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[semi-open] harbinger of suffering and grief
WHO: Ryoji and whoever doesn't sleep at night, I guess
WHERE: Apprassage to various places around the city, Recollé Woods
WHEN: midnight 5/17 and onward towards the end of the month
WHAT: Ryoji regains his Thanatos form; unable to control his powers, he flees, leaving destruction in his wake. He's generally very upset about it all. Please help.
WARNINGS: fighting, violence, mentions of death and suicide
[ —a screech pierces the stillness of night over the quiet streets of Apprassage, the bite of burnt rubber and asphalt filling in the space where a car now lies turned around and stalling traffic, shattered windshields spilling glass onto the street and the crumpled hood sending smoke into the air. The blaring of the car alarm falls on deaf ears of the boy standing before it, eyes wide and unseeing as he clutches his head and screams, the shimmering barrier around him dissolving back into darkness and then— ]
A. midnight, 5/17, various (CLOSED to those I talked to on May's plotting post here)
[ A brilliant flash lights up the sky outside, brief, overwhelming, then everything is plunged back into darkness. Whether the noise had woken you up, or you were awake in the dead of night to begin with, eyes lifted towards the sky might spot a shadow take off past the rooftops, deep rumble felt through the earth behind it.
Those who venture closer— the curious, the brave, the foolish— would find deep gashes on the roads, dragged long as if a sword pulled across the ground, scattered potholes still burning with the last wisps of an eerie glow. The sky flashes again, the shadow in the middle a dark hole that swallows up all light, monstrous figure apparent with the stark contrast that makes it easy to follow; even blind, one can do so by listening for the unearthly wail that cuts through the air and may dizzy the mind even from so far.
Close, it's hard to see, harder to believe: a sharp white mask reflecting the moonlight; serrated sword out of its scabbard and caked with dirt and rubble; coffins draped across its shoulder, rattling and coming for you. Every encounter brings it further and further out away from the innermost parts of the city, and each time, Thanatos stops and turns, breath visible as it chills the very air around it, waiting.
>> Hollingberry Field
>> Recollé Woods
>> Peach Beach
>> The ocean
>> ???
Select your arena, and let's go. ]
B. nights, 5/18 onward, Recollé woods (CLOSED to those above, and anybody who has interacted with Ryoji at least once before)
[ The pain disappears faster than it should have, but Ryoji would have preferred it to the emptiness in his chest, the way his hands won't stop shaking. He fumbles with his phone, startling when a twig snaps underfoot and he throws it from himself as if it burnt his hands.
He leaves the phone there for the time being, nestled on top of damp, rotting leaves as he picks his way a little deeper into the woods, a mutter under his breath: "Keep yourself together." Because whatever... whatever happened yesterday, he can't let it happen again, losing control and hurting others— killing, for all he knows, because he'd fled to the woods and hasn't gone back since the night before, hasn't talked to anybody in person except for some texts on the phone.
He's got to figure it out. Somehow.
It's here in the woods he'll stay until he can, out of the way and hoping nobody would come near after the unnerving draw of the woods earlier in the month, practicing under the veil of night. He'll manage it eventually, the flicker of shadow and a rumble, a light show, the splintering crack of felled trees. He's not as careful as he could be, frustrated, exhausted, distracted enough not to notice whoever approaches to see the arched back of a boy, head bowed and clutching his knees as he struggles back to his feet... or the back of a monster, sword in hand gleaming with the moon. ]
C. days, 5/22 onward, various (OTA)
[ Days pass, and it feels like he understands less and less of who and what he is... and why... The first time it happened, only a handful of days ago, it was a car accident. He'd frozen there in the middle of the street, staring down the pair of headlights as they approached. He had not died. He should have...
...Ryoji shakes the thought out of his head. Something had protected him, a power that welled up from within and then- gone. He couldn't do it again, hold out his hands and block the fluttering of petals onto his head in the park, or the cat that meets him on the road, rubbing its head against his ankles twice and then runs.
Maybe it had to be something similar, either to the situation or the feeling; there's no way he can know but to try, reckless and stupid as he stands by the busy streets of Tisse contemplating stepping out into traffic; holds a switchblade in his hand on the rooftop of an apartment building in Apprassage, flicking the blade in, out, in, out; up high on the bridges of the Towers, leaning dangerously over the edge as he stares down at the ground far, far below; at the zoo in front of the lion's cage trying to get it to wake up so he can climb the fence and stick his head inside its mouth; he doesn't know, nothing's working and he needs to know. ]
D. 5/26 onward, various (OTA)
[the one lighter prompt, save me ]
Hey. Hold out your hand for a moment? I want your opinion on something.
[ If you comply, Ryoji tugs out from beneath his collar a thin silver chain, on the end of which a gold ring dangles momentarily before he presses it into the palm of your hand, closing your fingers back over it. Despite having been tucked under his shirt, the ring is cold against your skin, a faint glow emitting from in between your fingers while no sun reaches it inside your hand. ]
...How does this make you feel?
[ Stupid, probably, as if holding a ring would evoke some sort of emotion, but that's what it does for Ryoji, looking equal parts expectant and hopeful as he looks from you, to the ring delivered to his door courtesy of Retrospec, and then back. ]
--
( ooc: Aside from being able to shift into the form of Thanatos, Ryoji's powers include: ghastly wail (fearful opponents fall unconscious), tempest slash (sword attack), megidola (almighty magic attack), moonless gown (barrier that reflects all attacks, max three activation per day))
WHERE: Apprassage to various places around the city, Recollé Woods
WHEN: midnight 5/17 and onward towards the end of the month
WHAT: Ryoji regains his Thanatos form; unable to control his powers, he flees, leaving destruction in his wake. He's generally very upset about it all. Please help.
WARNINGS: fighting, violence, mentions of death and suicide
[ —a screech pierces the stillness of night over the quiet streets of Apprassage, the bite of burnt rubber and asphalt filling in the space where a car now lies turned around and stalling traffic, shattered windshields spilling glass onto the street and the crumpled hood sending smoke into the air. The blaring of the car alarm falls on deaf ears of the boy standing before it, eyes wide and unseeing as he clutches his head and screams, the shimmering barrier around him dissolving back into darkness and then— ]
A. midnight, 5/17, various (CLOSED to those I talked to on May's plotting post here)
[ A brilliant flash lights up the sky outside, brief, overwhelming, then everything is plunged back into darkness. Whether the noise had woken you up, or you were awake in the dead of night to begin with, eyes lifted towards the sky might spot a shadow take off past the rooftops, deep rumble felt through the earth behind it.
Those who venture closer— the curious, the brave, the foolish— would find deep gashes on the roads, dragged long as if a sword pulled across the ground, scattered potholes still burning with the last wisps of an eerie glow. The sky flashes again, the shadow in the middle a dark hole that swallows up all light, monstrous figure apparent with the stark contrast that makes it easy to follow; even blind, one can do so by listening for the unearthly wail that cuts through the air and may dizzy the mind even from so far.
Close, it's hard to see, harder to believe: a sharp white mask reflecting the moonlight; serrated sword out of its scabbard and caked with dirt and rubble; coffins draped across its shoulder, rattling and coming for you. Every encounter brings it further and further out away from the innermost parts of the city, and each time, Thanatos stops and turns, breath visible as it chills the very air around it, waiting.
>> Hollingberry Field
>> Recollé Woods
>> Peach Beach
>> The ocean
>> ???
Select your arena, and let's go. ]
B. nights, 5/18 onward, Recollé woods (CLOSED to those above, and anybody who has interacted with Ryoji at least once before)
[ The pain disappears faster than it should have, but Ryoji would have preferred it to the emptiness in his chest, the way his hands won't stop shaking. He fumbles with his phone, startling when a twig snaps underfoot and he throws it from himself as if it burnt his hands.
He leaves the phone there for the time being, nestled on top of damp, rotting leaves as he picks his way a little deeper into the woods, a mutter under his breath: "Keep yourself together." Because whatever... whatever happened yesterday, he can't let it happen again, losing control and hurting others— killing, for all he knows, because he'd fled to the woods and hasn't gone back since the night before, hasn't talked to anybody in person except for some texts on the phone.
He's got to figure it out. Somehow.
It's here in the woods he'll stay until he can, out of the way and hoping nobody would come near after the unnerving draw of the woods earlier in the month, practicing under the veil of night. He'll manage it eventually, the flicker of shadow and a rumble, a light show, the splintering crack of felled trees. He's not as careful as he could be, frustrated, exhausted, distracted enough not to notice whoever approaches to see the arched back of a boy, head bowed and clutching his knees as he struggles back to his feet... or the back of a monster, sword in hand gleaming with the moon. ]
C. days, 5/22 onward, various (OTA)
[ Days pass, and it feels like he understands less and less of who and what he is... and why... The first time it happened, only a handful of days ago, it was a car accident. He'd frozen there in the middle of the street, staring down the pair of headlights as they approached. He had not died. He should have...
...Ryoji shakes the thought out of his head. Something had protected him, a power that welled up from within and then- gone. He couldn't do it again, hold out his hands and block the fluttering of petals onto his head in the park, or the cat that meets him on the road, rubbing its head against his ankles twice and then runs.
Maybe it had to be something similar, either to the situation or the feeling; there's no way he can know but to try, reckless and stupid as he stands by the busy streets of Tisse contemplating stepping out into traffic; holds a switchblade in his hand on the rooftop of an apartment building in Apprassage, flicking the blade in, out, in, out; up high on the bridges of the Towers, leaning dangerously over the edge as he stares down at the ground far, far below; at the zoo in front of the lion's cage trying to get it to wake up so he can climb the fence and stick his head inside its mouth; he doesn't know, nothing's working and he needs to know. ]
D. 5/26 onward, various (OTA)
[
Hey. Hold out your hand for a moment? I want your opinion on something.
[ If you comply, Ryoji tugs out from beneath his collar a thin silver chain, on the end of which a gold ring dangles momentarily before he presses it into the palm of your hand, closing your fingers back over it. Despite having been tucked under his shirt, the ring is cold against your skin, a faint glow emitting from in between your fingers while no sun reaches it inside your hand. ]
...How does this make you feel?
[ Stupid, probably, as if holding a ring would evoke some sort of emotion, but that's what it does for Ryoji, looking equal parts expectant and hopeful as he looks from you, to the ring delivered to his door courtesy of Retrospec, and then back. ]
--
( ooc: Aside from being able to shift into the form of Thanatos, Ryoji's powers include: ghastly wail (fearful opponents fall unconscious), tempest slash (sword attack), megidola (almighty magic attack), moonless gown (barrier that reflects all attacks, max three activation per day))
A
Maybe it's because of that that he glances up and decides to investigate rather than to do the smart thing and just mind his own damn business. Strange things are something he can deal with. Maybe whatever he'll find will scare him, maybe it will be dangerous but at least he will be able to know exactly what it is that is causing those feelings.
That's much better than spending another night with nothing but the thoughts inside his head, really.
So he ignores all voices of reasons and heads toward the source of the commotion, using the marks on the street and strange lights as a trail until he has found the source -- or got found by it in return, since the first he notices is the hellish wailing that suddenly fills the air.
Gripping the knife in his pocket tighter he keeps looking until he finally sees it and his mind balks. Ironically it's not the coffins that disturbs him the most. It's also not the wailing, or the morbid mask and not even the ridiculous dangerous-looking sword.]
-the HELL 's up with your legs?!
no subject
And at least Cutter has voice of reason warning him no matter if he ignores them; there is no reason in Thanatos' dark, empty eyes, who sees a boy with his hands in his pockets and eyes to the ground where Thanatos takes off from in flight— this is why no feet, it does not need them to take to the air, brandish its sword, and dive down at where Cutter stands and would hopefully listen to that voice of reason of his to run or get out of the way. ]
no subject
Mother of christ! Don't!
[Quickly stumbling some extra-steps back he pulls his knife out of his pocket and weights it in his hands. Is this enough to fight back against a hulking monster like that? It just fucking flew!! Can he hope to outrun his opponent or will attempting to do so only make it worse?!
Biting his lips, he swallows down a whimper. His instincts tell him to run. His instincts also tell him to stay and defend his turf because god knows what kind of wreckage this intruder can still cause.]
The least a man can do is to give his name and a reason why he's attacking before doing so!
[He feels stupid the moment the words leave his lips but he needs to know if his opponent is sentient or just some sort of ...of weird wild animal or machine!]
no subject
If it's a fight, Thanatos would gladly give it, silently rushing Cutter again with its sword in hand. It sees that knife and regards it with less thought than if Cutter had pulled out a pencil or set of keys. Maybe it's underestimating him, maybe it just wants to see him try. ]
no subject
You just don't turn your back to an opponent ready to kill.
It's a sign of weakness that will make that will make them jump and then- What the hell is he even doing here?]
God dammit--!
[Shaking his head with a growl Cutter tries to pull himself together and think straight. Okay, his opponent is scary. Big deal, he has fought with others who scared him before. The lack of humanity is new, but what difference does it make whether he is facing off against a bear or some supernatural bullshit? Both seem like they could end the fight in a single blow if he lets them land a hit and it's not like Cutter can do anything about the situation now that it's come to this. So he needs to concentrate on what he can do.]
Heh~ Seems like we're really doing this, huh? [His smile grows wide as he gives his opponent a lopsided grin, feeling the same giddiness he always does when he is going to do something extremely stupid. It's probably the adrenaline getting to his head. He is still moving backwards, but now his steps are measured, baiting his opponent into a more advantageous terrain and stalling for time while he assesses Thanatos once more. Where are its weaknesses? A hit to the face is usually a safe bet, but that mask looks like it'll only make him hurt himself trying to do that. His feet? Scratch that, there aren't even any. Arms or torso? Also look freaking armored. What he needs to do is- wait, is the chin free?!]
no subject
Despite bloodlust, it appears as if Thanatos is avoiding the buildings around it, taking to the sky when it can and down the center of the streets where it's wide enough. In a forest, it might be more apparent that the density of trees would slow it down, crashing through the trees where it can't weave around to avoid them. Alleyways might prove to slow it similarly, but in the streets, there's some sort of human mindfulness that has it taking the long way around certain buildings— restaurants, stores, residences, anywhere that might still shelter people so late at night— instead of taking the fastest route directly after Cutter.
But all of that matters slightly less when supernatural bullshit is an actual Big Deal, especially when that chin Cutter is staring at happens to drop right there to widen its mouth, the face behind the mask aglow with magical light that might be a good idea to dodge while Thanatos has paused its pursuit to let it build up before unleashing it.
You can't punch your way through magic. ]
no subject
He is still looking for a hint of a possible opening when he sees a mouth part and then there's suddenly light coming out of it as if it's some freaking dragon preparing for a deep breath that will let it serve a nice plate of Cutter, well done.
Cutter gasps and then he is doing the most stupid thing in his life so far when his body starts moving before his brain can catch up.]
Oh no, you won't!!!
[Leaping toward the towering fiend with a lightning-fast dash that is driving a metallic taste in his mouth he ducks beneath its arms and aims his fist toward its chin even as his body keeps sliding against Thanatos torso. Cutter can feel his balance being off and that he is going to fall, but right now all that matters is to keep that ominous light from spilling out and not only hitting him but also what or whoever else might be in his vicinity. He just can't let that monster do something like that in a big city!]