Event Log: May, An Inauspicious Arrival

[faileas]

Event Log: May, An Inauspicious Arrival

I. Boaltinn (1st - 3rd) Boaltinn comes around again. A handful of Mirrorbound will remember the holiday from last year, but for others, it will be brand new. In both Residential Districts, bonfires burn in central locations through the night, frequented by the residents celebrating another summer come to Aefenglom. Curiously, while last year the bonfires seemed quite segregated by human or Monster, this year, there is more of a noticeable mix at each, and Mirrorbound are invited to join the games and festivities quite happily. Characters are invited to try and jump through the bonfire's flames to burn away any poor relationship experiences, be it romantic or platonic, past or present; to aid them in this, those at the Eastern Bonfire will give those participating rune-etched accessories to protect them from the fire. The city has quite a bit to offer for this holiday: shared rose baths at public bathhouses and pleasure establishments that increase feelings of friendliness and talkativeness, poles draped in ribbons meant to be danced around, wrapping a ribbon around the pole to bring good luck for the summer, food stalls whose offerings are meant to be shared, and fortune-telling set up by Divination students of the Coven, who can tell your day is going to go. To see last year's Boaltinn prompts, you can take a glance right here! Much of it, including the bonfires, baths, and entertainments will be similar this year, so feel free to use those in your top levels.

II. An Unusual Arrival (3rd on) A full year from the arrival of the first group of Mirrorbound, the 1st passes quietly, with no one showing up in the mirror-lined halls of the Looking-Glass House. Dates and times are important in most kinds of magic, and this is strange enough that some Witches of the Coven get together on the night of the 3rd to try a probing ritual, attempting to gather some kind of clues that could be useful in prying out the cottage's secrets. Boaltinn is the best time for such things, when the boundaries are thinner, and magic is stronger. Those who are awake that night at 3 am might notice a pulse of harmless silvery light that spreads like ripples on water throughout the whole city, originating at the Looking-Glass House, but nothing further happens, and the Coven receives no answers. Well, nothing happens in the Looking-Glass House. Before long, the reports start coming in: people are emerging from mirrors, regular old mundane mirrors, all over the city. Anything with a particularly reflective surface could be an entry point for someone from another world! Inhabited homes, businesses closed and locked for the night, pools of still water in fountains or the river, these unorthodox Mirrorbound pop up anywhere and everywhere, causing chaos for the City Guard (folks aren't happy to find strangers in their bathrooms at 3 in the morning) and the Coven both. Out of nowhere, a glint of light catches your eye; your heart thunders in your ears as your body moves on its own, your mind consumed with inspecting the source. Your reflection stares back at you, just as curious from the surface - a mirror, a pool of water, your most trusted sword, something fleeting that your mind can barely remember - then ripples at your touch. If you are one of these unfortunate arrivals, it's likely a rude awakening for you, to find yourself somewhere inconvenient, somewhere other than where you've been. It only makes sense to be confused. Hopefully someone finds you and explains to you what's happened to you. Resident Mirrorbound will hear a message from Miss Nessie shortly after it begins, a call to arms: "Dears, I'm quite sorry to disturb you, but it seems your fellows are arriving elsewhere than the Looking-Glass House this month! We're trying to track them all down for the usual welcome, but we could use a hand or several! If you could just bring them by the Coven, the usual spot, that would be lovely." She'll give her usual orientation and pass out Watches, but no doubt the Mirrorbound will be more helpful in this regard, with so many arriving.

III. The Goblin Market (All Month) Life goes on in Aefenglom, despite the addition of so many new residents. With the City Guard decidedly busy dealing with the sudden flood of break-ins (or, more accurately, break-outs?), the vendors of the Goblin Market find opportunity to set up their stalls more openly than they have since the crack-downs some months ago. They pop up all over the city, but clustered more often in the Residential Districts and the Harbor District, where there are even fewer law enforcement agents out and about to run them off. These sellers, while not as devoid of morals as those major players of the Black Market, still have very few compunctions when it comes to lying, cheating, fencing stolen goods, and misrepresenting their wares to unsuspecting buyers. It's also the place to find those things that are- not quite legal, shall we say. They won't say a word if you don't. If confronted, they are quick to pack up their things and slip away, however; they know this city and its hiding places a lot better than you do. With a brand new batch of what the natives assume are Mirrorbound, many undergoing rapid transformations into their Monster forms, many of the wares on display are potions: supposed cure-alls for aches and itches, calming draughts for the full moon restlessness, some even claim their brews can halt changes entirely! Some concoctions are meant to increase a Witch's magical ability, or decrease it, or provide them a finer control. They offer potions that they say will eliminate the need for a Bond, or temporary Bonding potions of their own that they claim are more pure, stronger, than the ones offered by the Coven. Claims are only claims, though. A few remedies for the pain of changing or some regular temporary Bonding potions can be found here and there, but for every potion that works, there are twenty more that have less than pleasant side effects. A brew that will cause everything you touch to turn to solid gold for up to an hour; a potion that will invert your sense of direction - trying to turn right will make you turn left, trying to go forward will cause you to walk backward; a potion that will remove all traction from your feet, causing you to slide around as if cobblestone are the slickest ice. Worse, some shadier vendors sell things more sinister, including a potion that gives you the appearance of being moderately to heavily infected by the Cwyld. Even if you don't drink any, the vendors are not at all careful where they're sloshing those bottles around, trying to show them off, and they all activate on skin contact.

IV. A Wilde Hunt (7th - 22nd) All Mirrorbound, temporary or not, are likely to feel it. Monsters are always affected by the full moons, but this month, it is more. Stronger. Instincts rise to the surface as the Sisters emerge full and visible in the night sky, and for many Mirrorbound, they are undergoing rapid transformations into whatever type of Monster they are meant to be. Curiously, the natives get along like they usually do, noticing nothing out of the norm, other than the increased agitation and restlessness from Mirrorbound Monsters. Monsters' aggression fades when the Sisters start to wane, but as the new moons approach on the 22nd, Mirrorbound Witches will notice their magical reserves overfilling, and will find themselves stricken with the overwhelming urge to use it, until casting spells, pushing one's magical limits, is almost a compulsion. Those who are not in proper Witch-Monster Bonds will feel it even stronger, with no stabilizing magic to consume (for Monsters) or avenues to expend magic (for Witches) other than casting spells. (For those who are interested, the Coven does offer temporary Bonding potions which can be used to help alleviate the effects somewhat.) The Coven Witches notice the signs, and they take decisive action on the morning of the 6th, the day before the full moons. So many Mirrorbound, likely to be so heavily affected by the lunar cycle this month, many of them coming into new features and abilities at a breakneck pace, only spells danger for the city. They barricade off a massive chunk of Wilde outside Aefenglom, largely free of Cwyld and totally bereft of farms, homes, and Wilder outposts. They invite anyone who feels the effects of the moons too strongly to control to come out for a Hunt. The hunting grounds will be open nightly to anyone who needs to work off restless energy or overflowing magic; all participants will be warned that their safety cannot be guaranteed from others, but they won't be able to harm bystanders out here. The woods are thick, with the river cutting through them, and full of wildlife. There is room to run and chase prey, or room to play with your developing magic. Play cat and mouse with your friends or Bondmates, or stalk a stranger. If playing games isn't your thing, there is something else to hunt out here as well. With the deep Wilde entering into Winter, this patch of land so close to the city is much warmer, and fearsome Shades have emerged to search for prey. These were once living beings, Monsters, Witches, or animals, who have been overtaken by Cwyld infection long ago, leaving them dead but for the infection, white-eyed and seeking out sources of magic to consume and infect. Anything could become a Shade, but the most common out right now are the ferocious remains of bears, wolves, and nomadic Arachne and Turnskins. If not killed, these Shades threaten the people of the Outer City, when they inevitably escape the barricade. Careful to limit your contact, though; anyone infected upon their return to the gates will be escorted straight to the infirmary.

Welcome to May's Fourth Wall event, An Inauspicious Arrival! The comms are now open to comments from all registered users and will be until June 1st. Current players, if you don't want fourth wall characters tagging your posts, just say so in your text. Fourth wall characters can use this post for their own network top-levels, or this post for log top levels. This event is game canon; threads from this fourth wall can be used as application samples later and current players may use these threads for AC. As always, be courteous to each other! Let the mod team know if there are any problems and we will handle things.

As always, please direct your questions to this thread!

Comments

C with some wildcard later

[stopfen]

[It had been a week. One that felt like it had gone on much longer with all the things that had happened. First the festival, the whole encounter with Pufficas, that she still wasn't sure what to do with. Then Nessie's alert that the new had just plopped out of nowhere, with no dream to warn the mirrorbound. Mikasa wasn't even sure where to start on that, she couldn't just loom by the Coven and see who arrived like last time. And then there was the full moon and it's affects, she could still feel, a slight pulse of energy. One that seemed to be building up again.

Very reluctantly she decided she needed a bond. She'd gotten an offer, one she'd not-quite regreted. The idea made her temple throb with a familiar pain and she didn't want to make that worse. The full moon had never seemed like an issue. Then suddenly she just lost it, went from 0 to 100 in a matter of hours.

When it had faded, all that remained was a dull acceptance. The fae wasn't remotely happy about it, but like the others had warned her, she'd hurt someone. The next time it could be worse. Could be more than animals she'd torn to shreds. With that in mind she listlessly wandered on to work. The physical labour would clear her head and make it easier to think of how to ask her potential bonded...hopefully.

That's when she saw a familiar hair cut in the side of her vision. Mikasa let out a small noise, a strange, vaguely birdlike chirp as her whole body froze on the spot. Taking a small step. Turning her upper body to look again. Long antenna giving a usless flick because she didn't know his scent. Then she just zooms across. Cutting in front of a particularly grumpy old dragon's path. He's just sputtering about the rude youths. But Mikasa doesn't care because - ]

Jean?

[There wasn't a lot different about her. Not really, not compared to others. Only the antenna and the coffee coloured chitin poking out the neck of her shirt. That and those eyes, those mismatched eyes. They didn't blink, the pupil in one was narrowed like a cat's on him, while the other was just soild black. ]

[trost]

[ That voice is enough to still his entire body and his hands that were about to cup the mug in an attempt to better direct his magic freeze in place. It's definitely not a good thing that she's here, given the forced changes people go through and the dangers he knows are lurking about, but he's still relieved he at least knows where she is. ]

Mikasa. [ The magic practice is aborted immediately. Jean stands up to go to her, frowning at the visible changes in her body. More than half the people here are going through changes such as these. Of course Mikasa would be one of them. It still makes him angry, though, that some higher force out there thought it was okay to mess around with Mikasa's body. ]

You're -- Your eyes. Did the transformation hurt?

[stopfen]

[She doesn't blink, and only stares. Looking him over, it's him. He's not hurt. Even without the Coven healing him on arrival, unless he was taken to them at some point.

With him stood, he might noticed a few other things. Like the ears pointing out of her hair, or that she was just a teensy bit shorter than the last time he saw her. At the question, she raises a hand. Reaching up to scratch at the exoskeleton on the back of her neck. Did her eyes changing hurt? No. Did the antenna hurt, nope. The chitin, nah, that just itched until she'd managed to find a way around that.]

No. But I can't use my gear anymore. It burns to touch.

[Because that did hurt. It hurt so much that she only just remembered it being taken off of her and bundled up in cloth when she arrived.]

[trost]

[ He does notice the pointed ears, antenna, and bug-like eyes. It's like she's transformed into a kind of insect, but he doesn't know what she's actually supposed to be. It's not like their world had many stories of monsters. The only beings that could be called a monster are the titans. That's probably how most of their world sees them, being a race of people who can turn into titans.

It's odd to him that the gear would be painful to touch. How can leather, wire and steel be painful? The materials are no different from most everyday objects. ]

Why would it do that? It's just metal, isn't it?

[stopfen]

[He was going to have a rough time there. She had, people using terms and myths that were common across worlds that she'd never heard off. Monster stories lost their appeal when titans were around.

But the question makes her shrug, letting out a small sigh.]

Because magic... [That was also something he was just going to have to get used to. Because Mikasa still wasn't.] If you have something with iron in I can show you. As long as there's something mixed in.

[Alloys were bad enough.]

[trost]

[ For a guy very rooted in reality who likes to act on logic, the existence of magic is quite annoying. It's airy-fairy, and it makes no sense. Even the existence of titans started to make sense to them after they learned the truth.

His answer comes snappy.] Don't be stupid. I'm not making you touch something if it hurts you. I believe you.

[ Jean sounds slightly affronted that that would be something she would even suggest. He's been protective of her ever since they were children. Of course he would never want to see her in pain. ] So, you can't touch anything that's made of iron, huh? Is there anything else I should know about?

[stopfen]

[Well okay. She just blinks up at him.] Poking something that isn't fully iron won't hurt a lot. [It'd sting. Leave enough of a mark for him to see, but not cause her any problems later. But she's not going to argue about it, it's nice being believed. Because it sounded so stupid. ]

That can hurt me? No... [Did he want to hear about the other things though. Like getting drunk off of nothing, or the shell that was growing, or how she could smell him...Because that one was strange.

Then she does think of something. And though she hated bringing it up. She didn't really have a lot of choice with how everyone had arrived.]

Have they told you about bonds, and what you are yet?

[Because she'd rather he didn't go boom.]

[trost]

[ Oh. He probably did overreact a little there, but that was simply his first instinct. Mikasa did have a tendency to be reckless about her own life, so he could definitely see her putting herself in pain if there was a reason to. There's also the matter of Jean being very protective of her. He eases up, brows unfurrowing. ]

They told me I'm a Witch, apparently. Since I'm not sprouting horns or a new tail, that's probably true. [ He's actually thankful for that. It's like, for once in his life, he's somewhat lucky. ]

They didn't tell me shit after that. What's this about 'bonds'?

[stopfen]

[He just gets a stare for a moment.] It took me a few weeks to start growing anything. [Not gaining any new limbs didn't mean a lot. Not when the change times varied as much.

She doesn't respond to the bond part though. Her mouth setting into a thin line. Mikasa had really been hoping he'd already been told. Because she hated it, hated explaining it. But after a moment she sighs. Just going to get it over with as quickly as possible.

Which meant being a human sledgehammer.]

Witches generate magical energy, if they generate too much they'll explode. [sucks to be him] Monsters need energy but can't generate it, apparently they get strange if they don't get it. ['apparently', Mikasa had noticed a few things, but it didn't seem as dire as the issues witches had.]

The bond transfers magic from a witch to a monster. [Saying it fed them wouldn't be inaccurate.]

[trost]

[ Dryly: ]

... That's nice to know. [ So there's a chance he might be a monster after all. That's disheartening. Jean likes the way he looks and doesn't exactly want to change. What if he becomes something really shitty, like ... half-pig? With how unlucky he's been for most of his life, he wouldn't discount it.

'Exploding', though, is definitely very concerning to hear. It's good to be aware of this so he can figure out how to avoid it. ]

Wait. Do you mean they actually explode? Like, blow up into smithereens? What the hell?

[stopfen]

They're disorganized compared to the last two times... [She sighed. The group she was a part of, and the group after had the dreams to warn them. Then they'd all arrived in the same place. This time everyone had just arrived all over the place, they must have been shortening the explanation. Too busy finding the new arrivals to have enough time to explain everything.

Wouldn't it have been easier to gather them all?]

Supposedly. I've not seen it. But the Coven give a lot of warnings that the magic could destroy buildings if too much builds up.

[Mikasa turned slightly. Looking at the cafe garden, with it's decorated metal chairs and tables, very different to the wooden benches they were used to...]

It's good to see someone. I've been here a few months now... [Worrying. Not that she mentions that out loud.]

[trost]

[ This 'bonds' business is definitely something he's going to have to find out more information on. He's survived pretty much everything life's thrown at him so far, and it's probably a lot more than the average person. He's prepared himself to die at any time for a cause he felt was important. It's stupid, laughable, and tragic to die for something as meaningless as exploding for no reason. Before all that, though, it's good to touch base. What she's saying still doesn't make any sense. ]

I'm glad to see you too. [ Always. ] I thought I was the only one who stumbled in here.

But Mikasa ... I saw you only a few days ago. How can you have been here for months? Is there something wrong with the time in this place?

I read your grammar comment as grandma, we do good word

[stopfen]

[It wasn't a difficult topic to find more information on. In all honesty, Mikasa would have been much happier if it was easier to avoid. But go into the Coven, they ask. Go into a dream, they try and match-make you with some unbonded witch.]

I've been here for four months. When I arrived it was winter and there was snow... [She just lifts and arm to gesture slightly to the whole...lack of snow, the sunshine. It was nice and warm. Please ignore that there's more dark shell visible when her arm movement tugs her shirt.] I've been told that time is frozen when we come here.

[Guess Jean was proof of that?]

thanks computer for sending my tag before I was ready

[trost]

The more I learn about this place, the less sense it makes. [ He's had to register the existence of magic and monsters and is also now painfully aware of the very real danger of exploding for no reason. He's got no mental resources left to try and make sense of time travel too. ]

If you were here four months ago, though -- Do you ... know about Liberio? About the rumbling?

[ Because all that happened way less than 4 months ago, and though Mikasa was there for all of it, he's wondering if this is a Mikasa from an earlier time. It's really a lot to get his head around. ]

[stopfen]

[Enjoy the stare. Because there's nothing she can say to that, not when she still thinks it on an almost daily basis. How had that been for the first people who'd arrived a year ago? With no one who could tell them what was happening.

But then Jean asks about that. Ans she blinks, breaking the stare to frown. Not at him, not at anything in particular. She knew. Even she couldn't lineface enough to act like she didn't.]

Yes...I heard Eren too...

[The strange dream-like place, where time didn't pass. For a short time, she'd thought that had been connected to the dream she'd had before awakening by her mirror.]

That's the last thing I remember. Being stood on a roof with Armin as the titans walked by.

[trost]

[ There's definitely a mismatch here, so his hunch that she's from an earlier point of time appears to be correct. ]

We defeated those titans. [ Years ago that would be said with some congratulatory cheer, but now that they know the truth about the titans, killing them doesn't feel like a victory at all. ] No, Commander Pixis, and the other men who drank the wine.

[ It's a joke that as a soldier who dedicated his heart to humanity he has to kill one of the commanding officers, that he's killing his own people at all, but at this point, it's fairly clear that their entire world is one big, cruel joke. It still doesn't make sense to him that Eren, who had the founder, couldn't have changed them or Connie's mother back, but speculating about that is diving into a whole mess of things he doesn't understand. Maybe it's not possible after all? He doesn't want to think that Eren simply doesn't care. ]

I was right then. I'm from a later point than you are. It just doesn't make sense, because you were with me the whole time ...

[stopfen]

[Well maybe.]

I know they'd been changed. But I was with Armin avoiding the colossals... I couldn't see what you and Connie were doing. [For all she knew they could have been fighting the ones turned titan at the same time. But she hadn't been. It was something they'd have to do. But at time to walls breaking and not being trod on had taken priority. Then trying to help Armin as he'd panicked and she'd been able to do nothing as his hopes were more and more shattered.

The titans would have been gotten taken care of within a day though. And Mikasa had been here much longer than that.]

It looks like it. I've been told that if we go back, time just continues like we weren't gone. So that me could have been... [A me that had returned from here. But...This was complicated. Stupidly complicated. And after a few seconds, she just dipped her head.] They've said you lot will be going back sooner than the rest of us. Because there's no mirror to tie you to this place.

[trost]

[ The way he's seeing it, she was taken from a few days earlier than he was, only in her perception she's been trapped here for 4 months. The Mikasa he was with was definitely Mikasa, not an imposter (he feels like he would know), but the fact that she hadn't mentioned a thing about this place to everyone else is just bizarre. It's not like her to keep something this important under wraps, not when it could affect pretty much anyone in their group.

Did she lose her memory? It's entirely possible that people just lose their memories of this place when they leave. With all that bullshit back home about titan shifters retaining their predecessors' memories, it's definitely possible for memories to be manipulated.

He's pondering this until she brings up that other thing he has to consider. ] Yeah, I heard that too.

[ It was relieving at first, mostly because he wanted to return back to the people he cares about even if where they come from is a shithole compared to this place (made worse because he now has a reference point), but now he's conflicted again. ] What about you? Did they say how long you have to stay here?

[ He doesn't want to leave her alone. ]

[stopfen]

[There was just so much that she couldn't answer for him. Not unless she left then returned like some of the others supposedly had. Then she'd have known it was possible instead of only hearing rumors.]

They don't know. [More rumors and varying accounts.] Apparently people come and go at random. They just disappear. [Which meant two things, they'd gone off and died somewhere or gone home.] I think it's connected to the mirrors as well. [She'd not been in the main mirror hall since arriving, other than that dream.]

[It'd be nice to have some actual answers. But she makes a small motion, hand waving at the drink he had, still sat on the table.] How long have you been here?

[trost]

[ That kind of uncertainty is really annoying, but unfortunately, they're quite used to it. They've never had the full picture of how things work and it's no surprise that it's the same in this world. At least he knows Mikasa will be returning home to pick up on where she left off. She might lose her memory of this place, but she'll be alive. ]

It's just been a day or two. [ She's seated down now. He does think it's unfortunate he doesn't have enough money to buy her anything from the restaurant. ]

You're going to be by yourself when I leave, aren't you ... [ He doesn't like the thought of that. He would prefer they return back at the same time. ]

[stopfen]

[Mikasa had some money. Enough that she could have gotten something from here. But they didn't have anything substantial enough for a rapidly growing fae. And she didn't want to go into the building. Her antenna flattening back, into her hair at the smell of the coffee.

But then he comments, and she sighs. Looking at him intently.]

That's how it normally is here... I've heard some people have stayed here a year, and some of disappeared after less than a week. [They had nothing on how that worked.]

[trost]

That's a pain in the ass. But I guess we should be used to knowing nothing by now. Just when it looks like we've learned something ...

[ They get transported to another world, where nothing makes sense again. ]

At least it's somewhat calm here. [ From what he notices, anyway. People can walk around, hang out in coffee shops and go about their daily lives. It looks like a safe place for the most part. Of course, he's definitely still going to stay on guard. Living in a place like where the both of them come from, it's hard not to be expecting the worst at all times. ]

[stopfen]

Yeah. But remember? Bitching about a lousy situation is tradition... [It had been a long time since Levi had said that though.

But Mikasa closes her eyes.]

It has been. The only thing that's happened since I arrived was a trial and execution. Apparently I turned up right after a noble family kidnapped a load of people for experiments. [Well, that was the only 'bad' thing that had happened, and she'd not been there for most of it.]

There was an expedition too...People live outside the walls here. [It was dangerous. But still safer than the idea of living outside the walls where they were from.]

[trost]

[ ooooverflow! ]