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ateratooc2023-12-09 01:03 am
ateratmods) wrote in ateratooc2023-12-09 01:03 am
STOG; December-January
↫ State of the Game ↬
As November transitions to December, the temperatures continue to drop and the days continue to shorten. Snow flurries begin, but only toward the end of the month are temperatures such that the snow can accumulate, leaving much of the month a slushy, miserable mess. The tempers of the natives reflect the bleak weather, leaving them less tolerant of the outsiders who've come to call this place home. Even the chocobos are more temperamental.
Which means the recent broadcast leaves everyone on edge, perhaps even more so than they normally would be. Who were those voices? What did they mean? What does it have to do with your character? Those questions will be answered in January.
This is a month for tests.
But we'll discuss those in a moment. First, a few admin things:
One, we have a shiny new Winter Test Drive Meme, which as usual contains prompts for prospective and current players. Current characters are free to use any of the prompts in the TDM for posts through February, when the Spring TDM will go live in March.
Two, in regards to Check-In, I know my mental capacity drops in November and December, so there will be no Check-In for November or December. We'll resume regular monthly Check-Ins in February, for the month of January.
I always encourage people to use the Content Submission and Plot Requests pages, either to suggest events or to request information for characters to explore respectively. Enjoy the setting and engage with it! Aterat grows with your interaction!
Event: A Black Waltz (Part 1)
As the strange voices over the Tell Phone said, residents are to be tested, or more to the point, the strength of their souls are to be measured. Why is yet to be seen, but the way of it makes itself apparent in the most random of ways.
You may find yourself walking home late at night, the glow of the street lamps illuminating your path, only for them to begin to extinguish one at a time, coming closer and closer until you're left in darkness, only to feel hot breath on your neck and a whispered secret you'd rather left buried. Running in a panic to somewhere safe may leave you warding off poltergeists all evening, whether you find someone to shelter with or not, while facing the sudden fear and confessing the whispered secret to someone nearby may reward you with a strange glowing marble at your feet.
You may alternatively find yourself cornered on a side street by strange mechanical creatures. They attack in groups of two or three, some wielding elemental magicks such as fire or ice, some armed with small bows and arrows, and some wielding very sharp axes. They can be evaded if you choose, they won't pursue you far, though they may shout insults about you either true or false in mechanical voices. They'll continue to show up to taunt you as well, at least until their claims are either confirmed or denied to someone else. Fight them, though, and be rewarded with a glowing marble upon their defeat. The reward is individual, meaning anyone who helps will also receive their own marble.
And what are these marbles? Why, they're crystalized magic and each contains a specific spell. Some are green and allow the bearer to cast one, specific elemental magic spell (such as a ball of fire, a wave of water, a damaging whirlwind, a bolt of lightning, a blast of sub-freezing air and ice). Others are purple and make the bearer stronger, faster, or more durable. You can receive any one of these, but only one.
Characters can assist or face multiple instances in which a reward could be won, but the marble (some may call them Materia) can only be won once.
As a side-note: there is a new jeweler with a kiosk in the market who sells rings, necklaces, and earrings with empty sockets in them in which these marbles seem to fit perfectly; a convenient way to carry around your new one-trick spell, isn't it?
If you any any questions, as always, ask them here, and as always, use this post to plot. Have fun and Happy Holidays!
Which means the recent broadcast leaves everyone on edge, perhaps even more so than they normally would be. Who were those voices? What did they mean? What does it have to do with your character? Those questions will be answered in January.
This is a month for tests.
But we'll discuss those in a moment. First, a few admin things:
One, we have a shiny new Winter Test Drive Meme, which as usual contains prompts for prospective and current players. Current characters are free to use any of the prompts in the TDM for posts through February, when the Spring TDM will go live in March.
Two, in regards to Check-In, I know my mental capacity drops in November and December, so there will be no Check-In for November or December. We'll resume regular monthly Check-Ins in February, for the month of January.
I always encourage people to use the Content Submission and Plot Requests pages, either to suggest events or to request information for characters to explore respectively. Enjoy the setting and engage with it! Aterat grows with your interaction!
As the strange voices over the Tell Phone said, residents are to be tested, or more to the point, the strength of their souls are to be measured. Why is yet to be seen, but the way of it makes itself apparent in the most random of ways.
You may find yourself walking home late at night, the glow of the street lamps illuminating your path, only for them to begin to extinguish one at a time, coming closer and closer until you're left in darkness, only to feel hot breath on your neck and a whispered secret you'd rather left buried. Running in a panic to somewhere safe may leave you warding off poltergeists all evening, whether you find someone to shelter with or not, while facing the sudden fear and confessing the whispered secret to someone nearby may reward you with a strange glowing marble at your feet.
You may alternatively find yourself cornered on a side street by strange mechanical creatures. They attack in groups of two or three, some wielding elemental magicks such as fire or ice, some armed with small bows and arrows, and some wielding very sharp axes. They can be evaded if you choose, they won't pursue you far, though they may shout insults about you either true or false in mechanical voices. They'll continue to show up to taunt you as well, at least until their claims are either confirmed or denied to someone else. Fight them, though, and be rewarded with a glowing marble upon their defeat. The reward is individual, meaning anyone who helps will also receive their own marble.
And what are these marbles? Why, they're crystalized magic and each contains a specific spell. Some are green and allow the bearer to cast one, specific elemental magic spell (such as a ball of fire, a wave of water, a damaging whirlwind, a bolt of lightning, a blast of sub-freezing air and ice). Others are purple and make the bearer stronger, faster, or more durable. You can receive any one of these, but only one.
Characters can assist or face multiple instances in which a reward could be won, but the marble (some may call them Materia) can only be won once.
As a side-note: there is a new jeweler with a kiosk in the market who sells rings, necklaces, and earrings with empty sockets in them in which these marbles seem to fit perfectly; a convenient way to carry around your new one-trick spell, isn't it?
If you any any questions, as always, ask them here, and as always, use this post to plot. Have fun and Happy Holidays!
Questions
Meghann's character's
Illyana Since she sucks so much with people I'd love for her to get stuck with someone avoiding poltergeists and hearing their secret. Potentially might also might have something of her own, but not entirely sure yet!
Ivy She'll hardcore avoid secret confessing or even hearing other secrets becasue she's pretty shit with people and also has a ton of secrets. Secrets on top of secrets!
Mitsuru and Haru are also available for anything and up for anything! Feel free to let me know if there's anything specific someone might want!
Everything
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Illyana: Would you like to have her face Jagger's ghosts with him? She could learn about his abusive dad and why he's so conflicted about him.
Ivy: Harry is not big on confessing secrets, either, and that's why they make such a great pair! Really, though, we should totally force them into a room together to settle things.
Mitsuru: Would you like to have her give Shinjiro a hand with some mammots? His abilities mean he could probably use some healing.
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I mean, secret confessions is the best way to meet new people, right? Could throw Yin at Illyana. She can't see very well, and is a non-combatant, but she can help avoid using her own ghost to spy on the poltergeists. Or she can get rescued by Aerith.
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Churby's Chums
Nida, well, let's just start with the combination of magic plus glowing eyes plus feathered wings on the black waltzes is going to drive him UP THE TRAUMA WALL next month? Yeah. It is. Anyway, Nida being a guard will also be wandering around a good bit, and he's actively going to take down the little mechanical dudes. He's a great source of rescue for those who want it because now that Carbuncle is around he has reflect spells and it turns into 'stop hitting yourself' which is always a plus. He'll probably not understand materia at all, so we'll see what happens with that. (In TDM inspired he's going to end up lost and wandering in the wilderness and cold this month, someone save him).
Rhy has secrets. Ones he wants to keep. His status as a king, the way his mother was murdered basically in his arms and in the same moment he was stabbed through the heart and he survived, that he's literally dead and held in the realm of the living by magic. I'd love for him to have to confess one of these to someone who is not his husband. Any volunteers? Hell, multiple volunteers? Perhaps one where cowers away from poltergeists, and then also a confession thing? (Bonus points for gossips). His TDM inspired fun this month will be having some nice warm cider at the tavern and being more sociable in that he's giving fashion critiques. I have no clue if that's going to go well or start a brawl. Fun!
Tommy has a horrible secret. One he would hate to confess. Please make him confess it (mostly, his powers came in and he accidentally blew up his high school). In general he's also good for saving people, but I think I'd love a non-combat save from him because he's sorta fond of mechanical things? Kinship I guess given his soul-dad is a synthezoid. Anyway, if you want to flee the mechanical things and get jeered at in a group, Tommy's a great choice. He could be good to confirm or deny your insults to. He listens well. His TDM inspired shenanigans is this boy is ABSOLUTELY getting lost in the wilderness, probably somewhere past the Academy. I bet he was delivering a package. Tommy's NOT very winter tolerant, it's the antithesis to his powers, so PLEASE help him home.
Zack fits so many things so I'll save some TDM related stuff until next month. In general if you need to fight off mechanical things, he can do that. His bigger thing is that he's going to be dealing with his secret (related to how SOLDIERS are made in his canon and some fall out of Nibelheim and how he doubts himself because of it). I'm happy with him trying to hide and then fighting the poltergeists (listen it works back home), or confessing his fear/secret to someone else. Or both. Either way boy needs a damn materia (so if nothing else, he's going to fight the things so I can give him ice). Finally, his TDM inspired 'fun' is I'm giving him the alcoholic cider. How, you may wonder, do you make Zack Fair more sociable? We're damn well going to see aren't we? (If Aerith or Cloud ends up around, he's going to confess stuff, or maybe just kiss, listen I don't control him). Anyway, puppy gonna puppy.
Thoughts? Anything else more personal that might amuse you? In general shapes of ideas, Lauri-Ell loves silly traditional winter things and buying gifts and baubles. Nida spends a lot of time looking for unique snow flake style decorations because of a festival back home. Rhy has recently learned to knit, expect gifts. Tommy has finally finished the upgrades to Minimoff Deliveries, so there could be something at the new building. Zack is... Around. And still a mercenary. Doing mercenary stuff.
Trying not to eat everyone's CR here..
I'm open to all the things everywhere.
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Which Nida thing is Ignis doing? I assume the Leon thing is saving Tommy from the freezing cold outside of town and his own idiocy. Please save him from his own idiocy. (Boys where even are you in CR? Who knows)
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I figure Ignis can help with mechanical things this month. Trauma can be dealt with next month per your notes here.
And yes Leon is saving Tommy, I'm going to see how I can work the whole mentioning the date thing into Leon's tags tonight.
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OR we could do the secret bit with Tommy, and she can tell him her horrible secret about her mom.
I am up to plan, either way.
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Maybe Tommy and Yin for the secret, then Lauri and Yin for the fundraiser. See more warmth and compassion in play, Yin.
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And that works for me. Tommy and Yin for secrets, and fundraiser for Yin and Lauri-Ell.
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I'd totally be down with doing something with Cloud and Zack, but I can't decide. Do you want them fighting together or bonding together?
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I'd be happy with Cloud and Zack bonding, which probably works well in a fight. Zack deserves to see how well Cloud does (let him stare don't mind him)
Lynn's kids
Other than that, he will be doing charity bake sales per the TDM.
And no one was surprised.
Leon - Will be out fighting because that's what leaders do. Plus these machines will no doubt annoy him and remind him of annoying heartless. So he'll be out there to help or rescue. Leon only has one secret which is that he changed his name to Leon from Squall since heartless overran his world.
But in the meantime, he'll be giving as well (per TDM), but that will look like using his Fire abilities to thaw/clear sidewalks.
Terra - Fighting of course. As with the other two, he can fight and/or rescue. He has one secret about being Xehanort's Guardian heartless. And there's so much guilt, grief, anguish and responsibility tied to that.
Per the TDM, he will be drinking the cider (because he trusts Fanci for some reason due to working for her) so we'll see how that goes.
Yuki - This is what he's trained for all of this time as far as fighting. He first started when Jacob got bitten on the beach. He has one big mouse/rat transformation secret that only Jacob knew about and witnessed, but that's currently being worked on. I'm not sure about any TDM prompts, but feel free to hit me up for any and all shenanigans.
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OR Leon could save Yin and she can meet him and we can start some new CR. I'm trying this planning thing this time instead of just tagging people on a whim.
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New CR is great too! I Have Leon, Terra, Ignis and I'm apping Joshua from Final Fantasy XVI by this weekend. So I just posted for Terra last night, I'll be posting for Leon within the next few days!
Please feel free to tag any of my boys at any time, I'd love the CR!
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And I will definitely try the others another time, for now, though I'll look for Leon over the next few days and go with a prompt that feels fitting. I look forward to the CR!
Yin | Darker than Black - the only one Jean has | cw: parent death, blindness
She doesn't see very well (almost not at all), and uses a ghost to assist her sight, and is a non-combatant, so I would be down for a possible rescue from the mechanical creatures. To be honest, Yin is accustomed to others protecting her and wouldn't even understand what is happening. She can, and will, run, though.
Will totally be getting a materia one way or another, and I'm up for any TDM shenans.