acatalepsy_logs | ( the sickness: phase two )

( the sickness: phase two )

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the sickness ends.

the temple.

The Temple, shortly after Astoria's burst of energy, is in a constant state of growth. Trees are bursting into existence from seeds in mere seconds, flowers are growing wherever magic lands . . . and the Temple is abruptly a-buzz with energy, magic crackling throughout the air. You may find a tree in your house, or flowers suddenly growing along the walls, or plants wiggling their way through the stone walls of the buildings of the Temple. All of a sudden, the place looks very overgrown.

The Forest of the Fey seems to be responding in kind, too. Sprites are exceptionally active, darting out of the Forest and into the Temple with increasingly regularity, playing basic little tricks on the members of the Circle they can find. Flower crowns are made at an alarming rate, and there might be a few fruit-food fights that break out with the sudden abundance of peaches and apples that appear on the grounds. Learn how to duck!

With the magic comes the sudden fluctuation of energy: canon powers flicker on and off, as do the powers granted by Astoria. You feel more like yourself, you suddenly have access to energies you did not have previously in the Temple However, it's a double-edged sword -- it is not constant, and it may be more trouble than its worth.

And, remember: the Sickness is not fading immediately. If you make it to Stage 3, then you're stuck with sensory deprivation for at least another week or two. Sorry, friends.

lake dona.

Lake Dona is a massive body of water, stretching outward for so far that it almost seems like an ocean until you see that the water is fresh. It is surrounded by long, leafy trees that dip into the water and has a variety of ancient ruins scattered around it -- weathered stones set into circles at seemingly even intervals, old buildings that seem to mirror the Temple in construct.

In addition to the ruins, there are a network of caverns tucked along the water’s edge, just underneath the surface on the western side of Lake Dona, that appear to go underground into murky darkness. The actual entrance to these caverns seem to be underwater, seemingly guarded by merfolk, but poking around may seem to be more trouble than its worth.

There is plenty of wildlife to be found within the lake itself, ranging from freshwater mermaids who would rather you stay the hell out of their backyard to a rather large and suspiciously friendly plesiosaurus-like creature (some would say that she prefers to be called Nessie) that seems intent on checking out who you are. The lake teems with odd-looking fish, most of which seem to be okay to eat, and plenty of plant life! But who knows what lurks in the depths below . . . that giant sea-monster looking thing has to be eating something.
PROMPT IDEAS: Here are some prompt ideas for this new area! However, don't feel limited to such ideas! Feel free to fish, to explore, to swim, to poke around . . . it's always possible Astoria may check in on your character, too, once she is feeling better! ;)

1.) The Great Pumpkin The overgrowth of plants have caused a massive growth spurt in a lot of the trees, including the fruit trees that sprinkle themselves throughout the Temple. However, the fruit themselves seems to be growing at a rather . . . alarming rate, resulting in a few pumpkin-looking squash growing to the size of small boulders in the fields. Hope you have a lot of spare time on your hands to make a hell of a lot of Temple-pie, because these squash aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

2.) Food Fight!: Those damn sprites are at it again, and are collecting fruit off the ground and throwing it at people. Fight back, organize, and conquer! Or not. It's probably better to just not.

3.) Part Of Your World: The mermaids within Lake Dona are a suspicious lot, and they don't take kindly to strangers stomping through their territory. However, they are receptive to music, so if you are so musically inclined, they will definitely be more inclined to be a little more playful than territorial. If you aren't? Have fun getting tossed into the lake head-first by a bunch of pissed off mermaids who want you to get the hell of their lawn. They don't take kindly to your type around here.

4.) Nessie: Within Lake Dona is a massive plesiosaurus-type creature which seems to be . . . oddly friendly? It seems to pop up at the most inconvenient of times. Are you sitting on the edge of the lake enjoying the water? Enjoy a massive ass dinosaur sticking its impressively long neck out of the lake to check you out and also scare the bejesus out of you. That being said, Nessie is an extraordinarily friendly being, and will even give you laps around the lake if you ask nicely!

5.) Caverns: The caverns within the lake are dark, deep, and menacing The merfolk inform you that you cannot go there -- no one can, but the merfolk sure seem to be keeping a careful eye out on it. Testing the boundaries indicates a weird magical field around the entrance of the cave, that works like a bit of a forcefield. Weird, right?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[If there is ever a seven-colored carrot in Aerith's vicinity, you can bet she'll try to eat it. That would be too interesting an opportunity to pass up.]

Midgar— it's a huge city, but not very much grows there— oof!

[She catches the pumpkin and tries to steer it back on track as it attempts to get away from them, thanks to its uneven shape, but they seem to be making good progress now, with Aerith backing them through a door that should point them in the direction of the main building as they continue.]

I've managed to grow a few things in my own garden, but by and large, anything green or natural is really hard to come by.

Nothing at all? The Macross Galaxy was pretty industrial, but even it had a park or two... that just sounds dreary. [She's not an outdoors girl, but even she knows the value of like, a friggin' tree or two.]

So you're a gardener, then? --tch-- [Boy, this is really hard to keep level, huh.

At least the ground is stone here.]

It's because of the way people harness the planet's lifeforce for energy.

[Her expression darkens just a little bit— she'd known long before teaming up with AVALANCHE that mako was bad for the planet, but it wasn't until recently that they'd all come to understand exactly why.]

It's being sucked dry around Midgar, so the land itself is pretty barren, but there are a couple of places where flowers have no problem growing— whoa!

[The pumpkin threatens to slip out of her grasp again, but she tightens her hold, and they maintain their course. They're making progress! The kitchen is growing ever closer.]

But yes! I sell flowers— or I used to. What do you do?

[That just sounds like gibberish to Sheryl. Planets have life energy? Seriously?

She guesses that could be true. It's not like she's spent much time on planets.] That sounds pretty rotten of them, then. Even the colony fleets had forests and plants on them... [Even the Galaxy, which was very industrial.]

I'm a musician-- a singer. Is there a lot of money in selling flowers? They must be pretty rare.

Well, the company in charge of handling everyone's energy needs isn't exactly known for their charity work.

[She has a lot of Words about Shinra, but this isn't really the time or place. She smiles again, a little sheepish this time.]

It's enough to get by. More importantly, it's an honest living, and there are way worse ways to provide for yourself in the slums than selling flowers. It's not very glamorous, but... it's enough. Besides, you're right about them being rare. I've seen them put smiles on more than a few faces, and that's always worth it.

[More importantly:]

You're a singer? I've never met a real performer before!

Edited 2018-10-12 17:30 (UTC)

[Ah. Living in the slums. Sheryl knows all about that, really.] That's true. There are far worse ways for a pretty girl to try to make a living in a place like that. [And even if she doesn't say it explicitly, she's pretty sure they both know what she's talking about.]

And yes, I am! Sheryl Nome, the Galactic Fairy, at your service~

[She's quite right— she doesn't need to say anything more than that. Aerith gives her a firm nod in reply; as making a living goes, she's done pretty well for herself, all things considered.

The title Sheryl offers, however, makes her face practically light up.]

Galactic Fairy? [She grins.] That has a nice ring to it! Have you always wanted to perform?

Doesn't it? I've always liked the double meaning-- the ship I grew up on was the Macross Galaxy, and people know my music from Earth to Eden.

I've wanted to perform ever since I really knew it was an option for me. [i.e., not when she was a starving street urchin.]

You grew up on a ship? Does that mean you were traveling all the time?

[Honestly, that sounds fantastic. Aerith is fond of the home she'd shared with her mother, but there's something so romantic and exciting about always being on the move.]

I bet you miss it, huh— both performing and the ship.

Well... [Sheryl stops with the pumpkin, just holding it still. Easier to talk this way.] The Galaxy was one of the colony fleets, searching the stars for a new planet that people could settle on. So we were technically traveling, but it's not like we could stop and sight-see, right? For most people, life on the ship was the only life they really knew.

It wasn't perfect, but it was home. Very industrial, so probably not that different from the city you grew up in.

[Aerith nods as she gently props her weight against the pumpkin— they're due for a break, anyway.]

It sounds incredible, even if you'd never known anything else.

['Industrial' is certainly familiar, but more than that:]

My people are said to have traveled the stars looking for a new planet, too— that planet is where I'm from.

The Frontier was a much nicer place to live, to be honest-- it was built a little later than the Galaxy, and was designed to be more livable. It was just like living on a planet; there were rivers, giant lakes with islands in them, and a simulated sky.

[That's a curious revelation, though.] How'd they get from planet to planet without spaceships?

It sounds like the kind of place you wouldn't have even known was a ship if someone didn't tell you.

[The question that follows, however, is one that causes Aerith to give a wry smile that hitches to one side.]

That's the big question, isn't it? Nobody knows— unless they had technology that's been lost to us since then. Most of them were wiped out early on, so anything they had... for the most part, nothing got passed down.

Definitely not. Unless you were the type to fly up to the canopy, you'd probably never even realize that the sky had a limit. [Like some boys she could mention.]

Maybe they had spaceships that just got destroyed over time?

It's definitely possible. Nobody's found any remnants of ships, but... there are other ruins left behind.

[Her smile falters, though only briefly.]

It makes the most sense, though. They must have had spaceships if they really did move between planets, it's just that nothing survived.

[Sheryl is a perceptive young woman, so she sees the faltering smile. That's interesting, and she wonders what it means. It could mean that the subject is a painful one and she doesn't want to talk about it; it could also mean that it's something she does want to talk about. Curious.] Well sure. How else would you do it?

I'm guessing space travel just isn't really a thing where you come from?

[She shakes her head.]

Not really. They're working on it, but the space program has been sidelined, for the most part.

[She hasn't forgotten how desperate Cid had been for some kind of funding when they'd first met him.]

We almost sent a man into space a few years back, but it didn't work out. I think interplanetary travel is a ways off for us.

So you're still confined to the one planet, huh...

[Sheryl thinks about that for a few moments and then shrugs.] Weird. Hard to wrap my head around that.

Alto would've probably loved it, though. Getting to fly in a real, unlimited sky for once.

Just goes to show how different our worlds of origin can be— and I'm sure there are plenty of people here who come from places that sound even crazier than that.

[It is hard to wrap your head around what you don't know, but Aerith is quite enjoying getting to learn about where other people are from. She smiles warmly, curious.]

Who's Alto?

I haven't run into anyone whose worlds sound that strange yet, personally. Maybe I just have a high threshold for weirdness.

[She tucks her hair behind her ear. Things are hard to faze you when you live in space and deal with giant aliens every day.] I suppose you could call him my boyfriend, but who needs labels?

He's a grumpy, beautiful flyboy.

I'd consider that being 'open-minded,' personally.

[There are certainly worse things to be.

Aerith's face practically lights up at the word 'boyfriend'— give her the hot goss, Sheryl.]

Oh, I don't know, sometimes 'labels' can be helpful, don't you think?

They can be. Doesn't mean they always are.

Alto's Alto, and why would I ever think one word could describe what he is to me?

[There's certainly merit to that approach, as well. Aerith can appreciate it, given that she has two people who mean a great deal to her in a way that she might otherwise refer to as boyfriendy— but she has yet to attach the label to either of them.

One of them, she probably never will.]

I guess it doesn't have to, but— if you don't call it anything, how do you know he feels the same way?

[Asking for a friend.]

[Sheryl flashes her a wink.] It helps when he kisses me, doesn't it?

I don't know, I just think it's a little obvious~

[That would do it.]

It would, wouldn't it...

[She actually blushes at that, even if she isn't quite the type to do so normally, and she bites her lower lip, smiling sheepishly a moment later.]

What if we haven't done that yet? Things are— complicated.

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