epidemiology | EVENT ▸ EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE

EVENT ▸ EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I guess you're right. [Not just "I guess." The reality is this: Rey is absolutely correct. His voice is soft when he admits as much, because Rey's direct approach to it isn't so different from his direct approach with her problems. It occurs to him that Loki had wanted him to figure this out for himself, but he wasn't budging.]

It seems like we both have stuff to tell our friends.

[Unfortunately, he just needs to figure out how first.]

[ watching him look like a kicked puppy about it, reluctantly but immediately backing off, rey sighs a little. she glances aside, then leans her shoulder over to nudge him and smiles. ]

I think this counts as a step in the right direction. We told each other.

[ that smile drops a little. ]

I hope you can forgive me for being afraid to do it sooner.

You don't have to be afraid. I'm Galra, remember? It might not be the same, but it's not that different.

[Trying to make that clear to her is difficult, but he chooses not to provide anymore information unless she asks. Keith thinks she does get it, though. At least ... by now.]

Yeah.

[ she sort of nods, accepting it. at the very least, based on everything she's seen of him, he understands being caught in the middle. and that's … a lot of it. ]

Keith ... You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but ... What makes you think you were bad at being with Lance?

["He told me." They're the first words that come to mind, but Keith doesn't say them. That's not fair to Lance at all.]

I wasn't ready. [That's the answer he gave Lance at the time. The fact of the matter is that that's not all of it.] I thought just being his boyfriend would be enough. It wasn't.

[There's more to it, like he both knows there's more but isn't any good at saying it.]

But you still care about him?

[ what a mature and adult decision to sit back and decide hey it's possible to care about someone and know that the two of you being together isn't the right or adult or productive call if one or both of you is not emotionally equipped for that to be satisfying ?? ? rey doesn't quite understand. ]

[All right, so Rey is missing some stuff. Keith realizes that with her next question.]

It's more complicated than that. When I took the Black lion, Lance took the Red one. Obviously, I didn't know this when we broke up. But I went home the way we do here after the breakup, and I came back knowing that.

[No, wait, that doesn't explain it at all.]

The Red lion is Voltron's right hand. He was my second in command. And now ... this Lance, he knows about that. But either way, as far as I was concerned, I messed up as his leader and his boyfriend. I don't want to do that again.

[ nope, still missing things. she doesn't quite understand how the two inform each other. is he worried that he can't be both at once? or … is he worried that failing at one would mean failing at the other? or did he make a mistake as a leader and start to feel like that strained his feelings for lance?

rey's trying to figure out the best way to phrase this question when it occurs to her that, well, maybe those particulars aren't really the point. ]

That doesn't answer my question. Do you still care about him in that way?

I don't know. [That's the short, honest answer: Keith has been avoiding it so much that it's more difficult than just saying "yes" or "no."] Lance now isn't the Lance before. This whole multiverse thing makes a mess of everything. He didn't spend a year here with me. He's just the guy who's my second in command, and I don't want to be in command.

[Keith pants out a sigh and leans forward.]

I don't know what I feel. [It's Keith, though. When is that a change?]

I can't imagine how confusing that must make it for you.

[ she shakes her head, sighing softly the sort of sigh that is definitely imagining it. and it answers a follow-up question about whether they were ever together or if they had those feelings for one another back home, or whether it had just emerged out of their work with alastair. ]

He might ask. [ she shrugs her shoulders a little. it's not comforting, necessarily, but it's something that she feels the need to help him brace for. ] If it were me, I would.

So? I'll just tell him the same thing I told you. It's the truth. [Never mind that it's still even more complicated than a non-answer. Knowing all that he does about how he and Lance came around to one another back home only complicates it. Before, it seemed almost ... fitting that they would figure each other out there, or start to, and then he'd come back to Lance being gone.

Without that extra help.

And Keith? Well. There's stuff he knows about Lance now that Lance doesn't even know he knows. It's complicated.]

I know.

[ she says it in a calm, pacifying sort of voice. like she's trying to be very patient and gentle with him, but also not in a try-hard way. it's like ... this kind of peace settles about her naturally, and she's trying to just think around the whole issue. ]

What I mean is ... his feelings might be complicated too. You're not going to be able to avoid them.

Lance and I aren't like that back home. There's no reason to think it'd be anything like that. [Perhaps it's denial, or maybe it's something else.] If anything, I expect he's just gonna wonder how it happened. And I couldn't even begin to tell you.

[Beyond ... "it just did."]

I don't mean like that. I mean ... He's going to be wrestling with what his relationship with you is going to look like, Keith. You remember being with him, memories he'll never have. He may not even know how much he wants to know, at first. Or he might think he does, and wish he didn't later. You're not the only one with a stake in it, anymore.

[ she sighs. ]

Which has probably occurred to you already.

[Mister Dwell and Never Get Over Stuff has definitely thought of this already.]

Why do you think I didn't want to tell him?

[ she gives a sort of lopsided and reluctantly apologetic smile. duh. ]

But ... at least then you won't be carrying the burden of working through it all on your own. And it's the right thing to do.

I'm not working through anything on my own. Other people knew we dated.

[It's his way of making sure she understands that he does talk to people. Sometimes. In very ineffective ways. But people know.]

[ she frowns a little, trying to figure out how she feels about that because — ]

Just not me.

No, [he says, with the "o" on the word a little elongated in impatience.] You aren't my only friend. You're just my closest one.

I'm not being possessive. [ though, thanks. ] I just thought you hadn't been ready to talk about it to anyone, last you said anything to me.

And I didn't say that you were. [Like many things, it hadn't crossed his mind. To Keith, he thought that Rey was trying to say that he had no friends.]

It's just ... less that I'm not ready and more that I don't want to.

I'm glad you're doing it anyway. [ positive reinforcement!! she commits to that, then pauses, looking down at her hands before she looks back at him and says, ] You're my best friend too. I've tried talking about some of this with Kisuke-san, but he doesn't take anything seriously.

My ... dating someone? [Keith isn't following.]

Edited 2018-02-09 22:38 (UTC)

No.

[ she looks perplexed. ]

About everything I just told you. It was good to get it off my chest and talk through it with someone. I haven't been able to do that, and ... It feels suffocating, at times.

Oh.

[That makes more sense.]

Maybe you should figure out how you got here. To ... not talking to anyone but me. I don't think it's just because we've been here together for a while.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject