(OCTOBER CATCH-ALL) pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name

[apocalypticist]

WHO: ryo asuka & you!
WHERE: around chroma
WHEN: throughout the month of october!
WHAT: catch-all log with quests and stuff. open prompts under the cut! closed starters in the comments.
WARNINGS: will be marked if they come up.


i. i stuck around st. petersburg when i saw it was a time for a change (quest 29)
[ These skeletons certainly are a nuisance, aren't they? They're not even remotely threatening, but they're inconvenient with their pathetic attempts to stab people and should stay in the woods where they belong. Ryo ignores them for the most part since they're too slow to pose any actual danger to him, but every once in a while he decides it's time to thin their numbers a bit.

So he walks up to a herd of skeletons and rips a weapon—a thick club— from one of the skeletons' bony grasp before proceeding to whack its head clean off. That's one down, but the rest of the group is still standing, so he slides a glance in your direction: ]

Hey. Do you want to kill these things with me? [ He doesn't really need any help, but he does need another person for this to be counted as completing the quest. ]

ii. killed the czar and his ministers; anastasia screamed in vain (in which ryo grows a tree)
[ Earlier this month, Ryo discovered that he has the peculiar power to make plants grow at an accelerated rate when he was about to hand over a walnut to Dextera as a treat. He ended up keeping the walnut after the sudden growth rendered it unsuitable as a treat and decided to plant it instead. Maybe if he uses it as practice, he'll be able to learn how to control this power properly; it's still very inconsistent and it doesn't always work when he tries to use it.

On evenings, after the sun has disappeared beyond the horizon, anyone out for a walk may notice the shuddery light coming from an empty plot in Flavo, near the forest. Upon closer inspection, they'll see Ryo crouched down with a lantern set aside while he touches his fingers to... a seedling? ]

Hm. [ He gives a sigh of frustration when nothing seems to happen, but when he closes his eyes in concentration the plant soon begins to visibly grow taller, thicker, sprouting leaves and budding branches. ]

iii. i rode a tank, held a general's rank (wildcard)
[ Wildcard option! If the above prompts don't interest you but you still want to do something, hmu at archeops or shoot me a PM for plotting! Or just write a starter of your own and I'll roll with that - Ryo can primarily be found in the library, in Flavo where he checks up on his beehives on an unused plot since he's picked up beekeeping, or the outskirts of the forest where he gathers ingredients for drugs. He's also a red so feel free to trick-or-treat at his door or just harass him for a treat while he's out and about. ]

Comments

DEXTERA | satan gets a haircut

[apocalypticist]

[ He's been here for a little over six months and it's about time he gets a haircut; his once perfect bowlcut is looking pretty damn shaggy and he keeps having to brush his hair out of his eyes. He can trim the bangs on his own, but he's not sure if he'll be able to make the rest look presentable...

He should let someone else do it. He could ask the forum to see if there's anyone with experience, but maybe it'd be safer to ask someone he knows isn't going to fuck up on purpose. After thinking it over, he opens his laptop and sends a message. ]

Dextera, do you think you would be able to cut my hair for me? It's getting rather long.

[passio]

[ this… is not the message he expected from ryo’s hex code, but it is true that his hair has been growing out a bit in the back. he remembers the way it first looked when they met, and although dextera has neither experience nor access to all the necessary tools, he thinks he can do a little cleanup to get it back to okay. ]

Do you have scissors?

[apocalypticist]

Of course.

I'm not asking for perfection, but I do want it to look at least halfway presentable. Think you can manage that?

[passio]

Yes, I think I can. I know how you had it, before.

[ again, since ryo isn’t asking for perfection, he’s not going to promise it, but the rough shape of that bowlcut… he can do it! probably. ]

[apocalypticist]

[ "probably"... ]

Good. I have some old selfies on my phone too, if you need a visual reference.

[passio]

[ dextera actually knows what a selfie is, since prompto taught him a few months ago. that’s really the most incredible part of this exchange. ]

Thank you. It’ll help.

Should I come to you?

[apocalypticist]

Yes, that would be preferred.

iii

[smaaaaaash]

[Ryo might be minding his own business somewhere in town, when who should appear onto the scene but... All Might! The hero was on his way back from collecting pumpkins he might be able to help others fulfil the the quest with, being a yellow (and, let's be honest, he's just a big kid who's happy to carve pumpkins for its own sake).

So when he spots the blond youngster from before, he all but bounds over, brimming with energy and with an armful of pumpkins. There! A prime candidate to help with the quest.]

Young man! I am here... to speak with you!

[Sorry, about your eardrums, Ryo.]

[apocalypticist]

[ Ryo immediately slides an annoyed look at him when he approaches. Why is this man so loud and what did he do to deserve having his eardrums assaulted?? ]

You're too loud. What do you want?

[smaaaaaash]

[Without any delay, All Might is shoving a pumpkin into Ryo's arms, whether he wants it or not.]

Halloween will be upon us soon! For the sake of festive spirit, let's carve pumpkins together!

[apocalypticist]

Halloween is just a commercial holiday used to boost sales. We don't need it here. [ He exhales an annoyed sigh, adjusting his grip on the pumpkin while he considers this. Honestly, it's tempting to just walk away. ]

All right. Since it's one of the quests this month, I'll carve a pumpkin.

[ THE REWARD BETTER BE WORTH IT. ]

[smaaaaaash]

Ha ha ha ha ha! What an unusual perspective you have! Thinking outside the box is always commendable!

[Even if he doesn't agree with that view, he can still find a way to praise a smart youngster. All Might produces a knife from his pocket (how did he find civilian clothes big enough for him in this town, a mystery) and offers it to Ryo.]

Here you go, young-- what should I call you...?

[apocalypticist]

My name is Ryo Asuka—"Asuka" is fine. [ He takes the knife when it's offered to him, fingers curling around the handle. ]

We're going to need something to scoop out the pulp with, and a bowl to put it in; no point in throwing away the pulp when it can be used for other things. [ The seeds can be dried and roasted, and he could use the rest to make a soup or something. ]

i

[organfarm]

Huh? [ To be honest, he was just fighting skeletons elsewhere, and he's kind of tired and sweaty and was just heading back to his home to rest up a bit. But who is he to ever say no to someone who might want his help? ] Um, sure.

[ So Jion promptly veers off his path and obligingly trots over to where Ryo is fending off a horde.

He's figured out by now that, even if he has a gun, pistol-whipping these skeletons is overkill on top of being kind of an unnecessary strain on his hand. So he opts for just throwing a round-house punch at the closest skeleton. Even if he's not the best fisticuffs fighter around, he has enough bulk to send it tumbling over, and he shakes the pain out of his knuckles as he picks up the sword the skeleton dropped. He gives it a few practice swings like a baseball bat while waiting for the next skeleton to draw closer, taking the moment to call over to Ryo, ]

These things really are kinda annoying aren't they? More than they are scary. I mean, not that I'm complaining ...

[ Might as well make friends while doing this busywork, right? ]

[apocalypticist]

Yeah. I'm glad they're not an actual threat like the bogeyman was, but they're a nuisance.

[ Ryo has a rifle under that pristine white fur coat of his, but he isn't going to waste ammo on something that's barely even worth his time. Besides, he likes the weight of the club in his hand, and there's something satisfying in hitting the skeletons with a weapon he stole from them.

He steps toward the skeletons and swings the club in a wide arc, hitting one of them right in the ribcage. ]

[organfarm]

The what?

[ That revelation comes right when Jion aims a broad swing at a skeleton's head, popping off the skull and sending it flying off into the woods, and he looks over at Ryo, obviously confused. ]

Sorry I, uh, like just got here. I mean, relatively speaking. So I don't know the details about what's happened here before -- you guys had a bogeyman? For real?

[apocalypticist]

Yes. [ It's not necessary, but he swings at the skeleton a second time just to make sure it stays down before moving on to the next one. ]

It happened nearly four months ago. One of the quests for that month told us to defeat the bogeyman, and at some point it followed the quest goers back into town. I was part of the group that took it down; it was extremely difficult to kill and three of us died in the process.

[organfarm]

[ The sword in his hand and the skeletons are pushed to the back of his mind as he listens to Ryo, looking a little more solemn. Because while he can't exactly imagine what fighting a bogeyman must have been like, he does know how it feels to lose people. ]

Ah geez ... I'm sorry. I'd heard there was some dangerous stuff out in the woods, but I didn't know there were casualties. And I heard there's people here who can heal injuries and stuff, I guess I kinda assumed things usually turned out alright.

Is there a burial ground or something nearby, then?

[apocalypticist]

[ He shakes his head, stepping out of the way when a skeleton tries to stab him. ]

No. One of them didn't leave behind a body, and I'm not sure how the other two were handled. [ Maybe they were buried somewhere in the forest or cremated, who knows. He never cared to find out. ]

Also, they didn't stay dead and came back a couple of days later.

ii

[withwisdom]

[ evening time is perfect for catching particular bugs and lizards that have a nocturnal cycle. they tend to be perfect for elixirs having to do with efficient sneaking augmentations, and she has really no fear about going around the forest openings. picking out some of the flowers before they die to the natural weather progression is also a small mercy.

its on her way back into town proper, a couple jars full of specimens, that she catches a glimpse of the light. curiosity strikes her to approach the source with a small dose of hesitancy, hating to be the sort who noses into people's business. she doesn't expect to see ryo, or him with a seed? it's a bad time of day to plant, and she didn't think he cared about gardening--

--but that thought is quickly stopped when she sees the seedling grow at an unnaturally rapid rate. her eyes widen in shock and her mouth opens small to suck in a tiny gasp of air, unable to control a natural reaction. ]

[apocalypticist]

[ Truthfully, Ryo was hoping no one would see him practice his newfound power; that's why he decided to do it at nightfall when most people have retreated to their homes. Even if supernatural abilities are entirely normal to most people here, he'd prefer to keep his a secret between himsel and Dextera.

The gasp causes him to stiffen, his concentration breaking. The seedling's growth comes to an abrupt halt and he shifts his gaze toward the source of the sound. ]

...Hello. What are you doing here?

[withwisdom]

[ ah, caught, but then again she didn't exactly have the time or thought process to hide to start with. she smiles, half-nervous, and gives a short wave. ]

I was out collecting material for my mixtures and saw the light on my path back. [ so, yes, just an accidental run-in. ] And... yourself?

[apocalypticist]

Practicing. [ He replies after a moment, resting his hands on his knees and exhales a quiet sigh. He's not going to bother with a lie when the gasp indicated she saw the plant grow. ]

I recently discovered that I possess the power to make plants grow at an accelerated rate.

[withwisdom]

...Fascinating.

[ also, what? second thought - how? ]

Do you chant a spell of some sort to make it happen?

[apocalypticist]

No. [ he shakes his head. ] I picked up a walnut and it suddenly started to sprout.