digophelia: (Flowers madness and polar bear rug)
[personal profile] digophelia
[ Here is Alice. Here is Alice trying to tune her lute and after a few strokes, Alice manages to remember a melody. ]

Ah, it surprises me, even now, I remember how to play it. It's been a few months.

[ It does sound a bit better after she's tuned it a few times. Maybe it was that out of tune? ]

And how the piano lessons I had as little girl have never really faded away. String or piano, music notes and scales are hard to forget. It's odd to think how much I used to loathe piano lessons as a little girl.

[ That's fine. Alice treasures them more as an adult, now. Especially this lute. ]

I recall some faces here in Osaka, but others... not so much. I do hope some of you have stayed out of some trouble, yes? I'm certain that some of you are already dreading the inevitable fussing from me.

Tell me, then, if you remember me... what did I miss?

[ That's her strange way of saying she misses some of you. ]
moneyballer: by yaylikeawon @ plurk (19)
[personal profile] moneyballer
[Asher is decked out in the gaudiest holiday apparel you may ever see, addressing the network after months of terrible seemingly good behavior.]

Happy birthday to the original g-

[He raises a glass full of something suspicious in color, as if to make a toast.]

Je-

[The law student then proceeds to down all of the liquid at frighteningly quick pace before continuing.]

Sus Christ. Hundreds of years later and he’s still got bitches out the wazoo, stringin’ up lights on trees, prayin’ 2 his likeness, ‘n shit. I-D-K how I feel about the actual religion, but if ladies still want your dick after you’ve been dead for friggin’ ever you gotta be doing something right, right?

Anyways, I ain’t about to go to this holiday shindig sober, if y’know what I mean.

[And if you don’t, he’s about to explain it to you.]

I’m all for gettin’ slizzered in this blizzard, gettin’ some ice all up in my grill, and maybe if I’m lucky somebody’s balls’ll be getting jingled TONIGHT, y’all.

If you’re over 18 and are more keen on bein’ naughty than nice, come find me and we’ll pregame the party.

[As if this little broadcast wasn't unnecessary enough, Asher feels the need to get far too close to the camera and exclaim:]

Merry Christmas, bitcheeeeeeeez.

[*Please note that this post represents the feelings of a fictitious character about a somewhat religious holiday, and in no way is a reflection of the actual author's perspective, thank you.]
thornydisposition: (pic#10657256)
[personal profile] thornydisposition
Good evening.

[Though the subject matter behind his reasoning for addressing the networks was far different now than the first time he had the previous month, his even, dispassionate tone of voice is exactly the same.]

I've come to realize that the time in which we will be returning back to Oska is very close to—if not exactly on—the winter solstice. [He's used to a duo of sing-songy fae stopping by his house and giving him forewarning. He actually had to use a calendar this time.] Though I doubt all worlds follow the same laws and traditions, it is a day of great importance in my own. There are several rituals I am... curious if anyone would wish to help me carry out, to give us auspicious passage through the winter months.

As I don't think the old gods of winter have any particular sway over these distant realms, I am fairly confident nothing will be dangerous.

Please let me know if you might be interested, or if you might have any questions.
fateality: (any card)
[personal profile] fateality
[Somehow, adblock doesn't work when you expect it to:]

graphic design is my passion )

So, I'm thinkin' maybe not long after we get to Oska. Depends on when our next mission is, but I'm considerin' maybe a week out.

Just enough time to get back on our feet, anyway.

Payment can be discussed, if you're above the stated age and feel like attendin'. I can be persuaded.
yaomomo: (Default)
[personal profile] yaomomo
[The audio is a soft, almost gentle but firm presence in people's minds, insistent on getting her message across. Unfortunately, she's a bit wordy, so hopefully she doesn't lose her audience immediately.]

Good day to everyone. My name is Creaty.

I hope everyone has been doing well? With the recent events being as they are, we've all been kept on our toes more often than not.

For today, I would like to propose an idea for the general populace. Recently, with some tasks and missions I've taken up, and with the constant change in environment, I have been trying something that I thought may be worth mentioning. To put it simply, with each world that we visit, we encounter new materials that we could easily lose access to when we travel to a new place. These materials may be of some use to us as well, whether it be for battle, recovery, maintenance or the likes. I believe that this kind of thing is unfortunate, as sometimes we could also lose opportunities to maximize the results of our efforts if we have the right equipment.

So, I'm proposing the chance of recreating these materials that you may have gathered from past missions, but do not have enough to make use of. I have the ability to do such a thing, though there are limits to it. For one, it cannot be a living object, as anything that constantly changes in composition is difficult to recreate and even dangerous. This also goes for food, or anything that needs to be consumed. Another is that the more foreign the object is to me, the longer it takes me to learn to break it down. However, I am interested in not only improving my skills, but also being able to make use of what we gather from each mission to help with future missions.

I do have some conditions I'd like to impose. I would like to only be approached for things that you are certain will benefit the community, and not simply for entertainment purposes. I would also have the right to reject any items I don't deem fit to recreate, or I simply can't. If these are fine, then I'd love to be able to assist people in any way I can.
heelies: (( godlike ))
[personal profile] heelies
[As when storm-bruised clouds cast their dark pall over the sky, a harbinger of the torrent and tempest to come, so appears the countenance of Peleus' son. He is harnessed in the glorious armor that lame-foot Hephaestus did forge for him, and upon his head fiercely glints the golden helmet which once served as a beacon to the Myrmidons and all of the vast host of war-loving Argives. Like the thunder that is hurled by almighty Zeus who bears the aegis, his voice roars out over the network.]

Koltira, you whose heart is blackened with vile hatred! Hear now the son of Peleus, Achilles, best of all the Achaeans - I whose pride was rent by your blade when you did raise arms without first issuing a proper challenge as is honorable between warriors. I demand that you meet me in single combat, that I may avenge myself and slake my spear upon your blood. Meet me then to the east of the town ere the sun touches the far horizon, where it settles for the night into the couch of the desert - unless the worm of cowardice burrows deep within your breast to weaken your fighting spirit!

It is for this reason that I give my challenge in this public forum, that others may bear witness and hold you accountable to this duel. What say you, Koltira? Recoil not from the bloodshed you so take pleasure in! Long has my anger rankled in my breast, and long has my pride festered without salve potent enough to soothe it, for the cure lies only in victory by dint of my spear. Thus, today I wait no more!

[In the colloquialisms of the locals: This town ain't big enough for the both of us.]
winces: (( ninety ))
[personal profile] winces
[ it's been a long and grueling week of hard work, naive hope, and a desperate need for distraction — but finally, finally, olivia has some good news to share. ]

Good... Hello, all. [ she'd forgotten to check what time it was before beginning this. oops. ] Sorry to bother, but I thought some of you might like to know —

It's possible.

[ exhaustion hangs heavy on her every word, and it is perhaps the true reason she has not opted to do a video this time. but she does not want to worry the rest over something inconsequential, in the long run, because energy can always be regained later. innocent lives, on the other hand, cannot. ]

There is a way to save them, the Deemers. I-It's a very... slim chance. [ she's careful to say this from the get-go, mindful of urahara's own gentle but firm reminders as she worked tirelessly these past few days. ] And it won't... bring them back to what they'd been before this... They actually won't remember anything at all. [ a faint pause, after her voice turns a little low, regretful. perhaps if she'd tried harder— ]

But! [ no no, let's focus on the good here. on that hope. ] It is possible to heal the damage to their minds. We managed to save someone.

[ of the few urahara had managed to keep alive after the extraction, only one among them responded to her fervent healing. ]

He's... doing well. Adjusting. [ despite it all, a part of her wonders if it had been the right thing to do. if his struggles from hereon in would make it all for naught... ]

Um. If you were gifted with the highest level of ALASTAIR's healing magic, or have any advanced healing of your own to spare, and you'd like to help... please contact me. It's... not easy. But it's manageable. [ for it is quite taxing for just one to take on all their own, as haise has been quick to remind her, but she's even more hesitant to lump that burden on someone else. ]

And if you've managed to extract a Taraxa successfully, or you have a Deemer with you... please let us know, too. Thank you.

( ooc; TLDR olivia's max healing alastair abilities makes it possible to save a deemer, post-extraction. she was able to attempt this on some deemers urahara procured his collection of taraxa from. however, it has a very low success rate, on top of the already very low success rate of an extraction, and it leaves the deemer with essentially a blank slate. but!! still!! something???! gently whispers i'm so sorry for only realizing this could be a thing now )
thornydisposition: (pic#10657225)
[personal profile] thornydisposition
I believe I have some information that might be of use, or at least to consider.

[The voice is low and very even, having only the barest hint of a conversational cadence.]

My companion, Shuyi, and I managed to locate and capture Miz Poppy. We captured her and two of her Deemer companions, and as we began to take them back to Perdition's Rest, she had some very interesting things to say.

She reaffirmed that there was no way to safely separate a Taraxa from its host without the destruction of the latter. What is more troubling, however, was that she insisted that hers and her compatriots' mission of destruction was something which the TIMELINE.EXE asked of them.

Before we could deliver her back here, one of the other captured Deemers sacrificed himself so that she may escape in the confusion.

It is not my intention to offer this information in order to incite mass confusion or doubt, as it is quite possible she was lying. But I do not think we can completely discount that she might be telling the truth—or that she and her fellows are somehow deluded enough to believe that they are. It is, as I originally said, something to at the very least keep in mind.
araigneedusoir: See I'm not the only one (Leucauge venusta)
[personal profile] araigneedusoir
[She's been listening and watching more than actively participating as of late, so this is her first real time addressing the network as a whole since she joined up. She's away from the group -- but not far, as evidenced by the layout of Perdition's Rest visible behind her -- and high up, obviously keeping watch.

Someone has to.

It takes her a few seconds to gather her thoughts fully, having been mulling over all the information that's come to light...and various people's opinions on what they should do next. Of course that's not her topic of discussion, at least not yet.]


I know I wasn't the only one looking for answers after the Saloon burned down. I'm curious to know if anyone else found or heard anything interesting.

[She holds up a shard of glass she'd found in her search -- the bowl she'd discovered as well has been left with the Sheriff for safe keeping, all she wanted was a single piece -- balancing it between two of her fingers.]

This is a piece of a glass bowl that I found hidden under the beds in the employee quarters. [Though she spent the entire time in there worried something was going to fall apart on her.] According to the Good Sheriff she found one of these bowls outside the church around the time the late Reverend left to join the Deemers. The glass itself isn't something the Qorral use in their everyday life, which means it potentially has connections to the Taraxa.

[With that she carefully slips the shard of glass into the pouch she'd been keeping it in.]
dishearten: \ (29)
[personal profile] dishearten
( this post has been a long time coming. he's needed time to digest the news of the fate of the deemer, and that's even without a heart. it's uncomfortable to be faced with a legion of those that suffered as he had, only worse. by all intents and appearances, there was nothing left of them now.

does that make him lucky? that a part of him still remains, however dismantled from being controlled for decades?

lucky or not, it gives him perspective. a lot of perspective. and for better or worse, he feels the need to share it, in the hopes the rest of the team might understand a little better.
)

By now I'm sure all of us know the condition of the Demeers. That they are being manipulated and controlled by a force outside themselves. All information we have indicates that there is nothing left to them after the Taxara infiltrate, their personality wiped and their body lost as a vessel for the means of another.

( he grimaces, unable to quite look the team in the eye as he continues. )

I hope that most of you do not know what it feels like, to not be in control of yourself. It is not a feeling I'd wish on anyone, because I've lived it. I was enslaved for longer than I lived freely. When I was young and foolish— ( some of Audentes can remember that man, thanks to the time shenanigans back in Oska. the Huntsman, full of heart, but full of anger too. ) —I made a promise I ultimately refused to keep. And I paid for it, when an evil queen stole my heart and used it to control me.

( he's outing himself, as the man Sieglinde is trying to help. Graham himself is starting to realize that is too much weight for her to carry; he'll have to broaden his search. but not now, not when there's more important tasks at hand. )

She made me steal. She made me hurt. She made me kill. She made me... do whatever would please her. And I could not resist, nor escape, though it didn't stop me from trying. I have been in the place of these people, for longer than most of you have lived. If it is true, that there's nothing of them left after these creatures took them over, then they are lucky to not have to witness their hands doing the work of another. But even if they are not, believe me when I say living as a slave to the hatred of someone else is a fate worse than death.

If we cannot save them, we owe it to them to bring them to rest.

( it's a negative perspective, and he knows it. but if he were in their place, and he has been in their place... he knows what he would want. )
respired: observing the fun (sitting on the outside)
[personal profile] respired
[ Koltira's sitting on a flat rock, long legs stretched out, a bottle of something dark and high proof in one hand--a souvenir from the remains of the saloon. He's surrounded by cacti and tall, spiky yucca plants; the silhouette of Perdition's Rest is not far behind him, due west. He's close enough to reach by a quick walk, but not so close that he's in the middle of everyone and their campfires and their singing and their camaraderie and so on. A thin dusting of snow coats everything, though close inspection reveals a mirror-like sheet of ice slowly crackling its way into being over the rock, as though animated of its own accord.

A few people have seen him since that terrible week, but not many. He's cleaned up since then. No more chains. Back in his fine, planet-appropriate clothes--long, black coat, stylish hat, boots with sharp spurs. He has new, red tattoos on one hand, and his pale hair is done up in a thick braid that falls over his shoulder.

He leans forward, pulling his right leg up and draping his arm over his knee. He looks miserable. And a little drunk. ]


No one regrets what transpired more than me. I was not in control of myself, though it's no excuse. An apology feels weak and inadequate, but you have it from me, a hundred times, a thousand times.

[ He takes a drink from the bottle. A long drink. ]

I will do what I can to atone, within reason. If you wish me never to look your way again, I will not. If you wish to strike me, you may, though I will defend myself against a lethal blow. If you have something else in mind, tell me.

I will work with Sieglinde, for whatever fruit that bears. It may bear nothing, but I'll endure the attempt.

[ The guilt in his expression, pulling at his mouth and furrowing his eyebrows, hardens. He clenches his jaw. ]

Yet, understand this. I will never be a slave again. Not to any of you, nor to anyone else. I will not beg, and I will not scrape. I will not kneel. And you do not have the right to decide my destiny. None of you do. That's my decision, and mine alone.

[ He sets the bottle down. Shuts his eyes. Last time this happened, he had given a lengthy explanation. He had laid bare the facts of himself: what he was, how he came to be that way. But not this time. He will not open a vein for nothing; he will not suffer dismissal on top of scorn. Not over his past.

Besides, as guilty as he is, as deeply and truly remorseful, he's still angry, too. ]


I have nothing more to say.