The Shimmer Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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theshimmer2020-07-18 12:17 am
shimmermods) wrote in theshimmer2020-07-18 12:17 am
Welcome.
WELCOME
The Shimmer is beautiful.
There are a lot of things that may or may not have been expected upon your arrival here – the walls of concrete and steel, the others that were brought here with you, the others that weren't brought here with you but have been a constant source of information and instruction and blatant, brazen surveillance – but the fact remains that this world does not seem, inherently, to be an unkind one. Foreign in some ways, perhaps familiar in others; either way, it's a world teeming with life, and with people, and perhaps most jarringly it's a world with beauty, and nothing you've seen otherwise is quite as repulsively and grotesquely beautiful as the Shimmer.
It defies desription, really; the boundaries of it are barely visible during the day, just a thin iridescent sheen encompassing the trees and thick-growing vegetation of the mountains, sweeping ever-closer and closer still to the boundaries of the compound you've been living in but are greatly unlikely to have come to call home. It cascades heavily down the face of the mountain, nestling into the tops of trees before it swallows them whole, arcing up into the sky so far that it hurts your eyes to try to find the crest. It seems almost ravenous in its grace; whatever it touches, it seems to consume.
At night, it's a different matter; it glows and dances in defiance of the bright lights of the compound, glistening bright like the Northern lights - a bit too low to the ground, a bit too far south, a bit too warm this time of year, but the effect is breathtaking. All the colors of the borealis seem to blink lazily at you as they twist in and out of view, sparkling scattershot among the remnants of a town about two miles off that has long since gone dark with abandonment and disuse.
Your mission begins tomorrow.
Your mission begins tomorrow and maybe you're ready for it, maybe you aren't; maybe you're trying not to think about it too much. But the fact of the matter is that there's a rooftop observation deck, open-air and about five stories off the ground, and it's granting you an optimal view of the surroundings and the Shimmer and that darkened town not too far off, and there are no other buildings around for miles. The air is balmy and humid, a little too warm to be pleasant but lacking the roiling heat of the day, a light breeze rendering the entire thing an acceptable respite from the training grounds within the building itself. The only sound this high up and this close to the Shimmer are those made by the people who are here with you – some you know, some you don't. Some are more recent arrivals than others; some have been here for just as long as you. You've all had information taken down about you, the results of which have been provided to you on a small device you found in your room, so perhaps it feels as though you know these people already.
Either way, the night is young, the sun having dipped below the horizon less than half an hour ago, leaving you with perimeter lights that are too bright and the ever-present, watchful glow of the Shimmer; there are tables set up around the balcony for you to use, to eat or socialize or just...sit. You haven't been deprived by any means, but the food that's been provided out here for you tonight is noticeably better than usual; perhaps they know it's the last time you'll eat well for a while. Perhaps it's an apology. Perhaps it's nothing to look into too deeply.
Feel free to stay out here for as long as you like; enjoy each other's company. Or don't let yourself enjoy it too much; it's up to you.
However you choose to do it, perhaps it's best to make sure you have no regrets.
There are a lot of things that may or may not have been expected upon your arrival here – the walls of concrete and steel, the others that were brought here with you, the others that weren't brought here with you but have been a constant source of information and instruction and blatant, brazen surveillance – but the fact remains that this world does not seem, inherently, to be an unkind one. Foreign in some ways, perhaps familiar in others; either way, it's a world teeming with life, and with people, and perhaps most jarringly it's a world with beauty, and nothing you've seen otherwise is quite as repulsively and grotesquely beautiful as the Shimmer.
It defies desription, really; the boundaries of it are barely visible during the day, just a thin iridescent sheen encompassing the trees and thick-growing vegetation of the mountains, sweeping ever-closer and closer still to the boundaries of the compound you've been living in but are greatly unlikely to have come to call home. It cascades heavily down the face of the mountain, nestling into the tops of trees before it swallows them whole, arcing up into the sky so far that it hurts your eyes to try to find the crest. It seems almost ravenous in its grace; whatever it touches, it seems to consume.
At night, it's a different matter; it glows and dances in defiance of the bright lights of the compound, glistening bright like the Northern lights - a bit too low to the ground, a bit too far south, a bit too warm this time of year, but the effect is breathtaking. All the colors of the borealis seem to blink lazily at you as they twist in and out of view, sparkling scattershot among the remnants of a town about two miles off that has long since gone dark with abandonment and disuse.
Your mission begins tomorrow.
Your mission begins tomorrow and maybe you're ready for it, maybe you aren't; maybe you're trying not to think about it too much. But the fact of the matter is that there's a rooftop observation deck, open-air and about five stories off the ground, and it's granting you an optimal view of the surroundings and the Shimmer and that darkened town not too far off, and there are no other buildings around for miles. The air is balmy and humid, a little too warm to be pleasant but lacking the roiling heat of the day, a light breeze rendering the entire thing an acceptable respite from the training grounds within the building itself. The only sound this high up and this close to the Shimmer are those made by the people who are here with you – some you know, some you don't. Some are more recent arrivals than others; some have been here for just as long as you. You've all had information taken down about you, the results of which have been provided to you on a small device you found in your room, so perhaps it feels as though you know these people already.
Either way, the night is young, the sun having dipped below the horizon less than half an hour ago, leaving you with perimeter lights that are too bright and the ever-present, watchful glow of the Shimmer; there are tables set up around the balcony for you to use, to eat or socialize or just...sit. You haven't been deprived by any means, but the food that's been provided out here for you tonight is noticeably better than usual; perhaps they know it's the last time you'll eat well for a while. Perhaps it's an apology. Perhaps it's nothing to look into too deeply.
Feel free to stay out here for as long as you like; enjoy each other's company. Or don't let yourself enjoy it too much; it's up to you.
However you choose to do it, perhaps it's best to make sure you have no regrets.
no subject
Woah-- careful there!
[Watching it's movements, he cuts it off mid-flight; grabbing the corner and grabbing it up. It's no longer in any sort of nice, orderly fashion, but. It didn't get away at least.]
Here you go. Make sure you keep a firm grip. They're a lot lighter than they seem, aren't they?
no subject
I think I've managed to learn that lesson pretty well! I'm so used to dealing with much bigger blankets back in the castle...I guess I underestimated it a little bit, ahaha!
[Felicia comes up from the bow with a bright smile.]
Thank you so, so much for catching that for me!
no subject
[He looks over at the table where she'd been packing up her supplies. It looked like she still had some work to do. Looking back at her he smiles.]
Do you want a hand? I'm already finished packing my things so I wouldn't mind helping.
no subject
[Felicia does perk a bit more at the question, but she nods her head easily.]
Oh, that'd be great! I just need to do the finishing touches, but I'd really appreciate it!
[Come on, let's go!! Not that Felicia's gonna shut up while they walk over, but--]
Are you nervous about tomorrow?
no subject
[It's her bag so he'll make sure it gets packed the way she wants it. He doesn't mind the chatter either. Honestly, if anything, he's glad for it. It makes for a nice way to spend the time they have left here.]
A little, I suppose. Even though I'm used to this sort of thing, it's kind of hard to say we really know what to expect once we get out there.
[Rean looks over at her.]
What about you? How are you feeling?
no subject
I'm feeling alright! Maybe a little nervous, but I volunteered for this--I can't go letting everyone down! Especially not when Lady Corrin said I'd be a good fit for this mission. So I'll be fine!
[Still--]
You're used to this, though? What do you mean by that?
[Is this just Tuesday for you, my dude]
no subject
[It's just a feeling, but her attitude reminds him of a certain capable young woman from back home. All the same, she's certainly someone he'll be looking after out there.]
Ahaha... yeah. This isn't the first time I've seen something like this. Elements in nature that exist as a sign of something terrible, and leaves anomalies in it's wake-- actually, my country is facing the threat of something very similar coming. That's actually one of the reasons I wanted to come here.
[It is in fact Just Tuesday.]
I wanted to see if there was possibly something I could learn from this situation to help with my own.
no subject
Oh, gosh...that sounds horrible! I completely understand why you'd want to come here and make sure the same thing doesn't happen to this world...that's so scary.
[Still--]
But you're right. When we get out of here and deal with the Shimmer, you'll have plenty of experience to take back to your own home! That way you can make sure nothing like this happens ever again!
[Felicia says that much with certainty and a smile on her face.]
no subject
[Hearing someone else sound so certain of it helps him feel a bit more confident as well. After all, this isn't something he's facing on his own-- he has to try and remember that.]
If you don't mind me asking... what made you decide to join?