melodiesoflife | Intro Log || Exactly As Planned

Intro Log || Exactly As Planned

Characters: All the "Heroes of Light" (only new characters can start threads).
Where: Aqures Ixen.
When: The 5th of November. The new Heroes of Light will awaken early in the morning.
Summary: The new Heroes of Light awaken in Aqures Ixen and are informed by their assigned Moogles of what the situation and what their destinies are. This a log for them to react to the situation, meet each other and be welcomed by the former batches of Heroes of Light.
Warning: Abundance of marshmallows in the streets of the city. It's still in the process of being cleaned out.

Where you were or what you were doing— It does not really matter. Not any more. Within an instant, the world around you collapses. Reality twists and shatters... Or maybe you are the one who is collapsing and shattering away from reality as you knew it. No matter what the answer is, it will only take a few seconds for you to find yourself sinking into a void, your world vanishing into the distance. There is nothing but darkness as far as the eye can see. Even you feel different: all the powers you might once have had, are now gone. It is silent, cold and it feels as though life itself is slipping out of you.

At this moment, when it looks as though nothing but a never-ending void awaits you, a red Crystal forms before you. In this void, its warmth compels you to grab it. Upon doing so, you can hear a soft, soothing voice speaking:

"Wake up."

Soon, the void itself vanishes and is replaced by distant noises of engines. Had it all been nothing more than a dream? The soothing voice repeats its call one more time, but is soon replaced with a much less graceful "Wake up Kupo." Hand clutched on your Crystal, the call of the Moogle may finally wake you up. But you are no longer in your world, nor in the void. You are before the Crystal of Fire, in the third district of a city called Aqures Ixen. At this point, you may realize the engine noise actually originates from an Airship flying low over the city and headed to dock beneath the castle. As if it wasn't strange enough, your clothes have changed as well. They are now a reflection of the Jobs you are wielding. Last but not least, you are surrounded by Moogles, small and fluffy creatures who are more than happy to tell you about everything you want to know, about your 'destiny' as a Hero of Light, about what awaits you.

Or at least, they will tell you everything they do know, which isn't much in the end.

The only people around you are like you-- There are quite a few of them, all clothed in their Job garbs and most likely wondering what is happening. If somehow you do not realize it, the Moogle who woke you up will be more than happy to inform you there are others like you around. In fact, there are other Heroes who have arrived in the course of the past year and they will come soon! Like you, they have Jobs and a Crystal.

If asked, the Moogles will mention that the city was attacked by the Heran Empire a couple months ago and by their resurrected evil king who had taken the form of a Marshmallow giant a couple days ago. This sounds crazy? Welcome to Crystallis.

The Other Heroes
— Shortly Thereafter —
Thanks to the efficiency of Mognet, it does not take long for the other Heroes to come around: those who arrived in this world within the past year. You may have imagined heroic and charismatic figures when your Moogle told you that there were other Heroes of Light in this city. You may have imagined persons with fearsome powers when they told you about how they managed to destroy the giant evil King Moggle Mog XIV a couple days. And more importantly, you may have imagined them as people who would have all the answers to your, doubtlessly, numerous questions.

If so, you may be up for a tragic disappointment. Still, for the most part they know more than you on the situation and may be more than happy to fill you in, especially if your Moogle didn't tell you much.

The City of Aqures Ixen
— Anytime —
With the quite recent disaster and the disasters brought about by the Giant Moogle King, Aqures Ixen is still under reconstruction. Some buildings are being worked on, in particular a lot of people are working to restore one of the Castle's tower that was destroyed during the recent event. Noticeably, there are a lot more Hypellos than usual since Aqures called Balicea for help. Zo long as yoo don't mind zeir aczent thoogh, it'z fine.

And besides the reconstructions, there are a lot of things to do in the city for newcomers. A few groups of Triple Triad players are playing before Mognet Office in the ninth district, and a Blitzball Match is set to start at 19:00 in the (nearly) brand new stadium! Characters are also free to visit the city-- Mognet Office just behind the Triple Triad games is filled with Moogles, most of them plotting for a new strike. They can also visit Airship Port in the twelfth district from where characters can board for free Airships from Shoopuf Airline.

Or maybe you could visit your new house in the 11th District, and get to know your new neighbors and housemate. Hopefully your neighbors are people you will get along with.

The Laboratory
— Anytime —
A location where a lot of Heroes of Light seem to be gathering is Palitutu's Laboratory. It is a place where employed characters can research into various topics. However, most importantly, characters can see a file with their name...

Should your character decide to go there and peek at their file, there are two possibilities. Either the file is corrupted and they cannot access it: too bad for them, but at least their life will remain a mystery to them. Or should you decide the file isn't corrupted, they will find a summary of their lives up to their canon point, as if written by a third-person omniscient narrator. On the column left to the text, to the top there is a portrait of them, and beneath it there is a 3D model of them. Said portrait and model can be switched to any year of their life. At the bottom there is a percentage, indicating 0%. On the right column, there are various links, most of which are grayed out. The clickable links lead to their Homeworld History and their future post-canon point history (corrupted file for unfinished canons).

At least, they can lock this file away if they don't want anyone to see it.

The Hospital
— Anytime —
Characters who have already been in Crystallis before do not wake up by the Crystal of Fire like everyone else. Instead, they will wake up in the Hospital of Aqures Ixen, in a room where there are over a hundred of other Heroes of Light like them-- Maybe even some familiar faces... Except they're all in Crystal Stasis. More than that, this room is locked and all the windows are closed, making it impossible to leave. If they kick against the door or yell however, a nurse will come and open the door, setting them free. The nurse will be surrounded by two guards and all three will be... Scared, to say the least. As if they expected you to kill them where they stand.

And everyone in the Hospital will react the same way. Guards everywhere will have their weapon at the ready, at least until they realize you are "normal."

A Moogle will eventually come to you as well, and explain to you why this strange behavior is a thing: You did actually kill plenty of people a couple days ago. And if you focus a lot on the matter, you may even have flashbacks of what you did during the Night of the Thirteen Moogles, while you were being possessed. But you were possessed so that doesn't matter... Right?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Cloud is ever the dutiful sort, and after helping welcome the new Heroes he's busy at work helping to remove all of the marshmallow fluff around the city. Of course he feels a bit personal about this job. After all he'd just been working hard to help rebuild after the invasion and now they're cleaning up AGAIN. The feeling isn't as strong this time but he still feels a bit responsible as one of the Heroes.

His eyes go wide as he spots the blonde woman walking down the street. She seems familiar, like someone he's met before.]

Wait...it couldn't be.

[Spearing his shovel into some fluff he runs after her.]

Hey wait!

[Elena would be lying if she didn't feel some sort desire to try a handful of the marshmallow fluff that hadn't been cleaned up yet. But, considering she had no idea about its composition or what would happen if she did, she merely walked by while taking deep breaths of its sweet scent.

After passing by a rather busy group - and somehow missing the blonde man with the crazy-spiked hair - she's considering taking a turn when she hears a voice calling from behind her. Pausing, Elena turned slightly towards the direction of the caller.]

.....Huh?

[It doesn't take Cloud long at all to catch up with Elena, but the sudden sprint has him bending over to catch his breath after the fact. A normal jog probably would have worked just well.

So standing there in front of this familiar face he breathes hard two more times before looking up with a grin.]

I didn't expect to see you here! Kunsel was able to get me your name after that mission but you never returned any of my mails. It's good to see you again Emma!

[To say she was surprised to see this familiar man again was an understatement. Though, last time she saw him he looked much older than he did now. And he looked much more lighthearted than she'd ever seen him before.

And if that wasn't enough, the sheer friendliness of his grin was unexpected. She could not remember a time where Cloud a) smiled like that at all and b) smiled at her like that.]

.....What?

[It was impossible to make her voice sound more deadpan than it already did. Impossible. Couldn't be done. She even had the irritated eye twitch to go with it.]

You have me mistaken for somebody else. I'm not Emma.

[GOOD JOB WITH THE WORLD'S WORST FIRST IMPRESSION EVER CLOUD.]

[Hey. He really can't be blamed. It's thanks to Emma that he even survived that mission ~~and thanks to him that she lived too~~. He was really happy to see that Turk again. How was he supposed to know she had a sister. Maybe Kunsel mentioned it but she was just a kid, right?]

Huh? Oh...sorry. You look just like someone I knew from home.

[He winces, stepping back, not sure what to do now. All his excitement is now shot out of his heart like it was a giant mako cannon.]

[Oh. Oh no. He was making a face that one often saw when you accidentally kicked a puppy. The innocent, wounded face that you can't help but immediately feel guilty for being the cause of. Sure, the mention of her sister was still - and probably forever would be - a sore subject. But who was she to take that out on others?]

....[SIGH.] That would be because Emma was my older sister.

[Didn't she read somewhere in Cloud's file that he'd been helped by her during a mission? Elena is sure she scanned over it hastily.]

Question for you, Cloud. What is the last thing you remember from Gaia?

Sister...? OH! [So that thought WAS right. He can't remember her name or if Kunsel had even mentioned it. He'll work it out though...wait...of course. It has to be her.]

Right, remember. It's kinda complicated? Before I was brought here I was just getting ready for duty back at Midgar but...

[His face sinks again, in a different way. For an instant he looks a bit more like the older version of himself.]

Something happened a bit back. I...'remember' some things the older version of me did in this world two thousand years ago. The last time a bunch of Heroes were brought here, or something like that. I got some of his memories too, things he thought about while I was in his head. They're not all clear, and at least now they don't pop into my head all the time.

[Elena is quiet. Listening to him speak with a patience she had shown him - or, at least, another version of him back at Ruby City. She'd learned how to talk to Cloud in such a way that they could actually, you know, communicate without any hostility. But that man had been older, had been through much more than this version.]

...That far back...?

[Words stop. She knew that expression and what came with it and in that quick moment his face was one of the man she'd befriended to an extent back at the city. She never did like the way he seemed so tormented by who he was and what had happened. What he had to go through.]

Its okay if you don't fully remember. And don't feel like you have to either. [Because she almost kinda liked this more spirited version, even after this very brief interaction.] I'm Elena, by the way. You and I...kinda go back a ways. But, for you, we haven't met yet.

[Cloud tenses at her response and the silence that follows. He's not looking at her face but he can imagine it. She wouldn't be the first to look at him like some sad puppy, or perhaps as a child who's pet has just died and the decision if how or if to tell him is being weighed in the balance.

But the words she finally says make him look up in surprise. He's been told this sort of thing before, but never by a fellow from Gaia. The others all seemed either reluctant to talk to him about their home, or even expressed in one way or another that they wished that their Cloud was there.]

Elena....I'm Cloud. It's....heh...it's nice to 'meet' you. And thank you. I do want to get there, but right now we're in Crystallis. I want to do what I can to save this world...and maybe make this a nice place for us from Gaia to live too.

[There is just a hint of a comforting, supportive expression beneath her calm demeanor. She fully understands what it meant to be haunted by one's past - or future in his case. And perhaps her time in the city has softened her some, making her more apt to being almost motherly when she would have likely not been.]

Its nice to 'meet' you as well, Cloud.

[Well, at least it was nice to know that his drive to be a hero - despite sometimes being depressed and dark - was an intrinsic value.]

I wouldn't be surprised if you succeeded in doing that. If you ever need support, you can call on me at any time. Though I'm not quite sure just how nice we can make this place - I'm curious to what extent our influence can affect this world.

[The puppy look fades to a soft smile. Such positivity from someone from his world, let alone a new Hero isn't that common. He's happy to have it.]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. And really, whatever we can do has to count for something. Stopping the Calamity would be enough but I know we can do more to get there. This world is depending on us but we're depending on it too.

[He looks off into the distance. It's a little hard to tell what he's imagining he's seeing.]

I just wish we had a better idea of where to start. We always seem to be playing catchup or reacting to things that happen.

[Her head gives a little approving nod, doing everything she can to keep her expression cool, but interested. This was not the Cloud she knew back on Gaia. Nor was it the Cloud from Ruby City. And she had to remind herself that to him, she was just another Turk.]

I suppose so. I still need to get my mind around the problems here and the Calamity everybody I've come across has talked about.

[A corner of her mouth quirks into the faintest of grins before smoothing back out.]

Perhaps it might be a good idea to have a meeting with the rest of the Heroes. Share information. Figure out what is known, what isn't, and then discuss next steps. Its a least a start, isn't it?

That's probably a good idea. Zelda has also been keeping notes on what is going on. And the other Heroes should be willing to answer any questions. Then again, I'm sure something will happen soon and we'll wind up having even more questions about what's going on and how to stop the Calamity or why we've been brought here. Maybe it'll just turn out we're really just someone's playthings and that's why it feels like secrets are being kept from us and we can be manipulated so easily.

Like puppets....

[He looks her in the eye and gives her the sad sort of smile of a joke he knows isn't funny. Like a bad experience that's too recent even for self deprecation.]

Sorry. It's a bit hard here sometimes. Especially when the city ends up in danger because of us...but I have faith in all the Heroes here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Intro Log || Exactly As Planned

Around the City

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World's Worst? Don't make me re-app Gaston just to make a point!

LMAO

FEELS COUNTERPUNCH!

CRITICAL HIT!

Re: CRITICAL HIT!

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