard from the back of his coat so he can flop over onto his back, crutch in the crook of one arm, splinted leg propped awkwardly on the little indent in the sand he'd clearly made last time he fell down. His machine oil stained clothes are covered in sand, and the bright white hourglass painted down the middle of his forehead and over his nose has worn off a bit with repeated face-plants, but other than the leg and a big fading bruise on his cheek he's not too much worse for wear. Just, you know, bewildered. When he hears footsteps nearby, he'll at least prop himself up on one elbow. "Hey, are we dead?" How's that for a hello? He's pretty sure he'd remember dying, but like, who knows?

SANDCASTLE CONTEST

Ekko went for boat racing first, of course, but he has been subsequently banned after he souped up the engine and his boat exploded a dozen feet from the finish line, a solid mile ahead of the next runner up. He definitely could have won the next one if they just gave him another chance (and a new boat), but for some reason the folks in charge of the race didn't go for it. He did get a shark tooth as a participation prize anyway though, so not a total loss: it's pretty cool.

Now he's stuck making sandcastles. He's doing that pretty ridiculously as well, of course, with a recognizably Art Nouveau-styled structure... which does become slightly less recognizable as it sags under the weight of the ambitious scale he's building at. Turns out, wet sand is a difficult construction medium to work with.

At a certain point, he finds that he has to stop and ask to anyone nearby: "What do you use for windows?" He should probably actually just stop while he's ahead, but... clearly, that's not happening.

PILE OF JUNK

Be still, Ekko's beating heart. Free junk, and it's some sort of technology he's never encountered before?

Needless to say, he hunkers down in the eating hall with a few of the most damaged tablets almost as soon as they appear, pulling them apart and tinkering with all the fascinating little pieces until he eventually makes one work, like magic. If anyone wanders by and looks like they know even a little about what they're doing, he'll stop them and fire off at least a dozen questions. Listen, it's a hell of a jump going from steampunk (ish) tech to tablets!

He's figuring it out, though. If anyone settles in to work nearby or look through the pile of available electronic detritus a little later, he'll pull his nose out of the current tablet he's fiddling with to hold up the connector from a USB board, which is clearly missing about half of the plug, cracked down the middle. He has... no idea what to call it, admittedly. "Did you see any more of these in there?"

WILDCARD

[If none of those work, hit me up on Discord @ crissyphus or PM and I can make a more personalized starter! Alternatively, hit me with anything, I'm totally open.]

arrival + wildcard

[opheliac]

( she'll say it once and she'll say it again to anyone who talks about it, the outfits of this new world sucks. they're so colorless and downright boring. but at least this outfit she chose is a little better than the other one she had. it's not as long so she doesn't have to worry about it dragging or slowing her down. if jinx had to wear dresses for any reason, something like this she would definitely prefer.

and for once, her hair is tied up again, loosely and a little messy -- but hey, better than it dragging everywhere too. there's no dirt, twigs, and leaves in her locks this time, so it looks like she managed to get a shower in somewhere and gave it some maintenance. but the one thing she is dragging is her feet, boots skidding across the sand to make deeper and unnecessary dips for the future people who walk this exact path having to stumble. while she had gotten food and been eating all last month as one should, the girl still hadn't put one and one together that her body needs an abnormal amount just to run properly. she had a lot of unknown aggression a few weeks ago over it, but now? now she's just sluggish and drained. maybe she should take a nap right here on the beach and let the sun bake her (which would be a horrible idea! she's paler than a ghost and would get sunburned. like she'd know what "sunburned" is).

with a small yet worn out sigh, jinx combs her fingers through her bangs as she wanders aimlessly on. where is she going? who knows, who cares? her mind's been hazy for the last ten minutes or so, that jinx sorta lost the concern over it several miles behind her. but along the way, something snaps her into attention. well, more like someone. what sticks out is the very familiar white hair in twists, and the honey coated chocolate complexion that she gaped over way too long over the years that it's hard for her to forget. surely, it's the light-headedness she's experiencing that's causing her to imagine him ahead of her. because he didn't make it out alive during the last encounter. ... right? he did jerk away, but... the clouded explosion blurred everything else after that for her. )

( and when she thinks back of that night, their last look they gave each other comes back in full force too. he was so... angry when he charged at her and it scared her a little, and the reality hit her like ton of bricks back then. just how much hatred was brewing in his brown eyes -- jinx had never witnessed ekko that upset before. at her. and for some reason, it ripped her heart into two and shattered. the frantic of her waving her arms around to just get him to stop hitting her, to put a pause on everything for a second. 'stop! wait, please!' she remembers the words lingering in her thoughts, but never made it passed her lips. jinx grips on her wrist as she continues to stay put in silent, chest tightening and a little at lost what to do. )

( should she attack him? he'd be easy to take down now given he seems to be using a crutch. but what fun is squishing a bug with a broken wing? should she... say something? run off? watch him?

...

the only sound she makes is a very light exhale of a breath, chewing on the inside of her cheek -- while still standing dangerously quiet. )

Silco | Arcane

[conflictresolution]

Arrival

Light to darkness seemed accurate for the experience of dying. In his mind's eye, the last blurry fading image was of his daughter, and he disliked her being sad. There was nothing to be done about it though; he liked to think he had given her all the tools to be herself, to embrace the monster and live free of self-doubt. She was and always had been perfect to him.

Silco lay on his side partially buried in the sand with waves of the ocean lapping against him. For a long moment, he simply lay there struggling to breathe, the blood clotted thick in his chest. He always knew he would return to the water, to the peace and the violence that came with struggling for breath. His wounds burned and his blood mingled with the water, curling and diluting one another. Odd how the water didn't burn, didn't eat deep into his chest like polluted claws seeking to invade and rip him apart from them inside.

Too odd.

He finally opened his eyes to find himself staring at clear waters, open ocean with crystal clear blue skies and the occasional crass ocean bird overhead. He squinted in confusion and lifted his head from being partially in the water and hair covered in sand. The afterlife was... pretty?

He coughed as he levered an elbow under himself, spitting up blood and some sand. He stared at the mix after wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. So, not dead? That begged the question: where was he and how long before he'd have to defend himself?

Stop and Smell the Flowers

Flowers were generally far and few between in the undercity. There were small cultivations here and there in the city of steel and glass, and he could admit that Piltover had been the only place that he had been where flora grew and was tended. There were places outside of the cities of course, but his interest had never been there.

It wasn't until the doctor that he had taken notice of the real uses of certain plants. That's why he was out looking for deeply shaded areas of the forest. With the locals talking avidly about new plants appearing, Silco knew there was only one that he wanted to get his hands on. The doctor had been very specific about its growing conditions, so he needed to find caves but was willing to search forest if he needed it.

Of course, explorer of forests he was not, but he was wily and nimble despite the disadvantage of his wounds still healing. Someone told him there were caves, and he intended to find them to see if the purple flowers of the fissures had managed to make the transition here.

He stopped to lean on a tree, breathing hard and spitting on the ground nearby. It was mixed with blood. Chest wounds would do that. He wheezed and shook his head, batting a hand at a vine that was making aggressive moves in his direction. "Worse than teenage street spies..." always so clingy! Of course, other vines were trying to curl around his legs, and he was not in the mood. So he stamped on them with the heel of his boot.

The fight was on. Where was Sevika when he needed her?

Wildcard
[If either of those prompts don't work, feel free to write your own or let's chat and plot! Find me at apomorphine or discord: apomorphine.]

arrival (cw: hallucinations)

[opheliac]

( ooc: see ekko's tag of how her hair is worn and her outfit, i'm too lazy to describe it again. )

( ' i almost drowned in these waters.'

well. not exactly in these waters, but water still. and seeing the sea overall is enough for her to get tossed back into a past lesson where she and her father stood one night. and although the sky is baby blue and the sun rays are as bright as they come, that's not how she is seeing the world right now. everything is dark, gloomy, with the black sea steadily crashing to meet her bare feet. the gentle rumbles of heaven above with subtle flashes of lights doesn't seem to distract her like it did when she was far younger. she had been frighten of storms, but now she prefer it than any other weather. it's like hearing little baby explosives singing and raving out to their little hearts' content. but it seems so lonely out here... nothing but the dark waters and clouds surrounding her with buildings barely in sight.

the hallucination is to why she hadn't noticed silco right away, far too wrapped up with the sea and it's melody. but when she hears a cough several feet from her, jinx turns to the sound and instantly, a dam breaks. her heart swells and stops beating all at the same time. suddenly, she isn't able to breathe and her mind seems to be going a hundred miles an hour. 'no. nonono, he's...he's not there'. it's just her mind tricking her again -- like it always does. it's normal. there's no way he is there just several feet away, because he's dead. she saw him pass away in front of her eyes two months ago. but... what else did she say that day? nothing ever stays dead? and ange did mention how she died but ended up in aldrip. )

( ... real or fiction? real or fiction? jinx doesn't give herself time to decide as she finds her feet coming off the waters and drowned sand to sprint to him. the sea roaring with each of her step, her stumbling and then collecting herself to keep going. she wants to call out to him, but what should she say? silco? dad? they both seem to be twisting together around her tongue -- although, with her rushing towards him like this, jinx might not need to say anything because the ocean is calling out to him to look this way for her. 'please don't go away. please don't go away'. )

yu narukami | persona 4

[izanagis]

i. sand and sea [arrival]

[He might have thought it was all a dream, if not for the waves lapping at his hands. Yu quickly pulls himself to his feet and checks his surroundings. A beach? But what happened to—...hm. Doesn't seem to matter, at the moment. There's not a train track in sight, no less a train, and so...it seems he's gotten involved in something strange again.

He doesn't take much time to orient himself—at the moment, he doesn't seem to need it, and he figures he'll figure everything else out later—before he starts doing what he can to help out. In this case, he can be found handing out towels to other new arrivals who got a mouthful of sea water or even setting up tents with locals or other Chosen.]

Not exactly a pleasant wake-up call. [... said specifically to Chosen who are covered in sand and salt water, like him. He offers a sympathetic smile.] At least the weather's good.

[Idyllic, one might say. Eerily so.]

ii. festival of the sun [games]

a. [Yu Narukami can't keep his nose in his own business. Maybe that explains why he's standing by one of the game booths now, as if he works there or something. Approach the booth, which has a stack of colored bean bags and a few wooden planks, and you'll find out that—oh, okay, he does work here, at least for the time being.]

Welcome to cornhole. [He puts his hands in his pockets. It's meant to be casual, and he seems friendly enough, but his demeanor is a little serious, too, as if he's planning to give this his all.] I'll be your opponent.

b. [Whatever had him working at the game booth, he's free of it in the afternoon. To that end, he's roaming the beach, shoes off with pant legs rolled up to keep them from getting wet. He's got something in his hand—a seashell? Okay? And he's examining it thoroughly while prowling the sands. For anyone that happens to make eye contact, he flashes a little smile and a small wave.]

Have you seen one like this? [He holds up the shell. It's a small conch, smaller than his palm, with a perfect swirl at the end.] Apparently there's a prize for the closest match.

[Maybe he'd be willing to split that prize if they win.]

iii. around town [flora, fauna, etc]

a. [The morning after the festivities, when all the tents have been cleared away, Yu is back on the beach. There's something calming about the waves, too be sure, but also... it's the closest thing to his world he could find. The inn, the town, it's all surreal enough to be considered unreal, and he's found it a little unsettling. 

A cool, damp fog has settled over the beach in the early dawn. After a quiet moment, he removes a pair of glasses from his pocket and puts them on. A wistful expression flits across his face for a moment as he pockets them again and turns, making his way back down the beach to Aldrip.]

b. Woah! [... Okay, so giant bird wrangling is probably not going on his skill list any time soon. It's fine—if your definition of "fine" includes him diving out of the way as a giant warking Chocobo charges right at him. Yeah, he's got this. 

More accurately, what he's got is a rope and a prayer. Oh, and you. You're here too. Yu gives a cursory nod and then starts looping the rope.]

Distract it for a minute—I've got an idea. 

[Congrats, you been voluntold. As a decoy. Have fun!]

iv. the wildcard
[open to anything, including the flora effects and other animal encounters. let's go wild! also: happy to keep previous tdm interactions canon with a little timeline fudging, but lemme know if you'd rather start fresh]

games — a!

[kiseijuu]

[ There's a nervous-looking teenager roaming the game booths — Shinichi offering a shy little smile when the other boy greets him. Really he's mostly just browsing and observing others play, not poking into too many games himself, but it's difficult to just refuse when the other declares he'll be his opponent. He doesn't want to refuse, that'd be rude....!! ]

Ah, okay.....!

[ His own mannerism does vaguely seem like someone is holding a gun to his head as he hesitates for an odd pause before stepping a little closer, as though coaxing himself. The truth is.... he's extremely anxious to try something like this. Given one of his hands has a sentient alien living inside of it, a simple game of cornhole could become something else.... What if Migi gets curious? Starts doing weird things? (And on a moral note, is it technically cheating if he plays a game like this with a hand that could potentially give him an advantage???) Shinichi's immediately worrying....

But there's a solution, one that he suddenly thinks of. He can just use his left hand! That way he's totally safe no matter what!! (Though it means he's about to suck extremely hard at this game....) ]

Do we just— toss the bean bags in? Is that the only rule?

Mitama Yakumo | Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story

[coordinatroll]

1. arrival

[ Falling into endless void is nothing new to Mitama; in fact, it feels like she's been doing that for years now, always surrounded by darkness and despair. Her lips curl up in a small smile. Perhaps this is fine. Perhaps this is what she deserves...

A splash of water to her face is more than enough to wake the girl up, and everything else ─ the sound of waves, the sensation of wet sand beneath her, her wet clothes sticking to her skin ─ all of that informs her of where she is, but it does little to elevate the feeling of confusion. She looks around as she sits up, eyes wide. It's a beach, of course, but how did she get here? She could swear she was in the city just a moment ago...

Another wave hits her hips and reminds her that it's probably for the best if she moves from here and try to piece things together as she goes. Mitama gets up, tries to dust herself off to the best of her ability, and takes another glance at her surroundings. There isn't much here that could explain her situation to her, though she does notice something that looks like a scroll of parchment lying nearby. She picks it up, unrolls it and reads it, her expression slowly going from composed to more and more distraught as she does. But once she finishes, the shock immediately disappears from her face, replaced by a smile. Well, if this is how things are, it's not terribly surprising. She figures it's only fair for the universe to cast its judgement upon her in one way or another.

The girl decides to walk along the shore for a little while until she finally spots some people in the distance. She skips over to the closest person, waving her hand and greeting them with a cheerful smile. ]

Hello there! Would you happen to know the way to the nearest town? I'm afraid I'm a bit lost...

2. festival fun

a)
[ Now that Mitama's had some time to get her bearings, she can finally enjoy the beach properly! Of course, in order to do so, she shows up in a swimsuit. How did she get her hands on it, some might wonder? Well, that's a trade secret. Regardless, the girl is eager to join in on the fun ─ and with the festival activities promising a free meal on top of enjoyment, it doesn't take long for her to get involved. Boat racing might not be up her ally, but building a sandcastle and searching for seashells most definitely are. She can be seen diligently crafting what appears to be a typical magical castle from a fairy tale one moment, and the next she's already running around the shoreline looking for the best-looking shells to use as her contest entry. As she notices another person nearby, she turns her attention to them and approaches them energetically. ]

Have you found any good ones?

b)
[ A girl needs to look out for herself, and that includes earning money for a living. Mitama still isn't quite sure how long she's supposed to stay here, but she'd rather err on the side of caution and get herself established in this place as soon as possible. With all that in mind, it shouldn't be a surprise that she can be found manning one of the stands, inviting the visitors to join her with a sunny smile. ]

Now, come one, come all! It's time for the great Lottery of the Sun! That's right, for the price of just one ticket, you can earn yourself a chance to win marvelous prizes! Don't miss out, it's only for today!

[ It's pretty clear she's in her element here. ]

3. smell the roses

[ Being one of the Chosen isn't all fun and games, apparently! Mitama doesn't mind being given an errand, especially since collecting flower samples isn't exactly anything complicated, and it gives her an excuse to wander around the fields outside the town, taking in all its natural beauty. Really, it feels more like a vacation than a chore. In fact, it's not long until she forgoes collecting altogether and focuses more on admiring the flowers. She picks one up, a bright red amaryllis by the looks of it, and takes a whiff of it. It smells nice, only adding to her feeling of relaxation, something she's been lacking in lately. She even comments on it out loud─

But despite the fact her lips move, nothing comes out.

Mitama lets out a silent gasp, startled by her condition. She's not entirely sure which is failing her, her voice or her ears, but it's quite clear she's afflicted with... something. She examines the flower in her hand for a brief moment, before deciding to seek assistance from a nearby Chosen in order to figure this out. She approaches, waving her hand to draw attention, and while her mouth moves in an attempt to greet them, they still won't hear anything from her for the time being. ]

wildcard

[ ooc: Feel free to toss any scenario of your choice at me! Alternatively, you can hit me up over at psychelocks for plotting. ]

festival fun — a!

[kiseijuu]

[ A gaggle of potential newcomers showing up is a thought that's been on Shinichi's mind as it is — remembering how he'd found himself choking and confused in a grain silo, ready to head out that way to help others at the first mention of new Chosen arriving here.

But instead, there's talk drifting through of newcomers literally washing up on the shore, and Shinichi doesn't hesitate to head out that way. From there, he does find himself assisting various Chosen, helping them gather their bearings and find dry clothes if needed, or something to eat. By the time the afternoon's rolled in, he's been out here for quite a while.... but he doesn't head back yet. The festival's just kicked off, and while usually he'd shy away from such activities, it might be nice to unwind from the day....

He finds himself poking around, watching the boat racing from the safety of the shoreline and playing some games at booths. The seashell hunt also calls to him; he enjoys things like that, quietly wandering across the shoreline to crouch down and pick up shells as he finds them, tucking them neatly into a little wooden bucket. (It also gives Migi an opportunity to get his hand on some new things to examine.... and occasionally the alien slides a shell into Shinichi's pocket to keep for himself, or another item of interest he discovers on the beach. He seems to be having a good time....)

When the voice comes, the boy's looking up, startled out of his own thoughts and blinking widely at a girl who's probably around his age. To any observer, Shinichi probably seems like a counter to her: reserved and extremely shy, but even the way he's dressed..... His "beach look" just means that he's rolled the sleeves of his button-down shirt up to his elbows... and slid off his sweatervest to escape some excess heat. He's also wearing a pair of jeans, the ends of them rolled up so that he can step barefoot across the wet shoreline.

He turns to the girl, offering a shy but friendly smile as he holds up the bucket in his hand to show her the little arrangement of shells he's found so far. There's a soft, almost self-deprecatory laugh as he realises— ]

Ah...! It looks like I've mostly picked up the little common brown ones.... [ You know, the super plain ones you can find anywhere... Shinichi is a simple boy... ] Have you found anything cool?

Paine | Final Fantasy X-2

[crimsonsphere]

As the gull flies

[The locals are friendly--too friendly for Paine's taste--and their explanations make little sense to her. She disengages from them as soon as she can, marching down the shoreline and observing the beachgoers from a healthy distance. So far she hasn't spotted anyone who looks like they're even from Spira--much less Yuna and Rikku. Nothing but static on her communication device, either.

She looks back out at the ocean. It's warm and pleasant but the salt breeze has a different scent--the air, not as humid as she's familiar with.]

...Looks like I got washed out way too far.

Here comes the hurt

[Luckily, Paine still has her sword. She had just been wondering, too, when she was going to see a fiend or two around here. The big jellyfish floating out of the woods looks like just the thing she needs right now. Some people like to yell at the sky to let out their frustrations. Paine prefers a more cutting approach.

She draws her sword and strikes her fighting stance, half facing the enemy, half looking behind her for anything sneaking up, and grins.]

It's your lucky day, punk.

Sphere hunter to tablet hunter

[The technology heaped on the table at the inn is different to what Paine's used to. She's used to curves and metal and paint, not flat black glass. Still, she doesn't see anything better to do around here for now.

She sits at the table peacefully working at a pair of smaller devices. They beep, and the one in her hands occcasionally lets off a buzz as she cleans the sand out of its many cracks--glancing at its larger cousin nearby, which flashes in time to the fluctuations in power.]

Hm... definitely connected. What secrets are you hiding?

Wildcard!

[Feel free to toss anything my way! HMU by PM or compassinks if you wanna run anything particular by me.]

Here comes the hurt

[conflictresolution]

[Silco happened to be in the area exploring the new future kingdom and its wild potential. He had been following the jellyfish slowly, intent to see where it planned on heading. After all, he had quite the fascination with water from a few traumatic experiences of the past.

He spotted the lady with the sword as he emerged from the woods, and he simply took a seat on a fallen tree and watched the action. No, there would be no group participation, but he was looking for a few good candidates to get on board with expansionary projects of the future. Would this one fit the bill?]

Let's hope so. I've been running short on luck these days.

[Don't mind him as he fished in his inner coat pocket.]

Mollymauk Tealeaf | Critical Role | ota

[melanholia]

1. Sand and Salt

[It's weird waking up in sand and waves crashing around with a massive headache when you know for certain you didn't fall asleep that way. Well, minus the water part. There was a lot of water. And fish people.

He sits up and rubs his eyes, blinking blearily at his surroundings. That's... well this is a sight.]

I wanna believe we were at a massive party... [Even when he's 100% sure they weren't. Looking around, he spots a person sleeping and nudges them-] Wake up, you'll turn into a crab. ['Red like a crab' but details.] It actually smells like fried crabs, [his attention gets dragged away to some of the festival's stands, but he's still sitting in the sand, half covered with it, not feeling like getting up yet.]

2. Festival of the Sun - evening

[Sat at the edge of the circle around bonfire, Molly's holding a bottle with a drink and a glass, but not drinking. Instead, he's been staring at the wonderful bonfire- the dancing and songs, drinking and singing and warmth of the fire, waking up some wonderful memories and for a moment he thought he could hear Lestera's voice calling him to dance. But when he looks around, it's just a pair of people just around the corner, having a dance and laughing.

Molly smiles to himself and looks back to the bonfire, placing the bottle and glass in the sand and stands, wanting to mingle with the people dancing- he'll either return to his drink later or someone else will find it and enjoy it. There's plenty to go around.]

I can dance ONLY, I can't sing- just a warning! [he says to someone who nudges him forward for a dance.] You really don't want me singing.

3. Stop and smell the Flowers

[Molly's never understood nature, and he usually didn't fuck with it; yes, he's down to try anything, but there's a certain limitation when it comes to shrooms. He's not an idiot to try ANY type of shroom, just those he heard of that have interesting effects.

He's been observing quite a peculiar cluster of mushrooms, poking it with tip of his sword, when one of it popped, like a balloon, which is weird as it wasn't the one he was poking. It made him sneeze loudly and turn away from the powder that flew up in the air. His hands feel sluggish all of a sudden and his sight got blurry. Very blurry. To the point that he can only tell up and down apart, and white color at times.]

Well, fuck me, [he stops in the middle of the road, then tries to feel around for a tree and support.] Anyone there? This wasn't supposed to happen.

4. Go Bump in the Night

[The occasional static noise coming from the weird, plastic thing is actually unsettling. Molly's sitting in one corner of the room, and the tablet is on the table on the OTHER side of the room, and he can still hear it. It's actually very grating. He's been successfully trying to ignore the murmurs that sometimes come from it, but for a second Molly could swear he could hear Caleb say: "Leave me alone, I'm reading." It's interrupted by more static afterward, but Molly is 100% sure it was him. After that, a sound of Yasha sharpening her sword, singing, a maniacal giggle that's Nott (made ten times creepier by static), then back to Caleb talking to Frumpkin or shushing people.

Finally, Molly leaves his place and goes to pick it up, tapping the screen a few times. Then he throws his coat on, pulls the hood on, and goes outside, the tablet still in hand- maybe, who knows this weird magic- maybe outside there's better reception? Maybe Caleb's actually here. Or Nott, he heard only them.

When he spots another person with a device like his, he walks up to them, briskly-] You! You know how to use this, right? Lend a man a hand and teach me too.

5. Wild card

[OOC: PM me or poke me at WindsongWitch if you want personalized starter!]

4

[crimsonsphere]

[Paine's been busy tinkering with the devices herself. She's started making progress. At least, she assumes that's what's happening because she's starting to hear more than just static, but the sounds are giving her an uneasy feeling in her gut--

--so she's not in the most amenable of moods when a stranger approaches her and demands some troubleshooting for his own device.]

No magic word?

Pride | Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

[shadowofpride]

A. Sand and Salt

....Wow. [There's a silent awe from Pride as he stands at the shore, staring out at the endless ocean. Coming from a landloacked nation, he's only ever read about the ocean in books. Definitely couldn't do justice to actually seeing it in person. The gentle waves brushes against his feet. It's cold, and there's a distinct scent to the water. A smell he's not familiar with, but it was...pleasant. And the breeze, all of this was so new to him! He honestly forgot he was just tossed into another world.

Better pay attention the large wave coming right at them though.] Ah! [Well, he was a little too late to avoid it and the wave manages to knock him over and soak him. He starts coughing as he takes in some saltwater and sand.] Ugh, gross! [The ocean may be beautiful, but it taste awful.]

B. A Pile of Junk

Whoa, what's this suppose to be? [This pile of junk, has a lot of things that Pride has never seen before. Definitely nothing of his world and appears far more advanced when he can get a screen on a tablet to light up. Things move when he touches the screen? What do all these little boxes do? Don't mind this hellspawn fumbling around like a child with a new toy.

And now nothing's moving.

Poking at it harder does not appear to help, but it's beeping now. He frowns. Was it supposed to do that...? He really hopes he hasn't set off a bomb.]

C. Make an Enemy a Friend + Go Bump In the Night

[When night falls, rather than stay put, Pride is out and about investating. To the unexpected, it's clearly past this child's bedtime when he's out. While his childlike appearance may be able to fool most, he still hasn't mastered hiding his nature from animals. The sound of creatures scurrying away in the darkness can be heard as he walks by. It's no different here, when normally docile creatures become agitated in his presence. People's pets can start growling, whimpering, run in circles, any means to get away from the unsettling presence within Pride.

He doesn't think much of it, being used to that sort of reaction. He's more focused on figuring out where that voice he heard was coming from. Perhaps he was imagining it, but he thought he heard a voice, the voice of his Father...? That can't be, his Father, here? There's a chance this may be a trap, but then he feels something in the pit of his stomach. He should be thrilled to be reunited with Father. And yet, he felt a sense of dread? Impossible, he cannot feel such things. Or so he lies to himself. However he feels, he knows he should not keep Father waiting and must go to him. Even if it was a trap, he'll make whomever is responsible pay for mimicking Father.

His investigation takes him near the edge of town. The voice's influence lessen for Pride to start coming to his senses. At this point, he's sure Father was never actually here and-]

Ah- [A snarl cuts through the silence. Eyes peer through the trees, sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight. A pack of wolves, circling around an area. He can't see what, but he can smell it. A freshly killed prey. At this moment, he realizes he's feeling a little hungry. One of the wolves, presumably the pack leader is now moving in front of them, the others follow suit, staring down at Pride. Normally they would simply use intimidation to scare off unwanted strangers, but Pride causes a different reaction from them. A need to kill him before he kills them.

Two options can occur here.
a) Someone can jump in to help him.
b) They can see the shadows around him suddenly come to life as the wolves lunge towards him. His strike will be precise, slicing cleanly through the nearest wolves. Hopefully it's enough to scare them off, leaving him with a tasty midnight snack.]

Wildcard
[Feel free to PM or reach me at noletters for a different starter!]

go bump in the night — b!

[kiseijuu]

[ It's not really his mother's voice. On some level, Shinichi knows this, and yet there's nothing that could stop him from going to make sure, following that voice to wherever it may lead him in the darkness, throat tight and an ache nestled deep in his chest.

On the surface, he may seem to be just as little of a threat as the thing that looks like a child does. The teenager is tall and thin and awkward in himself, demeanour nervous, stepping quietly towards the edge of town and looking anxiously around. But there's something else within Shinichi, too. Something alien, something with its own sentience and awareness. Something sensitive to what makes the animals out here nervous. The agitated flutter of birds overhead makes the alien tense; there's something unnatural out here.

Is it one of his own kind...? A fellow parasite? Or something else. Migi keeps quiet for now, allows Shinichi to find his own way closer. The alien will intervene when he needs to.

It isn't long before the boy does find it. Standing there in the trees just outside of town........ a child. Shinichi's heart skips a beat: startled, confused, concerned. He's about to call out to the younger boy when suddenly that snarl sounds, and his eyes snap over to the wolves with a gasp of horror. But Shinichi hardly has to think about moving forwards, he wouldn't hesitate to throw himself into the fray (a human concept that Migi finds useless at best and dangerous at worst — altruism)....

...Something happens before Shinichi can do anything. Something that makes him freeze in place with shock, then terror. He can't quite understand what he's seeing, only that it's... familiar. Swift and precise and deadly, slicing through flesh and bone with no difficulty. Like the alien parasites.

The teen gives a hushed moan and takes a step back, almost numb in his own panic. Dimly, he's aware that the remaining wolves are taking off running in fright, yipping, and a couple are heading dangerously close to his position. Before Shinichi can react to this at all, his right arm jerks upwards, and changes — stretching out into bladed tentacles that whip through the air. Just as quick and clean as the boy's strange shadows moved, beheading two of the wolves in seconds.

Shinichi stands there, mute and horrified and smelling blood (a familiar scent to him by now), beginning to tremble uncontrollably. He sees Migi's tentacles begin to curl close to his body, defensively moving in front of him as though preparing for battle. But both of them wait, hesitate, to see what the child-thing (another parasite? Something else?) will do or say. ]

han sooyoung | omniscient reader's viewpoint

[plagiarists]

■ arrival — inn

Heh.

[ Smirking to herself, Sooyoung holds the room key she managed to get a hold of after promising that she's going to find a roommate. From what she's seen, Aldrip had seen better days if all the construction sites are anything to go by. Thankfully, no one asked her to help out on her way here and Sooyoung definitely didn't plan on wasting her time helping the locals. The calculation is simple—as long as there's nothing in it for her, she's not going to engage. Not to mention that she's being extremely nice and doesn't take into account how brutally she was taken away from her own world and thrown here out of the blue.

With the inn being so crowded, Sooyoung dangling the key in the open is almost like an invitation to ask her if she's not willing to share a room. And yet, she's still surprised if someone decides to approach her. ]

What do you want?

■ festival — bonfire

[ The bonfire that she thought would be really promising—that's the perfect environment to share some interesting stories she's interested in as a writer, after all—turned out to be a disappointment when the locals just sung and danced. After giving up on locals, she decides to pester any person nearby instead because the performance doesn't hold her interest for too long. ]

Tell me a story for free.

[ What a ⚠️TRADE OFFER⚠️. ]

■ make a friend — giant squid

Stupid squid, show your face.

[ Sooyoung's fondness of squids ^{[citation needed]} has brought her to Aldrip's shore after she noticed a tentacle sticking out of the water during a walk. Sitting with her legs crossed, she keeps throwing rocks at the squid and catches them when it flicks them back. It's actually a fun game, at least for her. ]

I know a squid uglier than you.

[ Is getting caught talking to a squid embarrassing? Time to find out. ]

■ a pile of junk — tablets

Work, you stupid—!

[ She's spent three hours looking through the pile of damaged tableets and for what? After finding the last missing component—a functional battery—this junk still isn't working. Well, save for that annoying beeping sound it's making. ]

If I wanted to be annoyed, I would just hit up a stranger on the street. [ Sooyoung mumbles and curls her first to slam it against the tablet a few times. ] What a waste of time.

[ She throws it out... and then it starts working. There's another tablet that lights up, so she scoops both of them. ]

What?! Mine now!

[ She can't even do much when her both hands are occupied with tablets. Is that going to make Sooyoung share one with someone else standing nearby? Who knows (no). ]

■ wildcard

[ Choose your own adventure! I'm flexible, but if you want to plot, feel free to PM this journal or hit me up at biyoo! ]

bonfire!

[feintofhart]

Sorry. I don't do anything for free.

[ Her answer comes from a young man sitting on a log in front of one of the bonfires, idly roasting a fish over the fire. He's sitting as casually as can be, only the wariness of his gaze separating him from the much friendlier locals, though it doesn't match his expression; he is, as ever, smiling. ]

It's only common sense, right? How about you tell me a story, and I'll tell you one in return.

mimi tachikawa | digimon

[pinkpoop]

1. Arrival!!
[As the fate has it this is hardly the first time Mimi Tachikawa wakes up washed up in a strange world. It's not even her second or third time... she thinks? Honestly! It's so easy to lose the track of the count when you travel between human world and digital one.

But despite being somewhat a veteran world-hopper herself she can't help but notice that there's something very different in her current situation. She wakes up on top of a surf board of all things (no, this still doesn't strike to her as odd) and instead of a deserted beach she sees one that full of life and laughter of... humans? And not just any humans but grown ups and other varied ages, sans the small children.

Yeah. That's the part that she finds weird because huh? Since the adults were able come to Digiworld? Well, anyway. Luckily she didn't land too far away from the shore so she can paddle her way to the land.]

Hello hello! [She greets the closest person with a smile, her voice high and seemingly unbothered] Hey, this is File Island, right? Say where all Digimons are? I've never seen this many people here at once.

2. Getting Stranded FAQ!!
[So! It eventually becomes very clear to her that this is in fact not Digiworld but some completely different place. There might have been some crying and the usual loud whining "Why does this keep happening to me!!" accompanied by the realization but oh well! Once she's done with all of that she decides to put her knowledge into use!]

Alright everyone! [Her voice is loud and cheerful as she calls out to people near her] Now I know this situation is a scary one but there is no reason to fret! I've been doing this before so come at me if you have any questions about getting lost in a strange world!

3. Looking for a friend
[Just because it's not Digiworld that doesn't mean that she can't try finding her friends! After borrowing some paper and crayons from some of the locals and holds up a sign that has a colorful drawing on it.]

Heyyy! Has anyone seen Palmon?! You really can't miss her! She's green and has pretty flower on her head!

4. Festival!!
[Search for Palmon continues to be her main goal... But you know! Looking for her friend and helping others out to come terms with their current situation is tiring. So she totally deserves a break from all the hard work. Which means she totally ditches her little project of helping others. Even the sign looking for Palmon is left taped on one of the stands that say "lost and found".]

Aaaww, I do wish I had brought my bikini with me! [Mimi sighs out loud a whine and stretches her arms out, basking in warm sunlight. Oh well! There's nothing that can be done about that now. Time to have fun!!

Mimi trots around the festival, admiring other people's sand castles and making comments like "Oh wow! So cute!" and asking if the person in question would be willing to take requests.

Other than that she can be found picking the seashells for a bit before she grows bored at it, deciding to ditch all the activity that even remotely reminded her of working. Mimi visits the booths selling jewelry and other goods, disappointed at the fact that she didn't seem to have her wallet with her. How unfair.

That ice cream had looked so good too :(]

2

[imperialsun]

[There's a single clap and a smile from a teenager near her.]

Haha, sorry! You sound like one of my friends. [He gives her a small head nod.] I've been lost in a ~parallel world~ too before, so I know how to take care of myself, but it's a great idea to help everyone else who hasn't.

Naoya Toudou - Persona 1

[imperialsun]

SAND AND SALT
Well, that's rude.

[He dusts off the sand, and realizing that none of his friends are around, wonders if something happened when Maki sent him back to the 'real world'. He idly rubs the single earring he has, thinking out loud.]

Well, it doesn't seem to be home, or there, so maybe there's another force at work here.

[He looks at the nearest person. Looks like he wants your advice.]

Where were you before this happened?

MAKE A FRIEND (PERSONA 1 SPOILERS)
[There is, in front of you, a teenager close to a giant bird Chocobo that slightly towers him. Concentrated by the task at hand, he doesn't notice the other presense. However, instead of trying to get away or trying to catch it, he's singing to it. The bird tilts its head, a little confused. He stops the serenade and -]

So? Are you a demon? Do you want to give me your card now? [Squawk!] Ahh so maybe you're just a giant bird, I guess. Worth a try.

[He stops singing to place his hands on his hips, briefly sighing.]

This would be much easier if Eriko would be here. [Squawk!] Sorry, that's one of my friend's name. She is a demon expert! It made it easier to get cards. [Squawk?] Ahh the cards we gave to Igor so he could turn them into Personas...but to think of it, I don't think I've seen the Velvet room door anywhere here.

[He sits on a rock, to rub a hand on his single earring to think, as the bird scoots a little closer. He's tamed it somehow? Or maybe it's just curious.]

A PILE OF JUNK
[One man's junk is another man's treasure, or, more to this case, the utter confusion of someone still living in 1996 looking at all this fancy technology. He seems utterly fascinated by the devices more than trying to put them back together.]

How can it be so flat and still work?

[A true mystery.]

WILDCARD
[ Any other ideas are welcome! ]

Sand and salt

[razorblade_empress]

[As it happens, there's someone within earshot: a lost-looking woman who looks to be in her early twenties. She's clearly checking out her surroundings, wearing what looks like an ordinary pair of glasses, although she's soon shoving those into a case and stashing said case in her jacket, looking somewhere between confused, saddened, and displeased.

She also looks oddly familiar.]

Dunno.

[Wait.]

...Toudou?

[Fuck.]

yosuke hanamura | persona 4

[garbagecanned]

i. make a friend

What the hell is this??

[yeah, he's freaking out currently over the... ambystoma. it would fit into the palm of his hand, and it just looks at him in passive interest as he hops around a bit and backs up.]

What?? You look like you stepped right out of those creepy alien movies! What, you gonna get my trust and then eat me in the middle of the night or something??

[... please send help.]

ii. flowers

[well. he'd gotten over his small issue with the Ambystoma and is still investigating the area. he ends up at the field of flowers, and he looks at the tiny creature that's stuck around with him despite his earlier attempts at screaming at him.]

That's not suspicious at all.

[he's incredibly suspicious about everything, though.

it's not long until he starts feeling a little... sleepy. he stretches a little and doesn't find anything too strange about it, because he'd been through a lot already. he'd washed up on the beach (and he's still kind of damp), and he'd shrieked for quite a while at the Ambystoma.

a nap seems to be in order.

so he gets down on the ground, feeling for a fluffy patch of flowers and grass before deciding he was going to fall asleep. right there. in the middle of everything.]

iii. a pile of junk

[after all of that nonsense, and after he's gotten himself cleaned up and in dry clothes, he finally finds the tablets.]

Woohoo! Some sort of civilization at last!

[okay, city boy.

he might be seen tapping around at the tablet, scrunching up his nose as he realizes... it's not all working too great.]

Oh, come on. Snake? Solitaire? I can't even get my music on here??

[#priorities]

i

[orphne]

[Okay, as funny as watching this guy hop around is, she doesn't want him to accidentally hurt the weird little creature or anything. Still, she can't help but giggle a little as she skips over, clasping her hands behind her back and peeking around him with a friendly smile.]

I heard that jumping around and shouting at them just makes them mad. And they never, ever forget a face.

[-Okay, well, she doesn't have to be helpful. There's a playful sparkle in her eyes as she grins at him, though. Maybe she doesn't have to be taken seriously?]

Dan Heng | Honkai: Star Rail (spoilers for patch 1.2!)

[skypiercing]

Salt and sand
[The sound of the ocean isn't alarming to Dan Heng when he wakes. In all honesty, it's actually quite comforting, being rocked by the waves in as he dozes.
Except he shouldn't be, and it's that alarming realization that has him splashing awake in the surf, staring dumbfounded.] ...This isn't the Luofu.

[And it wasn't a dream, apparently. The smell of cooking food nearby draws his eyes to the festival setting up, curiosity clear in his gaze. Oddly enough, he doesn't seem to mind the seawater and sand soaking every inch of him, for someone in such ornate clothing. He pushes himself up to his feet, glancing around for anyone nearby who might be willing to offer answers to a few questions.]

Festival of the Sun
[Somewhere in between his arrival and now, Dan Heng has somehow managed to acquire a pad of paper and writing tools. He'd bartered help at one of the booths, because while his phone was useful, it had no service here. And he'd always had something of a preference for written notes.

Which is how he can be found making quiet notes about the variety of shells he's collected for the seashell hunt, as well as taking notes on whatever sea life he sees. He's currently observing a tiny ambystoma with open fascination.

He's... got quiet a bit of information written down, in fact. Not just on the wildlife, but what little information he'd been able to get from the locals.

Also how did he get a shell quite that big? It looks fresh from the ocean floor, actually.]

This is Ecology
[After finally managing to rest and find some time in which to change his appearance to something a little less eye-catching, Dan Heng sets out to explore. The answers to his questions are unfortunately few, but maybe exploring the environment more will offer some more idea of the kind of place this is, and hopefully a place where he can manage to contact the Express. The lack of communication service continues to be a frustration.

At the very least, last he saw everyone... they seemed alright. None of his friends had been badly hurt. The general had been the worst for wear, but even he seemed mostly exhausted. That knowledge was something of a comfort, right now.

The variety of fauna on this planet was making that difficult, though.

He's had to cut through more clinging vines than he'd really like to with his spear, grimacing as he wipes muck off the weapon. Unfortunately, that means he also ends up stumbling into a flower patch while his eyes are focused on trying to find vines.

A few breaths of pollen is all it takes for his vision to darken. The vines creep closer.] ... I was too careless.

[OOC: In the first two prompts, Dan Heng is in his original form (spoilers for 1.2), featured in the first link. In the last prompt he's rested up and returned to a more mundane looking form to better fit in, because he's Weird Like That and dislikes attracting attention. He's coming fresh from the end of 1.2, but I will keep spoilers to a minimum if asked!]

this is ecology

[coordinatroll]

[ Mitama has only just arrived to the scene, and the first thing she notices is a stranger who seems to be in some sort of predicament. A quick glance to the way he'd come from tells her all she needs to know ─ apparently, some of the local vegetation isn't quite as docile as it would appear to be at first.

Hm. What to do, what to do... Normally, she's not exactly a heroic type and leaves helping out innocent civilians to other magical girls... But the vines, while persistent, don't seem like a particularly difficult opponent, and she figures this is something she should be able to handle without even transforming. She might as well put in a little effort.

Mitama pulls out a handkerchief, imbuing it with her personal magic, and tosses it on the ground in the way of the aggressive flora. As soon as the vines come close to the piece of cloth, they immediately begin to wilt and rot. Not a pleasant sight under most circumstances, but works wonders to convince the pursuer to give up the chase. Ignoring that for the time being, the girl approaches the man to inspect him for any possible injuries. ]

Oh my, that was close. Are you alright?

Kei Nanjo: Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

[totheno1]

SAND AND SALT
[Nanjo should consider himself lucky. Considering that his last memory were that of the cavernous pools of Mt. Iwato, the fact he didn't call completely in the water, but rather only partly into the waves means only half of his outfit (but most importantly, his precious scarf) weren't completely damaged.

Upon getting out of the water, still grasping his sword, he plants it into the sandy beach so that he can remove his helmet, a piece of ancient paper spilling from it that catches his attention. He reads it, frowning.]

Preposterous.

[He has half a mind to just throw it back into the ocean? sea? He's not sure yet. Whatever this place is, it's certainly not his world.]

FESTIVAL OF THE SUN
[Have you ever seen anyone look so out of place?

Kei isn't really participating in the events at all, even when he's playfully dragged by someone into a booth or offered work, he politely yet firmly talk them down. Instead he's doing his own activity of watching everyone else move and go by, mentally taking notes, idly listening in on conversations to see if he can grasp a little better where he is.

Do you want to go bother him?]

GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT
[It's rather stupid to go alone at this time of the night. Yet curiosity gets the better of him. The flickering and odd reactions is cause enough to want to investigate, but when he spots a fox with a few more tails than usual, he has to wonder if he's finally stumble upon demons, or if this place has a lot more secrets than he is giving it credit. That, in itself, is extremely worrying.

Maybe that's why he grips his sword a little tighter.]

Bump in the night

[strength_of_will]

[ William is out as well. Partly for his nightly rounds of the town perimeter, partly because he, too, has been hearing and seeing odd things out of the corner of his eye. He grips his short spear firmly and keeps his shield at the ready as he wanders the streets.

Seeing someone out late at night, he straightens and calls out. ]

Hey! Are you alright? You should head back inside.

phosphophyllite | land of the lustrous

[survivorsgilt]

I. arrival

[Phosphophyllite crawls out of the sea. Well—eventually, they'll crawl out of the sea. When they wake up in the shallows they're sitting on the sand, shoulders-deep in the water and just staring out into the rest of the ocean. It doesn't seem to bother them at all - and they're not even swayed by the push and pull of the waves, but that's thanks to how heavy they are. When they look over their shoulder at the rest of the beach, the people and the distant outline of buildings, they are... kind of annoyed!!!

What's all this, huh!! The one time they have a whole plan in mind and then this happens, what gives!!

So, if not approached by a concerned citizen trying to figure out if the figure sitting in the shallows is, like, still alive - they will crawl out of the sea. Literally—Phos crawls, and it might be a touch unsettling; they have these strange gold arms, after all, that morph and reshape constantly to practically pull them along the sand until they tire of it and just flop down on their back.

With their arms reforming, well, arms, they press their hands to their face and groan, then thrust two balled fists up into the sky.]

Ugh!! No one is even here! Hey— [that's for the nearest passerby, i.e. you,] What are you supposed to be? Are you a human?

[make their day, ty]

II. beach fun

[Or: seashell hunt.

Or: one local gem hoarding seashells in a basket pinched from somewhere or other, and not unsuccessfully. Phos is toting around a veritable treasure trove of shells, although not for the desire to get any prizes out of it. No, the prizes strike them as everyday things one could just pick up anywhere, actually? How hard is it to find a flower...

But they've heard "seashell hunt" and had a bit of a moment over it, connecting seashells to Admirabilis and nearly literally exploding into gold goop.

So. They can be found, eventually, after quite possibly making a scene over refusing to turn in any of their shells for the contest or trying to snatch a shell from someone else, sulking on the ground with the basket of shells between their knees. They're draped miserably over the top of it, and if you squint, something about their gold arms looks... wobbly.]

They're all empty... [ugh. but:] Are yours? Did you find any with animals inside?

III. network

this thing is sooo hideous
not cute at all

anyway!
i need somebody to finish a game level for me
it's really stupidly impossibly hard!!!
in exchange i'll give you the privilege of being in my adorable presence

i need this for right now

[Thanks, it's super important, xoxo]

IV. wildcard/misc

[hi it's jojoveller back at it again. phos is from ch. 76 of the manga, if that means anything to anyone. they have beautiful blue lapis lazuli "hair" now, not the green from the gif. fun facts!]

i

[izanagis]

[Yu can take a lot of things in stride, for sure. He's even gotten involved with the locals already, volunteering to hand out towels and help people out of the water like a good, upstanding citizen. He just wants to be useful, alright? Anyway, as far as taking things in stride goes -- he does find himself stopping in surprise as he catches sight of some...weird...gold tentacle things flailing themselves out of the ocean? Did he see that right?

... ... ... Hm. Oh well. He starts to move on--]

Hm? [He looks Phos over, tilting his head a bit.] Me? Yeah, I am. Towel?

[He holds one out.]

Quentin Quire | Marvel 616

[querulus]

a. arrival

[Quentin Quire is annoyed.

Not because of the mysterious abduction. Or the fact that his powers still are a little on the fritz after that whole thing with Jubilee. Or even the stupid paper describing his "crime" — which by the way? that riot was ages ago. Get new material, spooky white room island kidnappers. Kid Omega is an X-Man and an Avenger, so suck it! Well, sort of. Close enough!

No, no, all of that is old hat. Pedestrian. Yawn. What's really annoying Quentin Quire is the seawater he woke up waste-deep in.]

These socks are Cervelt! Does that mean nothing to you stupid peasants?!

[Is he yelling at the sky? Yes. While gesturing dramatically with the pair of wet socks and shoes in his hands? Also yes. With no regard for the fact that he looks insane? Obviously. That's not important. Complaining is what Quentin does, and anyone who has the misfortune of being in the area is going to have to listen to it.]

Hey! I know there's some evil boss or supervillain or shady government suits out there who captured me, and I know you probably think you're hot shit for catching an Omega-level mutant. And yeah, I can't really blame you. I am pretty much amazing. But playtime's over, got it? So go ahead and save me the trouble of hunting you down, and I promise to only microwave half of your pathetic brain!

b. festival of the sun

[It's not even fair, honestly. Expecting all these normies to be any sort of competition in any contest ever for someone as awe-inspiring as Quentin Quire.

Boat racing? Easy. Nobody said "no telekinesis" so it's not cheating. Sandcastle building? Simple. Again, assuming telekinesis isn't cheating, which it's not. Seashell hunting? Okay, Quentin doesn't really have seashell-finding powers so this was one a little harder, but he is a super genius with a million brilliant thoughts every second. So ultimately, not that hard.

But hey, Quentin isn't all about punching down and lording his power over all the lesser beings. Eventually it's time to let the lower life forms have their fun and no he didn't get disqualified for "obnoxious gloating" so shut up and go be charitable elsewhere. He's volunteered to work at a booth for a charming local — who he's now pretty sure is not a supervillain — because he's just that nice of a person! Unfortunately, Quentin has had multiple of those ice cream treats from the many contests he won, and the sugar crash is hitting him hard.

Maybe you're here to confront him about the contests, either as a participant or as an observer. Maybe you're just here to buy something from the booth he's now very dubiously running. Either way, Quentin is barely even awake at this point, drawling sleepily as he leans back in his chair, feet propped on the table in front of him.]

Yeah, yeah, that'll be 5... whatevers. I don't know the currency here, and I don't care. Just leave it on the table, okay?

c.1 a pile of junk

[Look, Quentin basically has to take a bunch of this junk. I mean, hello? A million brilliant thoughts per second?? Who is better equipped to introduce modern technology to these primitives?]

Don't worry, everyone, I'll take it from here! Super genius coming through!

[Not that there's a crowd or anybody looking particularly confused hanging around the pile of broken tablets and bits. Quentin just feels the need to announce his presence as much as possible. Without even bothering to sort through anything, he gathers together a bundle of pieces in a telekinetic bubble and waltzes off the utmost and least earned confidence. Surely this will go well!]

c.2 a pile of junk

[It's not going well.

Not sorting through the pile before taking a bunch of shit was a mistake. Announcing that he was a super genius for everyone to hear was a mistake. Making sure he was sitting somewhere clearly visible to work on his haul was a huge goddamn mistake. Now he's stuck with a crapload of motherboards and touchscreen displays and hard-drives and not a single fucking battery. And since he's already talked himself up, he can't exactly go back to the pile and admit that he made a mistake. Nobody will ever take him seriously as a genius again! Not that they will anyway if he can't get one of these stupid fucking things working.

... Shit.

Quentin gets up, hands shoved casually into his pockets, and makes his way over to the nearest person who appears to be semi-competent at piecing together their own tablet.]

Hey. [Yep, super casual. Not insecure or nervous. Definitely not sheepish. Quentin Quire is never sheepish.]

You got any extra batteries?

a. arrival

[opheliac]

( well, what an entertaining show this new person is displaying! it definitely beats watching the locals build homes for several hours, asking for her help every couple minutes, and dealing with their nice manners. because quite frankly, the sugary coated attitude the locals mostly have is making her want to gag up her breakfast and swallow salt water. so here sits jinx, a seventeen year old with long blue braided hair with pronouns. her pink eyes (yes, her eyes are pink, how freaky!) glisten in interest as she tilts her head to the side -- grinning rather mischievously. )

Can I get a front row seat to see that?

( the teen isn't sure what a "microwave" is, but if it has the ability to destroy someone's brain, that's something worth witnessing!! )

Erichthonios | Final Fantasy XIV

[beshackled]

I. Under Construction

After having spoken to more than one person about the wish to erect accommodations enough for all those in Aldrip, Erichthonios thought it only proper that he should lend his full aid and assistance to the efforts of those rescued from the desert in doing just that.

He is even creating small tools - instruments like hammers and saws to use for a few hours before they dissipate. Sometimes they vanish a little more quickly then others.

"Ah. Has it come undone again?" he says, speaking to a worker approaching with empty hands. "Apologies. I shall make another."


II. Wild Flower Wizardry

Although he hadn't sought out the festivities -- focused on remedying the housing situation as he was -- Erichthonios had overheard talk of new and unusual flowers cropping around Aldrip, and having heard it, he considered it might be nice to bring a few to his friend, confined to bedrest as she was at the clinic following her injury. Idea in mind, he takes his leave early on the day of the festival, determined to bring a bit of brightness to her whether or not she would be able to indulge in the festivities.

Unknowing of the unusual nature of the pollen, Erichthonios approaches the field of flowers without an onze of caution.

One might later spy a glimpse of coppery hair amidst the field of orange-red poppies -- or, if it is not yet nightfall, the dark of his robes. Either way, the man appears to be solidly slumbering.

I

[weenwoon]

Though they are far from being closely acquainted, Erichthonios is at least familiar to Hythlodaeus through rumour and gossip. He watches the boy - and the work - curiously from afar, then approaches while Erich is busy creating a new hammer, and speaks once he's done and the worker hurries off.

"Oh, to be able to weave aether like that even away from home! You must quite skilled. I am rather envious!"

Skilled like your father is something Hythlodaeus at least doesn't say, for a small mercy.

Hythlodaeus | FFXIV

[weenwoon]

I. Arrival and Onboarding

Hythlodaeus may have no idea where he ended up, how or why, but it's not going to stop him from enjoying himself if there's a festival going on. After all, the weather is nice, the people are friendly, the food looks delicious and surely sooner or later he'll find a way to return home (or, more likely, Azem will arrive to pick him up). In the meantime, he might as well have some fun.

... Or, rather, work a part-time job.

"Would you like a beverage? One must remember to hydrate in this weather!"

A cheerful voice calls out to you, and if you turn around - well, you'll probably have to look up some, because this guy is tall. And he himself is not exactly dressed for the weather, wearing a long black robe and a white half-mask covering the upper part of his face. The effect might be a little spooky, but it's probably offset by the flowers-and-ribbons boa over his neck. He's also holding a tray with several tall cups filled with liquid in a pastel-purple colour and some... dark round bubbles at the bottom?.. This is, presumably, what he's trying to sell to you.

II. Does it Bug You?

Though this is certainly not Amaurot, the habits of decades die hard (not that Hythlodaeus has any reason to let them die, anyway). Evaluating concepts is almost second nature now to him; after all, dozens would pass across his desk every day at the Bureau, and there is a certain pleasure in identifying familiar patterns and finding the differences, the new and the unique in the submissions (although, alas, not in every one).

The ecosystem of this world, though, is delightfully free of things created just for the sake of joining a trend (he will never quite get over the shark fad) and full of new, unfamiliar creations. After his arrival Hythlodaeus spends a lot of his days wandering Aldrip and its surroundings (as much as he would love to set foot out further, Hades's incessant fussing and worrying makes it hard), observing flora and fauna.

You may run into Hythlodaeus on one of such walks of his; he sits crouched, the pose concealing his impressive height, staring intently at his hands. As you look closer, something moves across his fingers, a little spot of red... a ladybug? He also seems to be murmuring to himself.

"Well, isn't this a cute one..." He gently raises his fingers in order as the ladybug crawls across his knuckles and tips his head as he examines it closer. "Such classic features of the coleoptera, but..."

At that he seems to notice your approach and looks up with a smile. He seems to be completely fine with striking up a conversation with a stranger, and in fact even holds up the beetle as though to demonstrate it to you.

"Aposematism or general mimicry, do you think?"

II

[likethestars]

Yuja is finally free from the infirmary. Free to wander around on her own again, what joy! Well, just so long as she takes it easy for a little longer. Which means she can't set out on a new adventure to explore the new land. Instead, she's poking around town trying to find jobs that won't be too strenuous or looking for information to help her once she sets out on her adventure.

It's while wandering around Aldrip that she spots a figure in an all too familiar set of robes. She tries to sneak up so she can squat down beside him and take a look at what's in his hands. But she should have known it wouldn't be so easy to sneak up on someone like him.

The small au ra woman looks from ladybug then up at him, confusion clear on her features. "Apo-what now?"

Luffy | One Piece

[couldntsaveone]

i. festival of the sun.

a. sand castles

Luffy's arrival here had been quiet, especially for him. There was no really telling how he arrived here, he just showed up one day and instantly made himself at home. He'd listened to the weird explanations from the locals and then asked the important questions.

What could he do to get some food?

That had been a couple of days ago and now the festival of the sun was in full swing. He's busy enjoying himself, as if he's always been here. Currently, he's very badly attempting to build a sand castle. It's going horribly, with half of it just a lump of dry sand that doesn't look like anything and the other half a soggy mess of sand that he's trying to sculpt with his hands.

He also might be a bit too close to the shoreline.

Mmm. I think I'm getting the hang of it.

b. sea shell hunting

One of the things that Luffy picked up on quickly here is that if he won different events, the prizes were usually food. Or well, he could ask for food as his prize!

Currently, he's entered in one of the sea shell hunting contests. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't paying that close attention to the rules. He's just grabbing as many shells as possible, without thinking. But clearly the rules stated that participants were supposed to only collect a certain kind of shell and bring it back, to later be made into jewelry by the locals.

And this one and this one and this one and...

ii. flora

Having wandered into the forest, Luffy's found something that's very familiar. Mushrooms. Or rather, mushrooms that effect mood. They have a different appearance than the ones he's used to but they're delicious and fun.

So far, he's found a laughing mushroom, a depression mushroom, and an angry mushroom. He's currently trying to find more of the laughing mushroom again when he accidentally wanders under one of the newer flowers, aptly named sundew. However, as it drops pollen filled sap on him from above, he finds himself feeling something very familiar.

Weakened, the same way he feels when in sea water, he becomes sluggish and his movements start dragging, with him stumbling about. He might appear drunk at first glance but someone paying attention will notice him shaking his head a lot as he tries to figure out what just happened to him.

Did I eat something bad...?

iii. fauna

As fun as all of this is, nothing is more fun than the wild and crazy creatures here! Luffy is having a ball with all of these different creatures!

c. Chocobo wrangling

There was nothing more exciting for Luffy than hearing that the giant wild birds could be tamed and ridden. How cool is that?

However, the hard part is catching them. Luffy, however, is more than up to the challenge. He's excited for it. It'll be easy to find him in a large clearing, trying to herd one, then another in one direction. And then stretching his arms out to attempt to catch it. He does manage to grab hold of one and even manages to climb (well, stretch and fling himself) onto it's back, but he soon ends up tumbling off. He needs to stay on longer before it'll accept him.

Darn, so close!

d. spore walker baby

The battle had been fierce and he's more than a little banged up from it but he'd won! That said, one of his arms is still paralyzed from the spores from earlier, one eye is drooping a little bit, and...

He's found something after the battle was over. What as this little thing? It looks similar but not quite the same and the giant thing he just fought. Staring at it, he picks it up with his good hand and decides.

I'll call you Amezaiku. Cause you look like yummy candy!

e. elementals

While not exactly rare, they aren't common or easy to find, usually. However, Luffy's luck holds out and several of them seem to like him. Or well, some of them seem to like him.

The water ones can't stand him and will splash water at him every time he comes across one of their resting places. But the plant ones and air ones like him enough. They don't stick around long but they come peeking out to see what he's doing and if he'll share food with them. He doesn't mind, so long as it's one or two, but occasionally he can be seen running from several of them, shouting that it's his food!

Careful approaching, though. A few of them like to play pranks, too.

tomoe / divine nanami / voicetesting

[foxically]

1.1 - 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓰𝓸𝓭𝓼 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓪𝓵𝓵-𝓹𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓯𝓾𝓵.

(festivals aren't unfamiliar to a familiar. mikage used to hold them, and nanami had just done her first one - although, to be fair, this is different. the fox watches from a shrub, eyes squinting for any other ayakashi. they'd usually all flock around here... where's the land divine? he's getting angsty.

until his very fluffy tail gets stepped on, and it runs a goosebump of pain down to the base of his neck, a yelp, and a scream:)

HEY, WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!!!!!!!

(it hurts!! it hurts!!!)

1.2 - 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓭𝓸 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓫𝔂 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯, 𝓲 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭𝓷'𝓽 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓪 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝔁𝓲𝓼𝓽

(now a new information arises - a deity. why the hell would a deity bring him here? do they have business with his own deity? why isn't anyone telling him anything? he's tried everything. he's tried to be nice, diplomatic, charming, but his patience is so low at this point.

fox fire dances around him, while he shakes a poor local.)

What do you mean you won't answer my questions?! How can one worship what they don't know?! Take me to your shrine?! Are you attempting an alliance?! Tell me!!!

1.2

[izanagis]

[... So much for a peaceful afternoon... Yu is working nearby, and it's the fire that catches his attention first, as he tries to stamp it out before it catches the entire awning on fire. After dealing with that minor emergency, he takes in the stranger causing such a commotion. Are those...fox ears...?

The poor local is in trouble...]

Can I help? [He manages to do a decent job at not staring at the ears, but it does take some work.] I think they're already shaken up enough.

Shinjiro Aragaki | Persona 3 (showing up to the tdm a month late with starbucks)

[hoboagogo]

Sand and Salt! And water. And Trauma. God. This sucks.

[Let's be real. He laid on that beach for at least an hour, possibly two, trying to conceptualize what the hell just happened between the gunshots and the asphalt and the weird voices and hitting the water. He had to dry out a little anyway, right? So it's normal to have thrown his coat out on the sand after it absorbed his body weight in seawater. And it's probably normal, too, to lay back himself, try not to stare directly at the sun, and just.... lie there. Not really processing but also not moving forward. Just like always.

He has that paper. It's not helpful. In fact it's fucking insulting. And beyond that-- what? He's some dead guy who is weirdly alive-feeling, laying just off to the side of where some people are trying to set up tents.

Eventually Shinjiro has to accept that the thick heavy tarpit-esque grasping knot in the center of his gut is probably at least a little bit hunger. (Mostly trauma. But a little hunger.) Seeing that he's been so far unable to simply will himself back out of existence, he might as well get the hell up and keep his shitty carcass moving a little longer.

A sigh, and he sits up, his back and hair completely covered in sand. Fine. Food. And whatever the fuck is going on. Apparently. It's not like he's had a lot of choice in the weird shit happening in his life so far, so why start now?]


Salt and Sand part two: this time he's actually doing something.

[Though that something might be wringing out his socks while waiting on some food someone promised. Apparently taking in scraggly-ass strangers isn't that uncommon here- though the local that had given hum some heads up had also warned him that the inn was booked out for the festival. But that's fine, Shinjiro's slept in shittier places than outdoors in a beach town. And with as many half-constructed buildings as there are, he can probably find some hole to crawl into in case it rains. So it's fine.

They even gave him the food for free-- maybe a 'welcome to the neighborhood' thing. Cause he sure as shit doesn't have the cash on him to pay for anything. If they even took Yen. But he'll wait until the local leaves, before glancing over to someone nearby who also has a plate in hand.]

-So did they tell you what this is, or just hand it off? [He's probably gonna eat it regardless. But it would be nice to know what it is.]


Bro you gotta earn your keep, go pick flowers

[Regretfully, after a few days he still exists. And should probably stop being such a useless mooch and having an existential crisis disguised as being a lazy asshole. So with enough of the encouragement from the locals-- fine he's off to pick some goddamned flowers.

His coat still isn't dry and he's almost given up hope of it ever managing. But at least it's hotter than satan's tits, so he's not missing it too badly. But at least he's managed to rinse most of the sand from his hair after finding an actual location to sleep-- so hey he almost looks like a Normal Human Teenager (albeit one who could probably use three days of sleep) when he tags along with the other outsiders to start picking through the new plants.]

They want us to wrote down where we get them or anything....? Or just haul 'em up at the root and hand it over? [Or-- cut them? Man, he doesn't know. He doesn't even know what plants are normal here and which ones aren't. So hopefully you are slightly less lost than he is, partner.]

(I'm cool with whomever having whatever effects! Or just a flower picking adventure???)

Wildcard (insert persona joke here)

[if you have better ideas than I do: tag me with them!! Or suggest something and I'll make you a starter! Call me out on my shitty phone autocorrect typos!! Do whatever, since I'm not your mom!! I'm on disco at soozaphone, plurk at the same, hmu here or there or anywhere if you wanna plot something out!]

kicks down the door!! also the first prompt 👀

[orphne]

[She knows that when people are gone for long enough, they can't remember stuff that happened here. At least, that's what had happened to Fyodor-san. He'd disappeared, been gone for more than a month, and then come back without any memory of having been here before.

She'd accepted that Shinjiro was gone, too. It's not like it's the first time she's had to accept his loss. Still, it was hard not to hope that she might see him again, as unlikely as it might be. Just like they'd all hoped he'd wake up from the hospital. Just like she'd hoped that maybe he'd wake up before she... well.

Still, she'd taken to running on the beach in the mornings. It hadn't been too long ago that they'd all had to fight in the desert, and it had sucked. So this is kind of like training, right? It's not that she really wants to do it, but in case something like that happens again, she wants people to rely on her. Which is a long way of saying that she's on the beach, wearing her school uniform for lack of a better outfit to exercise in (the fashion here is a little... quaint for running on the beach, after all), with her Evoker strapped to her thigh and hidden beneath her skirt. She'd thought about taking her naginata, but that just felt weird to carry around town. Still, it feels weirder not to practice running without the weight of her Evoker.

She stops short at the sight of the man lying on the beach, though, her heart leaping into her throat as her casual jog turns into a run.]

Senpai?

Morgana | Persona 5 (fashionably late)

[copycatburglar]

i. salt and sand

[ There's rude awakenings, and then there's this. Doesn't anyone know not to drop a cat in the water? Not that he's a cat, of course.

Still, now that he's dragged himself out of the water and sand to the edge of the beach, he's parked himself down to clean. Seeing a cat by the beach having a tongue bath isn't anything extraordinary... if it weren't for the paper stubbornly stuck in his yellow collar. Paper that will look familiar to any other Chosen. ]

I can't believe it. This is the thanks I get...?

[And the fact that he's talking.]

ii. stop and smell the flowers

[Despite everything, it seems like he's gotta find a way to earn his keep in this world. No more freeloading as an undercover Phantom Thief, nope. And of course, this is another world designed for people with thumbs. Rude!

At least flower picking isn't too hard. His superior sense of smell can help him pick out some particularly choice specimens, too. Big bright things. He's picked a few and was bringing them back to town, but... he has to carry them with his mouth, and well...

There's a cat sprawled out on this walkway, surrounded by flowers.]

It's getting late, isn't it? We should be getting to bed... hmrrrrrrm....

[Someone got hit by sleepiness pollen. Did you get the same stuff, or something else?]

iii. a pile of junk

[What's the best way to begin your rehabilitation from a lifetime of crime? Why, more crime, of course! A certain someone has stolen a bag full of broken phones and tablets and run off with it. A thief to the end. Never mind that he could have just taken them for free if he asked, but the criminal mind never sleeps.

Somewhere in a nearby alleyway, he's laid out a bunch of them next to each other. Maybe you followed him, or maybe you caught sight of a cat poking and prodding at a bunch of electronics with very little success.]

C'mon, one of you has to have something useful on here...! The date, or a map. Or anything!!

iv. wildcard

[ (obligatory persona joke). None of these suit your fancy? Hit me up with whatever! also free free to dm me here or contact me at larksong ]

3!!!! also yells morgana-!

[orphne]

[Seeing a cat run off with a bag of electronics does sound like the kind of thing a leader is supposed to deal with. Honestly, she hasn't even decided if it's worth following too far, because like, the cat put in a lot of work to get it? And it's not like anyone seems to own the strange technology, so it can't even really be considered stealing. It's interesting enough that she does decide to follow, though, hands clasped behind her back as she peers over the little guy's haul.

Aaaaand he's talking. Huh. Maybe she should have a bigger reaction to that, but honestly, considering one of her teammates was a dog with a Persona, why wouldn't a cat be able to talk?]

What kind of information are you looking for, Mr. Kitty? [she asks, dropping down to her knees near him and offering her hand like she might for a normal cat to sniff.]

satoru gojo ( jujutsu kaisen )

[catoru]

ARRIVAL//FESTIVAL OF THE SUN

[ careening through time and space is certainly nothing new for gojo satoru.

in fact, that's a regular monday for him.

however— he'd woken up on a beach, and thought, with a bit of annoyance: ah, shit. i'm dead— oops.

but, there had been no suspicious ghosts looming to remind him of past failures, not a hint of the ones that went first; his fallen comrades— haibara, riko, suguru (and he's not yet aware of what happened to nanami and nobara; shibuya stands behind them like a mark of failure; one he only caught a part of). this place is just a beach— bright, stark— and in the distance what looked like a festival.

okinawa, or an undead approximation of it, would have been the perfect resting place, but this doesn't have the same feeling as what he'd imagined the afterlife might possess (no cute angelic beings to swoop him into their loving arms either, zero out of ten, he wants a refund). dimensions are a possibility; hey, he knows string theory— he's a walking physics experiment.

anyway— gojo's never been one to dwell. his day is spent milling around the festival— he knows that back in his time, kenjaku has sealed him; if this is the inside of the cube, then hey. the guy's been pretty busy? lots of people here. but really, everyone seems decently normal, as if he's taken a vacation to a foreign country, and gojo finds himself distracted by the sea breeze, the easy smiles of the locals, the way that this feels, just for a moment, like that weekend on okinawa, so long ago. he's a creature of the current second, too— his worries back on earth sit in the back of his mind but. but. he's here now, isn't he?

night falls. the fires snap to life and gojo stands with the crowd (already having made some completely random new friends who have been feeding him? he didn't even compete in any games? why is he like this?), watching as the performances begin, and while he doesn't understand the languages of the songs, he watches all the same.

he's a sociable creature— so he'll be ready to strike up a conversation with anyone; he's also very curious to know how everyone else got here, though from what he's gathered so far, they're all in the same boat (well, beach). a freak happening, he'd thought. novel. anyway— his shirt is open, chest exposed (it's the beach, this is just necessary— besides, even gege couldn't give us shirtless gojo, so. here he is: come and see gojo's abs). he's a little wind-ruffled, a little salt-ruffled, he might have caught something of a tan; there's a dusting of sun across his shoulders and cheekbones.

he bumps into you, catches your elbow with a doggish tilt of his head. ]

Eh, you from around here? Sorry— sorry, great weather, huh? Any idea how I can get back to Tokyo, I'm missing my cue.

WILDCARD

[ go ahead and run into him anywhere! he'll be meandering around the beach, and he's there all day~! being a curious menace, sticking his nose into conversations, offering idiot commentary— gojo's a great time, but he's an irritating time— feel free to tell him off, hit on him, as you like it~ ]

[fatalism]

[ crowds of people are not, in this moment of time, anything he wishes to have nearby; dressed in an attire that is not. beach. appropriate, at least he left his ushanka, and cloak at home, leaving him in dark pants and a long sleeve-shirt that is untucked. the longer strands of his hair and gently pulled back, though any loose ones keep getting tossed across his face by the breeze. he is, however, still wearing his customary boots because he hates sand.

it is not like he is here to enjoy the crowd and the games and the food and whatever else; no, his eyes have been fixed on the horizon for a good half hour, barely blinking as he seems to calculate. whether it is the trajectory of the sun or where the horizon line fades or something else, fyodor is deep in thought.

that all comes to a halting stop when someone, bumps into him. someone is touching his elbow and terror fills him, pulse greyhound quick and he harshly pulls away.

this is not a welcome committee here.

flat, clearly hostile: ] Don't touch me.

manjiro sano aka mikey / tokyo revengers

[invinciblemikey]

SAND AND SALT (ARRIVALS)

(the golden locks that sprout of out manjiro’s head drip salt water, and he shakes them to attempt to keep it sticking to his face one they dry. he doesn’t even understand it. one second he’s taking his sister to the hospital, the next, he’s here, listening to the sound of waves crashing on the beach and the smell of water replacing the one of sweat and blood.

he’s not walking, he’s sprinting, hollow eyes scanning all the faces and the spots where it seems others could wash out at, a call from the top of his lungs:)

Emma!? Emma, you here too!?

THE FESTIVAL.

(his sister isn’t here. he learns the situation rather quickly, and it seems - perhaps emma made it. takemichi took her to the hospital, she’s fine. it might be unlikely, impossible, but he has to believe it, so he does.

the festival meaning food seems to get him in a good enough mood about being here, the mountain of sugary desserts he ate bringing him a delightful slumber, which would be fine! if it weren’t on the table he sits at. he might look peaceful like this, deep in sleep, until his snore and sleeptalking begin.)

That ain’t no good enough bike, you know that’s the bike a bitch rides, I thought— I thought you were—Zzzzz…

MANjiro-- sandjiro.

[chemex]

[Akira sometimes just chills out at the beach because it's where people tend to show up when they're new. It may or may not have anything at all to do with hoping he comes across his teammates-- sure, he'd love to see them again, he misses them all dearly, but most of the time he's honestly just hanging out to see if anybody needs help.]

[He has not learned from the maze.]

[Anyway. Mikey! Mikey, with his shaggy blonde hair, layered and pulled back, running along the beach in the opposite direction, so Akira can't quite hear his voice when he hollers. He stands up from where he'd been sitting, dusting himself off and thinking, purely from the height and the hair, that girl looks like she could use a hand, waiting for him to turn around and come back the other way. He hasn't yelled for Emma in a minute, and Akira raises a hand to wave.]

Hey, miss! You need help? [Oh Akira.]