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lunaecalamitas2024-04-04 11:33 pm
promittere) wrote in lunaecalamitas2024-04-04 11:33 pm
if you say it's magic, then you're my wizard
WANING GIBBOUS OVERTURE
The seconds tick by, the elevator rattles. There's a soft, musical chime announcing your arrival before the elevator doors creak open, leaving you and a number of others in the courtyard of a stone manor. The manor is large, looming over the trees surrounding it, and the gardens are well maintained, rows of hedges and beds of blooming flowers as far as you can see. The doors linger open until you clear the threshold, as if waiting patiently for you. Dawdle too long and you’ll feel a gentle push, nudging you out into the yard. The doors shut with more rattles and a cheerful ding!, and if you turn to look at it there's nothing to be seen behind you but the milling strangers.
Then there's a sting, mild at first. But soon, the spot where your sage's crest is starts to burn. It's as though you have been branded, and the searing heat clings to your skin. Should you look at your crest, you'll find it glows a faint red, like the dying embers of a fire, but given enough time it will cool to black and no longer hurt.
Once the pain fades, you notice is that the air around you feels distinctly different. It's hard to say exactly what makes it different, or how. It feels brittle, but malleable. That perhaps if you said or did the right thing, you could command reality to your liking—
The wind blows, stirring leaves and flowers, and that's when you notice there are two people in the courtyard that did not emerge from the elevator like everyone else. The taller of the two looks briefly shocked, before a warm smile blots it out, while the shorter of the two looks remarkably unimpressed—for as much as you can make out his expression under the large hat he wears. He glances at the taller man, the charms that hang from his hat clinking, and crosses his arm over his chest.
The taller man nods, turns to the group, and says, "Sorry. I know you were probably in the middle of something important. But...I need you. My name is Tatara Totsuka. I'm your sage, and you are my witches and wizards."
He looks up to the moon hanging in the sky, still pale and visible despite the light of day, and lays it all out for you: a wizard under the sage's guidance is supposed to fight off the Great Calamity—the moon—when it nears. But you are not meant to carry out this task. The original sage and twenty-one wizards suddenly vanished not long ago. No one knows what happened to them, or where they are. They aren't dead. They are gone.
That you are here, that there are so many of you, that you came from different worlds, means that this is a mistake. Something, somewhere, isn't right. Yet the world has decided to claim you in a frantic attempt to keep itself together.
This world is breaking. If you don't fix this, then you'll be stuck here fighting the Calamity yourselves.
When Tatara looks back down to the rest of you, there's a smile on his face, tinged with apology. "But I think it'll be okay. We'll figure this out... Right?"
The golden light of sunset is oddly cold. It settles over you not in a welcoming embrace, but in a possessive hold. There is a sinking feeling in your gut: whatever your home was before matters no longer. Welcome to a world on the brink of destruction—let's hope it's not for good.
The day begins to draw to a close. You're given the rest of the day to process Tatara's words and to familiarize yourselves with the manor. There are plenty of empty spaces in the manor with sparse furniture where you can rest and try to unwind, and hopefully get some sleep. Everything about today might be a lot to unpack, but surely you can at least relax and prepare for the next day.
The morning starts with the sound of bells. A cacophonous racket of them, ringing in your rooms, in your head, jolting you from whatever slumber you can grasp. The source seems to be a note, unassuming if not for the way it shakes with each toll of the bells, and the noise only stops when you read it.
"Go to the courtyard," it says, and if you try to ignore it the noise returns, growing louder and louder until your vision swims and you find yourself standing in the courtyard with everyone else—and the shorter of the two men from yesterday.
"Practice starts right now," he says, looking bored and just as unimpressed as he did yesterday. The sun has barely started over the horizon—it's early, almost absurdly so. "You need to learn magic sooner instead of later, unless you want to die like miserable worms. If you do, just quit now so we can replace you with someone useful."
His explanation on magic is brief—he explains that magic is a deal struck between caster and the spirits of the world, using a meaningful word or phrase to communicate your will to the as-of-yet unseen spirits of the world, who will respond to your desires and power your magic. A focus, an object of significant meaning, will help strengthen your ties to the land and direct the magic for your spells. If you have nothing that would work as a focus right now, he says, chances are the perfect thing will find you anyways.
While he looks unhappy to do so, he emphasizes that magic—as it works here—is all tied to your emotions and your convictions, and then he assigns you a challenge for the week. He wants you to come up with your incantation—the words you'll use to cast all of your magic—as well as find or draw forward your focus, with the final task being summoning a magic broom you'll use for transportation.
Then there's a sting, mild at first. But soon, the spot where your sage's crest is starts to burn. It's as though you have been branded, and the searing heat clings to your skin. Should you look at your crest, you'll find it glows a faint red, like the dying embers of a fire, but given enough time it will cool to black and no longer hurt.
Once the pain fades, you notice is that the air around you feels distinctly different. It's hard to say exactly what makes it different, or how. It feels brittle, but malleable. That perhaps if you said or did the right thing, you could command reality to your liking—
The wind blows, stirring leaves and flowers, and that's when you notice there are two people in the courtyard that did not emerge from the elevator like everyone else. The taller of the two looks briefly shocked, before a warm smile blots it out, while the shorter of the two looks remarkably unimpressed—for as much as you can make out his expression under the large hat he wears. He glances at the taller man, the charms that hang from his hat clinking, and crosses his arm over his chest.
The taller man nods, turns to the group, and says, "Sorry. I know you were probably in the middle of something important. But...I need you. My name is Tatara Totsuka. I'm your sage, and you are my witches and wizards."
He looks up to the moon hanging in the sky, still pale and visible despite the light of day, and lays it all out for you: a wizard under the sage's guidance is supposed to fight off the Great Calamity—the moon—when it nears. But you are not meant to carry out this task. The original sage and twenty-one wizards suddenly vanished not long ago. No one knows what happened to them, or where they are. They aren't dead. They are gone.
That you are here, that there are so many of you, that you came from different worlds, means that this is a mistake. Something, somewhere, isn't right. Yet the world has decided to claim you in a frantic attempt to keep itself together.
This world is breaking. If you don't fix this, then you'll be stuck here fighting the Calamity yourselves.
When Tatara looks back down to the rest of you, there's a smile on his face, tinged with apology. "But I think it'll be okay. We'll figure this out... Right?"
The golden light of sunset is oddly cold. It settles over you not in a welcoming embrace, but in a possessive hold. There is a sinking feeling in your gut: whatever your home was before matters no longer. Welcome to a world on the brink of destruction—let's hope it's not for good.
The day begins to draw to a close. You're given the rest of the day to process Tatara's words and to familiarize yourselves with the manor. There are plenty of empty spaces in the manor with sparse furniture where you can rest and try to unwind, and hopefully get some sleep. Everything about today might be a lot to unpack, but surely you can at least relax and prepare for the next day.
The morning starts with the sound of bells. A cacophonous racket of them, ringing in your rooms, in your head, jolting you from whatever slumber you can grasp. The source seems to be a note, unassuming if not for the way it shakes with each toll of the bells, and the noise only stops when you read it.
"Go to the courtyard," it says, and if you try to ignore it the noise returns, growing louder and louder until your vision swims and you find yourself standing in the courtyard with everyone else—and the shorter of the two men from yesterday."Practice starts right now," he says, looking bored and just as unimpressed as he did yesterday. The sun has barely started over the horizon—it's early, almost absurdly so. "You need to learn magic sooner instead of later, unless you want to die like miserable worms. If you do, just quit now so we can replace you with someone useful."
His explanation on magic is brief—he explains that magic is a deal struck between caster and the spirits of the world, using a meaningful word or phrase to communicate your will to the as-of-yet unseen spirits of the world, who will respond to your desires and power your magic. A focus, an object of significant meaning, will help strengthen your ties to the land and direct the magic for your spells. If you have nothing that would work as a focus right now, he says, chances are the perfect thing will find you anyways.
While he looks unhappy to do so, he emphasizes that magic—as it works here—is all tied to your emotions and your convictions, and then he assigns you a challenge for the week. He wants you to come up with your incantation—the words you'll use to cast all of your magic—as well as find or draw forward your focus, with the final task being summoning a magic broom you'll use for transportation.
Threading out magic practice and ICly discovering your characters' magic words, manifesting their foci, and summoning their broom will count as three different jobs, and will be eligible for a set of rewards each. While not technically classified as a job this time around, this is a special circumstance. When you've accomplished any of these things, please submit them to the rewards page as a job submission.
If you're having trouble coming up with a focus or incantation, think about your answers for the first and third mandatory questions on your app! Your focus of choice does not have to be in your character's inventory—if what works best for them as a focus did not come with them, then they can focus and reach across universes to bring it here with them.
If you're having trouble coming up with a focus or incantation, think about your answers for the first and third mandatory questions on your app! Your focus of choice does not have to be in your character's inventory—if what works best for them as a focus did not come with them, then they can focus and reach across universes to bring it here with them.
JOB BOARD
You may have just gotten here, but people across the continent still need the sage's wizards to do things for them. The job board will typically have 2 - 3 requests each event that can be turned in for rewards when completed.
Sugar delivery. Confectionery shops and pharmacies put in regular orders for wizard sugar to the manor, and despite the unusual circumstances, now is no different. Wizard sugar—sugar spontaneously created through a wizard's magic—is said to have restorative properties and said to bless those that consume it, so it's no wonder it's in high demand. It also happens to be one of the first things young wizards learn to do. So once you've perfected your sugar, go deliver it to the shops in Central capital and to the Southern merchants waiting for shipment near the Central tower.
The Southern merchants, in particular, seem rather anxious to receive as much sugar as possible, as soon as possible.
The Southern merchants, in particular, seem rather anxious to receive as much sugar as possible, as soon as possible.
WANDERER TASKS
The wizards' new mentor knows that this must be an incredibly overwhelming experience, so he has a list of things that should help break down the process of learning and understanding magic. Or that's what he says, at least, but it feels like he's trying to make things more difficult...
Nobody is going to hold your hands for you, and the best way to learn is to understand the root cause of an issue. Use that paper being left around for something actually useful and do some research on the spirits of the countries you've been tasked to represent. I'll be expecting some actual thought out papers within the week.
For the idiots who can't research to save their lives, prove you can actually manage the bare minimum. There's a spot you can't reach without magic within the manor grounds—bring me one of the trinkets you find there.
For the even bigger idiots who are overconfident, come find me and we can spar. I won't go easy on you.
TATARA ACTIVITIES
Tatara knows things are tense and uncomfortable for his new wizards, so he'll offer up a few activities each event post to help them relax if things get too tough.
We're all new here, but we'll be friends before long, I know it! There's a table in the dining room with paper, pens, markers, glitter, and pins so we can all make name tags and get to know each other better. We'll go from strangers to neighbors to besties before you know it!
Oh, you should probably get a feel of the manor, too. This IS your new home, after all! And what better way than...hide and seek?! Sounds fun, right? I'd tell you MY favorite spot to hide, but then that wouldn't be fair!
I don't know how long we're going to be here, so it probably wouldn't hurt to settle in. Grab a friend or two and head to the market in the Central capital to stock up on whatever food you like and stuff for your room. May as well get comfortable!
OOC NOTES
🌙 Welcome to Lunae Calamitas's first event post! Yer a wizard, whether you like it or not.
🌙 While not technically jobs, ICly working out your character's focus, incantation, and broom are all separately eligible for rewards. Good luck on your basics, little wizards! You'll need them...
🌙 Your OOC plotting post is here! Please keep all your plotting on the plotting post, since not everyone uses discord or plurk.
🌙 The South will be going on their mission next week to get this party started. Keep an eye out, Southies!
no subject
They aren't worthy of Yuu's love, but Yuu loves them, and they can accept it, and they love him, in turn. It was a clean exchange. Mika couldn't do that.
He doesn't answer the question, first. )
... I hope he changes his mind. ( If Ginger feels so truly his happiness hinges on Rum's acceptance of him, and not his acceptance of himself, then... ) You seem fine to me, talking to you. But... that's me.
( He's just some guy, compared to Rum. He knows how it is, when there's one person whose feelings you care about above all. And he's more like Ginger than Rum, here— monster to monster, so to speak. His opinion doesn't matter as much. Maybe if he were Yuu-chan, his words would have a little more weight; Yuu was always really good at giving people hope. Mika makes good on his (faux) promise: he's just someone to stew with.
He lapses into a sort of silence after that, his gaze falling to the floor, and it becomes a little more apparent he isn't sure how to answer the actual question Ginger asked. Or maybe— it's that he knows the answer, he'd seen it so clearly in his final moments, but it's too sharp in his throat, like a box cutter on his tongue. )
... It's both.
( All that trouble for just that. But the truth is simple. )
I've deserved all the bad things that have happened to me.
( A needless exhale, soft. )
... Does God punish people, where you're from?
no subject
Mika. [ Sadness runs along the sound of his name. ] I don’t see a monster in front of me.
[ If he saw his child self, would be want to hug him? A sullen freak, only ever smiling for Rum. It would be a struggle, he thinks. He can’t say he would - and he can’t say he wouldn’t.
He wants to hug Mika, but has realized the other will think it undeserved - maybe even unneeded. What to do - he threads their fingers together, tight. Monster or no, he won’t let go. ]
God loves everyone - but since humanity desires free will over salvation and he wants to allow them that, He doesn’t interfere with human affairs anymore. So… no.
[ No miracles. No one is punished by God, only by their own humanity and mere chance do they suffer. ]
no subject
But he will accept the gesture. He can't forgive himself, but he can allow another person to stay here.
He answers Ginger's fingers laced in his with a firmer grip. )
... That sounds fair. It's humanity's own fault if they feel alone.
( He assumes they do. Humans feel abandoned so easy, though they undo themselves. They feel entitled to affection which they will not return. )
Our God is stricter, or so I've learned. When certain taboos are broken, he punishes everyone. Not that it deters humans any...
( He'll finally pull his gaze up, back toward Ginger. )
... I don't think I'm important enough to punish specifically. But I think the universe is bent toward suffering. If it wasn't... I would've been able to do right by him, at least once. But all I can do is hurt people. That's what makes a monster a monster.
( It's a little bit muddled what his philosophy is, but... somewhere in there, he feels cosmologically doomed to fail by nature— of who he is, and what he is. Maybe Ginger doesn't see a monster, but it is what it is, that's that, and all those other phrases of finality. )
no subject
It doesn’t change the ways Mika has suffered. Every cruel stain on his life. ]
Did you mean to hurt people? Did you want to? Did you ever… have a choice…?
[ Mika got turned; he never mentioned wanting it. When was this - the two years he didn’t speak to anyone? How young had he been? ]
I’m not him. You know what he would say and do, and I don’t - but… you’re doing right by one person now. I hope when you see him again, he tells you that you’ve done right by him all along.
[ He wishes, fervently, that Mika will have a happy ending. ]
I hope you are - that you will be the most important person in the world to him.
no subject
So Ginger's words strike vulnerable, strike true. They strike right into the tender heart of the matter, his eyes a little misty in the way they so rarely are, save when it comes to hunger, and Yuu. )
... I...
( I didn't mean to. I didn't want to. I never had a choice. I,
He shakes his head. )
... I can't.
( Be his most important; can't see him again. He squeezes Ginger's hand, this time for his own sake. He refused to give himself time to grieve; even now, he still refuses. But in the quiet solace of his room, with someone who - wants to comfort, and hear... it's hard to keep his heart quiet, when he thinks about Yuu. )
... I failed to protect him like I promised, again. I tried to make up for it. So I spent my life to keep him safe. I think... it worked. I don't know. I hope it did, more than anything.
( And in the end, that's what scares him most - that Yuu isn't safe. That his life only caused harm in the end. That he failed to do enough, even in his final moment. If all that's not enough, then is it really okay to feel like just listening and talking to Ginger is enough to do right by someone?
But maybe some small part of him, the part not yet fully eroded, wants it all to be enough. )
no subject
[ He’s sorry that the only link to Mika he has is the one that connects them both to this world. As tightly as their fingers entwine, the other end only leads to… him. On this couch, in this world. If he could use his wings to fly Mika back to his beloved, he -
He’d try. For this person who knows the pain in his heart more intimately than even Rum. ]
But Mika… Who keeps you safe?
[ In his pocket, he can almost feel the echo of the blue box pulsing. If it still worked, if he gave that to Mika, he’d be able to see his love’s memories, thoughts. He could have the answers he wanted.
If - he still wanted them.
But the box is a mistake. Ginger’s. And he doesn’t think Mika wants to make any more. ]
no subject
The question is unexpected, and pulls his gaze up. He never really thinks about his own needs. )
... I can handle myself. ( Says guy who just admit he threw himself under the bus for his Yuu-chan, ) What, can you? Angels and demons must be powerful, right?
( Deflecting? A little bit. But the question is genuine enough. )
no subject
I’m not doubting that. But - [ Ginger curls around the pillow, tucking his chin into its softness. Buying time to think, really. He worries his bottom lip as he tries to explain himself. ] We all feel pain. We’re all scared sometimes, even… monsters.
I can fight if I have to and I’m stronger - more resilient than normal humans. But, like anything, I will break with enough force.
But it’s - not just my physical self that needs to be looked after. Or yours. Um, our hearts are important, too.
[ He’s more likely to die of heartbreak than anything else. One day, he might end up crying himself to death. ]
… Isn’t that scarier than everything else? It scares me a lot.
no subject
It's really hard to think about himself. He's never had space to - or maybe he's just never wanted to. Never wanted to think about his parents, just the people he needed to take care of now; never wanted to think about his future, just keeping Yuu safe. Being left with only himself and his heart is... overwhelming, in the way being all alone in a great, dark cavern is, every echo mirrored back like a roar. )
... Does anyone protect you?
( Ginger's question mirrored back. If it scares him so much, he probably shouldn't deal with it alone. But Ginger seems... empathetic. Caring. He should have someone, right? That Rum guy, even with his hangups with angels, or some other friends. )
no subject
Rum, my coworkers.
[ He doesn’t say friends because he really only has two so far: Rum and Akira. And Mika is something else. That he’ll decide later. ]
When it comes to a fight, I know they have my back. But none of them understand my heart, so…
no subject
...
He rubs the side of Ginger's hand with his thumb - just once or twice; an uncertain gesture, thinking. )
... I could try.
( He tilts his head slightly, looking up at Ginger. )
I don't think I understand you perfectly yet. And I've never done this before. So I'll probably make mistakes. But I could try, if you'll let me.
( Maybe he just wants to make up for failing Yuu. Maybe he just needs to put something there for him to protect. He isn't sure.
Maybe it's that he can't take care of himself, but he can look out for someone like him. Maybe that's something.
But he also looks like he expects Ginger to say no. He knows suggestion didn't exactly sound confident, but he couldn't lie and say he could do it for certain when they've just met; when Mika just came off a failure of circumstance prior to coming here... )
no subject
[ Not quite hiding behind the pillow, but his lips disappear and his voice gets lower. All that’s left is one bright eye and one dark, both focused on Mika. ]
I might have said all that because I wanted to ask if I could.
[ Despite knowing he’ll make all the mistakes ever, emotionally stupid and clumsy as he is.
Still - it’s a step in the right direction. He held back for so long with Rum, didn’t try at all. When he finally did something, it was only about him - Ginger - and it worked in the worst way. His worst mistake.
He needs to try better.
And he’s worried - if Mika has no one, if Mika stops talking again, Ginger’s scared his heart will just stop beating. It’s too painful, too scary to think about. ]
/2
But it's not a bad surprise, he thinks. He'd gone two years not speaking to anyone, then gone through this whirlwind with Yuu and all Yuu's untrustworthy friends (in Mika's quite biased opinion)— and then he meets Ginger, who's neither human nor vampire, but nice. Do things like that just happen? Should he be suspicious? )
no subject
... Okay.
( He feels a little dumb. That feels like a dumb answer. But he's never done this before. What else does he say?
His gaze falls to their linked hands, finally. He lingers on the south of the pillow as it brushes soft against Ginger's skin; the sound of his breathing; the way the air shifts in this slight space between them.
It's not as beautiful as seeing all the colors catch on the water in the sunlight, or anything, but somehow this - seems to weigh more in his chest; this sort of thing he's never really had before. )
... Then don't be shy coming to me, for... whatever reason. Even if it's just to hang around. I'll stay within reach.
( Dispelling anxiety is easier said than done, but, you know, he wanted to say it. He can't protect much if Ginger's worried about Mika getting tired of him, or slipping from his grasp, or ... whatever he might worry about. He's just Mika. So he'll be here. )
no subject
[ Ginger perks up immediately, giving view to a tremulous smile that quickly spreads wide and bright, sun peeking through the clouds. Or maybe more like an instance of pineapple rain: clear skies, bright sun and tears. ]
Really, really?
[ He didn’t think there would be anyone else who would tolerate him and all his little faults. So far, Mika doesn’t seem to mind anything about him - at all.
Yet.
It might only be a matter of time, but it’s fine, Rum even punches him sometimes for being too annoying. Mika probably won’t punch him… What would annoyed Mika even be like - he’s… kind of excited to find out.
And a little concerned, but that’s future Ginger’s problem.
It’s not a big concern, is the thing. He’s sure, he’s certain he can trust Mika with this. It’s in the way they sit linked in this dim room, both of them touched by something dark and ugly. Twisting and messy. ]
Then - come see me, too - whenever! Even if I mess up, I promise I’ll be on your side.
[ Just like this, hearts mirrored in a strange way, words offered free of judgement. ]
no subject
He didn't think there'd be anyone that thrilled to have him around. He can't see why someone would be, even after all that talking. But he guesses Ginger's just the type to care about other people a lot, where Mika cares too little for most. Like Yuu, Ginger's... probably the sort of person who deserves to be happy, he guesses.
He hesitates, but nods, a little awkward, but not unhappy. )
... Even if you mess up, we can probably figure something out.
( This is super abstract so he's not really sure what type of mistakes Ginger's referring to, but it's??? probably... fine... probably... How complicated can non-Yuu relationships be? )
... Anyway, I'll probably come by to practice magic. I don't really want to work with any humans...
( pls work with him on this group project... )
no subject
There’s also… that possessiveness inside him that wants sole possession of his important people - well, person. He doesn’t want to share; he doesn’t need others.
Right now, none of that is on his mind. ]
Yeah! Let’s do it!
[ This is the most excited he’s been about learning - or learning magic. He tells himself he won’t even fall asleep on Mika. He’ll be good.
Maybe this is one what-if he doesn’t have to be scared of. ]