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Empatheias Events ([personal profile] empevents) wrote in [community profile] memepatheias2018-06-18 05:05 pm
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TEST DRIVE: July

— TEST DRIVE: JULY —


Welcome to [community profile] empatheias' test drive meme. This test drive is to help interested players test their characters in the game's environment. We've included a few prompts that incorporate specific elements of the game, though you'll find all of them have a lot of leeway for players to get as creative as necessary. Before diving in, here are a few things we'd like to remind everyone about the game in general:

  • Date reminders. Reserves open June 24th and Applications (Canon | OC) open a week later on July 1st. Apps will only be open for four days!

  • OC Reminder! Just a quick reminder that original characters are allowed. Those interested can also use the test drive. OCs do not need to be reserved.

  • Emotions are key! Empatheias' premise focuses on how anyone's emotions can affect their environment, be it big or small. While not every emotion will cause a reaction, significant ones definitely will. How much effect a character will have will ultimately be up to you, the player. Also, while we're giving a lot of leeway for the test drive, keep in mind that there will be some limits in the actual game.

  • Everyone has an amulet. All characters have a unique amulet that is specialized for them. It will contain all of their emotion drops and it serves as the network device. Remember, communication is telepathic. Otherwise, it works basically the same.

  • Assume the character is already in the game. Because "OMG WHERE AM I IS THIS REAL LIFE" threads aren't going to be very helpful in this test drive! Plus, those are going to happen in-game, anyway. So to make things easier, just assume that they've been around at least a week or so. Still learning the ropes, but not a complete "first day" experience.

  • First or third person allowed. Your threads can be in either first or third, but we'd advise being flexible about it. Remember, these threads can also be used in your application for samples! Reminder: We only require one sample and it can be done in either format. We have also made a change to our sample requirements, so look over the Applications page!

  • Transfer to in-game. If accepted, you can assume threads made on the Test Drive happen in-game if the scenario can reasonably fit. For new characters, these threads do not count for activity check. However, these can be supplementary threads for players already in-game.

    Now with that out of the way, here are some prompts you guys can work from!


    PROMPTS

    • Prompt A: How about giving the emotions a try?

    • Prompt B: Refer to the Task Board and choose a task your character may be interested in taking up. For this prompt, you could have your character ask for help, already be in the middle of the job, or react to it in some way. Perhaps they were an unfortunate victim or want to create a job countering an existing one. You could even have a prompt making a job request. Creating jobs for the purpose of the test drive is absolutely doable.

    • Prompt C: How about giving the amulets a go? Start a telepathic conversation and see how it works. Remember, the amulets are sending out the owner's thoughts so might want to be careful about how the stream of consciousness goes...

    • Prompt D: With Eurus (summer) in full swing, some citizens have decided to combat the heat by staging a citywide water balloon war. Participants are given colored wristbands identifying them as part of the game, and everyone also gets a satchel full of water balloons to throw at each other. There are a number of stations set up throughout the city to get more balloons and some additional events set up in one of the parks in the city.
    1. U Mad?: Those wristbands are meant to show who's playing the game and to keep uninvolved people from getting hit with a balloon, but of course it happens. Maybe your aim was off or you just happened to be in the area when it happened, but now there's an angry drenched person yelling at everyone. Work together with your fellow participants to calm them down, but be careful not to get too worked up. Anger might heat the water, and since they're already angry, you don't want to push things further and make them steaming mad.
    2. All Ballooned Up: Or maybe you've decided not to go around throwing balloons at people and would prefer to help with one of the many resupplying stations set up throughout the game area. Which basically means handing out badges and filling lots of water balloons. Lots and lots of water balloons. Seriously, by the time today ends, you'll probably never want to see another balloon for the rest of your life. But while you're doing that, there's plenty of chances to converse with people playing the game. Or if you've decided to start a mini water war with the other people at your station, it's not like anyone's going to care about some of the balloons being used. Just leave some for everyone else, okay?
    3. Bomb's Away!: For those who want something a bit more challenging, in one of the city's parks, they've set up what appear to be mini catapults loaded with water balloons. Participants are paired off and given a really quick spiel about channeling their emotions and using them to deflect the balloons, but it's not in depth enough to really make sense, nor are the people running the catapults really expecting anyone to actually do it and are really just here for throwing tons of water balloons at people all at once. Do your best to try and figure out how to work with your partner to emotionally shield yourself before you end up bombarded by the water catapult.


    • Prompt E: The Verens Research and Technology Centre has published a well-meaning but condescending new initiative: educate the pirates of Briarlan in the ways of science, namely, research and development… despite the fact that they're almost more advanced than Verens. Helpfully, the pirates have decided to play along anyway, since they don't have any plundering to do for now. Any Otherworlder who would like to be a volunteer in the resulting studies will be well-compensated for their time and any trauma they may be on the receiving end of.
    1. Walk The Plank: The pirates are very eager to test the buoyancy of people of all shapes and sizes, especially when acted upon by the stress of societal upheaval and banishment from the collective. To put it simply, they want to know how fast it takes a person to walk the plank. The deep end of a pool will serve nicely for this. All anyone needs to do is walk to the end of the diving board—sorry, the plank—and step off the end into the water. The kicker? The water is infused with negative emotions and is likely to dredge up some painful memories. At least the pirates are amused.
    2. Medicinal Mayhem: The scientists are desperate for some order after their last adventure with pirates and are conducting something a little more restrained… is what would be the case were they not also desperately in need of a new patent before the end of the fiscal year. With some encouragement from the pirates, they are testing a new medicine to help combat the common cold and are generously compensating any and all guinea pigs. Side effects include temporary synesthesia, unstable hair and eye colours, the inability to speak in anything but rhyme, and believing that no one can see or hear you. Fortunately, these side effects only last an hour.
    3. Whodunnit: Thank you, helpful participants! To show their gratitude to all their volunteers, the Verens Research and Technology Centre’s pirate outreach division is hosting a fancy dinner party. Black tie only in theory, but no one is monitoring the door and no matter how many people attend, there always seems to be enough food and chairs to compensate. Turns out, it is actually a murder mystery party, so better pair up! A helpful character card will be included, and will feature something like: “Your names are Rune and Roz Redmond and you are in the import-export business.” Hopefully the next time the lights go out, no one else will have fake-died.


    • Prompt F: Duke Barry, one of the wealthiest heirs in Verens, has met the love of his life on a trip to Theasthai. The woman who has agreed to marry him is a popular stage actress, Speghan Sparkle, and thus the wedding has become the talk of the city. In fact, every single person in Verens is invited to Mr. Duke's large estate, and the wedding has a royal theme to go with it, too. Make sure to dress nice, for the whole world may be watching!
    1. Joyous Entry: Anybody who enters the large estate will immediately be heralded by a fanfare, and the announcer will give them a made-up title (Lord, Duchess, Lady, etc) followed by their real name. Then, they'll either announce something that they actually accomplished in life, or they will make it up if the visitor didn't provide anything about themselves in their RVSP card (example: "famous for wrestling with alligators!"). Though, in some cases, perhaps the truth will be less embarrassing than the lie... either way, whatever they are announced as, it's what they will be known as for the rest of the evening.
    2. Meat and Greet: Before our fake royalty ties the knot, why not take advantage of this ceremony and grab some free food? It's a perfect time to meet all the other guests as everyone enjoys various collections of wine, meat and desserts. Just remember to be polite! Anyone who starts a food fight or even so much as insults a fellow guest will spend a night in the dungeon. Yes, they can put you in there. Not a bad place to make friends either, however...
    3. Try Another Castle: A group of less-than-intelligent lizard men have crashed the party in an attempt to steal "Princess Sparkle" for themselves. For some reason they think that this is an actual royal wedding and that Miss Sparkle is an actual princess. They're not very smart creatures, but they come in large numbers and they must be stopped immediately! Did anybody bring weapons to this party? If not, try jumping on their heads... assuming one can jump that high! Save the princess, save the wedding!!


    • Prompt G: Make your own! It could include red hot chili peppers and/or peanut butter.


    For your threads, put the Character Name and the Canon in the subject line to help readily identify them. You're also welcome to use more than one prompt for respondents to choose from. If you have any questions or want to brush up on the game information, refer to the Game Information entry. Otherwise, tag around and have fun!
samecosmicdust: <user name ="djfunplex" site ="Plurk.com"> (In the dead of night)

[personal profile] samecosmicdust 2018-06-25 11:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[Keith was about to turn away and start to walk off towards a quieter place. He knew of a park near here that should be able to handle stray emotional effects. But then she speaks specifically of the Blue Lion like it was supposed to still be on Earth, like she knew it was there and like it hadn't dragged five hapless earthlings into the farthest reaches of the universe, catalyzing Voltron's return and the Empire's downfall.]

[A stray thought catches him by surprise. A memory of something that happened months ago. When he was trying to sort out the meaning of his knife and he'd asked after Coran, almost desperately, about how the blue lion came to be on Earth.]

[He turns to look at her now, really look at her, and he can feel something rise in his chest. Something desperate to be hopeful but stifled with fear. ...there's no way, right? He couldn't possibly get his hopes up that high. The air around them grows cold, and sound grows quiet. Even the light of the sun above them seems to darken.]

[Its a few tense moments before he complies, finally tearing his eyes away from her to pull the knife from it's sheath. It is exactly the knife that Krolia feared it might be.]


Who are you? How did you know where the Blue Lion was?
bladings: (77)

[personal profile] bladings 2018-06-25 11:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[Krolia doesn't notice the chill or the dimming light. Her entire universe has focused down to the boy in front of her, to watching with held breath and a heartbeat that seems intent on holding itself as well as he draws the blade free. She almost doesn't have to look. She knows. Because it's the only thing that makes sense, and even looking in this boy's eyes is enough, isn't it?

But her gaze falls to the blade anyway, staring only a moment before her eyes fall shut. She exhales that held breath, waits for her heart to remembered to beat. There's a rush of... sadness. And longing for time that can never be reclaimed. It's enough that the ache is physical. But more than that, and far more obvious, is that all her rage and hate has vanished completely, the angry red and beat replaced by something softer, still flickering in and out like the edges of a nebula, clouds of violet and rose, warm instead of searing hot. Her son. Not the infant she could still feel in her arms if she shut her eyes, that memory one she clings to with a desperation. Her child, so many years removed.

She has so many questions. So many details that need to be assembled into some semblance of order and sense. But she can't quite stop herself from voicing, overwhelmed and overcome, even if she mostly manages to hold herself together.]
Keith.

[She shakes her head at his questions.] My name is Krolia. I know where it is... was... because your father and I found it, when I was on earth.
samecosmicdust: me (They should worry)

[personal profile] samecosmicdust 2018-06-26 12:02 am (UTC)(link)
[And there it is. All it takes is one word and he knows who she is. The denial clings to him, angrily for a moment, and it shows in the way the temperature plummets for a moment and then heats up, instead. Keith's emotions don't seem to know what they want to do- the ground cracks at his feet, filled with a dangerous heat, while the sound of thunder is suddenly heard overhead, and a chilly wind blows by them. Despite all of that, Keith still can't seem to find words.]

[Instead his eyes are wide and his face is void of color. He has thousands of questions he has anger and sadness and hope all desperately trying to claw its way out of him. The struggle is great enough that it leaves Krolia in silence for several moments.]

[Finally, when he realizes just how badly his emotional effects are reacting he forces himself to take a deep breath, to try and get a handle on it. He puts the blade away in order to focus. When he exhales his breath is harsh and shaky.]


You're-

[He clenches his jaw, his voice shakes a little too much for him to want to continue. He takes another breath and tries again.]

You're my mother.
bladings: (82)

[personal profile] bladings 2018-06-26 12:39 am (UTC)(link)
[She notices it now, those rapid changes, the way the world is reacting around him. This place and its strange emotions. But... of course he'd be conflicted. Of course he'd be uncertain and angry. She'd left to protect him, to keep him safe, but she'd still left him.

That pain is new and sharp for her. For him... it's old. And deep.

She watches him struggle with the words, and has to hold herself back from reaching out to him. But she can't keep her eyes from roaming over his features -- so much like her own, now that she's looking, now that she's seeing. It's enough to steal the breath right out of her lungs again.

So at first she only nods.]
I am. ...somehow. Even if a few days ago you were small enough to fit in my arms. [Honestly it's dizzying.]
samecosmicdust: (ships are sailing)

[personal profile] samecosmicdust 2018-06-26 01:44 am (UTC)(link)
Of course.

[It's wheezed out, breathless and uncertain. Of course, this place couldn't be content with just bringing her in, he had to do it at a point in time years and years before his. Why? What game was this? He doesn't want to think about it much harder, honestly. He doesn't, because his first thought was to wonder if her early timeline meant she was actually dead by his point in time. Wouldn't be the first time this place has done something like that.]

[The air grows tumultuous around him again before he tries to calm it. He was worried about her emotions when it turned out his were the problem. God. He tries to get back on subject, maybe that'll keep the storm down.]


That's why ...you don't know anything about the Coalition or the Paladins of Voltron. Because it hasn't happened for--

[He can't do this. He can't fucking do this, he has to know.]

Why did you leave?!
bladings: (75)

[personal profile] bladings 2018-06-26 09:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[It can't be helped, Keith. This place looks for times of emotion. And there has not been a moment in her life more emotional than leaving behind her family, knowing full well that she'll never see them again. It's been tearing her apart inside.

It still is, but in a brand new way as she finds herself facing him, in this moment. But even so, her own emotions right now are all wrapped up in a love so strong it feels like it may stop her heart all on its own, to know that he's alive and grown.

She's about to agree with his statement when he suddenly changes and instead she's left staring at him a moment before her gaze drops.]


To protect you. And your father. The second wave of scouts nearly got away with the lion's location. That would've brought the full wrath of the empire down on Earth. And more would've come after them. I almost lost your father that night, too. As much as I wanted to stay... the only way I knew how to keep you both safe was to go back, fight from the inside to make sure Zarkon never so much as glanced in Earth's direction again.
samecosmicdust: (and leave me here)

[personal profile] samecosmicdust 2018-06-26 11:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[This place sure was a bitch sometimes, for that reason.]

[Keith's emotions, which are still intense and unstable, seem to almost be heeling in the face of Krolia's love. What appears to be a brewing storm above his head is abated by what feels like her warmth instead.]

[Even still, as Keith desperately tries to work through her words. He only hears so much of it. Maybe it's because of his own fears, his own assumptions, that he doesn't see what Krolia is spelling out for him. After all, he's spent eighteen years trying to understand how a mother could leave both him and his father behind, with only recently having context to understand it beyond her simply walking out on them. Of course only one thing made sense to him.]

[His gaze also drops and he grits his teeth to keep his voice steady.]


You left for the mission.
bladings: (77)

[personal profile] bladings 2018-06-27 12:32 am (UTC)(link)
[Krolia, rationally, knows that she's nothing but a stranger to him, that there's no way he even has a memory of her, of being held in her arms, of the songs she'd hum in quiet moments, of her voice whispering to him as he fell asleep. He was too young when she left for those memories to take hold. And there's... clearly years between them now and then. Rationally she knows this. And maybe if it had been years for her she could stop herself from what she does next, but it's only been days, and she can't quite resist reaching a hand out, brushing a stray piece of hair back from his face.]

No, Keith.

[It's a simple answer, not defensive, almost spoken with a smile, sad though that expression may be.] The moment I looked into your eyes, nothing else in the universe mattered. There was no mission more important than that. There never will be. [Sorry, Kolivan. Though Krolia doubts that will be a surprise.] I left to keep the people I loved most safe, however I could. Even... even if it meant giving up the things I wanted most.

[Home. Family. The chance to watch her child grow up. The loss is still fresh enough that being face to face with a reminder of exactly what she's missed draws the grief out in a rush that's nearly strong enough to take her feet out from under her.]
samecosmicdust: <user name ="djfunplex" site ="Plurk.com"> (And they light the sky as they multiply)

[personal profile] samecosmicdust 2018-06-27 01:41 am (UTC)(link)
[She gets away with it, if only because he was trained so intently on the ground that he didn't see her movement until it was too late. The gentle motion, snaps his gaze back up at her.]

[The way she says it, so sure and yet so sad, there isn't a beat of hesitation in her voice. It catches him so strongly off guard, rattles him to his core, that it's all he can do to just stare back at her. He searches her desperately, for any discrepancy, any crack in her words, anything that screams that she's not genuine. All he finds, is a sincerity the likes he's never seen before.]

[He sees someone who made the ultimate sacrifice, and did it out of love for him. He feels like he can't breathe- and that's because his chest is burning. Because something has simultaneously punched him in the heart and then lifted a weight that's been pressing down on it his entire life. Eighteen years of grief and anger, of fear and loneliness, and finally, he has an answer.]

[Keith says nothing, because he's never been the best at words on the best of days. But this is a world where emotions speak far louder than words, and often his emotions were always loud, intense, and visceral. This moment is no different. The chaos swarming around him, of the space not being certain if it wants to become a black hole or a solar flare, finally settles down to make way for the darkened cloud that formed overhead.]

[It does not thunder, nor does it flash with lightning. It scarcely makes a sound at all. Instead, gentle raindrops begin to fall over them, becoming a steady downpour. It rains, and as it washes away the debris from his earlier, nearly destructive emotions, it also rains, as a release for all the grief and pain Keith's kept tight in his heart. Finally it can flow free.]
bladings: (40)

[personal profile] bladings 2018-06-27 03:33 am (UTC)(link)
[Krolia draws her hand back to herself, glancing down for just a moment, as though she can see the phantom feeling of his hair. It's not that different than what she remembers. The silence is startling in a way, and Krolia doesn't know if she's said too much, or maybe nowhere near enough.

There probably aren't words for it, in the end, to really explain it. But bit by bit she notices it, the change in the atmosphere itself, the calming of that chaotic, dangerous moment.

She glances up as the first drops of rain fall, before her gaze falls back to Keith, looking at him through the rain. This place is so strange, but something in her feels a bit like it shatters. And she's abruptly grateful for the downpour because tears are something she's never really let anyone see, has kept her heartbreak private -- and wouldn't burden her child with it. But for the moment there's perfect camouflage, and that wistful, sad smile finds its way over her features once more.]


Keith? Are you all right?
samecosmicdust: (But I found in you)

[personal profile] samecosmicdust 2018-06-28 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
[It is perfect camouflage, and it would mark the first time his stupid emotional effects worked in his favor for once. Between the noise of the downpour and the slowly but surely drenching of them both, it gives Keith just enough cover to feel like he can crack.]

[It's a short but ugly noise, not quite a sob, an expulsion of grief not unlike the rain above them. He covers his face with his hand and shakes his head.]


Fine, m'fine.

[He feels foolish. Like a child who can't keep a handle on himself. He's too old to want to cry like this, but the emotion just keeps pouring out of him.]

It's fine.
bladings: (73)

[personal profile] bladings 2018-06-29 12:09 am (UTC)(link)
[Krolia feels something in her shatter at that sound. Days ago, only days, any sound from him would have brought her running to sweep him up in her arms until she could make whatever it was that had hurt him disappear. She can't do that here. She's so many years too late, removed, a face that her son doesn't know.

She knows that. Rationally she knows, but still she finds herself reaching out, setting a hand delicately against his arm, a gentle urging to lower his hand. Krolia shakes her head, just slightly, her own tears masked by the rain, but even if they weren't, there's no stopping them just now.]


It was never fine. [It may have been the only way, but it will never be fine. Not for her at least. If her son grew up safe, then it may be worth it, worth the pain that no amount of time or distance will ever erase.] I'm sorry, Keith.
samecosmicdust: <user name ="djfunplex" site ="Plurk.com"> (I call your name)

[personal profile] samecosmicdust 2018-06-30 03:33 am (UTC)(link)
[His hand falls away but he definitely still won't quite look at her yet. His emotions are far from under control and he hates letting himself appear vulnerable.]

I wanted to be- I wanted to be so angry with you.

[His voice is harsh, but wavers in that way it does when he's really upset.]

I had a whole list of things, things I was going to ask you, things I was going to say to you. But-

[A lot of that has just been merrily thrown out a window. He's gotten, in just a simple explanation, more answers than he could have imagined. So much about his past was explained, just like that- and now the anger...]

[It's there. It's still there for sure, but it's a dull sort of anger. It's anger at a situation that was out of their hands. Anger at a decision that even if it caused him years of grief, he understands why it had to happen.]

[His own words ring back at him from an older memory. A chilly morning walking along the streets of Verens with a warm coffee in his hand. Just days ago he'd returned from the Trials of Marmora, before being returned to this world. He listened to someone's story that day, and he remembers the lesson from it vividly.]

[His shoulders finally go slack and the rain starts to let up, reducing to a gentle drizzle rather that a downpour. It's then that he looks back up at her.]


"Nothing good comes from chasing the past." What's done is done. All we can do now is ...move forward.
bladings: (72)

[personal profile] bladings 2018-07-03 12:30 am (UTC)(link)
[She deserves the anger, Krolia thinks. Whatever her reasons she chose to leave, made herself a stranger to the man that her son grew up to be. If he needs to rage at her or resent her, she wouldn't hold it against him. But if they are here, if they're both in this space that they have no choice but to be in, she'll be here for whatever he needs, as much and as long as she's able.

Finding him, meeting him, has settled something in her, all that rage and anger and hatred at this place calmed down and left with the relief at seeing him grown and alive, the love she feels for him that has been the only thing that matters in her life since she first saw that tiny infant in her arms. That's still what has settled the gentler, swirling nebula around her, radiating this love that might undo her. Keith should probably get used to this in her presence; Krolia's heart has been his since that first time she heard him cry.

And here is a young man in front of her that Krolia can tell is remarkable in a way that she can't fully understand yet. She smiles at the words, sad and tired, but there's a softness in her expression that few people have ever been treated to. There are still tears gathering and slipping free from her eyes, but even as the rain lets up she doesn't care if it's noticed. She's never allowed herself to show weakness, vulnerability. It's not something a Blade can afford, but here... there's no choice. Some piece of her is so recently shattered that having to piece it back together again is harder than she expected.]

Then we move forward. [She agrees, but she adds,] And even if the past is past... I want to know. About you. About everything. And I want to answer anything I can for you, even if I don't know how many answers I'll really have.
samecosmicdust: (but these problems aside)

[personal profile] samecosmicdust 2018-07-05 01:21 am (UTC)(link)
[He's glad she's at least being upfront about that, because he does have a lot he wants to ask her. There's a lot he needs to tell her, too. Some good, and some really bad. Lightening flashes above them a moment, as that sinking dread hits him. He needs to tell her about his father, even if from her point in time, it hasn't happened yet. It will, and she'll be gone and have no idea.]

[And when she leaves here, she'll forget. Will they ever get to meet in his future? Before he wanders too far down that train of thought, he thinks he needs to move them to someplace less public. They're still near town and, while people are used to dramatic emotional effects and any passerby's have probably given them a wide berth while they sorted that out, it's not good to keep this up where things could potentially be damaged.]


Good. I definitely have things I want to ask you. I should ...also get you up to speed on things around here.

[Keith falls quiet while he thinks of a place for them to go. The bridge overlooking the canal might honestly be a good spot. It's not too far from here and this time of the day not a lot of people are around. They can start there and move elsewhere if they need to.]

Follow me, I know somewhere we can go and talk.

[With that, he turns and motions for her to follow him.]
bladings: (35)

[personal profile] bladings 2018-07-08 10:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[Krolia hasn't brought herself to ask about his father, can't bring herself to ask the question for fear she already knows the answer. It's already overwhelming in a way, and she's trying to settle her own thoughts, her own feelings on this. But every thought she has comes circling back to the young man in front of her, like she can't keep her gaze away from him.

But she nods, agreement.]


I'd appreciate that.

[She'd appreciate the advice, but the truth is she wants to listen to his voice, whatever he has to tell her. She really needs to focus, to reel herself back in. She can handle this.]

Good. That's probably for the best. I don't... have a handle on what this place does with emotions yet.

[At all. And her emotions are... well. She's Galra. They run deep at the best of times, never mind now.]
samecosmicdust: <user name ="djfunplex" site ="Plurk.com"> (We'll be the lionhearted)

[personal profile] samecosmicdust 2018-07-09 12:05 am (UTC)(link)
[Tell him about it. Even before he knew he was Galra, this place had been difficult for him to cope with. His emotions were intense and wild and it manifested in kind, so when she says that, Keith can't help but chuckle a little.]

It takes getting used to.

[And if they're anything alike, and they might be, it's going to take some actual training to keep from blowing things up. He starts leading her in earnest, down the street. They take a few quieter streets to get to where he's taking her. It's after several moments that he speaks up again, now that they're away from the hustle and bustle of the main streets.]

When ...I first got here, I couldn't go a day without somehow setting something on fire. I nearly burned down the apartment I was living in three or four times.

[The irony of that isn't lost on him, for a number of reasons, and it might have been funny to Krolia given what she probably knew of her partner's profession if not for the ...oddly somber way he says it.]
bladings: (23)

[personal profile] bladings 2018-07-09 12:20 am (UTC)(link)
[Oh it isn't lost on Krolia, not really, though she only looks at him for a moment at that. What emotions created that sort of response, created flames that nearly destroyed? What sort of life has her son lived?

Following along still, Krolia can't help but hang on every word. It's all so disorienting, surreal the same way a dream is, but far too vivid, real to be a dream. The ache in her chest aches far too sharply for the phantom pain of a dream.]


You're Galra.

[She puts forward. For all that he looks, has always looked, so perfectly human, she knows what he is. Part of her is in him.] But... you've gotten the effects under control since then?

[Because she rather hopes she can manage that, though she fears it won't be easy, given how much turmoil there is inside her. She can try to hide it all she wants, and if it didn't literally follow her around in visible and tangible effects, she'd mostly have it managed.]
samecosmicdust: <user name ="djfunplex" site ="Plurk.com"> (So promise me that)

[personal profile] samecosmicdust 2018-07-09 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
[A hard one. One where he had to grow up quickly and alone, where he spent most of his life wondering why one half walked out on him while the other was dead and buried somewhere long before Keith was old enough to cope. Where he had to struggle with the alien half of his heritage without understanding, where he had to hide behind anger because it was the only emotion he felt safe in.]

[But even without fire representing the raw intensity in which Keith experienced emotion, fire has always followed him. From his father's legacy to his place on Voltron. While these days a majority of his flames are quelled, both outwardly, emotionally, and symbolically, it will always be the core of who he is. Krolia will find that Keith is someone who burned bright, be it in anger or righteousness.]


Yeah. It took training, but I keep it under control. I can even summon it if I want, though I try not to do that too often.

[So, there's definitely hope for Krolia.]
bladings: (36)

[personal profile] bladings 2018-07-09 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
[Krolia is barely paying attention to where they're walking -- which will only be a mistake when she has to find her way back. For now her entire focus has settled on Keith. She has so many questions. Bits and pieces her mind has already started putting together from what he's said, from what she's heard from Kolivan and the others. Scraps of information that are only now starting to paint a picture.

But she still has so much she doesn't know.]


Summon it? The fire?

[That... sounds useful if a bit daunting. Magic is not exactly Krolia's forte, not something she's familiar with, and it makes her think of the druids more than anything else. Still.]

Then with any luck I can learn to control it too. In time. [She manages a smile.] Admittedly... I don't think I've ever been this emotional. [As this moment in her life, and then having her now adult son in front of her on top of everything.]
samecosmicdust: (but these problems aside)

[personal profile] samecosmicdust 2018-07-09 09:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah. It's come in handy. Turning your emotional effects into usable magic is actually something they teach around here. It's called Dunamis. There's places around here who teach it.

[Allura, for instance, is someone who teaches some classes over the crescent school. Probably if Krolia is interested, Keith could set her up.]

[ It doesn't take too much longer for them to get to where Keith is taking her. It's a little on the outskirts of town. There's a large bridge the leads over an equally large canal. It's quieter here, there's less people milling about, and the view isn't so bad. Larger buildings from downtown Verens can be seen in the distance while air ships fly about. He pauses in the middle of the bridge, unsure of what to say.]

[Where does he start? There's ...so much. Hell, shouldn't he be asking the questions? He thinks he should be, so he decides to just dive right in before Krolia can ask anything herself.]


What were you doing on Earth? I thought the Empire didn't know anything about it until ...recently.
bladings: (26)

[personal profile] bladings 2018-07-10 01:35 am (UTC)(link)
I suppose I'll need to look into it.

[Before she does something terrible unintentionally just because of an emotional response. That's the last thing she needs here. And the potential is certainly there. Krolia falls quiet as she takes a moment to look around this place that Keith has led them to.

Out of the way, away from most other people. It's as good a location as any. Krolia has a million questions too, but Keith's take precedent. He deserves answers, if he's gone so long without them. So she waits, waits for the question to come, and it does.

And there's a faint smile that flickers over her face as she answers.]
They didn't. The scouts that located the Blue Lion didn't survive to report their discovery.

[She begins, pausing as she tries to figure out where to begin it.] The Empire had worked out a way to scan for the Lions over short-range. Zarkon had scouts scouring every edge of the universe. The Blade of Marmora made sure to embed as many operatives in these scouts as they could. The team I was part of came across the signature of another Voltron Lion on Earth. I managed to take out the other scout I was with, but my ship was damaged beyond repair. I crashed to Earth. Your father rescued me from the wreckage... he was...

[A shake of her head. No need to get into that, is there?] He helped me follow the signal, and we located the Blue Lion together.
samecosmicdust: <user name ="djfunplex" site ="Plurk.com"> (In the dead of night)

[personal profile] samecosmicdust 2018-07-15 10:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[Luckily, for all of Keith's questions, he will let Krolia get a few in, just because there is a lot to know between their two points in time. But- this question of his will help him lead into an explanation or two at least.]

[He's quiet thinking on that. That his parents had found the Blue Lion years before him. That he was still drawn out to it after all this time. It ...just overwhelms him for a moment, just how connected to all of this he's always been. That now that he has the context, everything about his life was slowly fitting into place.]


It stayed safe until I found it when I was eighteen. [Which, he's about 20 now, factoring in Emp time and time back home.]

It called out to me in the desert for ...I don't know. Months. I found it with a group of others from the Garrison. We flew it out into space and managed to find the other lions.

[He looks up at her. There's a certain conviction in his eyes, now. Because he doesn't know if Kolivan's told her this much, but it's important to know. The work they've done in her future-]

We reformed Voltron, and now we've been dismantling the Empire a little at a time.
bladings: (29)

[personal profile] bladings 2018-07-20 02:32 am (UTC)(link)
[Until I found it. He says. We reformed Voltron. Her child, who she had tried to spare from this conflict seems to have become a central player in it. Paladin. Blade. It's a conflicting mix of emotions, a shift in the heat radiating from the shifting nebula above her. Pride, to know that her son had taken up this calling, that he'd been a part of taking down the Galra Empire. A twisting sadness to know that despite everything, this war found him too.

She shakes her head.] Then the Empire really is falling. It sounds too good to be true.

[But Keith, for all his involvement in this, has never met her. Krolia assumes she's dead by this time, wonders if she ought to ask Kolivan, or if it's better left unknown. At the very least, she's gotten to see him here, this young man that she can't tear her eyes away from.]
samecosmicdust: <user name ="djfunplex" site ="Plurk.com"> (they multiply)

[personal profile] samecosmicdust 2018-07-21 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
[The nebula is not quite something he's able to read, yet. Not entirely. It's honestly very similar to his own effects, in a way. A similarity that startles him a bit- but he doesn't dwell on that long enough to try and sort out the meaning behind hers. Trying to dive in to understand something that personal- it makes him hesitate. Like he isn't sure if he should be keeping his distance from her or wanting to know literally everything about her. He's conflicted and hurt still. Her leaving had left a deep wound, after all, one he had no answers for his whole life.]

[His uncertainty only manifests as a single nervous bolt of lightening, small enough to look like static, that flashes up his arm, twisting this way and that until it vanishes, gone in an instant. Keith pays it no heed.]


It took a lot of work. It's going to continue to take a lot of work- there's so much damage to undo, but we have allies, a coalition, and rebel forces now. We're taking back each planet one at a time.

[He pauses here, awkwardly. He's not sure what else to tell her. The whole concept of him talking to his mother ...it doesn't feel quite real, yet. Which is entirely because she is a strange he's met today. He's not sure what to do with her beyond telling her important intel or whatever. He's stalling really, trying to keep this professional and distanced so he doesn't let his own emotions get him again. He waits then, taking this time to really look at her, and leaves it open for her to ask any questions.]

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