singlemilletgrain: (Faint Surprise)
[personal profile] singlemilletgrain
[video broadcast]

[Is it time for another Yanese festival? Shu bows to the video feed with her usual greeting.]

Hello, Corsairs. We are in the midst of difficult times, once more. I am glad that our aims have succeeded thus far, but it seems as if the fighting will become more pitched shortly.

Perhaps some levity is in order. In Yanese culture... [here we go again] the middle of the seventh month of the Lunar Year is called the Hungry Ghost Festival. The correct word would be preta or 餓鬼. It isn't the best translation, but there is a folk belief that the spirits of the ancestors return during this time and need to be honored, then escorted back to the afterlife. Normally, this is a very solemn affair, but of course, as ancestral veneration is not a part of your cultures, we can focus on the merriment.

Please join me this evening. We will make paper lanterns and paper boats and escort them down the river to the beyond.

If that is not to your liking... [there is a faint twinkle in her eyes] Perhaps we may share some ghost stories.

[action, by a River Somewhere That Is Definitely a Real River in this setting]

[The days are long in the summer. When the first rays of the sun begin to glimmer golden red as it descends below the horizon, Shu appears with quite a large number of candles, folding paper, and calligraphy pens.]

We guide the souls of the ancestors back to the beyond. The flowing water is the barrier between life and death. The river escorts them. We honor them with a few words and we write our hopes for them upon these lanterns.

The ancestors, of course, do not have to be your actual ancestors.

[action, for Turtles]
[It is high time that they keep their appointment and hear embarrassing stories about Donnie when he was a wee turtlekin share a meal together. Having some experience now with Raph's bottomless pit of an appetite and his, ah... completely undiscerning palate, Shu has thought long and hard about how best to improve his experience with food. The feast she has prepared is slightly different: instead of being set out family style, she plans to bring out one dish at a time so as to guide the direction of the meal more closely.

Of course, he is equally as likely to just inhale everything as he is to learn anything, but one can only try one's best.

She leaves the door unlocked for them. They are welcome to come in and out whenever they please, even if she has never actually said this.]
allthepowersofhell: (Dark magic 1)
[personal profile] allthepowersofhell
Built into the side of a mountain, Maleficent's castle was dark and imposing. A monument to Imperial power.

And deep within the dungeons of the castle, two Corsairs were currently imprisoned. Their changes of ever seeing the outside of those dungeons seem - to a casual observer - practically non-existent.

But the Corsairs are a very, very resourceful bunch. And the Duchess herself is not presently in residence, having been called away by a summons from the Emperor. As such the castle's security - while by no means lax - was not currently at full strength.

This was their best time to strike.


[ooc: Sub-threads below! And as a general note: I will tag in as needed for NPCs and environmental details, etc. But don't feel the need to wait for me to tag - I won't be sticking with any specific tag order, just dropping in where it makes sense].
upupatomway: (it is unpacked)
[personal profile] upupatomway
Soldiers take stock of weapons and ammunition, mechanics are in and out of the armor workshop, all in anticipation of the movement on Vindess that leaders are discussing. Atom had finished reading another magic book and in practice at the target range, he leaves targets quickly fried to a crisp by electricity. He had faced monsters here, he had faced other monsters and robots at home. Logically, he is ready to join the battle.

He had never attacked a human though. At home, it was against the law for a robot to seriously harm or kill a human, even in self-defense. He had always been under the watchful eye of the public as a representative of the robot race, and labeled a hero after saving people from accidents. He delayed the bad humans until the police arrived. There are definitely parallels between the slavery in the Empire and the slavery of robots, but this is a different world with different rules, and he is aware of what participating in battle might mean.

He isn't sure what the right thing to do is.

He decides to seek out someone who might have more battle experience to give him perspective. The Vault has a few possible candidates, but he also makes a point of visiting Flotsam where there are warriors abound. Atom approaches an individual at lunchtime, with a drink or food in hand to offer them.

"Excuse me. Do you have some time to have lunch and talk? I might be assigned to the front in the next battle, and I could use some advice from someone more experienced facing the Imperials." He asks politely.
straykitty: (027)
[personal profile] straykitty
After returning from the impromptu raid she had organized, Renne Bright has locked herself in her room. It's only been a few days, and she's been sending for food so she is eating, but she hasn't really been present. If you try to contact her on the Ether-net, you'll be greeted by her "Kitty-bot" who will provide automatic responses for her. It's a neat bit of technology, and reasonably good at giving appropriate information, but it's definitely not passing things along to Renne, so far as anyone can tell.

If folks are concerned, however, they might be able to check on her. She's been briefly answering her door for food, after all.
theriflespiral: natalia, a pale girl with black hair and black eyes, holds a glass shard in her hand. a panoply of guns, bread, and nets surrounds her. (Default)
[personal profile] theriflespiral
01: Pancake Week (Elysium)
Much as she despises the Orthodox Church, there was one tradition, Natalia thinks, with which she can truck, and that is the week before Lent being Pancake Week.

She has a small Ether stove and a little chalk sign: IT'S PANCAKE WEEK! Deliver a pancake! Ask me how!, with a small list of fillings, and a drawing of a penguin carrying a pancake wrapped around little herrings and a pleased expression.

Although, the ability to deliver a pancake, still warm, without breaking it, is a hell of a statement for a shipping company to make...


02: To Dance As The Queen Does
Once more, Natalia listens to distantly piped jazz and taps the rhythm carefully, gathering Ether, ice swirling in her hands as she moves to the beat.

And, once again, as her mind fills with other things, the spell breaks, sending little bits of powder snow all across the improvised dance floor, to evaporate.

She hums in annoyance. Of course, by now, surely someone would hear soft or hard jazz and come to investigate.


03: Unfurling Inner Lotus
While much of her time is given to maintaining her front or honing her marksmanship and spellcraft, time must be given to conditioning her body.

This is risky, because unlike the other forms of training, to do it she must engage her energies at their fullest. This is less a risk of her being hurt-- no more than usual-- but rather a risk of discovery; for no one notices a girl with black hair and black eyes, but a girl with blue stars shining in her eyes? Now that has been seen once or twice, to say nothing about how it might touch on the senses of those sensitive to Ether.

But it's the only way to make sure she's training to her utmost, and so utmost she must go-- keeping up with others, never mind the Empire, demands it.

Thus it is that someone as apparently light as Natalia Koutolika is now lifting sacks of shot that are obviously as heavy as she is, and tossing them some distance, besides.


04: Special Deliveries

This was the spot. Natalia stood on the deck of the Humboldt in the little shelter the rocks of the island made, and waited to make contact.

As much as she wanted to recover and utilize larger ships, even ships that might be better suited to the line (intentionally), ships like the little sea sloop were too useful for Penguin Logistics' other purpose: smuggling packages, people, and information.

Was her chronometer wrong? She kept a weather eye out. Who is meeting her? And for what?
straykitty: (003)
[personal profile] straykitty
Who: Renne, Donnie, Yuki and Aira
What: Routine raid turns cleansing cult installation and salting the earth
Where: A hidden research facility on Larendt
When: Mid-February in between normal Corsair operations
Warnings: Violence, potential mention of human experimentation

With the Isles Above on lockdown, finding a target had been difficult. )
singlemilletgrain: (Pray)
[personal profile] singlemilletgrain
[video broadcast]
Greetings again, Corsairs.

[As usual, following a bow, Shu addresses the video feed with perfect poise and elegance.]

After the... challenging events of the New Year's mission, I wish to call for some levity. In Yan, as the year changes, we visit the temples to have our fortunes told for the coming year. It is just for fun, of course. In Dahuang, I keep a place of worship to... [a faint pause] a Xian of agriculture, Shennong, and occasionally run the festivities.

Please come by. There will be traditional New Year's food, of course.

[If anyone has learned anything about Yan at this point, it is that they have Too Many Holiday Traditions and Too Much Food.]

[option 1: just for fun]
[Shu's doorway is vibrantly decorated in red and gold, and when she ushers you in, the most immediate sight is the table filled with plates and plates of food. Mostly dumplings, for dumplings are easiest for visitors, but also whole fish, noodle dishes, and sticky rice.

To the side, there is a little chest with two sets of burning incense at either side. Fortune seekers are invited to kneel, burn incense if they wish, pray for luck from whatever deity or the general karmic wheel of the universe, and then reach out for a container of what look like sticks. There is a little sign explaining this is the tradition of 'qiu qian,' beseeching insight from the gods.

One must ask a clear question, shake the container a few times, and pull out a stick.]


[option 2: the real thing]
[Shu sits at her 'priest's seat' and laughs lightly at the interpretation of the fortune received. Perhaps she sees something more ponderous in your eyes, for after a moment or two, she clasps her hands together and exhales lightly, bowing her head.

Her red pupils have constricted to tiny dots when she raises her head once more.]


...I could give you a better fortune, if you wish.

((If you pick option 2, Shu will either tell you in very vague prophetic terms something that may or may not happen in the future of your canon, something that happened in the past of your canon, or give you a random item that might be useful to you this year. If you pick option 1, it will be total nonsense.))
relentless_sentinel: (Woo!)
[personal profile] relentless_sentinel
Who: Nephenee and YOU
What: Nephenee's handing out gifts for all the Corsairs! Yes, we said all! And even some non-Corsairs!
Where: All around the place (seriously)
When: Shortly after the fireworks
Warnings: None known, will edit if needed

It'd been not that long ago that a certain Sentinel and Corsair learned of gift giving for the solstice and for New Year's, and being the type of girl who likes to take care of everyone, she jumped at the chance to do so. So she's been working like mad to prepare things for everyone.

Unfortunately, little things like missions got in the way. But that's over now, and the oven's been blazing like mad for a good long while. The kitchen smells like sweet, buttery heaven, and once the last bunch is done, she grabs the more personalized gifts, and heads off to hand out everything!

So when she finds you, you get a hopeful, and a bit shy, "H-Howdy!" The tall woman's in her normal blue armour, but there's a little blue scarf around her neck over her orange neckerchief, too. It's the only warm-looking thing on her. Other than her cheeks, that is; those are bright red. "Ah, uh, gotta present for New Year's for ya." 

[OOC: EVERYONE gets gifts! If you're close CR, you get personalized gifts! And if you're injured? YOU'RE GETTING HEALS AND GIFTS.

No, it doesn't matter if she knows you or not. If you're here, you get a thing.]

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