witchesreign | Recent Entries

The first sign of the end is a golden-yellow light. Flaring brightly from the roof of Galbadia Garden, it soars, cutting a graceful arc against the washed-out winter sky -- and then, at its apex, tears downward. The roof of Balamb Garden stands no chance; the ceiling of the ballroom below barely has time to buckle. In an eruption of metal shrapnel that clatters all the way down the outside like hail -- not to mention under the feet of any combatants still up top -- it gives way.

To the people still fighting, it's a cue. Maybe a Sol Invictus member takes it as a signal to charge; maybe a SeeD on what remains of the barricade senses the urgency and motions her allies to follow: Within minutes, both sides of the battle flood inside Balamb Garden and pour into the ballroom.

But there, the brawls, shouts, and wildly flung spells trickle to a standstill. The crowd stops, packed in too closely to fight, and blinks at the display.

At the far edge of the ballroom stands a haggard but familiar figure in a tattered sweater-vest: the missing Headmaster Cid -- and his three Sol Invictus captors. On his left, a graying leather-jacketed man holds a knife to the Headmaster's throat and another between his shoulder blades, less than an inch away from thrusting home. On his right, a burly young woman points a gun to his head, a clearly pinless grenade held with calm professionalism in her other hand. The third of the trio, a woman covered from her neck down in tarnished chain mail, hasn't laid a hand on the Headmaster yet, but only because both of hers are clasped together and crackling furiously with power; anybody who steps inside the translucent but hotly glowing sphere around her, her compatriots and their hostage will find themselves suddenly seized with electrical current and violently flung aside. The message is unambiguous: try anything and the Headmaster will die.

And in the middle of the ballroom is the main spectacle, from which few onlookers from either SeeD or Sol Invictus can seem to tear their eyes away: the scrape and clash of sword against giant sword, the same blaze of gold suffusing the air -- Ien, the leader of Sol Invictus himself, bearing down on Commander Erlea Zabala with his daiklave flashing through her defensive stance like a sunbeam.

(ooc: With this final showdown, the Battle of 3 Gardens comes to a close. Subthreads have been provided below for reactions to B3G's denouement; you are free to make your own.

For information on the next stage of endgame, look here!)

wrfiends

[Balamb Garden is built on the principles of defense. Galbadia Garden is built on the principles of speed. The latter has, historically, inevitably succeeded on its assaults on the former because of one simple principle: speed beats defense. As quickly as Galbadia can maneuver, it can intercept Balamb and overwhelm it, bypassing its defenses and forcing it to battle.]

[As the two Gardens career over the southern cliffs of Trabia, those tactically-minded people with a moment to breathe might wonder why this is. Why is one Garden explicitly superior to the other? Why does one have all the advantages in a battle between the two?]

[The answer is significantly less subtle than they might think.]

[Without warning, three supremely-massive shells slam into the imposing red form of Galbadia Garden from the north, punching through its outer armor and into its depths like a hot knife thrust into a chocolate-coated cake. Several seconds later, only faintly audible over the sound of catastrophic destruction from within the Garden, a rolling boom echoes over the cliffs as the sound of the gun discharge finally catch up with the shells. Speed beats defense, but defense beats offense, which defeats speed.]

[The reconstruction efforts had been kept a strict secret, hidden under the guise of maintenance and repairs for months now -- in anticipation of just this sort of need. Three 76" guns lower slightly to accommodate for the decreasing distance between themselves and their target, then blast out another salvo of lead at the enemy-occupied Galbadia. Trabia Garden breaks the northern horizon, cannons gleaming in the sunlight and trailing smoke as the newly-mobile assault platform advances forward.]

[The crippled Galbadia Garden slams into the ground violently, kicking up a massive wave of dirt, snow, and rock in all directions as it plows a long, deep furrow through the forests. Trees snap and shatter like toothpicks, while the ground shakes and trembles like it'll never stop. Balamb Garden, its engines overstressed and its inhabitants eager for payback, drops to the ground close by as Sol Invictus members pour out of the crimson fortress, their dominance having turned to desperation in that single moment. Trabia's advancement puts a clear time limit on their efforts: if they don't conquer Balamb Garden by the time Trabia's force can join the battle on the side of SeeD, Sol Invictus loses. They know it, and so help them, they will have Balamb or die trying. The snow on the ground's not about to help them, and neither are the monsters: Not only are Balamb Garden's monsters making a bid for freedom and attacking anyone on the way, but the area's monsters - Ochu, Blue Dragons, Gayla, Snow Lions, Mesmerizes, and Bite Bugs - are getting in on the action too, some outraged by the destruction of their homes, some simply attracted by the noise.]

[The Battle of 3 Gardens has entered its second phase.]

(ooc: Trabia Garden would like to battle! This takes place in the late afternoon / early evening of January 17th, an indeterminate amount of time after Sol Invictus intercepts Balamb Garden (though at least on the order of hours); with that in mind, you are encouraged to keep tagging both there and here.

New to this phase are certain special enemies with... interesting things available to Draw on top of the usual spells, at least to whoever gets there first. However, as before, you may NPC your own SI members instead. Let us know if your character decides to Draw from any other foes on the scene - the enemies we've initially listed are not the only ones on the battlefield with unusual Draw lists! Bear in mind that this is a difficult fight, and while Trabia has turned the tables on SI's pursuit of Balamb Garden the vehicle, its individual members are coming at everyone on it with no holds barred.

Other information on this endgame plot arc continues to be available at the OOC post, which has now been updated with details on B3G Phase 2.)

commanderzabala

[In the afternoon of the 17th, without warning, Garden lurches dramatically, rapidly swiveling on its vertical axis -- flinging unsecured items to the floor, toppling overeager students in the library and the chatting congregation in the cafeteria from their seats. An uncharacteristic whine vibrates through the first floor as the sub-basement engines spin faster, accelerating the mobile fortress along its new heading.]

[A moment later, the intercom chimes.]

This is Commander Zabala. Galbadia Garden will intercept us in around fifteen minutes. I repeat: Galbadia Garden will intercept us in fifteen minutes. In our current position, and with Galbadia Garden's advantage in mobility, we can no longer hope to outmaneuver. Nor can we hope to resolve this diplomatically. We are moving away from them as fast as we can, but they will intercept us just as we cross onto the southern Trabia coast. There, we believe they will attempt to board -- there, we will fight.

All of Garden must now prepare. Do not press the attack into Galbadia Garden. Balamb Garden is our stronghold, and we have the advantage of defenses; we can force them to withdraw through attrition. Remain aboard Balamb and inflict what casualties you can. Barricade the lobby, the second floor hallway, the ballroom, and the dorms. Junior cadets are ordered to take shelter in the dorms; senior Instructors are ordered to withdraw to the dorms and protect them to your utmost ability. Defend the hot dogs if and only if time allows. [Oh boy, she's going to catch some flak for that one.

There's an anticipatory pause.]

If Sol Invictus defeats us here, nothing and no one is left to oppose them. They know that. Make sure they do not achieve their goals.

[The intercom cuts out, and the clock's ticking.]

(ooc: Sol Invictus is on Balamb's doorstep, and they're not here for a tea party. After fifteen IC minutes, the first phase of the January 17th invasion will begin, with armed SI members pouring in seemingly without end from the main entrance and the roof. More details on this plot arc are in the OOC post on B3G.

Subthreads are provided; they are intended as loose prompts, so you are welcome to treat their locations fluidly or come up with your own scenarios / top-level comments. You may also NPC your own SI members and monsters, but bear in mind that, as the OOC post says, this is not an easy fight. Sol Invictus members are off-worlders of varying species and abilities, with training.

As ever, feel free to contact the mods through the usual channels for additional details or to request NPCing.)

om_nom_namur

Man what do they even call these half bites of meat they give out in the cafiteria? Shit it aint hardly meat just junk and there aint no blood to make it worth the time ta swallow. How longs this shit been dead anyway? Gunna die if we dont land somewere soon. Shit id take the damn snow lions in trabia over this. Maybe well get lucky and some dumass scouting crew of solja boysll come try ta land on garden. Could use a bit of fresh meat. See anyone suspicious point me at em. Srsly ill even clean up the mess Anyway. Anyone up for a spar? Got rules. Keep my mouth shut. No blood. So i aint gunna hurt ya too much.

[In spite of textual whining to the contrary, Namur is quite healthy, if a bit crankier than usual. He can be found working off some of his aggression in the gym or pounding his music extra loudly on the Quad. Catch up with him in the cafeteria if you dare. For hell's sake, someone come spar with him!]

wrnpcs

While attempting to map out the newly-risen archipelago off the northeast coast of Galbadia, navigators came across a castle-like structure in the middle of the ocean, reporting loud drilling noises and disturbed wildlife in the area. Believing the structure to have originated off-world, an Esthar-based energy company with interests nearby has hired SeeD to decommission the rig, whatever its purpose may be, and to bring back as much of the equipment as possible for further research.

[The Headmaster is missing, Galbadia has fallen, and tensions are fraught all round, but that's no excuse to spare the aspiring cadets of Balamb from the usual gauntlet. After all, they might be needed soon enough. That's how Namur and Starfire come to be dropped off at a small port town - on the Trabian side of the border, which wasn't quite part of the initial briefing - and ushered onto a rather battered tugboat, which wasn't either. After that, they're on their way.

The silhouettes of the islands of the mysterious archipelago are visible even through the fog off the shore, but before long, one of them indeed starts to resolve itself into a shape that marks it out from the rest - a tall, slender, multi-spired shape. And as the boat moves even closer, it'll become clear that not all of the haze out here is ordinary fog; it could be smoke or steam, but there's definitely something drifting lazily away from those fairytale towers.

Apart from the noise, that is. The drilling noise is easier to notice, though. It begins as a thrum through the water when the castle is still a somewhat indistinct blur on the horizon, rises into a roar - and then, just as the churning waves threaten to turn the little boat away altogether, subsides, leaving the surrounding waters calm again.

There's another barrier to entry, though: now that they're closing in on it, the castle seems to be perched on a solid block of concrete or something like it, and the walls are both smooth and sheer. The owner of the boat, a chiselled woman with greying hair, mutters something about not knowing where to dock, not wanting to get much closer before the apparent drilling starts up again (it always seems to, she says), and really, really not being paid enough for this.

What now?]

spitfiring

[Okay, so Wally's just been sitting around his room in stunned confusion... But now he's just bored out of his mind. You appear in a place, then they tell you you have to go to school? Okay, fine. At least that keeps you occupied. But schol not starting until the 20th? The fact it's only the 9th? The fact he's been sitting here wondering what's going on for 9 whole days?

Absolutely ludicrous. And not the red-light-district-beep-beep-woop-woop kind. It was time to, at the very least, ping the network.]

Uhh...

[Wally stops himself from his amazing opener there muttering a 'Wow, nice work,' to himself before sighing in anguish.]

I'm gonna be straight with you - I don't know what I'm saying or doing or even what the point of making this post is, aside from introducing myself maybe...?

Ugh! Okay, yes. That's exactly the point. I'm Wally. I think I'm the last of you guys to get here to Balam, which is ironic consi--... Nevermind. I'm getting off point again.

I've been doing a little research and I guess I kinda understand what's going on, checking out the backlogs and whatever so spare me the whole explanation thing - I'm already a little ticked off. Sure you could tell.

[Running a hand through the back of his hair and onto his face, he rubs at it as if trying to settle loose thoughts back into place in his brain.]

I'm rambling. I just... How did you guys cope with coming here? How did you jump into things? Thinking outloud in this video like this probably makes me seem like some cranky jerk, but all things aside, we all have our bad days, right?

[He attempts a little grin before the video cuts out.]

bunnypassingby

Does anyone have any tips on tracking people? I've been hired on a missing person mission and I don't actually know much about finding people - the last time I had to find someone, I managed to come across them by accident, but I don't think that's going to work this time. - Mikuru

[Those on the third floor might come across Mikuru, stalking about with a notebook she occasionally refers to, or poking around the headmaster's office with plastic gloves on...]

commanderzabala

[At 0800 Monday morning, the intercom chime signals an announcement.]

This is Commander Zabala. All SeeDs and cadets, at attention.

As of this moment, Balamb Garden is mobilizing. Until further notice, we will be conducting evasive maneuvers to avoid interception by Galbadia Garden, which has departed under the command of Sol Invictus on a direct heading for our location as of minutes ago.

Garden will be raised to a full state of readiness and all SeeDs and cadets will be expected to do their part. Shift orders and assignments have been prepared and will be distributed to you over the course of the day.

I must emphasize to you the importance of these preparations. Balamb Garden is designed for defensibility, while Galbadia Garden is designed for speed. If we are located, they will close with us and engage us, and we will have no choice but to fight. At this point, that seems inevitable. We are buying ourselves time to prepare.

The airshops will remain available for transportation, subject to scheduling and proper evasive protocols.

That is all.

[As the announcement ends, Garden vibrates with a low hum as it lifts off of its base and begins to move. A minute later, a transcription of the announcement appears on the BBS. Commander Zabala may not necessarily respond.]

thatched

For those who may not be aware, today is the birthday of our very own Acelet. If you should pass him, wish him well, give him booze or give him meat. He'll love any of it.

To that end, we're going to have a little dinner party tonight in his honor so the more the merrier. Possible dancing, definite fits of narcolepsy and maybe some limbo here and there. Who knows?

Come and join the fun!

laughafterme

[In the Quad, there is a large, pink chocobo sitting amongst colorful presents. Each present is shaped like a giant piece of candy with shimmery wrapping and ribbons. The presents are filled with only the best treats she could make! There is a sign hanging somewhere visible, stating that all the presents are free to take, but only one per person! OR ELSE!!

Meanwhile, the chocobo seems to be writing a letter with a navy quill. Anyone is welcome to approach the majestical creature in its natural habitat.]

wrnpcs

[People may recognize this guy from posters urging people to "vote for Douglas Thomas for Homecoming Prince", or as looking a bit like his SeeD older brother, Cameron. But they may not: his marketing was pretty terrible, considering some of those posters were on trees in the training center, and his family resemblance to his brother isn't that strong. He looks more disheveled and unwell than his photo on those posters, and is quite clearly sitting in an infirmary bed.]

Hey, uh, it's Doug. Can I borrow someone's notes from Chemistry, Old Dollet, and Cultural Studies? Just from last week - I can't believe I missed a whole week [and two days, but who's counting] of classes. How is it finals already?!

[He sighs.] The last thing I remember is the Headmaster escorting me to his office to talk about airships, and then I woke up this morning in a closet in my underpants, and the Balamb Times in my dorm said it was the twenty-second...

[In the background, Lizzie Neill, Miss Balamb Garden and apprentice doctor, can be heard arguing with Commander Zabala - Zabala is stressing the importance of asking Cadet Thomas about the Headmaster; Lizzie insists he's clearly been through an ordeal and needs his rest, Commander he is her patient.]

Anyway, just attach your notes to a private message, or drop them in the infirmary, or with my brother, Cameron. [He reaches forward and stops recording.]

om_nom_namur

Lots a shit goin down lately huh? Zabalas been gone awile but that aint nothin new. Now headmaster cids suddenly on vacation right before finals. Hearing lots of stories bout it too. Got a kick outta the one that said he got abducted by aliens. So talk to me and tell me yur faves. Wanna hear all the crazyass stuff people been comin up with. Maybe that damn gossip hackerll show up an set us all strate huh?

[Private Messages to Marco, Thatch, Ace, Grell, Espio, and Fionna]

Seriusly tho guys shits brewin we need a meeting My place Whenever the hell yall get here Got drinks bring food

windbreak

well holidays are cool and all [...and would be cooler if they came a bit earlier and let him skip finals, but never mind that!]
tacky decorations and murderferrets aside but u all know what the important part of the sesason is right? CHRISTMAS EVE SO? whose got plans already?? dont be shy now!

wrnpcs

[The ID posting this brief and curt announcement on the BBS probably isn't familiar to anyone who regularly uses it.]

For those who were unaware, Headmaster Cid Kramer is currently out of office. We are unfortunately not at liberty to disclose his date of return. Please rest assured that we will provide an update when available. Until further notice, queries intended for the Headmaster may be redirected to Ms. Olivia Smith, Dean of Academics. Note that Commander Erlea Zabala is not responsible for the academic running of Garden. We apologize for the inconvenience.

[If anyone's tried to deliver those queries in person since the malfunction of the Training Center containment field, however, they will have found the headmaster's office closed and locked.]

(OOC: replies are unlikely to be forthcoming from whoever this is, but the post is a free-for-all!)

wrfiends

( MONSTERS EVERYWHERE IN GARDEN AND NOT JUST T-REXAURS OR GRATS, GO GO GO )

(OOC:
Links go to images, except for the Tri-Face link, which goes to FF Wiki.
Mods will not be NPCing monsters unless requested; please feel free to NPC your own.
On a scale of one to ten for strength, one being Training Center Grats and ten being the Island Closest to Heaven, most of these monsters fall around seven or eight.
All monsters are, on occasion, vulnerable to Card, Devour, and the various one-shot spells.
Monsters are finite and do not respawn.
IC-ly, we expect this to be over in a day or two.
These locations aren't strict, just intended as starting scenarios; both characters and monsters may freely move around.
Questions, clarifications, NPC requests, comments? Tell us here or by the usual channels.)

thatched

It's that time of year again. What time of year, you ask? The time of year for the Christmas Fairy, of course! So make your wishes here and maybe you'll get lucky~! Don't forget to leave the traditional rum outside of your door. Christmas Fairying is hard work.

espio

[Don't even ask where Espio managed to acquire these, or why he, of all people, has decided to put them up... but as of 5am, the dormitory corridors have been decorated with twinkly fairy lights. As someone from a place where Christmas is A Big Deal (yet mysteriously with no Christianity), the place is just not Christmassy enough, dangit. And when you can't sleep, what do you do with yourself at 5am?

Oh, but it wasn't him. Honest. Somebody else who can turn invisible put them up. Now that the actual morning has arrived, he's just observing them in shock - shock - that someone put flashing lights everywhere.

Now, if only he could convince someone that a tree was a good idea...]

[BBS]

I see the the corridors are suitably blinding for the season.

What's next? Someone gonna start blasting Christmas music through the intercom? Dump tinsel and glitter everywhere? Or maybe haul in a tree from somewhere, I dunno, what other stupid Winter holiday traditions are around?

As long as there's mince pies, I'll put up with anything.

om_nom_namur

So now im the official king shit and yall know it so im gonna make this clear. You see someone trying to be a bigger shit than me you give me a yell so i can come put em in their place. Dont want no one giving anyone else a hard time. All got to work together or something. Gonna rent a boat this whole damn week. Anyone wants to learn sailing in the chop speak up. Shood be clear most days so weather aint a problem. Biology lab students dont forget to do yur observations and get me them notes from yer instructors saying theyll accept it as extra credit. Itll get added to yur grade from this trimester once the lab is done. ~ Official King Shit

wrnpcs

[Night has fallen on Balamb Garden; the halls of Garden are mostly deserted besides the stray student walking about, and even the usual faculty members are missing from their posts around the school. There's a certain festive energy through the air coming from the happily decorated ballroom located on the second floor.

[At exactly 2100, as soon as the dinner rush ends, the Garden chime sounds and the intercom clicks on. The Headmaster speaks to the Garden.]

The Homecoming Dance is now beginning. Your attendance is requested at [2F] Ballroom.

I repeat, the Homecoming Dance is now beginning. Your attendance is requested at [2F] Ballroom. The ball will run until 2400. Students leaving the ball after curfew are to return to their dorms immediately.

The ball and its festivities tonight are being sponsored very generously by the Garden Festival Committee.

[After the announcement, the intercom falls silent. The faint sound of music can be heard from the second floor of the building.

[Within the ballroom, there is a stationary stand for punch and food, as well as roaming caterers offering drinks (grape juice) and canapes.]

There is a comment thread for voting here. Votes will close on Monday night OOC-ly (or later if we don't get many votes over the weekend) and there will another thread for announcing and crowning the winners.

Attendance is entirely optional, so with most of the faculty at the dance, characters are free to roam the rest of the school!

wrnpcs

[There seems to be a festive atmosphere all throughout Garden. Why? Because it's the Homecoming Carnival! The Garden Festival Committee have been hard at work all morning and when 1300 hours strikes, it's finally open for everyone to enjoy.

The directory has been reprogrammed slightly:

It also has a piece of paper stuck underneath:
Kissing booth: Turn around Food booths: Around 1F main circle Triple Triad: 2F bridge Carnival games: Front gate area Chocobo rides: Road to Garden

Each stall/booth has free, more elaborate maps:
( Large image! )

Have fun, Garden!]

Each attraction has its own thread. We've listed the people running shifts in the top comments as a reminder to those who signed up; feel free to make your character a thread for their shift even if you missed OOC signups.

Characters have different shifts which allow for everyone to enjoy other parts of the carnival as well instead of being stuck manning a booth the whole night. For the dunk tank, kissing booth, food booths, and talent quest it's best to leave your character's name in the subject of their comment to start off their thread indicating their shift/time onstage.

Proceeds will be split between further events and building and furnishing a student lounge for fun stuff, so most attractions cost money:
Kissing booth: 2 gil per kiss
Chocobo rides: 5 gil per person
Carnival games (archery, throwing/shooting X at Y, water gun race, whack a mole, skee ball, Ring the Bell, etc): 1 gil per game
Face painting: 2 gil per person
Food stalls: Snow cones 3 gil, cotton candy 3 gil, and funnel cake 5 gil; "food from your home world" up to individual characters
Dunk tank: 5 gil for 3 balls, 10 gil for 10 balls
Fortune telling: 3 gil per reading
Marriage booth: 5 gil a couple
Balloon animals: 3 gil an animal

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

Witches Reign

B3G: PHASE 3

B3G: PHASE 2

B3G: PHASE 1

BBS // Action

SeeD field exam (backdated to just after the SI invasion of Deling)

(first lap) Video BBS

(nineteenth miracle) BBS + added action

Announcement [Intercom/BBS]

BBS

Random Acts of...well, Pinkie. [ACTION]

[BBS video]

BBS

3 // [BBS]

[BBS text]

EVENT: Jurassic Garden?!

BBS

action + bbs

BBS

Homecoming dance! (backdated to Week 6 Saturday)

Homecoming carnival! (backdated to Week 6 Friday)

Profile

May 2014

Links

Page Summary

Tags

Expand Cut Tags