(New thread!)

[passione]

➵ ＮＡＥＶＹＳ ＸＹＲＣＡＮ
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male ● eighteen ● telekinesis ● on stage ● tagged - none (lanette mentioned)


naevys slowly released the broken door and placed it gently upon the ground as the rest of the recruits filed in with their little performances. the rush of the moment was over, and naevys could breathe again, casting his gaze out toward the audience (ryker and evren in particular) as his heart slowed to a casual beat, ditching the rapid thumping from the past minute or so.

while he wasn’t as much of a worry-wart as his younger brother, andromeda, naevys certainly did have some anxiety surrounding mass amounts of people. being on stage wasn’t exactly his forte, but training his eyes on evren seemed to help, as the xyrcan gave him a huge smile and made gestures with his hands. ryker eventually had evren stop, holding his wrists in place. naevys knew what his brother thought, and agreed. being a distraction while the marking ceremony was taking place would be deemed disrespectful. despite the sudden halt of a good distraction, naevys still felt fine. he found solace in evren’s good intentions.

the councillors’ speeches went on and naevys got a good mental laugh out of councillor watson’s attitude. he didn’t turn his head to face the speakers and didn’t move an inch, at least not until he was instructed to move and find a mark-giver.

naevys took his place in front of a rebel with golden blonde hair tied into a tight bun, and brown eyes like his, but her features were hardened, likely by facing the hard life of a delran citizen. naevys looked for lanette who had wound up a few people down the line, taking note of how her mark-giver shoved the unused cotton ball back into his apron. the woman in front of him gave him a look as if to ask if he needed what was presumably the numbing solution. naevys nodded. he didn’t really like pain despite living with it constantly.

the woman sweeps his bangs out of his eyes, pinning his hair up between two fingers before wiping the cotton ball downwards in a line down his forehead. it was a cooling sensation and felt quite nice, mixed with the pressure she placed upon his head. naevys squeezed his eyes shut, taking a deep breath as he felt the tingle of a knife breaking his skin.

cold was replaced with warm as he felt his blood bead up along the wound and trickle downward in a line splitting into two at the bridge of his nose.

instinctively, naevys licks his lips as the blood runs through the creases of his skin. he opens his eyes as soon as he is spun around. that’s blood that’s blood that’s blood that’s blood— dammit, there goes this sweater.

thankfully, he wasn’t driven into a panic as lanette’s calming ability rippled through him. oh well. he could always get more clothes as time passed. maybe he could steal ardai’s and leave a pair of high heels behind.

[hellb0und]

➴x────────────────────xxＪＥＮxx────────
NAME. jennifer dire ` ABILITY. fire manipulation ` TAG(S). pretty much everyone `
xxxxxxxx𝐈 𝐀𝐌 𝐀𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐒 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐓𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅.

xxxxxxxxThe blonde wasn't shocked when Gavotte went ahead and took the lead in charming the crowd. Smiling and waving. Polar opposites they certainly were, yet it was no secret there was something much deeper between her and him. Something unspoken. Finally, the other recruits revealed themselves, along with their powers. The crowd, temporarily frightened by Leo and Aphrodite's performance, were returned to a relaxed state of mind by Lanette, Cujo, and Sabine. That is, after witnessing Eris' and Emma's powers.
xxxxxxxxThe Council presented themselves next, taking center stage and working themselves all into a neat, perfected line. The High Councillor was the first to speak, jumping right into what they were here for. The crowd present had gone silent, except for a few, rare hushed whispers. They were ignored, though, and the High Councillor continued on. Followed by the others. Jen could've sworn when Watson took the stage, there were a few quiet chuckles that resonated from the crowd. It was quite clear he wasn't following whatever script he was provided with, making for quite the show. The true ceremony had just begun, though, as elder rebels dressed in white, approached the stage with a blade in one hand and medical supplies that'd be used to clean the area which would be cut in the other. The white was a stark contrast against her ebony clothing, along with the mixture of greys and browns that made up the crowd and fellow rebels. While white was meant to represent purity and peace, she saw it as everything but.
xxxxxxxxThey were given time to choose their mark-giver. Jen didn't particularly care who she ended up with, but for the sake of getting this over with, she went ahead and approached a taller, brunette women with notably green eyes. Her expression wasn't cruel nor friendly. Her lips turned upwards slightly into the smallest smile but ceased soon after. The archer didn't return the gesture, so the mark-giver simply went ahead and carried on performing the given task. Cleaning Jen's forehead after brushing a loose piece of hair back, she held up the ointment meant to be used for subduing the "pain" caused by the blade. Jen shook her head. She nodded and proceeded to mark Jennifer twice. The blood ran down her forehead, and the female's chosen spun her around to face the crowd. The red liquid slowly reaching further and further down her face, marking her symbolically.

[cocogerber13]

Caleb Oxenbera——————————
♠︎ // Phoenix Squad Recruit // Beast Summoning // Tags: All on stage

Caleb fulfilled his end of the agreement after watching the performances that were left, eventually giving a small nod to let the doves descend upon the three peace-makers. He let them stay perched upon their arms and shoulders as each member of the council spoke, however by the time it was to get their marks, Caleb balled his hand into a fist and the birds-his peacocks included- started to phase out of existence. By the time a last feather fell to the ground, it was gone.

The boy had to admit that though he had had a spiked fear when going onto the stage, it had vanished since he had stayed- until now. With the new people coming onto it with literal weapons in hand made his breath hitch in his throat again. He wasn’t afraid of blades, as evident of the many scars scattered across his body, but Caleb certainly anticipated everything the mark would bring with it. He was going to be marked as a spy in just a few moments. Not literally, of course, since the wound would make them not stand out, but right here right now it would. He pursed his lips and tried to make eye contact with Councillor Senegal. It was time for them to choose their mark-makers.

His eyes flashed to Leo in a quick glance of concern for him, knowing the other’s tendencies well and growing a bit more worried because of it. The dark-haired man was quickly given a thought of relief when he spotted Lanette though, and felt an essence of calmness trickle over him. Caleb made a mental note to thank the mind-manipulators afterwards. The summoner drew his attention to the volunteers and stepped forward to face a man that looked to have some similarities as himself. The colouring of his skin and hair as well as his facial structure had some resemblance to Caleb’s, however any indication that they were somehow related was not shown clearly on his hardened expression. For a second Caleb fixed a small grin on his face and murmured a quick, “Hey, knife to meet you.” Before the senior rebel struck, making the recruit grit his teeth. He deserved that.

The 18-year-old breathed out a silent sigh as he maintained eye contact during the procedure, flinching only a small bit when the knife met his skin. He turned around not triumphantly, but embarrassed when he finally did. Blood dripping down his face was not a good look, and he wasn’t redy for the mess it would make. Apparently Naevys had a similar thought, since Caleb noted his clenched jaw when a drop of blood soaked his clothing.

[fifty blessings]

xxxxxxxxxxxcujo y.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ^ stage
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ^ stage buddies !!

After having gone up and done the routine with the doves he had joined the others at the sides of the stage, sort of poking his tongue at the inside of his cheek in thought as he listened carefully to the all of the councillor's words in silence. His eyes following the different councilors as they took their turns giving their part of the speech. There was a tiny bit of a furrowed brow though, not exactly the happiest that he had to just sit there and take a cut to the forehead.

Squinting a little a little at the person across from him that held the weapon, he sort of internally swore a little. Taking his own antibacterial wipe from his pocket, he quickly wiped it on his forehead before he felt the sting of the sharp metal cutting through the upper layers of his skin. Clenching his fists a little so he would refrain from doing much, he did nothing but close his eyes so the blood wouldn't get into them. He did his best not to imagine the layers of skin, so the wound would stay put where it was supposed to be. Cujo wasn't very surprised by the amount of blood that had been put out by the laceration.

[honeybee.]

⋯⋯⋯⋯🥀⋯⋯⋯⋯
Ella Brie
Location: HQ Cafetorium- Tags: Lanette
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At last, after a terrifying display of snakes, Lanette came out of the stage door hands aglow with that violet light that had quickly become Ella's favourite colour. She offered a little wave, her smile wide, when Lanette noticed her. Her friend looked a little surprised to see her, of course, since Ella hadn't been able to tell them she was coming. "Hey, Lanette! Lanette! My sister l-" Mia's voice was cut short by Ella clapping a hand over her mouth. "Don't be disruptive, Mia." Matty chided from beside her.

Once Lanette & the others had moved to the side of the stage the councillors began to speak, each saying a little bit about this momentous occasion to form one whole speech as smooth as clockwork. At least, it flowed beautifully until it reached Councillor Watson. Ella frowned a little disapprovingly, he had clearly tweaked his part of the script. After High Councillor Senegal said the commanding words a group of white-clad rebels appeared with scalpels and cotton swabs to hand and the Phoenix squad each approached one. Ella watched as Lanette pushed the numbing agent away and the volunteer ran the blade across the skin of her forehead. Honestly, even as she admired her friends bravery it made her feel a little ill. Not because she was squeamish, she was a doctor and so couldn't possibly be squeamish, but because of the meaning. What if the rebellion hadn't created their little headquarters up in the deep north under the ground 18 years ago and the Phoenix squad hadn't been born into the freedom there? It was hard to imagine Lanette with her powers of calming removed or Cujo without his healing powers and yet that was how it could have been. Still, that was the whole point of this marking ceremony. With these new, powerful rebels released into Delra they were one step closer to a world where nobody would have that important part of their soul hidden away, out of reach.

Ella's thoughts stopped whirring as soon as Lanette turned back towards the crowd, blood dripping from the freshly made cuts. Smiling a little, she watched Lanette's eyes fade back to their ordinary blue along with her violet magic but even without her soothing aura Ella still felt calmed. Snap.She mouthed, moving her hair aside slightly so the entire of her own scar was visible.

[marimo.]

Arys Slate // 18 // Female // Straight // Behind stage // Tags: everyone, I guess
Arys smiles faintly as she watches everyone else perform. They pulled off their stunts amazingly well, especially since she knew how nervous some of them were. Then came the marking. Arys' smile slips off her face and it remains blank as she waits for the Council to finish their speech. Mildly bored, she scans the crowd. She has no one to look for in the crowd, no proud faces of parents or older siblings waiting for her, no jealous faces of younger siblings to see. It hardly fazes her anymore, the fact that she is alone and there is no one to help her through all of her struggles.
She turns her attention back to the present moment and finds the Councillors are finishing up their speech. The volunteer make their way forward and her teammates slowly begin to disperse to a volunteer. She sees Ardai make a beeline to a pretty woman that he must think is cute and immediately get shut down. That brings the faint smile back to her face. She strides to the person closest to her, a tall, striking woman with loose, short dirty blonde hair and crystal clear blue eyes. She greets Arys with a smile and she returns it with a nod. The woman lifts up the cotton ball but Arys quickly shakes her head. She wanted to feel every ounce of the pain. It just wouldn't feel right if she didn't. The woman simply shrugs her shoulders and picks up the clean knife. Arys closes her eyes, on reflex, as it moves closer to her face. She feels the cool knife against her flesh, sweaty from exertion and being under the stage lights, and can't help but feel a rush of adrenaline. When the woman finishes up, before she can turn Arys around, Arys rotates on her own to face the crowd, barely feeling the pain, much less cringing from it. The roar that ensues while every person up there is getting marked is so loud, she's surprised the Emperor all the way in his decked-out castle didn't hear them. She feels the blood trickling down her face, but rather than wiping it away like she normally would, just let it stay there. A strange sense of satisfaction and quite possibly euphoria fills her, and she resists the urge to let out a whoop. This is it. She is now officially part of the new Phoenix Squad.

[DetectiveLunar]

Leonardo Toronta//18//Male//Behind the stage//Tags:All on stage

Leo had amazed and slightly terrified some of the audience along side Aphrodite with her snakes and his mirages. It made him feel calmer and more certain of himself when he was with someone he was close with especially Aphrodite,who was almost like a sister to him. He listened as The Council made their speech and covered his face in an attempt to hide the fact that he had almost started crying. He wasn’t being emotional,he was just starting to feel scared because he knew what was coming next and he dreaded it. Fear immediately overtaking him as The Council started talking about how they were about to be “marked” so that they would be able to go around Delra without being arrested. He watched as the mark-givers lined up,ready to mark him and the other recruits. As the others made their way to their mark-givers Leo felt his chest tighten. He was being a coward,yes he knew that,he was always a coward but he couldn’t be one now. After hesitating for a few seconds he made his way to the mark-giver beside Lanette. He was a coward but not an idiot. He knew that Lanette would help him calm down. He looked up to face his mark-giver but as soon as he spotted the blade he immediately looked down,his eyes started to tear up again. He breathed in deeply and felt calmer,most likely due to Lanette. He wiped the tears away and looked back up at his mark-giver. His mark-giver looked down at him for a little while,as if to make sure Leo was ready. When the mark-giver was sure he was they wiped his forehead,making sure it was clean,and dabbed a cotton ball on the same spot. It was supposed to dull the pain. The Council weren’t monsters. His markgiver started to bring the blade of their knife closer to his forehead. Don’t freak out. Don’t look. Don’t look. DON’T He closed his eyes as the blade got closer and closer to his forehead. He couldn’t see the blade but could feel it as it sliced his forehead twice,he gritted his teeth as he felt his forehead sting. It was done. He opened his eyes as he was spun around to face the audience. He looked into the audience,looking at every face. Some familiar. Some not so much. As he spotted his parents he felt something run down his face. He soon realized it was his blood flowing down his forehead and face. At this realization he started to slightly freak out internally but thanks to Lanette he wasn’t freaking out as he usually would and looked calm on the outside as he looked at his parents. His mother smiled at him,clearly proud of her son. His dad....His dad had turned around to face away from him. Leo’s dad couldn’t stand the sight of blood,especially if it’s flowing down his son’s face. He smiled back at his mother. This was it. This was what he had been anxiously waiting for his entire life. This....This was the day he’d remember...for the rest of his life.

[comeonspiderman]

Apollo Torres ♦ Pan ♦ Fire Manipulation
Location: Back Stage ♦ Tags: Naevys, Ardai, Open
Apollo, lost in his own thoughts for a moment, didn't hear the Council's speech until the High Councilor instructed them to choose a marker. He turned without meeting his father's gaze and marched to the closest marker, ending up next to Gavotte with Cujo on the other side. Raising his head, he had no time to take in her appearance before she was cleaning his forehead. He watched her hand raise again with a second cotton ball and grabbed her wrist to stop her. "No." He felt he deserved this pain. Deserved to feel pain for his ego disappointing his father. She looked up at him with a confused expression before moving her hand back down to take away the cotton ball. She nodded and he finally let go of her. She offered a small smile and made two quick cuts. Under his breath, he cursed until the marker moved her hands onto his shoulders. He turned and raised his head high, puffing out his chest. Apollo could see the blood coming down his face out of the corners of his eyes but he didn't look away from the spot above the crowd he was focused on. This was the real moment to show the rebels, and his father, that he was ready to do this and live up to everything they were hoping for. Apollo would save them.

[Pistol Annie #1 NPC]

-----The noise of the crowd swelled into a deafening roar as the final recruit turned to face forward, blood trickling from fresh cuts. The sight of the rebellion's new hope standing together on an united front - it was a work of art, carved with knives and painted dark crimson.
-----"Now, recruits, you share the marks we all bear." The High Councillor's voice was soft but unyielding. For all her motherly kindness, Senegal did not seem to regret the scars she'd had inflicted on her children. "The blood is a symbol of the hope your birth brought us. As red as the sunrise, it serves as a reminder that you are the beginning of the end. The dawn of change stirring within Delra."
-----"Plus, it's the same color as what they'll likely do to Emperor Brungard," Watson added with a grin, probably feeling the High Councillor was getting too serious. Aurelia shot him a disgusted glare for his trouble. The smile was now completely gone from her elderly face, marred with wrinkles of anger from her constant scowls. It was now obvious why Councillors Watson and Aurelia were at opposite ends of the line.
"We would now like to call a special guest to center stage," said Councillor Evelina. She was the image of poise and grace - the tension between the unruly elders hadn't even caused her to blink.
-----"In spite of the excitement, it's important to remember that our recruits are still young. We have chosen a commander for them," continued Oakley calmly, "who will provide them with guidance and support."
-----"We welcome Atlanta Hunter for her introductory speech," said the High Councillor, "and the naming of the squad which stands before us today."
-----The stage lights dimmed, save for a faint row that shone on the still-bleeding recruits, and a single brilliant beam that followed a tall woman across the stage. Atlanta's thick brown hair wasn't in its regular ponytail for once - it flowed over her broad shoulders in slight waves as she made her way to the front. She wore a genuine smile as she took her place.
-----Atlanta's stormy grey eyes swept the crowd, taking in the sheer size of it before she began. "Ah, I'm glad so many of you could make it. Though today's an important day in the history of the Uprising, it's also an important day for these fourteen. I'm proud of how far they've come - I've had the privilege of witnessing, firsthand, the sheer potential of these young women and men. The incredible strength of Jennifer, Arys, and Apollo; the undying determination of Lanette, Naevys, Aphrodite and Caleb; the sharp intelligence of Sabine, Leonardo, Gavotte and Cujo; and the bright spirits of Eris, Emma, and Ardai. It's been an honor to train them, and to train with them. And now I've been given the greatest honor of all. To lead them."
-----Although she stood straight, her head was lowered in respect and not raised high in arrogance. "However, my role as commander is not simply to command. These men and women are independent, and I imagine giving orders like a drill sergeant would not go over well." A warm chuckle escaped her. "I will not make all the decisions for them - but I will temper their decisions with advice and reason. In the end, as Councillor Oakley kindly put it, I'm here to guide and support my squad. I'll be here for them the whole way. Together, no matter what we must face, we will rise to bring hope to Delra. To honor that promise, I give us the name of the Phoenix Squad."
-----No sooner had the words passed the new commander's lips than the crowd burst into deafening cheers. It took a long minute for them to calm down reasonably enough for the High Councillor to speak. When the screams had mostly faded, Senegal waved her hand and the commander stepped back into the space between Lanette and Leo, taking her place alongside her squad.
-----"Before we end here today, we'd like to give the Phoenix Squad a chance to speak. Any recruits who would like to say something, feel free," said Councillor Aurelia, who then narrowed her eyes. "As long as it is appropriate."

(Lanette, Gavotte and Ardai will be in my next post.)

[passione]

➵ ＮＡＥＶＹＳ ＸＹＲＣＡＮ
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male ● eighteen ● telekinesis ● on stage ● tagged - all on stage


naevys really didn’t like blood. he didn’t feel weak in the knees looking at it and the idea of it didn’t make him queasy, but the way the stream running down his face was drying and getting caked onto his skin was not pleasant in the slightest. furrowing his brows only made it crack and flake off, further ruining his sweater.

he didn’t listen too intently to the rest of the speech, disregarding nothing but councillor watson’s slightly violent remark. he was funny the first time but this was starting to get ridiculous. naevys smiled when commander atlanta was called onto the stage. she was the very woman who reminded him that his injury didn’t define him. that he wasn’t perfect, but he could always continue to grow stronger.

back when naevys hadn’t given up on trying to train his legs, commander atlanta ran alongside him. they were both slow, but they could be slow together. from her, naevys also learned how to speak his mind. he was quiet back then, almost just as quiet as now, but he didn’t know true bravery until he met her.

when atlanta’s speech was over and the opportunity for the recruits to speak arose, naevys stepped up. this wasn’t an irrational decision to spite apollo much like the door incident. he was calm. and it’s not like naevys would ever have a chance like this again.

“initially, i had no intentions of saying anything. i don’t have any trouble with words, i just don’t like talking very much. anyway. my name is naevys. i didn’t choose to be a part of the phoenix squad, or a part of delra’s hope. my peers would tell you that i would much rather be reading somewhere. away from people.

“i was fortunate enough to be born, let alone be born with the ability to develop my power. i’m here because of my brothers. quite literally. not only are they my backbone and my inspiration, but they’re also the reason mom said “i want a third child”. that joke was in bad taste, but the three of us have faced it. together. ryker, evren. wave.“

with a grin plastered on his face, evren jumps up and down, waving frantically to his brother on stage. ryker keeps him steady with a hand on his shoulder and the other raised in the air.

naevys cracks a smile. “i love you, guys.”

“we love you too, baby!” evren yells, not even a hint of shame in his voice. just joy.

“if i could choose to lead the life i wanted, i would be the emperor or a scholar. but we can’t get everything we want. it’s the reality of life and it’s why this uprising exists. like all of you, i am tired of being belittled— looked down upon because i am weak, or appear to be. as a part of the phoenix squad, i swear to you that no one will look down on us again. not for our status. our lack of powers. not even because they look down on themselves,” naevys alluded to apollo and the conversation from earlier.

“no one deserves to feel like dirt. everyone deserves a chance to see the stars. and while there’s no guarantee we will succeed, we have a better chance now than ever before.”

i’m going to save delra.