Prepare for the #LodanRespawn2024 Existing characters may choose to be displace from/have memories of different timelines, thereby allowing returning members the option to retcon their whole character. These changes are the result of the "Unnatural Fog" plot device that is running between now and the Respawn. The plot is simple: no matter where your character is, that place is shrouded in a thick fog that suspends time, but not thoughts or memories, so even if they're repeating the same day over and over again, they continue to remember, so each time feels like a new day. For those retconning OCs; this is where new versions of themselves have the opportunity to replace the old versions. Official lore and tree updates will be announced asap
Post by Jovena Barbados on Sept 22, 2023 18:27:07 GMT
OPEN TO ALL EIRAL Jovena joined the EIRALs during a time of peace, but very little of her career had been peaceful. Shortly after enlisting, there was war, and since then... only more conflict, more fighting, more death and decay and more destruction of an institution that had been a spot of clarity for her when she first came to this country. She gave a depreciating chuckle at the thought. "when I first came to Lodan," what a strange memory. Had there ever been a time she hadn't lived here?
Another lifetime perhaps, but certainly not the one she was living now.
She stood guard at one of the towers around their military base. Little good it was, with the heavy fog rolling in from Queens knew where. It had been like this for so long she'd lost track of the days. But being a creature of habit, as most human beings are, they continued their rotations and routines without abandon. She stood there squinting against the harsh diffused light, made worse by the current atmosphere, with no where to look away for a bit of relief. She'd taken to wearing goggles now. Technically she was out of uniform by wearing them, but it was becoming a necessary component and most of the soldiers had resorted to equipping them.
"I should leave base soon, go to Mingos or... do something... else." Anything else. Maybe she could offer her services on a supply run? She was too high ranking for the task, but being that as it may who would tell her no? Her brain was turning to mush. If she wanted to sharpen it, she needed to shake things up.
She couldn't be the only one struggling with this relentless monotony, right?
Post by Gladys Hayden on Sept 27, 2023 22:44:19 GMT
Gladys had taken to the habit of wearing a cloth mask over her face since the fog rolled in. She wanted to call it smog with the way it tickled her lungs and made her eyes sting. But her eyes were more used to it from the years of getting hay in them on the farm. It was just the way it bothered her lungs that irritated her. Her time at the army had been quiet lately. Less people were around, and less people were ordering her to do menial labor, but she was still a low ranking cadet so some of the jobs did fall on her. Today she volunteered for a task, just to giver her a reason to leave the place and stretch her legs. She hated having the same task all the time on an endless loop.
Before she could leave, she needed to count the supplies in each tower. And with one tower left, she knew it wouldn’t be long to get out the gate and into the city. As she climbed the ladder to the top floor, she was surprised to see a guard there; the last one had been left empty due to the fog. “Oh um, hello,” she said shyly. “Does this tower need any supplies? I’m making a run.” Surely the guard would know, and if not, they’d tell her to check. Either way, her eyes were off the lady standing there and instead looking about the floor.
Last Edit: Oct 9, 2023 20:36:00 GMT by Gladys Hayden
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” ―William Faulkner
Post by Jovena Barbados on Sept 27, 2023 23:10:06 GMT
Jovena heard the sound of someone climbing the ladder to the lookout before she saw who it was. When Gladys apparrated from the smog Jovena was mildly unnerved. How was she supposed to see lurkers and Ne'er-do-well's approaching if she couldn't even see the supply runner until they were within arms length. Jovena greeted the other woman with an offered hand for handshake while she thought the question over.
"We could probably use a few extra torches, anything to cut out a few more feet of visibility." She smiled, then remembered her itch to go on the next supply run herself. "Actually, I'd like to accompany you, if you don't mind. Perhaps I'll be able to think of a few more things on the way." Did Jovena need to get permission to leave her post? She doubted anyone cared, any more than they had cared about what day it was the last time she asked, but she should at least tell somebody.
Jovena Wrote her intentions down on a small scrap of note paper, then tucked it into a canister which she dropped into the vacuum sealed pipe built into the tower. Something they had added after a particularly nasty season of weather kept taking out the clockwork messenger birds. "Just one moment, they're usually pretty prompt with a repl-"
PLOOP!
The canister was back. Jovena withdrew it and read the sloppy writing added to the back of her original message:
Nobody cares.
She folded the page and smiled at Gladys again. Apparently she wasn't even close to being the only one struggling with the relentless monotony. If anyone had cared, no one would have dared to write such a brazen work misiff. "Well then! Shall we head out?"
Post by Gladys Hayden on Sept 28, 2023 1:07:17 GMT
Torches? Gladys wrote it down on her mental note. That made sense, why hadn’t she thought of stocking up on them more? Before she could reply, the other soldier was inviting herself along on the run. It didn’t bother her, just shocked her more than it would a normal soldier. She wasn’t one who’d usually attract company. She stood there awkwardly as a message was sent and then hastily replied. It didn’t surprise her; the city was quiet in the fog so the army was equally quiet and slow.
Once she recovered from being dumbstruck, she collected herself and nodded. “Sure, I just need to get a few things. Um.” She stumbled on her words for a minute. “I’m Cadet Hayden. Or just Gladys, if you prefer to be casual.” She didn’t know many other female soldiers, so she hoped the two of them could be friends. Actually looking at her more closely, Gladys admired her long hair (she always kept her own shorter) and the way it framed her face. And the uniform looked really good on her. She wore it with pride. Gladys always felt awkward in her own uniform; none of the ladies uniforms quite fit her tall stature.
Last Edit: Oct 9, 2023 20:36:17 GMT by Gladys Hayden
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” ―William Faulkner
Post by Jovena Barbados on Sept 28, 2023 3:33:22 GMT
Jovena followed the Cadet back down the ladder as the other woman made mention of needing to collect a few things. Once back on solid ground, Jovena swooped her thick curly mane back over her shoulder, the ribbon doing little to hold it at bay in this humidity, and introduced herself. "Nice to meet you Gladys. I'm Lieutenant Barbados, but you can call me Jovena... or Jove.... Jovey... or Jo. Anything is fine." To prove it, she gave her warmest smile and a little shoulder bump to the timid cadet.
Now that she thought about it, she felt like she'd seen the short haired blonde woman around base on occasion. Seemed she aught to be more than a Cadet by now, but Jove wasn't about to say that out loud and insult the other soldier. Her rank was her business, and besides Jovena might be mistaken about how long ago she'd spotted that bright hair flitting around base. "What is it you need to get? Maybe I can give you a hand."
Gave Jovena a promotion, since she probably should have had one at some point in her colorful history of threads proceeding this one you can too, just say it's an old habit saying Cadet, or you haven't gotten used to your new rank yet or something if you wish!
Also, If I'm not mistaken, torches is another name for flashlight used by the British (which was invented in 1899, a few years off from gameplay but in a steampunk world I feel like it'd be ok to assume it was invented a few years sooner)
Post by Gladys Hayden on Sept 28, 2023 14:23:20 GMT
Jove…Gladys loved the name, loved the way it felt when she repeated it in her head. Jovena was a lovely name too, but something about ‘Jove’ really hooked her. The shoulder bump took her by surprise, but she tried not to react too much to it. Friends were not something she had many of, so to have someone already turn playful with her was kind of…confusing. At least in the way that she wasn’t sure what to do next. But she smiled, and then decided to pull the bandana off her face so that the other could actually see her smile. They were walking inside anyway. Upon hearing that she was a lieutenant, Gladys realized that she had misspoken her own rank. “Oh um, I’m actually an Ensign. But I don’t mind being a Cadet. Sometimes it’s easier for uhm,” her voice turned a little quieter as she hoped Jove wouldn’t scold her for what she was about to say. “For avoiding the harder work. I actually like doing the little things around here. Like supply runs. I just need to grab the empty powder bags from down the hall,” she added, quickly moving the conversation along. “There’s only a couple empty, but since I’m going out I like to restock. It gets really heavy if you have to transport too much at once.” Gladys' time with the army had made her stronger, but walking with high encumbrance still made her tired when the trip was long.
Last Edit: Oct 9, 2023 20:36:38 GMT by Gladys Hayden
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” ―William Faulkner
Post by Jovena Barbados on Sept 28, 2023 18:50:30 GMT
Jovena watched her curiously as they walked and she revealed a bit more about herself. It was strange that she'd pretend to be lower ranking than she actually was. To be unassuming was a unique asset to use to your advantage in some social instances, so it had its merits... however it didn't sound like that was quite the utility Gladys had in mind for it.
Jove shrugged when the other woman admitted to dogging harder assignments, but then she moved on rather quickly to the task at hand. "Why don't we take one of the motor vehicles? To carry the provisions?" She was right that hand carrying all these things would get tiring fast, especially on foot between HQ and the Merchants district. "It's just one more stop at the hangar and it'll save us time in the long run."
Post by Gladys Hayden on Sept 28, 2023 21:11:25 GMT
The suggestion to take a motor carts was a good idea, Gladys hadn’t considered it before. Mostly for one reason… “Can you drive it? I’ve never done it before,” she asked, her timidness coming back to the surface. Jove had a good point, however. It would make carrying the bags of powder much less laborious and they could even fill up all the empty ones and not just a couple. And with the sluggish state of the buildings, nobody would mind it being used. Gladys had been sent on a mission once to find and return one of the vehicles, but other than that one time, she didn’t know much about them. They were heavy and hard to push through the woods, she knew that much.
Last Edit: Oct 9, 2023 20:36:49 GMT by Gladys Hayden
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” ―William Faulkner
Post by Jovena Barbados on Oct 4, 2023 15:34:06 GMT
Had Jovena ever driven a motorcar before? Technically.... no. But did she want to? "Yes, I can drive" She answered with a grin. She'd been eyeing the driver's seat since her first ride in one, and had watched closely how it was done. Surely it wasn't that hard, right? She swung open the door to the hangar and started strolling past the available vehicles to find one that would seat them both plus supplies. She thought she heard rustling in the back of the garage, but she couldn't see anyone at first glance, so she chose to ignore it for now.
"What do you think of this one?" She asked Gladys. (pointing at one that matches the picture) "We can put the empty powder bags on the back next to the footman seat."
“I think this one looks fine,” Gladys answered. She walked around the vehicle, looking at the different parts that composed it. She wondered what the different pipes were for, and how the motor turned the wheels and propelled the machine. Could it actually support a hefty amount of weight? Donkeys could hold a lot, but this thing looked more fragile than a donkey. She’d have to trust it.
As she came back to the front of the thing, she noticed that the seats were a little small. They’d have to sit pretty close to each other for the ride. Gladys pushed away the thought and threw the empty bags into the back. “How do you turn it on? Those look like lamps at the front, we’ll need to light them for the fog right?” She glanced around the garage and felt like it was crowded in here, but they had a clear line to the door. “Maybe I should go open the door first,” she realized, walking off to do just that.
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” ―William Faulkner
Post by Jovena Barbados on Oct 18, 2023 14:45:24 GMT
While Gladys handled the bay door, Jovena lit both of the lanterns. Once lit, she climbed up into the carriage and extended a hand to Gladys, though the taller woman probably could manage herself. Nonetheless she was willing to assist if Gladys wanted the help up. Once they were both situated, Jo also realized how slender the seating was. Her hip was definitely touching Gladys'. One would have to wonder how well two gentlemen fit in the motorcar together, except perhaps their hips weren't quite as wide as a certain someone's who had a body built for belly dancing. She pretended not to notice the proximity and cleared her throat.
"We start it like -- THIS!" she exclaimed and turned over the ignition. The car gave a loud grumble in the otherwise quiet space then reduce its racket to a soft puttering purr. Jove grinned from ear to ear and gripped the steering rod. "I would say buckle up, but seatbelts haven't been invented yet, so, hang on to your seat!" She shifted the gear and the car lurched forward and chugged mechanically toward the open exit. The ground was smooth enough but that didn't prevent the vehicle from trembling as they proceeded into the mist.
Post by Gladys Hayden on Oct 23, 2023 18:09:20 GMT
It took Gladys a minute to get the door open, the stupid thing getting jammed by some rust, but it finally came open with a rush and she fell over in the process. The fog seeped in immediately, crawling across the floor and wrapping around everything it touched, and as it covered the floor it grew in height and thickness. In only a moment, the entire garage was filled, and distance was limited. Thankfully there were the lanterns to lead her back to the right car, and as she found it, Jove was already sitting in the seat. The offered hand was a nice gesture, and Gladys took it as she stepped into the cab. It helped guide her to the seat, and as soon as she sat down she felt like a giant in the thing. Her hips took up the entire seat, and despite all attempts to scooch up to the door, her hips still touched the other soldier. The proximity made Gladys nervous, but she felt like it was okay. Wasn’t her fault the seats were so small.
When the car cranked to life, she jumped a little. “I didn’t realize it was so loud! I’ve only heard them from a distance before,” she commented. When Jovena mentioned seat belts, she couldn’t help but look down at the seat in confusion. But then the joke clicked in her head, just in time for them to start moving. The car rocked and shook as they moved, but they were moving. Out the open door and into the city’s mist. Gladys pulled the mask back over her nose to help filter some of it and looked around with wide eyes. There was so little city to look at, and yet, normally it would have been so busy and full. “What a ghost town,” she said after a minute of driving. “Do you believe in ghosts?” she blurted out a second later. She hadn’t meant to ask the question out loud, but it happened. Sometimes things pop into her head and out her mouth before she could catch them. “Sorry if that’s weird,” she mumbled quietly after.
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” ―William Faulkner
Post by Jovena Barbados on Nov 29, 2023 18:57:21 GMT
"WHAT?" Jovena replied back, but then she let out a bark of laughter. She'd heard Gladys just fine, but couldn't resist the opportunity to joke. "It is loud," she conceded after her fit of laughter subsided.
When Gladys explained further, about the sound at a distance and all that, Jove nodded in agreement. "It is quite different from up here," she admitted while speaking a little louder than usual. The car passed through the rows of buildings on base, to include the barracks. Not a soul was outside that they could see. Into the relatively eerie silence, Gladys spoke again. Jovena side-eyed her for a second, trying to tell if the other woman asked in earnest.
"I do," she answered honestly. To heck with it, she had no reason to lie. "Ghosts pass by us all the time, I think it's just not always obvious, since our domains..." that was as good a word for it as any she supposed "aren't fully integrated. If there is a heaven, I don't think it exists here, but it is possible some souls get lost trying to leave here to there. What do you think?" She asked, equally as serious.
Gladys laughed at Jovena’s joking, the sound relieving some of the tension. She relaxed a little after that and looked around, seeing how fast the buildings moved relative to her. When Jo answered her question of ghosts, it sparked Gladys to really think about it further.
“I hadn’t considered it like that,” she replied back. “I’ve always thought of it like,” she struggled to pick the right words. “Well my ma always said that if you do bad things, you go to hell. And that always made me wonder if there was ever anyone who um, wasn’t good for heaven but wasn’t bad for hell. And I think the people like that end up as ghosts, existing as a shadow with nowhere to go. Kinda like how you said.” Jo said that she thought ghosts were lost, but Gladys felt like they were more trapped. One couldn’t get there, the other never had the chance. She thought about it really hard as they drove, wondering which theory was better.
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” ―William Faulkner
Post by Jovena Barbados on Dec 13, 2023 17:11:11 GMT
That made as much sense as her own theory, and she thoughtfully considered it. Somehow, that explanation felt sadder... more grim. She tried not to frown, but it was a pretty dark thought... a soul getting stuck somewhere like that. "Better here than hell, I s'pose," she thought out loud. If she wasn't good enough for heaven, she'd rather be stuck here than burning or rotting in hell, however that worked.
They exited the base and pulled onto the public streets of Lodan. The central square has smooth, well maintained streets, and consistently spaced street lanterns, all lit. This part of the ride was rather pretty despite the fog. It almost looked as though the city were blanketed in snow.
Almost.
The spots of street light cutting through the dense mist gave off the appeal of candle light, and reminded Jo of Christmas morning.
"Do you celebrate Christmas?" She asked, rather suddenly, breaking the otherworldly silence beyond the hum of their vehicle.
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