OOC
Minecraft Username: ToastySpam
Are you at least 18 years old?: Yes (I'm 24.)
Have you read the rules? (Link): Yes
(Optional) How did you hear about Avalore?: So there was this thing called hollowworld
(Max. 1) Were you referred by someone? If so, please provide their in-game username: galaxy
(Optional) Introduce yourself if you’d like, as well as any creations you want to share (e.g. art, builds, skins):
Nearly 6am and cannot sleep, remembered Hollowworld and on a bit of a nostalgia kick. There is some creative stuff I'd like to share, but my brain is on lowwwww power right now and I honestly don't have the bandwidth.
But yeah - joined HW when I was 15 maybe and it was almost exclusively my online character roleplay experience. To be honest, it was a massive part of my teenage years and still something I think about often. I really loved creating characters there, interacting with other people both IC and OOC. I definitely wasn't the greatest roleplayer - I suffered early on from severe main character syndrome, and I was terrible at keeping up with lore and regularly taking part in events. But I loved it so much.
I wanna add that I know quite a few HW oldheads ended up here - if you recognise me and I don't remember you right away - I'm so sorry, I have an awful awful memory. Most likely, I do remember you, but I probably know you by whatever character you played.
—
In-Character
Read the following prompt:
The rhythmic lull of hoofbeats are a marching drum to the small group of pioneers and variety of folk you have found yourself amongst, packed into a wobbling wagon. The rolling plains of the Southern Reach and a clear sky stretch out all around you, the buzz of excited chatter a dull wash in your ears as your mind strays to your former life and what has led you here to new lands.
“Nervous?”
You blink, returning to the present moment. A kindly older woman sat near you is smiling warmly with a crinkle to her eyes.
“I can tell it’s your first time. Still remember mine,” she flashes a grin and leans in.
“Tell me my dear, why have you come to the Reach?”
How do you respond (in character)? (250 word minimum - please make sure to include at least three references to our lore in your response, with two coming from different pages in the Compendium. Two of the three selected should also be in-depth, avoid simply name-dropping lore terms. Tie the terms into your character's backstory. Why are they important to them?)
"The Reach..."
My head is splitting open.
And I'm hungover. I'm a lightweight, but drink never used to leave me in pain like this the next day. Must be getting old.
Getting old? How old am I?
Oh, no.
Who am I?
The woman's eye crinkles are marvellous. They do most of the emoting on her face. Right now, they're crinkling away in concern.
"Rough night?"
"Yeah. Really rough, I think."
The pain is fading, but nothing's replacing it.
"You should quit the drink, you know. If I did, when I was young, I might still have all my teeth."
I'm panicking now; really panicking.
"Quit - it makes you lose your teeth?"
What do I know?
"It made me lose mine. See? I very much liked that tooth. Yours is just like it, dear. Very pretty, even if you're bald as a baby! As a newborn!"
Well, apparently, I now know I'm a lightweight.
"Thank you."
I know I'm running away.
"You're welcome. So is it coming back to you?"
Two things. Is that really all I get?
Okay, three - I know I hate not knowing things.
"Where I'm going..."
"Yes?"
Four! A fourth thing.
It burns.
I believe it.
"Where I'm going, I'll be needed."
That feels right.
It also feels arrogant. But I think I might be arrogant. I think I might have been trying to work on that. That it gets me in trouble.
I decide to smile at the woman. She smiles back. Those crinkles are gorgeous. Do I think that because I'm romantically interested in older women? Or am I just appreciating them artistically?
Too much thinking.
Turns out I smile good, though. I smile big. It just happens.
"You've got a lovely smile, dear."
"Thank you. You too! So - this is going to sound odd. Actually, it might not... I don't really know! But I think I'm going to need a sword."
The crinkles get shrewd, and amused.
"You know what, lovely? You seem the type. You also seem - if you don't mind my saying - like you could use clothes."
"Clothes?"
"You're wearing a sack."
"Ah. So I am. They have clothes then, in the Reach?"
"They most certainly do."
Clothes sound great, and a definite improvement on the sack. I flash the woman another smile, deciding that I might as well make use of that newly discovered ability, and take stock of my surroundings. I find myself squinting, as it’s suddenly daytime and the light is harsh.
No, I’m an idiot (self-knowledge #5). What I thought was sudden daytime was actually our wagon breaking free of an enormous shadow. This shadow stretches east to west, tapering along the foot of an equally enormous wall. It seems endless. I decide to ask my new guru about it.
“What is that?”
“The Wall.”
“Yes.”
“No, that’s The Wall.”
“Yes, but what’s it called? I mean, it’s huge.”
Crinkle city is being constructed on her face now. It’s incredible that one person can have so much skin. Just for crinkling.
“It’s called The Wall, lovely. You really are very out of sorts, aren’t you?”
I’m beginning to get slightly worried that if I carry on embarrassing myself like this, I’m going to end up in some sort of cell. Time for subterfuge.
“Oh, no, not so bad. I was just telling a sort of joke.”
“A joke?”
“Yes. As in, ‘what’s that wall called. It’s called the wall.’”
“Very good, lovely.”
It appears subterfuge is not one of my strongest areas. I try the smile again instead, and that does seem to placate her a bit. This smile is a weapon.
The woman sighs, smiles, and shakes her head in a maternal sort of way.
“Supposing it wasn’t a joke - which I’m sure it was - The Wall separates Rulan from The Reach, which is where we are now. That guard over there - “
-she gestures to a slumped, hapless looking fellow with a pike, snoring at the other end of the wagon -
“ - is Rulan. Not good stock, by the looks of them, but then if he was, he’d be up on The Wall, wouldn’t he?”
“Of course. I’m always saying that.”
She gives me that shrewd, maternal look again. I fight back with the smile. A clash of blades.
“That’s nice, lovely. But, yes. Rulan guard. Now - “
-she leans in, dropping her voice to a whisper. I lean in also, mirroring her.-
“- the driver, that one looks like a Jack smuggler to me. Great for us - cheap passage. But I reckon these sacks they’re carrying are something we don’t wanna be caught next to. Jack smugglers are best in the world, though, otherwise wouldn’t have bloody risked it. I suspect they’ll drop them off at Albern.”
“Albern. Which is?”
“Another joke, lovely?”
“Oh, yeah. Do you, um, know the punchline?”
“Albern’s an Inn. A big one. They’ll get you some clothes, I’m sure, if you work for them.”
“Great punchline.”
She smiles that crinkly smile at me again, and I provide her with my own. Not a clash, this time. I turn my gaze towards the road onwards. The plains seem impossibly vast, but Albern anchors me. I might have lost most of my memory, but I’m pretty sure I know inns.
And, gods, I would really love some bloody clothes.
Character Name: ???
Character Race: Human
Character Age: 24
Brief Physical Description:
??? stands at an unremarkable height. She has a sharp, rectangular face that’s a little masculine, and fierce. Her eyes are amber, glittering in a pale face. Her head is shaved, which means you can see a smattering of old scars and scrapes all over her scalp and the nape of her neck. She’s muscular enough for it to be noticeable - built in a predatory, canine sort of way.
