September TDM

[hugtopiamods]

September (Ohnir) Test Drive Meme
Premise ♥ Locations and Setting ♥ Rules ♥ FAQ ♥ Mod Contact

Ohnir has arrived, and with it, the first month of Ohma's reign! Blue and gold highlight the scenery and buildings of town, contrasting prettily with the changing shades of autumn. Might be a little chilly, and the days are getting darker much faster than usual... actually, maybe it's just dark all the time now. (Wait, what?)

If you are curious about the situation of the city at large, have a look at our current World Status Page!

---

❥ PROMPT I: Why the Long Phase

The arrival of the flowers along the green belt surrounding the city carries with it a curious side effect, for those who happen to spend enough time there. They also occasionally have two curious side effects: visitors might, for one, feel compelled to make a wish, what with them looking so reminiscent of shooting stars, and two, find themselves decorated with markings of some sort that are just as bioluminescent as the flowers themselves. The glow is subtle, and the marks themselves are generally symbolic/representative of the recipient in some way (though feel free to get creative with it). These markings are harmless, and the glow becomes a little stronger when in close proximity or contact with another person- doubly so, if they both possess markings. Those who don't sleep alone might struggle a little snuggling up with a night-light, but overall, it's a very muted affair. The flowers themselves are also very pretty, if you're into that sort of thing.

All seems well until the intermittent rolling blackouts begin. All electronics and appliances still function, but nothing that ordinarily would generate light seems to be working… up to and including the sky itself, which seems to be taking a brief vacation during the blackouts and plunging the city into darkness whether night or day. Lights, candles, even offworlder powers only produce a faint glow that might or might not ensure you don't trip in the dark.

The only solution until the predicament passes is--you guessed it--physical contact. While there seems to be very little rhyme or reason to the blackouts themselves, the more physical touch the offworlders engage in, the shorter the periods of darkness will become. During the outages, any source of light glows a little brighter when being used by pairs or even groups in contact with one another, from magic to candles and everything in between. Additionally, anything crafted to cast light will function as it should if made with help from another or while making contact with others. Those bioluminescent markings are going to come in handy, it turns out.

❥ PROMPT II: Big Wick Energy

As a result of the occasional blackouts, at each temple the city's natives have organized the supplies and materials to make candles, hoping that with the offworlders' help some light can return to Havenwell. Everything to make personalized candles in all manner of colors is available; pair off or into groups to work together, with the end result glowing brighter the more contact and cooperation goes into making them! Helping out will even earn a small dora bonus for all involved, especially if they make exceptionally bright candles together.

But that's not all! Candles made with just the right amount of care might do more than simply glow...

♥ Particularly short candles predictably don't last very long, but when they go out they explode in a sudden burst of multicolored confetti. Water soluble, of course, otherwise the city would have a whole other problem on its hands.

♥ Thinner candles tend to have a very comfortable scent to them that makes one just want to curl up in a comfortable spot and take a nap. If one were to give in to this urge, they'll find their dreams to be peaceful and wake up feeling fully rested.

♥ If the end result is a candle on the thicker side, the character that lights it will find themselves glowing as well even without the bioluminescent floral markings. This glow can be full-bodied or cover entire limbs at a time, becoming a walking nightlight for the hour or so the candle takes to burn down.

♥ Making a candle of average size will produce a scent the offworlder that lights it may not have encountered in a good amount of time; something nostalgic from their homes such as food they can't replicate quite right, or a flower that doesn't grow anywhere in Havenwell.

---

Have fun however you like with the setting! Make a network-style toplevel, make up other prompts based on the general setting or the World Status, go wild. Havenwell is your oyster.

This TDM is primarily for the next few months' of applications, and can be used freely until the next TDM is posted. If you have any questions, feel free to direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread below. Applications and reserves are currently open at all times!

♥ Taken Characters ♥ Reservations ♥ Applications ♥

Comments

QUESTIONS

[hugtopiamods]

The Knight | Hollow Knight

[voidbug]

[A: Darkness]

[The outages weren't bad at all, in fact it was kind of preferred. They weren't used to daylight being a natural thing and... well... they didn't particularly have a good relationship with the sun anyway.]

[Thus they were able to take to the streets fairly well. Sure they needed some light to see where they were going but it wasn't quite as much as the average human, or whatever else lived in this world. But that meant they should be careful about where they went too. Most things in this world towered over them and while they were too big to actually be stepped on, they could easily trip a wandering passerby. And it won't be too great having someone fall on them either.]


[B: Candles]

[The twinkling lights were curious indeed! They approached closer to check them out and found out it was just candles, a whole lot of them on display in various sizes. Something about it did remind them of 'home', in a way.]

[They looked around some more to see who made them or left them here, not even realizing that the smaller candle wicks seemed to be burning rather fast. Till one by one each candle made a soft cackle and then exploded. The noise startled the poor bug was and they dashed off to hide in the shadows...briefly as a shadowy form themselves. Hiding and waiting to see if it was safe to come out.]


[C: Wildcard!]

[Hit me with whatever! PM or Grifstar works too.]

a.

[pinkmin]

[Vianca was no stranger to tripping people up or having to dodge being fallen on. That was just part of the very small life, especially in the dark. It was a little easier to fly then, avoiding some of these dangers altogether. It was also a little easier to have a little light with you.

The glow flowers had rubbed off a little on her, inscribing the petals of the flower on her head with words and light. Now she was the fairy light around here.

The soft glow from her stem made it a little easier to see another small creature wandering the streets. Curious, Vianca swooped down to fly beside them. Hello there. Did you need a light?]

Candles

[aunitedeorzea]

[With the blackouts, the candles helped a little bit. Well, it was another thing that he could help out with. Maybe it might help soothe relations between the natives and the offworlders a little bit. He was a little distracted at the moment, but when the candles exploded and someone dashed off to hide, he turned his attention to the person.]

Are you okay? You have nothing to fear.

Farrah | We Are The Tigers | CRAU

[brokeforgood]

Why the Long Phase

[The flowers tricked her. Normally, Farrah tries not to get caught up with stuff like this. It’s too sappy, the side effects too much of a pain to deal with. But, they’d lulled her into pausing to make a wish, which in turn, led to the glowing. Angry faintly glowing lines criss-cross her torso and arms, and when she catches someone looking, she scowls and sticks out her tongue.]

What? You gonna fix this by paying the entire city’s electric bill?

[She says it in a way that implies the question might be serious, then scoffs, and starts to scratch at some of the glowing lines on her, as if that’s going to get her anywhere at all.]

Big Wick Energy

[Farrah’s cheerfully making candles today! But not because she’s being super helpful. In fact, it doesn’t look like she’s succeeded in handing in a single candle, because she’s figured out—-]

Hey! Hey, watch this! [She hisses at the nearest person, gesturing them over to see what she’s doing. She’s got a candle made, but it seems a little on the short end. Not exactly ultra useful right now. And then, before anyone can stop her speedy little hands, she lights a match, as quick as a kid who needs to go to juvie. And she lights the candle.]

Wait for it, Wait for——- [BOOM. It Explode. …She’s been doing this over and over again for like twenty minutes.]

Why the long phase

[connectsthedots]

[Dot had been a bit on edge ever since this whole glowing situation started. She had attempted to hide her own markings, covering up with long sleeves and gloves. The only trace now was the faint hint of an orange glow behind the bandage on her cheek, unfortunately all the more noticeable in the intermittent darkness.

She hadn’t really been meaning to stare at Farrah - she'd simply gotten caught up in her own thoughts. She blinks, processing the rude gesture and the question that followed it.]

Electric bill? [She repeats the words like they’re foreign]

my Shock at seeing Farrah

[awooligan]

[Cliff is much less thrilled about the whole candle-making business, but it was definitely better than nothing. He has his own glowing tattoo on the back of his hand, though it's only very faintly apparent beneath the strip of cloth he's wrapped around it like a bandage to hide it. Sort of stops that whole helpful thing about it -- so. Candles.

A pretty girl his age -- with braids to boot, ugh, he misses his perfect girlfriend -- coming over to him is shocking enough, especially with the kind of pep she's got going on, but when she's going around setting fires (technically) and making things explode? Oh, hell yeah. Maybe this girl only looked like one of the popular kids, but was really some weirdo punk like him and his friends. That'd be neat!

Well, okay, she's neat either way.]

Holy shit. How are you making it do that?

Juniper Woods | Ace Attorney

[sunshineandpinecones]

[1 - Why the Long Phase]

[Juniper, for one, is always happy to see flowers blooming anywhere, and as such doesn't question the idea of making wishes to them - they do look like shooting stars, after all!

What does she wish for? Well, you know, safety for her friends, guidance for the way home, and for everyone to live peaceful lives. The normal stuff, right?

The blackouts, however, were very unexpected, and though she's not all that afraid of the dark, normally even in the dark of night there's the glow of the moon! So she's kind of awkwardly stumbling around, trying to get from place to place, and hoping not to bump into people in the process.

Of course, in the dark, it's quite inevitable that that will happen, right?]


[2 - Big Wick Energy]

[Making things? Oh yeah, she's definitely into this idea. She's not the best at making candles, but she's at least halfway decent!

Whether alone or with other people, her candles tend to come out with lots of colors relating to the forest: greens, browns, yellows, oranges... and when she happens to light an average-sized candle that she made, she realizes that it's letting off a scent familiar to her, but she hasn't smelled it since she arrived here...

It was the smell of the forest back home. And if she happened to be talking to someone as she did this, she would fall silent, getting lost in the scent of home. Her home.

Might want to make sure she's okay.]


[3 - Wildcard]

[Want to do anything else? Feel free! You can also hit me up at plurk: weaponget!

Also, feel free to respond to any part of the first two prompts! Mix and match things as needed!].

Why the long phase

[aunitedeorzea]

[Alphinaud had been here for long enough to know that things eventually go weird here. Even so, the darkness did make it hard to get around, so he couldn't particularly blame the girl for bumping into him. Putting his hands gently on her shoulders to try to steady her and keep her from falling, she glanced at her after the initial surprise.]

Are you alright? That was quite a tumble. I know it's a little hard to see right now.

[He doesn't particularly mind. It was inevitable after all.]

mylene jenius / macross 7 / diacht

[gubaba]

( permissions/opt-out here )

i.
( all thing's considered, she should be lucky that she wound up on an inhabited planet, but that doesn't mean it still doesn't suck. the locals weren't much help in telling her where aellyn is located and if they're part of the united government. worse, there's no way to contact mom or dad. no way to contact the macross 7.

and far as she knows, it's just her, gubaba, and her bass. she doesn't even have her valkyrie.

she finds herself in the gardens, staring wistfully at the glowing flowers. she crouches down and picks up a flower. )

Hey, do you think I could still talk about that thing with him? I feel bad about how I said it. I didn't really mean it in that way but...

( gubaba, hidden in her hair, nuzzles her neck in comfort. the little fur creature knows the regret his friend is feeling, the telepathic link is stronger than ever. but in this weird land, he wasn't ready to come out. mylene on the other hand is distracted that she doesn't seem to notice the person next to her, thinking it's just her and gubaba. )

I just wish I had one more chance to talk to him before ending up here.

ii.
( like it or not, she's going to have to make the best of it until she could bust herself out of here. so she finds herself in one afternoon heading to the shopping district to get the necessary equipment for her bass to work-- until every light source seems to stop working. despite this, mylene is determined to get to the nearest music shop anyways because she has to do something in this city.

no darkness is going to stop her!

not even the first time she bumps someone.

nor the second.

or third.

by the fourth time, she lets out a yell of frustration. this isn't going to work, and she isn't really the type to randomly hug people. but the situation of being trapped and powerless with other people does feel familiar to her.

and so, she starts to sing. the heart marks on the back of her hand glow a faint pink. at least the sound of her voice might help people from bumping into her.

or not, as the song stops midway as she bumps into another person.)

Ugh! What gives!

iii.
( when was the last time she even made crafts projects like this? she feels like a little kid again. there's an annoying voice at the back of her head reminding her that she's still a kid but well, jokes on basara, she's a whole a 15 years old now.

the little reminder in her head is enough to fire her up that she looks at her partner's candle and sees the off shape. )

It's too short, we need to add more to it.

( without waiting for an answer, she grabs the materials and starts to add more towards the candle. )

iv.
( she's still adjusting to the incredibly unpredictable weather in havenwell but she is grateful that a public bath exists, especially a pool! might as well take a swim seeing as she has nowhere to go and no gigs to do for the time being. a quick dip wouldn't hurt, and gubaba would likely appreciate cooling off as well.

mylene swims gracefully, taking swimming as naturally as she does to piloting. she hadn't had the time to swim in a long while, happiness starts to bubble up in her. before she knows it, gubaba starts jumping in joy and she stops her strokes to laugh with him. she's overtaken by happiness that the moment someone passes by the pool, she lifts her arm and splashes onto that person.

wait wait wait. )

Ah-- sorry, I don't know what came over me.

v.
( wildcard! feel free to bring your own starters or hit me up via pm. )

You KNOW I gotta do 2

[nyakama]

Hummy was out and about when the latest blackout occurred. Being a cat, she didn’t necessarily have trouble seeing in the dark, but it was still sort of eerie to not even have the glow of street lamps or windows. She had mostly gotten used to it. The singing, though? That was new. It immediately catches her attention and puts her slightly at ease.

Eager to find the source, she turns and begins to run in the direction the sound came from. She finds it faster than she expected. Whoops! All things considered, their collision wasn’t so much a "bump into" as it was a "trip over." The impact sends Hummy’s little body rolling a little ways ahead of Mylene’s path.

"Nyawawaa!" In the darkness, it was hard to tell, but doesn’t that voice seem like it came from surprisingly low to the ground?

iii

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[Arts and crafts time it is! Shinji wants to keep helping out with candle making, even if he's not doing it with anyone in particular, so it's no surprise that he ends up getting shuffled with someone else who showed up solo. Go on, make friends, make candles.

Make... trouble.]

A-ah? [He thought ? it was just fine? But he also knows better than to argue with someone who seems so insistent on doing things a particular way.] Yeah, I guess, it could be a bit bigger...

Faust Lavinia | Mahoutsukai no Yakusoku

[relictus]

[visual reference for Faust's Fashion Sense™]

Why the Long Phase

[Faust has barely arrived and there's already annoyances to deal with. Is this normal here? The sky going dark is one thing, and he's only just learning what electricity even is- but even his magic can't penetrate the darkness? That puts him on edge, but he has yet to sense any real danger...]

[A mostly transparent orb of magical light roughly the size of a cantaloupe floats along beside him- though it's more faint glow than light, doing more to draw attention to itself (and by extension, him) than actually provide much useful light. Which is a shame, because while he should really ask someone if these blackouts are normal, he would much prefer to not be perceived as he tries to navigate the unfamiliar streets without tripping over anything.]

Big Wick Energy

[Faust makes no immediate attempt to pair up with anyone. He goes for the old-fashioned hand dipped method which results in a longer candle, and he's very singularly focused on the task- or is he? He's not actually holding the wicks, they're just magically floating between dipping and cooling as he closely watches over the process with his arms loosely crossed.]

[Cheating(?) with magic aside, he seems to know what he's doing. Bother him?]

Wildcard

[Bring your own prompt or hit me up @ orcashark!]

Big Wick Energy

[unpocoloco]

He'd certainly wanted to go solo the way this man is, but up until that moment, he hadn't actually thought they could get away with it. He feels a little foolish for the fact it hadn't occurred to him, but more than that, he feels amused, watching the candles form while the guy seemingly does nothing. He grins wry and his own arms fold.

"Not even a little worried you'll incur the wrath of the gods for finding loopholes in their contact rituals?" He asks.

Hat Kid | A Hat in Time

[hattersgonnahat]

Prompt I
[Well this sucks. Of course of all planets to get stranded on again, this one had to be facing some kind of blackout. And she hadn't brought any light source of her own either!]

[Unless there was something she could do about that. One minute the kid was on the ground, the next she was getting up on top of a streetlamp with relative ease. Maybe...Maybe if she could figure out how it worked, she could fix it? Find out why it's broken?? ...No, it likely wouldn't be that easy. Time for plan B.]

Hey!

[She just barely spots somebody down below, and without much warning jumps off the lamp. Definitely a fall that someone her size shouldn't take, and yet, totally unbothered by it.]

...Why is it so dark? How are you supposed to see anything?!


Wildcard
[The usual. Feel free to tag with whatever or PM, Grifstar, and Grif#1704 to plot something.]

[aunitedeorzea]

[It was hard enough to see with the blackouts, but a kid jumping down from a pretty tall street lamp was startling. Wait, how did she get up there anyway? She seemed to be okay.]

We have been experiencing blackouts recently. The others have been making candles to help bring a little light.

[awooligan]

[AAAA HOLY SHIT, CHILD, NO]

Hey --

[Except she's fine? Huh?? He had this heart attack for nothing??? Now he has to be suspicious about this random child who could very well be a monster trying to fool him????

...Wait, except she looks familiar, doesn't she? Which version of his life was she from... Probably the Cocoverse, all things considered.]

If you can't see anything, don't go jumping around out of nowhere! Jeez. You freaked me out, kid.

Victoria Blackwood | Original Character

[kenopsia]

Victoria's entrance into this world was... tense, to say the least. There were certainly a harrowing number of minutes after waking on that unfamiliar stone table, observing and listening to the robot attending her, and judging whether attacking it directly would be beneficial to her or not. It should be glad to have survived the encounter. What helped a great deal was that it was decidedly not fae in any sort of appearance. It wasn't even alive, so to speak... but the same couldn't be said about herself.

Perhaps that was the real source of her restraint: Being present in a living, breathing, alarmingly fragile body. For the first time in 182 years. She clutches the tablet she was given with both hands, made painfully aware that it won't simply pass through them no matter how hard she tries. Being incorporeal is no longer something she can experience. She has to walk forward, step by step, as she ventures out into this bizarre and unfamiliar world. Has to stare at those white buildings and golden roofs that she can no longer float up and sit upon. Has to wonder why in the world a person as cold and jaded as her was chosen for a place like this.

Prompt Ia: Wishful Thinking

A young woman of small stature sits in the green belt surrounding the city, staring intently at the iridescent flowers with a drawing pad open in her lap. A troubled expression knots her brows together, even as her green eyes stay fixed on the source of that trouble. It's not that she's immune to the feeling they provoke, but rather that she's actively resisting it. Her jaw is set to keep her from sighing wistfully or muttering anything silly to herself--though it might also be mistaken for concentration on her drawing.

Prompt Ib: Like a Moth to a Flame

Being alive again after so long, it can be difficult to remember that living bodies need to eat. Regularly and frequently. Which is just about the only thing that keeps Victoria from sitting in that patch of grass all day. Drawing flowers is the only relaxation she's been able to find in this city, but she still has to eat, whether she wants to or not. The problem is... There doesn't seem to be very many places to eat in this city? Imagine coming back to life, just to starve to death again, she thinks to herself. Absolutely ridiculous. But she does manage to find a place that she thinks might serve food... just in time for the city to be plunged into darkness.

Victoria startles, grabbing onto the nearest sturdy object, like she expects the ground to drop out from under her. Very carefully, she makes her way to the wall of a building, pressing her back up against it and scanning the darkness. As a ghost, she would have been able to see without trouble; but as a normal human, she has to rely on what little light there is in her vicinity. Which happens to be... her.

It's only now that she notices the strange markings on her skin: green flames trailing down her arms and legs, up her neck and wreathing her face. They glow faintly, reminiscent of flicking candlelight. For several long seconds, she watches them in awe, before the glow intensifies and she hears the sound of someone or something moving. Immediately, her guard is up--a knife drawn in her hand, and she throws a demand out into the darkness:

"Who's there?"

Prompt II: Playing with Fire

One would think that a society that was capable of transferring souls into machinery wouldn't have to rely on candle-making to light their homes... but that is apparently the present state of things. Victoria lurks in the darkness some distance from the candle-making endeavors, observing the way that others group together and work with the materials. If not for the green flame-like marks that glow on her skin, she might have done so without notice. But any attention she does garner, she'll stare down with an intensity that would make most people look away quickly.

After several minutes of watching, Victoria grudgingly heads over to the gathered supplies and picks herself out some wicks and wax of her own. Those are taken to a remote space, where she hopes she'll be out of the way from any nosy passersby. Because if anyone happens to glance her way, it might become immediately apparent that she has no idea what she's doing with these. It's not that she's not accustomed to candles, but there's a huge difference between purchasing them and making them--and there are very few things in life or in death that Victoria has ever made herself.

The most logical course of action would be to ask for help, especially when keeping the goal of this world in mind, but her pride simply won't endure that embarrassment. Instead, she'll stubbornly muddle through with this on her own (and with very limited success) unless someone decides to wander over and help her.

(OOC notes: I'll do prose or brackets, whichever you like. Also, please forgive my lack of icons, I don't have the journal fully set up yet!)

Ib

[awooligan]

[why this again]

Can't I go for a damn walk without getting a knife pulled on me? I feel like that shouldn't be a lot to ask! Jeez.

[This time, it's more annoying than anything... He supposes this woman could also be here fresh out of Hell or suffered through similar traumas, but it's...hard to take her seriously... She's just so small, sorry knife lady. Still, his hands are up to show that they're empty of weapons and the like. Cliff's eyes reflect the glow stubbornly back at her despite his act of submission.]

IB

[unpocoloco]

The most irritating thing about the pitch darkness is that there's no telling when it's going to drop. One second there's daylight, the next, a pressing void. He's not nearly so startled by now, but his first instinct is still to make his way toward the light, which just so happens to be her.

He realizes that green light belongs to a person the very instant she draws a knife, the blade glinting with her own glow. His hand goes to his hip, finding his own blade there.

"Depends who's asking," He says. "I'm just trying to make my way here."

Lancer | Fate//Unlimited Blade Works

[redeyedbluehound]

Why the Long Phase

[Lancer was prone to finding himself in higher places. Being, well, a Lancer was one reason, but he also liked the thrill of being up high. It's not like the fall would kill him anyway. As he enjoyed the view, he watched the power flicker on and off across the city.

He pulled out the tablet he'd been given, finding a way to use it to send out a quick message.]

Is the power here normally this way? Last city I was in didn't have this many problems.

[After sending that, he hops down to the street, shouldering Gae Bolg. Might as well go for a walk to stop (or create) some trouble.]

Big...Wick...Energy

[So, the power outages weren't normal. If this candle making fest was anything to go by. It seems the natives were trying to get candles out to the people from other worlds. He shrugged. Lack of light didn't bother him too much, but it might bother someone else.

He nudges someone close by with an elbow.]

Hey, ya need a candle?

[ooc: Feel free to hit me up with a wildcard, or if you want something different, hit me up on plurk at penguinknitter]

i'm so sorry.

[trentequatre]

No.

[The response was flat, his fellow Servant radiating a sense of darkness in his own right.]

Why would either of us benefit from such a faint source of light? Surely you are possessed of the same senses as myself, are you not?

[...yeah he's just. gonna assume this is the cu chulainn from chaldea, because why on earth would he not?]

Wei Wuxian - The Untamed - OTA

[tragicallypoor]

1: (A Chaos Gremlin Arrives) -

Idly twirling a black flute in one hand, a young(ish) man dressed in black robes strode lazily down a street. His gaze wandered here and there, curious to the strange sights around him.

There was a smile on his lips that hadn't quite reached his eyes yet as he wasn't sure just where he was or how he got there. But he was interested to find out.


2: (Light Up Your Life) -

He'd arrived and left from one temple-like structure only to find himself before a second. This one also had strange metal creatures bustling about. He'd dodged the first lot as best he could but these ones...

"Are these candles?"

More of his curiosity was piqued as he approached to see just what it was these strange beings were making. He could honestly say that making candles was not something he had ever done before. But since this was probably a very strange, alcohol fuelled dream, why not have a try?


3: (Midnight Flower Viewing) -

The 'sun' had long since faded behind the horizon giving way to night. And with the darkness came an interesting spectacle. Glowing flowers.

Wei Wuxian had just been relaxing at first, watching the pretend sky change it's colours and had planned to find shelter once the dark appeared, but when he noticed the flowers around him had begun to emit light? Well, he was going nowhere, wasn't he? Wuxian was fascinated both by the array of colours and the level of light.

What's more is he seemed to have gained a little glow himself. He hadn't realised until he moved a hand and caught sight of a strange set of markings around his wrist.

"Did you do this, little flowers? What strange magic do you hold?" He asked them in a curious and amused tone. Would they answer? Somehow he wouldn't be surprised if they did.


4: (Wildcard - Up for anything! Poke me here or at JustAnotherUsername)

2 two to too tue tutu twue

[iustaegis]

"They sure are!"

It's a young woman with cropped hair who answers, her form scarcely illuminated by the candles. It seems the temple is in need of more light.

"Are you interested in making them?"

Adam Parrish | The Raven Cycle | OTA

[forleaving]

[ooc: I'll also match prose if you prefer!]

001. Darkness Comes

[There were a lot of things Adam could wish for if he believed even one of them would come true. He'd wish to have success in life. He'd wish for all of the problems plaguing him to be resolved as peacefully as possible. Maybe most importantly, he'd wish for Ronan not to hate him. Of course, he didn't know if he did hate him, but he knew how he'd feel if their positions were reversed.

He let himself entertain these thoughts, hoping for the best outcomes, while he pondered the flowers. And while he pondered them, symbols appeared on his skin, glowing faintly. He didn't notice them at first, not until everything went dark. Blinking a few times, he looked up from the flowers, frowning as he realized everything was dark. It had been evening, but even the sky didn't give any light. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone, turning the screen on. Even that didn't give off as much light as he thought it should.]

Are the lights out everywhere?

[He asked whoever happened to be close by. As he did, he finally noticed the glowing symbols on his arms, freezing for a moment before touching one of them. It didn't come off when he rubbed his fingers over it, and he wasn't sure if that was better or worse. Was it permanent? How long was he going to glow? And more importantly, why was it the ley line symbol?]

002. Darkness Persists | un: magician

Hello. Has this ever happened before? The sky, I mean. Power outages are normal but I've never seen a sky do what this one's doing. It's a little concerning.

[And by 'a little' he meant 'a lot'.]

003. Big Wick Energy

[Adam had never made a candle before in his life but he was a quick learner and eager to help. He was still covered in glowing symbols, though by now he was starting to get used to them, and was for the most part ignoring them. He wouldn't allow himself to become distracted while he was working on candles.

He didn't exactly understand why they had to work in pairs or groups, but he only made a little fuss over it. Instead of making waves, he just more or less took over making the candle, having picked orange for the color. It came out shorter than he would have liked (and was thus a ticking time bomb waiting to burst into confetti, though he didn't know that), but it was his first attempt.]

I guess it's not too bad.

[It could always be worse, he was sure.]

Zidane Tribal | Final Fantasy IX

[thiefmaster]

1. Why The Long Phase

[ Zidane is taking it slow throughout the city, only stopping to offer his help if someone stumbles around. ]

Jeez, is it supposed to be this dark?

[ He'll comment at you if your character picks to stay and chat with him. Or he'll continue on his way, using the faint lights around as his guide. ]

2. Big Wick Energy

[ He's no stranger to candles, so when he lights up a small one, he breathes out a small sigh of relief. It doesn't last long when it explodes in his face, causing the confetti to get all over him.

Later, he finds a thinner candle and he's overcome to fall asleep. What? He doesn't give in to that urge for a while, stumbling a few steps here and there until he does. People will find him dozing off somewhere in the city, in a light sleep. ]

2

[dontcallmebro]

[Cloud has lit his own candle which has a strange scent. One a little like some of the flowers in Aerith’s garden. While going around the city checking everyone is all right, he almost trips when his foot comes into contact with Zidane’s leg.]

Um-

[Wait is that kid asleep in the middle of the street? The hell?]

Hey! Kid! What the hell are you doing?

Louis Amamiya | Code Vein

[vamptired]

[A native runs him through the supplies and materials for candlemaking. It's gotten dark enough that a mere newcomer like himself should contribute in what way he can. As Louis moves to get started, however, his eyebrow lifts in surprise when the same native turns to the nearest offworlder and suggests that the two of them make a candle together before exiting the scene.

Gobsmacked by the invitation on his behalf, he slowly turns to the offworlder in question.]

Is that all right?

[menaretrash]

[ Ann's a little awkward around brand new people, and this is no exception to that rule. When the native gestures at the duo, she smiles nervously at poor Louis and waves a hand in what is meant to be a friendly gesture. This is probably fine. ]

Hey there! Aha... uh.

[ Staring blankly, she glances at the materials, and then back up at the young man's face. ]

I'm gonna be real with you right now: I have no clue what I'm doing here either. My artistic creativity is about the level of a kindergartners. But it can't be that hard, right?