this is Salem, a land filled with magic and maladies. It is a place where witches and their elemental familiars gather, a home to legend and
lore that predates time itself. Yet of all the wicked and wonderful stories the past can tell us of, the most magical are the ones yet to happen.
This is Salem - this is the start of your very own journey. Welcome to starfall
Starfall is an animaga witch roleplay set in mostly modern times. Members play as witches in a world plagued by monsters, where the only safe spots are walled cities. Starfall strives to be a character-driven roleplay with expansive lore and a highly interactive plotline. We want to allow members to
create and look back on a magical journey, and mold the site and its plot as their characters grow.
Over the course of the night and into the morning, artists had taken to the Shatterglass stage and given shape to the colors which had been thrown there haphazardly the day before. Greens, purples, yellows, and reds turned into action-filled amalgamation of dragons, eyes, flowers with teeth, and anything else the artists could pull out of the chaos. There was a sort of cohesiveness in the final design, despite the images and styles being wildly dissimilar to each other. [break][break] There is an announcer, using a magical voice amplifier to hype up the crowd and introduce the next few performances. Impossibly, her bright red dress manages to stand out against the colors surrounding her. More impossibly, she is quickly forgotten when the first act steps onto the stage. [break][break] The vocalist spins her first notes, and the air itself bursts into life.
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[attr="class","stafftemptitle"] ooc notes
Welcome to day 5 of saturnalia! There will be no staff updates in this thread until the very end on november 9th, so feel free to post with full creative freedom! For more detailed lore about this day, and the entire saturnalia event, visit the overall thread here.
[break][break]This thread is not death nor injury enabled and anyone can join! Posting 4 times or more in this thread will count as a completed event thread for day 5 of saturnalia.
[attr="class","junescroll"] he should've taken a position at the edge of the crowd, he thinks in retrospect. there are other security positions a little further from the chaos of it all; should've swapped with jones when he had the chance. as it stands, he is located closer than he would like to the main stage, nursing a headache that is only just beginning to fade. one doesn't quite note the pervasiveness of magic in every nook and cranny of everyday life -- and even worse, at events -- until there's a spell that helpfully highlights each and every instance of it. thankfully, he's thought to disable it before the show begins proper. it is only marginally better than a hangover. no nausea, which he is grateful for.[break][break]
arms crossed against his chest, eyes watchful, he settles against a nearby wall. the drones float silently above the front of the crowd, watchful for any potential disturbances. not that he suspects anything will happen -- the weird stuff, as far as he's concerned, has already happened. namely, the newest additions ( temporary as they may be ) to the rothscus house: two new and strange children who have yet to speak a word. the poor kids had certainly gone through a rough patch. oh, well. aeris will be fine with them. he'll check on them later, and further consider that magic map. there's some investigation he wants to do.[break][break]
for now, though, he's got a job to do. adjusting his position against the wall, trying to get as comfortable as one can get when working security. he faces the crowd, not the stage, but really --- who's to say he isn't watching the concert as well? one of the drones tilts slightly towards the stage, and the scene plays out on the invisible interface.
Post by raven delacroix on Oct 31, 2019 4:46:50 GMT
The scene is hardly news to Raven. She's learned to drown out the noise for now. Her team centers around her, doing all things at once--preparing her dress, doing her hair, her face, and her nails. Raven sits still with eyes closed. The feel of the brush against her cheeks, matte on her lips and powdered pigment on her eyelids is strangely comfortable. She feels the star glitter being put beside her left eyes--her trademark. She opens her eyes and sees herself dolled up. She smiles lightly.
Dazzling as always.
Today she's performing two of her most popular solos. She has memorized the dance steps to the heart. She has the notes perfected from the countless times of performing said songs. Her heart is hardly beating erratically. Raven has long past that point. Today is just her third time of being invited to the Shatterglass Concert. Today, she is just doing her job.
By this time the third performer is already up. When her hair and make-up is done, Raven decides to catch fresh air for a little bit. Upon stepping out backstage, she is greeted with familiar faces--performers like her she knows all too well. That's right, this is her comfort zone.
She tries to distance herself from the crowd of performers backstage, and an even larger crowd of spectators and fans watching the stage. There's hardly any place to go, though. Still, Raven keeps going, trying to find a comfortable spot for her to while away the hours remaining.
Post by saskia burovski on Nov 6, 2019 9:54:14 GMT
[googlefont=Spectral]
SHE IS BUOYED BY SUNLIGHT, a lightness to her steps and flowers woven into her hair. she wears her crown crooked like the grin on her lips, sideways and soft at the edges. there is magic that thrums gently under her skin, settling gentle over her bones like a gauzy blanket. luci is hidden, for now, her silent guardian watchful within. it is alright, though — she is hardly alone.
no, she is with a friend, though she is blissfully ignorant towards any feelings he may hold for her. that is how she works, you see — there is a rosiness to her eyes and she colours the whole world pink with it, deliberate and careful, because her teeth are not sharp unless the situation files them to points. saskia, in the moment, is only a girl at a concert, her eyes sparkling and her laughter like stardust and her enthusiasm uncurbed by the fact that she knows less than half of the lyrics.
"have you been to one of these before, corvus?" she says, though she does not look at him. saskia is busy standing on the tips of her toes, her slight stature giving her a disadvantage in the crowd. there is a hum that interrupts her every once in a while, like the melody of the performers has worked its way into her voice and attempts to leap out every so often. "it's my first time here — i didn't realise it'd be so busy!"
she is reaching for him, now, not quite aiming to grab, but beckoning, follow me."c'mon, i'm sure we can find a better spot over here, where people aren't so tall!"
[attr="class","s1lyrics1"]constellation of tears on your lashes
[attr="class","s1lyrics2"]burn everything you love then burn the ashes
[attr="class","s1write"]
[attr="class","s1scroll"]
Butterfly flutters make his stomach hum and his chest fill with an intense pressure. His heart is beating almost as quickly at the music, if not ten times faster. The concert is in full swing and he finds himself barely able to focus. Not with Saskia around. He could never focus when she was around. The thought of her had wracked his poor body with so many emotions before once again settling into this. Sweaty palms, shaky knees, a hot neck. He couldn’t help it. He knew better, he knew he needed to stop, but being near her was infectious. Being acknowledged was intoxicating. It his him like a daze, and he was unable to stop himself from following with the whims of one excitable redhead. When she’d mentioned the concert, he’d leapt at the chance, rationalizing that he was more excited about going to a concert. He sill couldn’t stop lying to himself, and Philippe was silent, but that connection was static, fill to the brim with simmering irritation of being unable to stop Corvus from hurting himself again. She was so bright to him, but she might as well have been a flame, and Corvus an idiot moth about to get singed. [break][break]
“Never!” he returned, a broad grin cramping him dimples. His eyes dart from her to the musician’s on stage. “I heard this is the one time of year musicians from all genres gather in one place.” He added as the artist’s notes blasted at the crowd. Corvus doesn’t hesitate when she moves, trailing after her. “If all else fails, you can always stand on me.” If his magic was worth anything, it would be in assisting this girl he was irrationally infatuated with. Whether or not he was mistaking admiration with infatuation he didn’t know, but he felt strongly, and he wanted to help. He wanted to be a little useful. “Maybe Philippe can probably get us a little height on one of these buildings." It’d be farther away, sure, but that’s what the athenaeum screens were for. Hell, he could barely see the performer without the screens now.
[attr="class","j1scroll"] Rogue is insistent on coming to the Shatterglass Concert; at first, she did not want to go, as she still has a wounded leg (albeit supposed to be healed already as it has been five or six whole days in rest, pointed out her familiar), but because of his constant nagging and pleading, she decided it was worth a try.
[break][break]Once she arrives, she is greeted by the noisy crowds, people talking among themselves. Of course she should have expected that. Rogue is perched on her lap, and upon turning her head a smile is pasted on the cat's face, bright as day. For one, she wonders why Rogue is suddenly feeling like this. She thought he found concerts boring... ah, she still has so much to learn about Rogue, she realizes.
[break][break]"Rogue, that is the biggest smile I have ever seen from you in my entire life." She chuckles at this statement, suddenly finding it funny. The feline wags his tail melodically and simply grins, chin upward and eyes still affixed to the stage in front of him.
[break][break]Laugh at me all you want, Emery, He begins, a slight huff in his voice though it is not presented in a demeaning manner, But don't you know that the Shatterglass Concert is always filled to the brim with spectacular performances? I've been awaiting for this day to come, Emery, where I can finally see sch concert in action. Aren't you glad you are able to come?
[break][break]Rogue is clearly invested in this, Emery thinks to herself. Oh well, she does not want to spoil his mood. "I'm glad enough that you're enjoying yourself. Even though the concert hasn't started yet at all." She states, smirking at the feline. He nods back in response, and with that conversation finished, both await for the concert to start.
[attr="class","gearcore"] Last night still felt a bit removed from his life's continuity, probably from the unexpected emotional whiplash. After the paint war, Ox had stashed away the airship and gated back to the Rothscus house to clean the paint out of his joints. When he returned, he immediately asked Zephyr why he'd never mentioned his younger siblings (which was weird, of course, because to Zephyr's knowledge he didn't have any younger siblings). The confusion was mostly resolved when he checked the house himself, did indeed find two children staring out into space in his old room, and eventually got the vague second-hand story of what happened from Aeris. Of course Mads would stick his nose in something shady and get a couple of braindead kids out of it...
All things considered, he slept alright for the remainder of the night.
The following day was Mirrorlight's big concert, which Zephyr was absolutely going to, partly for the food and partly to witness the sleep-deprived, alcohol-induced, deindividuation-enabled antics of the people who'd partied the whole night prior. And now, also, partly to annoy his older brother about adopting some kids on a whim.
It didn't take long to find him -- Mads was just a bit taller than most of the crowd, and one of the few people facing the audience rather than the show. "Maddoximus Rothscus," Zeph mock-scolds after he's close enough to be heard, "Why didn't ya' tell me I got a niece n' nephew yesterday?" He's wearing a mischievous grin, though that could very well be from that fact that Sprocket's nowhere to be seen on his person (always a highly suspect situation) as much as it is from the light teasing.
[attr="class","junescroll"] his attention flicks back and forth between the extravagant performances on the stage, and the enthusiastic chaos of the crowd. there's a blankness to his expression that comes with focusing on several things at once, an uncharacteristic neutrality that surfaces only at jobs like this. still, it only lasts until a familiar voice cuts across his attention, and his gaze slips sideways, the drones swivelling to confirm that that is, indeed, zephyr, calling out a playful butchery of his name. not that he minds.[break][break]
his grin is crooked. "oh, you know," he says, waving his hand vaguely. "big fan of surprises, me." zephyr's reaction is still, at least, far more tolerable than his father's. aeris had truly been in a very genuine, well-intentioned mission to foist off as much parenting advice onto maddox as possible, despite his own very earnest protests that no, dad, these are neither mine nor do i intend to keep them.[break][break]
"couldn't exactly leave them there." he offers a helpless shrug. "they'll stay until i figure something out. plus! it'll give aeris something to do that isn't just worrying over us, huh?" there's a cheeky, brotherly shoulder bump that punctuates his words ; he's well aware of how their antics are a constant source of worry for aeris, and if he had the capacity to properly slow down and reflect on recent activities, he might properly see why --- but he's never quite been one for deliberate introspection. rather, thoughts along that vein tend to sneak up on him and whack him upside the head when he's least expecting it.
Post by kasimir burovski ✨ on Nov 11, 2019 5:36:04 GMT
[nospaces]
[attr="class","ashni-frame"]
[attr="class","ashni-stars"] ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩
[attr="class","ashni-textbox"]it is strange being at a concert, a performance, without any mission or underlying purpose attached. stranger still is being on-stage himself, a performer rather than an observer. or, 'performer' in a given sense of the word — he is merely here to provide accompanying visuals to a silvertongue singer.[break][break]
the fledgling in question had tracked him down and asked him, earnest and wide-eyed and sincere, if kasimir could provide some fire and illusion backing for his shatterglass performance, please sir this is very important to me, i'll owe you forever— [break][break]
he had caved, very quickly. kirjava still has yet to stop laughing at him. [break][break]
and that is how his life choices had lead to here, on this stage ( though thankfully mostly hidden behind some very convenient curtains ), where he is readying his magic for something he has absolutely no skill in. he really does not want to let that fledgling down — though really, her faith in him is very, very much misplaced. [break][break]
the first notes of her spellsong ring out high and clear, and he has no more time to think. spectral flames flicker onstage, eerily green to match the singer's haunting melody; then, her song shifts to something bolder, stronger, fierce and defiant— and kirjava adds real fire to the stage, birthing a phoenix to swoop around the stage. kasimir lets the spectral flames grow higher, wilder, summoning shadowy figures to dance between tongues of fire in each beat of the song, only to vanish in the next second as if they were cast from the fire and returned therein. between himself, kirjava, and the spellsinger's voice, there are few eyes not turned their way.[break][break]
it ends in triumph, with a cry, with a shout— green fire flares up and up and up like geysers and the phoenix ascends; it ends like a battle won, to the phoenix leaping off stage and screaming into the sky, exploding in a dazzle of sparks that die out before they hit the crowd. [break][break]
it ends, and it is glorious, and kasimir never wants to do it again, fledgling begging or not.
Post by heath ambroise on Nov 11, 2019 6:54:03 GMT
Saturnalia brings about many journalistic opportunities, with the biggest one truly being Shatterglass Concert. Celebrities and performers alike all gathered in Mirrorlight. Him and his coworkers were all staked out, taking turns and moving with ease with their coveted Press Passes. The stories wrote themselves, with witches everywhere eager to eat up anything from their favorite star. And stars there were many. The concert was in full swing and he eyed an acquaintance on stage and gave a quick wave and a cheer for good luck before moving on. The pinkette circled by the crowd’s edge, having already for the most part, gotten notes on his assigned performer and his article already written up in his head.
He could take it easy, relax, maybe get a snack. His eyes looked around lazily more in search of someone handsome to flitter away his time with than anything else. He’d been working so much. The office had been a flurry of activity lately and he was tired. Perhaps he would try to catch up with the redhead, and bring him a snack for his hard work. He didn’t know him that well, but after that kind of act he deserved something.
With that in mind, Heath managed to move through the throng of people and towards a food truck. The smell of caramel popcorn and salt luring him close. He purchased a couple of bags before making his way back. But not before spotting something bright sitting in the shadows. He did a double take before moving over closely, his previous objective forgotten. She looked a little different, done up and glamorous no doubt, but he recognized the small frame and the long fair hair. “Is that…is that you Miss Raven…?” he asked gently pulling the name from memory after a long stare. He recalled he hadn’t liked her that much, but he found it odd she was out here in the first place. “Shouldn’t you be in your green room preparing for the next act?” he added as he popped a few kernels into his mouth.
She's alone at the concert, but that doesn't matter! Because the only thing that really matters to her right now is the awe-inspiring performances on stage, the cacophony of music and colours and sounds dazzling her like stars would an elf. She watches, open-mouthed, as spellsinger after spellsinger weaves their magic, dancers pouring their heart out in their leaps and turns, musicians lighting the world on fire with their instruments, illusionists weaving scenes of glory across the sky -- everything, everything strikes something in her that makes her want to shout and laugh and applaud.
And she does, because that's what people do at concerts, caught up in the same infectious glee as the people around her. Strangers, all of them, sharing a hivemind created by mutatual experience -- she loves it, loves it so much.
( The only thing is, she wishes she was just a little bit taller, just enough so she doesn't feel like she's drowning in a sea of limbs, y'know? Her growth spurt better be coming soon -- she doesn't have too many years of puberty left! )
[attr="class","j1scroll"] She is one of those who applaud as each performance is finished; the presentations are so stunning, and Emery could not help but agree once more to what Rogue had said. She is glad to have come to the Shatterglass Concert today, though she does not admit that in front of Rogue, who is constantly chiding her about how he is right to have urged her to come. It's no secret in her face, though. She does not regret being in the concert.
[break][break]Emery is at an advantage in terms of height; she is rather tall, one of the giants in the concert, and she is able to see everything properly. The crown of fire is placed on her head, only accenting the gold of her hair in the darkness. She advances towards the crowd, not to close but not too far either. She does not want to be on the far end of the line.
[break][break]It is sometimes a disadvantage to be tall, however, as she would not know which short person she had bumped into without warning. She does not like stepping on other people with a shorter height. And so she flashes an apologetic smile at the rather young and short woman she happens to bump through in the crowd. Short, certainly, but rather pretty, her brown hair adorned in a braid.
[break][break]"...I apologize," She says to her, looking down as she has no choice for the matter. "I did not happen to get in the way of your sight-seeing, did I?"
[attr="class","cclyrics"]bite my tongue bide my time
[attr="class","ccicon"]
[attr="class","cccontent"]
[attr="class","ccscroll"]if she is in any way daunted by the way a good amount of the crowd rises far above her, she does not show it. "they've got a great selection," she agrees with no shortage of enthusiasm, though frankly, her inexperience means that she has no coherent standard with which she can judge this year's ensemble. not that it matters, anyway. the performers look like they're having fun, and that is all that matters.[break][break]
there is a laugh that flutters free of her chest, high and bell-like at corvus' suggestion. "it should be alright! i think luci should be tall enough!" the challenge now, however, is that of finding an adequate space to summon the bear. saskia doesn't want to surprise people by dropping an entire bear on top of them — what an odd twist to a performance it would be. imagine that : you're singing, dancing, enjoying yourself with some of your pals and then, bam! there's a bear.[break][break]
"excuse me— sorry! my bad! 'scuse—" she wriggles her way free of a particularly crowded section of the crowd and looks back to check on corvus. he's a decently strong witch himself, she's pretty sure that a crowd of happy people aren't going to pose any significant problem, really, but it doesn't hurt to check. there is just enough space to summon her familiar. with a snap of her fingers, luci is here, and saskia clambers atop the bear's broad shoulders to better view the stage. [break][break]
"up here, corvus!" she leans down, extending her hand towards him to pull him up onto the familiar as well. luci obligingly braces for the increased weight. it is hardly a challenge for her, regardless.[break][break]
on stage, the flames dance in impossible leaps, and saskia knows their puppeteer. there is the barest hint of red that peeks out from behind a stage curtain, and she makes sure to point it out to corvus. with the angle that they currently sit at, they'd probably need to squint to make out any details. still, her memory supplies it readily enough. "see the guy in the back?" amusement dances in her eyes. "that's my brother — he's doing all the really cool fire things!"
[attr="class","gearcore"] Zeph lets out a snort of amusement at Mads' reply. Surprises were very rarely kind to the two of them, and Aeris was all too aware of their eagerness to leap into uncharted waters. "I think you'll need t' turn the house into a full-blown orphanage b'fore he's distracted enough to stop worryin' 'bout us," is his lighthearted retort. Were they not in the middle of a crowd of many ears, he might have mentioned that stealing children from a human trafficking ring was probably not the way to help their dad worry any less.
The stage suddenly alights in flames of green, and Zephyr's gaze flicks towards it as a knee-jerk reaction he hadn't managed to fully break. At least -- they look like flames. He'd never been terribly good at differentiating the illusion of fire from real fire, though he supposes that was the whole point of illusions in the first place. Out of curiosity, he sends out some drones from his interface, making them invisible to the audience as to not distract from the show. If the pyrotechnics are this grand, it's probably a whole team of witches or someone recognizable casting the spells behind the scenes. The flames are suddenly accompanied by a phoenix, much akin to the one he'd seen on a certain train heist, and in that same moment his drones zip close enough to the stage to confirm the witch behind the curtain.
" 'Ey, I didn't know Sirius was doin' pyrotechnics now -- didn't think big crowds were his scene," he says, offering a nod towards the stage. His tone isn't as enthusiastic as it could have been, and, had it been even a week prior, Zephyr would have just grimaced instead of mentioning it at all. Had it been two weeks prior, he would have likely snuck backstage just to punch the guy. As it turns out, sometimes the process of trying to explain emotions to a newly made robot helps a person realize that it isn't quite fair to resent someone for things they did while mind-controlled. After a beat of debating if he should say more, he asks: "Have ya talked to him yet?"
[attr="class","s1lyrics1"]constellation of tears on your lashes
[attr="class","s1lyrics2"]burn everything you love then burn the ashes
[attr="class","s1write"]
[attr="class","s1scroll"]
Corvus couldn’t say he had a very specific taste in music. He gravitated to things that were energizing and happy. If it gave him energy to move around, it was good enough. Pop was too broad, maybe more so funky cycling music. Yeah, that was nice. And while not everything was exactly that, he appreciated this pop stage for what it was. Saskia’s laugh somehow cuts through the roar of the concert and shakes him to the core and he smiled nervously as she jokingly rebutted his suggestion. He’s not mad, but she doesn’t seem to realize he was very much willing to let the girl use him like a step stool if she fancied. “L-Luci?” he echoed following her lead. He seemed to have an easier time slipping through, sliding in front and behind people to get around. It wasn’t as direct as Saskia, but he was in constant motion and that felt better than trying to push through hoards of people. [break][break]
He makes it as Luci materializes into existence. The imposing animal and her intimidating demeanor contrast with Saskia but further fuel his admiration of her. Familiars were believed to be aspects of a witch’s soul right. Somewhere, underneath all the sunshine and smiles Saskia was powerful. He wanted to be like that one day. “H-Hello Luci!” he greeted before looking up at the redhead’s hand. There hesitations and before he clambers up with Saskia’s help be dusts off the souls of his shoes and checks if there’s anything sticky on them. “Sorry Luci!” he apologized as he clung to Saskia while he settled on the familiar. [break][break]
He caught the last of the performance on stage, clapping along with the rest of the crowd as cheer and shouts went up. “Huh? Oh yeah-” He squinted as Saskia spoke. Realization hit as the girl spoke of her sibling and the witch seemed to brighten up with new energy as he waved at the poor illusionist. “kasimir burovski ✨ !! Hey!! It’s Corvus!!” he shouted, having missed his pseudo mentor after so long. After he thought Kasimir noticed them he turned back to Saskia, staring for a moment at her before glancing back at Kasimir and back again. You know, they did have the same bright red hair. “Really? I- I never noticed! I didn’t know he had siblings.” He said surprised at the turn of events. “I guess being good with magic runs in the family.” He added. At any other point in his life the comment would’ve been resentful, laced with bitter jealousy for his peers. Tonight however, he sounded genuine, awe inspired that one of his favorite people was related to one of his other favorite people in the coven. He nodded at the other witch. “We got to go on a mission together and I tried to get him to teach me some fire tricks since we share an element.” He added. Kasi’s guidance, the little it had been, had offered a bit is comfort to the young witch who didn’t see the benefits of his magic fully.
