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diceofthegods ([personal profile] diceofthegods) wrote in [community profile] childrenofbajablast2025-07-01 07:56 am
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TEST DRIVE MEME #4

Arrival
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Broken Palace by Jonathan Eng
0:07 / 1:13
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During 2014 Jonathan Eng composed the soundtrack for interactive narrative experience The Sailor’s Dream, consisting of a mix of instrumental tracks and a seven-part musical story told in folk song-form.

Like all who come through the summoning circle, your arrival is heralded by a dream. Waking up is a dizzying, disorienting thing... and possibly made worse by the fact that you aren't alone.

Right after you appear, so does someone else. If you're lucky*, they'll simply blink into existence by your side. If you're not, there's a chance they spawned below or above you. That's one way to make a memorable first impression. Best untangle yourselves and get things figured out.

If you're extremely unlucky*, instead of another person being brought through the summoning circle, it's a monster. The creature buzzes menacingly and immediately darts at any potential fresh blood it can.

Some welcome this is. If you aren't the fighting type, hopefully someone nearby is. Eventually, one of the local Town guards will slay the monster before it - and you - cause too much trouble or lose too much blood.

SINK OR SWIM
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Since several people in Town by now are fully-fledged dragons, Dimitri and Hoshiko have teamed up to provide some training drills for those wanting to hone their skills. Although meant for more veteran dragons, newcomers are also welcome to observe and learn what they might be able to do! They may even be paired up with a more established offworlder of the same dragon type as a mentor.

These drills will be around the new(er) formed lake thanks to a previous offworlder's efforts. It provides the perfect place to see what someone's breath weapon can do in different environments as well as help people cool off if they need to. Either way, don't expect your trainers to go easy on you. While not an exhaustive list, the training drills include...

    Underwater Breath Attacks - No matter the situation, a dragon needs to be able to utilize their breath weapon accordingly. Sections of the lake have been sectioned off for different dragon types to practice this. See how poison or acid spreads, learn how to electrocute or freeze enemies, or even boil the water with a bit of concentrated fire. No aquatic animals will be harmed, but they can't guarantee you'll come out unscathed if you happen to fall in.

    Marksmanship - As the resident ranged shooter expert, Hoshiko will be testing people's accuracy with their breath weapons. She'll have a variety of targets around the lake set up to hit the bullseye of if you can. The most difficult though will be the moving target that's strapped to herself. For a large dragon, she moves surprisingly fast and will duck in and out of the water as well to provide an appropriate challenge.

    Conjuration Classes - Taking this opportunity, Ardyn Izunia ([personal profile] fatedfinality) is offering his services in his growing conjuration skills. Does he have permission? Who knows! Probably not! Does he care? Also no! Learn the first level spell/cantrip 'Find Familiar' and summon your own fun little daemon friend! They will not infect anyone, thankfully, but if summoned incorrectly they can harm the summoner or those nearby. All part of the training, he'll say, and let people handle it as they're meant to.

    Staying Vigilant - While parts of the lake are sectioned off, this one is clear about not entering. A painted sign reads: "Beware of kelpies." It might be easy to presume this is also part of the training drills, but it actually isn't. Dimitri is trying to keep offworlders from being drowned. Thankfully, the kelpies aren't actually that much of a threat. Why, you ask? Well...

    "Hey," says one, skirting the edge of the lake shore. "Hey, I need some help here. I'm stuck in the kelp and can't get out." This seems reasonable. It is covered in kelp and waterlogged. Besides, a talking horse surely isn't the strangest thing most people in Town have seen by now. Maybe you can assist just in case. "I promise I won't drown you," it adds, which is a bit suspicious but may still not be enough to deter someone entirely.

    However, another snout and muzzle pokes up from the water nearby its friend. "Wait- We are going to drown them though for real, right? Like, I just want to be sure-"
    "Shut up," the first kelpie hisses. "You always do this, man! This is why we never get to drown anyone!"
    "Sorry. Sorry, it's just- You said we weren't, but I thought we were so I got confused. A-anyway, right! Hello. We are totally normal horses who will not drown you. Please, come closer."

    If you refuse, the kelpies continue to bicker until they're effectively deterred and sink back down into the depths before (weakly) attempting to drown someone else again later.

Although this is supposed to be super serious training time, no one is stopping you from having a bit of fun too. The climbing structures are fun to jump off into the water. Those ropes dangling over the edge from thick tree branches make a great swing to catapult you far into the lake. Sometimes, some play is necessary even in the midst of 'work.'


THIS HEAT IS INTENTS
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It's Raining Somewhere Else by Toby Fox
2:01 / 2:54
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Robert F. "Toby" Fox is an American video game developer and composer. He is best known for developing the role-playing video game Undertale.

During the day, the heat becomes almost intolerable at its peaks. While some dragonbonded were lucky to get an ice type, others may not be. Without more modern amenities, people of Town and Offworlders both are left to do what they can to combat the rising temperatures. It is recommended people open their windows at night to let the cool air in but then close it again as the sun starts to climb.

After a couple of days of sweltering suffering in the midst of a heatwave, Charlie offers camping equipment for people who may want to escape the warmth as best they can. People can camp by rivers or lakes to keep cool, fish for food, and set up bonfires at night. Slayd might be seen at your campsite, even, with a fun tune to keep spirits up.

Although not an exhaustive list, some of the things offworlders can do while camping are...

    ⁂ Chase or catch lightning bugs. They are in abundance during the early nighttime and can provide a bit of fun.
    ⁂ Cook over the campfire. S'Mores, meat, whatever! Just be careful of attracting predators if you do this. Dispose of all your food properly lest you invite raccoons, bears, or more to your campsite.
    ⁂ Foraging. Similarly, finding food out in nature is a fun activity. Although the Fae might try to trick you with dancing lights, they're easy enough to dissuade.
    ⁂ Stargazing. The constellations here are different, but it might be worth mapping them out or learning their stories.
    ( NSFW - Nudity ) Skinny Dipping. A classic camping activity once the sun sets is stripping off your clothes and going for a swim. The water is cool, no one can see, and it's kind of freeing!
    ⁂ ... and lots more! Have fun out there, offworlders, and try not to do too much damage.
While some may also worry about the previous giant mosquitos or other abnormally large bugs, the tents provided by Charlie have built-in protections against them! They are equipped with enhanced citronella oil that smells nice but keeps insects away. However, it also has an intense calming effect on those with sensitive noses... like dragons and dragonbonded! Even the most tense or uptight of individuals will feel relaxed and happy thanks to this scent.

The change in attitude is only temporary though and will diminish over time once someone is away from the tent for a few hours. Once they return to it though, the cycle will begin again and some may catch on to this pattern. But what's the harm, really? Enjoy the cool breeze, have a good sleep, and hopefully sweet dreams. You might even be more amicable to sharing your tent space thanks to your improved mood but that is up to you!
Rocky Talky
One of the things that was given to you in your welcome pack from Charlie was a summoning-stone. Although it looks like, well, an ordinary stone- It's actually magic! You can look through it and see someone else's face too if you're both viewing your stones at the same time. It can also record your speech and deliver that to someone else in a snap.

One of the other features is that you can scrawl on it. It will turn your writing into legible text that you can send others to read on their stones. Of course, you need to attune yourself to your stone first. To that end, it prompts you to set up a Rockstar Profile:

COMMENT CODE TEMPLATE
Notes
⁂ Hello and welcome to Children of Bahamut! If you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback feel free to comment here!

⁂ We have a top-level directory for ease of finding new players to tag! After some feedback, we ask that only new players link their top-levels though current players are allowed to top-level and enjoy the TDM if they so wish as well!
    (Example header: character name | canon | new/current player )
⁂ For the Arrival prompt, feel free to roll a d20 to see how lucky or unlucky you are.

⁂ Similarly, for the marksmanship prompt, players will need to roll a 15 or higher to successfully hit Hoshiko's moving target.

⁂ You can customize the the Rockstar Profile however you wish! So long as its readable, have fun. The profile image appears best when a 250 by 250 square image. Anything too tall might stretch it strangely or cause issues. If you need to edit or crop a picture to suit, we recommend using Pixlr as a free option for up to three images! We're not sponsored or anything, it's just neat and convenient.

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hasitsthorns: are rhymes and nuts (The only thing I bust)

❥ rosie ❥ original ❥ current player

[personal profile] hasitsthorns 2025-07-01 11:03 pm (UTC)(link)
❥ rockstar profile / network.
Rockstar Profile
Rosie | 26

Hi! My name's Rosie. I run the All The Way Inn here in Town.

You're welcome to stop on in to try and beat the heat. To that end though, any dragonbonded with ice breath get a discount on a meal and drink on the house if they can help with keeping things cool around here.

I'm more than happy to pay in other ways too! Just let me know. I'll do just about anything to keep my customers and goods from melting.



❥ intents music session.
While Slayd is providing musical encouragement, Rosie is working on her own music at her tent. Someone might be drawn by the sound of a string instrument expecting the woodsy local but find her instead. She doesn't mind any disappointment, but will invite them to still stay and listen if they want.

"Sorry, it's not as fun as other entertainment. Mostly just work-shopping some tunes to see how they fit with certain lyrics right now... I'm a little rusty on original work, but trying to get back into it." If not just for the fun of it, then to keep the appeal of live entertainment at her inn. For as busy as it has kept her, she did want to run it as best as she could.

❥ pale moonlight.
(cw: nsfw/nudity)

Rosie is perhaps noticeably absent from the water-based training drills. At least, from participating in them. While she's happy to cheerlead and encourage people to do their best, she seems content to stay away from the water's edge despite the near intolerable heat.

A spell in a tent with that enhanced relaxing oil though and she's a bit less anxious about the water. Still nervous, yes, but not deathly afraid like before. Yet, she still doesn't want to risk the vulnerability that comes with explaining why she was avoiding the water earlier; instead, she finds a quiet, discreet place to disrobe and tentatively toe into the cool water during the dark of night.

She doesn't go further than just about chest height and keeps her feet firmly planted on the soft, damp earth below. Being moored this way keeps her from being too afraid to enjoy finally, finally escaping the heat from before. She braves bending forward to wet her hair and throw it back with a sigh.

But she at least isn't so distracted that she misses the crack of a twig or rustling of leaves nearby. With a small squeak, she crouch down into the water and asks: "Who's there?"

❥ wildcard / plot with me.
(( hello hi, it's chai! if you have any other ideas or wanna' hash things out with me, feel free to find me @ tentamenace on plurk/discord or PM this journal! ))
moonhater: (no)

pale moonlight

[personal profile] moonhater 2025-07-02 05:01 am (UTC)(link)
"Ah, I'm nobody suspicious."

Oanna raises an open hand, as if to indicate that she isn't holding any weapons. Her other arm ends just past the elbow, so she's probably not hiding a dagger there, either. Down to just the innermost layer of her robes, she was planning to drop that too, but probably better to make sure there's no bad blood before getting naked.

"I just wanted to escape the heat for a bit. I can come back later if it's a bad time."
hasitsthorns: You know it, baby (CHICKEN FINGIES!)

[personal profile] hasitsthorns 2025-07-02 06:02 am (UTC)(link)
"-oh!" she answers, relieved. It could have been worse, she thinks, than a newcomer. "No, that's fine," she continues, raising back up a bit. "Plenty of lake to go around."

Between two women, she doesn't mind showing off a bit more skin than she might otherwise too. Not like most people could see anything but her shillouette in the dark anyway.

"Just wanted to make sure it wasn't, like, a weird monster or anything. Trying to beat the heat too is totally good with me. Can't blame anyone for that."
moonhater: (All within the Dao)

[personal profile] moonhater 2025-07-02 09:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Her vision is very good, but she's not so crass as to stare.

Oanna nods, finishes undressing, and wades out into the water until it's up to her neck. Heavens, that's lovely.

"You aren't the first person I've asked this question today, but do you have any idea what the hell this is all about?"
hasitsthorns: I don't know. Ask your dad. (Do you have the fastest tongue?)

[personal profile] hasitsthorns 2025-07-03 02:35 am (UTC)(link)
Well, Rosie wouldn't mind a little staring... She just never expects it from other women! That's probably for the best though since it means she's able to be more sincere than if she were trying for someone's attention.

The question draws a laugh from her though as she wades through the water. "What part, exactly? Being in a new world, having a dragon soul hitchhiking onto yours, or how stupidly hot it is? Lots of possibilities to discuss."
moonhater: (Tea break)

[personal profile] moonhater 2025-07-03 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
She closes her eyes, enjoying the reprieve from the heat. With her Core seemingly weakened by the process of coming here, she isn't used to feeling the climate quite this strongly.

"I'm curious about all of them. I don't think this is anywhere in my world, and I'm guessing it isn't like anything in yours. It was winter yesterday, for me, so this is quite a shock."
hasitsthorns: I don't know. Ask your dad. (Do you have the fastest tongue?)

[personal profile] hasitsthorns 2025-07-04 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
"Funny enough, I had the opposite problem? It was summer when I first showed up at home. Here, it was the beginning of winter." So that already tells the other woman something. She's been here a while.

"But yeah- This place is a lot more... dated than my world was, for one." No modern amenities was hard to readjust to after years of living among technology. "The dragonbond was freaky at first, too, but now me and Demora get on just fine."
moonhater: (Why did you kill that guy)

[personal profile] moonhater 2025-07-04 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
"You've met yours, then."

She glances back towards Rosalina, interest piqued.

"Where I come from, the coming of a dragon is a mythical event of unfathomable import. I don't think anyone's seen one in the material plane in the last hundred years."
hasitsthorns: are rhymes and nuts (The only thing I bust)

[personal profile] hasitsthorns 2025-07-04 04:03 am (UTC)(link)
"Well, kind of! She's... part of me?" It's hard to explain to someone newer, she thinks, but does her best. She twirls the water beneath her idly as fingers skim just beneath the surface. "It was just, like, flashes of emotion at first. Ideas that felt out of place. Then, a voice that got more and more clear. Eventually, I could visualize her and hear her like I was talking directly to someone just- In my head. Which sounds totally crazy, I realize, but! That's how it works. Now, it's just like..."

She hums, considering how to put it best. "It's like we're old friends, somehow. We understand each other and she helps me out where she can. Teaches me what she knows." The blond dips back down into the water briefly. "It's honestly the best experience with a dragon I've had myself so, hey, at least there's that. They existed where I'm from but were colossal pompous holier than thou assholes who thought they were better than everyone else."
moonhater: (Red snow)

[personal profile] moonhater 2025-07-04 11:33 pm (UTC)(link)
"Every world has its own dragons, it seems." Oanna's still adjusting to the idea of countless other worlds existing. Maybe they're all connected through the spirit realm. That's supposed to be where dragons come from, so it would make sense.

Ah, but the red moon isn't connected to the spirit realm. Then again, they might not have dragons, either. Questions for Royse.

"...I'm Cai Oanna. I'm not much of a stickler for formality, so Oanna is fine."