empatheias_ooc | Night of Selenium 2019: Details & Plotting

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Night of Selenium 2019: Details & Plotting

— NIGHT OF SELENIUM 2019: DETAILS —

This year’s Selenium will bring both traditions new and old to life: the rediscovery of traditions upheld by Piphron’s people in the past have not been forgotten, and will be an important part of the annual occasion for years to come. The usual candles and lanterns will also be present, and while the greater part of the celebration will be in Theasthai, those who would prefer to remain in Verens will also have festivities to attend. Of course, those who would prefer to observe the Night of Selenium in their own way are welcome to do so, as well. Most of the event log will be self-explanatory, but here’s a quick rundown on what to expect this year!

» WHAT IS SELENIUM?

First thing we should touch on is to once again explain the meaning of Selenium itself. Selenium is this world’s version of All Souls Day. Everyone takes the time to send their respects (or grievances) to the dead and on the evening of the last day of the month, they release floating lanterns. The candle symbolizes the departed souls, and the act is to help any lingering spirits to pass on. It's both a solemn and celebratory affair as while there is grief, the goal is to also send the departed off with joy of the lives they lived.

» EVENT DETAILS

Time Frame: ICly, this happens during the last two days of the month. OOCly, it runs from January 25th through January 31st. As always, you are free to tag in late and tag for as long as you need to. Because this event will be taking place during the last week of the month, threads from this log can be used for either January or February’s AC period. As usual, threads started during the last three days of the month cannot be used for the current month’s AC.

Location: Similar to the last two years, there will be a small festival in Verens, but the larger celebration will be in Theasthai, which has been decked out for the occasion. People are welcome to use either the teleporter or the provided hot air balloons, and those who choose the latter will be treated to a scenic view of Euda Mountain as they descend.

Opt-In: As always, this is an opt-in event. It's also true for locals, as some may stay behind to do their own private observance of Selenium.

Activities: While there will be an overall festive atmosphere, there will be certain items and activities that characters can focus on.

Candles of Remembrance. These candles are freely handed out to those who may want one and are for personal use, not the lanterns. They are made with the petals from the Tree of Memories, and what makes them unique is that when lit, both the flame and the smoke will create a reflection of either a deceased or sorely missed but alive individual. It's tuned to draw in good memories of the departed, but it is possible for a negative image to appear instead, especially if the person lighting the candle has mixed or complicated feelings about the person they’re honoring. This image is viewable to all near it. The only real effect this will have is to evoke emotions regarding the individual, but the act of lighting a candle in honor of those who have gone is one of the core Selenium traditions. Stronger emotions may cause these images to manifest as spectres, so that people may visit with those they have lost for a short time.
Floating Lanterns. As always, lanterns will still be lit and released. As in years past, everyone writes the names of their deceased or deeply missed loved ones, attach it to the lantern, light the candle, and release it. While some pre-made lanterns will be readily available, people will also have the opportunity to make their own paper lanterns, as well, for those who would like the process to be a bit more personal.
Honoring Bonds. As they were last year, the ancient Selenium traditions of Piphron’s people are being incorporated into the festivities, courtesy of Daimonia. Those attending the celebration in Theasthai will be encouraged to bear torches up to the top of Euda Mountain, adding them to the brightly burning bonfire that serves to commemorate the bonds of trust and affection that connect us all, including the bonds shared with those who are no longer with us. Glasses of spiced juice (or wine, depending on your preference) will be provided, and just as ordinary crystal glasses, when filled with liquid, will sing out beautiful notes when tapped, these glasses will release the voices of those who are missing, so that the conversation around the fire might also include echoes of those who are gone.
Crystal Mirrors. On the way to the top of Euda Mountain, characters may come across structures composed of mirrors that have been infused with nostalgia and grief, and if they make their way inside they'll re-experience a strong memory, reflected in the crystal for others to see. Though illusory, these memories will be vivid and incredibly realistic. However, these rooms are unlike the candles in that they're not designed to pull forth only good memories— unpleasant ones may very well make an appearance, as well, giving grief its due.
Vigil at the Wall of Names. Selenium has long been an occasion for upholding old traditions, but in the wake of how this world has changed over the last few years, it seems high time to institute a new one. It’s not unusual for Otherworlders to honor those who have come and gone from this world using the Candles of Remembrance, but given what an integral part of this world Otherworlders have become, it’s time to give them their due. A vigil will be held at the Wall of Names, with candles lit to honor all of those who have left Empatheias behind. Those who choose to visit it will be encouraged to light candles of their own, but also to share stories or well wishes for the friends they find themselves separated from. Otherworlders are as much a part of this world as the natives now, and those who have left Empatheias behind ought to be remembered.

The bonfire atop the mountain will burn strong throughout the evening, and only when it becomes a pile of glowing embers will the festivities truly begin to wind down. As the night comes to an end, the sky will be filled with the glow of lanterns that have been released by natives and Otherworlders alike.

-----------------------------

That's it for now! If you have any questions, feel free to ask here. You are free to use this post for plotting.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

For the candles of rememberance, are the spectre's able to talk? Or is that a left up to the player sort of thing?

Whether or not they talk will be up to the player! Since the candles draw from memory, they would not be able to converse with the spectres, but may hear the spectre repeat something they've said in the past.

Out of curiosity: for the candles of remembrance, what would happen if one were to light a candle for a person whose physical features they don't clearly remember? Would the person still appear fully formed, or would things be blurry, or just a "sense" that someone's there?

The person would appear blurry/as the person lighting the candle remembers them. If their features are indistinct in the character's memory, they will be indistinct here, as well.

Another candle question—will these spectres be able to move or react in any way? Like....say if the person wanted to fight the spectre (but the spectre not necessarily hostile—so basically like the spectre moving based off the creator's memory of the actual individual).

They can move based on memory (as in a particular scene or moment that the candle might be able to draw from), but are unable to react as they are not sentient.

So if someone has left Empatheias and their name showed up on the wall (like Allen's), but then they came back and still remembered their time here, does their name stay on the wall or does it disappear?

is Allen gonna stare at his own name in confusion is what I'm getting at

Their name remains on the wall because of their previous stay, so stare away!

Sweet! Thank you!

Another candle spectre question! Are the spectres solid, or would your hand just go through them if you tried to touch them?

Since they're essentially formed by the smoke and are spectral, they are intangible, so your hand would go right through them.

Hello! Just wanted to make sure if it's one candle per person or can a character grab as many of them as they want?

(someone's greedy and it's Minato)

Characters can grab several, but if they start trying to take more than ten they may be asked to pay for them!

About the pictures...

It says "one person or event", and the arrival of Class Zero in Akademia was quite an event, but it was the entire class of 12 people showing up.

Would that be allowed?

Given that it is a single event, it could fit in one picture, yes!

Kuroko will be seeing those he misses. These include all of his basketball friends, both from Seirin and Teiko. Kagami will be of special note as he'll be around more often than not.

In terms of memories, there are a few to choose from:

The good

Winning the winter cup
His last birthday party
Fisting bumping with Aomine (he earned it)

The bad

Losing to Aomine
His middle school finals and the way his teammates demoralized their opponents

Kuroko also has such little presence that others may confuse him for a spirit.

Old and new CR is welcome. I can be reached at

wrinklesintimes for plotting.

Edited 2019-01-21 00:49 (UTC)

Most of Noctis' loved ones are here. The only person he'll be seeing is his mother. She died while he was very young so he only knows her through stories.

Ironically, his good memories will from come from Empatheias

The good

Finding out that his father is alive here
Camping with his bros
His first date with Luna

The bad

Nearly getting assassinated when he was a young child
Watching as the kingdom he's in is attacked so they could try again
Seeing his fallen kingdom
Watching Luna die
Seeing Ignis after he's blinded
Knocking Prompto off the train

Old and new CR is welcome. I can be reached at

wrinklesintimes for plotting.

I am on board for the Noctis pain train.

Once it stops, it's a one-way ticket.

Which memory would you like? Or memories, if you're all onboard.

I think looking at the fallen kingdom. Auron has heard extensively from Regis but he hasn't seen it before. It will, in turn, probably trigger memories about ruined Zanarkand.

c: Sounds fun. If fun is sad times full of pain. Which it is.

Aw yeeeeeah. Dani here, you can contact me at

danidanidanica or over PMs if you want to plot in more detail there, but without any further ado!

Hibiki | Hibiki's Magic | tea_rs

-She will be lighting a candle! She'll see Shirotsuki for sure, her teacher and, in this world, the man who formally adopted her. He left in December and although she smiles well enough during day-to-day activities, she misses him a whole lot and will be having a good cry over this.
-She can also meet quite an assortment of other people however, including Shii-chan (a homunculus girl for whom Hibiki is the sole caretaker), Ahito (her student who likes guns and causing problems), Misaki (assistant to the headmaster and the one who gets on Hibiki's case for being a bad teacher) - she'll be sad about missing these people as well, but she'll be happy to talk about them too!
-Memories-wise, most of hers are bittersweet at best anyway. The happiest among them are befriending the demon of the crossroads, or befriending the demon who possessed her for a week. There's also the time when she embraced an unkillable monster that was once a young girl who had been experimented on, which caused the monster to finally melt away and die. And lastly, a memory of her first real home with Shirotsuki going up in flame, along with Shirotsuki himself - or so she thought, at the time.

Hizumi | Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning | bondsofsuffering

-He will also light a candle to see Tsuchiya Kirie, a woman who he honestly likes well enough despite her consistently telling him over and over again how he was going to become a devil and therefore needed to die.
-He won't be entering any of the crystal mirror chambers himself, but if he sees someone about to go in, he'll follow after them to help drag them out because memories suck, actually!!! So if this happens, he's liable to get real prickly about anyone who sees.
-Memory options! Most of these will have a cw for suicidal ideation One of Kiyotaka, a man who's a dead ringer for his fiancé Ayumu, talking to him about his lack of options to a fairly sullen yet accepting Hizumi - and all end in his death. Another is, again, meeting with Kirie, but teasing her lightly even while she insists he has to die. There's also the option of seeing one of his attempts as he has a history of suicide, but that will definitely be tagged with a warning for such. Let me knoooooow if there's something in particular you want to do or if there's anything in particular that needs to be avoided so I can be sure to do so!

OKAY I don't know how much I'm going to involve myself in Selenium as a whole, but given their current thread I feel like I'm required by law to offer Akira as witness for some of those memories. I have no problems with avoiding certain topics.

Kiyotaka or Kirie memories might be the best ones then, since they're the two giving the loudest voice to Hizumi's fate and he sure isn't going to be telling Akira the whole deal before then.

Eeeeeexcellent.

Any plotting for these two can be done here, via PM, or at

kaitodoushi!

Martel has...kind of an odd situation. The only loved ones of hers I am aware of aren't dead, while she is. I'm quite certain her parents are dead, but it's very possible they did not love her (this canon is brutal, okay). Otherwise she's the sort to love everyone and everything to some degree.

Then one of those specific loved ones is Mithos, her little brother who couldn't let her rest in peace and made existence hell for literally everyone for a few thousand years. She's been trying to not think about that part much because of the negative emotional effects, and I'm not quite ready for a huge backfire of this strategy just yet, but it can slip for anyone interested.

For good loved-ones memories, she has when her brother was an idealistic world-saving hero, and also her fiance Yuan (despite that pretty much being the only canon detail we have about that).

Bad... well, there's the horrible racism she faced throughout her life, her death which was related to the racism, her very long existence as an isolated consciousness while Mithos was systematically breeding and murdering people, and her canon point where she had an opportunity to try to get through to him and failed.

I'm wondering if I could work out something along the lines of her trying to use candles or something to honor everyone whose death he's responsible for, but that number is at least in the millions and she never really knew any of them.

ALSO I have not had her go by the Wall and see that his name is on there, so... there's another opportunity!

Elliot has his whole family to mourn for, and most of their deaths were close enough to his fault that he takes responsibility. There will definitely be stuff with candle(s) and/or lanterns for them. Memory-wise, several people in his life who were still living have previously been here, as well.

Some "good" possibilities:
- Six-year-old Elliot trying to secretly stalk Gilbert and Vincent (and being horribly obvious about it) because he couldn't figure out why the rest of his family hated them.
- Any of the important moments building his relationship with Leo. Particularly because they almost always end up really embarrassing for him sooner or later.
- Anything with Oz even though Elliot's a stubborn jerk for a lot of that.
- Playing piano.
- Times he "secretly" was playing with cats.

Bad (well, the worst actually):
- Hearing Ernest and Claude plotting to kill Gilbert, Vincent, and Leo then Elliot proceeding to kill them (and they knew it was him) under mind control and forgetting about it.
- Vanessa just being in big sister-bear mode and him mind control killing her (instantly, very briefly aware of what hit her) and immediately forgetting it.
- His mother about to sacrifice Leo and him mind control killing her (and in two stages like his brothers so she also knew it was him).
- His own untimely death by self-sacrifice.

And if you know canon and are interested in doing something based on a thing I did not list, we can discuss that!

- Candles of Remembrance: Alice can see a few different people within her candle. Good options include her mother (a hazy figure who'll come with the emotions of warm love and quiet sadness) and her great-grandfather (a much more distinct figure who evokes feelings of pride, gratitude and a touch of confusion). Worse options include the Mayor of Karrussel (with distinct feelings of regret, anger and sorrow) or Corporal Randel Oland (with feelings mixed between guilt, exasperation and perhaps affection).

- Crystal Mirrors:
Good options include:
* Time spent with her great-grandfather from ages 5 - 15. This includes reading, sword practice and such.
* The offices of Imperial State Section Three.
* Her sisters Solice and Elise.

Bad options include:
* The funeral of Alice's mother.
* The Mayor of Karrussel's death.
* The end of the fight with the Anti-Ares' tank (cw for death).

Edited 2019-01-21 05:26 (UTC)

These events will probably involve spoilers so I won't go into too much detail. If you want to discuss things in depth you can grab me at

safekeeping or in PMs if that's your preference!

Anyway, Jasper has complicated feelings for someone in canon. His memories will be coming out in a few ways.

Candles of Rememberance:

Jasper will be lighting a few candles in memory of Hendrik, his childhood friend. He invested everything in their relationship and cannot believe he was loved; something a castmate told him. His good memories have been poisoned due to manipulation. This means he'll be having an indignant rant at a spectre or two: his anger and envy taken out on ghosts - and anyone who might interfere.

Crystal Mirrors:

Curious about them, Jasper will show fondness for mischief when he encourages people to investigate. He will be around to spy on visitors - and he'll be close enough to help if things turn for the worst. He won't believe these mirrors are dangerous and will explore a few memories himself.

Good: childhood spying on castle inhabitants; stealing sweet pastries from the castle kitchen; being knighted and gifted his armor.

Bad: being passed over for training in Puerto Valor; constantly arguing with Hendrik; being ignored when he extends his childhood gesture of friendship.

Old and new CR is welcome! If you want something that's not on the list, we can do that.

(aka: Harold and Billy)

Candles of Remembrance

Should Harold participate, the smoke from his candle would take on nondescript faces and forms of various men, smiling and otherwise healthy and happy. And there is a lot of them; this can have both a positive and negative effect depending on the mood that is being set. Positive effects can be feelings of courage, hope and love. While negative emotions can include despair, anguish, different forms of anxiety and uncertainty as well as a general feeling of emptiness. Should the later feelings emerge those images might turn into walking skeletons or corpses.

Crystal Mirrors

For Harold many of the positive images being reflected will be of his life before and after the war. Positive images will focus on his college life, his sisters and mother. As well as his arrival to France. Negative images will be mostly focused on life following the war, his return home, the Spanish flu and other such related images.

wildcard

In case anyone wants to do something.

Candles

The things that Billy will see are mostly focused on his fellow Regulators and the men he has killed. This can vary in the emotions that might be felt (depending on those being seen).

Crystal Mirrors

Memories that Billy can experience could include:
-Ones based off his childhood surrounding his mother (Her teaching him, and slow death by consumption.)
-Him being kicked out by his stepfather.
-Various escapes from the law.
-His death.

wildcard

Again, much like with Harold I'm pretty open to anything that someone else might want to do.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Night of Selenium 2019: Details & Plotting

QUESTIONS

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Lynx's boys - Kuroko and Noctis

Tetsuya Kuroko

Noctis Lucis Caelum

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Martel & Elliot

Martel Yggdrasill | Tales of Symphonia

Elliot Nightray | Pandora Hearts

Alice Malvin

Jasper | Dragon Quest XI

The A-Team

Harold Krebs

Billy the Kid (Archer)