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

Yes, that's one of the differences. [But ugh, how does she even explain this one?]

Okay, you know how there are "mountains" and you might give a name to a certain mountain? Like this mountain is Mount Snow, but it doesn't stop being a mountain.

It's like that with the sun. It's a star, it's just called "sun." That's its name. But really, it's the same thing as all of the other stars, just a lot closer.

Like Mount Tsurugi?

["Mount Snow" is a silly name for a mounta- Focus up, Konoha.

She'd... never considered that the sun wasn't a type of thing, but a name... and it's painfully obvious how the gears in her head keep turning until-]

Oh.

[It... kind of makes sense??? Konoha perks up in revelation, a hand flying to her mouth to cover the gasp.]

Oh!

Sure, like that. [She has no idea, but it sounds right to her?

And she breathes a sigh of relief as Konoha finally seems to get it.] Right, you understand now!

So all of those lights in the night sky, they're just like the sun. Except they're so far away that you don't feel any of the heat from them, but you would if you were closer.

"Space" is everything in between them. Millions and millions of miles of empty nothing. That's where I live.

[Konoha is... really glad that she's already sitting down. This is mindblowing stuff to a country girl from the 1630's, and she does kind of sway a bit in place, staring up at the sky.

Okay... there's lots of suns... they're just far away... and she's supposed to think of the sky as... not like a blanket over the earth but... as... like a field! A field you can travel through somehow.]

No one is going to believe me if I tell them that...

So don't tell them that. [Sheryl shrugs. Why make it hard on yourself if you don't have to?]

Besides, most people here probably already know that.

I mean back home...

[But.

Yeah, she could just... not say anything... Still...

Konoha's head is obviously spinning, and she tries to shake it out with a full body movement head to tail, slapping her cheeks lightly.]

I'm going to go crazy if I get any smarter-

[She's learning so much her brain might explode.]

Well, you probably shouldn't tell them that, either. They might think you were crazy! [She reaches up to pat Konoha on her... arm. Yes, let's settle for patting her on the forearm. That seems a safe place to touch.]

If you could see my home, you'd probably think you had gone crazy~

Yeah... probably...

[Konoha absently sort of... pats Sheryl's hand patting her arm, nodding along.]

You said people fly and fit cities into theaters, so... yeah... I think so...

[Insane? Yeah, that's like... an understatement.]

And I haven't even mentioned the giants who live there yet!

[Now she's doing this on purpose. Poor Konoha.]

... Giants?

[Honestly, it's too easy.]

Yup! They're called Zentradi, and they're 50 feet tall! When you go to the part of the city where they live, you really feel like you're living in a little dollhouse. It's incredible!

You live with fifty feet tall giants and they don't... step on you? Like- even by accident?

[What's a dollhouse?! Like- for Hina Matsuri dolls?]

I'm sure that happens sometimes, but it's pretty rare. I've never heard of that happening to anyone where I'm from.

They probably know that they've gotta be careful.

[Okay...

Her eyes keep drifting up. About fifty feet up, trying to imagine.]

So... like with jinba and humans... but worse...

[She had to check her strength when dealing with humans, and she's only a small bit taller...]

Right! You probably have to be careful around humans, and these people are the same way.

Of course, if they get tired of that, they can shrink themselves down to our size for a while. [She's not sure how it works, so...] Think of it as magic!

[How many bombshells can Sheryl drop in a single conversation??

So many.

Konoha nods along dumbly. Shrinking, like magic, of course. From fifty feet to human sized, no problem. Makes sense.]

Sheryl, are you sweaty after all that performing... ?

[Okay, no, maybe her brain had broken?]

[That's a bit of a non-sequitur. Sheryl can't really blame her, though. She does seem like a very simple girl, and not in a bad way.

Maybe she's blown her mind a little too much.] A little bit! It's why I never meet with fans right after a show; if they see me dripping it ruins the mystique.

I've cooled off by now, though. Why do you think I was by the lakeside?

Yeah, but... you want to refresh, right?

[She was meeting Sheryl after a "show", did that mean she was a super fan?]

Do you want to go swimming... ?

[Is this all a clever ruse to have less of her mind blown?

Maybe.

But also, she did kind of want to go swimming. Look at how big that lake was??]

That does sound pretty nice, but I'm a little tired. [And also, she can't see that well. That could mix poorly with going out in the lake.]

Would it be insulting if I asked if I could ride on your back while you go swimming?

Um...

[Konoha might have refused if this was back in her own world, but... Struxta had taught her that she might need to be a little more open to such things. It was helpful for people if they needed to move fast or were injured, and... carrying Arenvald and A2 had felt so weird, she'd probably need to do it more to get used to the way it felt to have all the weight in the center not hanging off her sides, so...

After a long moment of thinking, Konoha finally shakes her head.]

No, it's fine! You're a friend, and you're a woman, so- it's fine.

[That's more thinking than Sheryl was expecting it to take, and she's almost expecting Konoha to decline. But then she doesn't.] Oh, good! I'd like to get into the water, but getting a few hundred meters out and then realizing I overtaxed my leg muscles doesn't sound like a good time to me.

So it'd be a problem if I were a boy?

Yeah, I guess not-

[Plan decided, and glad to talk about swimming as opposed to... giants and flying and space, Konoha starts untying the hide around her waist to strip down to her kimono underlayer, shaking her head again.]

I mean, I didn't think it was so bad, but... Mako and Arenvald both got weird about it so I guess it's weird...

Mako, huh? That's weird. He didn't seem like the type to get all embarrassed about that.

[She shrugs.] I wouldn't have a problem if you were a horse-boy. [She also wasn't planning on having a problem with sitting outside the baths topless, so.]

Really?

[Konoha seems surprised by that, looking up with a squint as she thinks back on her interactions with him... and a few moments that seemed to embarrass him. She'd chalked it up to maybe not being that touchy feely, but... in her mind, Mako occasionally just Gets Weird.
Especially when she hugs him or picks him up or runs around in a wet kimono. Normal times.]

Thanks! I think... ?

[She's not quite sure where that lies on the spectrum, but! Stripped down to the thin underlayer and skirt she keeps on for modesty, Konoha gives a full body shake to limber up and prances in place to psych herself up... before she stretches out her forelegs to lower herself closer to the ground, holding out her hand to assist.]

Here, you can try getting up now.

[She assumes Sheryl has no riding experience if they can fly in her world...]

Well, he's pretty easy to tease, but you're also not the teasing type. [Unlike her.

Sheryl looks at Konoha in her underthings and pauses to think.] Do I want to walk back to the temple in wet clothing? Hmm.

Hold on-- [And she starts to sing. Not loudly, but it's one of the songs that Konoha had heard her sing in her performance.

In a shower of sparks, her clothes shrink, turning into a cute red bikini.] There we go. It'll be nicer to have a swimsuit for this sort of thing~

[She does, however, seem a little more trepidatious about climbing onto Konoha. At least she does it... though it takes her a little ungainly hopping.]

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