lifeaftr | January Event: Rejection Rooms

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January Event: Rejection Rooms

JANUARY EVENT: REJECTION ROOMS

Who: Anyone and everyone!
What: Rejecting your Light comes with dire consequences
When: January 25th - 28th
Where: All over Monsun
Warnings: Violence and possible character death; please note any specific content warnings if they come up!

You're Ruled by the Things You Feel

This log is primarily for the Rejection Room portion of the event, for ease and convenience. To quote our event post:

Characters intent on rejecting their Light will find themselves irrevocably drawn to Monsun's shores. They might not even be aware of it - driven by their rage, their paranoia, their fear, or all of the above, and more. Monsun, for its part, is happy to receive them. Its landscape has become so warped over time...and those parts of Monsun consumed by shadow will start to distort, molding into structures that such characters are only too happy to hide within: Rejection Rooms.

Those who challenge the Rejection Rooms need not worry about death for themselves - damage taken within the rooms will simply translate to exhaustion outside of it, with seemingly mortal wounds leading to expulsion from the room itself, and an inability to re-enter.

The same holds true for the boss of each Room. Failure to beat them into expulsion means that the Room will continue to feed from their wildly catastrophizing mind, until there's nothing left to save at all.

So, simply top-level below with your character if they've signed up for a Rejection Room and prepare for whoever wants to gamble a confrontation. We recommend linking to the comment that details your character's Room, for the benefit of others. Remember to communicate; if your character is still trapped in their Room by the event's end, they will suffer a character death, though characters who merely try and fail to free them will not.

If your Rejection Room opt-in comment did not receive any response or additional discussion from the mod team, consider your Room and moveset approved; we want to allow for retroactive edits to your comments and plans, if those become necessary!

Some useful links, for reference:

[ ♆ ] OOC Event Post
[ ♆ ] Rejection Room Sign-Ups, for information on what Rejection Rooms look like
[ ♆ ] Deaths Page; death penalties have been reduced for the duration of this event, but remember to let us know if your character is still stuck in their Room by the event's end!

Event Timeline

[ ♆ ] January 20th: The monthly Storytelling occurs.
[ ♆ ] January 21st: Shadows of both initial variants appear.
[ ♆ ] January 23rd: Shadows of both initial variants disappear.
[ ♆ ] January 25th Lights and Rejection Rooms appear.
[ ♆ ] January 28th: Lights and Rejection Rooms dissipate. Those still trapped in their Rejection Rooms by the event's end will suffer a character death.

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The drop is nowhere near enough to kill you, should you really want to bail for whatever reason. However, the water does seem rather deep down there.

His expression doesn't flicker any; his tone doesn't change.]

This is how they were always intended to be. They're tools to be used for my benefit; they serve no other purpose.

I don't see why you're asking. Don't pretend you care enough to want to take them back from me.

Oh, I don't. I couldn't care less what happens to the princess or Schwann. But unless I'm not remembering correctly... I was under the impression neither of them were serving you anymore. Whatever you did to the princess didn't last, and Schwann willingly left you.

Yet here they are, ready to defend you just like you want them to.

[The weapon shifts in his hand, settling on the rifle form.]

Answer something for me, milord. What is it that you'd want me to do?

[And for a moment, his composure slips completely.]

Know your place!

[It's sudden, and it's loud, and even if it's brief it's the sort of outburst he hasn't allowed himself in a very long time; it's obvious that something in there hit him wrong, and whatever that just caused to happen in his head isn't going to end well for anyone.

His gaze remains dark, his grip tight against his sword; there's something about this entire situation that's affecting him badly, and hell if he knows what it is. But he can't keep doing that, it's out of the question, and he forces himself to settle.]

There's nothing for you here. It's a request this time; next time it won't be - get out.

Edited 2019-02-04 08:18 (UTC)

[It would be a lie to say Yeager still feels nothing at the outburst. For one brief moment, he feels more than he has in ten years - anger, hatred, exhilaration, and the darkest satisfaction at getting Alexei to snap and lose that composure he's worked so hard to maintain. For that one moment, it's almost like things used to be, a decade ago when he still allowed himself to feel - and wouldn't it be hilarious if that person could see him now.

It doesn't last forever, of course. It's rare for any emotion to last for very long, and certainly not at that intensity.

He could take that as a victory and duck out now. It would certainly be easier than trying to face down all three of them. Yeager does consider it, but ultimately, he decides against it. Perhaps it's just adrenaline, but he wants to fight.

There isn't much of a chance for him to win, he's aware of that. But it's not like he'd really mind dying again, and who knows, maybe he'd be lucky enough not to come back this time.]

How nice of you, to make it a request and not an order. I really don't know what I've done to receive such kind treatment.

Unfortunately, I'm feeling contrary today, milord.

[He doesn't waste any more time, he brings the rifle up and fires the first shot at Estelle.]

[She'll bring her shield up to block, but that doesn't mean it doesn't connect; the sound is heavy and hard, she shrieks a little when it connects (whether through actual pain or just surprise is hard to say) but strangely, she doesn't seem inclined to attack. She actually draws back closer to Alexei, shield still up as though she's expecting to be shot at again.

Rather, Schwann is the one who actually moves to do something about it; his sword is drawn immediately, and he's quick to dart forward with an almost impressive amount of reckless abandon. Let's fucking go.]

[Ah, as expected. She's a healer, so she'll stand back and heal Alexei. It'll be troublesome if he can't take her out first, but Schwann certainly won't let that happen. Very well, Schwann first, then the princess. He doesn't bother shifting the weapon yet, instead he turns it on Schwann and fires, shifting the weapon into the sword afterwards and following up the attack with very little delay.]

You aren't even going to step in and help your loyal pawn? That's a bit rude, ja?

[The shot staggers him, but he doesn't drop; he's able to parry the second attack just barely - but sometimes "barely" is good enough when it comes to not being stabbed.

Alexei doesn't seem concerned. After all, Schwann is durable, and Alexei is the one that made him that way.]

He knows what I expect of him.

[That's certainly no problem, he'd be a bit disappointed if Schwann went down that easily. He'll let up after a moment, only to transform the weapon into its scythe form, which should hopefully give him a bit more space to work with, given the size of the thing. He doesn't think Schwann will let him keep that space, but he's already changing it to the crossbow, to fire bolts at Schwann while he puts more distance between them.]

Ja, of course, and he's already been molded into exactly what you want him to be, hasn't he? Even better than he was back home! This one won't betray you, will he?

[If you think Schwann's not going to use the time between weapon shifts to dart in close again and try to hit you hard enough to distract you from using the stupid crossbow properly, I don't know what to tell you. Again, the lack of self-preservation is a little...yikes.

Either way, the words don't seem to hit him as hard as they did the first time; he's expecting it, and even if it's agitating, it's bearable.]

It hardly matters; I've lost worse. His purpose has always been to get blood on his hands, so that I don't have to; if he can no longer fulfill that purpose, then he's worthless to me.

[He sees it coming, but he's underestimated Schwann's speed. He does manage to change tactics and get the shield up in time to block the blow, but Schwann certainly isn't going to make this easy for him. It's almost annoying. Once again he'll swap to the scythe to give himself a bit of breathing room, but he's not going to opt for trying to keep Schwann away; this time he'll swing the scythe at Schwann's torso before swapping back to the sword. It's his best bet, and while he's not exactly keen on the idea of going up against Schwann's own impressive sword skills, it's best for now.

Even so, he doesn't sound winded or any more worked up when he addresses Alexei again.]

But of course. Cast aside once he's no longer of use to you... Tell me, were you expecting him to join Yuri Lowell and his little friends? Or did you think he'd died in Baction - he'd fulfilled his purpose then, hadn't he?

[Schwann is fast, and he's strong, and he's definitely able to recognize when he's got reasonable control of the field for the moment; he'll definitely back off when the scythe comes at him, but he'll try to get around Yeager as he swaps out again - trying to keep Yeager on the defensive, trying to get him further back into the center of the room so they have a wider field of battle so Yeager can't just get the damn scythe out and dominate space. The corners and the entrance of the room are bad for shit like that.

The words, though, get a quiet noise of out of Alexei; his grip is still tight on that sword.]

He told me that 'Schwann' died in Baction. It's for the best that he did. He doubted me at the end; he thought his insipid questions and poor attempts at persuasion meant anything to me.

[Being backed into a corner certainly would be bad... But he'll allow Schwann to back him up some, giving ground while judging how far he has behind him. It's enough space for now, so he'll focus on fending Schwann off and looking for any opening. He's not familiar with how Schwann fights (an oversight on his part, though it's not like he expected to fight Schwann at any point) so this is fine for now.]

There's no point in trying to change your mind about anything. I'm surprised he even bothered. Ah, but maybe he was a bit fond of you in his own way - you did spend ten years together, ja? Though if you treated him like this all the time, I have a hard time imagining that. It's no wonder he decided he'd rather follow the Don.

[Don't worry, he doesn't really like the damn corners either - less room for literally anyone to maneuver that way, including those on offense.

...He actually doesn't seem to be using actual artes on you, for what it's worth.]

Are you trying to make me feel guilty, Yeager? To make me regret anything I've done? An interesting tactic, from someone who just said there's no point in trying to change my mind.

[Well that's no fun. If you're not even willing to rush off the edge in an attempt to take him down, what's the point???

The lack of artes certainly is interesting. He's been using them occasionally, but he has fewer he can use with the sword. For now it's fine, though, and he's not having too much difficulty keeping up with Schwann. This version's probably weaker than the real one, which is also a bit of a disappointment.]

Do you really think I'd bother? I know you're not going to regret anything. Maybe I don't have any reason behind this.

[He'll transform his weapon as he's speaking, taking the rifle form as he executes an arte that launches him into the air. The shots he fires at Schwann are less important than his positioning, though they should buy him enough time to land safely. He's aiming to land behind Schwann, to put his back to the edges.]

[Mm. That will indeed put you much closer to the center of the room than the edges, which...certainly is a thing, isn't it. You'll certainly be able to land, because people generally don't...do that (unless they're Judith, we all suppose) and it's going to take him a moment to follow everything; he's still very much FIGHT ME, even moreso now that Schwann is not going to be happy about the potential of being forced back into the damn water.

Meanwhile, Alexei adjusts his hands against his own sword's pommel, taking it up properly and arming himself.]

...How pointless.

[His voice has shifted from that odd, sharp tone into something caustic, teeming with contempt and something that isn't exactly anger - it isn't running hot enough for that. No, this is simple, cold fury, rising in intensity as he speaks.]

The world's anger and hatred will be centered on me for what I've done, and I accepted that long ago. Of course I'm not going to regret anything; tools that refuse to serve their master are worthless, and regret would be wasted on you. You, Schwann, Estellise... Your vitriol is nothing, your loss means nothing to me!

If the world's hatred is the cost of its salvation, then I'm willing to pay the price! And if you or anyone else refuses to kneel, I will make you kneel before me - fly, o holy sword!

[That's... There's kind of a lot in there, but it's very likely that none of it is quite as important as the fact that he's shifted his grip on Dein Nomos, the blade glowing bright and hot as he throws it at Yeager as hard as he can.

Whether it connects or not hardly matters; what matters is the massive glowing glyph burning its way up from the ground, spreading from the center as the sword slams into it full force from seemingly nowhere - ]

Brilliant Cataclysm!

[The glyph immediately detonates upwards into piercing, sharp columns of light; it's not enough to be fatal, but it's probably not something you want to let hit you much more than that one strike.

Judging by the size of the strike radius, Estelle might barely live through it; Schwann is definitely going to be hit, and he...is not going to be moving after the fact, from the look of it.]

[Good, now he can angle to—

Aaaaand Alexei isn't going to shut up, of course. Fine, he's not entirely turning his attention away from Schwann, but he's not going to ignore Alexei either (as much as he'd like to), and it's a good thing he glanced over when he did, because that gives him enough time to dodge the sword.

There isn't any dodging Brilliant Cataclysm, though.

He manages to take the hit and remain standing, but there's no witty retort or taunt; he doesn't trust his voice to carry properly without any indication of how much that really fucking hurt. Unfortunately, the blastia does not prevent him from feeling pain, even if he can take the hit and keep moving. His left hand is over the blastia for only a moment (it isn't as though he needs to check; if it wasn't working, he wouldn't be alive to check in the first place, but it's a habit by now and one he's probably never going to be able to break) before he shifts the weapon back to the rifle form.

Schwann doesn't look like he'll be moving, so there's no time to waste on him. The princess isn't anywhere near a threat, but if she can heal Alexei then this battle is going to be long and Yeager isn't going to be surviving multiple hits like that. No, better to get rid of the healer first, then turn his attention to Alexei. He fires off a shot before switching to the crossbow and loosing a few more bolts, and by the time he's done that he's confident enough that he can move, so he'll pursue her. She can shield as long as she likes, he'll eventually break her guard.]

[Perhaps thankfully, he doesn't seem inclined to fire off Brilliant Cataclysm again right away - it's entirely possible that he could, given that he managed to do it without entering Overlimit and from a standstill, which likely doesn't bode terribly well, but he's holding off on it for now in favor of intercepting Yeager. Estelle didn't seem to take those shots very well, but she's still standing, barely; nobody likes Brilliant Cataclysm, let's put it that way.

It seems that Alexei is less inclined toward killing Yeager than he is toward stopping him; he does take a swing at him with Dein Nomos, but whether it connects with anything or not doesn't really matter = it seems closer to a warning shot than anything else.]

What are you doing here, Yeager?

[It's less caustic than he has been but no less agitated; he's noticeably trying to get himself to settle again, with...varying degrees of success.]

You won't get anything out of this; there's nothing for you here.

[That's what he thought, and that's a bit frustrating. Not only does Alexei get to have bodyguards with him, he gets to use his Mystic Arte without even going into Overlimit? That is completely unfair, and if he gets it in his head to start spamming it, then Yeager's absolutely done for.

Taking out the princess is his priority, but it's a bit difficult to do that with Alexei in his face. He could try to put some distance between them, but that sounds like a good way to get another Brilliant Cataclysm fired at him and he's really not here to deal with that again. So fine, he'll leave Estelle alone for now and focus on Alexei.

He blocks the attack with the shield, then transforms it into the scythe to give him a bit of breathing room, before launching into an arte and a series of quick slashes. The scythe is a bit better here, if only because Dein Nomos is a giant sword and Alexei doesn't always use it like a damn sword.]

What sort of answer are you expecting? I'm honestly not sure why you need to ask. You should know as well as anyone else that I do whatever I want, whenever I want, often for no reason at all.

[There's an edge to the words that he can't quite hold back, unfortunately. It's not like it particularly matters, though.]

[Ah, that's not very pleasant, is it - he's not really one for blocking more than attacking, usually, but if he's going to be fucking barraged like that then damn if he's not going to take the hint.

...He's also going to be taking quite some damage from that before he manages to back the hell off and get his guard up properly, which he doesn't seem to like but you know what, for now he'll deal.]

I know you want it to look like you do things for no reason.

[Good, he'll keep the pressure up, then. He can't spam artes forever and the scythe is fairly slow to swing, so he'll swap to the sword after a moment to try to keep Alexei on the defensive.]

My, and here I thought I was just a tool. I wasn't aware you analyzed your tools' motivations.

[Interesting choice. He thinks it's kind of stupid, honestly, but if you want to get in his face then get over here.]

And here I thought you'd never let me live the orphanage down. Or have you forgotten so quickly...?

[Of course, he'll be in your face until morale improves or something.]

It's a bit hard to forget something like that, you know! There aren't many people who are terrible enough to threaten to shut down an orphanage. I don't know why you bothered; it's not like you needed my assistance.

You would be surprised at how useful people can be when they think it's required of them.

[You know what, if you're attacking him then you're not attacking Estelle, who is about to get very annoying with the healing artes in Alexei's direction. She'll get one off without prompting or question; it isn't one of the larger ones, but it's something.]

[Oh come on... Well, at least it's not one of the stronger ones. Yeager transforms his weapon again, this time into the rifle form, and by the time it's done shifting, he's already in the air and firing shots at Alexei before trying to maneuver around him to get a better shot at Estelle. He won't hesitate once he's back on the ground, and he'll fire several shots off in her direction.

As for the words... Well, they're not getting a response, since he's more focused on taking her out so she can't repeatedly heal him.]

[Aaaand down she goes, along with the, like, two remaining HP that she had; meanwhile, the shots in Alexei's direction were annoying but not anything that was going to kill him - they delayed him a bit, but he's going to be taking another swing at Yeager shortly after Estelle is down.

Because he has a big fucking sword and he's going to be using it as one for the time being.]

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