June Aftermath: Magic Lantern Strange

[lifeaftr_mods]

JUNE AFTERMATH: MAGIC LANTERN STRANGE

Who: Everyone!
What: A celebration!
When: Evening of June 21st, and well into morning
Where: Ensō, E3 and E4
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Slide the Light Off You
As promised, the evening of the 21st finds the Jormun hosting a party on Ensō's largest beachfront. Near immediately, it should be clear that they've spared absolutely no expense when it comes to showing their story-walker brethren a good time.

Of course, they may also be...showing off a little. The stalls and comfortable seating supplied around multiple firepits appears to be a mishmash of Jormun built contraptions and items requested from the Storyteller- many may be delighted to see the variety of beach cushions and blankets, items the Jormun will be happy to let their story-walker friends take home at the end of the festivities. A veritable smorgasbord of food and drink is also readily available, from the kid-friendly options of brrshavak (a spicy drink with a taste akin to liquified chili pepper) and molkavarr (a rich chocolaty broth) to the alcoholic rakvrhak (a rich wine that tastes oddly plumlike). Do be warned, however, that the last is incredibly potent.

Large slabs of driftwood have been laid out to form impromptu tables, bristling with the Jormun's culinary expertise: fried squid, seaweed wraps, spicy pickled kelp, kebabs of roasted eel, hard-boiled snapling eggs, and so on. The vegetables and meats of the sea have been laid out for all to enjoy, so tuck in!

Throughout the evening the air will be filled with the sound of music, with multiple Jormun eager to show off their skill in instrumentation. Conch-shell horns, carved driftwood flutes, urchin-needle harps, and countless more contraptions engineered by a deep sea-dwelling people fill the air with the most peculiar but nonetheless not unpleasant sound. Most of the bands will be set up in the shallow waters, however, as their instruments are not made to be used in open air - try playing them above the surface of the water at your own risk.

Of course, there's plenty more to entertain even the most difficult of people.

You're Living the Strobe Light
Those interested in proving their strength and skill will be encouraged to enter one of the many tournaments across the shoreline. The tournaments vary, featuring such challenges as play fights with the schlacknorkcvic to prove who is the greatest warrior, timed events to see who can stay on a bucking tigershark for the longest, and even a tourney of brovonkosshk, a board game somewhat similar to chess. Don't see anything you're interested in? Make your own. If you can think it, the Jormun will happily accommodate it - impromptu challenges are the highlight of such evenings, after all, though the Jormun won't be taking any responsibility for the first poor soul that decides to usher in a drinking contest.

A small variety of walker games are also available. Jormun children are more than eager to play such games as hide-and-seek or red light, green light, while Connor Murphy will be bringing his Cards Against Humanity deck, for those ready to completely screw with the idea of a fourth wall. There's even a game of Spin the Bottle... except the bottle is being spun overhead like a mace. Being hit by said bottle requires you to do a stupidly ridiculous task, so perhaps it's best to avoid that particular adaptation...

And of course, there's the lightshow.

As mentioned previously, the main show of the evening is the show of brssticca: bursts of magical light beneath the water that will put any fireworks show to shame. The lights are safe to wade and swim through, do keep in mind that the phosphorescent algae tends to cling to the skin. And should you reach into those spiraling, fluorescent nebulae of patterns beneath the surface, some of the configurations of light may abruptly shatter like broken glass.

Additionally, skilled Jormun will be happy to assist those who care to dress up for the event with intricate applications of shellivthiss - a style of waterproof body paint that is not only bright, but luminescent. Something the Jormun may forget to mention, however, is how similar shellivthiss is to henna; should you decide to get all dolled up, except to shine bright light a diamond for weeks to come.

Lastly, those who wanted to bring their own adventures are welcome to as well! Supplying some dope roast? Bringing those sweet, sweet greens? Have some alcohol to supply? All is welcomed by the Jormun - and undoubtedly, your fellow adventurers as well.

You May Find Some Peace
Feeling a tad adrift? Make sure to check the OOC Event Post, which has details regarding the event timeline!

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( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[counterblows]

You yield?

[His breathing isn’t quite labored, but it’s sharp and athletic, and he’s not about to slow down. Yield, he beseeches mentally, as of the sheer force of the thought alone might somehow encourage Jaune to do exactly that.]

[aurabble]

No.

[His eyes narrow; he's making this far more dramatic than it needs to be.]

I'll never yield. [But he isn't...moving either.]

[counterblows]

[Wash considers that.]



[Then, he shrugs.]

Okay.

[One fully armored space marine aiming to knock the legs out from under you one last time, coming your way!!!]

[aurabble]

Crap-

[There go his legs. Jaune pants on the ground, the light of his aura surrounding the injured areas and fizzling out before they can fully heal. He looks confused, no longer accustomed to moving with any lingering pain, but...whatever. He's not giving up just yet and tries to stand back up in time before the match can end.]

[counterblows]

[Wash’s eyes narrow behind the visor of his helmet, eyeing the glow as it coils up around the kid’s legs and then abruptly fades. Whatever it is, maybe he shouldn’t be too concerned; maybe it evens the playing field some.]

[Then again, maybe not.]

[He spins and swings, trying to keep Jaune down.]

[aurabble]

[That's so weird. Why aren't they hea--

That's certainly a staff aimed to knock him down again. Jaune tries to be graceful about it, doing a midair backflip, when the incoming staff smacks him right in the forehead, sending him sliding down the sandy beach a few yards away.

He groans loudly.]

[counterblows]

Are we done?

[It's cautious - trying to gauge if the kid is okay as opposed to mocking him over what might be a potential loss.]

[aurabble]

N- Nope.

[Grunting, he uses his free hand to push himself up, frowning grimly at his opponent, knees buckling as he grips the staff to remain standing.]

Maybe.

[counterblows]

[A sigh, brief and fuzzing behind his helmet's filter.]

Look, that wasn't fair. I can give you a rematch without the armor.

[aurabble]

What, like go easy on me? [He narrows his eyes suspiciously. Yes, maybe the match wasn't fair. Or maybe it was. Either way, it's his own fault.]

[counterblows]

I didn't say go easy on you. I just meant this is military-grade power armor, and it's the kind of thing you take into battle when you have to kill four hundred pound elite battlemasters.

[They take this shit onto the frontlines, up against the Sangheili, for fuck's sake.]

[aurabble]

Well maybe I want to fight four hundred pound elite battlemasters without any armor.

[But he doesn't feel as terrible now...]

But if you want a rematch, it's not like I have anything else going on right now.

[counterblows]

You would die.

[It's blunt, and to the point, but he folds his arms across his chest harness and stares at the kid, careful and assessing.]

Are you always this competitive?

[aurabble]

You don't know that, you don't know me. You don't know my life.

[Stubbornly, he puts his hands on his hips.]

Are you stalling, or genuinely curious?

[counterblows]

[Wash reaches up, slowly, deliberately, and thumbs the seals at the chin of his helmet. The release pops with a faint hiss, and he pulls it off and over his head.]

[The man underneath is, perhaps, ordinary. He has terrible helmet hair; cornflower-gold and sticking up like spikes of thorns. The spatters of freckles mottling his copper-colored skin do nothing to hide the thick, winding snakes of scar tissue - across the bridge of his nose, bisecting one eyebrow, peppering his temple on one side of his head.]

[He sets the helmet down, and, with the same direct, precise tone, begins to remove the rest of his armor in pieces.]

[It's a lengthy process. It's not SPARTAN armor, but it still comes in a lot of parts.]

Sure. Let's call it curiosity.

[aurabble]

[Unconsciously, Jaune finds himself holding his breath for the big reveal. With a whole multiverse out there and people of unique appearances and species, anything could happen. So when Wash turns out to be human, it kind of surprises him after that dramatic armor.

He's definitely been in a few battles and then some. But he's also reached an age not incredibly common for huntresses and huntsman. That's more than Jaune expects for himself. He tries standing there patiently, but eventually he gets too distracted and ends up sitting down.]

I have armor, but nothing that complex. It's too hot to wear it, anyway.

[counterblows]

Like I said. This is what they arm us with when we’re on the frontlines.

[He pauses to scowl at the sigil imprinted on the back plate. Allegedly this is what allows it to function.]

[He finishes stacking the pieces of it neatly into the sand. The titanium nanocomposite undersuit is the only clothing he really has underneath - self-regulating, temperature-regulating, and fitting with an almost neoprene-like cling. ]

[Wash straightens, retrieves his staff, and plants it into the beach. His age is hard to determine; the foxholes take decades out of a person.]

Still interested in that rematch?

[aurabble]

So you're like a soldier?

[That armor is something else. He wishes he could just take a peek and see how it works... He doubts that's going to happen though.

Once Wash grabs his staff, Jaune picks his up.]

It would be rude to change my mind after you went and did all that.

[counterblows]

I was in the UNSC for a bit.

[So, yes, he was a soldier.]

[Locus still growls the word out with gravelly precision in the walkways of memory. One of the few loose ends left unaccounted for. He shakes the thought aside, instead taking a defensive stance opposite Jaune. The firelight lends his hair a spectacular bronze cast, his skin torched in gold.]

Whenever you’re ready.

[aurabble]

I have absolutely no idea what that is but it sounds official. Okay.

[He stares at him quietly, trying to blow his bangs out of his face. It doesn't work. Stretching his arms out, he nods decisively.]

Let's do this.

[Which means he goes charging again, but this time, he slips to the side, trying to hit Wash in the side.]

[counterblows]

[The pros of being out of armor is that he's certainly nimbler - more agile, without the bulk of that surrounding geometry impeding his movement. Having to adjust for the lack of additional weight, after wearing it like a second skin for so long, has him caught off balance.]

[His C.Q.C. scores were never the greatest, but he was low on the list of some of the best people in the job.]

[He deflects, jukes, and tries to clip Jaune along the ankles.]