hadriel_logs | Intro Log: Fly, My Pretties!

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Intro Log: Fly, My Pretties!

What: The intro log for May
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: May 10th-14th
Warnings: Flying monkeys! New friends! Prosthetic limbs!

Here in Hadriel, we do introductions right. That means dumping you on the ground of an old Roman-style Colosseum with a bunch of scary monsters and also a bunch of weird shit. Your monster of the day happens to be Winged Monkeys, more commonly known as flying monkeys, from the Wizard of Oz and affiliated stories!

As you may have been able to guess, these creatures can fly and they're rather intelligent- intelligent enough to wield spears and daggers as crude weapons and strong enough to pick someone right up off the ground and fly with them to a perch, where they'll... you know, stab them with their knives and stuff.

Why? We don't know. It's Hadriel.

Just in case you lose a couple of limbs in the process of escaping these critters, we've got you covered. Scattered around the newbies are prosthetic limbs for various body parts. These limbs are all fully functional, even if they look a bit... odd, so if you've lost an arm or two, or a leg, or even a pinkie finger, feel free to grab one and try to figure out how to use it!

Good job dealing with those monkeys! It's kind of a weird thing to be threatening, but clearly someone was afraid of them once. Once you're done, you can explore the rest of the city! Find a house, a new monster, a project to help with, or simply scavenge for supplies. Good luck, and enjoy your stay in Hadriel!

► This log covers May 10th-14th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well!
► All characters arrive with phones that have network communication and the newbie guide installed.
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!

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Skin that fair would certainly burn. He's seen foreigners complain of and redden under the Cephea's sun, as well. And, as the young man moves closer, he realizes that he's younger than Ianchus had expected--just tall for his age.

"I read about the sun in the introductory letter...the guide? But I suppose I haven't experienced it for myself. Maybe I'll develop a taste for the colder ones, in time."

"Oh? You must be new. You'll become aware of this planet's intense dual suns and nigh endless days soon enough."

Yusuke sounds a bit grumpy about it, too -- the shift to a new planet really can't come fast enough. He seems to decide the temperature isn't too unbearable, however, because he sheds his towel and slips into the water, speaking up again only after he's settled.

"Ah... I've been here for around eight months, now, so if you have any questions unanswered in the welcoming documents, I can try to answer."

"It's quite a lot to take in, isn't it. My mind's still reeling from it all."

Once he's made sure his companion is settled, Ianchus slides himself down, so that he's immersed up to his neck; it's almost hard to breathe like this, but it certainly feels wonderful.

"Gods walking among us, feeding on emotions...It's like something out of a fantastical story."

Yusuke is wincing a bit at the temperature as he settles, but he knows his body will adjust to the temperature soon enough. And if not, well... Perhaps the conversation will prove a distraction.

"Another thing you'll soon learn is that they're gods in name only. They're neither omniscient nor omnipotent, and they can be killed. Some liken them more to parasites than to deities. For myself... I simply think of them as beings that are not human."

"I suppose that can make it easier to deal with. Makes it more neutral, yes?" And there are already beings he's seen that aren't human but are sentient; the monkeys from the coliseum, for one.

He's certainly open to that.

"May I ask what it's like when they, ah..." He thinks about the particular wording from the Newbie Guide. "...feed on you?"

"Most of the time, we're unaware that it's happening. There are no sensations, no discomfort." He shifts, resting an arm against the edge of the spring, and frowns.

"Then there are other times, when they take a more proactive approach in manipulating us for whatever emotion they seek to elicit. Providing facilities to generate feelings of joy, or even extreme measures, like reverting us to our childhood selves in order to generate feelings of hope... Then, other times, their effects on us are less intentional. When Sorrow was resurrected, the entire city fell into misery and regret..."

He sighs. "On the whole, they try to take care of us, and we in turn help them in order to survive. But it is rather difficult to shake feeling kept like livestock, or like a living battery."

"I appreciate the answers. I suppose I'll find out more for myself in time."

Ianchus can tell that this isn't the most pleasant conversation for the young man, and while he appreciates the information, he doesn't want to keep pressing his company. He'll remember what the other said, though. Maybe he'll be able to find out more later.

"I'm sorry, I didn't get your name...?"

It's probably not the most pleasant introduction to Hadriel, but then, Yusuke isn't one to sugarcoat matters. He might as well hear an honest opinion from the outset.

"My name is Yusuke Kitagawa. And yourself?"

"Ianchus Cepheos. It's...ah, I suppose the circumstances aren't the best. But under said circumstances, it's a pleasure."

He fixes him with a gentle smile.
"At least springs like these can be refreshing?"

"True. Hot springs are one of the few things here that remind me of home, so I try to enjoy them when I can."

He offers a reserved smile of his own in return.

"Is your world anything like this?"

"My world...had some places like these--hot and sandy, I mean, but never with two suns. My old home had bathhouses with water boiled and pumped in, and I've run into a hot spring in the wild once or twice, ones like this are a rare treat."

Ianchus sits up again, taking a deep breath and enjoying how much cooler the air feels on the skin that was submerged before then.

"And yours?"

"My world also has a single sun, but my country isn't nearly as hot as this one, even in the height of summer. It's renowned for its bathhouses and hot springs, however... Residing in a volcanic country allows such a thing to be possible."

He tips his head back and closes his eyes briefly. Even for an artist who professes to have few attachments to the world, he can't help but feel homesick when he talks about it like this. So, he tries to add a more positive note--

"Recently, we've been conducting a vote on where the city might relocate next. With any luck, we'll arrive in a landscape less unforgiving than this one."

A vote? He might need to look for more information about that...the concept seems almost absurd to him, but the chance to control one's destiny is a valuable one, no matter what form it comes in.

"Volcanic! How fascinating. But the mineral springs must be lovely, then."

Ianchus tries to imagine what it must be like to live in the shadow of something that can destroy everything at a moment's notice. Or, ah, too morbid?

"My country was almost entirely made up of islands. I'm not used to having so little water around."

Yusuke looks over at him, surprised. "Oh? One of the choices of the vote was an oceanic world. It would be lucky for you, if that choice were the most popular in the vote. For myself, I don't truly mind where our final destination is, so long as it's somewhere beautiful."

Ianchus can't help sit up, his eyes wide, and then has to laugh at his own overeagerness, settling down again.

"That would be amazing. I do love the ocean." He closes his eyes, imagining it. "All the seas I've seen have been beautiful. Sunlight pooled on waves, water so clear you can see schools of fish passing under a boat. Even storms, frightening as they are, have their draw, with the way lightning shatters through the dark cloud cover."

Yusuke smiles; he can imagine it easily, himself, with a picture of words painted so vividly.

"That sounds wonderful. I've been to the beach in my country, and to a group of tropical islands known as Hawaii... but I feel like even there, it wasn't so enjoyable when we simply did the same things and spent time with the same people as at home. Here, it would undoubtedly be different... I might even find excellent opportunities for painting."

"Oh?" Ianchus tilts his head at Yusuke, glancing the young man up and down once more.

"Painting? Are you an artist?"

"That's correct," he nods. "Though my ability to paint has been somewhat constrained by circumstances in Hadriel, supply shortages being a significant problem for a long while... I am a student of fine art, back in my own world."

"Impressive!"

For all the people he's met, he hasn't met many artists before. Oh, Carrah had a bustling community of sculptors and painters, but he never really passed through those circles.

"Ah, but I imagine it would be difficult to get paint here, wouldn't it..." He thinks on the dilemma, but can't imagine an answer. An artist! "What do you enjoy painting?"

Yusuke shifts in the water, tapping his chin as he thinks. "My foremost source of inspiration is a traditional portrait, but I do not restrict myself to simply that. Abstract modern art, landscapes, life drawings... I like to capture anything and anyone that garners my attention, in whatever style most befits the piece."

Ianchus tries to imagine, but he has no concept of abstract art, and he hasn't had much experience with paintings in general. He's glanced at them before, even had a few made of him (though no doubt those are long destroyed by now) but it's not something he's ruminated on like he has prose.

Still, he likes to hear people speaking of their passions. It's how he learns, and besides--it's quite charming.

"I'd love to see your paintings sometime," he responds with a smile.

"I've accumulated a few here. I keep most of them in the apartment I've been staying in; if you like, you're welcome to visit sometime."

He's sure Akira wouldn't mind a guest, at any rate, when it's someone who seems both kind and enthusiastic about art.

Ianchus nods eagerly.

"That would be wonderful! I've never met an artist in person before. Or...not like this at least. Such an informal atmosphere."

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Intro Log: Fly, My Pretties!

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