❪ event ❫ what is the storm—?

[natha]

What is the storm —?     The sky is falling. The moon draws closer, visibly now. Whether you've found out from Nurray, or somewhere else, everyone now knows that in about a week, Thesa will collide with El Nysa. However, not all is lost - Nurray has a plan. Old technology is being powered by the storm somehow, giving the developers in Nadril the means they need to create a device capable of jumping back into the past. The device can only transport to one singular point in time per activation, but passing through is a better chance for safety than remaining. As long as you're in Nadril you'll make it, which is why she'll urge everyone to try to get all their business done and travel back north. At first, it was a mere atmospheric pressure drop. Headaches, a sense of dread in the gut, and a chill that would not be quelled drifted over all of El Nysa's inhabitants. And then the days grew shorter. By hours at a time, until there was nothing left but night. Still lit with stars, people turned to Thesa, to their scholars, to their shamans for answers. None came, only exploding lights in the sky. One by one, stars began to burst, like the grimmest of fireworks. For one dreadful night, the sky was alight once more with the death of the surrounding galaxy as thousands of stars extinguished in a blaze. And then came the lightning, low hanging clouds and whipping wind that howls at all hours. It brings with it calamity, beasts and fog and a reality shattering effect that progresses ever closer. Against these unstoppable odds, the people of Nysa are finally united - desperate, and determined to preserve their homeland. IN WYVER     The life that imbues the jungle town has gone still. Animals do not seek shelter - they simply lay forlorn, lethargic and unresponsive to even their dearest handlers. The wild creatures are no different, with predator and prey supping from the same stream, seemingly resigned. Once vibrant plant life droops, blotted into obscurity by the darkness that surrounds. Only the people of this great kingdom remain lively, though their actions are fueled by desperation, than valor. A rally cry rings out over Wyver, even to Olympia, begging anyone who is able to fight. Beasts no one has ever seen before have begun to attack, roaming the city and the lands surrounding as if it is their hunting ground. These creatures are cobbled together from the many worlds the storm has consumed - perhaps your own included. They could bear familiar technology, animal features, or even a loved one's visage. No matter their composition, they are always amalgamous, and always crazed. The valiant warriors fighting these creatures have more to worry about than just the monsters. Their own bodies may become entangled and fused - an effect that only wears off when one retreats from the storm's epicenter. Specters also drift through the onslaught, oddly peaceful compared to the frenzy surrounding. They are wholly composed people, memories from planets devoured. Someone you know, perhaps, stuck in a loop - the same five minutes - for hours before fading away. They cannot be killed, doing so will simply reset the loop; they will vanish on their own, as mysteriously as they came. I. THE FRONTLINES Wyver might not be able to fully understand exactly what is happening, but they've already assigned a task force to combat these apparitions that have begun plaguing the jungle Kingdom. But the Storm is sentient; it has always gathered what it's known of the habitants of the universes the Storm has swallowed. And as it begins to unravel El Nysa, it will begin to learn of your time here — yes, it knows that you are trying to stop the Storm from happening, somehow. It knows you're looking to fight you way back north, and it simply cannot let that happen. After all, El Nysa is an anomaly created by Darma. All of its inhabitants, organisms, and even existence were not supposed to be. The apparitions start off monstrous at first, taking forms of ghostly bestiaries. Your weapons won't do much to get rid of them — they will disappear, but only temporarily, until they come back. Each time, more evolved than the last — until it's able to take on the form of someone who has left you, someone who has returned to the stasis chambers in Thesa, awaiting to be devoured by the Storm. Your partner will likely be doing the same, haunted by images of their loved ones of the past — and there is a possibility that as you fight along with your partner, that these apparitions will combine into ghastly, wretched creatures, serving no other purpose than to spook you into submission. They will fight you, embrace you, and seduce you into staying. "Let the Storm take care of this," they'd stay — "You've got it all wrong. You and that Witch had it all so, so wrong." Will you make it out of Wyver, or will you let the Storm take you? IN OLYMPIA     All of Olympia is awash in fog. It creeps in around each and every corner, so thick it is almost difficult to breathe, and even more difficult to see. You can hear the panicked citizens all around you, although through the fog, their shapes are indistinct and almost menacing. A family fleeing from something might look like a quick-moving, multi-headed monster, or perhaps a lone man hauling his belongings to safety on his back might appear to be an imposing creature with wicked claws. And then, of course, there are the figures that look achingly familiar to you, like someone you've lost or care for deeply… but then, when you catch up to them, they vanish, only to call out for you from somewhere further in the city. Tread carefully — with your impaired vision, it would be all too easy to inadvertently wind up injured. Of course, this isn't solely due to the hazards obscured by the mist, although that is certainly part of it. The fog has a quality to it that serves to amplify the desires and lower the inhibitions of everyone exposed to it. II. SILENT HILL Similarly, Olympia isn't properly equipped to deal with a crisis like this. Wars, they are certainly accustomed to — but when their very own land is indiscriminately being torn apart by alien forces, it is uncertain to know for sure what they can do. Word from Nadril is that the inhabitants up north has opened its gates for everyone to enter — this is news to Olympia, but they do not hesitate to migrate to the chilly gates regardless. The first obstacle, of course, is to find a way out of Olympia. The fog is debilitating, but you may not immediately notice it. It starts small. A spark of annoyance at getting cut off by someone you barely saw coming might twist itseful up in you until it becomes unbridled rage. Simple fear becomes indescribable terror, and of course, people are at their worst when they are acting on fear. If what you want is an escape, you may find yourself willing and able to do things you simply could not fathom in order to get out of there. If what you want is riches… well, there is plenty of wealth ripe for the taking, should you simply ambush someone fleeing or break into their homes. The longer you spend in the fog, the more difficult it will become to fight back these urges. If the fear doesn't completely paralyze you, you may find that there is a rather unconventional yet risky way of alleviating this ailment -- which might require someone you trust. The thing is, upon holding someone, all of your fears will be transferred unto that person. It will then be your duty, then, to escort them out of the fog before your fears start to completely deteriorate your ally's psyche. Move quickly, or you may both be crumbled by the weight of this Storm and its fog. IN NADRIL     The journey north is treacherous, but not without its own rewards. Nadril is marked by a storm that is raging at the territory's edge, as if the forces of nature are attempting to do away with the border itself. Strangely, the storm seems to be stopped by the borders — electricity crackles in midair as snow and ice whip about, disintegrating when they touch what seems to be an invisible dome sheltering the area. Inside, the weather is even stranger. The iced-over lakes have begun to thaw, and it is warmer and brighter than anyone here can recall it ever being — almost as if it is summer near the Olympia-Wyver border, not the dead of winter near the northernmost part of the isles. There is an almost palpable level of unease as those who live here full-time attempt to adapt to their new climate. Everyone is working, however. At the center of Nadril is what they all hope will be a solution to their problems: they claim it is a time machine, and that they have tested it through simulations and believe that it can, and will, work. They are already using it to help combat the storm at the borders — at times it does manage to penetrate the dome, but when it does, engineers turn back the clock an hour at a time to so that they can divert power to the parts of the shield that they know will need reinforcement. Be careful when this happens — it would be very easy to run into your own double in such a circumstance, and that could be… awkward, until enough time passes to bring you back to the "present" and you merge once more, taking on the memories of everything that you and your double (or triple, or quadruple) have experienced. Operating such a machine will take manpower, which the people of Nadril are prepared to provide. However, the undertakings they will require in the past — waking the gods, who they believe can provide protection from the Storm if you can convince them — will require all of you. Relying on a single person to change history is untenable. Only by working together will you be able to make the jump to the past and secure your future. III. INCEPTION Most importantly, there will need to be volunteers to undergo stasis. Pods that were similar to those in Thesa can be found all over the city center, beckoning people to sleep now, and hopefully wake to better tomorrow. But just as the Storm benefits some technology, it negatively affects others — but this is to do with the mind more than technology itself. For one, those undergoing stasis will find themselves dreaming of a better time in their lives — be it their homeworld or some other happy memory of theirs. The Storm magnifies this dream — everyone within a certain radius will find themselves entering the dream, despite being wide awake. Inside this dream, you will know instantly that something is awry. The events of reality, of the awoken, are beginning to seep into the sleeping person's dream. The lines between dream and reality become blurred, and you've been tasked to ensure that they remain asleep. That means that you must guide them into believing that nothing is awry with their happier memories, that they are not dreaming, and guide them through it. Ensure that the nightmares of reality be kept at bay, and that they may sleep through it all. The Ark of the Woken     The Ark of the Woken awaits, its chambers an imposing majesty of their own. Compared to the sleek design of Thesa, the Ark is a cobbled together patchwork of technology. But even with its exposed wires and manual input systems, Nurray promises it will get the job done. That is, once the pods have been brought to it from Thesa. The targets are Thesans who have previously awoken, however, no one has time to actually inventory the sleeping ones brought to this hamlet. If you choose to bring someone else, you'll probably get away with it. The procedure is harrowing - severing the pods from Thesa runs the risk of interrupting the life support system inside. To compensate, there is a small device that can be hardwired into a port on the back of the pod. It's fragile, and the function it provides only lasts twenty minutes. You have that time to move the pod to a small ship, and pilot it planetside yourself. Nurray suggests traveling in pairs - the Natha duo pilot ships are faster, and more reliable. However, they rely on a neurolink between pilots. If one is not focused, the ship may begin to malfunction. While navigating through rough turbulence, each pilot will be able to feel the others emotions, and hear whispers of their thoughts. All while the storm clouds around them play glimpses into their memories. Snippets, only seconds long, from the perspective of the pilot, provide easy distraction. Stay on task, and make your landing safely - your lives and others are depending on it. A Simpler Time     Your seven days is up. You have (mostly) achieved all your tasks, and you are now waiting. Those harrowing last hour may stay with you forever — while your peers tirelessly secure the time machine's effectiveness, you watch as Thesa draws closer. It's closer to you than you've ever seen it, more menacing than you realize as it threatens the lives of everyone you ever cared for. Alria, the lesser known moon, is first pulled toward Thesa, crushing a side of it. You may witness debris spilling into space and dissipate into the atmosphere. You might think, perhaps, that those were bodies of some you were told not to bring to the Ark. But you're assured many times that that won't matter, that this can be fixed if you simply wait and watch. The time machine will work. It's into the final minute, and time seems to stop — yet, you feel your breath catch as Thesa penetrates the atmosphere. You can no longer breathe, and gravity loses all its bearings on the laws of physics. As you float into the air, you're wondering if the light that engulfs you is an explosion — you might wonder if it could be death. At the very least, you are among people you've known on this planet. It isn't as though you were never meant to survive the first Storm. Simply close your eyes, and the Storm run its course. In the distance, you hear a muted voice. What is the Storm, But an attempt to cleanse the world — Of its anomalies? Open your eyes, Traveler, Where are you now? FINAL OOC NOTES     Welcome to El Nysa, Year XXX. Due to the time warping of the Storm, this event will not strictly follow the 1:1 ratio. Additional information about this world will be revealed early next month! For now, play at your pace. RNG for NPC threads will announced later tonight! RECOMMENDED LISTENING: Live Forever QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● lore ● map ● npcs ● bestiary taken ● atp/emp ● application ● rep/acp ● quest bulletin calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[ettersberg]

Ah. [ thomas says, slowly. it's more of an exhale than an actual word, not meant to express anything in particular so much as buy time as he considers bucky's words, the proximity of their bodies. factors in the circumstances under which they'd met.

slowly, telegraphing the move, he reaches out to set his hand at bucky's hip. nothing more, nothing less. as far as touches go, it's an unmistakeable one. ]

Maybe not. [ he admits, slowly. maybe bucky hadn't been subtle —but thomas is not in the habit of allowing himself to think of others as interested in him anymore, or in the habit of acknowledging his own interest outside of very specific circumstances. like the forest.

like the end of the world, potentially. ]

[lednikovyy]

[ There's a part of Bucky that had figured Thomas was attracted to him in some way. Maybe he's never really lost that little bit of ego, but he's knows he's good-looking, even now. It's just that being attracted and actually wanting something are very different things. Bucky had no problem separating them, himself. It's easy to say someone is attractive and have no interest in doing anything about it, so he hadn't really let himself overthink anything beyond that.

Still, he feels entirely ungrounded in the situation until Thomas reaches out to touch him, like maybe he'd read too much into things or maybe he'd let himself think that that little attraction could mean more. Something in him relaxes when the touch connects, like he's relieved to be together here and now. Maybe there are better circumstances, but they don't have those. They have potentially the end of everything slowly crashing towards them.

Despite everything, he can't help the little smile that starts to take over his face. ]

Good. I wouldn't want to think I changed that much.

[ He leans in until their noses are only inches apart and lets his voice drop. Anything he has to say is only for Thomas's ears, anyway. ]

I really wanna kiss you right now.

[ettersberg]

[ thomas is attracted to bucky —but it's not the sort of thing that he's likely to acknowledge to himself or anyone else, that he's likely to let himself linger on, unless prompted. now, with bucky's prompting, things are different. with prompting, he can admit that he's been enjoying bucky's presence not merely for their shared experiences, but also because the man is damnably handsome.

he doesn't smile back, but his eyes grow a little warmer in response to bucky's smile and he hips his head back a little. ]

What is keeping you?

[lednikovyy]

[ That hand that had been twitching at Bucky's side comes up, warm fingers brushing Thomas's jaw. ]

I don't know. Nothing, I guess.

[ He leans in to close the distance between them and where the last kisses they'd shared had been desperate and hungry, this is so much lighter and more tender, like Bucky's scared one of them will break, but he isn't even sure which of them it could be.

His eyes slide closed and he lets himself just feel Thomas's lips beneath his. He lets his own move soft and slow against them and for a moment, it really feels like they have all the time in the world--like maybe time could just stop for them while they do this. ]

[ettersberg]

[ until the very moment that bucky's lips find his, thomas doesn't quite believe that it'll happen, doesn't really consider it an option —but it happens and something inside his chest catches and expands with it, with the soft slide of bucky's lips against his. it's light, tender and careful and he sighs into it, fingers curling a little more firmly around bucky's hip, pulling him just a little closer.

if time could stop for them, he wouldn't mind it. not in this moment. ]

[lednikovyy]

[ He can't help smiling into the kiss, moving closer at Thomas's urging and letting his hand slide back into the other man's hair. Even just breathing the same air as Thomas feels so intimate, so very wanted, and the need he feels is far less about getting himself off and far more about just wanting to be close and that feels a lot scarier in some ways, but right now he just can't bring himself to care.

In the end, he's just as bad as Steve, isn't he? Waiting until it's too late, making excuses not to try until something better comes along to make sure he can't be happy. He hadn't realized quite how much he'd been denying himself, but so many things are clicking into place now. Even as he pulls back for air, he presses his forehead to Thomas's again.

Distantly, he's aware that touching like this means he's bound to feel some of what Thomas is feeling, but in this moment, he's not even sure where his own affection and loneliness end and where Thomas's start. ]

Hi.

[ He brushes their noses together, eyes crossing a little at their proximity, but he doesn't want to move away. ]

[ettersberg]

[ bucky smiles into the kiss and it breaks for a moment, but that hardly matters with bucky moving closer, making no move away and every move toward him. intimate is the right word for it and it makes thomas feel wanted and fragile and hopeful all at once, like he could soar to the sky or shatter if he dropped back down to the ground.

but bucky's forehead settles against his and thomas feels grounded despite himself. there's loneliness and there's trepidation, fear and worry —but there's also happiness and desire and warmth.

he lets out a breath, almost a huff of laughter. ]

Hello.

[ his own eyes remain closed. ]

[lednikovyy]

[ For a moment, Bucky just lets himself enjoy the closeness. Save for their experience in the forest, he hasn't really touched anyone like this in ages. It feels like an open wound in his heart, like he's torn the stitches and it will never really heal now, but the time for keeping it patched over and hidden is gone. He doesn't think he can really go back to that, either, even if it feels so much safer. ]

I've wanted to do that for a while.

[ It's a quiet admission and one he only gives now because he's sure he'll never have the time to have to explain it. His second and third and fourth chances at life are up and he's facing down a lot of regrets here at the end, but he doesn't want this to be one of them. If it's time to go, he wants Thomas to know that he's been a true friend to Bucky in the last few months, but he's also been much more than that.

He's reminded Bucky how to feel things he'd thought long-forgotten, like desire and affection. Bucky figures even now, he's still a lost cause, too broken to really be worth all the trouble he knows he's bound to be, but Thomas had made him want it all, anyway, like maybe he could glue the worst cracks back together and build something worth loving out of what's left. ]

[ettersberg]

[ bucky's admission is quiet, but for a moment, it still takes thomas' breath away, making something inside his chest catch. it takes a moment before he realises that it isn't a painful thing and he lets out a slow breath, almost a sigh. ]

Quite.

[ it's as much of an admission as bucky's words were. he reaches up, splaying the fingers of the hand not at bucky's hip against bucky's jaw, thumb brushing gently over his jawline. ]

[lednikovyy]

[ His hand slides down to Thomas's shoulder, but otherwise he just lets himself stand there and enjoy the closeness between them. Maybe it's silly how comforting this is, but it feels so good, even if he knows that it will be brief.

He turns his head just enough to kiss the palm of Thomas's hand. There's a part of him that wishes they had more time, because the idea of sleeping with Thomas again is a pretty appealing one, especially because he thinks he'd like to be able to take his time with the experience. ]

I kinda feel like an idiot.

[ His accent creeps out and he laughs a little. What else can he do here? ]

[ettersberg]

[ it's comforting and it's enticing all at once. the appealing of sleeping with bucky is a very appealing one and interest is stirring in his stomach, but despite that, this is —this is good in and of itself. this is more intimate, in some way, and thomas closes his eyes, lips curving upward a little at the laughter in bucky's tone even as he asks: ]

Why is that?

[lednikovyy]

Why do you think?

[ His left arm slips around Thomas's waist, tugging him just a little closer. He pulls back enough to look at the other man's face and he sees that little hint of a smile there. It only makes him smile wider.

People could be paying attention to them. Or maybe they aren't. Bucky doesn't care. He's too focused on what's right in front of him and he leans in to kiss Thomas again. ]

[ettersberg]

I haven't the faintest.

[ that's not entirely true, he can think of some things it could be —but he's not nearly certain enough to voice those guesses, and there are some possibilities he will still not let himself consider. if he does, he might start thinking that they are real and then he might start wanting.

easier not to let himself do that, not to go down that path, isn't it? (maybe it isn't.)

but bucky leans in to kiss him again and any dreary thoughts are wiped from thomas' mind in favour of kissing bucky back, slow and thoroughly despite the chance of anyone watching. it's the end of the world, after all. ]

[lednikovyy]

[ It won't be long now. Either this plan will work or the world will really be over. That knowledge hangs over Bucky's head like a tall shadow he can't escape from. He's been in a lot of desperate situations. Really, they haven't stopped coming since he enlisted, but this feel different. Bigger.

There's no one back home to miss him, no mystery to solve, nothing new to find about his origins or even to fight against. Everyone who would know to miss him is here in the thick of the danger with him now.

So he kisses Thomas like he knows it really will be the last thing he does, affectionate and a little desperate as his fingers cling to the fabric on Thomas's shoulder. ]

I'll try to give you some clues, then.

[ The words are murmured against Thomas's lips. Bucky isn't pulling away any more than he has to right now. ]

[ettersberg]

[ bucky kisses him like it will be the last thing he does, that they do —affectionate and a little desperate and impossibly warm, unmistakeable in the outpour of emotion. thomas' heart catches almost painfully in his chest, his body swaying even closer toward bucky's.

thomas thought that he'd be ready for the end of the world, that his concern wasn't with dying but with staying alive when everyone else is dead. that is still true, to some extent —but bucky kisses him like that and it feels suddenly and utterly impossible not to want to go on, not to want more of this, not to want the plan to work. ]

Do that again. [ his voice comes out hoarse. ] Please.

[lednikovyy]

[ Bucky's been a survivor for a long time. Even before the war, life hadn't always been easy and Bucky had fought his way through everything in the war and after tooth and nail just to stay alive. Now, he thinks at least it got a little better at the end. He found the people who mattered and he's found... whatever this is. It's not enough, but it's more than he deserves and more than he'd expected and he just wants to have what he can right now. ]

Only 'cause you asked nicely.

[ He almost laughs into the next kiss. God, this feels amazing and he doesn't want to stop. There's something about Thomas that makes his heart flutter and makes him smile like a fucking idiot. It's been so long that he almost hadn't recognized it for what it was at first. ]

[ettersberg]

[ bucky sounds happy and when he leans in to kiss thomas again, thomas thinks he can feel the shape of bucky's smile, taste it, almost. it makes something inside his chest clench and catch. it's not a painful sensation, although he thinks he could tip toward that. instead, it catches him off guard, breaking him open a little.

bucky's smile feels infectious, but he focuses on the kiss, on the slow slide of bucky's lips against his own, of how he thinks he could do this forever.

the forest had been one thing. wonderful and impossibly good, but ultimately less real than this is because they'd both been under the influence, because they hadn't known each other, because it hadn't been their choice.

this is different. ]