EVENT ▸ EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE

[futurologists]

EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE The royalty of Guild Ophelia has managed to hold an audience with Empress Nama of the Celestial Mountains, urging her to meet with the Empress of the Crashing Wave in the interest of finding an accord between their clans. In return, Nama requests that Ophelia take two letters to the Crashing Wave's court, where, as foreigners, they should be received better than any of her own people. The Empire of the Crashing Wave is a week's travel by foot from the Land of Celestial Mountains, through the forests and farms of the Flowerlands. There is no visible indication that this universe was once two, with even the road leading through the Flowerlands heading seamlessly toward the sea. The farms and villages in the outskirts of the Empire of the Crashing Wave are decorated in seashells and motifs of the sea, and the closer one gets to the city, the stronger the scent of the ocean becomes. Once the city proper is reached, Ophelia's magitek projects words in front of their eyes that only they can see: Location reached: » EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE A progressive society that values innovation. Main sources of income: fishing, pearl diving, jewelry crafting, shipbuilding. Politically matriarchal; socially egalitarian. Empress YOUMI resides at the PEACEFUL TIDE. No events scheduled. You may wish to survey the surrounding area. The city is built right on the ocean's edge, with some parts of it even jutting out into the sea on bridges and piers. The castle, Peaceful Tide, is built high above the rest; guards will stop anyone at the gates and, if shown the correspondence from Empress Nama, will deliver the letters directly to Empress Youmi. Attempts to seek an audience with Youmi will be rebuffed for the time being, so you may as well take in the sights... ▸ A PROMISING DEVELOPMENT Unlike the Land of Celestial Mountains, men may move freely here, the matriarchal rules of the land only extending to politics. Men and women work alongside each other in all sections of the city, nobles and commoners alike, and even the guards have men among their ranks. In the Artisan District, potters, musicians, and artists line the streets and sell their wares, work, or discuss their craft with each other. Closer to the Beach, there is a boardwalk where young couples stroll alongside grandparents chasing after their grandchildren, electric lamps bathing the wooden planks in a warm glow at night. Fishermen haul in their daily catch in buckets and nets, trailed by a gaggle of hopeful cats. Beachcombers and pearl divers populate the beach as well, making it a clear place for work instead of play. A few days after Ophelia's arrival in sea clan territory, a bell rings loudly in the late afternoon, drawing citizens toward the castle. Guards stop anyone from getting too close, though the populace seems to know what to expect -- soon, a beautiful woman in an elaborate blue kimono appears in an upper balcony. When viewing the woman, Ophelia's magitek will tell them: » EMPRESS YOUMI Leader of the EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE. 30 years old. SPECIES: Human. MEDICAL CONCERNS: Lactose intolerant. The crowd cheers at Youmi's arrival, only quieting once she raises her hand. She speaks clearly and confidently, her voice carrying easily across the assembly. "I have received a letter from Her Imperial Majesty Nama of the Land of Celestial Mountains. She informs me that their spring festival was interrupted by an attack from our own people, working without my knowledge or consent," Youmi begins, holding her hand up again when a displeased rumble begins to ripple through the crowd. It's unclear if they're perturbed by the ambush or by Nama herself. Once all is silent again, she continues. "She has detained the criminals, for that is what they are, and assures me she will not bring this to the battlefield. I will send her an agreement to the terms, but hear this: any who escalate this further will be slain by my order. I have spoken. The spirits of the sea watch over us all." Youmi then retreats back into the castle. While some citizens cheer their empress's decree, others mutter unhappily amongst themselves as they disperse and go about their business. ▸ BUT TROUBLE CONTINUES The rest of the day following Youmi's decree goes by without incident, leaving time for Ophelia to stop by the sake breweries near the sea or travel back through the forests of the Flowerlands for hunting, hot springs, or simply enjoying the nature of Hanabira. With war averted and the empresses in communication, it seems as though Ophelia's time in this universe will draw to a close soon. As the sun sinks down, finding a place to sleep might be a good idea. There are hotels in the city, but for those who are trying to be a little more frugal, the Flowerlands is a good place to set up camp for free. Doro, the Lord of the Flowerlands, has heard of Ophelia's efforts in starting communication between the empresses as well, and offers rooms in his castle in thanks; if war were to start between the two, his land would suffer for it. During the night, those who accept Doro's invitation will hear a commotion very nearby, steel clashing against steel. Doro and his daughters rush out, weapons drawn, and straight into a skirmish between sea and mountain clan ronin. The warriors are fighting to kill, and in their fervor, someone's fire arrow alights a farmhouse on Doro's property. The farmers need to be rescued and the fire put out, and while the warriors will likely kill each other, they could also be subdued to prevent further damage. Please let the mods know with a link to the thread if your character is killing or capturing any of the ronin. After the skirmish, Doro must be brought back inside his castle, having been wounded during the battle. He pleads with Ophelia to continue to help, as it looks like a tentative truce by the empresses is not enough to calm the citizens. Since they were so successful in receiving an audience with Nama, he believes they can propose a way the two empires can live in harmony. Throughout the next two weeks, skirmishes between the clans are peppered throughout the Flowerlands, some leaving bodies behind and some leaving damage to farms and forest. It looks like Ophelia's peacekeeping mission just became a lot more hands-on: keep the skirmishes from getting out of control while still working toward a way to end the conflict once and for all. ▸ OOC NOTES This log will last for two IC weeks: the first three days will be free exploration, and day four is Youmi's proclamation and the skirmish in the Flowerlands. Your characters are free to explore for the next ten days, during which further skirmishes will occur. If you have questions about this log or the overall mission, please ask them on the dossier. Questions about Futurology in general should be directed to the FAQ. ▸ Coming next log: Peace proposals! Get your brainstorming started now. ▸ Activity Check is due on 5 February 23:59 UTC. We do not accept late submissions, so make sure you fill it out! ▸ Uniform Design Contest is open! Submissions are due 28 February 23:59 UTC. Gamewide voting will be in March. ▸ Bounty Board ▸ Items Page ▸ Exploration Group Planning ▸ General Plotting ▸ February Calendar

Comments

[eyedrop]

[ The cats take to her with gusto, and to the stick also. Several of them hunch down at once, their pupils dilating, their hindquarters wiggling ... and then they pounce! She had better be quick with that string if she wants to keep it.

Aizawa watches her in his peripheral vision, though he's keeping the greater part of his attention on the fishing line. ]

I don't really get a chance to fish very often. It's relaxing.

[bestaround]

[ Fortunately for Apollo, company is certainly okay; he could likely use it at this point, if only because how quiet it is out here is beginning to make this a little... boring.

9S tilts his head Apollo's way in a questioning manner of his own, although he does at least answer, first. ]

You're making fishing sound like it's a bad thing. [ Which it isn't, not really. Just uneventful. ] Pod's okay. We do this all the time.

[webdesigned]

( does he have a better idea? well, better is a really a descriptor up to a lot of interpretation. he has an idea, yes, perhaps. is it better? well, it's sure different. better is harder to pin down. )

I can take her to a rooftop to cool down.

( this doesn't seem like a real suggestion. it's a 100% real suggestion. )

[followhim]

Yeah! There was gonna be a meteor shower and I wanted to take the A-wing out to see it, but I had to finish my chores first and picking the melons was gonna take too long. It seemed like a good idea at the time. [oh right. multiple questions.] Uh, trees? You have to water it, and wrap it, and kinda ... check on it all the time, to make sure it's growing back right and not rejecting the water. [clearly the kind of responsibility he'd always dreamed of having]

[dailydouble]

[ Ahad looks up and sighs, not at all surprised that there's more burning debris in the air. It has been that kind of night. ]

This is Loki. You may safely ignore most of what comes out of his mouth.

[ The comment is very obviously directed at the woman who ran out of the house with him. The child in his arms is too unconscious to care about anything Loki says. ]

[forcevisions]

I can see how the melon picker sounds more like ... you.

[ poe is not a nurturing type. she's met nurturing types. leia and finn, for example. ]

[boxedcrook]

[The frown on his face is strange: genuine, unnerved. He thinks about Kikyo, much like he had already been thinking of her while he moved dirt with his hands after giving Arya the shovel.

Sure, plenty humans married for politics. But he wasn’t human, and neither was his father. He hates the idea. It’s apparent on his face. The frown doesn’t leave.] So what?

[His eyes lower to the grave beside him. What’s worse? Not being together for love, or a ravaged land and dead civilians?] Do you really think they would bother with that stuff?

[followhim]

[she's not wrong ... however, he's gonna squint.]

What's that mean?

[dailydouble]

[ Ahad will tilt his head to the side, as if he's studying Peter. There's a certain amount of doubt that hangs in the air. ]

I'm not mortal. You may not want to use me as a point of comparison.

[ There's no reassurance to be found. ]

ii

[webdesigned]

( oh boy, that certainly was an accusing stare! Peter and Giorno don't get on the best during the easiest of circumstances, so the chances of this interaction going well doesn't seem high. he'd have agreed on the common sense thing and moved on if Giorno hadn't called him out on a potential injury.

because he is sort of ignoring one, though nothing quite as cool as being shot at with an arrow. er, is that cool? it seems kind of cool, but no. no luck on that one. )

It's probably fine, ( is what he says, which is one of the worst ways to pretend you're not injured. as if the way he keens to one side to harbor a particularly severe cut isn't helping, either. still, Peter survived the altercation to tell the tale, and he got a really cool sword out of it. so it's not a total wash, basically. ) Are you going to tell Stiles about this?

( again, a really poor way to pretend you are not injured, Peter. )

[healstaffs]

[ itisamystery.jpg

Her attention's caught by the words 'magical healer' and her head immediately whips away from the various fish on display and back to Sieglinde. There goes any hope of her being useful again for the next ten minutes. ]

Hey, I'm a healer too! [ Technically. ] Are there a lot of us here?

[webdesigned]

( uh, yeah. that does not help, weirdly enough. Peter is not perfectly human, yet he sure is mortal, so that answering is once again not very reassuring. )

They really should not hire you as a salesman.

( turns out they don't need one, though, since Peter is willing to partake in possibly lethal substances all on his own. he knocks back a mouthful, not at all waiting for the taste to wander his tastebuds before he swallows heavily. ) Oh god, ( he chokes. yeah, don't mark him as a fan. )

[bestaround]

[ That...

Doesn't answer much, truth be told. 9S blinks dumbly before his expression pulls down into a thoughtful frown, leaning forward within the water as if it'll help him closer inspect the person standing before him. Are they—an android, too? Or something very similar; 9S is definitely not thinking "rock", because you just didn't make living beings out of minerals. (Besides, it would actually be kind of nice of 2B and he weren't the only ones around.) ]

Well, neither am I...

[ And he feels temperature just fine, but that's really only because he was built to have such capabilities. Hm. ]

You're mechanical, right? Were you not created with sensory receptors?

[forcevisions]

From what I've seen, you don't often take your time with things.

[ that's possibly the gentlest way of saying you're a big fucking "YEET" in all aspects of life. ]

Nurturing the tree took time and consistency. Rigging the melon-picker ... didn't.

[tenthousandmiles]

You said it.

[He sighs. There's an uncomfortable sensation on his tongue from the combination of spicy and sour, and he eyes the next drink with some hesitation, as if not completely decided whether continuing is worth it.]

I have to wonder if they might be struggling to stay in business, looking for a competitive edge...

[Why else go to such lengths, after all]

[healstaffs]

[ She yanks the stick out of the way just in time to avoid capture. Hah, piece of cake. In fact, she thinks she's got the hang of it enough to slide her attention back to Aizawa, still calmly fishing. ]

Really? I guess you do get to sit around and do nothing. But you can't lie down or close your eyes or anything!

[ And that sounds terrible. She's distracted enough by the thought of fishing that a fourth cat pounces successfully, and the stick's nearly pulled out of her hand as the string's tugged down. ]

Hey!

[ But it's a happy cry of protest, one filled with laughter and joy. It takes a couple moments for her to tug the string free, and then it's rinse and repeat all over again. ]

[followhim]

[yeah okay not wrong. bb-8 called him out on that. bb-8. his fucking son. he sighs the sigh of acknowledgement.]

Patience has never been my strong suit. ... I did it, though. I fixed the tree.

[forcevisions]

You were how old?

[ i.e., what happened to that lesson in patience. ]

[bestaround]

[ His senoir. It's one simple word that leaves 9S more dumbfounded than Majima could possibly realize, and he's quick to protest it, like kneejerk. ]

You—no, no, you don't have to call me that.

[ It feels wrong, as an adroid built to believe he's a lesser being than humans—despite how often they tend to act contrary to all he ever thought they were. Sigh. ]

... Uh, sorry, either way. I don't think I'm that much more of a seasoned veteran compared to you, though.

[justbeingknife]

Huh? Whatcha gettin' all flustered for? You're a weird guy.

[ Sort of like talking to some of the younger fellas, back when he was still in the business. Majima smiled slightly at the thought. ]

Anyway, sorry to put you on the spot. Let's see... never introduced myself, did I? Name's Majima. Back in Japan, I'm a cabaret manager.

[justbeingknife]

[ Okay, that right there was going to lead to a problem. Majima wasn't looking forward to hauling five people back with him to the guard post, and the archers apparently weren't much for distinguishing friend from foe. He turned to the stubborn captive from before. ]

Hey, neechan. Like it or not, it looks like we're your best hope of gettin' outta here in one piece. So why don't you help my buddy out? I'll take care of the randoms.

[ With a terse, reluctant nod, the woman moved to lend Aizawa some support -- or at least put some pressure on his wounds.

Majima was out in a flash, taking out the second archer at the knees with a whipcrack of a swing. The third he brought down with a stunning strike to her shoulder, driving her to the ground before a follow-up blow to the torso brought her down. ]

[militarized]

[He can have it. Finn has lost all reason to stay here or keep drinking or continuing to even be awake, really.

He stops at the sound of his name.

His name.

Not his designation, but what he's chosen to let himself be called in the new chapter of his life. He didn't think he'd ever hear anyone from the First Order use it, let alone Kylo Ren himself.

He's not sure what it means. He doesn't want to think about it too hard, especially right now.

He glances back over his shoulder, looking at him for a moment as if he can figure him out just with his eyes, before he nods.]

I believe you.

[Because, as was thought earlier, he's never considered Kylo a liar. But that's enough of this for a whole lifetime, let alone one night, so it's all he says before he gets the fuck out of there.]

[justbeingknife]

Shochu, huh?

[ Majima took his glass and took a sip. ]

Nice finish. Suppose this one's not a science experiment.

[rhinostagros]

[ Honestly, he might be a little bit curious about it now that she mentioned it. Thank goodness for the magitek having the TekFlex app for him to possibly use as a resource. Maybe he'll look up "romcoms" and close the app within a few seconds.

But he'd never be caught talking about something like romance openly. Not at this age. Too embarrassing. ]

Uh... it's okay if you explain any other references though! Just none of the romance stuff, okay?

[followhim]

Uhhh ... I'm not actually sure. Maybe 13 or something? Around there.

[look he clearly only learns his lessons for like a week before he goes back to only doing the most. it's a problem. he's working on it.]