#( i hope this works!!

[windfavord]

starter for @cagedfreedom ! —— ⟡ ( starter call )

HE HAD SPENT THE EVENING perched up on one of the rooftops, looking out over the cityscape. It hadn't been easy to get up there. Instead of simply flying up, he'd had to painstakingly climb. Not impossible, but still more tedious than he'd like.

It was one of his favorite pasttimes-- situating himself above the world around him, watching things happen.

Sometimes, it could be quite entertaining. And interesting.

He couldn't care less what people did to one another. Whether they lived or died, betrayed one another or came together, none of it affected him in the least-- but one thing he couldn't resist was the chance to cause a little bit of chaos. Mess up someone's evening.

Especially when there was a chance that they might deserve it.

He'd picked up a newspaper earlier that day, just to skim over to see if there was anything worth looking at-- and lo and behold, when he glanced up from the paper, he caught a glimpse of someone whose description just so happened to match the description of a killer the island's police were on the hunt for.

He had no intention or interest in helping out law enforcement-- but that didn't mean he wouldn't have a little fun with it, so he climbed down from the rooftop, charting a path through a couple of side streets so that he'd end up in front of the person he was following. He had no idea whether or not this was actually the suspect the paper was talking about-- and he didn't care either.

A smirk on his lips, his hat tipped down to shade his face, he stood in the middle of the path, barring the other's way.

"White hair, dark clothes... it's a little vague, isn't it?" he intoned with a bit of a lazy drawl, "Still... you fit that description, don't you? Awfully brave of you not to be in hiding right now, don't you think?"

[staticgcne]

@cannibalxroses whispered a line !! light / dark starters ( accepting! ) ‘  i’d like to stay like this for awhile.  ’

     WHO  WAS  HE  TO  DENY  HER?  Rosie was among his closest of confidantes.  Someone he well  &&  truly trusted.  Well.  About as much as he could,  anyway.  She was a refuge,  regardless of anything else.  He treated her as well as he knew how,  would happily take care of every problem she could ever need assistance with.�� Whatever the cost.  &&  she helped with his,  few  &&  far between as they were.

        ❛  Of course.  I didn't quite mean to fall asleep here with you,  but if you prefer.   ❜

     He hadn't.  Spending time with her was a relief after the stresses of the hotel,  mostly revolving around the sheer effort of keeping polite.  Staying in good graces.  Exhausting.  He supposed he hadn't been sleeping well,  &&  the warmth  &&  comfort had gotten to him.  He at least trusted her more than enough to sleep nearby.  Whether the knowledge of that was  ...  nice or not was up for debate.  But he wouldn't think of that,  for now.

[noamuth]

The Grove (Dalamus & Belthan)

@roquenxnar

Why him? Why is he the one chosen to return to the Grove? How had they forgotten camp supplies while they were here last?

He could just take the money and run. Ah, but run where? None of this land is familiar, and none of these people are fond of drow. Once again, he is forced to concede that traveling in the group is best, at least while they all share a goal. ...And not all of his new "companions" are entirely insufferable.

Dalamus watches as the gate is raised for his entry, and steels his nerves against the creaking of rope and wood as it is lowered behind him. He now stands trapped in what could, at any moment, become enemy territory. He pulls his ragged piwafwi tighter around himself. While its invisibility magic has been destroyed by the accursed sunlight, it still has use in shielding his eyes and skin from the same fate as he follows the main path towards the merchant he seeks.

The halfling--Arron, apparently--is amiable enough, determined to offer help to all, even an out-of-place Lolthite drow. As long as he behaves himself. If only the tiefling children had gotten the same memorandum.

Dalamus turns swiftly and grabs the would-be thief by one of his budding horns, disguising the pain of the movement by snarling down at the tiefling child, red eyes glowing brighter under the shade of his hood. "Clumsy. You would have better luck stealing an eye from a Beholder. Now, return what you took."

The boy is crying, gripping at Dalamus' arm in a feeble attempt to pry the hand from his left horn. Dalamus has no intention of harming him, and yet everyone nearby begins yelling at him to let the child go. Is thievery not a crime here? Are children exempt? Is he just to accept that a child can shove their greedy hands in his pouch and he must allow it to happen even if he witnesses it?

[swtsours]

“   you   need   relief   .   i   can   give   you   that   .   ”

[felteverywhere]

closed starter for @mccntower

even the fluorescent lighting of the police station made warner uneasy, as if it wasn't bad enough that he'd just stumbled upon a dead body with an ex-friend. they'd been given water and told to sit and wait to be interviewed. he could feel the officers eyes on them as they passed every few moments. some offered hesitant smiles but he saw through them. somehow stumbling on a dead body made you top of the suspect list. he'd intended to call the police and get out of there as quickly as possible, but they'd arrived moments after the call and iridescent had touched the damn body and well... he knew she hadn't murdered anyone, but she did a good job of looking so incredibly guilty. even now as they waited and he peered at her again, the look on her face made him clench his jaw. "hey," he hissed. "relax, will you? there's nothing to freak out about, you didn't do anything wrong."

[hcllishdreamer]

@harteatiing  whispered a line  !! misc. discord server starters  ( accepting! ) “Daily reminder that I am the most biased person in the world, thank you.”

     TO  HEAR  ALASTOR  CALL  HIMSELF  biased was very interesting.  She wasn't sure which direction he meant,  either.  Was it meant to be a call of support,  that he was in her corner?  Charlie certainly wanted to believe that,  &&  was more or less inclined to do so regardless of anything else.  He had been by her side this whole time,  &&  it didn't matter so much what his other inclinations may have been.

He had good in him.

         ❛  Good!  Biases come from all angles,  you know.  It's always good to be aware that you have them!  ❜    Ever a positive outlook.  Personal insight was important,  she knew,  &&  she herself had been learning a lot about that specific little life lesson since the moment she'd started the hotel project.     ❛  What exactly are you biased about?  The first step to dismantling those biases  &&  having the ability to shift perspective is to talk about it,  to really dissect it!  ❜

It truly could have been anything,  she figured,  but she was here to help.  A beaming smile aimed at her business partner.  This was what all those books talked about,  anyway.  She could facilitate that!

[wesmess]

@paetal

lorien knew about the tower, but his knowledge of the one who lived within was nonexistent. he's seen him, though. he's seen him magicking things into it and he's seen humans come and go from the tower. strange, though, how its one resident never leaves. is he simply unable to? lorien isn't sure. he hasn't felt inclined to visit, preferring to stay in his forest. he would've let it stay that way if not for the continued destruction of said forest by the humans and their greed for its resources and land, which has a terrible effect on lorien, its guardian. the weaker he feels, the harder it becomes to protect his home.

he's seen sickly humans go into his tower and leave appearing healthier; perhaps there's something the man could give him to strengthen him? lorien isn't sure. maybe. he doesn't even want much, he just... oh, he just wants to feel like himself again. with the strength he does have, he gathers forageables from the forest, placing them all neatly in a basket. it isn't much of a gift, or even payment, but he feels that something is better than nothing at all. once it was full, lorien makes his way to the tower, leaning against his staff for support. once there, he knocks on the door.

[imprvdente]

@conscriptur . Finnick gets to mentor Fish🐬

The Capitol train was taking her far from home, like a ruthless hand ripping her away from the waves. She found it hard to breathe; a proverbial fish out of water. Out the window, the landscapes were stretched by speed, blurring into nothingness as she stared mindlessly at the haze of green and blue.

She already missed the beach, the sailor's bar, and the smell of iodine at the port. What would the Capitol smell like? Ripping her eyes away from the window, she glanced at Finnick. He was famous in District 4, and she supposed she was lucky to have a popular mentor. Fish Monet was well aware that the Hunger Games were more than a fight to the death. They were a popularity contest, too. And she wanted to win.

She wanted to win more than anything else. It was like her mother had said before the peacekeepers took her to the train station. She had to come home, nothing else mattered.

"Where do we begin?" she finally asked out of the blue. "I need a strategy, right?" Her mind was already racing, her heart thundering in her chest. Oh, how she missed the ocean! She almost wanted to jump out the window, but knew that she'd get shot before she could even reach the shore.

"I can hold my breath for a very long time, I'm good with a trident and a net too. And I can dance. I don't know what's going to be useful out there, I mean, I know I won't dance in the arena, but..." She was rambling. Blush spread on her cheeks, and she looked away again. "...I don't know."

[voidfragments]

@guhamun (for nagayoshi!) | starter call

chaldea is, perhaps by its very nature, a chaotic place at the best of times. it's something ritsuka's grown accustomed to over the years--if anything, she finds it quite comforting, growing uneasy if things stay calm and quiet for too long--but even so, a brief respite from it once in a while isn't so bad.

most masters, she thinks, would look at her like she'd grown a second head if they knew she'd gone to a berserker for a peaceful break. but, taking a sip of freshly-brewed tea, she knows this was a great choice.

with a smile and a satisfied noise, she says, "man, you've still got the best taste in tea! what is this one? it's great!"

[full-tiltboogiearc]

@halfraw liked for a starter // set x reggie

Alright, she has had enough with rolling silverware into napkins. Set, always the antsy one, finished enveloping her last trio of spoon-fork-knife, and triumphantly set it aside before phew!ing like she'd just ran a marathon. There was still a mountain of silverware to go, but she needed a break; her fingers were growing calloused, she swore it. Besides, she was a bit more interested in getting to know Reggie—her new coworker as of last week, when their boss gave Set this job, and her trusted partner in the art of folding napkins.

"So... how long've you been working here? Is Chet always a fucking asshole?" Chet the Chef. You can't make this shit up!

[staticgcne]

@hellcab whispered a line !! light / dark starters ( accepting! ) ‘ You’re a sick fuck.  You know that?  ’

     A  GRIN  OF  PURE  SATISFACTION.  He didn't care about the words,  not at all.  Some strange sinner commenting on his choice of action was neither new nor very bothersome.  Crimson eyes travel over the other as he stood,  his newest victim a pile of viscera on the pavement.  He had every intention of recovering the body,  using it to his advantage.  Clawed fingers dripped with blood.  It splattered across his skin  &&  clothing.  He had already taken a bite of supple flesh as a sample during the fight.

        ❛  Oh?  Do you intend to join the poor fellow?  I wouldn't turn down a snack to save for later.  Or do you wish to share,  hm?  Perhaps I stole your meal?  ❜    He turned back to the pile,  reaching into the corpse to withdraw what he knew was the liver.  A delicacy on most.

        ❛  Please,  join in,  new friend.  I'm sure fresh meat appeals?  ❜

[stcrforged]

the world was FULL of weird shit : mutated feral bears, half naked men not knowing what water looked like and nuka-cola still being somewhat drinkable despite that the bombs had been dropped about 200 years ago. the list went on and on. but THIS - this was new and was currently on the top of the list. lea was in utter disbelief. before her was a vaultie that proclaimed he was the saviour of the world and then there was the robots behind him... light green eyes just STARED at the stranger. what on earth had she just heard? brows furrowed as the talking continued. this was giving her a headache. he needed to knocked out. just for a little while. hand reached for the biggest wrench she owned knocking that strange fella before he could utter another world.

the tech expert was curious (and had a soft heart for vaulties) so she wouldn't give him to the radroaches JUST yet. she leaned at a wall, observing him as he woke up (and probably realizing he was tied up to a chair. this was the surface after all. trust was rare here). " take it easy. you got knocked in the head. " arms were crossed over chest as head leaned to the side. bright orbs piercing him. " now i want you to tell me WHY you think you can save the surface. " /@caracarnn

[sixthear]

Second day in Isola and... Liu'er is already up to mischief. Just harmless fun! Normally, he wouldn't pass time doing something like this... But it's something Shihou would probably come up with.

He found this comfy little hiding spot in the park— he was delighted to learn that green spaces existed even in Fibonacci— perched in a tree with branches that reached across the paths. Every time someone sat down on the nearby bench, he'd quickly dart down to nab something. A hat, a pair of those strange dark-tinted glasses, anything small and seemingly easy to grab. He'd wait to see how long it'd take for them to notice. Some of the reactions were fun.

And now, from the stranger that seemed to have sat down in order to open his sketch book... The young monkey nabs his eraser before scurrying back onto his perch. And waits.

@kleinstar

[goldenpeng]

@amemoire liked.

Xiao isn't...particularly suited to entertaining guests. He isn't chatty, for one, and he has been said to come across as stoic at the best of times. Still, he will try. Lord Morax will surely relieve him of this duty shortly, no? "...Would you like some tea?"

[hvbris]

@ofmentorship . Haymitch gets a starter

When Lucy Gray had appeared at the reaping for the first time, three years after her victory, she had half expected Coriolanus to send peacekeepers to her door. For weeks after the 13th Hunger Games, she thought he would kill her, somehow. But then, he didn't.

She kept his secrets.

37 years later, she was still alive, and he was still President. It was a strange status quo. She had children now, and every year she feared their names might get picked at the reaping. And every year, her relief was only short-lived. Yes, her children were safe, but she still had two tributes to protect. Somebody else's kids, who might never come back home. And for 37 years, she kept being the only mentor. How could the tributes of District 12 stand a chance, with their famished bodies and inexperienced hands.

This year, however, was worse than ever. Four children. Four.

"Hello there," she said gently, sitting down in front of the only tribute who hadn't run to their cabin as soon as they boarded the train that was quickly ripping them away from their homes. "You're Haymitch Abernathy, aren't you?"

[mutatedangels-a]

@thewolfruns // eli x ??

It was the best sleep he'd gotten in days. And shit like that seldom came.

Eli's eyes flickered open. His body and mind recalibrated as he took in his surroundings. He never really knows what takes them so long to click together; it's not like he ever wakes up anywhere different. Anywhere besides the crow's nest. Maybe in different spots each time but always within the same four-walled sanctuary.

If you could even call it that anymore.

Well, the good thing about hiding out from this whole world-ending thing in the lookout is that it's high above ground. (It's a detriment, too, but Eli holds on to the few pleasures he has in life.) Lookout towers are anywhere between 60 to 120 feet across the U.S. and he happens to work at one of the taller ones. Deadwood Peak. They call it Deadwood because it's full of redwood trees that should be dead by now, taken down by forest fires or maybe cut down by some poachers or by some other force of nature.

It's a lame story, but it's the only one he's heard from the locals, and the chances of anybody telling him anything different is slim-to-none. So he sticks with it.

During this whole world-end, Deadwood Peak Lookout A8 has only been broken into once. It's so far down the trail of lookouts that only a few hikers, real serious ones, have ever reached it throughout its lifespan. From up top Eli's only seen maybe one or two groups pass by; for some odd reason, they never tried to ransack the tower. Maybe they didn't notice him.

So when he wakes up from a long slumber, he doesn't rush to get up. He never has a reason to.

Until he hears the rattling of a doorknob. His mind stiffens but his body springs into action, as agile as one could after waking up. Bumbling limbs are activated and refined once more as he reaches for his rifle and points it straight at the door. He doesn't say anything, not yet. For a second he takes his eyes off the door to look at the sun outside the lookout, through the window. It's bright. Who the hell has got the guts to break into someplace in broad daylight?

Somebody who didn't care whether they lived or died, he bets. He takes a deep breath in and doesn't let it go until. Until.