saltburnmods: (Default)
π–˜π–†π–‘π–™π–‡π–šπ–—π–“π–™ π–’π–”π–‰π–˜. ([personal profile] saltburnmods) wrote in [community profile] draino2024-11-09 08:00 am
Entry tags:

ππ‹πˆπ’π’, ππ‹πˆπ’π’, ππ‹πˆπ’π’ β–£ NOV TDM





NOVEMBER 2024 TDM: RENAISSANCE


Welcome to SALTBURNT, a panfandom smut/thriller game based off the film Saltburn, where characters are encouraged to indulge their deepest desires. The money never runs out and the liquor never stops pouring, so you may as well indulge from the bounty. Of course, things are rarely what they seem, and the manor itself seems to have a consciousness of its own. Throw parties, trash the house, engage in youthful merriment, but remember β€” dangers come out at night, and no one, no matter how rich you are, is safe from demons lurking in the shadows.

Threads can be considered game canon, provided the players agree. Players can also start fresh upon acceptance into the game. In game characters can post to the TDM directly, using Β« NEW CHARACTER/IN GAMEΒ» in the header. There will be a spot below for new characters to link their toplevels for easy access. Alternatively, prompts on the Test Drive can be used for in game logs.







WELCOME TO SALTBURNT


It's the hangover more than the light streaming in through half drawn curtains that wakes you up, your brain rattling in your skull, your mouth dry and cottony, your stomach churning with whatever it is you drank last night. If self preservation is your strong suit, you might turn over in bed and see a few painkillers laid out for you on a silver dish, accompanied by a glass of water. If it isn’t, stay in bed and wallow β€” eventually a maid will be in to tear your curtains open, saying, "Breakfast is served," and scurrying out quietly, invisibly. Breakfast? Maybe it’s normal for you. Maybe it isn’t.

You're drawn from the room, either by the mystery, or an undefinable urge that could be supernatural in origin, or could be your hunger catching up to you. It's almost nostalgic, the walk to the dining room β€” have you been here before? Were you drawn up to this estate in a car? Haven’t you done all this already? Maybe you mosey around a library, maybe you run into your suite mate in your adjoining bathroom. Regardless, seemingly all hallways, covered in priceless artworks and ancient relics from times long past, lead to the dining room, where a comically long table houses the Balfours and their many guests, some who seem just as disgruntled and confused as you. No matter. "Breakfast will be out in a minute," they say. What's that?

EDIT SEPTEMBER 2024: For those who have attended breakfast with the Balfours before, a change in routine might come as a shock, given how rarely they stray from form. However, as of September, CARMY BERZATTO has taken over Head Chef position, alongside his cousin RICHIE JERIMOVICH and always the bridesmaid never the bride, SANJI. In place of the self-serve style breakfast, there is an elevated menu, including: a self-serve juice bar, with pitchers of various juiced fruit and vegetables, shaved ice, coconut water, green and black tea syrups, potted microherbs, sliced whole berries, and finger limes. There is also, naturally, liquor and champagne available. Guests can make their own drinks, or ask the allocated staff member to serve them one of the "specials" if they're feeling adventurous.

That said, these are world class chefs, so the gold is really in the menu:
THE EGGS

𝐓𝐇𝐄 π‰πŽππ“π˜: one runny boiled egg shelled and recoated in edible gold leaf, seated on a throne of fried bread soldiers, plated with whipped butter and italian parsley.
𝐄𝐆𝐆𝐒 ππ„ππ„πƒπˆπ‚π“: vinegar poached eggs with hollandaise foam on a bed of toasted freekah and baby spinach.
𝐄𝐆𝐆𝐒 π’π‡π€πŠπ€π’π‡πŽπ”πŠπ€: two eggs poached in a ramekin of pureed tomato, served with a crispy grilled cheese cut to dip.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 π’π˜πƒππ„π˜: french omelette with a light cheese filling, topped with crushed potato chips and chives.
πŽπ„π”π…π’ ππ‘πŽπ”πˆπ‹π‹π„π’: fluffy scrambled eggs in brown butter, served on sourdough.
π’ππ€ππˆπ’π‡ 𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓: mini-quiche made with caramelized red onions and jamon pata negra ham.
𝐄𝐆𝐆 πŒπ‚π’π€ππƒπ–πˆπ‚π‡: bacon, egg, cheese and sausage breakfast muffin that tastes weirdly like it was made at a popular chain with golden arches.

THE SWEETS

❖ momofuku's "cereal milk" ❖
❖ fette biscottate with a sour cherry jam and peanut floss ❖
❖ a warm cinnamon bun served with a shot of espresso coffee for dipping ❖
❖ a macadamia-marzipan croissant with a wattleseed and burnt-honey filling ❖
❖ poffertjes with a liquid nutella injection ❖


If you want to leave, you’ll have to tell Giles, the housekeeper, who will arrange a car for you that mysteriously, or perhaps suspiciously, never arrives. Unfortunately, confronting Giles about it is near impossible, as he’s as good at being invisible as the rest of the house staff. Of course, there’s no reason why you can’t just walk out. The front gates are easy enough to jump over, even if the walk towards them gives you a strange sense of foreboding, or just outright discomfort, as if the ground itself doesn’t want you to leave. Those more sensitive or fragile might find they can’t make the jump, no matter how physically able, or desperately wanting. Still, a strong person could continue on, over the fence and into the lush English countryside. The feeling doesn’t dissipate, though β€” this sense of wrongness, almost sickness, like a weight on your back. Walk into the evergreen, carry on, but the strongest will make it perhaps a mile or so before the weight of dread and paranoia brings you to your knees, and then to your face, flat in the middle of a dirt road. What were you thinking? Is this really better?

Wake up with a hangover, in a bed, the curtains drawn, the maid saying, "Breakfast is served," before scurrying out. The painkillers are there, just like you remember. In fact, it’s all exactly how you remember, as if you never left an imprint the first time, or any mess you made was cleared away while your back was turned. Walk to the dining room, find everyone there eating away at their breakfast.

"We dress for dinner," says Portia, with a kind, if discerning smile. "Black tie."




2 GIRLS 1 CUP

CONTENT WARNINGS: nudity, potential for nsfw.

Over the past few days, a bit of construction has taken place on the grounds of the Saltburnt estate, and while it's difficult to piece together what exactly is being built, it's clear to see: whatever it is, it's massive, taking up a huge percentage of the grounds with multiple included structures. On the outside it seems almost like a neighborhood is being sprung up β€”Β new houses for people to live in, maybe? New shops, disconnected from the manor at large? All is revealed on opening day, when upon entry all are greeted with cheery hellos from jauntily clad persons shouting, "Huzzah!" and "Hail and well met!" For the more medieval and fantasy inclined among you, it might feel like stepping somewhere familiar and homey. To the rest, you know β€” you've just walked into a Ren Faire. Costumes are expected.

Not sure what to wear? Those born between SEPTEMBER to FEBRUARY are dubbed part of the Unseelie Court, which is associated with darkness and decay, generally dressed in deep, dark colors. Those born between MARCH to AUGUST are part of the Seelie Court, which is associated with stars and sky, in lighter, brighter colors.

On either side of the split path, you're assaulted by the scents, sights, and sounds of any ordinary Ren Faire. Vendors pawn off garlicky mushrooms and full turkey legs, or flower crowns and juggling sticks in exchange for a kiss, a secret, a lock of hair, or something of equal nonsensical value. Step inside a shop and see sellers offering crude jewelry and satchels of loose leaf tea, fudge sold by the ounce and porcelain ocarinas. Essentially, if it's kitschy and thematic, you can find it here, being sold to you by people in costume who refuse to break character.

Shopping not quite your style? Fear not! If you're lucky in your wanderings, your might spot the Unseelie Queen ALICENT HIGHTOWER or her counterpart and opposed Seelie Queen LAURALAE carried on palanquins towards the very back of the faire, where the real heart of the show takes place in a small stadium for entertainment purposes β€”Β a tourney for distinguishing yourself as the best among your peers in the manor. Prior to the tourney, all characters are given a favor of some kind ( an embroidered handkerchief, ribbon, garland, or piece of jewelry ) to give to a person of their choosing, be they a competitor or not, to show their support. Strangely, this favor seems to link them through an empathetic, sensation-based bond, so they feel everything their chosen competitor experiences. Mutual favors result in a mutual bond.

The challenges are set: ARCHERY/KNIFE THROWING, SWORDFIGHTING/HAND-TO-HAND, and a BARD'S TOURNEY. In addition to the more ye olde flavor of competition, there are also challenges for COUPLE TENNIS, HORSE POLO, and CHESS. And, in true Saltburnt fashion, there is also a somewhat lewd display of voyeuristic NUDE WRESTLING, where the first person to have an orgasm loses. (You can sign up for these competitions HERE.) To every challenge there is dubbed a winner, who in the old Westerosi tradition gets to crown a chosen "maiden" with the title THE QUEEN OR KING OF LOVE AND BEAUTY and an extravagant wreath of flowers, their victory dedicated to the lucky lord or lady. These wreaths are both fashionable and functional β€” while wearing them, no one can resist following whatever queenly command your character gives. Additionally, winners will receive prizes courtesy of Saltburnt, all to be determined upon victory.

Whichever queen has the most winners at the end of the tourney is crowned HIGH QUEEN OF THE FAE. The Queen is paraded around and celebrated by all, and while tribute is not necessary, it certainly is appreciated!






RING AROUND THE ROSEY


CONTENT WARNINGS: potential for nsfw.

The Ren Faire fixture runs adjacent to the tree line of the forest, which one can enter through a booth manned by THE GREAT WIZARD ARCHIBALD, who warns you to be prepared to enter the Realm of the Fae beyond his backdrop curtain, before handing you a flower and a pair of antlers (or a head piece from your fauna choice) for your journey to the beyond. Upon entering, you are greeted by a forest that bears no resemblance to the woods you've grown to expect in your time at the manor, everything more exaggeratedly lush than it had been even a day or so prior. Plump fruits with slightly glimmering skins grow fat on the vine, every leaf on every tree vibrant and healthy despite the changing of seasons, gone orange and red with the cold. Despite that, it's surprisingly balmy in the forest, everything illuminated by glimmering fairy lights and strung up lanterns. Flowers bloom under your feet, alongside perfect little red mushrooms, everything so idealistic it almost borders on discomfort.

Despite any reservations, there is a wild compulsion to everyone who enters the forest. The flower the wizard gave you is pungent enough to dizzy your head, leading you to the instinct of frolicking β€” or if you're not the type to frolick, then wandering β€”Β through the woods, to find some counterpart to your particular flower in a very innocent (or not so innocent) game of cat and mouse. Once you find them, a simple kiss will serve as enough to claim your prize and ease the compulsion. Unless, of course, you want to give a little more. It couldn't hurt, right?

Wander further through the seemingly never ending woods, drawn on of the beauty of faerie, and find yourself at a somewhat rundown chapel surrounded by foliage, the roof and walls broken down with age, invaded by exploring plant life that crawls and vines through every crack and opening. While the stone altar of indeterminate denomination seems like it hasn't been seen for hundreds of years, let alone cleaned, there's the distinct impression you are walking on hallowed, sacred ground when you move to inspect it. Those clever among you might note different runes etched on what appears to be a wooden tabernacle on an ancient pillar at the back of the chapel. Looking into it, there's a word from an unknown language carved inside, complimented with a cheat sheet bit of yellowing paper which reads F. M. K., with further explanation: FRIENDS, MARRY, KINK.

What could it mean? Well. You and whoever you entered the chapel with, or whoever enters next, are stuck until further notice unless you complete one of the proffered options. FRIENDS, it's time you bury the hatchet, let bygones be bygones and accept our faults moving forward, together, to the future. MARRY, let's seal our bonded union with the trees as our witness, in a church of our own making. KINK, if the altar can't be used for the former, it can certainly be used for the latter. Nothing vanilla will do β€”Β kink up or shut up.

Once completed, you're free to leave and roam around the forest at your leisure. If you wander far enough you might hear a distant, organic sound whirring and clicking from the trees, but don't worry. Whatever is watching you probably doesn't bite.




DIRECTORY


smudgy: (Default)

(βœΏβ— β€Ώβ— )

[personal profile] smudgy 2024-11-16 03:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[ orin bares her throat, and every instinct silco honed in her, every violent impulse sharpened by the shimmer's glow, calls her to act. so she does, having had enough of fighting who she is. one hand finds orin's wrist, pinning the hand that holds the pslintered antler, while the other slips around orin's throat in a flash, almost too quick to see. one painted-pink nail presses into her jugular. ]

Bleugh. [ in acknowledgement of the odd, wet texture of orin's skinsuit. her nose wrinkles briefly. she laughs again in a heartbeat, eyes narrowing. ]

Way to flatter yourself, lady. [ a playful squeeze on her windpipe, testing. ] How old are you, anyway? Fifty? You look it.
Edited (IM SORRY) 2024-11-16 15:43 (UTC)
perfectionner: (pic#16618406)

[personal profile] perfectionner 2024-11-16 03:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The prior weeks have been strange, dominated by death and resurrection and all the treachery that played out in between, and it has left Lestat feeling particularly out of sorts. Some of that discomfort can certainly be attributed to what had resulted from the house's game, the imprisonment of someone he holds staggeringly dear, but now, he finds himself eager to return to what was. It's as he asserted to Bella, before β€” what better way to deny their hosts the satisfaction of observing their undoing than by refusing to crumble?

Tension brims, not as a consequence of aggression but rather unsated desire; Lestat can feel the twitch of muscle beneath the spread of his hand, and beneath Matt's clothing, the persistent warmth of skin, the evidence of life no more potent than it is through the rush of blood. But Lestat isn't compelled towards the feed, not here, and as Matt's arms drape over him, his own roam lower, the second joining the first to bring their bodies flush.

The kiss is hungry, nigh-devouring, and clear with intent, one of Lestat's hands slipping down to palm over the taut curve of a buttock, then squeezing, as he asserts his own hips forward in a blatant grind. He groans deep, in his throat, breaking the deeper kiss to more teasingly nip at Matt's mouth, then noses his chin up so lips can trail over the inviting column of his throat. ]


Have you ever been fucked on a bed of moss?
perfectionner: (pic#16618420)

[personal profile] perfectionner 2024-11-16 04:09 pm (UTC)(link)
You crackle like it. It's humming underneath your skin.

[ He's caught her by surprise, he's aware of that much, but she doesn't shy away from him either, doesn't make efforts to deny him access. Instead, her head lolls, baring more of that vulnerability to him, and it's all he can do not to bury his face in her throat with a possessive snarl, sink his fangs into that rapidly pulsing vein to make her arch against him. It's been some time, he thinks, since he's hunted, set a trap for the feeding, but even that feels like the wrong thing to call whatever this is between them β€” her ability to hypnotize him by merely existing, and his willingness to satisfy her by whatever means he's capable of.

His open hand settles on her hip, sliding over the soft fabric of her dress, before fingers curve inward, establishing a firmer hold β€” not to control her, or direct her, but to indulge in the pleasure of touching her, of feeling how slight she is beneath the cupping of his palm.

He bends low over her again, the strands of his hair brushing against the juncture between her neck and shoulder β€” and when he kisses her skin again, he does bury himself more definitively, tonguing over the flutter of her pulse, nipping with the blunt edges of teeth rather than pointed fangs just yet. ]


Do you taste this sweet all over, ma foudre?
dead_tongue: (gosh)

[personal profile] dead_tongue 2024-11-16 04:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Pun very good though!

Ohmygod, maybe! Wouldn't we have to sign a waiver? I don't remember signing a waiver. But then, if this place is actually magic then maybe the legal system is different.

[He looks too happy about this (admittedly unlikely) possibility.]

I love reality shows. We should form an alliance!
rakta: (pic#17475813)

[personal profile] rakta 2024-11-16 05:08 pm (UTC)(link)
It is the curse. It is who I am.

[ Lauralae is getting more accustomed to the strangeness of this - of people finding her and desiring her, of them wishing to wrap their arms around her and draw her close. It is soft, sometimes, as it had been the first time, but it can be rough and deadly too. She does not know which she prefers, if the sweetness that others give her is something she desires, or if the harsh touch is lustful or a punishment.

It is hard to know either way, when all of these things are so foreign to her. Slow change is better than none, however.

As Lestat's mouth trails over her skin, as his teeth scrape over her, Lauralae makes a soft noise, a quiet moan, allowing him to move her, manipulate her, place her wherever he might like. If she wished to throw him off she could, she thinks, has magic enough to urge him away and the power to turn into a bird to flutter off, but - but. She does not want to.

Lauralae wants him to bite her, wants to feel her blood trail over her, to feel the bite of pain and the hurt of it. It makes something inside of her burn, warmth between her legs as she tries to catch his gaze. ]


I have been told my taste is a good one.
imperatour: (1420835)

[personal profile] imperatour 2024-11-16 05:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Ahβ€” and Furiosa suddenly feels silly for not seeing it. She'd misread as hesitation when it was something else. He's letting her pick because she's always had the choice of it all stripped from her.

He curls in close, and her arms wrap around him with a natural ease. He belongs here with her. ]


Already changed, [ She presses her mouth to his ear, a little amused. It changed when he handed her a map. It changed when she found the Green Place, spoiled and barren. It changed when he came back in the dark, the Bullet Farmer's blood on his hands.

It changed the moment she saw him in the wastes. ]


Make promises to me. [ Quiet, raspy, and just for him. She leans into him, sharing not just the weight of this moment but her whole life, lonely and hard-fought. She wants him always at her side, wants to speak aloud things she has no business promising in defiance of a world that cares not whether either of them survive.

There's a word from the old world here she knows that describe what she means. Not just promises, but solemn choices, spoken into something solid and bigger than either than the two of them alone: ]
Vows.
metalkinetic: (pic#17247580)

[personal profile] metalkinetic 2024-11-16 05:21 pm (UTC)(link)
He's an asshole.

[ Erik feels as if he's allowed to say that, considering he thinks that Pierce is a piece of shit when he is being generous. The soulbond had been bad enough, but the hex (while worthless to stop his relationship with Charles) has made it all the more irritating. He hates him.

Leaning back, he watches Matt gently. ]


Focus now. What can you feel?
corporeity: (019)

[personal profile] corporeity 2024-11-16 05:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[ gale eyes her delicate hand with the wariness of one unused to physical connection, not necessarily one frightened of this outreach specifically. that fearful gaze and quavering tone doesn't quite fit their shadowheart, even so. the woman he imagines quips something harsher, better you than lae'zel or that's a pity. he thinks of armand baring his throat and finds himself once again at a loss.

his hand itches to grasp hers. desperation, after a year of isolation. the enchantments, silken on his skin. it matters not; he resists.]


I β€” I should add that there are charms drawing us together at this very moment, so you might not be feeling quite yourself.

[ that explains everything, surely. ]
voicelog: (pic#16559594)

[personal profile] voicelog 2024-11-16 05:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[ he doesn't think he's 'fine' or 'alright' at all, but this isn't the time to get cheeky with him.

it does come as a relief that stephen accepts his help. maybe if this same scenario had played out not even a year ago, he wouldn't possess a single doubt in his mind that strange would take his hand, yet months have passed, worlds have changed and his confidence in the relationship they had built in new amsterdam has wavered.

he isn't proud of it, but even though his trust in doctor strange is indomitable, he can never speak on behalf of others in regards to himself β€” or how time, especially in the case of the multiverse, can drastically impact what once came as naturally as brewing a pot of coffee and a pot of tea side by side every morning.

of course, he can worry about all of that later.

tony may not have experimented with the bond as much as some of the other displaced have, but this isn't the first (and undoubtedly not the last) time he has used it to ease others. it certainly isn't the first time he has done it for stephen strange.

so when he feels him take his hand, he closes his fingers around him and allows the comfort, calm and familiarity they've once shared with each other all those months ago to flow through the bond β€” to hopefully quell the current confusion, panic and despair.
]

This was poorly timed, wasn't it? [ a joke to lighten up the atmosphere and to stymie his own discomfort. ]
biomancy: (Superior)

[personal profile] biomancy 2024-11-16 05:58 pm (UTC)(link)
And isn't that just fitting?

[ A small part of him hates how his heartbeat thuds in his chest, how this feels so satisfying, to watch the Drukhari writhe under his control. How long had he waited, restrained, waiting for the Rogue Trader to finally... finally give him the go ahead. He had waited for so long that now that he had him in his hands... it felt so satisfying.

What would she say?

Did he care?

If he killed Marazhai now, where she was not present, would she be upset? Disappointed? Likely, yes. So he would have to not kill him.
]

Your fleshcrafters have the benefit of time, yes, and so do you.

[ He sounds cooler than he feels. His fingers hover over his head. ]

They also do not have the advantage of immediacy.

[ Marazhai's bones knit together where he broke them. The relief is temporary, before they snap in three places, the muscles violently twitching to snap here and there. ]

And I'm enjoying putting you back together just to break you again.
biomancy: (Holy Ordos)

[personal profile] biomancy 2024-11-16 06:07 pm (UTC)(link)
I see. It is not what I am used to, but we have something similar where I am from. Some people choose words.

[ But this works just as well. Better, actually. His eyes flicker to the light, and then down to Matt. ]

Do you enjoy pain? Or Temperature?

[ He asks it carefully, his fingers hovering over him even still. He reaches out to press his legs next, each one, leaving his hands braced against the back of the altar, and his knees locked onto the other edge, unable to move. ]

I can... do more than hold you down with my ability. [ It's half an explanation, half a promise. He reaches up, to manipulate the veins in his leg, letting it go numb, before he stops, and it flooded back to life again. ]
unapparent: (001)

[personal profile] unapparent 2024-11-16 06:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[ alicent passes him a slice of cake, perched atop crinkled baking paper, before she lifts her own. a tell of how pleased she is in her quirked mouth. ]

Thank you, Gideon.

[ a dainty bite, savouring the luxury, and she smiles properly. ]

Are you enjoying the faire?
nishtha: (pic#17235269)

[personal profile] nishtha 2024-11-16 06:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Beautiful boy. Armand watches his face for a few moments, the ways the colored lights of the club flow over the angles of his cheeks, catching in those lambent vampire eyes. It reminds him of their first real meeting, candleflame glow sliding over that golden hair, the first time he tasted the sweet bitterness of his blood. Vermouth and annihilation was how he'd described it to Daniel; he hadn't needed to point out that the annihilation was his own, the destructive price of kneeling before Lestat's altar.

Wrong as always, he murmurs, sliding into Lestat's mind, speaking in French, their first shared language.

Indulgently, wonderingly, he lifts a hand and brushes the backs of his fingers lightly over Lestat's cheek. So young, with so many secrets behind his eyes. And the way he always reminds him of Marius, just a little. Just enough to make Armand's heart ache.

You have always been able to tempt me, Lestat, he says. Drifts his fingertips to touch Lestat's mouth, lightly. With the very least provocation.
biomancy: (pic#17514712)

ROSEY

[personal profile] biomancy 2024-11-16 06:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Truly, he is the unlucky one, though he probably gives off the aura of someone who is rife for an attack. He strides confidently in armor he's found to blend in among the locals. He walks through the woods searching for... something. Maybe a sign, maybe something to make sense of everything he's encountering right now.

His head swivels, and he stares into the trees, like he's trying to get a sense for if someone is out there. Orin is a far better hunter than Heinrix ever could hope to be, though. He's busy staring in one direction, and she's likely behind him. He looks coiled like a too-wound spring, ready to pop.
]

Is someone there?

[ He calls out, and his gloved fingers flex as he stared outward. No, he's sure of it, he has the feeling he's being watched. ]
biomancy: (pic#17514714)

i.

[personal profile] biomancy 2024-11-16 06:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[ His hands hover over his plate. He'd ordered nothing yet, sitting at the same table as Tilanus, watching him, the rest of the people at the table, and the people in the rest of the room. The waitstaff has asked him several times if he wants the food, but Heinrix has abstained. He's abstained from water as well. And the recaf β€” or whatever it is that they are calling it β€” he doesn't trust the food any more than he trusts the people.

His eyes narrow with suspicion at every order, a pair of mismatched gray eyes snap onto Tilanus when he orders them raw.
]

Do you need healing?

[ He asked, not-quite clipped, not-quite compassionate. Something in-between then. He had no oath to heal, but such things would be useful, for information, wouldn't they? ]

I could assist you.
unapparent: (215)

[personal profile] unapparent 2024-11-16 06:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It’s a lovely thing, that smile β€” and her brash laugh, too. How does such a hard woman manage to keep warmth flickering within her heart?

Perhaps Alicent knows better than most. ]


Mine are becoming repetitive, don’t you think?

[ She uncrosses her legs, so Furiosa might spy the bruise blossoming below her left knee from their last session. Even if she doesn’t, Alicent brings her hand to it, fingertips pressing lightly. ]

I’ve yet to land a single blow against you.
rehandle: (pic#17506883)

[personal profile] rehandle 2024-11-16 06:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's strange and soothing all at once, uncomfortable and familiar. Every time he thinks he's settled, he realises again what's happening, and his heart rate spikes him into another brief bout of stress. His chest must be glowing, he knows, but he daren't look.

But it passes. Bought the space to pull himself back into line, to box it back up, worry about it later somewhere less public— Stephen manages a laugh at the joke. A squeeze of gratitude. ]


I don't think there was any good time.

[ Fresh reassurance, good-humored, this time more convincing. He's almost back in one piece. ]
biomancy: (Barbie Movie (tm))

2 girls; and i'll tag you again you can't stop me

[personal profile] biomancy 2024-11-16 06:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Are you looking for something in particular?

[ The man had taken it upon himself to keep an eye on the grounds at night. There was too much happening here. (There's nothing happening.) How long is it going to be until he recognizes that there's no forces of chaos to fight? A while. Which means that Heinrix is out on the grounds, standing like a sentinel looking over the sleepy gathering of stalls and buildings.

He pushed himself off a wall. He'd found a wax kit among the stalls earlier in the day, and he'd already carefully crafted a litany to press to his belt with a wax seal. The paper ruffled in the wind. He did not know what good it could do, but it was a comfort, at least.
]

Perhaps you could wake up with the rest of us, if you wanted to join in the... festivities. Such as they are. [ He only half-smiled. ] I'm afraid that most people find naked wrestling difficult to see at night.
voicelog: (pic#16559618)

[personal profile] voicelog 2024-11-16 07:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Preventable, if I had just worn my gloves.

[ he still has them. they came with the luggage, but he didn't see a need for them anymore β€” at least that was the case until now, when jason todd and now stephen strange have reentered his life, like the manor's way of attempting to coax him back into a sense of security after the gruesome game last month.

it rubs him the wrong way because it's almost working.
]

Are you feeling okay enough now to take this somewhere a little more private? [ somewhere away from prying eyes. ]
begot: (Default)

amy elliott dunne, gone girl | new character/current player

[personal profile] begot 2024-11-16 07:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Really, this should have happened earlier. Wouldn't it have been nice, for Nick to be able to say, this is my poor, sweet wife; this is when she broke from reality. Please, save her from herself. Still the perfect husband, still the all-American everyman, still able to wrench the image of the "good guy" back out of the hands of a public that had been willing to hang him out to dry just minutes before.

Would I have been a doll to parade out in front of the cameras, slack-jawed and empty-eyed? Deliberately touched up to look untouched, plain-faced enough to elicit awws of sympathy for the woman who's been through so much, but not so pretty that anyone would feel threatened, feel like this was a show, when of course that's all it would be.

But I think I'd come up with something better than an escape to the English countryside for my mental break, something more than watching the last dregs of a monarchy no American has given any serious thought to since the death of Princess Di swirl around the drain, as accompanied by a seemingly endless parade of characters spit out of half-formed fairy tales. Which leaves me with the question: what really is going on?
2 girls.
[ Amy (obligingly, she thinks) wears the dress she finds stowed away in the closet of the room she wakes up in. (She can't think of it as her room just yet, not really.) The sharp lines of her bob serve as a contrast to the soft, flowing lines of her clothes, but it's not a juxtaposition she really minds β€” it makes her stand out to a degree, which seems like the more important thing.

For most of the day, she's just one more body in the crowd, smiling and laughing at the requests of the vendors and coming away with a few trinkets here and there for her trouble, though there's nothing of real value here, as far as she can tell. But eventually, she makes her way to observe the wrestling matches. At first, her eyes widen when she realizes what's going on, glancing around to see if any of her fellow spectators are as shocked as she is.

Upon locking eyes with one, the look on her face skews innocent, doe-eyed, as she says,
] Wanna wrestle?

[ Then, after waiting just long enough to get a look of surprise (or not), still cheerful, ] I'm kidding.
ring around the rosey.
[ There must be some cosmic irony, she thinks, in the fact that she's handed a bloom of lily of the valley before being ushered into the forest. You know that this is poisonous, right? falling upon conveniently deaf ears as a set of horns are placed on her head.

Not that it matters that much once she actually steps into the woods. Instantly, she feels a familiar sensation crawling down her spine, one that anyone else would call predatory but one she thinks of asβ€” natural. Fun. Bodies come and go, flashes of color passing before her eyes untilβ€”

β€”there. A gasp, unbidden, slips from her mouth even as she steps out of the shadows, her hand reaching forth to grab the arm of the one carrying the same flower, the same cascade of white blossoms.
]

Youβ€”

[ Excitement barely concealed in her voice, visible gleaming in her eyes. ]

Got you.
wildcard.
[ hit me with whatever! you know the drill, @ the juicyfruits on disco. ]
biomancy: (pic#17514718)

chapel

[personal profile] biomancy 2024-11-16 07:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[ catholic vibes meet catholic vibes. Heinrix strode in because the chapel called to him, and he couldn't help it, it felt... familiar, to be around the trappings that felt like home. The woman praying feels just as much like he is at home as the chapel itself. A version of it that is Wrong to him, but it is the most familiar thing that he has seen thus far.

His boots are heavy on the worn stone, and he steps in to look around, his eyes on every little sign. He had mentioned the game to her, but he watched β€” more like felt? perceived? β€” the bones in her hand.
]

I imagine a place like this will want to play games with us. This is likely to be only one of many.

[ He looked back to the paper. Frustrated, but perhaps there is understanding β€” even friendship β€” to be found here. It is better than playing other games by the whims of whoever runs this place, be they gods or madmen. ]

Who do you pray to?
leavening: (pic#17308119)

[personal profile] leavening 2024-11-16 07:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[He's almost startled by the abruptness of her reply, but he accepts it and manages to keep his eyes closed in spite of his jolt of surprise.

And then she's kissing him and touching him and it leaves him breathless and dizzy. He's not disappointed by the boundary she sets because he thinks he could be content with just this. Affection and reassurance. He's had so little of it in his life, especially in recent years. It's lack is part of why this part of him exists now in the way that it does.

He leans into her as her fingers caress his abdomen and when he speaks his voice is thick and husky.]


I like it when you touch me. [This feels like the more selfish choice, but this is the more selfish part of him. It's not that he doesn't want to touch her. He does. He's just a little drunk on her attention now. He doesn't want her to stop yet. And on some level he worries that when he's like this he doesn't know how to be as gentle as she deserves, even though he promised her he'd be soft for her.]
bhaalite: all by cupnoodles | dnt (Default)

[personal profile] bhaalite 2024-11-16 07:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Are you feeling quite yourself here?

[ her head tilts, and the eyes that were big, soft, round, scared zero in with a laser focus, a predator spying its prey. quick as a flash she snatches both of his hands with hers, fingers wrapped around his wrists like shackles, and squeezing tight.

orin doesn't drop the disguise yet, this is much more amusing. her gaze grows sharp and mocking, derision in the smirking curve of her mouth and quirk of her eyebrows. her 'acting' only ever lasts so long, the viciousness ( insanity ) of orin too loud to be smothered for very long. ]


You are so lonely, little wizard, why do you hold yourself back? Are you not a merry band of heroes together, do you not writhe around in each other's righteousness each night? Really, I'm disappointed.
agoniser: (pic#17520248)

[personal profile] agoniser 2024-11-16 07:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He tries to twist under the unseen grasp, but Heinrix’s sorcery holds just as fast as metal restraints. Moreso, really, since whatever piece of control he can snap back is brief and small. His fingers dig into the altar hard enough to be painful, a muscle of his leg spasms visibly as he tries to strike, his long ears move as those muscles tighten too. It’s the coolness of Heinrix’s tone that bothers him. He’s back to that faΓ§ade of control, and Marazhai wants to rip it away again. He may be able to feel the subtlety that it was a mask for what’s underneath, but it matters little.

He hisses again as he feels the bones heal. It’s partially because what comes next is also predictable, and he spits out a litany of Drukhari curses as it all breaks again. But there’s another element at play here, and it’s the one thing that humanity uniquely has something of an advantage over the Eldar for. A psyker’s powers are a viscerally unpleasant thing, and it has nothing to do with pain at all. The balm of healing feels just as bad as the savage break. ]


Yes— You are.

[ He barks it out with such force through a mad laugh that the lack of breath makes him dizzy. Is it the lack of air? The pain searing against his nerves? He closes his eyes briefly with a fluttering of his lashes. It’s somewhere sickeningly in between trying not to pass out and erotic enjoyment. He stays conscious (though he’s sure Heinrix wouldn’t allow him to drift off), but when he fixes his eyes on Heinrix again, they’re as sharp as ever.

He can’t say the extent of the threat he wants, but it’s in his gaze. Heinrix will pay for this, one way or another. Every tickle against his nerves, not for the pain, but for the way this sorcery would call out to Sai'lanthresh, it will be repaid. ]


You'd make a decent Drukhari.
ordinar: (β™› 111)

[personal profile] ordinar 2024-11-16 08:02 pm (UTC)(link)
The thud of the door slamming shut with a resounding finality pulls his attention away from the cracks in the stained glass window he'd been studying as a placeholder until he could be alone again. He watches the guy struggle against the heavy slab of wood, then walks back up the aisle to help him. Surely two more twiggy arms will do the trick.

The door doesn't budge.

"What the fuck?" he mutters under his breath, shaking the stubborn handle. He looks for a latch, some kind of lock that might have gotten jammed, but finds nothing. The door is, for no apparent reason, stuck fast.

Giving up, he kicks the door as if to inflict a wound on its impassive pride. He lets out a sigh and scrubs a hand through his hair.

"Maybe someone else will come by, and they can open it from the outside."