Ποσειδῶν

Neptune; city of drifters; lvl 1 detective. affiliated with eliesium online.

[h0llabackboy]

just monkeying around

[h0llabackboy]

All-you-can-eat pizza hears a l l. 

His fall is sudden, quick, and relatively painless - he sticks his landing with about as little grace as he expected, considering the awkward angle in which he was stuck. He swings his arm and flexes his fingers, trying to coax feeling back into his numb limb. God. 

Now here comes the fun part. Well, fun for him at least, but probably not so much for the blue haired fellow stuck in the tree. He puts his hands on his hips at Neptune’s threats, trademark grin already back and growing. “Whatever happened to a good ‘ol fashioned ‘please’? It would probably win you a lot more favors, I’m just saying.”

Sun holds his arms out regardless, squinting up at his stranded best friend. “Is this the part where I’m supposed to say something reassuring like they do in stories?” He considers this for a moment, before clearing his throat and continuing in a sing-songy voice, “Oh Neptune, oh Neptune, I promise not to let thee fall flat on thy ass.”

[thalassis-blog1]

Whatever grace Sun possesses is lost upon Neptune who’s just a few seconds shy from a whimpering mess. “How’s about please stop being a jerk!” He knows it could be a whole lot worse. There could be sharks underfoot or quicksand. Something life-threatening instead of smarmy and annoying. Still, Neptune can’t just dangle from a branch without voicing his ever-so important concerns. Getting the last word in is very important in asserting one’s dominance.

“I’m letting go now!” And he does, just barely biting back a scream which breaks through his mouth once he falls neatly into Sun’s arms. “AAAAAAAAAA!” (Neptune doesn’t realize that Sun actually keeps his promises unlike him and his big mouth.) The panicked screaming continues until he dares to peek and the sounds of his greatest fears ebb away into confusion before silence: Neptune goes from eleven to opening his mouth for the dentist. “--AAA-aaaa?”

Before anyone has a chance to stumble upon the two of them looking like idiots, Neptune leaps out of Sun’s arms and dusts himself off, including his tush. Doesn’t matter that Sun’s palms were nowhere near his butt. It’s just procedure.

“Wow. Okay. That was a thing that happened.” He zips in front of Sun and jams an accusatory finger in his face. “We are never to speak of this incident ever again. Swear upon your tail, dude.” (They both knew Scarlet would know about this as soon as he wound up in the game.)

Neptune glances around, on the lookout for monsters, and realizes he hasn’t the faintest idea what class Sun rolled. That’s kinda important for the sake of their party composition and... yeah. Nerd stuff for nerds.

[thalassis-blog1]

Reaver Conduit

What they fight for.

Recognition. Respect. A sense of belonging and purpose. Anything that tells him this is what he’s good for. He’s got the looks, the swagger, so why not go that extra mile and develop the skill for it? A hero’s gotta have his charms, yeah, but beneath that he’s gotta be able to walk to his own talk. Becoming a huntsman is Neptune’s way of having a dialogue with himself, not that he realizes it. Like, he thinks this is what he should be, what he has to do. It’s not really what he wants to do but he might grow into the role just yet.

What they consider fun.

Being lavished with praise. Outside of that, Neptune enjoys a good book that distances himself from reality. He loves that feeling of getting lost in a whole ‘nother world. Eliesium’s been a marvel for him ‘cause it’s like constantly being caught up in a book you just can’t put down. He’ll also hum to himself on occasion but he doesn’t dare utter the lyrics to songs. Too much pressure to perform. Bike rides are fun, too. (Motorcycles look cooler though, obviously.)

[eo-getmemedon-blog]

Send my muse a class and they’ll tell you about...

IMPERIAL - What they live for. REAVER - What they fight for. PALADIN - Their overall moral stance and/or alignment. TEMPLAR - A time they felt betrayed. NIGHTINGALE - What they consider adequate payment for a favor. PEACEKEEPER - Who or what they think is really corrupt. CHASER - Their ambitions. HYMNIST - What inspires them. CONDUIT - What they consider fun. DEMONLITIONIST - Some of their inner demons. THAUMATURGE - Their darker side. DRUID - Who deserves to rule. SHADOWBLADE - Something they fear. BARD - An inside joke.

[h0llabackboy]

just monkeying around

[h0llabackboy]

He fights an eye roll of his own at his friend’s remark, but bites back regardless, “Only you would try and get technical at a time like this.” 

While Neptune makes his way up, there isn’t much to do besides….well, hang. Pun one hundred percent intended. As the other gets closer, and his chanting becomes more and more audible, Sun takes the liberty of glancing up, raising an eyebrow partially in question, but mostly thinly veiled concern. “Uh….how are ‘ya holding up? Because you’re not sounding too hot yourself, and considering that we’re not exactly on the ground at the moment, that probably isn’t good.”

Doing exactly what Nep’s chants were advising against, he takes another look at what was below them, judging the distance and landing. A fall from this height probably won’t hurt him too bad, but Neptune was another story entirely. He can’t stick a landing to save his life. Admittedly, not everyone is born with a tail and fairly coordinated reflexes, but c’mon. Give him something to work with here.

“Just take a deeeep breath. And think of….uuuuuuh…I dunno, something happy…like all you can eat pizza or something like that.”

He’s trying. He’s trying really, really hard.

[thalassis-blog1]

Technicalities were the small details other people stumbled over and Neptune was not going to be one of them. No way. Nuh uh.

So whatever, Sun, joke’s on you.

“Dude!” Pointing out that there’s no ground beneath either of them isn’t the way to calm a guy down, thanks a lot. Neptune’s ready to throw something at Sun, never mind the fact that he needs both hands on the branch at all times to balance himself. Man, if he’s gonna fall from his height, he hopes he goes face first and not ass backwards. Then again, bruised lips (and not from a steamy kiss) sound way worse than a sore rump (by completely innocent means). “I’m working on it, I’m working on it--all-you-can-eat pizza? Really? That’s the best you can come up with?”

He doesn’t have to roll his eyes when his voice is doing it for him.

“Just because you’re cheap doesn’t make me--WHOA!”

Neptune grabs at the branch (like a normal person) and notices that Sun is no longer clipping through it. Well. That takes care of one problem. Now to figure his way down. Lovely. Wonderful. Just peachy.

If only he hadn’t thought to diss all-you-can-eat pizza. Fate was a cruel mistress.

“If you don’t catch me, I’m telling Scarlet about--no, wait, he already knows that one. I totally have blackmail material on you, though, so look alive, pal!”

[h0llabackboy]

just monkeying around

Of all the game glitches encountered in his lifetime, this is by far the worst. Possibly because he’s actually living it this time, but hey, anybody would be upset if they managed to get their hand stuck in a tree branch, right? Literally. In the branch. One misstep of his foot leads to disaster, apparently. 

The first screenname Sun sees for miles is one he happens to recognize, but it isn’t until that blue head of hair comes into view that he’s positive. Of course he’d just use his own name.

[Neptune.]

“Well, well, well….look what the cat dragged in.” He says, choosing to skim over the fact that he was currently strung up in a tree like an awkward piñata. It’s hard to look cool when you’re dangling in mid-air against your will.

It only takes a second for him to drop the pretense. Well, most of it.

“Okay, so maybe I got myself into a little bit of a situation. But I completely have it under control! All I’ve gotta do is….” More tugging proves futile, as does all the extra wiggling around. Probably looked pretty funny to any observers, though.

“…On second thought, a liiiiiittle help here would be nice, pal.”

@thalassis

[thalassis-blog1]

At first, Neptune wanted to comment on the whole ‘caught by a hand in the branch’ factoid, but Sun’s grating greeting shot that idea out of the water. The beginnings of a look of awe morphed and twisted into heated indignation. Neptune raised a finger - now you knew he was serious - and threw right back, “You do realize that when a cat drags anything in, it means it thinks you’re incompetent, right? So yeah. Way to make yourself look dumb, genius.” Weak comebacks were his forte, thank you very much.

Boy, was that a way’s up that tree. Neptune perched his hand against his forehead, blocking out the sun in order to see Sun (haha, that’s funny). Cue an eye roll from our be-goggled (instead of bespectacled, get it?!) boy wonder. “Way to prove my point.”

A scoff and a smug grin later, Neptune proceeded to shimmy up the tree. It wasn’t until Sun was actually within his reach that he conveniently remembered that he was afraid of heights. (You know, ‘cause God didn’t think aquaphobia was funny enough and had to saddle him with all kinds of bullshit.)

Neptune bit back the whimper growing in his throat and began to chant in a none-too-assuring way “don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look down” as he scooted towards Sun. The mantra must have sounded extra creepy as Neptune fixed his gaze upon his best (we’re using that word loosely here) friend.

No one liked to have a guy bore into your soul while his teeth clattered.

[thalassis-blog1]

but never on your sleeve

[forgottonkey-deactivated2016102]

Finishing the last bit of her ice cream, Xion had taken to sitting on a bench while admiring the scenery. She was lucky enough to find a place that sold ice cream, probably bound to become her new hangout spot. In an absentminded moment she bought two ice creams instead of one, if only she had someone to share it with…

An unfamiliar voice brought her out of her thoughts. Looking up, she met a blue haired man’s eyes. 

Party? Is that something that’s part of the game system? 

However there is always room for improvement, it wouldn’t hurt to train with him for a while. 

“Sounds okay with me! But uh, you wouldn’t be interested in eating this ice cream would you?” 

Reaching into her lap she revealed the second wrapped ice cream she accidentally bought. 

[thalassis-blog1]

All right. There was something ridiculously contrived about running into a girl who just so happened to have ice cream the same color as his hair. Neptune squinted at her for a split second before deciding that she had to be an NPC of some sort (a non-player character, for the uninitiated). As soon as he accepted her offer, someone would come running through an alleyway screaming about their kidnapped children. Calling it now.

“Dunno why I’d have to eat anything in a video game but I guess.”

As soon as the ice cream was in his hands--nothing happened. Neptune wiggled the popsicle the way you would a pencil and frowned as it held shape. Huh. With a confused shrug, he popped it into his mouth and quirked a brow. Tasted kinda salty. “What flavor is this supposed to be?”

He was better off not knowing.

[thalassis-blog1]

years & years

[sanctummilitis]

“I understand; it is not uncommon that my identity is called into question. However in another dimension; that particular questions has not been posed to me before today”.

But disclosing the full extent of such tale is unnecessary, unless he would ever choose to hear of her legend. Furthermore, his points stand as valid. Anyone with the title [ King ] was bound to presumed as male, is that not the case?

She, too, has limited knowledge - if his words are to believed. Though he’s rather quick to impose the fact. She doesn’t press him on it, that too unwarranted.

“As for choosing that particular title… it stems from my reality. The title is selected on the basis it bears some degree of meaning, I presumed. [ King ] seemed appropriate. It reflects my existence before this game. I do apologize for my reaction. Am I to assume that masquerading yourself as another gender is a common occurrence, from what little you might be aware of?”

[thalassis-blog1]

Well excuse him for calling her identity into question. A (junior) detective doesn’t solve cases by keeping mum and failing to ask questions.

“Uh...huh...”

Ignoring the fact that she talked like both a thesaurus and Professor Port after a full meal over the stadium speakers, Neptune humors her a while longer. She’s being rather vague with this and that but they are on the internet, one way or another. Somehow.

“Well, yeah. Plenty of dudes pick chicks cause of, um-- well...” It won’t make much sense in this case, seeing as how there’s no way to pan the camera behind your player avatar. Or yourself. (Is it really an avatar when you’ve got limbs beyond the camera’s perspective?) “A-anyway, the point is! Lots of people lie about the way they look. Like on dating profiles! Err, which I’ve only ever read about, you know?” Which is true. Neptune’s never felt desperate enough to take to online dating. Girls adore him.

At least until he runs his mouth for too long. Then he’s just another pretty face to them, yikes.

[thalassis-blog1]

rule number one: is that you gotta have fun

[guardianxwitch-blog]

“ excuse me? ” is the first thing that pops out of lyra’s mouth.  “ have i… met you before? ”

no.  no, she has not met him before.  she knows this because she would most definitely remember some guy with aqua hair flirting with her.  her kneejerk reaction is to turn away, but she holds herself back, curious despite her misgivings.

“ i… don’t think i know you.  but you evidently know me.  or someone that looks a lot like me.  would you happen to know their name? ”  it was a little intrusive, maybe.  but there are (probably) not very many girls who dress in all-white, have white hair and clothing, and don’t give the impression of playing mmos.

which means she has a twin walking around somewhere.  was it completely unrelated, or did it have something to do with how she got into this mmo?

[thalassis-blog1]

In spite of the effort he’s put forth into carefully cultivating a certain image for the ladies, Neptune is not at all prepared for this sudden bout of... amnesia. Would the delicate Schnee heiress snub him like this for tossing the fair maidens of NDGO a crowd-pleasing wink? He can’t imagine where he’s gone wrong otherwise and holds his hands up in his defense.

“Uhh... Weiss?” That’s all he can think to say without feeling like a fool. He can play along, see if she’s stringing him along for a bit. Otherwise, he’s going to have to come to terms with meeting a person’s body double for the very first time in his short life. Like, yeah, okay, he’s read about the phenomenon before but it’s kinda hard to imagine that someone would design an avatar after Weiss Schnee, super hottie of Beacon Academy. That kind of dedication is creepy!

[thalassis-blog1]

years & years

[sanctummilitis]

So wrapped up trying to establish where the players stood, efforts to raise awareness of one another and familiarize herself with the land that its sheer majesty escaped her. But when he brings it to the forefront of the conversation, then she takes in the sights all around them. How neatly and detailed the crafted world about them is.

It’s a shame she hadn’t taken note of it before; it’s picturesque both how each area is presented and the level of attention granted to the world as a whole.

Her smile softens at the realization that, indeed, it is as he describes. “Yes, it’s a wondrous sight. It’s marvelous how beautiful the world can be - much less one forged by human hands”.

She’s intrigued by his commentary about the other players. –But of course, there would have to be that stumble. Is it truly difficult to believe who she is, in any manner?

“Yes…” It comes with a sigh, a grimace - is there supposed to be any particular reason to doubt she’s female outside? Not one she can fathom. “I am very much a girl; how you see me before you is my physical being. Or am I to believe the players here have customized themselves into appearances unlike their real selves?”

But she refrains from biting his head off; his familiarity with games can’t be any less so than her own - there’s a plausible explanation. There must be.

[thalassis-blog1]

No one likes to show their true self, not without some sort of anonymity to protect them. Here, where there’s no screen to hide who you are from others, Neptune finds himself caught up in the fact that no one here knows who he is and where he comes from. It would be all fine and dandy if not for the intimacy of face-to-face interactions being miraculously simulated all the same; he forgets it’s a game - hasn’t been playing it like he’s supposed to since he began - and only slips back on conventions of the genre on a whim.

“That’s standard practice. N-not that I’d know anything about... games and junk.” Close call. His nerdiness almost showed through. “I mean, I was born and blessed with these dashing good looks so there wasn’t any need for me to customize my features, believe it or not.”

He plays it all off with a shrug. Fake it til you make it. Or break it as the case may be.

Neptune peers up at the name hovering above her head and lets out an “aha!” before crossing his arms over his chest, indignant as can be. “Look. You’re classed as a ‘king’, right? So it’s not entirely my fault I wasn’t sure if you were a girl or not.”

[thalassis-blog1]

teach him some respect

[watsonians-old-blog]

Well. It’s not every day an adolescent male just– waltzes right up and comments on her hair. 

Frankly, Iris doesn’t know how to take the– compliment– insult– …comment. She feels an itch to point out his own blaring neon blue, though she suspects such a thing would be uncalled for when considering his… compliment. If being called cute is a compliment, now that she’s realizing she’s probably an outlier in this sea of twenty-first century technology and individuals, and that she isn’t entirely familiar with the jargon and slang of their people.

Iris feels like she’s old, and she’s only ten.

Regardless, it’s a perfectly natural and universal note to be polite, so Iris figures it’s best to go that way, and she preens down her skirt and shifts, slightly, before speaking.

「 Ahm. Well. If I may correct you, this is my natural hair color… and I don’t believe it’s any kind of phase, mister. I am a doctor, thank you very much!」

[thalassis-blog1]

Natural hair color? Then he’s supposed to believe that Beacon kid in the library has hair that just ‘naturally’ fades into pink. Pssh.

Neptune takes her claim in stride, merely nodding along and going “uh huh”. If she wants to be a doctor when she grows up, more power to her. Little girls gotta have bigger ambitions than finding Prince Charming (even if he’ll happily supply).

“That’s cool. I’m a detective myself.” A junior one, but he’s got a badge to prove it in his bag somewhere.

[thalassis-blog1]

there’s a ghost in my lungs

Any semblance of this being a mere game has vanished: Just when Neptune was getting used to the holographic displays in the corner of his vision, a loud static crack! disintegrated everything. Rather than see things glitch out and shut down, he swears it all melted away like some gross translucent sludge as if the screens had been made of organic matter and not, you know, pixels of light or whatever.

That doesn’t worry him the way the dark clouds rolling in does, blocking out the sunlight. And the howling. Neptune grabs his gun off his back, feels around for the trigger, and accidentally fires off into the night. Even without his goggles on, he can tell that the laser’s super weak. Lame.

Rather than stand his ground and fight, he decides a tactical retreat is in order. It’s impossible to outrun the encroaching shadows, but Neptune’s too scared to look back. Grimm might be fearsome, but at least they don’t sound like that!

Only now does he realize that no one else is in the area. Maybe it’s because he can’t see any screennames floating around, or maybe it’s just because he’s disoriented without the mini-map hovering around. Either way, adrenaline’s coursing through his veins.

He has no idea how far he’s ran or where he’s even headed until his foot sinks into the ground. Um, ew? Neptune pulls his leg out and balks at the stench of the swamp. Great. This was not the right way.

“Oh, crap, where the hell do I go from here?” Doesn’t matter. He just wants to avoid whatever is making that sound. Whimpering to himself, Neptune slips on his goggles and fumbles onto the wooden walkway.

@eurydician

[thalassis-blog1]

rule number one: is that you gotta have fun

@guardianxwitch

Perusing through the local item shop in Sanctorum, Neptune’s not all too sure what he’s looking for. So many knick-knacks, so little time. Guess that means he’s partaking in the sport of window shopping. Others might even think to call him a loiterer. (But he’s too pretty to get kicked out of anywhere, huh, huh?)

Not all is wasted, though, when he stumbles upon everyone’s favorite heiress. Neptune actually smiles at the familiar face. Oh, Weiss, precious snow angel of his heart.

“Fancy meeting you here. I didn’t know you were the type to go for these kinds of games,” - he winks at her, looking just a little smug - “You just earned twenty cool points. Not that you need them.”

Because all nerdy things are cool when a guy like Neptune partakes in them, obviously. He alone can salvage that which has been tainted by the grubby hands of sweaty losers. Surely she can agree.

[thalassis-blog1]

teach him some respect

@watsonians

“Now that is a lot of pink. Going through a princess phase? It’s really cute.”

Ka-wink~! Even the little ladies get a taste of the ol’ Vasilias charm.

Neptune slides on over to her side and peers down at the girl from his impressive 6′3″ vantage point. He’s gonna cry if she’s actually some 40 year-old NEET living in his parents’ basement. One, that makes him look ridiculous; two, that’s so friggin’ creepy to think about. People should not be allowed to catfish on MMOs. Seriously.

[thalassis-blog1]

years & years

[sanctummilitis]

A bow of the head to his acceptance of sharing the rest, her gratitude uttered and occupying what he had enlarged for her sake. Hands overlapping as they rest upon her thighs and her head rotated so he becomes the focal point of her vision.

The implications of his words bypasses her initially; she assumes he’s referring to meeting with another player in general. But it dawns after a brief delay. What to say in response? Words are nonexistent in the moment she strives for an appropriate return.

“If that may be the case, I am content to have garnered your interest in your fellow players”.

To let him down gently, if he VIEWS it as rejection, is the purpose; whether successful or not, she can only estimate. A more intimate relationship seems rather inappropriate at the current time; in a landscape they continue to adjust to. More so when she’s only just now made his acquaintance. Would it not be better in judgement to get to know him, their allies and their current realm beforehand?

His priorities may be different, though she cannot fault his efforts. He’s a bold character, that much she can determine from such an attempt.

“What is there that I may assist you with? I could not help but note your ease in relaxing here”.

[thalassis-blog1]

Oho, had she not noticed his sly remark? Cute. He can dig it when a girl’s too innocent to pick up on his cues.

Neptune’s all too eager to keep it up, to play to everyone’s favorite bad boy - he’s got the looks for it - but her attention drifts elsewhere. Normally he’d mind, but the lady doth raise a good point: He feels oddly at home in this place, even though it’s obviously not real. Just a dream, right?

“It’s pretty awesome, isn’t it? This game, I mean. Everything looks incredible and the players aren’t too bad themselves--wait. You’re a girl right? I mean, outside of the game.”

Oh snap. Someone hadn’t thought very far ahead before laying it on so thick. Neptune’s looking a little reluctant to stick with the conversation now, a sheepish pink glow blooming in his cheeks. With a clearing of his throat, he crosses his arms over his chest and withdraws into himself, managing to look restrained and confident despite his doubts.

[thalassis-blog1]

years & years

[sanctummilitis]

It is a simple matter of investigating the town, learning the precise location of valuable resources and establishments. To familiarize herself with the land, for both her own advantage and that of introducing anyone uncertain.

It’s a tranquil place; ideal for a starting location within such a game. Bustling with it’s natural pedestrians, unharmed by the wild creatures which parade across the land. A peace almost strange, but not one she would take for granted.

Nor the settler upon the bench she happens upon after some time of strolling without any particular destination in mind. A smile graces her lips in approaching the man; another player, she would presume - the townspeople appear too wrapped up in their daily lives for such a break.

“I do beg your pardon, is this space taken?” She gestures to the other half of the wooden surface beside him. And maintaining a pleasant smile to greet him when his vision opens up once more. “I also apologize for disturbing you”.

[thalassis-blog1]

Polite. So unlike the frank words he’s used to hearing. People his age get right to the point, making it clear what they want from you. This woman, she’s... got that mature air about her. Honestly? He found her a little intimidating, never mind her gentle approach.

But Neptune would never let on to something like that. Matching her poise if nothing else, he replies, “Go right ahead.” He scoots aside to make room for both her and however much personal space he needs to engage and disengage at will from a would-be conversation. “It’s not like I’m waiting for anyone. Or at least... I didn’t think I was until you dropped by.” Damn. That was smooth.

He turns towards her, putting on airs. It doesn’t matter that she’s older. More than anything, she provides him with practice he won’t get elsewhere. (Everything’s a little less scary once you break it down into what you’re gaining out of it.) This is how you should talk to women, by making them feel like they’re the center of your world. Or at least, that’s how he’s been taught to handle these sorts of situations.

She’s not some high-school cheerleader, though, not by far, so he braces himself for rejection. Whatever comes his way, he’s ready to laugh off. See? It’s all just a joke! No need to get frazzled over a few frivolous words.

[thalassis-blog1]

years & years

Hanging gardens. How gorgeous is that? Forget about playing the game. All he wants to do is explore and find his own little secret place, the kind you only show your best friend or that girl you’re really sweet on. No one has to know that he’s a romantic at heart, lame as that is.

People are probably too enamored with the fountains anyway, the way the trickling water caught the light and shone rainbows on just about every surface. Neptune reaches out for it, yelps at the coldness of the water, and prays that no one had seen him embarrass himself like that. He’d die right then and there.

Which is why he pretends there’s a tickle in his throat and lets out a cough. No funny business here, nosiree.

But it really was beautiful in that mystical, almost spiritual sort of way. A trail of alabaster squares leads him from one grove to the next and to the next after that, as if tranquility held a constant, fighting back fears and doubts and whatever darkness grew within human hearts.

He settles down on a bench and closes his eyes, wishing and wanting for a good book. Granted, it feels as if he’s stumbling through the inked pages of a fantasy novel, waiting for something to pull him into a whirlwind adventure.

@sanctummilitis

[thalassis-blog1]

but never on your sleeve

As far as dreams go, this has to be one of his most lucid ones yet. Whatever else could it be, though?

With that thought in mind, he takes everything that comes at him in stride, imagining how cool it would be to top the leaderboards or make the biggest most popular guild.

Neptune whistled as he strolled through the streets of Sanctorum, marveling at how much it reminded him of Beacon Academy. Or maybe he was just projecting, calling upon familiar memories. But hey, it’s his dream, right?

The Vytal Festival was gonna be so bomb--

“Hey, you look like you know what you’re doing. Wanna party up and go train for a little bit? It’s pretty cathartic wailing on starter mobs.”