october mingle

[stellafortunamods]

October Mingle
Welcome to Teyvat - a vast magical world of adventure.
The Miko of the Grand Narukami Shrine has arranged for your passage out of Ritou and into the Inazuma islands at large. The nation has been gripped by an oppressive atmosphere ever since the enactment of the Vision Hunt Decree, and only someone unyoked by the Electro Archon can hope to break this stalemate.

Konda Village sits on the outskirts of Inazuma city. A pillar of its community now seeks to move out after losing his Vision. A samurai employed by the Shogunate is being accosted of hiding rations by his neighbours, and he has no recollection of ever dealing in such matters. Forgetting something seems to be the thread that links every former Vision holder's story together, yet their tragedies differ greatly in circumstance. Is the loss of a Vision truly so profound? If so, then why did the gods deliver such a poisoned gift to their people?

A mysterious priestess approaches you with a sincere request - Kazari seeks your aid in purifying the Thunder Sakura around Inazuma, as well as the Sacred Sakura on Mount Yougou. She tells you that these trees absorb the evil from the very land, but cannot dispel it without outside intervention. Here's where you come in: you need to dispel the sealing sigils around the holy trees, so that the filth accumulated within their roots can take form and then be swiftly cut down.

The seals, the trees, and Kazari herself are relics from the olden days - the mystical Inazuma, where kitsune and tengu lived and worked alongside humans and their god. But those days have since ended, and all that is left is a stifling eternity.

State of the World

The Land of Eternity is not without failings. By pursuing 'Eternity' and closing the doors of her nation, the Raiden Shogun has only made the lives of her people more difficult. Exploring the country may give you some clues as to how you can break her enforced stasis. You must first understand the situation of the nation, and then find the natives who also wish to change their world.


Please direct all questions to October's OOC post!

Comments

[sufferean]

Yeah... sometimes I get the impression that my world is really far behind compared to some of yours.

[Mostly from August. August makes him feel like a grandfather with half the stuff he talks about that Rean doesn't understand.]

Really? Come on... I know you're kind of slight and your voice isn't exactly, y'know, baritone or anything, but I don't get how people get it screwed up that easily!

[Rean's laughing, but also: seriously though. JUSTICE FOR TWINKS.]

[whiteshroud]

Perhaps so, but I think that's true for most people in this group. August is from a version of Earth that's near my time period, but even he lives across the world from me.

[So in other words, he gets it. He also knows better than to make constant references like August for all you grandpas

He laughs]

Because Ryouta's an idiot, that's how. I'll tell you, it was quite a shock! One of my first days on my first solo mission, and that happens to me.

[sufferean]

[The enormity of the Earth is something that's pretty much lost on Rean. When your whole world is one continent...

But also, yes, thank you, Rean doesn't understand the internet and it hurts.]

I mean... I was trying to be gentle with it, but if you're just going to be so blunt, I'm not going to pretend I don't agree. [He shakes his head with a smile.] Yeah, I can't even imagine how I would have reacted, especially in your shoes.

[whiteshroud]

[Which is a true tragedy. May you one day understand memes Rean.]

It's the truth, no sense in denying it. [The sky is blue, the sun rises in the east, Ryouta's a dumbass] Haha...I was pretty much stunned speechless. Kou and Shiori had to rush in to clear up the confusion.

After that, I became friends with the three of them. [Sure, it was a wild way to start living in the outside world, but it was a happy memory for him. ]

[sufferean]

[MAYBE SOMEDAY...]

Haha... ah, you can always rely on friends to help you out of awkward situations. Or, well... at least try.

[Rean's memory begins to try to remind him of a certain Incident on his first day of school before he promptly shuts that down.

No amount of friendship was gonna save that one, okay.]

[whiteshroud]

[Yeah fortunately Jun doesn't have nearly enough tiddy to fall into.]

Yeah. And now that I'm not fresh out of the Orden, I'll be ready for him if he tries asking me out again.

[Whatever THAT means.]

[sufferean]

...You know, there's a part of me that wants to ask what that means, but the part of me that's a teacher says that maybe I'm better of just leaving some things be.

[Jun doesn't want to know about his love life, and he's not about to pry into Jun's.

It's illegal in both directions.]

[whiteshroud]

Haha, it's nothing to worry about, Sensei!

[So he says. rest in pieces Ryouta]

Really, I'll just be happy to see them all when this is over.

[sufferean]

That almost makes it sound worse, you know.

[But he laughs a little. He's clearly not too worried. Friends get up to weird things together, it's just part of the magic of friendship.]

Yeah, I can understand that. I can only imagine it's hard, missing them on top of all of this. You have friends here, too, of course, [like himself!!] but I know it's not the same thing.

[whiteshroud]

[His expression lowers a little. He feels a little bad about it]

... Unfortunately, that's true.

[He knew the people here cared about him. Considered him a friend, but...]

Kou, Ryouta and Shiori didn't know what I was until our second year. But even when they found out, that never changed how they treated me. Through them, I learned so much about the world, about myself. Things outside of being a Seal Knight.

Here...it feels like I always have to be the Seal Knight. So it can never be the same.

[That's what the mission required, what he felt he had to be, and that's how people saw him here, first and foremost. Not a high schooler who loves anime and sweets.]

[sufferean]

[Rean's expression saddens a bit, as well, because he knows there's nothing he can do or say to magically make this okay.

But it's not as if he can say nothing.]

It's true. Vacation aside, we're always in mission mode while we're here. And sure, there are ways in which shared stress like this brings people together, but at the same time...

I wish I could see you like you were back in your home world. Just messing around like someone your age should be. I know you're more than capable of handling it, don't get me wrong, but... I've never liked the idea of you doing these sorts of things.

Just because you're strong and just because you can doesn't mean you should. You look way happier talking about your friends than I think I've ever seen you... and I wish you could feel that way all the time.

[whiteshroud]

[Jun goes quiet, feeling rather unused to this level of empathy being directed towards him. He's had people care about him, certainly. In Morimiya, on South Sister, and here. There was a lot of people who'd worry about him being so young, or try to help him.

But still, it's never easy being confronted with those feelings so directly. Or have his own actions being pointed out. And it's not like Rean was wrong either. But still... ]

Ah ... it's feel a little awkward having you point all that out like that...

[sufferean]

[…Ah.

Yeah, honestly, Rean can get that. It’s easy for him to just speak from the heart, but… he knows from experience it’s not always the easiest to hear it.]

…Yeah, sorry. I’ll drop it. The last thing I want is to make you feel even weirder about things.

I just… I wanna look out for you, is all. A teacher’s gotta look after students, and all.

[whiteshroud]

[His expression will soften a little at the apology]

...Haha, it's okay. The teachers back home that knew my situation felt the same way. [Even if Gorou-sensei never said it directly towards him, it was clear those feelings were there from the actions he'd take.] I'm just not very used to being fussed over that much. Even when my friends back home would do it, it'd get a little much...

[Craig the Red would be the absolute death of him. ]

Oh, but I can do one thing for you. [He'll dig into his bag and pull out a black photo album with a gold cross on the front. He flips through a few pages, before showing this photo to Rean]

Here. This is from a Summer Festival we attended with Kou's club friends.

[sufferean]

"A little much" is basically how I operate, yeah. [Rean rubs the back of his head with an apologetic smile.] I'll try not to fuss too much, but I can't make any promises.

[But oh? What's this? Rean leans over to look at what's being offered.

Immediately, his expression softens. It reminds him of the class photo he has back at home. And if he looks closely, there's Jun's version of Towa... ah, poor Towa.]

This is great... you all look so happy. [Okay, maybe not all, but... Rean knows "annoyed" expressions like this well. It's joy, at the end of the day.] Let me guess...

[He points at the boy in red, followed by the boy in the bottom right.]

Kou and Ryouta?

[whiteshroud]

It's okay, I get it. [That's just how Rean is. Jun understands that.] I'll tell you to stop if you get overbearing.

[Towa was trying her best but it was a tough time.]

It was a great day. [One of the best, really. ] And you got it! Good guess. Shiori's the girl in pink.

[sufferean]

All right. Thanks.

[He looks back at the picture to pick out Shiori, then nods.]

Haha... looks like Towa's having a rough time of it there in the back. [He sighs fondly.] That's something that would totally happen to my world's version, too.

[whiteshroud]

[His world's version- oh right, Rean mentioned one of the other teachers at his school was named Towa. That whacky coincidence. At first he thinks nothing of it. ]

Haha, yeah I think she tripped on someone's bag or something like that? She's Kou's cousin and the club advisor along with Gorou-sensei, so she was tagging along.

[-- Theeeen it clicks]

Wait, how did you know that was Towa-sensei?

[sufferean]

[...Oh!]

Oh, um.

Well... she looks exactly like my one friend. She's also a teacher with me, and her name is Towa, too.

I just kind of figured... if we exist in your world as fictional characters, I guess it's not too weird if there's... I dunno, another version of someone across our worlds? And I guess that's Towa, for us.

[He laughs a little.]

I mean, if anyone was gonna cross over, it ought to be her. She's the most responsible person I know.

[whiteshroud]

Huh? Really?

[Jun pauses, thinking this one over. Multiple versions of Towa across worlds? Sure there was the stories about Rean and the rest of Class VII in their world, but a copy of a whole person?

Then again]

Well... true. I guess if multiple versions of Earth all have Jesus, why not Towa-sensei.

[Yeah, Towa being on the same level of Jesus for performing miracles? Sounds reasonable enough.]

[sufferean]

She's pretty much one of the only reasons the school functions nearly as well as it does. If anyone could manage to exist in multiple worlds... it could absolutely be Towa.

Doesn't surprise me that she took up being a club advisor. She was student council president when we went to school together, and she's always looking to help out wherever she can.

[whiteshroud]

[ ... 💧 ]

Is she? I could see her doing that... [The more he hears about Rean's school the more worrying it gets...poor other Towa-sensei. The one he knows does a lot too, but she's a new teacher so it's not like the school would fall into anarchy without her...]

But that does sound like her. Towa-sensei doesn't have a Soul Device, but she still provides useful support on Eclipse-matters where she can. And she teaches math in a way that's easy to understand.

[Which the latter is probably even more crucial for him, because look. Mathematics wasn't a high priority in Seal Knight training ok]

[sufferean]

[The Thors Branch Campus is extremely worrying, but Towa's got this.]

Yeah, that sounds exactly like the Towa I know. We...

[He pauses, realizing he's probably never brought this up before. Oh, well. May as well be honest, but make it quick.]

Ah, there was a civil war in Erebonia right before she graduated. We rallied up Thors students to assist in the effort so we could take back our school, with royal backing.

They lent us an airship, and she was the captain. Never came into battle with us, but we never would have made it through without her.

[...]

And, yeah, she's always been great at teaching. She didn't have time to help me when I was studying too often, but I still have a number of passing tests I owe to her. Not to mention lesson plans.

[Math sucks, he gets it.]

Although, I meant to ask... you mentioned multiple versions of a "Jesus" a second ago? Who's that?

1/3

[whiteshroud]

You were all in a civil war...?!

[WHAT THE HELL MAN. Civil war? Royal backing?? And Towa captained an airship??? There's AIRSHIPS??]

That's...extreme. I'm starting to think the story of Magical Girl Alisa is mundane compared to your actual life...

2/3

[whiteshroud]

[But nevermind that because uh...boy...asking who Jesus is...

He pauses, trying to work out how the hell he's supposed to answer that one without this turning into a long theology lesson. ]