GOOD MORNING NEW ARRIVALS
This time for real!WAKEY WAKEY.
As the storm finally peters out and characters can once again move above ground it becomes abundantly clear that the landscape has
changed. Where vast expanses of sand dunes once laid is now the half-buried remnants of what looks like some sort of...city? Full of structures. It stretches so far it's really hard to tell. But there is one thing characters will notice:
There are more stasis pods.
Revealed by the sandstorm, a whole new flurry of pods can be found scattered on the way to the city (curiously though, not
in it. Hurry and wake those guys up!
SPREAD THE LOVE. OR ACID.
With the departure of the storm there's even more new arrivals to be found besides those fellow travelers of yours! The
"Seedlings" and
"Cactus" are now both available, the former blown in by the storm and the former uncovered.
The Seedlings are generally pretty harmless. They like to burrow into the sand so only their "Leaves" plant-like leaves remain above ground, and they're quite happy to stay that way until surprised. Then they pop up and trip over themselves a little, before slowing down and wandering aimlessly. When they find a patch of sand that looks comfy they begin burrowing back down.
Pull or yank on their leaves though and you'll find yourself with
a face full of pollen that makes you want to just tell everyone
how super-cool they are. It lasts a while, and then you get a fever and vomit for two hours. Good times.
The Cacti are much less harmless and just...why would you eat them? Everything about this plant is poisonous, and cracking it open causes a corrosive acid-like substance to spill out. It'll eat through everything but...dirt, oddly. Metals and flesh are like hot oil on plastic.
DON'T GET LOST
And last but not least: The Forgotten City. Maybe you want to check out the Hull first for some loot, but maybe that's not such a cool idea anymore? Although it looks like the ship's definitely more powered after draining the suits of whoever went in, now it's started to spread and fill the sinkhole the ship's in. Suits can go from 100% to 0% in just ten minutes--not good!
Lucky for everyone else, it looks like
finally there's
some sort of civilization up ahead. Go on and check it out!
OR DO. THAT'S OKAY TOO.
Go nuts, have fun, and enjoy! (This is the wildcard option)
OOC
The
Flora, Fauna & Resources page has been updated with information on the seedlings, cacti, and crystals! These items are now all available for
Discovery, and The
Forgotten City will be available indefinitely from now on! Characters can take this time to settle & build up a foundation for themselves, explore the area, and of course, harass those poor little seedlings.
We encourage players to make their own open posts for this setting--you don't need to stick to just this intro log! But make sure to make our newbies feel welcome!
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
And no, Inui, you can't keep him. Also, you'll have to fight Zack for it.]
no subject
Soooo, I'm guessing none of those magic marbles came with you right? You don't have any real way to prove they're real.
no subject
... Doesn't look like anyone did. [But he doesn't need to prove anything to anyone.
... unfortunately, Cloud spent his childhood wishing to prove himself to his village, so it's one thing to think that and another to not be affected by it.]
no subject
Nope~ Nothing under our suits but skin♥
no subject
[He backs up reflexively, stepping aside when Inui leans close, but there's no way to avoid, or hide, the blush that creeps over his cheeks down from the tips of his ears at that comment.
Not that... he hadn't suspected, because it sure felt like he's not wearing anything underneath, but having someone point it out that blatantly was just. Uncomfortable. These outfits feels way too tight and close as it is already.]
What does that... have to do with what we don't have with us?
[Anything to deflect away from his flustered reaction.]
no subject
no subject
That just means no one can prove anything that's not... something that comes from their body.
[So Cloud's just... going to try and ignore that mocking he heard earlier. Try, anyway.]
no subject
Prior to this? His biggest worry was passing Japanese Literature. ]
So hey, how're you keeping your hair all weird and spiky like that?
[ And again he makes Cloud the centre of attention ]
no subject
I'm not. [He feels a little too annoyed and defensive still to try a smug smile, even a tiny one.] They're natural.
no subject
You look like a comic book character.
no subject
It looks worse in the mornings. [So no, he doesn't have naturally gravity-defying bedhead. His bedhead is worse than this.]
... haven't heard that one before, though.
[Maybe because no one at home thinks of comic books first when it comes to his hair.]
no subject
[ Because Inui's of the fatalistic train of thought here that most everyone and anyone they knew must be long-dead, judging by the age of those pods. ]
no subject
People always compare me to other things. [And no, he's not saying what, so don't ask.] Besides... I'm not the only one. I've got a friend, and, well. His hair is similar.
[It's so weird, and nice, actually being able to call someone his friend. Especially since it's Zack Fair. It's still new, actually thinking he can consider Zack a friend.]
no subject
no subject
He is, actually. [So there. Zack's even nearby, but Cloud... doesn't feel like dragging Zack into this. He can handle himself.] Pretty easy to spot... Really tall, with spiky black hair.
[Cloud makes a vague gesture from out behind his own head. There's lots of other adjectives he could put into that description, but half of them Inui wouldn't have much use of, and the rest of them feels a little... weird to say. Even if they're true.]
no subject
no subject
[This? This is Cloud blushing and then immdiately looking very, very suspicious for a moment, before---]
... Right. The pollen. [But even realising that Cloud's unsure what to make of that comment
because while Zack certainly had been friendly with him before he'd gotten ill, no... um, butt-touching had happened, and there's still red staining his cheeks.] And his name is Zack.no subject
He got super-stoked on our new clothes and how tight they were, and then he just started feeling himself up. It was great!
no subject
Oh, he... um.
Technically finding out Zack felt himself up instead of some poor, random person while under the influence of that pollen should probably be a relief. All it does is make Cloud unable to stop blushing and trying very hard not to imagine this.]
He's not, um, usually quite that excitable... [Taking a breath and shaking his head, it's still very, very hard to dispel his reaction and now he's really glad Zack's not close enough to see, or, hopefully, listening in.] The pollen from those wandering plants apparently, er. Made him more friendly and excitable.
[It feels a little like his responsibility to at least try to fix this, even if Zack took it in stride when he got better.]
no subject
A wee bit. Because mostly it was just funny. ]
You sure have weird tastes in friends.
no subject
He's not that bad normally. [Nevermind that Zack is also very... Zack, but... Cloud isn't actually the best to judge about if that's normal, SOLDIER confidence, or just... well, Zack. The guy right across from him was edging closer to the behaviour of the kids from Nibelheim, and while he knows he was childish and dumb back then, Cloud's still not... overly inclined to take what Inui says at full face value.
And he can't help but mutter:] Zack's really nice.
no subject
no subject
Yeah, he... sorta is. But the pollen sort of... enhanced that. A lot.
[A frown, but then Cloud nods. Yes, it did enhance it. Zack was friendly and open with hugs or a hand ruffling his hair, but not quite... like he'd been earlier today. He's not going to blush about it.]