shadowbringers

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shadowbringers

beneath the stars It's been a week since our newest expansion officially launched! And, I know, I know... some of you already have a lot of feelings that you need to air out. But canon updating in your games is a struggle! And so is finding PSL partners! Luckily, that's what we're here for. This is a post for you to play out all the Shadowbringers-related content you might be dying to write. Behind-the-scenes nonsense? Between-the-scenes angst? It's all welcome here! 1. Toplevel your character. Include any details you might think are relevant. Or don't. As always, we're not the cops. 2. Reply to other people's top levels! 3. Have fun! ⚔ Please clearly mark all spoilers in your thread subject lines. Clearly indicate whatever spoiler preferences you may have. We're only a week into the expansion, officially, and there's no shame if you're not far in it or haven't started it yet. ⚔ You are welcome to play characters who are new to Shadowbringers. However, please try to avoid topleveling with icons and descriptions that convey major plot-related spoilers. If you aren't certain about a character's playability, feel free to PM parser.

TEMPLATE CODED BY valoirs

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Solus zos Galvus | First Emperor of Garlemald | OTA

[angeloftruth]

[Proper toplevel this time! Spoilers okay and assume all threads are spoilers]

[seasoflight]

"And here, I thought you were 'always watching' from the shadows, and all that..." Felih hums as he crouches down, in that Miqo'te manner, a finger poking idly at the napping body he sees. The logical thing to do upon seeing Emet-Selch's physical form again would be to alert his companions, but it's far more fun just to pester the man. Ascian or no, the man has kept to his word about staying out of the way...

And there haven't been that many signs of hostility yet, so he may as well take advantage of the man's... companionship? Presence? To ask the endless font of questions he's had for far too long.

"I suppose I should be glad you sleep. It means some time is kept to myself, dalliances free from prying eyes."

His brings around his long, fluffy tail to poke at Emet-Selch's cheek with the tip of it, as if to tickle him awake.

[angeloftruth]

The man can sleep through Elidibus's speeches, Felih. A tail won't do much.

A tail and a voice, however, might do it. He starts to stir, frowning and batting away the tail.

[seasoflight]

Felih can't help but grin. Oh? The Ascian is a heavy sleeper? He would've never guessed, and he keeps tickling at him with his tail and can't help the laugh.

"Well, this is certainly unexpected, dear companion. Mayhaps simply tagalong?" he keeps teasing, hoping to wake the man up and simply catch him off-guard. Strange, Felih thinks, that an Ascian would simply... nap out in the open, unguarded, like this. What a confident bastard...

[angeloftruth]

The laugh is what gets him, frowning and nose twitching and trying to to sneeze. Last he checked, he was only so much aether floating about in the world barely aware of anything, so why the hells...

Oh. As the world comes into focus he can't help but sigh at his tormentor. "Must you?"

[seasoflight]

"Absolutely," is Felih's grinning, delighted response, a purr now rumbling in his chest while he crouches beside him.

"After all, this is a rare opportunity. A sleeping Ascian, unguarded, out in the open? Clearly, the best chance to answer the age-old question: do immortals get ticklish?" Felih's an oversized kitten sometimes, with his playfulness getting ahead of his sense.

He does hum, however, looking at the man curiously. "I hadn't even figured you would need to sleep."

[angeloftruth]

He sits up, brushing himself off and giving Felih a most unamused Look. It doesn't seem he's ticklish, just Annoyed.

"We can only pass the time so many ways before resorting to sleep," is the reply. "And, in my case, sleep is about the only thing that ever shut my peers up."

Assume viera form lol

[holdmystabber]

Sometimes Yua can be quite intelligent when the need arises. Sometimes she can be dense as a bag of bricks. But then there is the third option of knowing that something is wrong and can cause pain but you still want to do it anyway.

Yua is taking the third option because seeing this guy lying around in a...not graceful manner amuses her. It's more amusing when Yua finds a long stick and the simple urge overcomes her...by crouching down and poking the man's side.

Poke poke poke. Can't stop won't stop poking. This might be an interesting encounter.

SPOILERS also we need to arrange a gpose time

[angeloftruth]

(Somewhere, a certain black mage despairs of you.)

It's bad enough that the Lifestream seems to have spat him back out but without the use of his powers, but now this? Some...creature, harassing him while he lies here in agony? The nerve.

He reaches out and grabs the stick, breaking it before it can cause him anymore problems, not once looking at whatever was holding it.

ALL THE SPOILERS. And yes. Yes we do.

[holdmystabber]

"You do know the broken part is probably sharper and I can still do it."

If he didn't know who it was before, now he will as Yua grins because making him annoyed means she's doing it right.

"Although I do have those new heels too..." She won't ever use them but the reaction is all that matters.

[angeloftruth]

Oh, hells.

"That's right, you're a viera now. Who decided on that particular change again?"

[holdmystabber]

"Not sure but for once, something good happened when I got dared to drink something weird."

To be fair, she did that kind of thing before coming to Eorzea. Just never her little cousin's science projects.

"I was not expecting this...let alone the very funny position you must be in."

[angeloftruth]

"How on earth have you survived so long?" He finally sits up, giving Yua the most Tired Look known to man and completely ignoring the "very funny position" comment. "I am genuinely curious."

thinking pre-final battle, lmk if this works for you?

[omnicrafter]

[Having apparently uninhibited access to even a small chunk of what must have been a vast city in the past means Irhya is entitled to get a little nosy. At least, that's the way she sees it; it's doubtful Emet-Selch didn't expect her and the Scions to at least look around.

The buildings are mostly organized administrative offices, but there are a small few that don't follow the pattern. Classrooms and lecture halls seem to comprise the majority of them, but then she finds a building with a wide foyer and a high ceiling, well-lit and welcoming...

"Oh dear. Are you lost, young one? Or has one of the residents requested your presence? Perhaps I can be of assistance to you."

More of the baby talk, but it's hard to stay annoyed when every Amaurotine so far has been so damn nice about it. A few words exchanged makes her realize this is an apartment building, and she ponders for a good, long moment when prompted for a name.

So she asks after her own.

"Irhya? Irhya... Ah, Emet-Selch did say he would be expecting a visitor by that name, though I'm afraid he is away at present. You're welcome to wait in the lobby should you so desire, however."

Wait in the lobby, indeed. She excuses herself to "find the restroom" and instead shuffles onto an elevator when the receptionist isn't looking.

Now... if she were a top-ranking government official or some such, what floor would she live on? Why, the top floor, of course. So she rides up, greeted by the sight only of numbered doors upon stepping off... Ah, but of course it wouldn't be that easy. Well, there's always seeing who was absent-minded enough not to lock their home before the imminent cataclysm, right?

Irhya tests one of the doors. To her vast surprise, it opens.

...Oh, gods, please don't be some random Amaurotine just going about their illusionary business--!]

b^^d

[angeloftruth]

[It's not.

It's Emet-Selch himself, looking out over the city. He doesn't seem to hear the door open or if he does, he doesn't deem it important enough to acknowledge.]

[omnicrafter]

[She waits.

Nothing.

Talk about a stellar attitude.]

What, no smart-arsed quips about unlocked doors or walking into others' homes uninvited?

[It comes out a lot more awkward than she intends, though, when she registers how solemn the atmosphere is. Not wanting to sound like a total jerk, she follows up.]

Though I doubt the receptionist was lying when they said you were expecting a visitor. Am I late?

[angeloftruth]

You're early.

[He doesn't turn around.]

I invited an abomination, not a broken doll. Why are you here?

[omnicrafter]

[Why can't I be both? she doesn't say, though something about that sassy remark is writ all over her face.]

Because you've a nice view from up here and you're hogging it all to yourself. Also, you're lying if you try to claim you didn't anticipate I might get a little nosy.

Can I come in now?

[angeloftruth]

The door opened, didn't it?

[So, yes. Yes she can.]

And there are better views from the rooftops.

[heart_of_the_wood]

At first she'd been ready to throw whatever had been within easy reach when he'd seen fit to first reveal himself. In her defense it was deeply ingrained in her at this point, as Ascians either wanted her slain or were working hard and swiftly to make certain the new lands she'd grown to love would be engulfed in flames. Or toxins. It was enough to leave her ready to sling fiery hailstorms or scream ancient curses in long dead languages whenever the void so much as rippled at the edge of her senses.

Yet perhaps she was growing complacent with his...what was the term. "Eccentric uncle" she was certain was the phrase, either way his manner and words had brought them to some sort of fragile truce, and she was tired.

Very tired.

The Light that burned within her at the death of a fourth Lightwarden made her ache so deeply that it was like a throb within her very bones. At the first her skull had felt fit to shatter, and it was as if blades had lodged themselves betwixt her eyes, but now it settled like an old wound in her joints, creeping along her spine, each movement a challenge and each breath a struggle. All she could do was hope it passed in time.

Still, she cocked her head, gazing at him through a thick fall of hair, her ears held high as if she felt no pain at all. Often she had come to watch him like this, staring as if in silent challenge to see who would crack first. So many questions, so little time, yet today she hadn't the heart for the game. Mykha was so, so very tired.

"No sly remarks this day? I must not be working hard enough to entertain you." Her words are soft, her murmur almost musical from the thick accent and the natural cadence of her speech. Even so, she has...questions. When close companions guard their thoughts for fear of alarming her, she would see if she could twist some truth from one who claims an allegiance out of whimsy.

[angeloftruth]

Emet-Selch just shrugs at Mykha's question. He'd been wondering how long it would take for her to approach him, to ask him questions and demand answers and generally be the nuisance he knew she could be.

"Not every witty remark that comes to mind need be said," is his reply. "Sometimes it's better to keep them secret, hoard them until the right moment."

[heart_of_the_wood]

"So that you might torment me with them at your best opportunity, I'm sure." She mused, her gaze hooded as she took a moment to breathe through the discomfort. Dizziness often came with the Echo, but the fact that it felt the need to linger long after its last pulse was disconcerting. New, unusual. Alarming.

"They think I will become something akin to the Wardens. Or worse." Her eyes fell shut for the briefest of moments, taking care with her claws as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. When she looked to him again, she did not bother to mask her exhaustion, though she still held her head high, not even a tremor in her ears in spite of the pain in her limbs. "And here I thought you'd take some perverse delight in the irony of it."

[angeloftruth]

"Only if you fail to contain the light will you turn. I thought that much was obvious." Honestly, why did everyone expect him to take fiendish delight in their failures? Has he not said that he wants the Warrior to succeed here?

True, he wants her to succeed for other reasons but if they haven't figured that out yet he's not about to enlighten them.

[heart_of_the_wood]

Mykha trusted him about as far as she could throw the Source's Crystal Tower from beyond the void, though part of that is chalked up to a soul-deep distrust that she is uncertain should be undone no matter how charitable Emet-Selch can be. Still, she did bow her head in a faint nod, her eyelids heavy as she fought the way the room spun for the briefest instant.

"Mm, yes. It is...the lingering pain that worries me." Flexing her fingers, she looked to her hands, clenching them as tightly as she could, but the joints had grown stiff and there was a tremor that she attempted to disguise by smoothing her sashes. Twiddling with the decorative beaded chains and feathers that hung from her.

"In all my years I've not experienced anything like it." True her life was a mere blink compared to his, no matter how long she herself had lived. "I know the pain brought by the Echo, but this is more than that. More intense. I do not think there is aught that can be done for it, is there?"

[angeloftruth]

Such an aetheric imbalance can't be treated by tonics and salves, but the pain...

"Nothing can be done for the cause, but the symptoms could be treated with the usual whatevers your kind uses for pain," he replies. "That, or find a well of dark aether and absorb as much of it as you have light."