❪ event ❫ a moment in eternity

[natha]

TO THERE AND BACK     It has been a month of chills uncharacteristic of what you might remember as summer — cold days and even colder nights. The days are short and the nights feel eternal. With the recent disruption of the network and no sign of a resolution for the world outside of Nadril, one has to wonder what the future holds for El Nysa. What of Olympia, Wyver, and their residents? The animals you cared for - are they destined to remain as frozen as wretched Ysverai forever? What will become of the sleeping ones in Thesa when there is nowhere else to go but this icy city? Yet not all hope is lost just yet. The woman that appeared at the start of the network errors finally shows up again in another network post. Greetings to you all. I apologize for my abrupt appearance and departure before… My name is Nurray, and I am the closest thing to a monarch that you will find here in Nadril. Magda is... indisposed, so I am here to speak to you in his place. First and foremost, you will notice that your network devices are fully functional once more. Should you experience any further issues, please report them to me immediately so that it can be taken care of. Secondly… Investigating the strange frequency interference we've been experiencing has brought some troubling data to light. The passage of time outside of this colony has been halted, of course, but the hold seems... unstable. Whatever it is that Darma has done to contain the calamity, I doubt that it will last for long. Time is an unpredictable force, and attempting to control it can only have adverse effects on the world. You could stay here if you so chose, outside the reach of that magic... but to do that would be to abandon the rest of this planet to an unenviable fate. ...ah, but there is no need to take my word for it. You can see the effects for yourselves, if you wish — merely look outside. "Seeing is believing"... isn’t that the phrase? Nurray has a point: refugees have not been given a chance to see the outside. The frequent snowstorm barrier of Nadril has made it impossible to see what it's like beyond the colony. Soon after the network post, as though the snow has been "turned off," clouds will clear. With the barrier created by the snow gone, the red sun shines brightly upon the dreary city with its warmth. You can see a purple haze on the south horizon, a indication that Yservai wasn’t all just a dream. He's still there, so far away, yet so close anyway. Near the entrance, a mound of snow melts, revealing steps leading towards the underground. It seems to be a part of the subway station you might have found earlier during your exploration of the colony — this time, the station has been powered on. Two trains lie in wait — their destinations read: Olympia and Wyver. — El Nysa is waiting. FREEZE FRAME     The technology found in the subway station of Nadril is truly out of this world. The combined efforts of Natha technology and alien minds have truly created state-of-the-art transportation never before seen by the typical Nysan. It takes no longer than one hour for the intercoms to announce their arrival to the outskirts of the Dranbu Kingdom — though, even with the platform available, the train never stops; it instead continues for another half hour for it to reach the North Gate of the Olympian Empire, where it sits until it's time to return to the tundra. All in all, it takes a mere hour and a half for this high-speed subway travel from Nadril to Olympia. The second train does make a quick stop at the Olympian Station, but it will be another painless hour and a half until it reaches the jungle of the Wyver Kingdom. Because Wyver is its own island, connected only by a bridge, you might notice that a small part of the travel was underwater. The trip takes only a total of three hours, but there's plenty of time for sightseeing. After all, isn't that the whole point of this trip? BE STILL MY HEART. Leaving the train, you are immediately hit with the still, warm air of the underground. It's hot, much different from the winter of the north, but perhaps a welcome change. The station is old, but it still has a fairly new smell to it, and not just because it's been unused for so long. It feels out of place compared to the rest of this world, and this is especially true when you reach the surface. The entrance was hidden under the earth right near the North Gate. Upon leaving the station, you're immediately hit with the familiar wretched smell and atmosphere of the undead. Even if you're new, you won’tt be able to miss Ysverai, the risen Great Dragon. You see this massive creature on the horizon, mouth wide and ready to blast El Nysa into nothing. Yet he remains still — as are all the terrified residents of Olympia. You've only seen this on the monitors of Thesa Station, and now you're able to experience first-hand how utterly quiet and still the world is now. The native Olympians are all over — you see most of them running away from the Great Dragon. Others equipped their armors and rode their steeds straight toward the danger in hopes of protecting their Empire. And the civilians, having lost all hope, are huddled together — at least they would have been able to spend their final moments with loved ones. Up on Thesa Station, you felt dread when you'd observed Ysverai for too long — this remains true here. That dread reaches your heart and clutches it. You feel his pain and suffering, and for those too in tune with emotions, it may be too much for you to be near him. Best to steer clear from him, or perhaps return to the underground. There is much more to be seen, after all. PRAYING WITH FIRE. Another hour and a half south on the subway, and you'll reach the Wyver Station. It's far warmer here in the station this further south, but Ysverai's dread doesn't reach here. On the surface, you are instead immediately hit with the overwhelming humidity of the jungle. With summer in full swing, the layers you've brought with you from Nadril become a burden. In Wyver, the mood is far different. The Great Dragon Yservai was once a being that was respected and worshipped by the Wyver people — not to mention that the one responsible is none other than Prince Raysc — thus his revival is met with somber resilience. Most of Wyver natives, instead of running away, had gathered around fires in prayer. Trained dragons that were unaffected by Ysverai's influence bow by their master's sides in acceptance of what they feel in their heart is to come with the Great Dragon's final blow. You may even spot your own dragon, eyes beamed up toward Thesa, like it knows you were up there at the moment time stood still. It's hard to imagine where one can go from here. You might start thinking about clean-up efforts, how to achieve proper burials for the fallen ones... but with time frozen, you will find that you cannot actually move anything or anyone. It will be dusk, as Thesa's shines across the skies, when storm cloud gather before Thesa's light. And from the clouds is a familiar figure — Once again, she has descended. TIME & TIME AGAIN     Darma is glowing as bright as the naked eye can perceive. Her massive, true form floats before the world she's built from dust. Is this world salvageable in your eyes, Refugee? We held time in hopes that we fould find a way to dissolve this Ysverai back to the ashes from which he was reanimated. Unfortunately, we continue to be unseeing, thus uncertain of the future... after all, our powers are near depleted. Nurray was correct, Refugee, in that I cannot hold time for much longer. There is... another way, however. It is not ideal by any means, but we shall do what we must to keep Ysverai frozen. As for us... we have expended far too much of our energy — Refugee, I am too aware of the misfortunes you've experienced in your time here. I have failed in my promise to provide better living... perhaps, with more time, I may yet see a better future. Until then, I leave Thesa, our hearts, in your hands. Farewell, Refugee. Her brightness dims as she says her final words — at the same time, raises her arms, palms wide, then closes her hands into a fist. In that instant, time is resumed. It's slow at first, as though time is trying to catch up with reality. It takes a several moments until the slow-motion picture before them reaches normalcy. Darma turns her attention to Yservai, whose motion is also returning, but not for long. In her true form, they are comparable in size; Darma's glow continues to dim as she draws closer to the Great Dragon, and then she coils herself around him, holding him still before assimilating into the wretched creature. By the end of it, time has completely returned to normal, and all residents were able to witness the Natha holding time still for Ysverai — The process turns the Great Dragon, as well as Darma, into stone. HIT PLAY TO REPLAY     Darma has resumed time, and Ysverai is no longer a threat. However, it comes with a hefty price for the Natha. The massive, stone statue of Darma embracing Ysverai looms in the valley between the cities of Olympia and Wyver. It's no doubt an intimidating addition to the world, but there is some peace in knowing it's all over. When civilians finally come to, they can't help but look upon the statue in awe — and their respective cities. It's much to take in all at once. Much destruction has been wrought— buildings lay in ruin, and of the citizens still alive, many look to be in poor physical condition. 1. I. The Sanctuary has sustained much damage, and with the high demand of medical care, cannot serve as the central healing place for those in need. Instead, it is up to individual citizens to find resources and establish places of care. Those with a medical inclination or healing powers may set up medical tents, or work out of their homes. Not everything has been destroyed, and it is still possible to obtain supplies from the market or request them from The Sanctuary. There is also, unfortunately, the tragic task of transporting corpses to graveyards and giving fallen citizens a proper burial. The Temples thank you for your service. II. In order to have a functioning city again, buildings and facilities must be repaired and rebuilt. It's possible your own home was demolished in the battle. With so many important buildings needing to be repaired, city officials are too overwhelmed with the coordination of such tasks to double-check that buildings are restored to their original form. What's more, they seem to encourage design innovation, believing that a new, fresh look to the city will revitalize people's morale. Now is the time to put your own unique flair on the interior or exterior of Olympia's infrastructure. Even parts of the Palace need repair. Time has resumed, yes, but the magic that Darma employs isn't flawless. As powerful of an entity as she may be, to tamper with time is difficult. Some would say it defies the laws of nature. Nature seems to agree, and in the next few weeks, El Nysa will be facing a few hiccups as it finds its equilibrium once more and citizens try to return to normalcy. Strangely enough, El Nysa natives are not disturbed by the occurrence of these events. III. Characters may find that they occasionally (or frequently) suffer from lapses in memory. These difficulties with memory may range from light to severe, although they are thankfully not permanent. Within the span of a few minutes to a few hours, difficulties in remembering people and events are resolved. That isn't to say a similar problem won’t happen again tomorrow… IV. Is it just you, or is your housemate looking a bit old lately? No, it isn't just stress making some citizens appear older. For a short amount of time, some characters may find themselves advancing or regressing in age, both physically and mentally. This particular kind of time hiccup is rare and may be particularly disturbing to the affected person’s friends. Thankfully, there have been no cases of this effect lasting more than an hour. V. At times, it seems as though objects and people in El Nysa will feel a bit out of place. These are beings and things that belong to what some may call "alternate universes." Their presence is transient, and some will only appear for a few instances before returning to their rightful existence. The ones that linger a bit longer, however, may make your day more interesting. Before you stands a pet just like yours, except it talks...? Perhaps you'll meet another version of yourself, a more bloodthirsty version of yourself. Or maybe you'll run into a version of your friend that really enjoys your company. The possibilities are truly endless, and potentially mortifying. VI. Towards the end of the month, the frequency of the aforementioned disturbances will decrease. Following this will be an increase in a different sort of disturbance: one that will either make literal seconds seem like an eternity, or force you to move and talk at a speed you never thought possible. It's as though some higher entity is pressing the fast forward or slow down button on life, and considering your mind works at the same pace as normal, the phenomenon is as frustrating as it sounds. Hope you weren't planning to be on time for anything, because it might be awhile before the universe allows you to take that next step. But these phenomena does draw to a close — and with it, you may wonder what will happen now to those sleeping ones in Thesa now that Darma has turned to stone. After all, it will be near the time of which more refugees should wake... Repairs to Thesa Station should remain ongoing so long as parts can be salvaged from Nadril, at least. And with speed travel via subway possible, it should make travel far easier than ever before. Even with Darma gone, you will have to move forward. There is still much to be done. FINAL OOC NOTES     You may acquire REP for Nadril, and either Olympia or Wyver in this log. An AC-eligible thread for ONE (1) NADRIL REP POINT may be submitted HERE BY AUGUST 26TH, 11:59 PM EST. A second AC-eligible thread for 1 REP for either Olympia OR Wyver may be submitted HERE OR HERE BY AUGUST 26TH, 11:59 PM EST. Please direct questions to the questions thread below! Thank you! QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● lore ● map ● npcs taken ● atp/emp ● application ● rep/acp calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[beatupgrass]

[Oh no. This is a mistake. Children as terrible and should be kept as far away from him as possible. He keeps eyes on the kid, circling around and backing away with bared teeth when he gets poked at. He is also not helping his situation any, because angry things are all the better.] You touch me again, and you'll see the business end of it. I ain't afraid to take out a kid's kneecaps.

Who the hell are you? Do you have parents? Something? [How could this happen to me.mp3]

[summertimeblues]

[ivemademymistakes.wav

Richie pulls back, both of his hands tossed high in the air and a stuffy-nosed Bugs Bunny voice leaking out of his mouth.]

Eeeeh, you can't shoot me, doc! It's Duck Season, see?

[His hands drop and he glances around, as if he might find said parents in a tube just yonder. That's the sad thing, isn't it.]

Shoot. I went in here looking for people, I remember it's supposed to have every Curly, Moe, and Joe from around town, but I guess I got riled up when I saw how many weirdos and aliens were here. You're the first raccoon I've seen though. Damn! Wonder if they stuck Bambi in a tube too.

[And when the afterthought strikes Rocket gets a hand extended to shake and a buck-toothed grin.]

And I'm Richie. Richie Tozier. What do they call you?

[beatupgrass]

[HE DOESN'T GET ANY OF THOSE REFERENCES. But that's okay, because he's struck so fucking dumb by the introduction that literally nothing else matters and he's no longer considering shooting him.]

Rocket.... [Said very slowly and uncertainly.] That's, like... Richie Tozier, jr., right? Like your dad is Richie Tozier and you're just a kid that he somehow has even though I can't fathom a world where he'd ever get laid.

[summertimeblues]

[What a Weird Thing to say...]

My Dad's name is Wentworth.

[He nods though.]

Oh, I should have guessed that. They always have the same letters in their names. Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck. I guess Goofy doesn't but he's a dummy anyhow.

[beatupgrass]

[Oh shit. Ohhhhh shit.

Rocket's hands fly to his muzzle to keep out a string of expletives. He doesn't know whether this is funnier than the Incredible Shrinking Richie thing or not, but it is hilarious. What a dopey kid he was.]

I don't know who any of those people are, if you're curious. [He finally pulls his hands away from his mouth, breath hitching a bit as he tries to bite back a laugh. He's gonna have some fun with this, as soon as he can calm his gigglefits.] You Earth kids are into some weird shit. [Why is a Bunny called Bugs anyway? ...Don't ask why he knows what a bunny is and not a raccoon. Rule of Funny is the answer. Always.]

[summertimeblues]

[Richie gives a solid "Ha!" at the retort.]

They're not people. They're cartoons. [Obviously.

He's only further delighted when he hears one of the great four letter words spilling from the raccoon's mouth. All right, all right, this Rocket fellow was weirdsville, no doubt about it, but he sounded cool.]

You bet. All the weirdest, we love it. And there are some weird ones up here, let me tell you! But you're probably the expert, aren't ya, Fuzzy? [He grins with every tooth on display, hands on hips in expectant posture.] Go on. Show me the best stuff you alien varmints got. Where's the kookiest guy in here? I've been looking and it's a lot of Earthlings in stupid clothes, but there's some Martians, and Neptunatrons and things from planets I'll bet no one's ever seen! I heard the purple ones are the worst.

[beatupgrass]

[The most raccoonoid deadpan. Raccoon faces were never meant to look that judgmental and yet here we are. Little does Tiny Richie know, he has been on the receiving end of this face many, many times.]

Okay. You wanna see the worst? I'll show you the worst. And he's purple. [He did mention this to Adult Richie and he's sort of glad that much is retained. The least he can do is maybe point out who Thanos is so he doesn't, like... Be Richie at him if he ever wakes up.

Hah. Funny. He'll be Richie, regardless.

Along the way to where he knows Thanos's pod is because he's been there with Gamora several times over the last several months to make sure he shows no sign of waking up, he points out a few scattered pods. He has a good memory.] That's a Krylorian. They're just really pink and kinda boring. That's a Kree- they're dicks. That's an Aaskvarian, and I feel like the tentacles speak for themselves.

[and so on and so forth. as they start to get closer, some of the aliens get weirder, including one that seems to look like some sort of mutant squid with one giant, but closed, eye.] No idea what that guy is, but he creeps me right the fuck out.

i'm imagining the squid is one of the treehouse of horror aliens tbh

[summertimeblues]

[It's a look even Tiny Richie gets from a lot of people. The deadpan is a lifelong staple in his social circle, believe it.

Richie is overjoyed at the offer ("All right all right! Tally ho, good fellow, spit spot!") and bobs along behind the raccoon with unparalleled glee. He ogles the offerings, coming up to the glass and trailing fingers over the cold surfaces. Even through his fascination, his low whistles and gasps, there is a chill that runs down his spine. What happens when they wake up? Sure, this guy's nice, but Rocket comes packaged in a familiar, damn near cuddly Earth-based form. These things?

He slows at the squid. His skin crawls looking at the tentacles, the gigantic eye.]

Reminds me of the Crawling Eye.

[And how it had slung out tendrils of its own in the dark to pull the children in, pressing their bodies into the soft jelly of its mountainous form, how Richie had been so overcome by fear he'd gone limp and dumb and couldn't punch with more than a kitten tap to set himself free.

He pushes his glasses back up his nose and tries to stifle a big ole shiver scooting down his back.]

You've met all these guys before, Rocket?

that may or may not be what i was going for

[beatupgrass]

Not those guys specifically, but I've met people from those races. Been to their home planets, drank in their bars, got thrown into their prisons, escaped those prisons. [All of this is punctuated by Rocket gesticulating without actively turning around- he might know the way to Thanos's pod, but he also knows you can get turned around easily if you're not paying attention.]

They're mostly just assholes. The people who wanna actually cause a real problem aren't as thick on the ground. [But the Natha still saved them. He's sure if he looked hard enough, he could find Ronan somewhere.

He turns a corner and stops in front of a pod where a hulking purple form sleeps. and looks way less intimidating than he should because of his giant nutsack chin.] Look at this guy. What a crapsack.

bless

[summertimeblues]

Damn. Is that why they call you Rocket? Because you're up in outer space? [He casts one last look at the squid before hustling to catch up.] They sure look like assholes.

[The turn of phrase doesn't make too much sense to him. Not as thick on the ground? So what, they were skinnier?

But then they reach their destination and Richie stops cold, stops silent. He stares up into that humanoid slate of grape, with its many cleft-ed chin and square jaw. The hugeness of its form.

This is a man. This is—

a father, a father to a daughter and a picker of bones]

I've seen him.

[beatupgrass]

And 'cause I blow things up. [He grins toothily over his shoulder, and raccoon faces were not made for grinning. There's just too many teeth involved.

But all of that fades in the presence of Thanos. Rocket's never seen him in person. He only knows what he looks like and where to find him because of Gamora showing him and that isn't enough context to get well and truly nervous, so for this... variant of Richie to get so worked up about it. He is pretty intimidating-looking, even asleep, but...

Well. That's a reaction.]

What? What d'you mean you've seen him? [And then, remembering that this Richie seems to have some vague recollections of his adult form adds, in a hushed whisper, like invoking her name might wake Thanos up.] Did Gamora take you here?

[summertimeblues]

[For the record, that only makes him twice as cool in Richie's baby mind. Sign him up! Where do you join the cosmic demolition crew?

That moment has passed though. He looks to the raccoon, bewildered by his own recollection and the words thrown his way.]

Gamora?

[Green. Green and beautiful, that much he feels, green and beautiful and wounded somewhere no doc can fix. But to put a face to the name is beyond him. It's only impressions and this hazy new image fluttering around his head.]

No. I don't think so. No, there was a picture in the snow. It fell down from...some flying camera, I think. And this guy was in it, and he was holding... [He looks back up. Thanos. This man was a monster, and Richie pales as he recalls why.] Oh fuck! He was pulling a bone out of a girl's arm! She was strapped up in a hospital thing and he had her cut up and he was taking her frocking bones out!

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket's ears flatten to his head as bile rises in his throat and he has to tamp down on the reminder that he really must be thinking about Gamora, and this has nothing to do with him at all, even if it's so familiar.

And even not knowing the context exactly, even just making the assumptions, he can speak of it, with confidence.]

Yeah, they gotta do that to put the cybernetic ones in. Didn't think the cheap bastard would've stopped to doin' it himself. [But Gamora always talked like Thanos loved her best in that sardonic way of hers. If that's love to him, he's a bigger dick than he looks.] That's why you don't fuck with dudes like that.

[summertimeblues]

Syebanectic? [What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Richie's horror doesn't dispel. The term might be unfamiliar, but the idea is something that's played out in spooky tales in pulp paperbacks, in Tales from the Crypt, in the crummy double features they play at the Aladdin. Kids turned into monsters by bigger men. Like that hypnotist in I Was a Teenage Werewolf.]

Damn. Good thing you told me, I was gonna invite him over for dinner to meet the folks.

[Richie squints. He tilts his head, stroking his chin with overly affected motion.]

Hmm. You know what, Fuzz? I think it's missing something.

[His upper lip twists as a monstrous, rattling rip sounds in the back of his nose. Richie rears back, and hocks a big old loogie at the purple man's face. It splatters over the cheek. Or would have, if the glass wasn't in the way.

Richie steps back to survey his work, hands on hips.]

Oh yeah, that's much better.

[beatupgrass]

Cy-ber-net-ic. [He can, at least enunciate with that accent of his.] Never mind. It's a thing. It ain't a big deal.

[Not as big a deal as what just happened. Rocket's about to say something to the effect of "no one your size gets to call me Fuzz, kid" but then that fucking happened, and he's just... awestruck.

This feeling... It is not unlike pride. And also violent disgust because holy shit ew.]

That's disgusting. And yet I approve of it. Good job.

[He can't even look at it anymore, it's so disgusting, he slips past behind Richie and swats him on the back a few time to get his attention.] C'mon. If your sinus cavities can handle it, there's a few more shitheads you can do that to while you got the inkling.