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oc voicetesting again
ALARIC THURN
Queen Blanche's attack dog-slash-bodyguard. Alaric was partially responsible for putting her on the throne in a bloody coup and now seeks to keep her safe. This would be easier if they weren't stuck in a timeloop replaying the same horrid events over and over and dying each time. Maybe eventually they'll get some character development, but that sure hasn't happened yet!
LARIMAR
Formerly a king of a flourishing nation, Larimar's rule was overthrown by his twin brother and if that wasn't bad enough, he was betrayed again by someone close to him after he slowly learned to trust once more. So yeah, he's doing great. Now out for revenge against two people, he will stop at nothing to make them pay for hurting him.
MALICE
The only valid vampire, Malice hates his kind, but wasted no time in mashing betray on his fellow rebels the second he had the opportunity for wealth and a more stable future. The woman who took him in (who might be his actual mom? weird) tried to turn him into a vampire noble. It didn't go well. So he ran away with his bestie, except it turns out his bestie was using him and had Malice beat up until he learned how to control his powers. Cool! He just managed to get free and is out for revenge.
REINA
Once a famous explorer and supposedly a skilled fighter, now she's working for her ex (who tried to kill her) and ultimately pretty unhappy with how her life's gone. Oh yeah, and due to some crazy bastards she's now going to be taken over by a god in an indeterminate amount of time and will cease existing... and her shitty ex is also dealing with the same thing. Thanks, world.
ZVEI, THE NECROMANCER
A deimori (demon) who is missing his memories, Zvei's become obsessed with finding a way to get them back, particularly because he's had realistic dreams of a place beyond the world... so naturally this escalated into him trying to end the world by obtaining god-like power by merging with the world tree. He's taken from directly after this point where he was forcibly ripped from said world tree and is near death but eh, it's fine. Did he learn anything from this? Hell no!
Oh look, it's another oc voicetesting post. Well, okay, I'm not voicetesting Zvei anymore but he's here because why the hell not. I wanna play him, you know how it goes. Anyway! Please help me voicetest some ocs, I definitely have some work to do with all of them!
Feel free to go as in-depth as you'd like with setup for where our characters are if you'd like to write a starter - we can play fast and loose with a generic jamjar or murdergame setting, or we can get into the worldbuilding if you want something more intense! You want to play in one of our characters' settings? Sure, we can do that! You want to steal from an actual rp? Why not? If you're not feeling like writing a starter, leave a comment with who you want and I'll give you one!
As always, murdergame settings are my beloved and I will gladly play in them, but we can do anything! Assumed cr is also totally fine if you want to skip over introductions and get into something else! I would prefer to avoid AUs right now since I'm voicetesting, but pretty much anything else goes! For inspiration, here are some memes: texting, stargazing, rain, random scenario, train to the afterlife.
The code used here is by lucavi!
Feel free to go as in-depth as you'd like with setup for where our characters are if you'd like to write a starter - we can play fast and loose with a generic jamjar or murdergame setting, or we can get into the worldbuilding if you want something more intense! You want to play in one of our characters' settings? Sure, we can do that! You want to steal from an actual rp? Why not? If you're not feeling like writing a starter, leave a comment with who you want and I'll give you one!
As always, murdergame settings are my beloved and I will gladly play in them, but we can do anything! Assumed cr is also totally fine if you want to skip over introductions and get into something else! I would prefer to avoid AUs right now since I'm voicetesting, but pretty much anything else goes! For inspiration, here are some memes: texting, stargazing, rain, random scenario, train to the afterlife.
The code used here is by lucavi!
YEETS THIS OVER HERE NOW
As she wakes up on a mysterious locomotive (something she'd only heard of in books, really) that seems to drift through a land that she cannot even begin to recognize, Amaya's head feel's fuzzy as she feels herself put a hand to her head and she tries to retrace her steps. Retrace the last day, in as much as she had been willing to give a normal day any mind. But no matter how she obsessively traces backwards, trying to find the inciting incident, trying to find a way to rationalize what she's seeing, where she is, and why she isn't sleeping in one of the musty old rooms in the attic of the old church she was raised and repurposed, she can't seem to find any sort of rational explanation why she's here. Because by all rights, as much as she traces it in her mind, it just seems like she went and died peacefully in her sleep.
Oh, her father must be rolling in his grave right now. Not that Amaya and the Dragon left much of him to be buried in the first place, but it's almost darkly amusing that someone like her was allowed to pass peacefully at all. She's dealt with threats throughout most of her life, from her father first, and then from the rest of the world that wanted her to pay for the Dragon Cult's crimes. Being the face of what rebuilding remains of Fefello Caelum didn't help matters, any; Amaya sooner assumed that the other hostile countries would have found her and executed her first.
Pity, that they didn't. But no, Amaya barely knows where she is; all she's basing this on is conjecture. She needs to find someone else, and find them quickly. Surely someone else has an idea of this mysterious locomotive's purpose. And Amaya happens to see someone in a distant seat, and well...
Hope you don't mind getting approached by a woman in flowing, white garments--it seems that whatever this place is, it let her keep her attire, so she looks every bit the part of a bishop in a church. Save for any sort of hat, admittedly, but what looks like a woman of faith approaches, and despite her rather devoid of light looking eyes, her voice is gentle.]
Excuse me. [Amaya folds her hands in front of her primly, calmly speaking.] I do hope I am not being a bother. Do you...happen to know where we are?
TY NEVER POST THINGS LATE AT NIGHT
Though, maybe she's in a rather unique position, given she knew she was going to die, and there wasn't exactly any pain involved. It was like falling asleep, but with a sense of finality that sees her gripping the knees of her traveling pants tighter than she needs to.
Reina is dead. There's no questioning that. She remembers it happening, and she watched Aziv pass right before her eyes, replaced with the god Elu. It wasn't horrifying, though maybe it should have been. After all, she knew she didn't have much time left, and then she closed her eyes and...
And now she's here. Trains are still fairly new throughout Emirre, but she at least recognizes what this one is after a moment. It's a smoother ride than the one she's been on before, and the sound of the wheels clacking along the tracks is almost enough to lull her into a nap. A nap does sound positively heavenly right about now, because that means she doesn't have to think about any of this.
Unfortunately for her, she's approached by someone else - someone who isn't Aziv. Which is a good thing, certainly, because she doesn't want to see his dumb face and deal with whatever meltdown he's going to have over all of this, but it's also a little concerning.
Absently, she reaches up to push some stray hair behind her ear then gestures to the seat across from her. Might as well sit down while we discuss this.]
Wish I could tell you, but I don't have a clue.
[She always thought dying would lead to an afterlife of sorts, but certainly not one on a train.]
I remember dying, though.
[So this woman's probably also dead, but at least Reina has the presence of mind to keep that thought in her head... though it's probably obvious that's what she's thinking given the soft look of concern on her face.]
IT'S ALL GOOD IT HAPPENS TO THE BEST OF US
...I see. [It comes out shaky, though Amaya is doing a herculean job of keeping herself composed.] I was afraid of something like that.
[Amaya will take the offered seat across from Reina, her yellow eyes and expression definitely concerned now. Who's going to manage Fefello Caelum? Aneirin knows much of the struggles she's had to face and how to keep the people's spirits up, but a leader he isn't. And the members of the church, the members of the town, what will happen to them?]
I do thank you for your information, my child. [...Force of habit, there.] And...allow me to express my condolences, for your loss. I can only pray that your passing was a peaceful one, if it offers you any solace.
I cannot say this is what I expected the afterlife to look like, in any case.
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Lost, maybe. It's a bit hard to tell exactly what it is she's feeling right now. She probably should feel anger or regret or frustration or anything that makes sense, but she doesn't. She just feels numb, and yet worked up at the same time.]
It... Yeah, it was.
[As peaceful as it could have been, though it isn't as though she merely passed in her sleep. Reina shakes her head as if to clear it.]
I wasn't expecting anything like this either. Maybe we're on our way to the afterlife? I don't really know what that's going to look like either.
[She's never been a religious person, though maybe if she had been she'd be more prepared for this.]
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Hmm. I imagine that they will tell us when to get off, then? I am not sure what the point of this...transport, that we are in, is then. I cannot imagine that they would waste time continuing to judge one's sins once they have perished...unless they have waited until now to do so.
I suppose it remains to be seen.
[But, ah. Amaya briefly quiets, considering before bowing her head.]
...But, ah. Forgive me for a lack of introduction earlier. I am Amaya Sasaki; acting leader of Fefello Caelum, former as that may be. Might I have your name, Miss...?
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[Judgment. What sort of judgment awaits her? Sure, Reina's made plenty of mistakes in this life, but she's tried her best and surely that counts for something? It's not like her death was something she could have prevented, anyway. So maybe it'll be fine?
There's no real point in worrying about it right now, so she tries to settle, offering Amaya a smile.]
Reina. No real fancy titles, though I was working for Ruby Dawn at the time of my death. I'm not familiar with Fefello Caelum, where is that?
[Of course, she's assuming that they're from the same world. Given Reina's grasp on geography is very poor, it could be literally anywhere. The name Ruby Dawn should ring a bell, though; they are the largest guild in the world, after all.]
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It is a pleasure to meet you, Reina. Despite the circumstances. I am afraid I am...also unfamiliar with Ruby Dawn, though if you do not know of Fefello Caelum...
[A finger comes up to her chin as she thinks. This woman clearly looks old enough to have been around when the Dragon Cult ended the world. If she doesn't know, that's definitely troubling. Perhaps this child simply has trauma and cannot recall? ...No, that would be too easy, wouldn't it? Hmm.]
...It is no matter. Fefello Caelum was once a fount of technological advances before a change in leadership caused them to turn to magic instead, and eschew technology entirely. Even at the time of my leading, we did not have...anything close to this, really.
But in the simplest of terms, Fefello Caelum is a relatively small village deep within the forests, near Pravitas. If that...sounds familiar to you. We're a rather secluded sort, so I suppose I am not unsurprised you are unfamiliar.
[If she's unfamiliar with Pravitas or the areas around it, though...that's definitely interesting.]
...Tell me, of the Ruby Dawn. If...I had to wager a guess, is it a guild of sorts?
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Well, that's not really helping right now, so Reina listens instead. Truthfully, much of it goes right over her head. Technological advances though... That sounds like what Edge was working on. Is she connected with all of that? The ARI or whatever?]
I'm... not familiar with it, no.
[Maybe it's just her sucking at geography, but something about this really isn't sitting right with her. Reina shakes her head again and launches into an explanation about her guild.]
Yeah, that's right. It's a really big guild in Emirre that has expanded a lot over the past decade. While most guilds typically focus on fighting monsters and exploration, Ruby Dawn offers all sorts of services, including helping other guilds get started. There's even a whole research division as well.
[She rests a hand against her chest as she continues.]
I'm an Officer in the guild, which basically means I help train new recruits and serve as sort of an honorary guildmaster. I'm not all that important in the guild, though; I'm a fairly new recruit myself.
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Yet as Reina finishes, Amaya stays calm, keeping herself level. It's not Reina's fault Amaya can't feel anything towards this other than empty.]
It sounds as if you take much pride in your position. That is good. I imagine that you did a good job of looking out for those under you, if I would be correct in assuming? Even new as you were, it sounds as if you must have risen in rank easily.
[Amaya doesn't bother smiling, but once again, her eyes soften. That'll have to be enough.]
I am not unfamiliar with what guilds do for others, at least. But it does sound like it may have been more...widespread, in your country. That is no bad thing.
[Amaya is just not going to address the elephant in the room if Reina isn't, no siree--]
...It is a shame that you were...taken, from your work, however.
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I did all I could to look out for those working for me. It... doesn't always go well. Between monsters and difficult terrain, many people die trying to explore the Aeli's branches.
[She doesn't think to elaborate on what those are, because everyone knows. The Aeli is the world tree, almost a deity in its own right, with massive structure spread throughout the world that serve as its "branches". To not know of them is unthinkable.]
And... yeah. It is. I at least got to go exploring one last time, but...
[She trails off there, eyes darting out the window. It's getting darker out there, so there's not much to see. Still, it's easier to look at than the other woman as she thinks about what happened; about Aziv losing his composure for the first time in years, about how Talys looked so different from the man she thought she knew. About how everything fell apart around them so damn fast, and how the Aeli itself is in great danger...
But that at least should be fine with her death, right? Right. If she's dead, then that means the god has taken over her mortal form and has been revived. So everything should be okay now.
...Strange that the thought doesn't comfort her at all.]
Sorry, I guess I'm still coming to terms with it.
[She returns her attention to the woman with a wry smile, but her hands have gone tight on the knees of her pants again.]
no subject
Most don't usually have the ability to tell her that her gaze can be a little intense at times. Aneirin is the only one who's done so once, and all it did was manage to annoy Amaya deeply. Staring is really the only interaction she'd be allowed, and this is the first person who has no reason to see her as a leader. Nor a pariah, nor a saint, nor anything that her old world has viewed her as.
It's...strange. To simply be, in the last place that one would want to possibly be in.]
...Reina, my child. You needn't apologize at all. What you did is something very few are able or willing to do; you were willing to step up to the plate to lead others, even in grim times. To be able to take the mantle in such a manner, in such a short amount of time...even with the loss of life that you and those under you have suffered, you dared to persist in the face of it.
It is understandable that you are still...jarred, by all of this. In a better world, you would have so much more to do. None would blame you for wanting to mourn that loss.
[Amaya has really only learned to be human through her interaction with others. In a way, she spent half of her life closed off and stiff, and part of her always retreats into that as a defense. But with someone so clearly hurting in front of her, can she continue to do so?
No. In what might be perceived as an odd action, she's sure, Amaya holds out one of her hands gently. Both physically and metaphorically meant to symbolize wanting to help, she hopes.]
I know not if I can be of assistance. And I cannot imagine that this would come close to serving as a traditional confession of sorts. But...if you wish to ease some of your burden onto me further, I would be happy to help. It would seem that the troubles still ache at you so, am I incorrect...?
[Amaya isn't good at this. Even on her good days, Aneirin calls her stone faced and tells her to lighten up a bit, even if he knows as well as she does that she can't. But she wants to help. She wants to assist this woman she barely even knows, because she doesn't deserve this. Amaya is certain nothing Reina says could change her mind.]
no subject
When was the last time someone offered her a hand, expecting nothing in return, just because they wanted to help? Trey always did, certainly, but that was different. He was a member of her guild— their guild. Perhaps before that it was Aziv, and that...
Feels like a lifetime ago, really. Probably because it was.]
I don't even know where to start.
[She says, hesitantly. The words linger on her tongue, tasting like bitter defeat. After she's come so far, this is what stops her? Even at her lowest, she'd never stopped for more than a few minutes. That's one thing Reina has always, always had going for her - that she's been able to pick herself up and deal with uncertainty, even when facing the unknown.
Once more, then. She can do this. She squares her shoulders, drawing herself up where she's sitting and folds her hands in her lap again, though she ends up staring at Amaya's offered hand like it's a lifeline.
(The staring doesn't truly bother her all that much, all things considered. She's used to having some unnerving people around, after all.)]
...We were betrayed. Aziv - the leader of Ruby Dawn - and I were exploring with our comrade, Talys. We got separated from the others, and in the chaos, it seems something happened to the Aeli. I'm not sure what, but it severely weakened the structure, making the whole thing very precarious and difficult to traverse.
Talys pushed us into the Aeli's lifestream. Its... blood, I suppose. It's... kind of hard to explain, but by being submerged in it, Aziv and I became perfect candidates for the deceased gods Elu and Dus to reincarnate.
...The fact that I'm here means my time's up and Dus took my body. I'm not sure where Aziv is. Maybe he's still alive, for now.
[Not that she's complaining about that - frankly, the whole explanation sounds sort of... blank. Like she's reciting facts rather than having an emotional reaction to what happened.]
Talys and Aziv were really close. They've known each other for over ten years, and Talys helped Aziv build Ruby Dawn. So that betrayal... probably hurt him more than it hurt me.
[Some part of her would have reveled in that, once. When did that change? When did she stop seeing Aziv as a threat?
Reina shakes her head once that's out there and tries to relax a little from where she's stiffened.]
Sorry, I guess that's not a great explanation of what happened, huh? I don't really remember much after we were pushed into the lifestream and Talys started yelling about all this being part of his plan or something.
[It's not like she tuned out or anything, it just went sailing over her head...]
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Amaya cannot express much. Her happiness has long been taken from her, but suppressing her other emotions for the sake of being a good leader is also something she's had to learn to do. When all she can express is sadness and anger and cold neutrality and things along those lines, one learns that people tend to like the neutrality better. It at least lets them think you're like them. And maybe if Amaya were younger, it'd make her think they were like her.
But Amaya isn't that naive little girl anymore, and Reina can likely see Amaya's expression darken as Reina's explanation continues.]
...So essentially, that Talys. He used you as a sacrifice to save the Aeli--that, or you had both been planned to be sacrifices from the very start, and the world you likely came from will soon be no more. Should that traitorous scum yet live, of course.
Gods are fickle things, after all. He'll find that out soon enough.
[Despite the venomous words that escape her, a contrast with all she tries to portray, her next words are of more neutral register. An attempt at warmth, even if it comes off subpar at best from a broken heater like herself.]
Worry not; I believe I understand the gist of it. And I am...truly sorry, to hear that you had been roped into something so heinous. You did not deserve any of what you have faced, nor the cold embrace of death for something you had no control over. In a better world and life, you would have had so much to achieve, and so much more to live for.
...Though it may not bring you comfort, I am sure that whatever afterlife your stop is--for the deeds you have done in life, the good you had attempted to do for others, it shall be repaid back to you in comfort. Security, in what is to come. If you can find comfort in nothing else...know that your deeds, they will certainly grant you a place among the Heaven's happiest. Of that, I am certain.
[Amaya's only sad that she won't be able to see it for herself. She knows her stop is almost certainly going to be much, much further along, even as she looks out the window to see if the scenery has changed. They'd likely be getting off at Reina's stop first, if she had to guess...?]
...I know it is not much comfort, but I had always been told that your deeds will reflect back to you, in one way or another, at the end of your road. If little else...I hope that is true for you.
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[She doesn't know much about the gods. She never really paid much attention to religion or the teachings and stories surrounding them, but that much has always been present in what she has heard. It seems like the gods reward those who pray to and obey them, and leave everyone else high and dry.
Reina slowly forces herself to sit back and unclench her hands from her pants, shaking her head a bit as if to clear it.]
Thank you. Really, that means a lot to me. More than I can express. I've made a lot of mistakes and I've done a lot of things I wish I could undo, but I definitely didn't deserve this.
[Maybe Aziv did, but honestly, she isn't even sure about that much anymore. Aziv did seem to clean up his act as Ruby Dawn's reach expanded, after all. But that could've been a front as well, so...
Ugh, she doesn't want to think about Aziv. Or Talys. Or any of this, really. With another, more forceful shake of her head, Reina resettles.]
I want to think that I'll be judged for my actions in the end. I think the good outweighs the bad, but if it doesn't, I'm ready for that. Or at least as ready as I can be. It helps, getting all that off my chest.
[...]
Do you... want to talk about what happened to you?
[It's cautious, hesitant. She's not really sure Amaya will want to; it is a lot to deal with, after all.]
no subject
There's a distinct wave of that emptiness as Reina expresses her appreciation, for the comfort that Amaya at least hopes she provided. It's enough to make her want to leave, to exit out into this darkened scenery and hope that emptiness is what awaits. Even dead and gone, both of them, the dragon holds any sense of positive emotion away from her, and it's frustrating. Amaya must wonder if she appears normal to this woman; it's painful, all be told, but...
It's the cautious, hesitant question that gets Amaya to pause. Her look seems...blank, almost, dead eyes simply staring at Reina as she tries to process what she's just been asked.
Most people already knew of her. Her name, the power she wields--all of it is a black stain upon her, something she and Fefello Caelum itself can never take back. It's proof they hail from different worlds, at least, but...]
...It's a rather boring story, all things considered. I've tried tracing it over and over again in my mind, but by all of my thinking and calculating, it would very much seem that I went and died peacefully in my sleep.
It's...hardly a deserving death, for someone who attempted to end the world, years prior.
[Amaya's gaze goes elsewhere, at that. Toward the window, toward the passing scenery. She doesn't want to look; she imagines Reina will probably have several questions, if not just outright leave. But...
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. To speak to someone completely unfamiliar about it.]
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But of course that's not the part Reina's stuck on, and given her wide-eyed stare, it's probably obvious what her next question is.]
You... attempted to end the world? Why?
[It's perhaps surprisingly not judgmental at all. It's just a question; curious, confused, certainly, but not judgmental. She could make all sorts of assumptions about it, but she doesn't know Amaya's world. She doesn't know Amaya's story. She has no idea what happened. So it's probably nothing like Livizei, and nothing like whatever Talys has planned.
At the very least, she can listen. Amaya's already done that much for her, after all.]
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Amaya's look darts back when Reina actually...bothers to ask. Amaya was truly expecting her to walk away from all of this, and perhaps that would fittingly be Amaya's fate. For a brief moment, she...genuinely starts, eyes widening in surprise. She was used to having such information painted on her, and it's why so many despised her. But this is...
New. Quite new.]
...It is a long and quite unpleasant story, I must warn you. I...would not wish to subject you to it. [To be met with kindness, true kindness, from a stranger of all people--the shock is there, and it's there to stay for a moment.] ...As a result of how I spent much of my life, I genuinely believed in a terrifying power and it's wish to destroy the world. Because I...
I wanted it to suffer. As much as I.
[Amaya forces herself to calm; forces her eyes closed, letting out a shaky breath or two to try and center herself. It isn't even an unpleasant story to recall, not really, but she's never not had someone stop and actually ask about what happened before. It's a foreign feeling, surrounded by that emptiness; not as disgusting, she supposes.]
no subject
After all, when one suffers, don't they often reach out to make sure that they aren't alone in that suffering? Whether it's through companionship or revenge, it's a very common thing. Reina's not immune to it - isn't that what she did when she founded her guild and tried everything in her power to surpass Aziv? If she couldn't punish him for what he'd done to her, then she'd make sure he'd live in her shadow.
...It was a long time ago that she sought that, but those feeling still smolder in her chest, reminding her of that rage and fury, that need to do something to hurt him like he'd hurt her.
Amaya's is just on a larger scale. That's somewhat understandable, isn't it?]
I don't mind. Hearing the story, I mean. Even if it's difficult, maybe... it'd be good to talk about it. I can't say I understand wanting to end the world or anything, but I get wanting revenge.
no subject
Reina might feel a bit of an eerie, icy pressure for a moment, and there's the sound of something breaking in the background that Amaya doesn't even startle at, as she takes a breath to calm herself. If she can at least center herself through this...maybe she can do this.]
...I was raised as the heir to a cult, when I was born. I...never knew a life that wasn't under the thumb of my father or the priests and priestesses under his control. [Amaya starts with that, folding her hands into her lap as she attempts to focus and recall it all.] My father wanted me perfect. Perfect in mind, body, and spirit. A messiah raised by the holy hand of the Dragon that my Father forged a contract with, long before my birth. I was allowed nothing of my own. No friends, no interests, no emotions, no failings...my father convinced me that to feel would be selfish; to tie myself down with petty things like emotions, bonds, or anything that could be perceived as selfish, it would be unthinkable and he would not allow it. He wanted me to be perfect for that Dragon, and a perfect example for the people to follow.
My father wanted to purge the world of it's selfishness, and believed that with the Dragon's power, he would obtain that control and bend the world into a perfect, selfless populace.
[Amaya's gaze goes downward for a moment, closing her eyes as she works to center herself.]
...He didn't count on the Dragon deciding that it favored me instead. [The calm she states that with feels...dark, somehow. Dark as the bottom of a lake, dark and without hope.] He could have worked with either outcome, when it came time for me to properly attain the Dragon's blessing. But the Dragon...it had no intention of following Father's wishes unless made to; it found me, alone, bitter, and angry at the world, and decided it rather liked the darkness in my heart.
A group of people rose up to stop us, eventually. Try as Father might to keep control over the situation, he failed to do so; he attempted to draw upon more power than he could afford, and I disposed of him on the Dragon's orders and attempted to enact it's true will.
The complete and utter eradication of humanity. [...] Something that I too, wanted; my only impression of them were the sycophant villagers worshipping my Father's every step, and the ones under his thumb. Many people died; I know of at least five kingdoms that fell from the initial aftershocks of the Dragon's awakening. I rode atop her and used every once of power at my disposal from it to fend off any that would attempt to defy her.
[She...stops there, at least, for a moment. Despite it being arguably the roughest part, it's what comes next that's rougher; do you want to continue, Reina?]
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And oh, what a story it is. The tragic tale of a woman who was shaped to be what someone else wanted, who took her chance at freedom and judged the whole damn world on the few people she'd had the opportunity to know. It's a lot to take in, and her wide-eyed expression says as much, but...]
...It was so, so unfair that you were stuck in that situation. I think... I understand why that darkness in your heart was there, and why you were willing to destroy humanity based on what you'd seen.
[She hadn't seen the outside world. She hadn't seen the good that humanity can do. She'd only seen a small portion, so why would she assume that others would be any different, when the ones she knew were so fixated on such a bizarre, pointless goal? Robbing humanity of its selfishness is akin to removing their humanity as a whole; to inflict this on a child, one unable to have a normal upbringing would of course result in someone truly messed up.]
What happened next?
slaps my own cheeks i am NOT letting these sit for a month--
That someone would look at her circumstances, and call them, rightfully, unfair? It takes everything in Amaya not to break. To break into the million pieces she wants to, that she desperately needs to, and for a brief moment she wonders if she's actually found someone who understands. And perhaps, that, is truly meant to be her hell.
Amaya's eyes widen, briefly, the words clearly shaking her. But at Reina's request--she composes herself, forcing her eyes shut as she recalls the rest.]
...That same group of people rose up to face me. Unlike my Father, however...they didn't come bearing their weapons blazing and ready to strike me down.
I fought against them, all of them at once, with every bit of the Dragon's power at my disposal. With every ounce of her might in my magic, I tried to eradicate them, but they spoke of...a better world. A better life, than what I had faced. They tempted me toward that life, no matter how adamantly I swore against it and them. They kept trying, reaching out to me, trying to tell me that I'm not alone. That there's better things in this world that I haven't seen yet. And that all I needed to do was take their hands, their support...all of it...
[Amaya exhales. It almost sounds like a laugh, though it's bitter. Deeply bitter.]
...They defeated the Dragon. At the end of it all, she stole away my happiness as recompense for defying her, and I passed out from the shock of all of my injuries. When I awoke...nobody was there. Not a single soul. They simply...up and left me there, healed and alive, but alone in the world.
Perhaps it was to punish me. To this day...none of them ever came back to tell me why.
[...And that, at the very least, seems to have been the hardest part of it all. Yet from the way Amaya's still shaking, it's...clear, perhaps, that she still hasn't let go of that. Maybe it's a regret--she's not sure.]
...Life somehow moved on. I met my...confidant--a demon who calls himself Aneirin. He assisted me in creating shelter, and only asked for my misery in exchange. It seemed to act as food for him. And, well. He found plenty of it with me.
Over time, the outcasts of other lands found their way into my territory. It...snowballed out of hand, when I fought to protect them--a small band of knights attempted to eradicate that area, and I scared them away for good and staked claim to the land for the people who lived alongside me.
It eventually became...almost like home. Or what I had heard in storybooks, at least--my people and I worked to keep each other safe as people came to us, as we worked to make the land something to be proud of and something to stand on it's own. It was...beautiful, I suppose.
[...Despite it all, she sounds a little...uncertain.]
no worries, i totally get it and mood lmao
As little as she likes the thought, the only conclusion Reina can come to is that yes, that's exactly what they would have done. Their focus was on protecting the Aeli, and Livizei had endangered their group and the world tree. They wouldn't have had time to help her settle in afterwards, even if they'd wanted to.]
...I'm so sorry.
[The apology is soft and for a moment, Reina's not even sure if she's apologizing to Amaya or to someone long gone, in a situation that didn't happen. She shakes her head and tries again.]
I'm sorry they left you like that. Maybe they didn't know what to say or... how to help or... Well, it doesn't really matter what their reasons were. The fact is that they left you alone when they'd offered you a hand, and that was unfair of them.
[But Amaya's life went on. It sounds like it was a pretty good life, all things considered, but the uncertainty isn't lost on Reina.]
It sounds like it was. It's nice to have some place like that, isn't it?
...But you seem a little... hesitant. Was it difficult to settle in there?
it's difficult as fuck but sometimes u gotta, appreciate u
I meant it quite literally, when I said that the Dragon stole my happiness. I...cannot feel joy, in any capacity. Nor happiness, nor elation, nor...any sort of positive emotion that it deems so.
[Amaya pauses a bit, and it's almost as if the cold, dead look in her eyes has a little more meaning. There's...sadness, in that eternal calm, and yet there's softness; she's trying so hard.]
All it leaves me with is a deep hollowness inside of my heart. Not that I deserve much in the way of happiness, after everything I tried to do...but it was difficult. When the positive things you wish you could feel, you had to imitate. To mimic. To try and fit in. I eventually gave up and still, people stayed.
It was...difficult, yes. But it felt more than undeserved, and every little annoyance I had, every bit of bitterness, it stuck with me. I was...worried I would lash out at them, if given time.
...In a sick, horrible way, I suppose that I'm thankful that I got the chance to die trying to redeem myself, than risking letting everything boil over again.
[...]
...It's kind of you to apologize, however, Reina. Please...even if I cannot feel it, I hope that you understand that this...all of it. I do appreciate it.
♥
That's...! That's horrid, how could it do that to you?
[There's a brief flare of anger and her shoulders rise like she's squaring off to fight, to do something...
And then the fight leaves her with a sigh. She can't do anything about it here and now. Neither can Amaya. She's just... stuck like this, still. Being unable to experience such positive emotions... hell, Reina can hardly imagine what it must be like, especially when she was trying to redeem herself, to do better, and to see the good in the world.
For all the difficult times Reina's experienced, especially lately, she holds onto those positive memories and feelings like a lifeline. Imagining having that yanked away from her is too cruel to truly consider.]
I'm so sorry about that too. You really have suffered so much...
[Maybe she didn't realize it was suffering at the time, but now that she's had a chance to live a more peaceful life - one without happiness, certainly - is she aware of it?]
I wish there was something I could do to help. I really do; I don't like seeing others suffering and your circumstances are just so... so frustrating. I wish I could help change them.
[But there's no point in that now. They're dead, after all. And who knows where this leads them - such sentiments are probably pointless.]
And Then They Were Roommates (Murdercastle Edition!)
A magnificent castle, with its decorated halls, and strangely locked rooms, including towards the higher, elevated areas, makes for quite a place for people to be trapped within. Windows offering a glimpse to an "outside" that seem delicate but don't shatter even if one hurled their full weight and more against them. Though, the surroundings beyond them seem to consist of naught but purple fog.
Nevertheless, after everyone managed to be corralled into something Ganymede imagines to be an imitation of a throne room, they learned their fate from their Mastermind literally cloaked in shadow:
Stay here forever or kill someone to escape back to their world.
To say the least, Ganymede is simultaneously unimpressed and aggrieved. Tense, despite being relatively still confident in his immortality (give it time), because he doesn't want to deal with murder attempts (he is unfortunately used to those.) Sighing, returning to his room that for some reason they've all been assigned 'roommates', he plops on a bed. If anything, at least the accommodations are fancy enough. ]
...I sincerely hope no one actually believes whatever that guy said. It's probably just for some insanely twisted blood ritual.
[ Whether or not his current roommate has reached the room before him, or has just answered, the blond will turn a dry-looking gaze at him. ]
Well? What do you think? Are you feeling blood thirsty already?
[ ...they're going to get along great (no) ]
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He'll get it all back. It may take another five years, but he will reclaim what was taken from him.
But there are more pressing things to focus on right now - such as this rather ridiculous game. Larimar also watched the proceedings with a general expression that screamed "deeply unimpressed" but he kept his thoughts to himself otherwise. After all, the point of this game is that if even one person is willing to go along with it, they'll all be in trouble.
It seems a bit odd that they've been given roommates when the castle clearly has enough space for all of them - but then, that's likely on purpose, since a sleeping target would be easier to take out, after all. It's a temptation for someone to be stupid enough to act on it.
Larimar's roommate seems to be on the same page as he is, at least, and the questions get a scoff from him.]
Hardly. While I do need to return home as soon as possible, I'm not willing to risk my life for this madman's game.
[Of course, he may not have a choice if someone decides to target him... but that's not the concern right now. Keep your head down and you won't be a target. Probably.]
I take it you're not interested in turning to murder immediately either?
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...No.
I've learned a lot about jerks who lord their strength and prowess over others. Rarely are they ever the type to deliver on whatever 'promises' they might make.
[ Ironically enough, returning to the garden is hardly all that much incentive either. Yet, Apollo wouldn't try to make him kill some other mortal...
Maybe. He shouldn't put it past him, perhaps. ]
So, is this sort of situation new to you? Being enticed to murder other people for kicks with a carrot of freedom being dangled on the end of the a hideous-looking string?
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Agreed. It would be folly to believe our captor would give us our freedom.
[Why bother with all this set-up in the first place if they were going to give us our freedom just for killing someone? It's not like murder is really all that difficult, after all. It just seems pointless.
But Larimar keeps those thoughts in his head and he glances up at the question.]
I'd imagine it's new for most of us. I doubt there are that many cruel, sadistic bastards willing to put on a show like this.
[Not even Emerald could be bothered to do something like this, and he's the man Larimar hates almost as much as his brother. At least his brother isn't a sadistic freak.]
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Right? The guy won't even show us his face. He's hiding behind his dark cloak, acting so evil, powerful, and mysterious...which is incredibly stupid. Who does that?
[ Their captor, apparently, but Ganymede is dunking on the guy now.
That said, with Larimar offering that nugget of logic, Ganymede's finding himself wondering briefly. The world must be filled with terrible people like this; but even his cynicism can land him into fallacies. Often times even amongst humans, the numbers are often low, so surely, even this can be considered an oddity, right?
Speaking of humans and such, though, he has to wonder. ]
...Do you this guy is some kind of crazy god?
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It's that second question that gets him to pause, his gaze drifting up to the elaborate ceiling as he considers it.]
It's true that power like this seems completely impossible - even the strongest witches I know couldn't manage anything like this. But a god? I don't know about that.
[Gods are a concept that humanity has by and large forgotten in his world; the ones the mages pray to are foreign entities entirely as well. So for their captor to be a god...]
It would be unfortunate, were that the case. I'd prefer to be able to kill him at the end of all of this.
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Gods have no true interest in assisting humans at all. ]
I don't know of a 'witch' back home—powerful or not. But, before all of this, humans have been at the mercy of gods for a long time. Beings that are capable of stealing others to other dimensions or places on a whim.
[ ...But, despite all of that making him believe that is the most likely kind of being they're dealing with, Ganymede hopes that is sure as hell isn't. They are absurdly hard to kill. He knows. He's tried. ]
Maybe there'd be something like a god-killing weapon lying around if that's the case. Or, well...maybe we're dealing with a powerful demon? That might be easier to deal with?
[ He sighs as he turns on his bed to look over at Larimar on the other one. ]
...Ugh, do you think he'd even spill the beans about what he actually even is?
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But his roommate seems quite knowledgeable about gods, so it seems he's dealt with something like that before. Fascinating...]
Demons are merely stories where I come from... but then, so are gods. There's no telling exactly what he is, because he could come from any number of worlds.
[Larimar sighs at that, finally leaving the bedspread alone to fold his hands in his lap.]
There's only one way to find out, isn't there? I imagine he won't react well to being pressed for information, so perhaps a more... gentle approach would work better.
[Lull him into a false sense of security and try to weasel as much information from him as one can, in other words.]
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[ Those words are a mutter-grumble, because it might have helped in narrowing things down on what can bring the guy down in the first place. How typical that it's not an easy situation to deal with.
Which, like, is expected that it wouldn't be so easy. But, Ganymede has had thousand of years of difficulties to contend with. The fates could have at least conjured some sort of leeway.
But, Larimar's other comment makes the blond immediately flash back to his initial conversation with a 'god'. Yeah, if it could even be called that. There is a lingering pause as a result, and then...he clears his throat. ]
...A more gentle approach, huh?
Are you the type of person to be skilled at that sort of thing?
[ Ganymede can just see it now, the jerk making a mockery of him, and the conversation de-evolving into yelling, as well as threats to kill him where he stands. Not conductive for getting that juicy info. ]
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...Not particularly.
[It sounds like it's a Struggle to admit...]
My brother was always the one who handled situations that required a more delicate touch. Until he overthrew me, anyway.
[So basically Larimar is completely useless here, great!!]
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[ But then Ganymede startles at that, because, well...he is going to go back a bit on that there at that revelation. ]
—hold on. O-overthrew? Why would he do something like that?!
Family is supposed to protect one another!
[ Out of all the things that he has experienced, it is not betrayal by a family. In fact, his brother tried to protect him as much as he could. The same for his father, and his mother... ]
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[The venom that drips into his voice is all too obvious, but Larimar's expression darkens to match it too. Needless to say, he's real pissed.]
We were pit against each other from an early age to see which of us - or our other siblings - would take the throne. He agreed to help me take it so we could gather more support, and he did that... until he decided he wanted the throne. Several years back he staged a coup and succeeded in driving me out of the country.
[That's a very abridged version of events, but it gets the point across well enough. Though it is making assumptions about his brother's actions, because Larimar didn't exactly have a chance to ask his brother why the hell he was doing any of this. Whoops.]
I don't know what drove him to that decision, and I don't care. I will take my throne back.
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Not a single one. Besides, he was the youngest, and never had much interest in the throne. Even if he was the favorite. Though the circumstances sound fucked up too. ]
...He just basically used you, then. He's out of his damn mind! Not a single one of my own brothers would have done that to me, and we never even had to fight for the throne. It just was going to the eldest one. But still...
[ He sits up immediately, thinking about it. He has long since accepted he couldn't return to how his kingdom used to be, but still. ]
...You were in the middle of trying to do that when that bastard kidnapped us, right?
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[It would have been more peaceful, that's for damn sure. Still, the emphasis on family - and what family should do - is something of a relief. Emerald had always tried to see both sides of the issue and never allowed Larimar to simply be angry about the betray without insisting that his brother must have had his reasons.
It feels good to finally complain about it to someone who will listen and agree with him.]
I was, although my situation has been... complicated, I suppose. I need to retrieve something from the bastard who stole it from me.
[Because he just cannot escape people stabbing him in the back...]
Regardless, when I return home, I will pursue my revenge - against the both of them, now.
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[ Ganymede doesn't feel the need to keep from grumbling about that. Even if it has nothing to do with him, the fact that he was a prince himself is something that makes it hard to ignore.
Not to mention because he had family of his own. ]
...Right. Wait, you had someone steal something from you...?
[ ... ]
You — you've got a lot of bad luck, don't you?
[ Just going to say that right out of the gate. Not that Ganymede doesn't know what that's like. Being used to further someone's goal, and find out he was being used twice over, maybe thrice...so, yeah. But still, he points it out anyway. ]
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[That response is to the first question and Larimar waves a hand as if to dismiss it. Warring factions within the kingdom, complications from their father, and of course, just a general sense of competition fostered through years of forcing princes and princesses to compete for the throne. Normal things!
But he scoffs at that final question, rolling his eyes.]
I suppose that's one way to put it. I've been told I was cursed, so I suppose that may have something to do with it.
[Though given the flippant words and tone, he doesn't really buy it.]
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That's definitely way beyond him, so he doesn't bother questioning more about it for now, just assuming he'd end up confused anyway. Plus, they are from different places, so there could be more nuances to be explained...all too troublesome to go through since the two of them still barely know one another.
What catches his attention a bit more is the cursed comment. ]
Who told you that? And did they just say you were cursed or was there a whole entire doomsday prophecy fortune telling format along with it?
[ He asks idly, even if there is that tone. Just, you know, out of curiosity. ]
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An artifact I retrieved was said to be cursed, and a mage who examined it confirmed as much. I've never bought into such things.
[Though it must be true in that he suddenly developed the ability to use magic despite being human, but that's not something he really wants to think about right now. Curse or not, if it gets him closer to destroying those who wronged him, he'll take it.]
Though I do have to wonder if you have some experience with the latter.
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So...basically because the thing was cursed, you ended up being cursed because you touched it. Or so the mage says.
[ It is up in the air whether something is cursed or not, from his perspective. Which, well, indicates unlike Larimar he does believe in the possibility.
Though, the mage can truly be like a snake oil salesman. ]
Not directly. But where I'm from, originally, we believe in blessings and curses, which are both possible to be bestowed by gods, if you piss them off, or evil creatures. So the idea that something might be cursed doesn't sound too farfetched.
Generally, considering how powerful gods are, no one wants to end up cursed or otherwise by them, though. Was this artifact something that helped you out?