middleofsomewhere | No Place Like Home: Outside

No Place Like Home: Outside

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: OUTSIDE

HOME SWEET HOME

You find yourself not on a wide station platform, in the clothes you last remember, holding what you were when you went through the glas door. There's no longer a train behind you, no sound of its whistle, with no other passengers around you in similar style of clothing to your own.

You're somewhere familiar, or just - the last place you remember being before your life became tethered to the Voidtrecker Express. A field, a city, a kingdom, or perhaps even a space station. You should be nowhere, yet you find yourself somewhere, despite all odds.

People - if there are people - don't at first notice you; but attract enough attention to yourself, and that will all change. Friends, family - are they near, a phonecall away? It's either everything you wanted or everything you imagined (for good or worse), and it could seem unbelievably real. But it is real - you're off the train, back somewhere you know.

Finally - the journey is over...

...If only.
You're moving away from where you arrived, for whatever reason. Who wouldn't? You may be far from home, have business elsewhere, or want to go sightseeing. It's time to return to - and live - your life, and that doesn't include sticking to one place.

But you'll find that when you reach a point, the world becomes...foggy. A fog that you hadn't seen in the distance before it appears, and when you walk through it, you'll find yourself in a place some have already found themselves in.

Because for some passengers, there was nowhere for them to return, and so the barriers lead only to fog, and then straight back onto the platform. The Voidtrecker Express may be stationed, or there may be a blanket of fog where it should be; sometimes, it can be caught trying to leave the station, only to come back a few minutes later. The doors are shut tight, and the windows are obscured, showing nothing inside.

Those who came from somewhere can go back, should they go through the turnstiles again. And if they want, they can take people along with them, too...

But sometimes, they go to a world no one knows. They go through the barriers into nothing, a black emptiness. Not space, for those that know space, and it doesn't seem to be the void either. But it is a void, devoid of anything at all. Just a darkness so complete they will not be able to see anything at all, they will only know their companion is there through touch and sound. How they are breathing, how they are living at all, is a mystery; one probably answered only by the SCA on their wrist.

Being there brings an unease deep down inside them. This place is not natural, not somewhere that they should exist in. Not a place that should exist at all. Luckily they are never there for more than a few moments before they return once more to the station, fog covering them like a safety blanket.

A DIFFERENT CORNER: LOCATIONS

In the first couple of days (whatever that means, when time doesn't match up between most places), the only way to move to another's tethered location is by them leading another there. But after that, individuals will show up in other locations when they reach close to the distance limit. Indeed as time goes on everything gets a lot less stable. They may know their five miles perfectly but still one step to another leads them back to the platform. Attempting to return to their world leads them somewhere else entirely.

And there's quite a few places to end up.

SETTLEMENTS

Buddhist Temple, China ( Koumyou Sanzo | TL )
Rebel Camp, Lothal ( Hera Syndulla | TL )
Homestead, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA ( Nell Ingram TL )
Capsule Corp ( Trunks | TL )
School Grounds, College ( Idia Shroud | TL )
City Ruins, beach ( Najaran | TL )
Hakkei Palace, Tai ( Taiki | TL )
Gusu Lan, mountain sect (China) ( Lan Jingyi | TL)
Lotus Pier, riverside, China ( Jiang Cheng | TL )
The Endless Abyss, Hell ( Shen Qingqiu | TL )
Hyrule Castle Town ( Zelda | TL )
Haven Palace ( TL )

COMMUNITIES

Spaceport ( Yondu | TL)
Mobile Station Base ( Kiyoiri )
Arkwood, Town (Ryo | TL )
Techstead, Town ( Devero | TL )
Tatsumi Port Island ( Ken Amada )
Mor Dhona / Town, Mountain, Lakes ( K'zeka Tai | TL )
Hyrule Field & Lon Lon Ranch ( Link | TL )
Ishigami Village, Japan ( Senku Ishigami | TL )
Aether Paradise/Artificial Island/Natural Preserve ( Katsuya Jonouchi )
Nautilus ( Spark/Clef TL Clef | TL Spark )
The Underworld, Hades ( Zagreus and Thanatos | TL )
Sanctuary ( TL )

CITIES & KINGDOMS

Saillune City ( Zelgadis | TL )
New Mantle, City ( Ruby Rose | TL )
Brooklyn, New York City, USA in 2017 ( Jake Peralta | TL )
Azabu-Juban District, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan ( Usagi Tsukino | TL )
Hau'oli City ( Eva Iden'no | TL )
Gauig City ( Little One/Buttercup | TL )
Kyoto, Japan ( Masumi Sera | TL )
Shinjuku, Japan ( Yosuke Otoha | TL )
Kingdom, Evermore ( Roland Crane )
Garlemad, Kingdom ( Zenos | TL )
Kingdom of Knothole ( Mina Mongoose | TL )
Domino City ( Yugi Muto | TL )
Amnity Park ( Danny Fenton | TL )
Garlemald ( TL )
Lothal ( TL )
Los Angeles ( TL )
The First - Crystarium and Lakeland ( Elidibus | TL )

OOC NOTES

OOC post. Ask questions here.

LOCATION TOPLEVELS: Since it'll be easier for players to engage with settings presented by those offering them, when we see a toplevel for one of the above locations put up, we'll add it to the list! We've also included the OOC comments for settings to the side, so any questions can be left with the player, as well as extra details. Please always speak with the player first if you intend to do anything drastic to the setting!

A REMINDER: Time of log is Poi 22-25, but time within worlds can last up to a maximum of two weeks. Minimum is whatever you want it to be.

During Poi 22 and 23, characters will need to be led to a location to be able to access it. From Poi 24, people will show up in locations regardless of invitation.

The second half of the event will go up during 20th to 25th February (Poi 26-28). But as always, play around in here and do as you like!

If your character's setting isn't above, link us to it in the Questions post, along with your toplevel! We'll add it.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What a rude way to tumble in! Jin Ling definitely had some bone to pick with the train and the people that were in charge. This was just not his day! Why did this happen?! He's completely frustrated and about to throw a fit when Fairy whines next to him, bringing him back to reality of the situation, despite his confusion.

Seeing Jingyi transform into a dragon seems to be a normal thing for him. Something that's he akin to seeing as a normal thing that happens in their daily endeavors.

What he didn't expect was to find himself in a place that looks-- quite like Gusu Lan. It's a world-- right a home? He wasn't really sure. He was minding his own business and while understanding people wanting to return to their own places, he chose not to follow, because the place he wished to return to was not the place that he would be finding himself at.

The nightmares of Hakagemachi haunted him so much, that he would never once attempt to return to that place.

Jingyi angled his head to see whomever had come tumbling in after him, amber eyes observing Jin Rulan and Fairy for a long moment. Then he flicks his tail, much larger in this form, and turns his attention back to his mirror image, where his human, physical form has now become as draconic as his spirit form.

This is what Ten-Nank had spoken about. The spirit was tethered, and what the spirit experienced, so did the body. This is why Lan Jingyi is kept outside, when he's tended to under a sheet and with no clothes, for the unpredictable nature of his transformations, all peaceful so far, some regular in prediction, others not. Strange to think that's how the measure of his time from platform to platform looks to the people of his clan: regular shifts, for brief periods of time. Longer and sporadic ones at others.

Jin Rulan is left unaddressed as Lan Jingyi brings his mouth down and starts using his teeth to rake through the mane on top of his head, between his body's horns. Picking at the natural tangles that happen to a sleeping, unmoving form, and looking himself over for any signs of degeneration. As far as he can tell, he's not losing muscle mass, not developing sores. If that's due to the mechanics of the tether, or due to the care of his clan, he doesn't know for sure either way.

Jin Ling doesn't quite understand what is going on when he briefly makes eye contact with Jingyi and so does Fairy. She seemed concerned if anything and Jin Ling watches the tail he flicks and then the image he can barely see from where he is.

He doesn't quite get the summary of where Jingyi came from or why he was a dragon. He only knew what was told to him. At the moment, he honestly just thinks this is Gusu Lan, but at the same time, it's definitely not the one he remembers or knows. He can tell that simply because of the brief eye contact he makes with Jingyi.

He takes a few cautious steps towards the other trying to make sense of what is going on. He doesn't say anything to Jingyi, but observes cautiously. It's fair to say that he's grown used to seeing Jingyi as a dragon. (Perhaps, the few moments he spent clamped in his jaws made Jin Ling remember all the finer details. )

Jin Ling's progress is uninterrupted, as far as Jingyi's concerned. He continues meticulously grooming the mane of the sleeping dragon, which is his exact duplicate, being his physical self. Overhead, should Jin Ling look, the sinuous forms of a dragon flying past and upward into the fog can be seen, or in a clear burst of sunlit sky where the fog's burned off.

Gusu Lan, as it might be recognised in other worlds and times, still feels very much like Gusu Lan, though the scale of the courtyard is larger, to accommodate the form of dragons who make this place their home.

Tending to his grooming is more of a meditation for Jingyi than anything else, and not something he thinks Jin Rulan's owed any explanation over.

He's obviously ignoring him and Jin Ling may be a little frustrated with that. Though, he's still trying to adjust to the familiarity of the place, and not at the same time. The differences are noticeable and he's even more confused with the scene before him. He keeps Fairy behind him as he approaches by a few more steps before calling out to Jingyi.

"You--! What's going on here, don't tell me you didn't see me!"

Clearly, starting an argument is what will draw Jingyi's attention right?

"Where am I?"

Starting an argument that has Jingyi lifting his head and staring down Jin Rulan, whiskers flaring out to either side of his face.

"Has no one told you it's rude to go around shouting at people in their own sect when it's not yours?" Exasperated, he shifts so his tail comes around and drapes, heavily, over Jin Rulan's shoulders. The weight of it is definitely enough to send him to his knees, or simply to the ground, if he doesn't shrug off and dart away from it.

Fairy won't notice any ill intent, only irritation coming from Lan Jingyi.

"You're in Gusu, and use your eyes to figure out what's going on, Jin Rulan."

He keeps his eyes fixed on Jingyi as he said those words. Of course, he knows better than to be yelling in Gusu Lan, but he can't help it. It's a familiar place, but something is very different about it. The vibes is definitely unfamiliar.

He wants answers, and it's the easiest way to get someone's attention. Jin Ling at least lowers his voice a bit now. Jin Ling feels the weight on of the tail almost on him when he manages to slide quickly away. No thank you! He doesn't want to be kissing the ground now.

Fairy just stares blankly at him, cautiously, but she can tell that Jin Ling isn't in any initial danger.

"I know... this is Gusu Lan. That's not exactly what I meant."

He doesn't know if him trying to explain it makes sense at all or not to Jingyi. He's still bothered that Jingyi is literally the only person that calls him Jin Rulan.

He has to pause in his toothy grooming of his unconscious self to speak clearly, his tail landing with a thud near Jin Ling and Fairy alike.

"Then say what you mean, because you're interrupting me grooming my body for the first time in months, and if I'm kicked off the damn Voidtrecker Express until we can be pulled back on with our tethers, I may as well make sure my body doesn't go even longer without a proper grooming."

Which sounds absurd, until one considers the logistics of his size, and that his body shifts when his spirit shifts to dragon.

Every single time, no warning in Gusu, and no accounting for length of time.

Jin Ling is grateful he escapes the landing of Jingyi's tail. He doesn't want to be hit by that, given how heavy it is when it almost pushed him down. It takes him a moment to process what Jingyi is saying. He is grooming his body, and it's definitely the Jingyi he knows.

"Grooming--? I guess that makes sense. I wouldn't know what that feels like. I'd assume it's pretty uncomfortable not being able to-- groom yourself correctly..."

He's trying to at least understand.

"...It's not important anymore-- anyway this is your home, right," he makes a face while dismissing the question and moving onto another topic. He gives the place a big look around as he says that. Fairy on the other hand seems to find Gusu Lan exciting and is also prancing about,(albeit a bit carefully) to let the two boys talk.

"Know any other worlds where everyone's dragon souled?" He speaks around moments of using his teeth to groom his mane around his body's face, then curves his neck around to look back at Jin Ling once more.

"If you're planning on helping, that's a mane grooming rake there, and the other one's for scales. If you find any rough places, use the oils. They smell nice. Your hands will like it."

Given they usually were helping in human form for each other, but he can't be in human form and have his body in dragon form. They're linked, and so forms must match, such as it was.

"How am I supposed to know? I only learned about all these different worlds more recently."

Especially, during his time in Hakagemachi. He did learn different worlds, different people and different environments and cultures. Obviously, this was Jingyi's home, but he had to confirm before making assumptions too. Though, it was more out of curiosity than anything. He glances at Jingyi again and then the grooming rake.

It's not like he had anything better to do and maybe he'd get Jingyi to say more if he helped. He picked up the rake for the mane first, because god does he have zero clues on how to groom a dragon.

"Do I just-- run this through the mane?"

He mused raising a brow as he looked for a place to start, "Are they relaxants or something?"

The nice smelling oils, he means. Of course, he's at least trying to take the initiative and asking questions.

"... Do you not use oils on dry skin?" He asks, pausing to give Jin Rulan an incredulous look. "You use the oils on rough patches of skin. Or scales. Where it's dry. I can't believe you don't have things for that," he adds, because the concept of applying relaxants sounds like some highly unnecessary oddity to him when looking at an unconscious, unwaking dragon.

Nevermind that it was also literally himself.

"The rake's like a big brush, or a small actual rake. You've brushed a horse's mane before? It's like that, only softer, and infinitely better."

"Not in the way you are."

He replies. There's not aggression with his response. He just doesn't seem to find a reason to use it for his dry skin. Not that-- he particularly has dry skin other than the callouses on his hands. Regardless, he doesn't comment anymore on t hat.

"That's-- easy enough."

so he says as he works his way to figuring it out and helping Jingyi with his task. Perhaps, then he'll want to talk a bit more. He thinks he's figured it out as he listens.

"Basically-- I brush areas that appear to be like hair or a mane, right?"

This is definitely a learning experience here without a doubt.

"Mm."

Here's the other side of Jingyi, as Jingyi isn't strictly chatty. He complains, he doesn't go unnoted or unnoticed, but silence falls easily for him, fits snug against his skin. With the task at hand, he simply, methodically continues to groom the body he can't rejoin with, while Jin Ling is left to scrub scales or rake mane or anything other than doing something beneath all of them, like spitting upon Jingyi's body.

It does, unfortunately, mean Jingyi's not trying to talk with Jin Rulan much, beyond pointing out one rough scales patch he sees, and asking Jin Rulan to move out of the way when he was going over a section of his lower mane with tooth and talon. Overhead, dragons can be occasionally glimpsed through the clouds, now that the fog slowly burns off, but in a peaceful way that makes more of the wind's natural song and the chatter of mountain birds come forward to claim their ears.

Jin Ling, finding the conversation to be lacking, continues to focus on his newfound task-- grooming his so-called friend and ally. It's certainly an experience and the little squeaks in between helps him learn a bit better. While Jin Ling is the kind of person that will make his presence known, he is also the type to be focused on any task he's given.

At the moment, he's just going to go along with it. For whatever reason, this Gusu Lan is very calm, soothing almost puts him in a strangely peaceful mood. Eventually, he's going to finish whatever grooming he can for Jingyi and potentially, wander elsewhere in Gusu Lan.

It's when Jin Ling wanders that he might hear something... familiar. Or almost familiar. Cadences of a voice not speaking quite like Jin Guangyao, but with familiarity: toward the guest quarters of Gusu Lan, those courtyards to house the visitors of other sects who ranked high and were not simply attending for their finishing educations, that tradition restored after the war broke its back.

If he goes closer, he'll recognise some of the colours, the clothing, on these people who are as evidently dragons as Jingyi has been: two men, a woman, and a small child held in the woman's arms, tail drooping in their slumber.

The woman speaks, and the men listen, one of them stepping closer to stand at her shoulder and look down at the face of the sleeping child while the other man bows to them, indicating their rank being higher, their honours properly due, before he retreats.

"Ah-Xuan, she looks just like you when she sleeps."

"I sleep?"

Jiang Yanli, head turned to look up at her husband and father of all five of her children, smiles, laughing in a soft, warm way.

"More than I do, and that's good. You've needed it lately."

Jin Ling is taken back by the scene in front of him. He recognizes the voice to some degree, and the appearances. Nothing too similar, but not too different either.

The thing that shocks him the most is the familiar appearance of his parents. The child they have definitely isn't him and he can't seem to bring himself to say anything. It's really shocking to him. A world where his parents are alive and this other child, maybe being a sibling he may have possibly have if they were still alive.

Jin Ling, looks solemn for a moment. Still, he can't help but take steps towards the small group, as if he's captivated by them and their activities.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

No Place Like Home: Outside

when in gusu; lmk if i need to adjust anything!

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sorry got kind of side-tracked busy during the end of the month D:

we all know how that goes

;A; yeah gonna kick my butt back in gear again.

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feel free to drop if this is too old. >_>;