From being an Abandoned who had rarely left the Hollowed Grounds, to embracing the call of adventure, to dying and being reborn first as an Ascended and then as an Ancient, Maea has gone through quite the amount of changes in her life. One thing remains common, though, in her attempts to find out just where she belongs; she’s always had a craving for knowledge which has brought her to so many places and to meet so many people here in Caido. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for her!
Congratulations, Maea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
Well, Safrin’s warnings came to fruition again – which, perhaps, truly did make him a fool. His ears flattened against his skull briefly, the considerations of Rexanna’s prior words echoing through his brain too. He might’ve winced at the clarity of it all, or the fact that he hadn’t listened to anyone – a moment of agitation only pulsing and pervading back to himself. Might as well own the moment though – cold leering at his paws and pads, as if there were touches and fringes of winter crawling up through his skin, more than the glacial boundaries of the Basin, as if a threat, as if a machination he had no ability to endure.
Because he used to take. It was all he’d ever done.
A wistful sigh flooded through him, maneuvering away from Hotaru just to get some feeling back in his feet – and perhaps, with the lack of sensation, it meant he could feature something humorous (ill-based too; he truly didn’t have a good sense of diversions other than teasing or taunting his fellows, his equals). Debasing and lowering himself to a certain element of comedy almost made him crawl in on his soul and wither away on the spot – hoping a majority of these individuals didn’t even know who he was in tiger formation – before he slid across the ice, and intentionally prat-falled, face first.
--
Deimos chooses to entertain and intentionally prat-falls as a tiger across the ice.
i'll put all my pieces back together where they belong, and i'll say
His hackles raise further as the genie’s grin widens, steel eyes looking from beneath the dark plumes of fur around his face, icy whiskers twitching in uncertainty though Melita’s hand between his shoulders is a tether. And he remains wrapped around her, listening to the booming voice of the being before them. But it doesn’t last long, not as he watches people disappear, watches as they too are shifted and moved, and a deep growl leaves his throat.
He doesn’t trust it, doesn’t trust it at all.
Still, he’s standing beside Melita still in his feline form, head ducking under the genie’s words. Take. What does it want, in the end? The red light is cast, and then blue, and given the choice between what he desires, and what the snow has to give, his lips curl from his maw slightly, sharp teeth baring as he thinks of what the snow has to offer and what it may imply. At least, if Lusea is any indication.
Hissing slightly, he thinks of his answer. I desire the ocean. He finally sends to the genie, passing over all the sadder parts of him that crave and desire other things, for the one thing he’s always wanted, as he curls himself around Melita further.
Sunjata wishes for oceans!
god, i'm a mess
SuNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
As Jiao discovered she had apparently made the right choice she beamed, feeling rather proud of herself. Watching as others less fortunate began to make fools of themselves 'entertaining' the genie she stood tall, considering her options.
A lot of the reason she was in Halo was a lack of direction in her life and that bled into this too: she had no idea what to ask for. She had plenty of material goods, didn't know of anything magical or spiritual she needed (or even if the genie would grant such things). So with this in mind she looked up to the being and said simply: "I will take what you...or the snow...has to offer."
--
Jiao takes the genie up on the mystery boon!
Sam felt the cold grasp at his skin, though without any of the associated pain or discomfort - an odd sensation, still not necessarily a pleasant one. Hugging himself and frowning, thinking that it was rather unsportsmanlike of the genie to promote selfishness, he wondered what on Caido he could do to entertain.
He was not an entertainer. He was a bookmaker, an occasional explorer. Nothing fun.
But he found he couldn't quite give up yet, so he had to try something. With an anxious smile he closed his eyes and concentrated then used his invisibility to power to fade himself in and out of visibility in different patterns, stripes of him appearing and disappearing vertically, horizontally, for a moment just a head and hand, then just legs...anything he could think of.
---
Sam tries to entertain the genie by playing around with his invisibility!
It might’ve been the first time anyone had ever called Melita wise. Possibly the last too.
But the genie was right. She was willing to take, willing to do anything to survive, willing to grasp her greedy hands into entrails and inveigling ploys, striving, determined, to get ahead when everything came fumbling, tumbling, down around her. But what did she desire above all else? What would she have chosen, out here in the midst of winter and Siberia, besides the gentle sands, the unforgiving heat, the relishing tapestries of the Dragon’s Throat whispering in her ear? Things she couldn’t have any longer – people, cherished, beloved family and friends, gone within an instant, knowing full well to ask for resurrecting blades was like pleading for another irreverent slide into the unknown (Zero had tried; and the scars along her back proved folly).
Her hand still went to Sunjata, the tension reeling and rolling, her gloved fingers a line in the drenched unknown. She couldn’t hear his answer, his reply, his response, and the foolishness continued to prosper and bound at her, Fangorn’s grumbles and hisses in her ear, almost a warning, almost an omen. But how many times had she placed herself in reckless denizens and escaped? How many times had she merely opened herself up to ruin and oblivion, and found the light? Maybe its ridiculous. Maybe its stupid. Maybe its asinine. But then again, maybe that made up her core, her existence, her beliefs. “I’ll take what the snow has to offer.”
--
Melita takes up the mystery boon!
This is a gift, it comes with a price
Who is the lamb and who is the knife?
Midas is king and he holds me so tight
And turns me to gold in the sunlight
Well, balls. That's what he gets for trying to be nice. Shrugging to himself as they're lit up in different colors, he keeps his gaze on the genie as it shrieks and laughs and wheels about. Offering them options, to entertain or to sit out.
He is far from talented, and certainly not funny, which leaves him at a complete loss as to how to entertain the genie. But he can't just...not. Right? Sweeping snow from the ground he bundles it into a huge ball and - thankful for his lack of pain receptors now - takes a giant fanged bite out of it. "Thanks for th' food while we wait, five stars." Because here's the facts: Clem isn't a funny kid. He's deadpan, serious, but also doesn't want his ass kicked by a damn genie. And then he uses the rest of the snowball to turn and aim it at Amun, launching it at his head with a devilish grin. Might as well make it fun for himself before he gets chopped.
Clem tries to entertain by taking a whopping bite of snow and then tries to bean Amun in the head with the rest.
The mockery and wrong answer is like water rolling off a ducks back to Harper, who is just glad to be here really. Its so damn cool, and though he makes a whining noise at the freezing toes he's cursed with, it does little to dampen his mood. Because that's a genie.
Getting back in good graces only further brightens his grin, whopping aloud as he immediately does a backspring in place, a few aerial cartwheels and a backflip that he doesn't catch himself on intentionally - falling to the snow in a dramatic heap and immediately doing a snow angel. More delighted with his own acrobatics than anything. Any chance to warm up and show off is a great time for Harper, and it's not like he has much to lose with such an interesting event already happening!
Harper chooses to entertain, and does a series of acrobatic flips before dramatically falling in the snow to do a snow angel.
Whatever else he was, Jigano knew from the genie’s voice that the creature wasn’t his friend, no matter how jovial his words. A blink of smoke and the village of Whitebrim disappeared, replaced with the wild white yonder, a field of featureless snow and ice that had the ghost of talons pressing beneath the bard’s nails as he tensed and looked about, trying to orient himself. Blue light washed over him along with the powerful being’s approval a moment later, and he grimaced, recognizing the trials as the cold version of the river spirit’s regard from last year. Hopefully they’d be returned from whence they’d come at the end of this… if not, they’d have to work together to pull their collective fat out of the cold fire.
”I desire…” he paused, words catching in his throat as he considered what others had asked for. Portals and oceans; the one very clearly the Voice’s work. The other… he was surprised that one who seemed so beloved of Safrin would work against the Old Gods’ desires, but Sunjata had never seemed the pious sort, even if he had chosen to become Attuned. Somehow he doubted the genie had power over the portals anyways, or they would have been opened long since. So if there was no point in wishing for or against those…
”A safe source of heat, of fire, to keep the cold at bay,” he declared, turning his attention to the short term and what they would all need to survive this in case they were left abandoned in the frozen wilderness at the end of the genie’s game.
The following people made their requests, some joining him and others asking for a wish. It seemed to be an even split or so, at least to Oliver. Once everyone had spoken....everything went wrong. A deep, bone chilling cool coursed through him, making his very body shake. The heaps of layers no longer mattered.He was bathed in deep red light and the genie towered over him, almost making him shake in fear. Trying to stand tall, Oliver stared him in the eyes, waiting to see what they'd be forced to do.
And they were forced....to perform? The genie had a peculiar request, but Oliver wasn't about to complain and receive whatever the hell the punishment would be. No way. There were some possibilities. He contemplated shifting into a fox seeing as just the sight of him was amusing, but the cold would be too much for him and he'd probably get hypothermia. That left him with very little options. He didn't have any talents and his body couldn't do anything fancy. All hoped seemed to be lost until he remembered his magic. Telekinesis wouldn't work....but maybe he could try his illusions. Maybe they'd finally be useful.
Stepping forward, Oliver raised a hand and soon, a bright silver snake slithered out of his sleeve and wrapped itself around his hand. Then, a set of wings sprouted out of the creature and it lifted off, flying around him a couple of times in various formations. Once it made a figure eight and another time it stopped to stick a forked tongue out at the genie. Finally, it ended by nosediving into the snow where it quickly disappeared.
She certainly never expected to make the right choice, but she does have to tamp down on the quirk of her lips at the habitual desire to float over Sam. They're past that now, after all. Instead Evie focuses on the directions the genie gives the "survivors", listens to the volley of words and actions that ripple across those gathered around.
Evie knows what she wants to say, but she can't help but marvel at the specificity of everyone around her. Is the genie even capable of such things? May she shouldn't doubt it. But Evie's wants are simple, perhaps vague, because she isn't sure how best to achieve it. "Power to keep my loved ones safer here and in other realms. A way to shelter from any inclement weather." She's not picky. It is simply what she desires. Don't they all want to be powerful and untouchable in some way?
Evie wishes for a way to shelter people from harsh weather or magic.
Hotaru decidedly doesn't roll her eyes when her rare moment of selflessness blows back in her face - or rather stings at her toes. Even stamping her feet and curling her toes doesn't chase away the chill, which is more annoying than her incorrect answer. Although it's quickly unseated by the order to entertain. A golden brow rises incredulously, reluctant to debase herself so thoroughly. She has never been a quitter though, and as she watches Deimos go sliding hilariously across the ice, she laughs and decides why the hell not.
Her fingers spark with static electricity, lifting it to her hair until it stands on end like a crazed troll-doll. And then she switched magic to her creation, and slides a replica of the genie's face across her own - a grinning mask that goes alongside the hair, winking impishly. She's not used to being an entertainer, so here goes nothing.
Hotaru decides to entertain by making her hair stand on end and donning a mask that looks like the genie.
i was a child who only wanted to heal things
now i want to be an abomination
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
The tragic flaw of charming men
is exactly as it seems,
too much grease,
can break down a machine.
Nate is more than a little surprised to have made the right choice, thuu ou Guh he doesn’t let it show on his face. The scenery around the group changes, shifts to something empty and desolate, and presumably cold. And then they, the winners, are asked to make another choice.
With an apologetic grin shot Sams way, Nate looked around, considering the options given. The snow seemed like it had nothing to give. Just frozen flatness. He didn’t want that. But, if not that, then what? Nate hummed it over a moment longer, listening to the very practical requests from some, and ones that seemed impossible from others. In the bed, his choice seemed almost obvious, despite the time it had taken him to reach it.
”I’d like some kind of vice that can affect me. Even a little.” Inebriation was one of the few things he missed since ascending, one of two things in total if he was being honest. He did have the sense to not glance in Sams direction at least, worried about what he might see.
Nate wishes he had something that can get him fucked up
The red glow had the demigoddess glancing around curiously. Well now, this was indeed an odd turn of events! So the genie had wished to give boons! What a funny and lovely being it was. She smiled warmly, accepting that there was a lesson to be learned in this, nodding to the being's sage advice. Indeed, when placed in the context of Halo, she supposed it was wise to take whatever one could get.
And now she had to entertain, how fun! And she knew just the thing.
Delphia glanced around, focusing in on the whispers of things that mostly went unseen. But the desolate landscape was as much burial ground as it was tundra, the ice and snow regularly taking and burying its victims in the drifts. After a few moments she walked a bit away from the genie, kneeling down in the snow as she focused on pulling the lost soul from the icy depths. Before long, the glowing orb of a life lost rose up to her hands. Carefully she brought it back and stood before the genie. Then, with suddenness, the glowing orb shot up towards the sky, looking much like a shooting star crossed with a firework as she sent it back to the realm of Mort.
And really, she thought there no sight more beautiful than that.
Delphia entertains the genie by sending a lost soul to Mort, which looks very pretty.
My spores been growing by the day; my days been shining bright
You tilt your head curiously at this newest development, surprised to be enveloped by a sudden blue light. "Interestin'," you comment to nobody in particular, attempting to take mental note of who has wound up in each category. Perhaps there's something to be learned from this division. You really aren't sure.
When the Genie makes its next set of options available you turn back from your musings, staring up at the large figure through wide, bright eyes. "Hmm." Make a wish, or be given whatever the thing is offering? Well, there isn't anything you particularly want....
"I'll take the snow's boon I guess," you say with a shrug, glancing around to see who else has made this particular choice.
