fhlogs | EVENT: Heartless Swarm

January 2026

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4_lumps_of_thread - Re: *Briar

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Things have been fairly peaceful for a while now as everyone has settled into their current lives on this new world. But one day towards late summer, that all comes to an end.

One of the portals in the sky suddenly opens again, an odd glowing light surrounding it as it ejects creature after creature. Then it closes, followed by another glowing portal elsewhere in the sky emitting the same creatures. Small and black, mostly, with odd antennae and glowing eyes. Some here will know them. The Heartless, creatures of the darkness who seek hearts. Those they attack, if they give in to the darkness in their hearts, will become Heartless themselves.

Where is a Keybearer when we need one?!

OOC INFO

Heartless can be encountered anywhere! They're pouring into Edge, the Midgar ruins, Kalm, Wutai, and everywhere else. Balamb Garden won't be spared, but if they're able to seal everything off in time and take flight, they may be safe from the majority of the creatures and be a safehouse for anyone desperate to escape them.

Anyone familiar with Heartless is encouraged to try to defeat them (or control them, if they're lucky enough to possess that ability). But they may find something else will push back if they try. Did someone deliberately send the Heartless through the portals? Who, and why? Does someone on the other side of those portals know what's happening here? And why are the portals glowing when they open? Is there any important significance in that?

(And yes, this is a very significant event that will have a deep bearing on the overall plot!)

Before anyone asks, having your character become a Heartless is probably not a good idea, given that it would be very difficult to get them back to their normal selves at this point in the game. But we welcome intense situations of Heartless trying their hardest to claim hearts before they're stopped!

The event is scheduled to run through August 10th, but backdating and backtagging is encouraged for as long as everyone wants! Post toplevels to this post or create new posts!

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

4_lumps_of_thread

Briar's smile grew slowly and broadly.

"If you spill a 5 pound jar of honey all over the kitchen, you are the one cleaning it up," Daja told Briar flatly.

From:

3wingedangel

"I would recommend not spilling it," Sephiroth deadpanned. "It is expensive, and all of you seem to love it."

From:

4_lumps_of_thread

"Life's better with a little sweet," Briar said with a shrug.

"If it is expensive, we may have to hold off on the larger jar until we begin to build a client base. We still need raw materials as it is," Daja said.

From:

3wingedangel

“I am sure you won’t have trouble building a client base,” Sephiroth said. “What kinds of materials do you need?”

From:

4_lumps_of_thread

"Raw cotton and linen for me to spin, silk would be nice as well," Sandry said.

"Seeds for me," Briar said. "Specifically any plants that can be used in combat, as well as fruits and vegetables and maybe even some trees that can survive growing as miniatures."

"Metal ores for me, and I could use tools. Some more hammers, buckets, draw plates. As well as coal and a back up bellows. Apparently using Tris as my bellows is an abuse of our powers," Daja added with a wry chuckle.

"Books!" Tris yelled down the stairs. "And glass colouring reagents!"

"Back home our teachers helped us get started," Sandry said. "With basic supplies and such. Enough for us to earn our own money, and they were always near at hand as well."

Briar snorted. "What Sandry isn't saying is that her worshipfulness is a bag, she didn't need help from Lark for supplies."

Sandry stuck out her tongue. "That hardly matters now. No one here cares one whit who my family is and I'm just as happy for that."

From:

3wingedangel

"What kinds of plants are used in combat?" He was picturing Poison Ivy commanding vines to burst out everywhere.

He listened to the list, looking thoughtful. "I believe you can find some of those items in shops here, or by exploring. Although I wouldn't recommend random explorations until this Heartless problem is solved."

From:

4_lumps_of_thread

"Briars," he said with a smirk. Then shook his head. "for land combat, anything with thorns that grows readily will work. Vines are good too. And corpse flower," he added with a smile that was not at all nice. "For fighting against boats you want strong sea growing plants like seaweed."

"Well, we're going to help sort the problem," Sandry said, as if that was settled and simple.

From:

3wingedangel

"... Corpse flower?" That was something he wasn't familiar with. He didn't think he'd ever heard Aerith talk about that kind of flower.

He nodded to Sandry. "And your help will be welcome."

From:

4_lumps_of_thread

"Large rare flower, smell is bad enough to knock someone out," Brir said with a smirk. "Instant stink bomb."

Sandry nodded regally. "Of course," she said.

From:

3wingedangel

"... How ... pleasant." Heavy sarcasm. "You will have to show me what they look like so I can avoid them." This part was sincere.

From:

4_lumps_of_thread

"Knowing what they look like won't help you much," Briar said, a little too gleefully.
"even large as they are, you'll smell them before you see them. From a distance, they only smell like rotting bodies. It gets worse the closer you get."

From:

3wingedangel

Sephiroth definitely looked repulsed. “… Perhaps discuss something else at the dinner table.”

From:

4_lumps_of_thread

"Very well," Sandry said smoothly. "What would you like to discuss?" she asked, very much the polite young woman of society at the moment.

From:

3wingedangel

"Perhaps tell me some ... pleasant things about your world," he said.

From:

4_lumps_of_thread

They all exchanged looks. Finally Briar said, "That means you, duchess."

Sandry sighed but rallied. "Well, where we currently live back home is Emelan, on the Pebbled Sea. It is a lovely land, especially at sunset over the ocean. We have the Winding Circle Temple and school. We have wonderful teachers helping students to find their way. Then there are trade goods all around the world. Beautiful silks and woolen clothes. Lovely jewelry and other metal works. And the wonderful clothing that Traders wear during a trade!"

Daja smiled slightly. "And the tea."

"Oh yes, Trader tea is lovely."

"Log it," Daja said with a small smile. "Though not all of our traditions are wonderful," she added, bitterly.

"True," Sandry acknowledged.

"Was still funny watching them panic knowing they had to treat you proper," Briar said with a smirk. "I thought that one guy was going to swallow his tongue."

From:

3wingedangel

“It does sound like a beautiful place,” Sephiroth agreed. “Zack would love a place called the Pebbled Sea, I’m sure.”

From:

4_lumps_of_thread

Sandry nodded. "Watching the waters from the top of one of the curtain walls on a windy day is wonderful."

From:

3wingedangel

“Curtain walls?” Sephiroth repeated.

From:

4_lumps_of_thread

"Large stone defensive walls," Daja said. "Crenelated with walkways."

From:

3wingedangel

“I see,” Sephiroth said. He could imagine Zack making a crack about them sounding like the opposite of window curtains. Sephiroth knew this other meaning, although it wasn’t the first thing he had thought of.

“Is it a peaceful world?”

Such walls sounded like it might not be, if they needed such defenses.