BROKEN CROWN | MEETING 5.27

[BASTILLEPAW]

He wasn’t ready for this. He wasn’t ready to care, wasn’t ready for the sharp, vicious pain of loss. Bastille hadn’t truly cared for a single person — including himself — for his entire life, and the Ascendants had thawed something in him without him even realizing it. Losing Starry took him by surprise, and he was a wreck in the aftermath, struggling under the grief and the sudden weight of being forced into the last position he had ever wanted. Hell, Bastille didn’t want any position, and yet here he was. Forced here in the worst of circumstances. They were all fucking doomed, and it was going to be his fault, inevitably.

It didn’t escape his notice that it was Sunday, which was meeting day. In his fog of misery, that one fact had been eating at him; he’d been refusing to accept reality for days, pretending that if he didn’t acknowledge it that it wouldn’t be true, but he would hate himself even more if he put off a meeting. He couldn’t start letting Starry down already, and so it was with a sour taste in his mouth that he stalked to the Seraph’s spot bitterly. It all felt so fucking wrong, and it was such an acute nightmare of his that he kept thinking that maybe, maybe he would just fucking wake up any moment now. After a brief pause when he didn’t suddenly jolt awake, he forced himself to take a breath, to silence the horrible turmoil in his gut.

He looked like death, and his voice was flat and apathetic as he spoke lowly, ”Meeting time and shit. Get over here or get caught up later.” He swallowed, and there was a waver in that steady tone as he continued, ”As I’m sure you’re all aware, we said goodbye to Starrynight this week. We host his memorial today, after the meeting. I guess we should invite our neutrals or some shit, so if someone wants to go give word to them once it’s up, cool.” The former leader’s pendant hung heavily around his neck, and felt all the heavier as he thought about the concept of being forced to say goodbye again. Nevertheless, he forced himself to carry on, ”Unfortunately, he left you lot with me, so... I guess we’ll see how long it takes for the Observatory burn down.”

Bastille probably would have said it with a grin under any normal circumstances, but here it fell flat, his brief smile a sarcastic one before he moved on. He wanted to get this shit over with, thanks. ”Right. So... Newcomers this week. You lot came at a shitty time, so, you know, sorry if it’s been weird. Not much we can do about that, losing our leader and all, but welcome anyway. That’s, uh, Wren, Illumi, Rosegarden, Fourteen, and Brigitte. Did Bobble and Zjarr end up sticking around? Whatever, welcome if you did.” Hell, half of them probably didn’t even know who the fuck he was prior to this meeting, if only because Bast refused to introduce himself accordingly to strangers.

Not nearly as warm and fuzzy as Starry, but he wasn’t anything as much as Starry. Bast took a moment to double check that he got everyone before he went on. ”So, those of you newcomers will need to find your meteorite shards in the Starpool so that was can make your pendants. We can, uh, set up a little group trip for you guys to go together or something this week. Or just go on your own. Just make sure you bring Roy or I your shard so that we can make your pendant sometime in the next few days until we get more blacksmiths. Good? Good.”

A pause. Then, ”Immy’s demoted, warned last week; haven’t seen you, dude. No word from Rad after her notice ended — consider this your warning. Uh, everyone’s been pretty fucking sluggish this week (from final) after Starry’s death, so we’re just gonna put off promotions until shit feels vaguely more normal.” Not that if ever would with Bastille as Seraph, but it’s the thought that counts. Except for when your thoughts don’t manage to save your leader. Then they’re worthless. There was a pause, before he added, ”If anyone wants to host weekly tasks this week, speak up. If not, I’ll get them up in a bit.”

Silence for a moment as Bastille just looked at them, feeling exhausted now that the hell was over. He hated this, and it was likely obvious. He shifted slightly, and felt Starry’s pendant clink against his French coin as he said, ”Uh, right. That’s it, I think.”

[ tl;dr
— starry’s death, there will be a memorial thread posted today & we will need someone to take the link/invite to neutrals and/or just notify them of leadership change
— welcome newcomers! pls make a thread finding your meteorite shard this week and/or look out for a group visit to find shards in a few days
— immortalhd demoted, rad warned
— no promos this week bc it’s been slow with schools getting out
— if someone wants to host weekly tasks this week lmk ]

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the ascendants — astral seraph — tags

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[Suiteheart]

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Meeting time. There was something so incredibly haunting about that. As she came to a halt in the Grand Circle, her mind tried desperately to place Starrynight atop everyone on the staircase. Her head and heart wanted so badly to see their friend of starlight, but he was gone. Gone. Gone. His inner star had finally collapsed after his fall. He had ultimately become a black hole after his demise, and it was taking down most everyone with it. The light had all but faded completely.

Dull baby blue eyes watched Bastille climb into Starrynight's usual place. Her entire being was weary. Her fur was slightly unkempt, and it appeared as if she were running on fumes. She had stayed up countless hours the last few days, mind too occupied on the state Bastille was in to be concerned with herself. He was waltzing down a self destructive path, and she was trying extremely hard to veer him off course. To no avail, she was sure, but at least she was doing something.

She offered the gray feline and nod and a gentle smile of reassurance as he began. She remained silent as he recounted Starrynight's death, and she found herself unable to focus on anything but her paws. She could hear and understand his words, but she could not look at the grief upon his face; it killed her soul. "I can go," Suiteheart offered, lifting her head finally. Ah, here she was again, off to deliver terrible news. She let an inaudible sigh escape her.

The white feline continued listening, taking note of his hollow smile. There was nothing within it that made it feel real, and God, she so badly wished she was still able to manipulate the emotions of others. Maybe then she could offer her boy some sort of relief. Her mind wandered from this topic to that of all the newcomers. There was a ton... Wow, their little Clan was ever-growing, huh? "Don't forget Neferpitou and Vincet," she said in a gentle tone. The odd duo had joined not too long ago, she remembered. It had been just after everything awful transpired. "Welcome, everyone."

Suiteheart fell silent again as Bast spoke of pendant making, their new little tradition. She wished Starrynight were here to witness it taking off, and with dismay, she realized he would never be able to. She hoped that, somewhere, he was perhaps looking down upon them from the heavens, but she wasn't sure. Maybe it was just wishful thinking. She dismissed these thoughts as he continued with a demotion and a warning. She thought both things were rightly given out. And she made a mental note to do better herself as she had been slacking the previous week.

"If someone who hasn't done weekly tasks before would like to, be my guest, but if no one else wants to, I can," she commented after he finished. As he concluded the meeting, however, she would nod. Nothing further the Cosmic General supposed.

[BASTILLEPAW]

He wasn’t surprised that Suite offered, because Suite always offered. She too had wanted to establish ambassadors and she often acted as one, regardless of official installment. What did surprise him was her correction, and he scowled. How the fuck had he missed someone? Bastille never forgot names, and he been there when they joined. Fuck, he must be really, really off that morning. ”Yeah, fuck, sorry. Welcome again, you too.” Jesus. Bastille was really kicking off his start to fucking everything up early, wasn’t he?

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the ascendants — astral seraph — tags

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[Margaery]

[color=#b14767] ❁  ❁  ❁

The chocolate point would arrive silently, delicate features twisted into a frown as she took her usual place at Suiteheart's side. Gray eyes would fall upon Bastillepaw and instantly spark with concern, the sadness that already seemed to contort her features deepening. He... looked like a mess - a haunted, grieving mess - and she wanted nothing more than to comfort him, console him. Would he want that from her? Or would he reject her? She feared the latter but not as much as she feared for him. To suffer alone was a terrible thing that only permitted the wound to fester. He knew that right? Right?

Inhaling a deep breath, Margaery would angle her ears forward and listen, forcing herself not to contemplate Bast's state any long lest she make a comment about it. [color=#b14767]"I can also go," She added quietly. Perhaps it was better to go in pairs... travelling could be dangerous and though she didn't doubt her wife's combative skills, she'd feel more at ease were she to accompany her. She supposed that all led back to the fact that Suite was once more a feline and she... she didn't want to lose that again.

She resumed her silence after offering such, idly checking the crowd for the newcomers but not offering a word of greeting. Her mind was too heavy to do anything of that sort. She at least hoped they were finding the Ascendants to be... okay... given the circumstances, of course. They had all arrived at a rather bad time but they had all seemed nice enough. Margaery made a mental note to check up on them after this concluded and when everything was, well, better.

[color=#b14767]"I can host weekly tasks," She extended. It had been a while since Margaery had assigned her clanmates tasks anyways. She'd figure it would be a good opportunity for her to get her mind (and everyone else's minds, for that matter) off of the death that loomed so heavily in the air.

Pressing against Suite, the chocolate point would close her eyes for a brief moment, another sigh falling from her lips.

[Character Graveyard.]

LUNAFREYA N.F.

✯ — take these broken wings and learn to fly

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Starry's death had been unexpected and a lot of her Clanmates had seemed to grieve in silence. Luna, herself, was a wreck. Her normally-groomed pelt was spiked up and tangled and her usually sky-blue eyes were dull and lines had formed beneath them.

The white-serval had slowly crept to the spot she always sat for the meetings, a wary frown on her facial features as she listened to Bastille speak. She knew he would make a good leader, even if he didn't think the same. "Noted." Luna said softly.

space

✯ — Luna. The Ascedants. Easy. — ✯

#psychosocial.

[Luciferr]

[Cutebunny50]

Rosegarden

The Ascendants — Observer — HOVER FOR TAGS

[div style="background-color: #292727; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; overflow: auto; width: 500px; height: 340px; padding: 10px;"]"Noted." The word would come out as nothing but a sigh from her lips.
  Usually she tried to be cheerful and happy, but immediately being greeted with this situation upon joining a clan (something she had thought would probably be "fun"?).
  Well, she had come at a terrible time indeed. But it was definitely testing her fortitude-- that's what it was doing! It was certainly a sad time for everyone, but Rosegarden wanted to look at this a little more optimistically! It wasn't like she was so simple as to naively think everyone could be happy with no problems whatsoever (even if she was a naive cat), but still... During dark times, optimism was a virtue, probably!
  So she had to find meteorites as part of a ritual, right? She was looking forward to that!
  And everyone was volunteering for different tasks. She wanted to be of help, but for the time being, it looked like all the jobs were taken up.
  No matter, though! She would try to help in a different way! She would definitely let those who wanted to to mourn, but for anyone who wanted to be distracted? She would happily try to put a smile on their face! 
  Flicking her ears, the russet-furred feline promised this to herself. 
 

#psychosocial.

[★ HAZEL]

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★  WHEN MY HEART IS MADE FROM GOLD AND FORGIVENESS SEEMS TOO BOLD

Hazel was just the slightest bit lost. Since Starry’s passing, the clan was dragging, pulling this invisible weight that everybody could see but was unable to get rid of. Some bore heavier weights than others, the grief clinging to them so heavily that they looked like they might collapse. They wore it bravely; they kept walking and tried talking, kept moving through the motions like an actor reading from a script. She wasn’t as bogged down as some, and felt the shift in mood in full rather than with the detachment. It was sudden and infectious, seeping into her skin and curling around her bones, tugging at the happiness she tried so hard to hold on to.

Hazel knew full well that Bastille carried around Starry’s pendant; she could hear it clinking against that coin he always wore. It took away the unsettling ability he had to just appear without prior notice, and she wasn’t sure if it was odd or not that she could hear him coming. She wondered what else he carried with that pendant, because it wasn’t just the little metal pieces dangling from the chain that pulled his head down.

She’d known from the moment she met him that he was capable of great leadership. It was intimidating and imminently fascinating, and it hadn’t taken long before it had captured a large portion of Hazel’s curiosity. It was obvious to her that he didn’t want the skill he so clearly possessed, despite having risen to the occasion anyway. It was almost like he split himself in two between his position in the clan and the boy he was supposed to be. Hazel saw a different side of him when they were alone; when there was no one around to expect anything from him but a story. Everything about him would be softer, from the tight line of his shoulders to the tone of voice he took on when he opened the cover of the book they were reading. He would look…alive when he read, like it brought a special sort of pleasure that nothing else could. Hazel missed that. He was avoiding her now - again - and she didn’t really know what to do with herself. 

Now, she didn’t know what to make of him. He was radiating the quiet, trigger-sensitive power that he always did, but this was more...radioactive. More unstable. The glass around his red button was rapidly breaking, and he looked like he wanted to be anywhere other than that spot. Hazel felt the unease ripple stronger across her nerves, being able to pick out the signs of him being close to snapping. But she didn’t know all the signs, and that was what drove the discomfort that hummed under her skin. Suite and Margy and Bastille all had telepathy, and could clearly communicate without so much as a second glance at the other, and Hazel was just...out in the cold, completely out of the loop. She was aware she had joined far too late to be part of the little family bond the trio had formed, and that was alright with her. She just wanted to be able to help.

As it was, she was already late to the meeting, which was...kind of becoming a habit. Yikes. The cocoa feline settled down in a little spot to herself, curling her tail around her body so it rested over the tips of her forepaws.

★ — hazel — "speech" — seven months — the ascendants — tags — ★
c) miithers

[Roy Mustang]

It didn't really come as a thought to Roy that he would one day be taking orders from Bastillepaw. Starrynight's death was quite the surprise, without a doubt, no one had been expecting it. Roy, who has shown his clear disliking of the late leader, did not wish such a fate on the male. He might have disliked the tom, but it certainly looked like Starrynight was in a world of pain in his final moments. He tried to help, he could have cauterized the wound, but when he offered his assistance, it was too late.

When the bobcat came padding in, it surprised him a bit to see Bastillepaw handling the meeting, rather than Suiteheart. Last time he checked, the two of them shared the same rank, but he assumed the two came to an agreement that Bastillepaw was the one to step up to the position of leader. He thought Bastillepaw would allow Suiteheart to step up, but it appears to be the other way around. Now Roy has to take orders from Bastillepaw, an individual that he often clashes with, despite their similar views.

He sat down on the ground, not saying a word as he listened closely to what the new leader had to say.

[Warringkingdoms]

  [font=trebuchet ms]No one had been prepared for Starrynight’s death, really- even Rin, despite not having known him very well, had been blindsided by the accident.

  Part of her, through the haze of guilt that never seemed to go away no matter how much logic she threw at it, had wondered who was going to step up. Suiteheart was the most logical choice, given her life experience and calm temperament, and that she had already been next in line. Bastille had also been a Cosmic General, but he was just an apprentice- no matter how skilled he was, there was no way they could force such a burden on him at such a young age.

  And yet, she reflected with concealed shock upon noticing Bastille in Starrynight’s spot, apparently they’d done exactly that.

  Even so, rather than speaking up, Rin chose instead to listen. It seemed that Bastille had been chosen by Starrynight to lead next- an odd decision, but then Starrynight had probably predicted that it would be a while longer before Bastille had to step up. Regardless, Bastille was clearly miserable with this predicament, and she couldn’t blame him. Eleven months old was too young for someone to be forced into leadership, even if he was capable of shouldering the burdens.

  The one announcement that stood out, among the doom and gloom, was the mention of Radeken- instinctively, Rin’s claws gripped the floor. It wasn’t fair to blame Radeken for Starrynight’s loss, not when she knew a punctured lung was basically untreatable with their extent of medicine, but she still struggled to swallow her rage. Even if Starrynight couldn’t have been saved, that didn’t mean it was okay for Rad not to even be there, if only just to try.

  She needed to focus on something else, anything else. ”Noted,” Rin spoke up, with a nod. Her eyes softening, she added, ”If you need anything else done, Bastille, let me know.” Maybe that would offer him some comfort, to know that they had his back.

  /ic opinions