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
Nevertheless, it is...bizarre, to be asked 'are you doing okay?', and she realises that she can never, ever answer that question honestly because to be blunt, she hasn't been okay in a long time. But that's her burden to bear, not this girls, so...]
I'm as well as can be.
[It's something akin to the truth, anyway.]
And yourself...? Did you receive any weapons, or are you purely a medic?
[no seriously please tell her they gave you something to defend yourself with??]
no subject
Oh, I'm okay! A little nervous about tomorrow, but who isn't? Even if it is a little scary to think we'll be on our own tomorrow, we're being trusted with something really important--so we need to keep our spirits up!
[The question about weapons, though--]
Oh no, they gave me some weapons to fight with! They're some of the nicest shuriken I've ever seen--and most of the Hoshidan weaponry I've seen has looked really, really nice. But I'll be okay with those by my side!
no subject
[She's assuming 'Hoshidan' refers to the world this girl comes from, so a 'shuriken' must be...a kind of weapon? But Felicia seems confident when she talks about it, so....perhaps she's judged her prematurely.
It's just nice to interact with someone who seems so...jubilant. Seemingly untouched by misery and misfortune, at least on the surface. Page has only known Felicia for five minutes, but if anything happened to her, etc-]
...well. I can appreciate your optimism, at least. Although I'd like to know what these 'shuriken' of yours are.
[...
is it a type of gun, she likes guns]
no subject
Oh, of course! I've got them right on me, just one moment--
[Felicia always keeps her weapons nice and close on her, and she's used to storing them on her person--Felicia bends down to grab some of them from the holster on her shoe, before setting them out on the table for Page to see.
...They are very clearly not guns, I am so sorry for getting Page's hopes up. She does not deserve.]
They require a bit of precision to use, but--as long as you're careful and aim well, they're good at taking care of any problems!
no subject
God help them.]
I...see.
[She'll do her best to try and keep her tone neutral rather than cripplingly disappointed, and makes a mental note to keep an eye on this girl when (because it sounds like it will be 'when', not 'if') they're drawn into battle.]
Well, it's probably good to have a weapon you're familiar with. I take it you're more interested in the medical side of things, though?
[Healers are important! Very important! They need to have some.
...someone please give this girl a gun.]
no subject
(it's likely not, god help her)]
I am, yes...it's not as if I haven't fought before, but I've never particularly liked it. Being able to help people is what I like to do best, and I think I'll do a much better job as a medic than anything else!
[So not entirely a pacifist, but uh. It's definitely a preference, please put it at that.
...Also god, Felicia is the last person who needs a gun, we do not need butterfingers over here with one--]
no subject
[Because uh...she can handle the odd scratch and scrape, but her bedside manner is godawful. So despite Page's reservations about Felicia's combat readiness, it does make sense that she's coming along.
...maybe she will let her practice with her handgun, or something-]
Just make sure you keep yourself safe, as well. It will do us no good if our healer ends up injured.
[The 'or worse' that wanted to follow that sentence lingers in the air, but Page is polite enough to not vocalise it.]
no subject
Don't worry--I'll do everything I can to stay safe, and keep you all safe too! I'll do my best for you all!
[felicia you're very confident for a tiny ass woman with five shuriken to your name, oh dear gods
At the very least, Felicia is very determined when she says that much, and she is taking this seriously. She's just. Very much herself about it...]
no subject
That's all they can ask, really. So despite herself, Page offers a small smile.]
Likewise. Let's just see how we go, shall we?