Free States of the Crescent

[Through the Living Hope]

On 10/23/2024 at 10:39 AM, Spark of Hope said:

She moved her head so that her ear was to his chest. Lucky Red walked closer and began to lick both of them. 

@The Bookwyrm

@The Bookwyrm

[The Stormfather He/Him]

Mark steps into the house where most of the Rusted and Steeles usually stayed,  a greeting coming from a few people playing cards on his left. He walked past silently, trudging up the stairs. He found Adris in his room, angrily reading a few papers.

"Not again, right?" Mark asked.

"It happened. Last night." Adris responded, warily looking at the door. "There were fourteen of them. That makes ninety-two in the last three years."

"That's... Too many. Have you figured out who's leading them?" Mark asked, closing the door behind him and taking a seat in a chair beside Adris.

"No. We've tried following them, but they communicate with a Coinshot courier, and... It's far too hard to track those." Adris explained, unsheathing a knife and spinning it on his hand. 

"I'll look into it. Is everyone okay?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, but... We can't hold this for long."

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

26 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

@The Bookwyrm

Tinker smiled and gently patted Red's head.

[Through the Living Hope]

Just now, The Bookwyrm said:

Tinker smiled and gently patted Red's head.

His tail wagged.

She sat with him for a few minutes then said, "Think I'm going to go back to your parents'. And.. there won't be a repeat of yesterday."

[The Stormfather He/Him]

Adris waved Mark away.

"Go. We can handle it, Mark." 

"Adris, at this point, I'm not sure. Without me, and without Maj, you number of fighters is going down." Mark regarded him with a flat look. "You're far too proud for your own good, Adris. Just let me help. Rusts, I could even bring in the others, and finally end this nonsense."

"No. I'm not being the one who sent one of the Past Tributes to their death." Adris sighed. "Once Stefret comes back from his job out in the south, we'll go find them. Once we have our full power. You know how good he is."

"Fine." Mark turned and walked out the door, going back down the steps and immediately leaving. Why does he think that a single fight is going to get all of us killed? We took down nearly eighty peacekeepers on our own, without supplies.

He arrived back at the house, knocking on the door.

 

 

[Through the Living Hope]

On 11/1/2024 at 6:52 AM, The Stormfather said:

Adris waved Mark away.

"Go. We can handle it, Mark." 

"Adris, at this point, I'm not sure. Without me, and without Maj, you number of fighters is going down." Mark regarded him with a flat look. "You're far too proud for your own good, Adris. Just let me help. Rusts, I could even bring in the others, and finally end this nonsense."

"No. I'm not being the one who sent one of the Past Tributes to their death." Adris sighed. "Once Stefret comes back from his job out in the south, we'll go find them. Once we have our full power. You know how good he is."

"Fine." Mark turned and walked out the door, going back down the steps and immediately leaving. Why does he think that a single fight is going to get all of us killed? We took down nearly eighty peacekeepers on our own, without supplies.

He arrived back at the house, knocking on the door.

 

 

After a few more minutes she stood up. “I should probably.. talk to Mark..” she said. She kissed Tinker and went to his parents’ house. 

@The Bookwyrm

@The Stormfather

Edited November 4, 2024 by Spark of Hope

[The Stormfather He/Him]

1 hour ago, Spark of Hope said:

After a few more minutes she stood up. “I should probably.. talk to Mark..” she said. She kissed Tinker and went to his parents’ house. 

@The Bookwyrm

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Is this the house that Mark is currently at the door of?

 

[Through the Living Hope]

1 hour ago, The Stormfather said:

 

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Yep

 

[Mags she/they]

Lee was still sitting on the coach of [whoever's house he ended up at I can't remember I'm so sorry] house. A few of the others had left, but he'd stayed to watch the games.

Sure, he could have watched them on the tv in his own home, but something felt wrong about that. Like, bringing the games into his new safe place where everything he loved was would taint it somehow. It hadn't surprised him that his friends wanted to watch it in the first place--that he completely understood. But he was surprised how ready they were to accept it into their homes.

Maybe he was overthinking things.

Either way, he was watching it here and that suited him just fine.

He had been watching Sharlin for most of the morning, as she trekked around the starting island with her allies. He didn't recognize the two boys at all, even though one of them had claimed to have some familial connection. That said, Lee wasn't very familiar with the Carra line.

When she'd gotten the boat, he hadn't been surprised. A cynical, death-ready tribute like her was perfect for a game-maker to manipulate into what they like. His heart had sank when the camera's panned over the gun, and for a moment he worried he was about to watch a blood bath.

But then it was announced she couldn't kill anyone with it--at least not offensively--and he let out a sigh of relief.

Watching the games was strange for him, but not as strange as he had expected. The events and setting were so different from his own experiences that there was a level of detachment to it.

He was worried about Sharlin, he really was. In a deep heart achy way that told him he hadn't done enough for her before hand. He'd had the luck to see her right before she was taken. She had had the luck to be the 6th McDonald taken by the games. Luck was a fickle thing, he'd decided, and he didn't like to think on it too much.

[Through the Living Hope]

3 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

Lee was still sitting on the coach of [whoever's house he ended up at I can't remember I'm so sorry] house. A few of the others had left, but he'd stayed to watch the games.

Sure, he could have watched them on the tv in his own home, but something felt wrong about that. Like, bringing the games into his new safe place where everything he loved was would taint it somehow. It hadn't surprised him that his friends wanted to watch it in the first place--that he completely understood. But he was surprised how ready they were to accept it into their homes.

Maybe he was overthinking things.

Either way, he was watching it here and that suited him just fine.

He had been watching Sharlin for most of the morning, as she trekked around the starting island with her allies. He didn't recognize the two boys at all, even though one of them had claimed to have some familial connection. That said, Lee wasn't very familiar with the Carra line.

When she'd gotten the boat, he hadn't been surprised. A cynical, death-ready tribute like her was perfect for a game-maker to manipulate into what they like. His heart had sank when the camera's panned over the gun, and for a moment he worried he was about to watch a blood bath.

But then it was announced she couldn't kill anyone with it--at least not offensively--and he let out a sigh of relief.

Watching the games was strange for him, but not as strange as he had expected. The events and setting were so different from his own experiences that there was a level of detachment to it.

He was worried about Sharlin, he really was. In a deep heart achy way that told him he hadn't done enough for her before hand. He'd had the luck to see her right before she was taken. She had had the luck to be the 6th McDonald taken by the games. Luck was a fickle thing, he'd decided, and he didn't like to think on it too much.

Meron bounced his little sister on his lap, glad there hadn't been much violence yet. Lee seemed to be worried. "You alright?"

[Mags she/they]

13 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

Meron bounced his little sister on his lap, glad there hadn't been much violence yet. Lee seemed to be worried. "You alright?"

"I'm fine, it's just that an old friend of mine is in there . . . I should've done more to help her." He explained.

[Through the Living Hope]

Just now, J. Magi said:

"I'm fine, it's just that an old friend of mine is in there . . . I should've done more to help her." He explained.

He put a hand on Lee's back and rubbed. "I'm sorry."

[Mags she/they]

1 minute ago, Spark of Hope said:

He put a hand on Lee's back and rubbed. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine . . . We're just--I don't know--a mess I guess." He looked down at his hands, calloused from years of training combat to prepare him for his games.

"I hoped that by changing myself and running away all this stupid McDonald stuff could end. We could fade away and the games would have nothing to do with it. I should have guessed that she would be taken instead of me or mine."

[Through the Living Hope]

Just now, J. Magi said:

"It's fine . . . We're just--I don't know--a mess I guess." He looked down at his hands, calloused from years of training combat to prepare him for his games.

"I hoped that by changing myself and running away all this stupid McDonald stuff could end. We could fade away and the games would have nothing to do with it. I should have guessed that she would be taken instead of me or mine."

"Remind me how it started again?"

[Mags she/they]

1 minute ago, Spark of Hope said:

"Remind me how it started again?"

"Well most of it is ancient history at this point, so I don't know the details," Lee prefaced. "But basically, my ancestor Sharp McDonald was reaped at 18, leaving his wife of two months behind. His wife had been pregnant, and she gave birth to his son several months after he died. When his son had grown up, he was then reaped, in some freak accident."

"At the time, I believe, reaping the children of tributes was not uncommon because it added drama to the games," He explained, "But reaping the children of dead tributes is unusual because there's little reason for the GM's to do it. At best the audience won't remember the dead parent and get bored, at worst the child tribute will angrily try to stir up a rebellion."

He scratched his stubbly chin, trying to remember the details. "Sharp I's son died really quickly in his actual games, the arena was especially treacherous that time--I think he drowned in a storm or something. But before that he declared he and his line were on a quest of vengeance against the games and the game-makers on camera during his interviews. Exactly the kind of thing they didn't want. Part of me wonders if his early death was really an accident."

"Whether something more is going on is up to speculation, but the fact remains that every single games since Sharp I has had a member of the Mcdonald family reaped for it. Every single one. My father thought it was this terrible curse but I don't know . . . I don't really like thinking about it."

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

12 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

"Well most of it is ancient history at this point, so I don't know the details," Lee prefaced. "But basically, my ancestor Sharp McDonald was reaped at 18, leaving his wife of two months behind. His wife had been pregnant, and she gave birth to his son several months after he died. When his son had grown up, he was then reaped, in some freak accident."

"At the time, I believe, reaping the children of tributes was not uncommon because it added drama to the games," He explained, "But reaping the children of dead tributes is unusual because there's little reason for the GM's to do it. At best the audience won't remember the dead parent and get bored, at worst the child tribute will angrily try to stir up a rebellion."

He scratched his stubbly chin, trying to remember the details. "Sharp I's son died really quickly in his actual games, the arena was especially treacherous that time--I think he drowned in a storm or something. But before that he declared he and his line were on a quest of vengeance against the games and the game-makers on camera during his interviews. Exactly the kind of thing they didn't want. Part of me wonders if his early death was really an accident."

"Whether something more is going on is up to speculation, but the fact remains that every single games since Sharp I has had a member of the Mcdonald family reaped for it. Every single one. My father thought it was this terrible curse but I don't know . . . I don't really like thinking about it."

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then there's Kandy and Sharp'i lol. 

 

[Mags she/they]

17 minutes ago, TheRavenHasLanded said:

 

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I miss themmmmm 

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

4 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

 

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sameeeee

 

[Through the Living Hope]

43 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

"Well most of it is ancient history at this point, so I don't know the details," Lee prefaced. "But basically, my ancestor Sharp McDonald was reaped at 18, leaving his wife of two months behind. His wife had been pregnant, and she gave birth to his son several months after he died. When his son had grown up, he was then reaped, in some freak accident."

"At the time, I believe, reaping the children of tributes was not uncommon because it added drama to the games," He explained, "But reaping the children of dead tributes is unusual because there's little reason for the GM's to do it. At best the audience won't remember the dead parent and get bored, at worst the child tribute will angrily try to stir up a rebellion."

He scratched his stubbly chin, trying to remember the details. "Sharp I's son died really quickly in his actual games, the arena was especially treacherous that time--I think he drowned in a storm or something. But before that he declared he and his line were on a quest of vengeance against the games and the game-makers on camera during his interviews. Exactly the kind of thing they didn't want. Part of me wonders if his early death was really an accident."

"Whether something more is going on is up to speculation, but the fact remains that every single games since Sharp I has had a member of the Mcdonald family reaped for it. Every single one. My father thought it was this terrible curse but I don't know . . . I don't really like thinking about it."

“Man, that’s crazy…”

[Mags she/they]

1 minute ago, Spark of Hope said:

“Man, that’s crazy…”

"Yeah, now you know we're all so weird!" Lee said, trying to lighten the mood.

[Through the Living Hope]

Just now, J. Magi said:

"Yeah, now you know we're all so weird!" Lee said, trying to lighten the mood.

“Well…” He didn’t know what to say now.

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

7 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

“Well…” He didn’t know what to say now.

Sweets somehow manages to slip while walking into this room. "Yeah, and I'm related to this idiot for some reason."

[Through the Living Hope]

Just now, TheRavenHasLanded said:

Sweets somehow manages to slip while walking into this room. "Yeah, and I'm related to this idiot for some reason."

“Oh, cool.”

[Mags she/they]

1 minute ago, TheRavenHasLanded said:

Sweets somehow manages to slip while walking into this room. "Yeah, and I'm related to this idiot for some reason."

"That's right, through Sharp'i's wife right? I'll admit that I don't know much about those two. My father didn't teach me about them because Sharp'i wasn't a direct descendant of Sharp."

Just now, Spark of Hope said:

“Oh, cool.”

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

1 minute ago, J. Magi said:

"That's right, through Sharp'i's wife right? I'll admit that I don't know much about those two. My father didn't teach me about them because Sharp'i wasn't a direct descendant of Sharp."

"Yeah, their marriage story is wonderfully hilarious."