welcome to akvos (log #1)

[acatamods]

I ▫ main IV ▫ premise       XI ▫ applications XIV ▫ activity II ▫ logs V ▫ rules VII ▫ bestiary   IX ▫ canon updates XII ▫ taken XV ▫ drop/hiatus III ▫ ooc VI ▫ faq VIII ▫ setting   X ▫ mods XIII ▫ reserves XVI ▫ players welcome to the kingdom of akvos. It will happen at random- you could be asleep, or wandering the Temple, or a variety of other options. It will feel a little strange, like a sudden warmth spreading across your skin, and then your bracelet will light up. When you blink again, everything has shifted - changed, developed, like in that blink of an eye you have advanced . . . where, exactly? A NOTE FROM YOUR FRIENDLY . . . WAIT, WHO IS THAT? But before anything too weird can happen . . . your watch flashes again, beeps once, and on it has a new message, a hologram-sparkly image with a young man who (to some individuals!) looks quasi-familiar. He is thin, with large eyes and speaks quietly, but with great purpose. Whoever this is, it doesn't seem to be a person that is a fan of much pomp and circumstance. . . but wherever he is, he is speaking on dry-land, though he looks like he's just recently gotten out of a pool. "If you are watching this, then you are a member of the Circle, and have triggered a protective rune that I have cast within this Kingdom known as Akvos that has activated this message. I do not have much time, but my name is Kathashun. I need your assistance, and I am not sure whether we will ever find one another again. But if you are listening to this, heed my words: take care, because you know not what your actions do. The magic in this world is powerful, and whatever is seeping through this planet may not be able to be stopped, but trust me when I say that when we meet -- " There is a noise, a banging on a door, and Kathashun's eyes dart to the left, before a voice off-screen says, "As much as I love listening to you talk, we need to go." There's a moment's pause before Kathashun refocuses his attention on you, and his eyes (normally a deep brown) begin to change into what appears to be a liquid gold color, and the message begins to crackle. "We will meet again. Heed my words; find the Princess." And, just like that, the connection dies, leaving you to the depths of the ocean. Welcome to Akvos. ARRIVAL A: THE PALACE OF WAHINE. The first group arrives at the Royal Palace of Wahine, smack-dab in the bustling center of what appears to be the lost city of Atlantis. It is in an area of Akvos that is completely underwater, with gentle currents wafting through the water that guide people on their merry way. There is plenty to locate here, depending on what you want to find. There are dozens of musically inclined merfolk wandering through the courtyards of the Palace, a shopping area selling intricate jewelry and other decorative pieces, and even the Queen herself. Feel free to set up threads regarding any information you discovered in the World OOC post, but here are some ideas for those needing a place to start! Prompt Ideas: - Are you musically inclined? There seems to be a band of colorful mermaids striking up a merry tune with reed flutes, horns made out of massive seashells, and is that a bass playing the bass? You bet your ass it is. . There's even a potential spot for the Circle to join in, if you're so inclined! They may even pay you for your services if you're really good. - The Queen has offered a reward for any information concerning the location of Princess Kea, who has been missing for a little over a week. A band of scrappy young investigators (complete with matching uniforms) is eager to begin, and has a list of potential "clues" to track down in the Palace area, ranging from: the Princess' prized hair-comb, her harpoon, information on her favorite restaurant, and her beloved pet flounder. None of these items are actually within reach except her favorite restaurant, which will happily either (1) talk about how amazing the Princess is or (2) accept help in the kitchens to serve up a busy restaurant time. Either way, you can earn some seashells. - The Royal Guard is looking for some mercenary work to comb the city for clues, and seeing as the Circle is oh-so-eager to help out with whatever is going on in Akvos, they're willing to give you a shot! The only problem is that you have to be ready to swim, so be prepared to swim endless laps in circles around the perimeter of Queen Wai's massive home to seemingly no avail. . . . do they actually need the help or are they just laughing at you? Dammit. - The Palace of Wahine has an underwater library, which is pretty expansive . . . how do they have all of these materials underwater? There are several helpful octopus-libraries that are using their various tentacles to grab books, scrolls, and other materials off of the shelves to hand them to nearby patrons, and there's a lot of material here about the history of Akvos! You may also find a pretty interesting comic book series revolving around a powerful mermaid who looks suspiciously like Queen Wai, who thwarts the evils of inequality. If you ask Queen Wai about it, she will assure you that she has nothing to do with it, and her constituents are creatively minded people . . . but she doesn't seem to mind the good press. ARRIVAL B: THE DEPTHS OF MARKOLOS. The second group arrives in a rare pocket of air in Akvos -- a massive cavern, with multiple alcoves along the walls. Here, the population seems to be rather bleak in comparison to the rainbow-colored folk in the Palace of Wahine -- merpeople with larger eyes, sharper teeth, and darker scales. You have successfully located the hunting grounds of the Kingdom of Akvos, known as the Depths of Markolos -- an impossibly deep sinkhole that stretches into the depths of oblivion. The local population here doesn't actually know what's at the bottom of it, but lately, there are odd happenings in the Depths that the population will tel you about. For one, dead fish seem to be appearing with increasing frequency, and the temperature of the Depths has dropped to a frigid point. Layers of ice have been found below the surface that were not there previously, and there is plenty of talk of whether or not their food supply for the Kingdom is endangered by whatever is causing this random bout of ice. Prompt Ideas: - Have you ever tried spear-fishing? An angler-fish mermaid, with haunting eyes and massively sharp teeth, is eager to teach the Otherworlders! She's pretty nice, despite her scary appearance, and will pay seashells to folks willing to stay in the "shallow" area of the Depths to spear pretty easy looking fish. She will also lend out fishing equipment for those want to give it a try! - The Brig is located in the Depths, and if you violate the law in other areas, you will be brought here. The cells are small and cramped, with no beds or cots to speak of, and you are fed less-than-great quality raw fish while in here. Petty thievery and the like will be punished for two days, and once you are released, you are stuck in the Depths You can also talk to some of the prisoners here, who will be interested in swapping a surprising amount of seashells for fresh raw fish. They also like to gamble. :) - There are some side-tunnels in the Depths along the walls that contain shellfish to hunt and scavange! The only problem is that some of them have a fairly strong current, and -- voila, it is a massive Slip-N-Slide. Sneaking into one will rocket you through a tunnel and spit you out at a lower level of the Depths, but be careful -- you might wind up face to face with a pretty terrifying looking fish that is a bit too big for you to handle, so explore these tunnels with some care. - The mermaids here will warn against going too deep into the Depths, but there is nothing to stop you from exploring. In addition to the ice clustered along the western wall of the cavern, there's plenty of creepy looking fish in the depths. In particular, the mermaids will warn you against infuriating a creature named Honohu -- who is this beloved little Leviathian-looking monstrosity who will absolutely attempt to eat you if you go too deep. Enjoy? ARRIVAL C: THE FIELDS OF AKOVOSIA The third group will be deposited in a beautiful coral reef, full of color and swaying seaweed. It is an impossibly beautiful sight, and the merpeople here are equally bright and colorful, to blend in with tehir surroundings. There are no shortage of clownfish and angelfish-esque merpeople floating around, collecting plantlife, creating new clothing, or even hunting poisonous smaller fish for usage in their medicinal techniques. However, the more you explore the fields, the more you begin to notice odd patches of dead coral. It almost looks as if certain random patches were afflicted by some type of illness that has completely robbed it of its color. The merpeople nearby will not know very much about it, but if you continue digging and asking the right people, perhaps you'll find out the source of this sudden illness. Prompt Ideas - Have you ever gone dolphin-racing? . . . or, well, they look like dolphins, complete with saddles and harnesses that the merfolk are entirely too eager to pass off onto the landfolk. It seems they race these dolphins in the currents for sport in between their collecting of plantlife and hunting. Feel free to ask the curator of these beings, a burly-looking mermaid who will happily lend you a dolphin for a seashell an hour. - Batter up! You can find what appears to be a weird baseball/rugby crossover sport, in which the merpeople crack hunks of coral with sticks . . . but then tackle each other at the different bases instead of, you know, tapping them lightly to signify them being out. They're always looking for new players to join, but be warned! They take their sport seriously. - Investigating the beautiful coral reef will garner a lot of pretty looking rocks and other types of intricate material that could be used for crafting, which is always up for collecting for money. Mermaids will be wandering around with baskets to collect various goods, so feel free to help out! - Finally, there are a lot of mermaids just sitting around shooting the shit, gossiping, fussing about home, and collecting materials to make what's needed in their day to day lives. A few of them seem to be knitting some type of material underwater -- weird, right? But feel free to obtain some cool textiles fresh off the proverbial racks, for a price. ARRIVAL D: THE THUNDERDOME. The last group to arrive may think that this is some type of stupid joke, as the merfolk around this area really do refer to it as the Thunderdome. It is a massive underwater cavern, filled with thousands and thousands of jellyfish. It seems that the merfolk tend to these beings for a multitude of reasons -- one, for food, two, for venom, and three, for . . . electricity? The jellyfish in this area seem to crackle with energy, and the merfolk in this area will inform you that this is where they obtain power which they charge their weapons and lights with. The bioluminescence is pretty startling to see, and the jellyfish themselves seem to be relatively harmless. But there is a certain area of the Thunderdome that is flickering in and out of darkness . . . an area where the jellyfish seem to be a lot less bright. The merfolk don't really understand what's going on, but whatever is happening in Akvos seems to be affecting the jellyfish in a negative way. They don't seem horribly concerned, but. Here we are. Prompt Ideas: - The armory is located in the Thunderdome, and you can buy a bunch of cool weapons here! Glow in the dark swords, electrified knives, bows, and harpoons can be found here, varying in price. They all seem to be rust-proof, too, given their environment, and the craftsmanship here is like no other. The people here really take their craft seriously, so happy shopping. - The main attraction here, though, is definitely the jellyfish. They deliver a rather nasty shock, and anyone who touches them will glow a weird blue color for at least three days afterwards. The merpeople seem to know how to fix this, but likely will not do so because they warned you not to touch the damn things, you stupid landfolk. Navigate them carefully, and you may even be able to earn some coin in helping shepherd them! - A group of mermaids are looking for people to fish out the sickly looking jellyfish in order to be treated by what appears to be Akvos' version of a veterinarian. The sickly looking ones are the ones that are flickering dim, and while the veterinarian has no idea what is going on with them, they want them out. Just be careful not to touch them, though. You will definitely glow blue for a few days, even though these ones are ill! - The mermaids in the Thunderdome enjoy practicing their skills with each other, in terms of weaponry, battle tactics, and the like, but they also enjoy their downtime too! Find little pockets of folks hanging out, chatting, and playing some weird game that involves what appear to be coral dice and flattened stones. It almost looks like they're gambling seashells or something . . . time to get in on the action, if you can learn the rules, anyway. Additionally, please feel free to write up and work with your own prompts! These are presented as jumping off points for your characters, not limitations. The idea of this world- as with all the others- is to explore. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask them back on the various threads back in the OOC post from before! REMEMBER: For the entirety of this log, you can only physically interact with those in your group. For the first two weeks, the network will be completely defunct. After two weeks, you may send intermittent text messages to those in other groups. From this point forward, the Circle has become involved with the Kingdom of Akvos. What your character finds out, decides, and does from here on out will affect the future of this city- one way or another! But what you do is completely up to you. What you discover, explore, and uncover will be yours to discover, explore, and uncover. Who knows what you might find? :)

Comments

makoto niijima / persona 5 / group a

[queensides]

overcooked: underwater edition.

[ Once she gets her bearings in the underwater kingdom, Makoto sets to work — if only to keep herself occupied from worrying about her missing friends. Naturally, that means investigating the princess, which leads her to her favorite restaurant where she decides to pick up a few shifts in the kitchen. It seems prudent to have a little extra spending cash, and so she puts on her proverbial apron and gets to work.

It's certainly a unique experience, assembling foot underwater like this, and there's no real cooking involved — at least, not what she's used to. But soon enough she's got the flow of things down, and good thing, too, because it's just getting busier and busier in here. ]

Oh, could you send the seaweed wrap over this way? Those shells need to be cleaned out, as well.

[ Did she sort of just take the reins? Maybe. ]

history lessons.

[ Of course, Makoto can be found most frequently in the palace's library, pouring over numerous tomes and combing them for any sort of useful information. There's a lot of interesting bits to be sure, and honestly, she could spend weeks in here just gorging herself on the fascinating history of this world, but that's not going to help them find the missing princess.

She's found a particularly intriguing book that speaks of men in Akvos' distant past, and she can barely keep her nose out of it, even as she swims back to the towards the shelves to pick out a few new titles. She mumbles quietly to herself, thinking aloud: ]

So, he was executed and the rest were exiled? Hm...

[ — And then she swims right into someone else in a full-on collision. Whoops. ]

wildcard.

[ I'm game for any prompts you'd like! Makoto will be investigating anything and everything, so hit me up on Plurk at retroscape if you'd like to plot out something specific! ]

overcooked

[p_mortem]

[ "Get in there and follow orders from the head chef" is what the restaurant manager had told Minato, tying an apron around his waist and jamming a hat over his head, and putting him to work immediately as the restaurant seems to be even busier than usual— landfolk keep stopping by under the pretense of investigation, and plenty of mermaids follow suit in order to watch them eat. It's great for business! And it also helps when people like Minato agreed to help out for dirt cheap.

Minato's a little surprised to see that the "head chef" inside the kitchen is somebody with two legs and a tail, but he's paid to work, not talk, so he slides right into the queue, picking up the plate with the seaweed wrap, and letting it sail through the water like a frisbee. ]

One seaweed wrap, coming your way.

[ Catch it before it slides off the plate, maybe. ]

clarke griffin | group a » ota

[romancekiller]

i. ARRIVAL.

[ it hasn't been too long since clarke arrived but it happens all too fast for her and when the world jump happens and she finds herself submerged into the underwater world feeling completely disoriented. her eyes widen in shock and naturally upon seeing her surrounding, her immediate reaction is panic because she doesn't know how to swim outside of very shallows waters and being this far underwater was more than anything she was used to.

she doesn't realize that she was granted the ability to breathe underwater and the thought doesn't even occur to her so panic sets in, despite how she tries to calm herself while doing her best to stay afloat and not drown to the bottom of the ocean.

someone please help her?]

ii. EXPLORATION.

[after a couple of swimming lessons and learning that she could breathe underwater, clarke is somewhat calmer now, though it does still taking her some time to adjust and process everything to do with her current situation]

What the hell is all this? [she looks around at her surrounding and she can't help but look at the sights around her in slight awe and curiosity. between hearing the music from the underwater sea people? and even observing the variety of underwater wildlife and other creatures it felt so surreal to her. it was a striking contrast from the post apocalyptic world that was now earth to seeing herself and a few others in this royal underwater palace have found themselves in because it seems like something right out fiction. it is probably all too obvious that she is new to this world jumping too given her reaction and the clear disbelief in her expression]

iii. INVESTIGATION.

[it's not long after clarke does her share of exploring and familiarizing herself with her surroundings that she decides to get straight to the task at hand of helping out with finding the princess. from the few clues she had, she spends most of her time trying to investigate between listening to people gossip, going to the restaurant and asking around if anyone had any new information but despite how it is has been a few days already, she wasn't any closer to getting any answers she hoped either] Hey. Have you had any luck with finding any leads on the Princess?

iv. WILDCARD.

[choose your own adventure!! my plotting comment is here or hit me up on throned if you want something else!]

arrival;

[infailtration]

[ Pretty much everything about his first world jump is turning out to be worrying. The message from Kathashun, the move happening with no time for him to suit up like he'd planned, the fact they're suddenly underwater, and the realization that not everyone seems to be with them. It's all sub optimal, and extremely disconcerting. York doesn't panic, though. Instead he goes very still and quiet, taking in his new surroundings, trying to keep his breathing steady because he is still breathing. Which is nifty. He'll appreciate it in a minute.

The "this is too weird to be happening" stage doesn't actually seem to be passing, until he spots Clarke. Turns out the best way for anyone to cope with a frightening situation is to see someone in more distress than they are, and she definitely fits the bill. Luckily for them both, York is the 'calm himself down to help' type. He swims over, holding up both his hands in a gesture of harmlessness before reaching for her shoulders to steady her.

As these are his first words spoken in Akvos, they're a little garbled first try, as he fumbles through how talking with water in your throat works. ]

You're okay, we can breathe, see? Just slow it down. Hyperventilating underwater sounds like a bad time, doesn't it?

GROUP C

[hatamon]

i.

I knew the temple was too good to be true.

[Beds? Shelter? Meals? Please. This is how ending up in another world usually goes--being abruptly thrown out of your element and into the wilderness to survive as best you can. Lucky them.

Maybe they'll find some better accommodations after they've journeyed a little further, but for now? Underwater camping it is. Once they've decided on a safe enough place to settle in for the night, Takeru paces the area to take stock of what they have to work with. Whatever supplies they've gathered can be left to the others since by now he's more than fine with just falling asleep on the ground like a caveman. It's not like he hasn't done it plenty of times before.]

Okay, who wants to take turns keeping watch?

ii.

[At last, a lifetime of riding around on various monsters and sometimes entire groups of fish (don't ask) is coming in handy. Takeru takes to the dolphin racing with surprising ease, and it's what he can be found doing the most when they aren't preoccupied with more serious matters. For someone who's otherwise been complaining about how creepy the mermaids are, he seems more than happy to show off for their attention. If he notices a Circle member watching instead he'll stop and say:]

You should give it a try! [He nods his head back towards the mermaid renting the dolphins out, who seems eager at the prospect of another customer.] You never know what might come in handy while we're here.

[Is this a genuine attempt to encourage a teammate to have fun or is he deliberately messing with someone by leaving out that it's harder than it looks? The odds are about 50/50 either way.]

wildcard

[The obligatory anything else option!]

i

[cmyk]

[ No, Yachi would rather have a bed and shelter and scheduled mealtimes, please and thank you. There's nobody to hear her prayers here, but her nightmares keep getting answered and she stares at Takeru with wide eyes, length of rope in her hands with one end tied to a lone piece of coral and the other about to be looped over her ankle. ]

What are we keeping watch for...? Are there sharks out here? Sea creatures hunt at night, don't they!?!

[ Why are they outside!! Who authorized this!!!! ]

GROUP C

[bestaround]

ONE
[ Now that they're all submerged underwater (and... somehow surviving), most are likely taking up swimming as their method of getting around. For obvious reasons, right? It's the ocean.

Well, 9S is doing nothing of the sort. Rather than floating around as the sea life does, he's solidly planted on the sandy ocean floor, attempting to walk forward as if he were struggling to make it through molasses. It's not a good time. ]

Po— [ He's cut off with a sudden gag as water rushes into his mouth, unused to the sensation. This... is going to take a while to get used to. ] ... Pod, any luck yet?

[ The Pod in question bobbles overhead, having a considerably easier time making its way around the currents. ] Negative. There appears to be too much interferrence to establish a connection with Pod 042.

[ A groan. This sucks. Can't Astoria send them off to a world that won't make him miserable for once?

Overhead, someone swims by. If it's anyone who's obviously from the Circle, 9S calls out: ]

—Wait, before you go too far...!

[ Mind slowing down for a sec? ]

TWO
[ Unsurprisingly, poorly attempting to walk through water is a greatly more taxing experience than on dry land. 9S hardly travels a distance he would have liked, and certainly hasn't made it as far as the others, but he's exhausted enough to call for a short break. Anyone lingering around might find 9S sitting upon a hill of sand—passing-by mermaids from earlier had given him a hard time about sitting upon the coral with claims he was going to ruin them that way—surrounded by the vast array of colors. And up ahead in the distance, at the clearing...

Actually, he isn't sure what's going on; the group of mermaids 9S watches from his spot keep hitting things with sticks, and quickly swimming around a ring, and weirdly don't seem to be bowling each other over out of malice... ]

Well, [ He begins to murmur flatly, giving up on making heads or tails out of it all. ] whatever they're doing must be some sort of weird fish thing the rest of us wouldn't know about.

[ Pod simply floats silently beside him.

(Guess who doesn't know about sports.) ]

WILDCARD
[ you know how these roll. pm/deltaserver for plotting, or slap down your own prompt! ]

1.

[lumberlady]

[Equine persons... and just equine animals... are far more comfortable swimming with their heads above water. But that's not an option anymore, and Konoha is struggling to get used to it as best she can... but at least she can swim, moving through the water with powerful, paddling kicks and only occasionally employing human arms to correct any listing.

But she hears a... well, somewhat familiar voice, things sound different here under the water, and so she... okay, dang, she can't actually stop, this is so annoying, but she... drifts instead of... actively moves.]

9S- ?

group d

[humerous]

i;

[Sans is making an absolute killing in the gambling scene; it might sound strange to say that given the whole game relies on the roll of a dice, but he's either exceptionally lucky or something's afoot.

In fact, the only reason he's not been booted for it is every so often he returns about 80% of his winnings and lets them divvy it up however they want.]

Not here for the cash, ladies. Just havin' some fun.

[It's hard to be too suspicious of a guy giving back (most of) the money he may have cheated out of you, right?

Either way, whether the nearest onlooker (you) is merely curious or actually interested, Sans draws attention to them with the merfolk following suit. All eyes on you.]

S'up? You up next?

ii;

[Those few brave souls who decide to investigate the darkness may find someone already there upon arrival. He hasn't gone too far in because, powerless beyond what the circle's given him, he doesn't feel like traveling too far unaccompanied would be all that great an idea.

As well as the fact that he doesn't feel too inclined to regardless.

But he stares out into the abyss before him, with an expression that gives away very little. That's what happens when you're all bones.]

Dark, darker yet darker, huh? [He offers his newfound company a look, but it's hard to say if it's offered with a smile given he always looks like that.] Don't tell me you're thinking about it? Going in?

ii

[shootstyles]

[#CALLEDOUT.

Izuku jumps a little at the voice. He hadn't noticed anyone near him, he'd been too preoccupied with trying to stare into the darkness. It's a skeleton.

Hmmm. It's odd enough that he gives Sans a glance over but... a person with some sort of bone quirk wouldn't be too surprising back where he's from.]

It... seems like a bad idea to go in without a plan. But I don't think we can just ignore it either.

Group A

[seventhdawn]

[A]

[The palace itself is beautiful. Once she manages to swim about and get a look at it, it reminds her of nothing so much as an underwater Ul'dah, tiered and spiraling and with depths even the most well-traveled hardly fathom. As with many of her fellow Circle members, she seeks an audience with the Queen when able...and until that time, and thereafter, divides her attentions between talking to the palace servants, particularly those who are known to serve the missing princess, and helping with other tasks around the palace. The best possible "weapon" they can have here is the trust of those they're helping, something to draw upon should the situation grow dire.

Once she's spoken with the princess's handmaids a while, both to establish a rapport and to hear with eagerness more information about the young ruler so beloved by her people...she'll be looking for some people of her own. Mostly to tell them of her findings, but also to ask what they know, and to perhaps lay out what else they should ask.

Meanwhile? The list of clues also sounds promising; search with her? Even alone, she ends up at the restaurant. Minfilia isn't one to eschew hard work on the basis of someone else being around to do it! So you can find her hard at work in said restaurant, helping serve food and clean plates.

And dropping an entire stack of them when another dishwasher swims right into her. Fortunately this is water and gravity is kind of a guideline, so rather than fall and shatter (can undersea dinnerware even break??) they drift all about in a slow, leisurely frenzy.

Whatever Minfilia has to say about that comes out in a whirl of bubbles. Probably for the best.]

[B]

[It isn't her area of expertise, but Minfilia agrees to attempt to assist with the "patrol" around the city. It's just a bit of swimming, isn't it?

Or a solid hour and then some of swimming, whilst accompanied by either a few royal guardsmermaids or none at all. Once they deem Minfilia capable of circling the city without messing that up somehow (and she suspects they're laughing a bit at how cumbersome it is to swim with legs), they leave her to it. That's how she ends up far too tired - desert roses aren't the best swimmers, you know? She's lasted much longer than she would have without the ability to breathe underwater - and caught up in a bit of a stray current. She'll go drifting away from the palace without the strength to swim back, quite; spotting a Circle-familiar face nearby, she calls out for help!

Never have too much pride to save your life where possible.]

[wildcard]

[Just after arrival and trying to figure out how to talk, or freaking out about suddenly being underwater? She can't help with the former but she'll do her best with the latter. Or come investigate the more shadowy parts of the city with her. Carefully. Who knows what they'll find out?? Or join her for spending some of her seashells on shopping; there's good gossip in markets, all right?

Also! Her acata power is knowing when someone is lying or hiding the truth, and if you want to plot to make use of that, I am all for it!]

b

[p_mortem]

[ When he was in high school, Minato had spent several months on the swim team and had claimed second place in the intramural swim competition, a rather proud accomplishment then, but it means nothing here when he's build for speed rather than endurance, and even then, the other mermaids outpace him so easily.

He'd been rejected from the royal guard, but that doesn't mean he can't be a lifeguard on his own violation; he sees Minfilia calling for help and he pushes off the ground— not directly towards her, but a ways off, in the direction of the current, so that he gets caught in it too and if he can endure the current long enough, Minfilia will eventually slam right into him. That's the plan, anyways. ]

GROUP D

[crystallomancy]

「i.」

[ ...Natsume regrets not learning to swim when they were at the pool. Not that it would have helped here, underwater, where he feels like he's going to drown if he opens his mouth but he can't breathe if he doesn't. Stupid spell. Stupid magic. Good, useful magic, but stupid.

He looks pissed, trying... to... get somewhere, but he's largely like, swimming a bit comically in the same spot. Sometimes he'll go a little further, but it's obvious he's got literally no experience, and from the way he takes deep breaths with a grimace he's also not really getting used to breathing underwater like this.

...If you look at him, he's scoffing (bubbles floating out of his mouth in one big huff) and raising his head, kind of like, a cat puffing itself up when it's offended— and he's about to talk but he opens his mouth and, instinctively, immediately shuts it again.

He hates this, thanks for asking. ]

「ii.」

[ He hasn't managed to learn how to swim.

He's just managed to learn how to talk without panicking about drowning, forcing himself to sort of get over his natural inclination as quick as possible since he's fucking useless without words. Which, in some ways, is probably even better than learning to swim!!! Because it means he can answer mermaid questions, and answering mermaid questions means he can ask them for a favor in return: namely, that they help him swim around to different places, since he's a little inexperienced with that.

There's a lot of places that are interesting, but the main ones are:

The armory, where he's looking over the weapons with a childlike curiosity he can't help but have. He's definitely not skilled in any of these, and he's not looking to learn how to use them, but he's picking up a knife anything and studying it... Doing the same with a sword, measuring the glow against his hand when he cups it around it to give it some shade... Things like that, just checking them out.

The jellyfish, both the healthy and sick variety. He... isn't going to touch any of them, heeding the natives' warnings, but if someone else wants to. He's not gonna stop 'em. You go for it, buddy, you live out your dreams. If you wanna touch them while he's gently coaxing them to go where they need to for a couple sand dollars (haha), then like, that's your prerogative. For the sick ones, he'll be helping to fish them out. Very carefully. ...He isn't here to get shocked, alright.

The gambling rings, where he observes games going on for quite sometime when he doesn't have any seashells to bet. If you're taking part in one, he'll probably be inclined to getting closer and watching your game too... and probably backseat gamble. But hey, his trade skills are attacking people's weak points and figuring out their tells; there are worse people to backseat you. He'll join in when he does get some seashells though, and while there seems to be some room for error given luck and chance don't always go one's way... Natsume wins more often than not, especially as he sticks closer to the card games. He might be cheating a little, but he's sneaky about it. ]

「iii.」

[ Some of his mermaid friends are touchier than others. Literally touchier, in the vein of "let's see how different you really are" types of things, and Natsume—not really inclined to physicality anyway—does his best to end this conversations asap.

Of course, sometimes this leaves him a little stranded. At least the Thunderdome has some pretty interesting tunnels and, after some minor struggles, he manages to get through one, and...

Well, those curious about where those lead will find there's a small area to surface in, and Natsume's currently wringing out his hair and his clothes on the small bit of land offered. He found a dry spot and now he's never leaving ever again, thanks for asking. (He'll have to leave, he has to eat.) Still— as soon as he sees anyone surfacing where he did, he flicks his damp hair out of his face and speaks: ]

Getting tired of being wet as WELL? I'll allow you to rest here for a short TIME.

[ ...as if he owns the place. Well, no one said he couldn't, so— ]

「wc.」

[ nothing catch your eye? give me something and i'll roll with it! my plotting comment is here, and you can reach me on plurk at galaxydestiny too; additionally, if you're in group d and you're interested in it, we have a discord chat! it isn't required, but i made it since i thought it'd be easy to keep in touch o7 ]

i!

[heartslight]

[ Kairi's noticed how awkward and ... all-around incapable he looks. And she's not really able to ignore it, swimming over to where he is with some concern written on her face.

Unlike him, she's a capable swimmer, having grown up on islands, and she's naturally good at adapting and going with the flow. So while it was strange at first to breathe and speak, she just sort of ... went for it. So. ]

Do you need some help?

[ Maybe she can ... pep talk him! Or explain it! Or ... help him swim?? ]

arenvald lentinus ☀ ffxiv ☀ group b

[paladorable]

A ☀ technical difficulties

[ Even after having gone through one world jump, that was months ago, and the sensation takes him by surprise all over again. One moment he’s in the temple, snatching up his “travel pack”, the very next he’s underwater. Imagine his surprise when he sucked in a breath on instinct, and, aside from some coughing as the water slid down his windpipe, he found he could breathe. Thanks Astoria?

But all that aside, he notices their numbers are quite thin. His first attempt to reach out to his friends via the watch is interrupted by that strange broadcast. He has no idea who that man is, despite his apparent familiarity with the circle. Someone from the first world they visited, mayhap?

But then the network goes dead after that. Arenvald spends an annoyingly long while poking at his watch, but nothing seems to be going through. He takes it off and flips it over as if he knew thing one about this sort of technology (he doesn’t) and might be able to figure out what’s wrong. (He can’t.) So, he’ll kick his way over to the nearest Circle member and offer a sheepish look that only just masks his panic. ]

Is your watch working? I’m afraid I’ve broken mine.

B ☀ what personal space?

[ Arenvald is surrounded by mermaids.

Plate mail is not exactly conducive to swimming around, so Arenvald opted to leave it somewhere safe, alongside his other belongings, instead wearing more casual clothing (along with his sword belt) as he explores the sinkhole and gets to know the locals.

Except the locals are nosy, and they haven’t seen a man in probably forever. Poor Arenvald has been backed into a corner, his back quite literally against a wall as the deep-sea-dwelling mermaids stare at him with too-large eyes as they assault him with embarrassing questions about his physiology and how it is he interacts with the females of his species. He’s doing his best to dodge questions, but they’re not letting him off the proverbial hook.

By chance, he catches glimpse of you passing by – a fellow Circle member – and he tries so desperately to catch your eye with a look that says HELP. ]

C ☀ shine on

[ In his ongoing attempt at distracting himself from the fact that many of his dear friends are Twelve knows where, he’s been playing the part of a good adventurer and asking around about strange happenings here in the Depths. This has lead him to the strange formation of ice in one of the tunnels.

It is certainly cold down here, but unusually… bright as well. If you so choose to explore the icy area as well, you’ll first notice a bright light shining through the water. The area is notably absent of locals, probably because the light hurts their sensitive eyes, but it’s not so bright as to be blinding to a normal person. Approaching it will reveal that the water gets warmer the closer you get, as something combats the chill that permeates the area.

That something? Well, it’s Arenvald.

Arenvald has swam his way down to the icy portion of the tunnel, and he can be found there, quite literally giving off sunlight. The brightest light pours from the palms of his hands, which he has pressed against the ice, expression locked in grim concentration. The ice does indeed give way, melting beneath his touch, but the second he pulls his hands away, kicking back to gain some distance, the ice refreezes. ]

What the hells?

D ☀ wildcard

[ Obligatory “other” option. Hit me with whatever you’d like (spear fishing! slip-n-slides!) or contact me at exposition for plotting! ]

b!

[punshots]

[ Unfortunately for Arenvald, Prompto is absolutely the last person who should be helping him in a situation like this.

Though he's not quite the physical specimen that Arenvald is, Prompto has still been getting plenty of attention from the mermaids, and while this is prooooobably on the shortlist of girl-related daydreams he's had, in actuality, it's kind of terrifying. They are all up in his personal space, asking questions and prodding him and touching his hair (not even in a cute way!), and it all serves to only exacerbate his anxiety further. As if being here isolated from many of his friends isn't stressful enough—

Well. He catches Arenvald's eye, understands implicitly that they are in the same unenviable boat right now, and does the first thing he thinks of.

Which is never a good thing.

He cups both hands to his mouth, twists around, and shouts as loud as possible: ]

SHARK! SHARK! SHARK!!!

[ ...There is no shark. ]

Waver Velvet | Group D

[teratias]

Armory
[Waver has never hated a world jump more than he has in this moment. Out every single one, why, why, fucking why did it have to be underwater? Water! His magic relies on fire, which means he's even more open and vulnerable and...and....ugh!

That is why he gravitates to the armory as quickly as he can, if only for his own piece of mind. Waver's no expert with a weapon. Hell, he's pretty sure that he'll hurt himself with one first. But between that and being totally powerless, well, he knows what option he's gonna go with.

But that doesn't mean he's smart at how to shop for weapons either. Quiet and confused, he stands in front of a display rack of swords and spears, staring at all of them.]

Uh. Do....you ask to pick one up or....?

[He mutters to himself, clearly and hilariously out of his element.

A gambling man
"I guess I win?"

Waver blinks in genuine surprise as he rolls the dice and hears a loud cheer from everyone but his opponents at the table. The weird coral dice (actually they're cool to just hold) and their attendant game are pretty interesting, even if he is playing it all by ear. Pleasantly surprised, he looks at the crowd around him and almost shrugs.

"Anyone else?"

Like him having constant luck in this kind of a game is gonna end well.

Wildcard!
You know the deal.

Armory

[foundafamily]

[Firo can't resist a weapons shop, especially not when he's worried about his own knife rusting. Mostly, though, he's curious about how these people might do things differently and hungry for any advantage he can get in this world.

He's inspecting the knives carefully but is soon distracted by what looks to him like someone really overthinking all this.

Dryly:]

You probably should. If you make any sudden movements, they might think you're trying to steal it. Then they'd all come after you.

[He's kidding! This is funny, right?]

GROUP C

[cuedoves]

I ► i need healing;

[ as much as zuko is loathe to admit it, waterbending is a lot more useful under da sea than firebending is. especially the healing, which comes in handy when someone someone inevitably gets stung by one of the poisonous creatures or otherwise hurt. ]

[ such as: you!! he sends a splash of water at whatever hurt you, pushing it away, and then makes his way towards you. good thing there's all this water here. ]

Stay still or you'll only make it worse.

II ► part of your world;

[ see, as both a guy and a waterbender (and maybe just his alleged natural charm, who knows. ) zuko's gaining himself quite the fanclub. one he clearly doesn't know what to do with. he's doing his best just to collect his assorted materials and not acknowledge them (because it's embarassing.....) but they just keep swarming him. ]

[ Do it again! ]

[ How does it work? ]

[ Can you push me with that water too? ]

[ and he's not even shirtless. ]

Look, I don't want to answer any more questions! [ awkward he may be, but his temper still exists and it's going off.... ] I'm busy! I have plans with....! [ he looks around for something, anything to save him.... and finds, well, you. ]

You! Come on, let's go!

[ he's swimming your way with his collection of pretty rocks!!! time for an impromptu field trip. ]

III ► probably a mario kart level;

[ though he's clearly wary, zuko can't help but check out the dolphin racing. he's saddled up on a variety of animals back home -- but they were normal (read: not normal, avatar animals are weird, not this.... weird fish thing. even the elephant koi and unagi didn't look like this. ]

What is this supposed to be? [ he recieves the answer of dolphin, which does nothing to illuminate the situation for him, and stands around grumpily. one of the dolphins notices his interest and tries to nudge his hand with its snout, but zuko is useless and doesn't dispense the pets he should. ]

Okay, fine, a "dolphin". [ he glances at the poor unloved creature nosing for pets!!!!! he doesn't deserve this attention. ] And we're supposed to race these? It sounds like a waste of a...... [ what's the currency here again? ] seashell.

[ someone should bully captain buzzkill into actually doing it. and tell him to pet the poor dolphin already!! ]

IV ► cri: coral reef investigations;

[ listen, playing fish rugby and gossiping and buying underwear really isn't his area of expertise. and the attention from all the merladies is too much for him. so, he does what he does best: grumps off in a corner. ]

[ sort of. he's on the hunt for the princess, as per the mysterious message, and he overheard talk about the dead coral. so, he swam all the way out, circling the dead coral and propelling himself a little lower to properly examine it. ]

What could be causing this?

[ it's said more to himself than anything, but he's on high alert --- so when he notices someone approach (you!), he nods in your direction. ]

Looking for this?

[ he gestures to the coral. it sure is... dead. ]

V ► wildcard;

[ you know the drill. ]

II

[rightfully]

[ Hearing a snappish voice lashing out toward her, beckoning (in theory), Lucina glances over. She had heard the commotion, in broad strokes, but had assumed that someone as brash and outspoken as Zuko can handle himself - also, she had been dropping off an armful of bounty into a mermaid's basket.

But, uh, she has plans with Zuko! Apparently.

Well, that sounds fun. Lucina smiles, eager to play along, and says - ]

Yes. We have quite a few plans. We - we must go. Farewell, my ladies.

[ Seamless. 👌 ]

GROUP B

[a_sharp_wit]

[A] Spear Fishing;
[Somehow the notion of Elizabeth wielding a weapon of any sort is as ridiculous to herself as it might be to those who know her at home. What gentlewoman learns to hunt or swordfight or such things? And yet it seems the least she can do for the group she arrived with when she's somewhat unwilling at first to dive too far into the Depths.

After a bit though Elizabeth proves to be not half bad at the sport. She had always had a good eye for lawn bowling and now her good eyes is proving helpful in spearing. She doesn't have quite the arm strength so might but she's doing a fine job out here.

She laughs a little and notes to whomever is here closest to her:]

I must say, I am rather happy I dressed in trousers now. This should be tedious business in a dress!

[Yes, Elizabeth had put away the finery of muslin gowns and even those she came back with from El Minha and Struxta. Instead she's adopted more modern wear, a plain blouse and capri slacks. After the fruit fiasco, she had decided things were growing a little too messy for dressing in the same styles and manners as she had at home.]

[B] The Coin;
[It doesn't take long for Elizabeth to note the warmth coming from the golden coin she tends to keep with her. When she first notes the feeling, she pauses a moment before she reaches into her pocket. The gold coin rests in a pouch with the few seashells she's earned thus far.

It's warm to the touch and she turns it over with great curiosity. Kathasun had spoken to them before they arrived, she did remember that. Perhaps this place had something to do with Astoria then? Or the problems the goddess was having at the moment. If the coin was reacting like this then it had to be him and whatever seal he had spoken about, Elizabeth was sure of that much at least.

Until now she's been a little hesitant to travel further into the Depths but curiosity is a great motivator for Elizabeth. She's quick to overcome what fear she has when the coin seems to respond to what direction she travels in.]

I see you wish to lead me somewhere. Very well then.

[And so one can find her walking, carefully pacing the way toward she knows not precisely what.]

[C] Wildcard;
[You want to traverse the Slip n' Slide tunnels with Elizabeth? Or anything else? Feel free to throw prompts here. PM if you have questions!]

B

[valuedstrength]

[Steve is loyal to the people in the Circle. Does he know every single one? Absolutely not. He considers them a team. He's not the type of person to let a member of his team go off on their own. When he sees a member doing just that, he goes to join them. He can't be sure if he'll be welcome. He has to try though. It is the right thing to do.] Miss? Do you mind if I tag along?

Zack Fair | Final Fantasy VII | Group B

[activatingcombatmode]

[A: ARRIVAL]

[He had heard from some other people what the last adventure to another realm was like. Something about technology or robots and a virus. He had been expecting something along those lines whenever this next adventure would roll around so he’s rather surprised when he finds himself in a cavernous air-pocket underwater.

It’s disorienting at first. He can see the locals patrolling the area and the pools of water that he assumes goes out to the deeper depths of this place. There are tunnels and dark places and there is one very common theme. It’s cold and wet.

The first thing he does after that is he checks his magical fitbit. Once he finds it’s not working he frowns and nudges the nearest person.]

Hey, is your watch working? I’m worried about the others. But no one is replying. [Sigh.] Guess we should start looking around.

[B: MERMAIDS]

[The first thing he notices once he has his bearings is that he’s getting an awful lot of stares from the merfolk down here. As colourful and as beautiful as they are all that hard staring is starting to make him self-conscious.

A few of the bolder mermaids come up to him and swim around him with curious pokes and jabs at him.]

Hey, Hey, take it easy. I like you too but maybe we should talk first.

[Suddenly one of them is bold enough to make a grab at his junk and that is when Zack makes a startled noise and pushes at her wrist. Annoyingly enough the mermaids only giggle and tries to get close again.]

Look-! I get it-! You’re all beautiful and I’m sure you’re all very sweet. But I’m really not into this without at least a first date!

[Please help him. The mermaids keep poking and giggling at him. Curse this manly body.]

[C: SPEARFISHING]

[With some free time after exploring bits of the areas around him Zack finds a group of hunting mermaids that are using spears to fish. He’s curious about this and honestly when will he get another chance at spearfishing underwater? He wants to try.

He waves to someone near him.] Hey, wanna give it a go? The person to catch more fish wins?

[Might as well make a competition out of it. Why not? Plus the added bonus of getting some of that seashell currency might do them some good.]

[D: DEPTHS]

[Zack wanders close enough to the large ‘Depths of Markolos’ sinkhole out of sheer curiosity. The sinkhole is so dark and deep that it looks like a black hole. Just staring at it makes Zack feel a little dizzy.]

Wonder what could be down there. There are rumours about some princess that is lost, right? What if she fell down there? Scary to think about.

[He really shouldn’t be spreading that rumour... Some of the nearby mermaids are glaring...]

[E: WILDCARD]

[Got something else? Throw it down! Or message me at michrure for some plotting!]

b

[nogoldenmirror]

[... Well then, this certainly is something she did not expect to witness within the first thirty minutes of their arrival or so. She blinks, eyebrows slowly creeping up toward her hairline until-]

My. T'would seem some things do indeed slip past the barriers of culture.

[She could very well laugh for this man's ill fortune, had the thought of a certain drunk dwarf not immediately sprout to mind. The urge to snarl was almost difficult to ignore.]

Go on, shoo. T'is quite plain he has no interest in any of you.

steve rogers | group b

[valuedstrength]

arrival;

option a:

[The terror Steve feels when he sees that he is surrounded by water is absolute. If not for the quick appearance of their friend this might have been the thing to break his composure. It gives him something to focus on aside from the fact that he's in the water again. He hangs on every word as he feels his anxiety lessen significantly. By the end, the wildness has left those perfectly blue eyes of his. He very cautiously inhales and tries not to think of the burning pain it's brought him in the past.] Anyone know who this is? [Steve looks around to read the room for any sign of recognition.]

option b: [It takes a while for Steve to give up on making contact with his friends. He's not there yet. He's still trying to get in touch even as the minutes pass on. One of these people is like a brother to him, another a partner. He needs to know they are okay.] How's your watch working? [He asks the nearest person.]


spearfishing;

[Currency means stuff the group needs. Steve doesn't waste a second. He learns to fish in order to get those shells. When he finds out you can swap raw meat for seashells? He'll be doing that. He's got a coat to secure if those kind of things are made here. Thinking of how he's going to get that item for Tony, what he'll get for Buck, does a lot to take the edge off still being out of touch. Maybe he'll find that princess along the way too.

Feel free to catch him as he fishes!!]

arrival, b!

[televised]

[Like Steve, North has spent some time trying to communicate with those outside of their current group — to no avail. Her expression is already pinched from the get-go, but once her eyes slide over to him, it turns outright unpleasant. Almost like she's caught sight of something unexpectedly foul.]

It doesn't.

[Succinct and to the point.]

group c

[explosivo]

A.
[ wtf just happened...?? this is his first worldhop and it takes him by surprise, bakugou spends a moment trying to catch his bearings and adjusting to the fact that he isn't drowning. he's pretty athletic and decent at swimming, probably hasn't done so in a while much less staying submerged underwater like this... he squints at the brightly-colored coral fields. most other people would probably find this place beautiful or awe-inspiring or something...

he tests his voice underwater. ] Fuck. [ it manifests in a big bubble, mostly. and startles a lot of small fish near him, one of which nearly flees straight into a bigger fish and turns around last-minute and then stabs him with a spined fin-- ] FUCK--! [ GOD THAT HURTS and actually... shortly the wound starts to sting and go numb.

that can't be a good sign.

someone please help him, or don't. ]

B.
[ he's in the middle of examining some dead portion of reef--all right, he's not going to be some amazing detective or something and the thought of being dropped straight into water world to solve some cryptic ass mystery is so damn annoying but he's doing it--and then a chunk of coral hits him in the head.

WHAT was that.

he's very quickly distracted from the reef to whirl around and find the culprit, a trio of merpeople holding bats and looking simultaneously guilty and amused.

he tackles one of them straight in the stomach. and apparently it's a pretty decent move for a non-merperson so somehow he gets roped into the next game and, being the competitive idiot that he is, he totally gets into it. if you're nearby he might just tackle another mer-player straight out of bounds right into you, or hit another piece of coral right at you or... he's just a hazard to be around. ]

C. other!!
[ he can also be found idly watching the dolphins--looking, suspiciously enough, split between curiosity at wanting to give it a try and also thinking this looks silly as hell. or if you're struggling with swimming he'd probably help out or irritatedly show the basics in learning to swim. it's what a hero should do... HE SUPPOSES... depending on how much you're struggling he might have to hold back assholey laughter though.

or insert other scene/etc idea here...!! ]

a

[cmyk]

[ Yachi heard that second "fuck," and that's never a word that follows anything very good, her fears realized when she whirls around to see a mean-looking fish swim away, trail of red following in its wake.

Did she just witness a murder?

Wait, Hitoka, don't just assume he's dead, she tells herself, swimming up closer and trying to see if maybe it was the fish bleeding and not him and—

no, it's him. ]

You're- you're bleeding!! Wounds can't close if they're too wet! And the bacteria- in the water! if they get into the wound, you'll get sepsis and then you'll die!!

[ Thanks! That's not helpful! ]

Sheryl Nome | Group C

[fairysong]

[I: Dolphin Rides]

[Sheryl, who has transformed her clothes into a rather stylish bikini because of course she has, is making do underwater. She's pretty sure that the slightly salty water will do murder on her hair, but whatever, not much she can do about it now, right?

More frustrating: This colorful underwater wonderland is giving her so many ideas for lyrics, but she has nowhere to write them down. It's driving her nuts.

Something less frustrating, though, is these cool-looking sleek mammals. Sheryl's never seen anything like them before.

She is 100% going to race them.

So at some point underwater, one of the sleek cetaceans rushes up, sliding to a halt in front of you. On top it, riding high in the saddle is Sheryl, looking... a little frazzled. Certainly not as composed as she'd like to be.

But she catches herself quickly.] --well! That was fun!

[Her hair is a mess.] Have you tried these? I'll race you~

[II: Underwater Fashion]

[Like she's going to pass up the chance to accessorize!

Fortunately, it's very easy (relatively so) to get money when it's literally just lying on the ocean floor. So with a borrowed basket full of seashells, Sheryl's headed towards one of the mermaid marketplaces, and is eagerly perusing the wares.

She's not entirely sure what sort of fabrics they make them out of, but they've got an interesting, soft texture that almost feels weirdly organic to it. Strange!

Sheryl takes a dark green wrap with a slightly translucent tinge to it, and hooks it around her hips like a sarong, swimming a little up and down to see how it'll catch her legs; it seems pretty fine to her.] Oh, I think I like this...

You! How does it look on me? It looks good, right? [She says to you, poor innocent bystander minding their own business.]

[III: Darling It's Better, Down Where It's Wetter]

[More exciting than even the dolphins? The music. Sheryl'd heard some of them playing an interesting series of instruments-- a coral flute, some sort of drum made with kelp stretched over whale bones, and the like-- and had zoomed over there.

Best yet, now that she's heard these instruments, she's able to add them to the library she has in her power. And the mermaids seem delighted and fascinated by the fact that she can make music out of nowhere.

If she can't write down lyrics, she can at least jam.

The sound carries through the water, a rhythmic beat at first but then a lilting underwater melody that sounds almost tropical. If you follow the sound as best you can-- for hundreds of meters, since it carries quite far-- you'll find Sheryl in the middle of a kelp forest with three mermaid musicians, having an impromptu jam session. She's kind of doing the wordless Ariel singing thing, because she has no lyrics. It's fine.

Come join?]

[IV: Murmaider Murmaider Murmaider // Closed to Hei]

[It's a little late at night-- or so she thinks, but telling the exact passage of time is hard down here-- and Sheryl can't sleep. So eventually, she decides that she'll go for a swim, maybe see how the forest looks when it's darker for more inspiration.

After swimming for a minute or so, she hears what sound like voices coming from a little ways off. She's feeling nosy, of course, so she decides to head in that direction. Maybe other "agents" of the goddess?]

II

[algebro]

Huh?

[Sorry, Sho wasn't paying attention to the fashion show, though he was kind of interested in the stuff himself especially since he'd managed to make himself resemble the mermaids himself by making tentacles out of shadows.]

Eh. Ain't a fan of green. Otherwise I guess it's not bad. [SHRUGS.]

group c

[archaeo]

I. grand theft dolphin

[You're sitting somewhere, minding your business. Maybe you've already checked out the dolphins, maybe you haven't. Either way, you might notice Aphra riding towards you. She hops off the creature with a confident smile and gestures between you and it.]

One seashell. Two hours. Best price you're gonna find, trust me.

II. a mr. krabs joke would be more fitting here but (scrooge voice) me number one dime

[The good doctor's been very busy collecting shells with honest, hard work! No illegal dolphin businesses, no baseball gambling rings, nothing of the sort. But for whatever reason, she's in a rush to get to her next scheme and she swims right into someone! Her basket tips over and out float countless shining shells, whatever's the rarest and worth the most.]

Whoops! Ha, I really am clumsy, huh... [she says as she quickly gathers up her spilled loot.] Wait, get out of the way! That one's floating behind you! [Regardless, Aphra pushes her way towards the stray shell because yes, she needs all of them.]

III. seacats

[If you go shopping for mermaid textiles, you will either see Aphra carrying her pet cat in a newly bought baby sling, or making him try on little outfits. This is what her shell fortune is going towards and it is absolutely worth it.]

II

[algebro]

[Sho has made himself into an octopus man, so like, movement down here is a little easier, but even BETTER is that when he gets run into by people with valuables who then SPILL said valuables, it makes it real easy to scoop the person right up, which he does when she tries to barrel past him.

He snatches the shell out of the water, grinning at her as he grabs it.]

Oh, what've we got here?

You really falling for this economy based on shells?

GROUP C

[algebro]

1. Arrival

[This is his first world-hop, but like... not the first time he's switched planes or whatever so Sho isn't nearly as off-put by the transportation as he is by suddenly being underwater. But like, he's a Reaper! Or an ex-Reaper? Whatever he is, he hasn't been alive for a little bit so he shouldn't be able to drown, right? Right.

Which makes the not-actually-drowning almost MORE disorienting. It's not like he's ever tried drowning in Shibuya.]

Alright. This is fine.

[He's obviously lying. He's gotta hold his hat on and that's annoying, but he GUESSES it's time to explore this place. If he can find a bit of shadowed area, Sho pulls them around his body to create 'legs' that are more suitable for the situation. His regular legs are still in there somewhere but hey. If he can avoid some extra work in moving around, he's GOING to.]

Hey! If this isn't your first time doing this, care to explain a little?

2. Arts and Crafts

[Well this place is nice enough and the mermaids are a change of pace... Normally, Sho would want to make big junk piles to espress his inner artistic vision, but right here and now... there are a lot of nice things to string together in any number of ways. Inspired by the mermaids(and frankly, trying to impress them, let's be honest), Sho manages to make a pile of rocks, stacked tastefully, because that's mostly his art style, alright? Usually, it's not quite this neat, but he's lacking in vending machines, file cabinets, and cars down here. He's gotta do something a little more to make things stand out.]

With the currents, it ain't gonna last long, so. Guess you should take a picture or commit it to memory while it's here.

3. Sushi

[After making his tasteful rock pile, Sho just went around gathering up broken shells. The intact ones seemed to be a currency on their own, but the broken ones made for more good art, and can be found trading with some of the mermaids, mostly for clothing that would... not float so much underwater. And some way to keep his hat connected to him so he wouldn't have to keep too much of a hold on it.

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, he's trading for food because frankly, Sho Minamimoto isn't a hunter. He's a city kid and he's better at making weird decorations from broken junk than he is at living off of the land. But now he's just got like a whole fish.]

Now what?

[The mermaids seem pretty chill about just eating it, and like, sushi is a thing he GETS, but a whole fish isn't the same thing.]

Anyone got a knife? And the ability to gut a fish? And possibly a way to cook it underwater? Ugh.

3

[dipolar]

(thankfully hei's willing to help out the individuals as long as it benefits him and gutting fish for seashells readily falls into that category. this isn't his first rodeo; he's been eating raw fish all day so it'll be a fun challenge to try and cook one. here's to hoping they don't get mercury poisoning by the end of their two week binge.)

Give it over, (hei demands, difficult to hear when everything's muted and his voice runs soft,) if you've got shells, I can do something about that.

(the snap of his fingers is louder, easily cutting through the water. over here, sho.)

aerith gainsborough 🌱 group a

[inheritedearth]

( a. cooking mermama )

[This is the first time Aerith has been subject to a jump between worlds since joining the Circle— and whatever she might have expected after hearing stories about the previous jumps, it wasn't this. Simply put, as jarring as it is to go from the Temple of Beginnings to Akvos, Aerith is absolutely swept away by the novelty of being in an underwater palace full of mermaids— not mermaids the way she'd always imagined them in stories, because of course the reality is different, but mermaids all the same. There's some distress over the technical difficulties she seems to be experiencing with her smartwatch, particularly when she realizes that Zack is nowhere to be found— but she's among other familiar faces, some of whom are missing people important to them, as well, and eventually it becomes clear that there's nothing to be done but focus on the task at hand.

The task that presents itself happens to be looking for information regarding the curious disappearance of Akvos' princess. Aerith takes the time to talk with the investigators already on the job, and decides that the lead that seems the most promising is the the princess' favorite restaurant— where, through a series of events she still doesn't quite understand, she finds herself roped into working in the kitchen. Oh well, at least she's getting paid? None of them are in any position to turn down shells, and maybe if she lingers here long enough, she'll hear something of interest.

Unfortunately, it's hard to hear anything when she's stuck in the kitchen, where some of the regular staff have picked up on her talent for cooking and quickly put her to work assisting the chef. The moment she sees another Circle member who's also decided to help out pass by, she'll lean over and attempt to get their attention with a very unsubtle 'psst,' jerking her head towards the door leading out to the dining area.]

Hey, have you heard anything about the princess out there? Other than how wonderful she is— I've asked a few of the people who work here when the last time they saw her was, but nobody can seem to give me an exact number of days.

[Surely some eavesdropping will have to turn up something.]

( b. cultural studies )

[If they're going to be spending any amount of time in this world, then it only seems prudent to learn something about it. Once Aerith makes her way to the library, she spends a good five minutes watching the octo-librarians with interest before moving on to examine the volumes collected on the shelves— there are enough books and scrolls here that it's hard to know where to start, but she settles on pulling a few different books on the history of Akvos from the shelves, tucking them under one arm as she proceeds to seek out a place to sit and leaf through them.]

I wonder how all of these books avoid being water-damaged...

[They can't be made out of paper as she knows it, can they? She's nearly reached the end of the aisle when she spots a more colorful volume on display, smaller and lighter-looking than the historical tomes she'd already collected, and when she gets close enough to get a better look at the cover, her smile hitches to one side.]

They have comic books?

[Maybe she'll just help herself to that, too— it seems worth a look. She's here to study the culture, after all.]

( c. wildcard )

[Something else in mind? Go for it, or hit me up at necrofancy if you'd like to work something out together!]

b

[apocryphas]

[ Unlike Aerith, who actually has good reasons for being inside the library, Mordred just kind of stumbled upon it during some of her restless wandering. This world is oddly interesting, but at the same time, she's not exactly seeing anything fun yet.

That's about to change. ]

Did you say "comic book"?

[ She speaks from the other side of the aisle, and only shows her face when she takes a couple books out of the shelf to create a small window to the other side, where she can see Aerith. ]

That's the stuff with the pictures in it, right?

morrigan | dragon age | group b

[nogoldenmirror]

A. The Sinkhole

[Morrigan swears. Well, at least it could probably be taken as a swear, considering the tone of which she speaks. Cold, dark, and caverns! Underwater caverns, at that. Ugh, why this?]

And just as I thought nothing could be any drearier or more unnerving than the Deep Roads.

[Is this her new lot in life? Contantly being thrown to the sealions and expected to swim despite everything she ever knew being thrown into question? She taps at her watch and frowns. She'd just started to get the hang of this contraption and, of course, it breaks. It's almost as if her partner's luck has rubbed off on her.

She bats a dead fish away from her face as it floats by. Of course there would be that. Why not? May as well add a water serpent on this shitty seafood sundae.]

I don't suppose you have any bright ideas?

[Oh look, a joke. She groans at the realization. She truly had been around Alistair for far too long. Though something shining in the low light catches her eye. She swims down and wraps fingers gently around the small seashell. Huh. If nothing else, it is pretty. Hopefully no one comments on the odd fascinated glimmer in her eye.]

B. Spear(?)fishing?

[While she can't say fishing with a spear is exactly something she is familiar with, the overly long shaft of the tool was almost a familiar comfort to her. Living in the Wilds as she had for her entire life (until recently), she was no stranger in the need to catch one's own food. Though she also had lightning or ice magic to help with that, or an animal form. She'd been particularly fond of stalking prey as a wolf, of fishing as a bear.

T'would seem even here, she did not have that luxury. So there she waited, patiently waiting for one fish in particular to get close, but was too slow and missed. Barely. Her eyes flash a golden brown before she closes them, takes a breath and gets ready to try again.

Alternatively, one could instead come across her just as she grew annoyed enough that she lunges forward, leaving the spear behind as cloth and leather give way to gray fur and claws. A large fish's head trapped within jaws as a wolf stares with pride. Serves the fish right, in her mind.

...Yes, she realizes that she'll have to practice more with the spear. Let her have her moment.]


C. wildcard!

[Something else come to mind? (Because, let's be honest, she'll likely do something to wind up in the depths.) Go for it or feel free to poke me at twilitfall or on discord! I'm open to most things. :3 ]

B.

[moneytwin]

[ Even when missing the mark, Morrigan came far closer to getting the fish that the armored bear a short distance away. There's frustrated grumbling from him too, even as jaws snap and miss their targets entirely, much to the amusement of his 'mother'.

That transformation thought? THAT gets Vex's attention, and both ranger and her bear watch for a minute before slowly floating closer. ]

That's certainly one way of doing it. [a beat] I don't recommend biting those weird dead ones, though.

GROUP A

[theseuschip]

i. arrival

[ Another cryptic message from a new stranger asking them to combat a mysterious darkness? Of course. Underwater? Again? Of course. Why wouldn’t it be? Why wouldn’t they be underwater for a month??

To those familiar with Earthly deep-sea diving equipment, Simon looks pretty at home down here, save for the glowing red eyes that function as about the only indication that the person in the darkened interior of the helmet isn’t just some guy in a suit. He’s not buoyant enough to float, but unlike the heavier androids, he pretty much looks... like he’s walking on land. Pretty much exactly like that.

He’s better off than a lot of the Circle, which becomes obvious when he starts actually seeing people around. Be it panicking because you’re fighting your every human instinct in order to inhale underwater or just struggling against the currents, when he passes somebody who looks like they’re having trouble they’ll capture his attention; he’ll even head after them while he’s trying to ascertain what the problem is. ]

Hey, you okay?

[ it’s a very normal voice, for a dingy robot person who appears to have crawled out of a centuries-old submarine wreckage to haunt the living. ]

ii. library

[ “Save the princess” is not only a worthwhile goal, it’s way less abstract than “stop the mass stormicide of this planet”. Which is great.

But also... there are books here. Real books. Comic books, even. On shelves. None of them are familiar, authors or titles, but Simon will take it.

And the octopus librarian is happy to help the swimming-impaired who can’t reach the top shelves! By their powers combined, they are: two stacks of books on a table (one of which is all comics) and another, significantly taller, under Simon’s chin (or whatever), suspended between himself and the shelf. He’s basically the person who opened the cupboard after you shoved the falling pots and pans in and shut the doors really fast. Except not really, he did it to himself. ]

Look, thanks, but can you take some of these off the top?

[ helpfully, cephalopod assistant takes two books off a half-empty top shelf and adds it to Simon’s precarious Jenga tower. ]

No, I’m trying to— forget it. I don’t even know if you can understand me.

[ hepl ]

iii. investigation

[ None of the items the investigators have suggested the Circle find are turning up. Being in the restaurant and finding out nobody knows anything there either isn’t as disappointing as it could be, since Simon’s unclear on how any of this is supposed to help them. ]

None of these clues make any sense.

[ He’s now just visibly trying to dodge mermaids. It’s hard to say whether he’s getting weirder treatment or less weird treatment than the Circle members who look overtly male, but it makes it slightly easier to hide from it. ]

But if we didn’t find the harpoon, maybe she has it, wherever she is. [ he’s being optimistic ok. ]

iv. wildcard

[ if you want to modify a prompt, hit me! a custom prompt, hmu! we can plot at honchkrow! ]

I

[eyeofassault]

[G11 is a lighter android model compared to most. It helps with convincing others to give her piggyback rides. But under the water, the tide drags her around , pushing her this way and that. She would be horribly frustrated if not for the fact that her neural cloud is overwhelmed from the sudden switch from land to sea.

Simon's essentially the last straw since he looks so much like a military grade robot from home. As she's floating by uselessly, a strangled collection of bubbles pops out from her mouth before G11 mumbles to herself:]

Uuuuu...can't go home...Why me?

Group B | OTA

[pidgeypidge]

Welcome to the Fishbowl

It’s a little disorienting to find herself suddenly in a massive cavern when she knows she was still at the temple a moment ago. Before she can properly process that, the message comes over her watch, and she’s just sort of staring at it for a second. This must be the world jump they’d been told about.

No big deal.

Except she was never counting on anything like this.

When the message ends, Pidge is frowning.

She has more questions than answers, and somehow she doubts she’s going to find the answers in this cavern. The man in the message wasn’t familiar at all, and by this point she’s realized that none of her friends are in the group she’s arrived with.

“Quiznak.”

Spear Fishing

Admittedly, this isn’t something she’s ever tried before. Or even considered before. She’s never been particularly interested in camping or fishing or anything terribly nature-oriented. In fact, it’s only after visiting a certain planet with a certain green lion that she’s even shown much interest in anything outside of her laptop or some other tech.

This, though, seems like something that might be useful to learn. And the fact that the friendly looking mermaid is willing to teach them (and exchange shells for anything they catch) just sweetens the deal.

So she doesn’t even hesitate in approaching the aforementioned mermaid, an easy smile on her face. “Hi! I’m uh… here to help!”

Tunnels

So maybe it’s not the best idea to go poking around the tunnels by herself, but that’s what she’s going to do. If someone wants to tag along, she’s not going to stop them, but for the most part, Pidge is just fine with doing things on her own. She’s been trying to keep an eye out for people she knows because being separated from her friends from home is not her favorite thing.

The tunnels prove to be mostly uneventful, though she’ll be the first to admit that being pushed along by the current is pretty fun. She spends a fair amount of time just allowing the currents to take her where they will, before ultimately getting bored and going off to find something better to do. Still, she’s smiling when it’s all over, so it’s safe to assume she had fun.

The Sinkhole

Sure, they’ve been warned off from trying to explore too far down. But generally speaking, Pidge isn’t going to let something like that deter her from something she really wants to do.

Except she really doesn’t want to try and poke around this thing all on her own. She’s at least smart enough to realize that she might need help.

So she’s mostly been hovering near the top, poking around to see what she can see. After a while, she gets braver and pushes a little deeper despite the cold and the ice and the dead fish.

Eventually, she’ll shift gears, and head back up to try and find someone to rope into exploring with her.

“Hey! C’mere~”

There’s no way this can end badly.

Wildcard

[I'll match format (prose or brackets). Feel free to hit me with something completely random if none of the above strike your fancy~ Pidge is pretty open to poking around anywhere and everywhere, so go nuts!]

Welcome to the Fishbowl

[a_sharp_wit]

The arrival is certainly enough to take one's breath and senses briefly away. Or at least given them a good tumble. Elizabeth is not too far off from Pidge and after a moment of adjustment, she notes the younger looking woman. She must be around Lydia's age, Elizabeth thinks.

She approaches her, looking a bit bemused... and amused too. "I am afraid I do not know the word but by the tone I might agree with the sentiment."

Elizabeth herself is here in rather modern wear. A blouse, a set of capri slacks and loafers, she certainly doesn't look her era. The only somewhat old fashioned thing might be her hairdo, the length wrangled into a bun but with the side ringlets framing her face still intact.

Group D

[spaceforged]

Messages and darkness

['Take care, because you know not what your actions do.’

The message from Kathashun has been sitting in the back of Shiro’s mind since he heard it. It stirs up old ghosts. He’s been in the dark before as the darkness closed in and he couldn’t even trust his own mind. That had nearly ended in tragedy. The local people hadn’t known much about Kathashun or Jalin but he’d heard them both and their descriptions got notice. Somewhere out there Jalin got his wish to travel.

He drifts closer to runes set in the wall. Just like Kathashun to place his warnings in carefully hidden places. He changes back to his human shape and brushes his fingers just above the runes.]

‘Whatever is seeping into this planet...’ So you don’t know what it is. [It’s up to them to avert a possible disaster. Find the Princess. He turns to anyone who is nearby, his grey eyes fixing on them.] Did you find anything else? …Kathashun seemed like a practical man, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is all we get for now.

A possible lead

[This is the second world with some kind of sickness. He doesn’t like it. It could be whatever is seeping into this world isn’t a sickness. But he remembers what Astoria said about the plague. He makes note of it. Whenever he can get in contact with everyone else other than their small group…he’ll pose the theory to them. The Merfolk don’t mind him coming with them to observe and collect the dimmer jellyfish.

The first thing he notices is they’re about the same as other jellyfish. He pokes one with the tool after warning them he was going to. It responds about the same. Same reaction time.]

…are you sure they’re sick? What if something is drawing their energy from them? [The darkness around them feels odd. It isn’t a void but natural light doesn’t seem to cut through it. He activates his hand. Blue light races through the metal under his paladin armor and suffuses his whole arm from forearm up. For a moment it works then the darkness closes back in.]

The Lion is blue tonight

[Accidents happen. Collecting samples was never his strong suit. He’d held tools and equipment for scientists but that’s as far as his space piloting career let him go in that area. The jellyfish aren’t difficult to collect. It’s kind of mindless once you get a good rhythm going. In combat or flight, he can change tactics and gears on the fly. Not so much when doing work like this.

One stubborn jellyfish refuses to go where he needs it to go. He seeks to move it with the tool. Big mistake. It wraps around his wrist and goes for broke on trying to sting him. He hisses in pain and uses the opportunity to move it where it needs to go. It refuses to let go. he sighs.

He’ll have to pry it off. His body bursts into purple light and reshapes itself into a truck-sized metal lion with wings jutting up from its back. The creature is dislodged and he blasts it with a roar, the sound sending it in the right direction. He drops his head to snag the tools that fell from his changing hands and notices his lion foreleg is glowing.

Soft blue.]

…Really?

Lost in the wild.

[Wildcard option, hit me with stuff!]

a lead

[nifties]

[ john makes a hmmm sound like he's considering shiro's suggestion. ]

Like a psychic vampire or a succubus? Could be, they do traditionally congregate around bodies of water. But if it were something like that, they'd be moving onto bigger game before long.

[ aka them ]

GROUP A;

[juniberries]

princess seeking princess;
[water may be her lion's element, but even still it took Allura a bit longer than she liked to get used to breathing underwater and finding her literal sea legs. what was stranger was the man addressing them, not Astoria, but...their mission is clear.

find the Princess.

and so, Princess Allura seeks to do just that.

it's just...too bad that the one viable source of information given to her proved a fruitless endeavor: the restaurant staff, while helpful in serving her a meal that had far too many tentacles than she'd like to have consumed, was a somewhat dead end as far as knowing where the Princess could have head off to. no word of enemies, little knowledge beyond the Princess's favourite dish and how marvelous she is. and so Allura frowns, deep in thought with her arms crossed, floating a bit as she thinks. she looks to her device, tapping at its screen, and then letting out a bubble of a frustrated sigh when the watch continues to refuse to work, growing concerned for her friends who she's not seen hide nor hair of.

a call from a vendor with her cart full of rather intricate jewelry catches Allura's eye, and her thoughts turn to the Princess's haircomb. might as well...comb through the shopkeepers, see if they know anything.

unfortunately, she half tries to walk, half swims, and thus it has her accidentally stumbling into someone.]

Oh! [a gasp. and then remembering she can breath and speak just fine.] I apologize! I still cannot get the hang of this.


swim lessons;
[she's on her tenth lap around Queen Wai's palace when it finally dawns on her, out of breath, hair fanning messily out of her bun, that the Royal Guard who seemed so eager to find help from her were actually playing a prank.

out of breath, exhausted, and entirely too angry to swim back to give the Guard's what for, Allura instead quits her impromptu swim practice to explore the palace proper. it doesn't take her long to find the library, large and sprawling and impressive, she looses her sense of anger to put her mind back to the task at hand, and a bit of research could always help.

it's important to get to know the world, after all, its politics, its enemies, its history-- she's been raised well, and it feels like this is really something she needs to invest her all in.

spotting a familiar face (or someone clearly from the Circle), she swims up to them, looking over a shoulder curiously to see what they may have picked up in their own research.]

Find anything interesting?


a wild card appears;
[ooc: feel free to serve up a starter of your own!]

swim lessons!!!!

[cargoed]

[ if lance had noticed any earlier, he may have offered to...well. not help, necessarily, because he knows the princess doesn't really need help. but he would have at least clued her in a little earlier that the guards weren't exactly being helpful. but as it stands, he doesn't notice, and is instead taking way too much time to enjoy the fact he is DEFINITELY on top of his game here.

a water bender? under water civilization? um, yes.

so it's actually lance who ends up swimming up behind her, pushing a little faster through the water with his ability to propel himself at a greater distance. he comes to a slow halt right above her, turning around to see her frustratedly looking back to where the guards were stations, doing his best to hide his grin. ]

You alright there, Princess?

GROUP C

[extirpator]

SURVIVAL...UNDERWATER

[ regardless of how well he might know you, nier is hellbent on procuring enough fish for the group as a whole — he approaches you with what can only be described as a shish kabob of fish driven through his katana. ]

Hey. [ he speaks gently. ] Have you eaten? We're in foreign territory — it's important to keep your energy levels high. I've got some dried fruit on me too.

YEEHAW

[ dolphin racing. classic. it's not much different from a boar, he thinks — albeit smaller and much slippier. he observes their tradition wordlessly and before he knows it, he's straddling a dolphin, whirling around at max velocity.

he stops in front of you, full force, like a car that's at risk of running you over. ]

Need to get somewhere? I can give you a ride.

C BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A TITLE FOR THIS

[ these mermaids are relentless. maybe they're hassling you, maybe they're hassling nier, maybe it's both.

nier raises his hands, palms facing forward, eyes shifting from side to side. ]

Sorry, I...already have someone...?

[ god please help him. ]

WILDCARD

[ hit me with anything. seriously. ]

survival... at night

[archaeo]

[She gives him a look. Then his fish. Then him again.]

How much?

GROUP C

[downsizes]

sos, save our swords

[So there's one very important problem with the whole 'being underwater' thing: even if he can't feel his usual connection to it and its condition won't affect his body, Hizamaru's sword is still him, and he absolutely won't stand for letting it get damaged like this. He immediately finds a mermaid carrying a metallic-looking weapon, and it's clear enough even from a distance what he's asking about: he's gesturing between their weapon and his own, then around at all the water surrounding them. After they nod and answer, he bows and quickly heads off-- it's seashell collecting time.]

Excuse me-

[He holds up a seashell, inspecting it curiously. This is really currency, huh...]

Have you found a faster way to collect these?

[metal protection is his first priority, there's zero time to waste.]

sportsball 1

[Once that's taken care of, though, Hizamaru is a little more free to just look around and explore... and watch the mermaids' local sport. This kind of game isn't something he has personal experience with, but he's a fast learner with some observation and a little practice. It's much easier to look at it as a battle against them, to form a strategy that way--

And he's actually pretty into it, not to mention decent at evaluating their positions. Hizamaru keeps a close eye on the game, calling out the occasional order on where to hit and when to move.]

Move quickly after the next hit-!

[Or, you know, tell him he's not the boss of you and play however you want, tbh.]

sportsball 2

[There's a point in one round of the game, though, where it looks for a moment like he means to call out one of those orders to someone who isn't there. He turns to the side, starting to say something, then realizes there's an empty space and stops short.

He's wide open if you're on the opposing side and want to take advantage, or if you're on the same one and want to remind him to pay attention or anything.]

sword saving!!

[lonered]

[Keith has given up shaking his communicator and cursing it for not working, has tried to tamp down the greater part of his worry about where the rest of his team and friends are, and well. He's exploring.

So when he's spoken to, he actually is paying attention.]

Not really... a lot of people seem interested in them. What do you need them for?

[Please tell him, because he gets the whole sword protection thing -- his is currently strapped to his back as well.]