You have spent the last few days on Thesa Station, taking in the knowledge that your world is no more. Perhaps you've made some friends (or maybe an enemy or two). Either way, you aren't expected to spend all of your time on the Station. El Nysa needs you, after all, and you promised you'd help the planet thrive. Are you ready?
Submit an AC-eligible thread with a new character as a participant for 2 OLYMPIA REP POINTS OR 2 WYVER REP POINTS, respectively, HERE or HERE. THESA STATION
All refugees on the station are called to the hangar where a large-scale teleporter has been set up; everyone will be sent to the planet together. Simply step onto the space between the arrays and wait. Before they depart, all new refugees will be given a starter kit!
 You may have heard about earlier technical difficulties, but don't worry. I promise everything is in perfect working order this time. I'd say I tested it myself, but since that's not exactly possible, you'll just have to trust me! (Please.)
The older refugees will also be there to guide you to ensure no one is left confused... or behind. Make sure you wait for them — I've been detecting something odd so I'll be having them meet you at the landing site. Good luck, refugees! Not that you'll be needing it or anything...
The arrays begin to hum and glow, quickly building into a brilliant wash of light. It creates a column that travels all the way from Thesa Station to the surface of El Nysa. With the night sky as a canvas, the beam can be seen all the way from Olympia and Wyver — a view that has the natives whispering of blessings.
As a sudden but beautiful aurora splays across the sky, the refugees down on the planet receive a message asking them to travel to the landing site — and warning them to prepare for what may come of the strange readings Zasere's gotten from the teleport itself.
Traveling through the light leaves the impression of blinding starlight, a strange sense of weightlessness, and a disorienting moment of total sensory deprivation. The radiance of your teleport hangs bright in the sky above you, a shimmering aurora that reflects off the calm waters below, visible for miles all around.
You've landed on a peninsula to the east of the South Outpost. There's little here — scattered trees on spring-barren plains, with a few overgrown, dilapidated structures poking out of the brush. All is quiet save for the keening of animals and the gentle lapping of waves against the shore. This lonely desolation is hardly the bustling cities and vibrant cultures you were promised back on the station...
BY CAMPFIRE'S GLOW. But waiting for you is a group of your predecessors, and with them, a veritable tent city, with portable stoves, coolers of food and drink, comfortable bedrolls, and cheerful rings of bonfires — all that you need to make merry of the night, courtesy of Overseer Voss, who has, thanks to his interest in blessed meteorological phenomena and refugees, decided to make a holy expedition of the affair.
Settle in, meet new comrades, and enjoy yourself, for you've safely completed your journey. But don't wander too far from the fires — the dark is closing in, and there's a strange, electric feeling in the air, the scent of ozone drifting on the breeze. And what were those odd readings Zasere mentioned?
A SHEPHERD OVER THE FLOCK. The spring sun dawns on a grey morning, already burning away the fog rolling in off the sea. It quickly becomes apparent that Voss and his entourage of acolytes have been up for hours, hard at work. They've set up a brightly-draped stage and a travel pulpit, magically enchanted to amplify his voice, and as the sun breaks over the horizon, Voss is all set to do what he does best: proselytize.
 As our Goddess has sent Her blessing once before to herald the coming of those touched by Her light, so She has done once again! Here you see them, those surrounded by the light of our Goddess, each of them bearing the mark upon their skin of Her holiest of hands! Do you not see? Do none among you bear witness to the righteousness of Her message? Perhaps this is why our people have shamed themselves in front of our Goddess—
[ He continues for another 15 minutes... ]
Nevertheless. See you them before us now! See them as they are, coming to our gates with Her reminder, that these people must be treated with the utmost respect and care. Thesa's divinity is not to be treated with such flagrant disregard! Those who She chooses are not ours to use as mindless fodder, to hurt, to torture — shame upon those who allowed such deeds to shame us under Her watchful gaze!
To those of you who have just arrived here on our doorstep, be not afraid! The Temples of Thesa welcome you to our home with hearts and minds open! Should you ever find yourself in need of solace, seek out the Temples, as there are no greater allies to you than those of us within the Temple walls. You are welcome all to Olympia!
As he steps away from the enchanted podium, he can be heard saying aside to an acolyte, "How was that? Heavy on the shame, but I think it went well!" While he will not leave the area immediately, his acolytes will politely turn away attempts to speak with him and remind anyone interested that they can leave a message at the Temples.
Despite going off without hitch, the new refugees' arrival isn't entirely without incident. It seems that the "blessed" beam of light that brought the refugees down to El Nysa brought something else along with it — a sliver of the Storm. At least the beam was short enough that only a small fraction managed to squeeze through.
But it's enough to wreak a little havoc around the landing site and along the road back toward Olympia and Wyver — and even, for a few days, in the cities themselves.
THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE. The Storm is an undeniably destructive force, and that's proven with this small sliver's effect as it ripples across the continent. While there's no visible sign of its presence, strange phenomena soon begin to appear, corresponding with Zasere's odd readings.
They're innocuous little things at first. A sudden silence, animals going quiet, insects stilling. All technology, no matter how advanced, ceases working. You discover when you check with a friend, the clock on your phone is twelve minutes slow even though you'd swear only a minute had passed — time missing. Walking through the woods takes longer than it should when brushing past one bush leads to brushing past that same bush again — and again, and again, the area looping on itself. It keeps you trapped, going in circles for minutes, even hours, before finally releasing you in a random direction.
Or perhaps you'll feel a sense of deja vu, like you've walked down this road, taken this turn, seen that bird fly from this branch before. This is the second time that cat has crossed your path. The person you're meeting, you already know their name; you're certain you've already met.
WE GOT COWS. The Storm sliver also ushers in sudden, localized weather anomalies — heavy storms, blizzards, strong winds, and more. Affected areas range from just a few feet wide to nearly half a mile. One minute, the sky may be sunny and clear, but the next dark storm clouds roll in, unleashing torrential rain. Small tornadoes surge along the road, kicking up winds strong enough to knock people over and carry objects away. Hail hurtles down from the sky, but only in a ten foot radius. Temperatures fluctuate wildly between one extreme and the next, from heat waves to cold snaps. Soupy fog blankets the area, thick enough that you can barely see your hand in front of your face. Good luck finding your way!
FORGETTING IS SO LONG. The visions come on suddenly and with very little warning. One second, you're carrying on as normal — but the next, you blink and find yourself (and anyone near you) somewhere else completely. You may recognize this place as a moment from the past, one that you lived through. It's a memory, your memory, and it now replays around you in exceptional detail, unnervingly lifelike. Or you may not recognize it at all. It might belong to the person next to you, or to someone else entirely — a memory that the Storm has swallowed up.
Either way, the scene plays out just as it once did, and there's nothing you can do to stop it — or escape it. The memory surrounds you to no end: every door you open leads nowhere, every hallway you turn down continues on forever, every horizon you flee toward hangs just out of reach. And linger too long or turn the wrong corner, and you may find yourself abruptly stuck in a completely different memory. It's almost tempting, then, to give up, to let the past sweep you away...
But this isn't the full might of the Storm. Look closely, and you can see that in the walls of this trap, there are minute, hairline cracks, a facade of fractured glass. Imperfections in the memory where the real world is breaking through. It seems the only way to escape these memories is to find those cracks and break through them — by force, by will, or by some other method entirely.
The time is coming to make a choice — perhaps not a permanent choice, but unless you want to spend the rest of your nights out under the stars, you'll need to pick which city you will initially spend your time in. On the horizon, you will see that people have arrived to help you make that decision...
A FORK IN THE ROAD. Refugees and the hyper-religious wishing to hear Voss speak are not the only ones out and about under the light of the aurora. Citizens of both Olympia and Wyver have flocked to a point on the road midway between the cities and where the refugees have appeared, and they all have the same goal in mind: convincing the newcomers who have just descended in the blessed light of Thesa to come to their city and not the other.
They've come with bribes — that is, examples of what their cities have to offer. If you spent much time at the exhibition up on Thesa Station, you might recognize some of what's being shown off, though the offerings here are markedly more tangible, and shown off by hawkers wearing substantially fewer clothes.
A herd of pegasi accompanies the Olympians, while a line of flying serpents is stabled at a tent bearing Wyver colors. Refugees are given the chance to experience solo flights and are told that if they prove their loyalty, they may have the privilege of owning such fine beasts one day themselves. The Olympians have also brought couture clothing, jewelry, and makeup to offer a taste of Olympian splendor, while the Wyver delegation has brought along fine weapons, sense-enhancing jungle plants, and small vials of diluted dragon’s blood (drinking confers a temporary boost in strength) to demonstrate their might. The Olympians speak proudly of the glory of the Temples of Thesa; the Wyverns speak of the Volkkran Pact and inform newcomers that they can make a pilgrimage to the summit of Namarak Mountain at the next full moon.
This is as good a time as any to compare your plans with others around you and exchange contact information before going your separate ways with people who are going to the city you are not. When you’re ready to go, don’t worry about safe passage — the natives of each city will gladly escort you there in luxury.
OF WHITE AND GOLD. The people of Olympia are ecstatic that you’ve come to join them... So much so that they’ve prepared a grand tour of the city for the new arrivals. You will be introduced to the major businesses in the city, including businesses that they are proud to point out were founded by refugees.
Refugees who have been here for some time already are encouraged to pair up with newcomers to introduce them to the parts of the city they like best. To facilitate this, they’ve made arrangements with many of the business owners: new refugees who visit their shops (and older refugees who escort them) are given discounts!
Just a few examples of many: the Wyvernest offers free desserts to first time visitors with the purchase of a drink, refugees who visit the Silk Wyrms can have one custom (though not exceedingly expensive) outfit made for them for free, and visitors to Shades Darker are offered a half-hour session with one of the prostitutes at half price… or access to a private room, if they seem to have taken a shine to one of their companions on the tour.
Lastly, tour guides will point out that over the course of the next week, the train to Flona Cove will allow new refugees to board for free so that they can experience the seaside for themselves. With the weather finally starting to warm, this is as good a time as any for a visit to the beach, isn’t it?
OF RED AND BLACK. Life in Wyver is typically a sink-or-swim sort of experience — but in light of the valor recently displayed by their predecessors, the natives are now more willing to assist in getting newcomers settled. The entire journey here they have been talking up the virtues of their city… and now is the time to show everything that's on offer.
The well-known businesses in the city are prepared for the influx of newcomers. Some are giving out discounted samples of their products while others are offering a more hands-on experience: in exchange for working a few hours, they will give training in whatever task is being performed.
At the Forged, newcomers can learn the basics of crafting simple weapons (and take one of their successes home), while visitors to spas near the lagoons are trained in the art of massage. Those who wander to Falmi’s Ring can learn the art of pugilism or how to keep (and fix) books if they're more inclined to the gambling that goes on. Newcomers interested in Wyver's dragons can get hands-on experience at the Fields of the Exalted's nursery. While they walk from place to place, a guide may point out a job posting from Highwind Hires, noting that refugees can make a name for themselves outside official channels.
The last stop on the tour is the Undergrowth. The guides speak of the jungle in reverent tones and caution new refugees not to wander too far in. They warn never to explore alone, but also urge refugees to take time to familiarize themselves with it; after all, the jungle is an important part of life in Wyver, and those who are going to be living here should understand it as well as they do.
You've chosen your path, refugee, but that doesn't necessarily make it a permanent one. Watch out for the strange effects of the Storm, which linger still in the two cities and everywhere in between for the next few days before dissipating just as mysteriously as they came, but otherwise enjoy the welcome and make yourself at home — after all, this is home now.
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Allura | Voltron: Legendary Defender
[At least one of the refugees has some interesting markings—they even seem to glow with some of the residual light of the transporation, which has caught the attention of a handful of Voss' acolytes. After all of that talk about the Goddess' blessing, they are eagerly making themselves into good hosts. Perhaps too good, as Allura soon finds herself seated on a comfortable cushion, swathed in oversized blankets, with a warm mug and a block of something that smells somewhat like Hunk's socks.
Perplexed, Allura watches as the Acolytes move on to their next victim, then her eyes move to the mysterious foodstuffs left behind. Slowly, she turns to the nearest person,] Ah... Would you have any interest in... [She doesn't know what any of this is called.] scented rectangles?
II. Far away from home
[On the outskirts of the encampment, Allura stands at the water, head craned skywards. It's a breathtaking view, the sky filled with stars and lights, but the thin line of her mouth, and crease of her brows looks more like someone receiving bad news, than enjoying the cosmos. Her eyes flit from one grouping of stars to another, hands folded together in front of her, as she searches for... something.
The sound of footsteps in the grass seems to shake her out of it, and she quickly turns her attention to the approaching stranger, hiding her previous trepidation under a practiced smile,] This planet has beautiful stars, doesn't it?
III. Rain Rain, Go Away
[For all of her experience traveling the stars, flitting from one planet to the next, nature proves to be a significant change of pace for Allura. A sudden, powerful rain and wind storm has Allura seeking shelter under a large tree, but she's already soaked by the time she gets there. Long, lavender hair, normally piled neatly on top of her head, hangs tangled and sticking to her face. She gives an agonized groan as she tries to sort through the mess,]
This is— It is a wonder that a civilization has thrived on a planet such as this!
[This can't be normal, can it?]
IV. This seems familiar
[Allura isn't sure how long it's been like this—how long it's been since she stepped into a field of flowers. What looks like red poppies shift in hue and shape, their petals elongating into pastel pink tips. She feels her pulse ratchet up, breath caught in her throat as she realizes the name of the flowers at her feet.]
Juniberries!
[When her planet was destroyed, so too was the flora and fauna, and her beloved Juniberries. So then, was it possible that the petals found their home on this planet, this most unlikely location? The rational voice in her head said it was wrong—the unpredictable weather she had just suffered was too extreme for the delicate flowers of her home world, but-
She wanted it to be true. Slowly she sinks down to her knees, plucking one of the stems from the ground. As she lifts it to her face, there's another voice. Perhaps a stranger that came upon the scene, but as they speak, and Allura turns toward them, her eyes are glazed over, looking directly at the newcomer, yet not seeing them. Instead she sees-]
Father...?
V. Wild Card! [Allura will be heading towards Olympia unless convinced otherwise! Send me a message or hit me up in the CR meme if you'd like to talk about plans or ideas!
rain
[ percy had had the same idea about hiding out under the tree. which -- look. he might have power over water, and his dad might be a sea god, and, yeah, he's totally dry even as he stands in the middle of a sudden storm. but that doesn't help him against the hail falling from the sky, or the intense winds. and he'd rather not, like, get knocked out by a chunk of ice jason grace-style (just kidding, jason).
but still, he knows he has it easier than the newbies, and makes room for allura underneath a particularly sheltered spot beneath the branches. ]
Are you okay?
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[Her voice comes out as a resigned sigh, gratefully taking the offered spot as she presses soaking hair out of her face. The pity party is short lived, and she casts a critical eye at the world around them. Outside of the immediate twenty feet, the sky looks clear, although there are distant patches of precipitation in the distance, moving at a steady pace. She has yet to notice that he's blissfully dry despite the downpour.
The wind picks up, bringing with it a sudden chill where it had been balmy only moments before.]
That's a relief to know, but I wonder what could be causing an anomaly like this.
[She's been to a lot of planets, and while many have weather patterns unfamiliar to the one she grew up with on Altea, this planet's weather seemed... unsustainable to say the least.]
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[ then he seems to realize how that sounds and winces, though that might just be because the cold wind seems to cut right through his jacket like a knife. ]
I mean, not that it's because of you. But Zasere sent a message about how the teleport might be acting up. No details, but...
[ a pointed look at their surroundings. ]
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sorry for the slow!
No worries! I've been slow too
two.
Yeah, for real. They're so much brighter here than they were in Tokyo.
[ The stars there weren't visible at all through the light pollution—you'd have to travel pretty far to get to a place with a night sky as bright as this one. ]
Re: two.
[Allura addresses the girl with a curious gaze. It was hard to get used to the sheer amount of humans rescued from the storm. Before the storm, she had only come into contact with a handful of them, and even her ship had no record of the sheer amount of human-dominate planets out there.
She thinks back to conversations with the paladins about their home,]
Is that the name of a place on Earth?
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[ Her expression turns a little sheepish—she forgets, sometimes, that not all of the refugees are from Earth. Or... anywhere near it, for that matter, though it seems like this girl has at least heard of it. Somehow? ]
It's a city in Japan. It's pretty big, so you can't really see any stars when you're there. Definitely not like this, anyway.
[ She angles her head up to watch the stars again, her pigtails falling over her shoulders in the gentle breeze. ]
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iii;
Sorry to say, you've arrived on an interesting day.
[ she says, while wringing out her braid. ]
The weather is generally much more well behaved.
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That is... [A final twist of her hair,] reassuring.
[Being stuck planetside long-term is enough of an adjustment without all manner of crazy weather patterns.]
Unfortunately, that doesn't solve our current situation.
[The rain has stopped for now, but who knows for how long.]
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[ she doesn't actually usually have an umbrella.. but she smiles nonetheless, warm and easy, and gestures vaguely to the road. ]
I suppose the best we can do is hurry along. The sooner we reach the cities, the sooner we will have sufficient roofs over our heads.
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iv
[ There are a lot of things that JJ isn't certain of—first and foremost, how exactly he'd ended up in a field of flowers when one second ago he'd been walking along a dirt path. Secondly, he'd been pretty sure he was surrounded by a crowd of people who are now no where to be seen, leaving no one but him and Allura to admire the scenery.
But what he is certain of, is that he hasn't yet fathered a child, and if he had, it couldn't be someone that looks the same age as him. ]
I'm definitely not your father. Are you okay?
[ Maybe he should consider looking around and wonder if Allura was talking to someone else, but he doesn't. He just doesn't. ]
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He speaks but whatever he's saying, the storm is twisting, until it reaches Allura's ears as something else entirely, something heartbreakingly familiar. She should know better, it's impossible but before she can stop herself, she's up on her feet, running to envelope him in a crushing embrace.
Except seeing and hearing things is one thing—touching is another entirely. Her arms wrap around a figure much too small to be her father, and his smell—
She blinks and her eyes focus on the total stranger she'd just thrown her arms around. With a startled noise, she releases him abruptly,]
You are not my father.
[But the rest of the vision persists, the fields of Juniberries reach as far as the eye can see, with mountain peaks in the distance, where there once had been nothing but open fields.]
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Is this the future? Did he eventually marry a woman and father a daughter who is now visiting him in the past?
—Obviously not. ]
That's what I said. [ He points out, once she's released him. (If his cheeks are slightly pink, it's no big deal.) ] You hugged me anyway! Not that I can't understand, I am very huggable.
[ That aside, there are more pressing matters, and he gestures at the field around them. ]
Did you bring me here just because you wanted to embrace?
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what's with that sultry icon
it's a disgruntled icon!!
sure sure
ii
[Ren's usually so quiet that he can wander around and not draw too much notice to himself. However, given that he has no idea how many people are trained to fight like him, he decides that creeping up on people might not be the smartest idea.]
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I'm not used to seeing them from the ground like this.
[There are benefits to being planet-side. The view from on board her castle-ship, while beautiful, often lacked the stunning display a planet's atmosphere provides.]
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[Which still kind of breaks his brain a tad, but then again, that's how everyone got here.
He sits down, enough away so he's not crowding her.]
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II
[ Duo is almost thankful that this planet has yet to have a lot of electrical lighting. It had always struck him as a shame that Earth's stars, the moon, the Milkyway - were always so obscured by smog and light pollution when he was plant side. Maybe it was the spacer in him, the kid born out there among the stars, but it just wasn't as magical when the stars weren't so bright, hidden behind haze and blinking as they were obscured by other moving objects and weather happenings.
Which is what draws him away from camp, hands tucked away in his pockets as he picks where to go both to be away from the crowd and stargaze a little.
He spots out another figure easily enough, nodding a silent hello with a small, maybe slightly apologetic smile. ]
Yeah, it does. And they haven't ruined the view with too many lights yet which makes it even better..
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A sigh,] I don't recognize any of them. If only I had a star map.
[El Nysa must be far beyond the known parts of the universe.]
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I don't either, so don't feel bad. [ Granted, he's never even left the Milky Way either, so there's always that. He may have been born in space but so far as traveling in it Earth and Space had spent too much time wrapped up in fighting each other to do much exploring.
He leans against a tree, hands still tucked in to his pockets as he joins her in looking up. ]
The Natha might have a star map, though. If you're real keen on that.
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sorry for the delay!!
No worries! I've been vaguely slow all over the board too!
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i!!
What was the warning for this one?
Richie pulls the cigarette from his mouth when she asks him something. Coming a little too close in his wandering, sussing out the newbies. She's polite. Sounds young. Sounds confused, too. He cants his head and bends his knees a little, examining the food.]
Depends, kiddo. What's the scent?
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Her mouth curves into a small frown. She holds the cheese under her nose once again, but no matter how much she tries to find something else, she just can't get past that foot smell.
Honestly, if not a little apologetically, Dirty laundry.
[But maybe humans are into this kind of thing? Also—] and I assure you that I have been alive for several deca-phoebes longer than you.
[Stasis is cheating but the sentiment still stands—don't patronize me.]
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NO YOU CAN'T BOOMERANG ME I'LL KILL YOU
ok goes really slow now
don't tag until 2019
I've had slow moving CR before but that takes the cake
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i!
[ Apparently "rectangles" alone isn't enough to turn him off the idea. ]
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Allura’s mouth purses thoughtfully, and she lifts the plate to look at the foodstuffs from a different angle. Unfortunately a food cube from any angle is still just a food cube.] I… am not familiar with many human foods. It looks… soft?
[Soft is good?]
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iii.
Yeah, I'll say.
[...To be honest, it's making him kind of nervous. By this point, he's gotten the Transistor wet, on occasion. Kind of hard to avoid. But rain like this, for this long—
He presses back against the trunk of the tree with it at his side and squints up through the downpour at the boughs above them. Then out in the distance, where the foggy silhouette of some abandoned structure is barely visible in the rain.]
...What do you say to finding some drier ground?
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I would say that you would have more luck finding a Yalexian Pearl in the center of a—
[It's then that she looks up, spotting the shapes in the distance she had missed before,] Oh! [Considering the way the tree is creaking with the gusts of wind,] Yes. At least until the worst of it passes.
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