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

[predomination]

[A pretty little orange tabby wanders up to Poe's outstretched hand, as if expecting food, sniffs once and then looks up at him with betrayal in her big golden eyes. How dare you, sir.]

They're just stray cats. [Urahara's a little alarmed by this lack of knowledge about THE GREATEST ANIMALS EVER, but his mansplaining ass does not hesitate to answer, before he realizes who he's talking to.] I almost forgot that not everyone comes from worlds that have them.

[followhim]

[OH NO HE MADE IT ANGRY. can he ... pet it???? is this about to be the saddest way a star wars protag lost a hand? guess we'll find out.]

Yeah, no. We've got tookas and loth-cats back home, they're kind of the similar, but not any stray cats. [clearly thinks stray is part of the name. bless him.] Not that I ever had either. Probably would've made my droid jealous.

[predomination]

[The cat is sad about the lack of fish, but she will accept pettings, because maybe if she lets the hooman pet her, it will give her food. idk cat logic. They're manipulative like that.

Urahara watches the dance between human and cat, though his fascination is really in the words.]

It's a matter of where you come from that makes even the simplest things seem bizarre. You've never met a cat, and where I'm from robotics aren't nearly advanced enough to make a robot capable of anything but simple tasks, much less abstract things like jealousy.

[followhim]

[he starts in on scratching behind the ears. that seems logical. cats are pretty cool.

he glances over at urahara again once he takes in what he's saying.] What — really? Well, I mean, we've got droids that can do anything back home. Medical droids, engineering, protocol, childcare... my droid's an astromech droid. He can interface with my ship. Kind of like a copilot.

[welcome to ??? droid philosophy???] It's, um ... people argue about how much they feel. But the way I look at it? Droids aren't alive the same way as you and me [lol], but they're still conscious. They have personalities, likes and dislikes, all that. Just because their personalities are part programming, doesn't make it any less real.

[he glances back down at the cat, frowning. he misses his droid son.]

[predomination]

[Whatever. You know he loves it. He's a giant fucking nerd and they didn't teach robotics at SRDI. The closest thing they have are soul candies and, before that, mod souls, and those don't even count.] It's like these little ones. [He rubs another cat behind the ears.] They can't communicate like we do, but they all have their own likes and dislikes, and everyone who has been around a cat would claim they're fickle. Programming adapts just like everything else does. A sequence of code might react differently in different situations, just like a person or one of these cats would.

It seems obvious that it would be genuine to me.

[followhim]

[this is kind of harshing his vibe but maybe he could ... talk about it??? to a stranger(-ish)?? why not. he decides to sit down and let the cats take him. a noble way to die. absorbed by cats. okay jk but at least the ginger probably climbs in his lap.]

Yeah, exactly. Most droids can even communicate, although most of 'em only speak binary. My droid, BB-8, was kinda like ... he was like a kid, almost. He was really excited and curious about everything. There was some trouble back home, and I don't know what's gonna happen to him. It makes me worried sick, you know?

[predomination]

I'd be worried too, if I didn't know there was someone to take care of the people who mean that much to me. [He says people, not things. He's not saying it right now, but this is a guy who routinely talks to his sword. Even if logic wasn't on Poe's side, Urahara would take the stand for him, on behalf of Zanpakuto, because Benihime would be pissed if he didn't.]

It says a lot about Hathaway's respect for his personhood that they don't just bring him here with you. It's happened before a time or two.

[followhim]

[he thinks ... urahara does have a point. he was upset when finn didn't have bb-8 in tow, but what if the recruiter couldn't speak binary? what if that language was not included in the translation package? what if -- well, he didn't know exactly what kind of jam finn was in to the precise detail. what if they'd been separated and

what if something happened to bb-8?

this was exactly what he was trying to avoid thinking about. there are no good, reassuring answers down this line of thinking.

but it is kind of nice that urahara does have a point, that maybe he hadn't shown up with finn because hathaway respected his ... personhood. as a droid. so that's cool.]

Yeah. Finn was with him, and now we're both here, so ... [sigh.] But he's tough. He's been through worse. [jakku anyone??] Maybe he'll turn up sooner or later. If the right recruiter speaks binary.

[just keep chugging that optimism koolaid son.

oh no the cat is sitting up to LICK HIS NOSE wtf cats. omg. this is amazing. momentarily distracted from his bb-8 separation anxiety.]

Hey! Hey!

[predomination]

[Urahara will not dissuade him from that optimism, so long as it doesn't lead to, like, stupid decisions. It's not like it hurts anyone right now. At least he left his world at a time of relative peace and healing. He can't imagine what it would be like had he left during the Winter War, other than he never would have stayed.

Besides... Cats. Urahara looks up from the lapcats seeking attention, and grins.] Ah-ha! It looks like you've found a friend, Poe-san.

[followhim]

[he tries to get it off his face by ... petting it more??? it's effective. cats are easy. now it's kneading biscuits on his thigh. how can anyone have problems when there's a cat.] Are they all this friendly?

[predomination]

Sometimes. They can be your best friend one minute to wanting to sink their claws in you in another. That's what's so fascinating about them. And some people have a natural talent to just bring out the best in them.

[followhim]

Huh. [cats are cool. they're not bb-8, but he likes this one. he ~brought out the best in her.~] Did you have cats back home?

[predomination]

I have one, though I wouldn't necessarily call her mine. We have an arrangement.

[Also the cat is Yoruichi.]

[followhim]

An arrangement? [he looks really confused. he doesn't know a lot about cats, but ...] I thought they couldn't talk? How did you ...

[predomination]

Yoruichi-san is a bit different from your average cat. [He's being coy, lbr. Coy about his... furry fetish, I guess.]

[followhim]

[?????? istg urahara poe just found out what cats were five minutes ago] You had a talking cat?

[predomination]

[that's why it's funny.] Oh don't say it like that. She'd be so angry with me if she heard. She comes and goes as she pleases and keeps an eye on things for me.

[followhim]

[he's still trying to wrap his head around it. cats aren't sentients, or at least they can't talk, but this one is special in some way???] So ... she's special to you. Like me and BB-8.

[there. that's a good way to quantify it. maybe.]

[predomination]

Precisely like that!

[NO NOT AT ALL PRECISELY LIKE THAT. POE IS NOT FUCKING HIS DROID, URAHARA, AND YOU KNOW IT.] Which is why it doesn't surprise me you've bonded with him in such a way.

[followhim]

[ OR IS HE?????? no that's disgusting bb-8 is his son. i'm sorry i said that. ]

Well, I'm glad you've got that. That kind of bond, I mean. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

[ he goes back to idly petting the cat in his lap. not bb-8 but still a beautiful angel from heaven. ]