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ABRAXAS MODS ([personal profile] abraxasmods) wrote in [community profile] abraxaslogs2024-04-17 10:07 am
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EVENT #18: EMERGENCE - IC EVENT LOG

Event #18 - Emergence
Whether voluntary or by force, you find yourself transported to the Singularity's crater. There probably aren't many resistors - officials have taken great pains to convince you to come voluntarily, reserving force as a last resort - but it's clear that everyone is required for this to work. It takes multiple mages to stabilize the portal, but you make it there in one piece. If you cooperate, you'll be asked to walk towards the ancient relic. If you resisted, you might be forced to do so while restrained. Regardless, a heavy fog soon descends around the area, obscuring you and your vision.

If you have thoughts of turning back, it's too late: for some of you, the second you step across the threshold, a force pulls at your chest and absorbs your psyche at once. For others, a mystical call beckons you to walk a little further before the same effect takes hold. And for a rare few, the call brings you to the Singularity itself, where you're compelled to touch it - and are subsequently swallowed up like the others.

The Horizon doesn't greet you like you might expect. Instead, something far stranger awaits.

Please communicate with your fellow players as needed! We also recommend discussing with us if you plan on a major environmental upheaval. As a rule of thumb, you should avoid changes to the landscape that will significantly alter the established map.

We've also posted comment sections for WORLDBUILDING and HANDWAVED submissions. Instructions can be found at the respective links.

Year 20,879
When you open your eyes, it feels like you've only blinked. If your body has transformed or you're someplace that shouldn't exist, it doesn't strike you as odd. You were always here. Everything around you was always here, and your physical alterations and new abilities - while perhaps not originally there - have been a part of you for a long, long time.

The world of Abraxas isn't completely foreign. Familiar territories remain, as well as the familiar faces of those with long lifespans. But a lot has changed in 800 years, too, especially where the Gods are concerned. Alongside the Old Gods of the Ancient Pantheon and the Cardinal Gods of the New Order, a third class of deities formed from you and your fellow Summoned: the Ecesis Gods of the Iterum Pantheon.
Politics, People, & Gods
Abraxas's political landscape remains complex, with continued tensions over land, worship, resources, and power. Nonetheless, since the Free Cities is no longer intent on destroying the Singularity, conflict over the ancient relic has lessened. All territories agree that the Godlands - and the Singularity - belong to the Gods themselves.
Beliefs and Gods
The active presence of the Summoned confirms the existence of the Gods. As a result, most Abraxans turn to the Summoned and other Gods for aid or protection. Extreme reverence exists in certain areas, especially on the Isle of the Lost and in parts of Solvunn. In other places, though, the Gods are merely acknowledged as a facet of life - a force that helps or hinders depending on temperament and should be respected, much like the sea. The Gods play a crucial role, sure, but so do the rain and stars. This is particularly true in the Feywilds, the Nether, and the Free Cities.

Small pockets of non-believers actively denounce the Gods. They claim the Summoned should be wiped from the world and the Singularity destroyed to prevent future invasions. Labeled dangerous heretics by Thorne and Solvunn, and "regressives" by the Free Cities - whose scientists and philosophers liken such thinking to be as foolish as declaring the sun unworthy or the earth to be flat - these people are shunned from society. In Solvunn, the consequences are more severe: heretics are exiled to the Barren, where they are subsumed by the desert, the Maw, or whichever Gods may punish them.

At the other end, some sects revere the Godlands so much that they believe feeding themselves to the relic will enhance Abraxas' good fortune for generations to come. Such cults are quite rare, but there are reports of mortals throwing themselves into the Singularity's crater and disintegrating as a gesture of their devotion to the divine.
International Relations
Due to the combined change in their priorities, Thorne and the Free Cities are less at odds. The Free Cities believes in protecting the Singularity; Thorne no longer seeks to control it. Nonetheless, mistrust flares on occasion.

While things are peaceful during these three months and have been for a few decades, Abraxas hasn't found a cure for war in the Gods. Conflict has broken out in the past and will again. Eyes are on the Nether as it grows in power, and who knows how long Thorne will be content with its losses? Will they convince the Velan Republic to reunite and turn against the Free Cities? For now, though, the territories have found their stride and appear more interested in progress than fighting.
Magic & The Singularity
Magic is relatively unchanged and is a vital part of Abraxan life. The small kingdom of Thorne continues to practice Academic Magic. Meanwhile, Wild Magic plays the same important role in the Velan Republic (formally Nott). Meanwhile, the Free Cities has developed New Magic further. The goal of decoupling magic from technology is less of a focus. Instead, researchers are eager to find new ways to fuse magic and innovation, including aspects of the Gods. Portable shrines, for example, are popular with traveling merchants.

High Magic no longer exists as a specific school of magic now that offerings, pacts, and requests to the Gods are a part of everyday life across Abraxas. Solvunn has returned to its roots, using the ancient Academic Magic practiced by the Lunae for standard tasks while turning to the Gods for greater blessings.

The Singularity has been relatively stable for the past two or three centuries. While occasional disturbances rumble, for the most part, the presence of the Summoned has strengthened it, alleviating its displeasure and ensuring that Abraxas - and possibly the universe itself - continues to exist. Indeed, academic writings from Thorne and the Free Cities across time suggest that the Singularity's devouring of the world has considerably slowed. It is now as much of a threat as the eventual collapse of the sun, something that is bound to occur but not for eons.

Of course, this could quickly change if the Summoned or any other Gods provoke the Singularity by rejecting its connection or denying its magic...so all should take care not to upset the nature of things.
Old World, New World
The map of Abraxas has undergone some notable shifts, although many names and places are the same.

Setting descriptions are HERE for your reference.

Mechapolis, the Witchwood, and the Barren/the Maw contain prompts related to the event itself. Information about those areas can be found under "Exploring the Land" in the section The World as the Divine (Month 1-2).


Month 1-2: Submersion
What do you last remember? Well, that depends. You might recall most things perfectly clearly. You might have new memories that don't feel new at all. Or, you might only remember the most recent year or two. Regardless, there is something missing: an important face, a handful of key events...maybe you don't remember having ever lived anywhere except Abraxas. You might find this unsettling, or you might accept it as just the way things are.

You've transcended those old memories, anyhow. You feel a little distant from the person you were centuries ago, and you most likely look different, too. Perhaps you've sprouted giant wings, become a formless void, or you're now a shapeshifter with no permanent appearance. You've gained a substantial amount of power and influence, the type that people of this world attribute to the Gods.

The first half is a more sandbox-like environment designed for scenarios that emphasize CR and personal character moments. Active conflict between the emergent reality and the world will not arise until the second half.

The World as the Divine
The mortals have bestowed you with a title and possibly a new alias. Do you know your mortal name anymore? Some of you might've taken on a new identity, or you might have held very tightly onto who you were. Regardless, your abilities have grown. Your new powers and appearance are as unique as your dominion, influenced by your interests, subconscious desires, or personal relationships.

While in your full God form, you'll move through the world unperceived. Only when you're sought by a mortal - followers, believers, cultists - can you consciously make your complete divine presence known. To be seen freely by all, you'll have to take on a less overwhelming shape to the mortal gaze. Those who have met the Old Gods or Cardinal Gods in the past finally understand why they seldom reveal their true selves, often arriving in hazy visions or speaking through animals.
Exploring the Land
The Witchwood
As the Summoned continued to ascend, their power began to coalesce, creating a new ecosystem never seen before. The dense woods, originally a temperate climate, warmed and grew into a thriving jungle. The air is humid and heavy with magic, the sky locked into an eternal sunset. Reds and oranges filter through the thick canopy. Birdcall and animal cries echo throughout the jungle. Trees and rocks seemingly move at night, meaning the Witchwood is impossible to map. Foolhardy souls who venture too deep are rarely seen again - unless divine intervention prevents a tragic fate from befalling them. Perhaps one of those intervening Gods is you?

The most dangerous beasts in the Witchwood are the demigod spawns. Creatures born from the Summoned, demigods are powerful enough to affect the world around them should they ever leave the magic-encased forest. See Impact & Consequences for more details on the demigods and how, as the Summoned, you can help maintain Abraxas' ecosystem.
Mechapolis
Heartwood Syndrome persisted in Fomalhaut long after the quarantined population died out. The port city stood as a monument to loss for nearly a century until about 200 years in when the Summoned gained notable influence as Gods. This resulted in a slow but steady acceptance of the Singularity's power as a positive force for potential advancement. New Magic boomed, leading to increased sophistication in technology and the refinement of automatons.

Originally designed to clear and guard Fomalhaut, they were eventually used to rebuild it. Fomalhaut became known as the City of Machines and was renamed Mechapolis. Although humans are barred from entering for safety, the automatons gather soil and air samples for study and perform fishing duties. The clockworks require routine maintenance and must return to a hub city or outpost for recalibration. Clockwork birds are used to communicate with Mechapolis. They can broadcast through the Free Cities's primitive "radio" towers.

You can enhance clockwork performance, boosting the towers or providing additional energy to the automatons. Scientists often have "rituals" when performing maintenance or experiments to earn the Gods' favor, hoping this will prevent their inventions from breaking down.
The Barren/The Badlands
Once contested territory between Thorne and the Free Cities, the Badlands was split into two by a large ravine shortly after Thorne retreated to Hayle. With neither side able to breach the gap, Solvunn naturally laid claim to the western half while the Free Cities retained its eastern half. On the eastern side, the chasm swallowed several well-known bandit camps and the presence of a new entity further drove them away. Bandits now occupy the mountains northeast of Aquila. Due to the entity's threat, the Free Cities increased its military presence in the Badlands to keep careless or foolish travelers from straying too far.

Meanwhile, Solvunn has named its portion of the wasteland the Barren and sought the Gods' assistance to form an enchanted forest. Those who enter are lost forever. Meant for more than just protection, the forest and the Barren serve as a place of exile. Heretics are taken into the woods and left to wander towards the Barren's harsh desert. There, they will face the elements, be devoured by the waiting Maw...or encounter a God.

As a God, you can lead the exiles to their salvation or doom, but choose carefully: the Maw is hungry and must be fed. These exiles want you dead. They don't care for you, and should their lack of faith spread, they might revive attempts to destroy the Singularity - and with it, your home. Is it so wrong to leave them to their fate? On the other hand, saving them might convert them by demonstrating your kindness.
The Maw
The Maw lurks beneath the chasm dividing the Badlands. Named for its gaping jaws, the Maw waits at the widest part of a jagged canyon, mouth open and salivating in the desert heat. Rows and rows of teeth as tall as a man spiral downward into a bloodshot throat. When sated, it retreats deep into the gully, barely visible aside from the shine of a tooth. When hungry, it draws closer to the surface. Hot and heavy winds often carry the putrid scent of its half-digested meals.

Solvunn is not the only territory that uses the Maw. The Free Cities will occasionally march criminals and bandits in that direction, as well, tossing them into the gaping mouth, although this method of execution is much rarer. Desperate exiles from Solvunn will try to cross the chasm despite the danger. None ever make it - at least, not without divine intervention.
Horizon, "Death," and Dormancy
Your domain in the Horizon is no longer constrained by size. How it's changed depends on you. The more detached from your mortality, the more likely it'll have surrealist elements: bizarre statues, physics-defying architecture, odd visual or psychological effects. The Horizon feels like home to all Gods, although you ought to take care not to heed its call beyond reason. Shutting yourself off from the physical world can result in unintended consequences...but completely refusing to enter the Horizon will do the same.

Additionally, Gods are beyond true death, but that doesn't mean you can act with impunity. Engaging in an exhaustive battle with other Gods can weaken you into dormancy. In this state, you will enter an ethereal void inside the Singularity. As you heal, you'll slowly be able to return to your Horizon domain and then the physical world once more. Depending on the extent of the damage, this process could take anywhere from months to decades. For instance, losing your head could take a few months, total dismemberment might take a year, and being vaporized into atoms can take a few decades.

Mortals cannot achieve this level of damage, even if they seemingly "succeed" in striking true. Only a God can weaken another God into dormancy. If a mortal removes your head, you can merely pick it up and put it back on.

Impact & Consequences
In the early years of your ascension, you might've wondered why the existing Gods seemingly intervened so little. Why did they not demonstrate their powers more blatantly over the thousands of years? Is it apathy? A desire to watch rather than act? As you come into your abilities, you realize that the Singularity and the universe are significantly more delicate than you thought. You begin to understand why the Gods have behaved the way they do.

Of course, whether you care to keep the world (and yourself) in balance is another story, but to be sure, some of the other Gods and the Summoned do - and you may have to defend your choices.

The equilibrium mechanic is described in OOC terms HERE. The Singularity and a character's ascension will not inherently sway them one way or the other. Any temptations will result from individual personality and development.

Instability Effects
To maintain the universe's equilibrium, you need to be cautious of when and how you interfere when using your status to alter the state of the world. Conversely, you'll also need to take care not to withdraw entirely. Several Gods have undergone periods of instability, though others haven't. Which category you fall under is up to you. It depends on who you are, your experiences, and your desires.
◎ Should you refuse to ACKNOWLEDGE your Godhood or enter the Horizon, you'll find yourself losing time. You may forget how you got from one place to another, or names you knew yesterday slip your mind. Lapses in memory or time can be temporary or permanent, but one thing they are is certainly confusing. With magic building inside you and nowhere for it to go, your power will begin to spill over, causing the Singularity to exhibit bursts of power that spawn demigods in the Witchwood.

◎ Should you give into the temptation to OVERINDULGE your Godhood or retreat to the Horizon for excessive periods, you'll lose more of yourself and your history. You may make decisions that feel unlike you, forget larger chunks of old memories, or struggle to distinguish what's real. Unrestrained use of magic will cause you to absorb yet more power, causing the Singularity to lose power in brief spurts, which can spawn demigods in the Witchwood.
These effects can be halted or even reversed in some cases. You might need someone's help to bring you back or convince you there's another way, or maybe you're the one seeking others out to assist. What you do soon understand is that your ability to manage your powers and stabilize your connection to the Horizon directly affects the Singularity and Abraxas...something that may have been true the moment you were summoned.
Demigod Spawns
Under the red haze of the Witchwood, monstrous creatures known as demigods or spawns emerge from crimson waterfalls and claw their out through the mossy soil. Born out of instabilities caused by careless actions from all Gods, they're usually contained to the Witchwood. For the most part, the older Gods - and the Summoned, if they choose - keep the demigods from leaving. However, now and again, one or two might escape, damaging towns, destroying villages, or causing ecological destruction in ways that are similar to natural disasters.

Demigods are not sentient. How they look can vary, but their appearances are often corrupted and disturbing: twisted animals, amorphous blobs, or alien-like parasites. They may resemble a monster you recognize from home.

Defeating one is possible but a challenge even for the Gods. Most crucially, you cannot kill your own spawn. Another God must deliver the killing blow, so working together is imperative. Should too many demigod spawns be allowed to invade the Witchwood, they will overwhelm and disrupt the Singularity further. Culling them is the only way to maintain stability.

You can submit demigod spawns you create to the WORLDBUILDING section if you want. Similar to using character powers, just keep the scale of destruction at a reasonable level.

Hearing Echoes
Echoes are a form of prayer that resonates through your connection with the Singularity. Solvunn has dedicated a monument to where the "First Echo" was heard, though the accuracy of this is debatable. Like the Network, you can hear an Echo regardless of where you are and can shut them out with concentration. However, your ties to Godhood may compel you to listen every so often. Mortals can entreat you through more formal methods (rituals, offerings, seasonal ceremonies) or in a moment of duress or desperation. They may seek you specifically or call to any God who will listen.

You can answer or ignore these cries for help as you like, but your choices carry consequences. Answer too many too eagerly, and your increased interference in mortal lives can upset the world's equilibrium - and the Singularity. Ignore your impact on the world, and your refusal to accept your ascension will equally destabilize the land as prayers go unheard.

Interacting with Other Gods
The Old Gods and the Cardinal Gods are an equal part of this world. For the most part, you coexist peacefully, though personal pacts and tensions can play a role. Each of you is aware of the impact of your actions on the Singularity: extreme displays of power are reserved for substantial transgressions, considering the price it carries.

Further, the older Gods have also walked the earth for centuries before you came. To them, you're still young, and rising against one of them won't end well for you. Nonetheless, many older Gods are more interested in giving advice or guiding you, ensuring the health of the Singularity and the universe so as not to doom all of you - Gods and mortals alike - to the void.

You can REQUEST AN INTERACTION with a God. Interactions will be brief but informative.

You will not be able to request a specific God. For logistical reasons, we have curated the list of Gods available ahead of time. However, we'll do our best to pick one from the pool that suits the purpose of your request.


Month 3: Awakening
Over the past 2 months, you've existed in the emergent reality without question. As you enter the third month, however, everything you've known over the past many centuries begins to shift. You might decide to investigate further, wondering if there's more out there that you aren't seeing. Alternatively, you might choose to ignore it, believing that your awakening is damaging the world and your life.
Catalysts
A catalyst can occur at any time through any circumstance. Do you see a familiar face you've forgotten in the eyes of a stranger? Do you recall a moment in your past while watching the mortals? Has a friend approached you specifically to try and remind you of the things you've forgotten?

With each memory returned you'll gain another piece of yourself. Depending on how much you've lost and how hard you'll cling to this reality, the effect may be clarifying or it might cause you distress and confusion. You might begin to encounter temporal cracks: buildings or areas that normally don't exist will flicker in and out of existence, or your reflection will briefly show an image of you from before your transformations took hold.

If you allow yourself to doubt your abilities or divinity, you might have trouble controlling your powers. If you've made alterations to your Horizon domain, it might start to revert to its original design.

These cracks are difficult to ignore, but if you bury your head, you can make them disappear - briefly, at least.
Shattered Skies
The effects go beyond the individual. As more of you and your fellow Gods reawaken, the sky also begins to form cracks that spread like broken glass. Through the fractures, you glimpse flashes of lightning and a swirling fog. The fissures only grow larger.

Soon, you realize you can see the Singularity itself, reflected upside-down in the crater. Disconcerting though it is, it may serve as proof that something is very wrong. Of course, you can also refuse to acknowledge this disturbance, closing your eyes to the crumbling sky. Doing so will let you remain unaware to the very end, but your friends who are seeking the truth might find your denial distressing.

The sky won't hold, though. Eventually, it does shatter completely - and you awaken abruptly, your body and others scattered several feet away from the Singularity's crater as if you were physically thrown out. The fog begins to dissipate. The lightning has stopped, the unrelenting storms fading across Abraxas. Whatever you went through, it seems to have done exactly what the territories hoped: stabilize the Singularity.

Characters will be returned home afterward. They will be thanked for their assistance regardless of if they cooperated.

Resistors will not face any consequences, as long as they don't cause excessive trouble upon their return. Officials will issue an apology for the heavy-handed action, stating that they saw no other way to keep the world safe. With the portals and weather returning to normal, it does seem to have worked...even if characters may not find the method agreeable.



wiedzminka: (one hundred & seventy-three.)

[personal profile] wiedzminka 2024-05-14 07:28 am (UTC)(link)
Erm. Ew.

[ Ciri pulls an exaggerated face at him, mostly out of familiar obligation to act like a brat.

The rift in the air shuts behind them, and the jungle closes in behind and all around, eerily silent. The air is too still, heavy with magic. And humidity. Ugh. ]


Great. So you get them all riled up and horny. Why is it that men equate fucking with fighting? It's not a wolf-only thing.

They just think they're more invincible than humans tend to.
wiedzminka: (one hundred & thirty-nine.)

[personal profile] wiedzminka 2024-05-14 07:35 am (UTC)(link)
No. [ Ciri shakes her head.

She shifts slightly, not away from Aloy, but closing herself in a bit more somehow. The patterned silk robe around her draws tighter, a twitch of her fingers from within it tugging the sleeve forward to cover the new arm Aloy may not have noticed yet. ]


No, it wouldn't have made a difference. Not a good one. Metia was there. She helped me get out. But both of us together couldn't even shield, let alone fight.

[ Her hair falls forward as she tips her head away. ]

It was... a terrible defeat. I'm glad no one else saw it.
wiedzminka: (two hundred & eighty-six.)

[personal profile] wiedzminka 2024-05-14 07:41 am (UTC)(link)
Eager, though you haven't heard the nature of the bet. Yes, I think you've got that "running headlong" business down finely.

I wonder if your mortal friend is the same.

[ She flicks her fingers in a gesture that's habit, not necessity (she doesn't remember where it came from, just a little quirk she must have picked up centuries ago), and a blue flame appears above her palm. Yes, yes. Glowy lights -- she's got those too. ]

I can open a door that will lead them straight home. If they so choose.

Do you think they'll take it?
inthenameofhades: (Smirk 2)

[personal profile] inthenameofhades 2024-05-14 07:52 am (UTC)(link)
"What, you mean apart from answering their echoes and giving them our blessings and afflictions?" Zagreus says dryly. "I don't think that's something you've got to worry about, mate. Seeing as we're already doing it."

Not to mention that just a moment ago, Sidus seemed to be complaining about all the requests. Do you want more of them or do you want less? Make up your mind!
judgmentbolts: (11)

ty friend ;u;

[personal profile] judgmentbolts 2024-05-14 01:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Cid nods in agreement with Istredd's initial assessment. There are very few things that can kill a god, but he doesn't think that gods are what either of them are concerned about.

"Wouldn't expect any less," he replies, clapping Istredd on the shoulder (careful of his wings, always). There's almost nothing his library doesn't hold, and Cid has often found himself immensely grateful for it. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much in the way of returning the favor.

He inclines his head at the greeting, though he's far worse than Istredd in that particular department, prone as he is to launching right into some discussion without preamble. Perhaps that was true even when he was a human.

"Don't have a clue who this one belongs to. Mushrooms started spawning a few weeks ago, well before we actually spotted the thing... someone's had a bad time, as of late." Not all end up rallying a party to handle their demigods, but that's to be expected, considering the state they must be in to birth one. "How've you and yours been keeping?"

He doesn't think that Istredd will know who the demigod might belong to, but he wants to check in none the less before they sort out this particular mystery. It's been a while since he's stopped by the library.
Edited 2024-05-14 13:48 (UTC)
beautifullies: (peanυт вυттer and jelly ѕandwιcнeѕ.)

totally went off the rails as my inbox imploded, sorry for the wait!

[personal profile] beautifullies 2024-05-14 02:11 pm (UTC)(link)
"Ah, driectness. The one thing I hadn't tried." She's teasing, but it's true, she hasn't been very direct at all. "We talk about the mortals, but also about the things we've seen and done in our lives. I know that he enjoys these woods," Claire says as she looks around, then adds what may truly be holding her back.

"It was so long ago that I should most certainly not let any of what happened between Sam and I influence this, but I remember what it feels like to be gently put aside for something else. It wasn't a good feeling, no matter how kind and mutual it wound up. If Jon is focused elsewhere, I would rather know it before I do anything...direct."

Claire isn't good at this, any relationship she's had, even those long, long ago forgotten, the men have seemed to fall into her lap with hardly any effort. Gone are those days, and she might need a little help.
judgmentbolts: (27)

[personal profile] judgmentbolts 2024-05-14 02:16 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's obvious from the look on his face that he's thinking something along the same lines as Viktor. How have they never thought to attempt that before, after all the things they'd done in the service of trying to fix it? But maybe it really was a case of not seeing the forest for the trees, both of them focused on the thing that was broken, instead of the thing that had always been whole. ]

It's worth a shot. Can I give you a hand?

[ A fourth one is the joke he's made so many times, it seems to linger in the air even when he doesn't say it aloud. Viktor will be more than capable of handling it himself, but they've worked together before on occasion, and Cid knows his way around the workshop well enough.

In truth, he wants something to do with his hands that isn't just sitting on them. ]
Edited 2024-05-14 14:17 (UTC)
beautifullies: (нe'll вe ιn нeaven wнen нe ѕeeѕ yoυ.)

[personal profile] beautifullies 2024-05-14 02:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Start a new life with her son. Her fear of making the wrong decision for them both is keeping her from doing anything at all.

[ It's a fear that somewhere, deep down, she can understand. From here, Claire doesn't hold back, explaining the intercepted echo she and Zagreus both overheard. The husband is long gone, devoured by the Maw, but that hasn't made the woman any less hesitant to get out from under his shadow. ]

Picking up and moving, starting over, is what she needs, she knows it. But she's pulled back in by the house he built, the rules he imposed, the things she's more used to not doing than being able to do freely. I can fix time for her all I want, but I can't give her the strength, the courage she needs.

[ Maybe she should have walked away, let the woman figure out who to pray to, but she continues to pray to Claire, and Claire understands why, that she's latched on. There's no need to lay it on thick to him, but politeness does still count for something, and so she adds at the end: ]

Please? I could use your help with this one.
beautifullies: (yoυ're a ѕĸιnny wнιтe вroad)

[personal profile] beautifullies 2024-05-14 02:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Again, something tugs at her, something about separation from a child, a parent kept more than an arm's length away. It shifts something inside of her, but she doesn't understand it, decides not to dwell on it.

"I'll keep watching over her, to make sure they get what they need. I imagine she has her whole life to reclaim." Claire looks at Zagreus, managing a small smile.

"It was nice to work with someone else, surely there will be smaller reasons to combine our magic again, for something less than resurrection. I'd like that, in any case." To be partnered up again, to work with someone to do something wonderful; she liked that feeling, and wouldn't mind experiencing it again, even on a smaller scale.
beautifullies: ("are yoυ ιмplyιng ι'м ιnтoхιcaтed?")

🎀 ❤️

[personal profile] beautifullies 2024-05-14 02:30 pm (UTC)(link)
If it will allow you a moment of respite, I'm happy to take a casual stroll.

[ Claire offers a small but warm smile in his direction, happy to at least be a small distraction. ]
hairington: (069)

[personal profile] hairington 2024-05-14 03:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[ aloy has always been his partner in the woods. he doesn't remember a time where that wasn't true- whether it was with another, or without. her guidance is why he's still here, why he's survived the things he's faced out, and why he is half the survivor he is today.

there's a reason aloy is the person he comes to when he knows the demigod he's after. a reason that he comes back, time and time again. he knows this one is his, knows that whatever mess its making in the witchwoods is his fault, and aloy - generally - doesn't need the explanation of it all.

they have a job to do, even if it feels a lot more like bonding than anything else. ]


Yeah, yeah- whatever you gotta tell yourself. [ he says with a smile, a joke in return, and then they're taking off into the woods. aloy is a step ahead, though it's nearly impossible to tell if that's her own abilities or if steve is letting her - his own senses shifting as they enter the depths.

his eyes change first, pupils wider and irises shifting gold. it's one of the few physical changes that show his heightened senses, his hearing and smell there already. his reflexes are something he's worked on, something that magic has helped but practice has honed, as he pulls out his own bow - not as nice as aloy's and certainly not his favored weapon, but over the centuries he has gotten better. and range, at least right now, will help. ]


Near the west coast, but it was moving in. Closer to the border with Velan.
itookashot: (KY_200)

[personal profile] itookashot 2024-05-14 03:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Jesper stretches out like a content cat and props his head up on his hands, glancing at the two of them. They seem scolding on their end, but he just smiles languidly at them.

"Oh you are so desperate for my time, are you?" he practically purrs. Maybe he said that to intentionally make them protest. Or that could be just a fun side effect. There is plenty of him to go around and he plans on taking every advantage that he can. Being with him at the height of his power is practically a drug, thrilling even more than usual. His orgies often give people the best pleasure of their life. That's why they keep coming back.

"Don't you fret your pretty heads, my loves, you know I give you everything you want." He has never held back with either of them. He reaches out and gives both of them a playful telekinetic tug toward him and the bed. There's no harm in lounging a little longer, they still have time.

"All I mean is I also like to watch." It's one of his favorite options, actually. He will always pick participating first for the obvious reasons, but there have been more than one examples of Jesper enjoying sitting and watching them have a good time. Sometimes directing too, if it works. "You doing it for me is extra devotion." The humans aren't the only people who can give him a jolt of power.
thoughts: (21)

[personal profile] thoughts 2024-05-14 04:16 pm (UTC)(link)
[ while he may not pay full attention to her at first, serenity can look nowhere else, her golden eyes wide and unblinking as he approaches. the panic of the humans around them continues to echo in her mind and in her heart, but it becomes uncomfortable static in the background as he seems to disregard them entirely.

a curious question requires an honest answer. she has to think about it before responding, not quite confident about it but trying to look past the surface of their fear. ]


They're afraid of seeing me. Of seeing something they're not supposed to. Truth and lies, past and future, the things other people keep hidden deep inside. She's an omen. They don't want to go mad too.
gynvael: (293)

[personal profile] gynvael 2024-05-14 04:20 pm (UTC)(link)
An ambiguous hum suggests acquiescence. He hasn't any intention of leaving abruptly. This is a rare moment when he's arrived with neither invitation nor cajoling.

He lifts a plate of miniature cheese tarts off a tray. It's quite clear one is not meant to take the entire damn plate, but Geralt eats off of it like it was personally served to him.

His gaze roams over Blake with a good-natured sort of consideration. "They have gotten some wrinkles." They haven't. "Age catching up at last?"

In the depths of ancient memories, he recalls Blake's comments about the wolf's visible youth after what had felt like one long century back then. Now it's hardly a drop in the ocean.
nomnoms: (pic#16374663)

can wrap this ahahah

[personal profile] nomnoms 2024-05-14 04:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Secret!! Secret from friend!! His gills flutter and he grumbles a bit - not grasping that Eddie means Steve - although he nods in agreement at them both bringing their special friend. ]

DEEAAAL!

[ It will be their BEST SHOW EVER. ]
restingstitchface: (Boredom [AU])

[personal profile] restingstitchface 2024-05-14 05:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[Crane allows his gaze to wander. He surveys the audience - every last boring individual - and clasps his hands under his chin. His eyes close and he inhales, a deep and gentle sigh of sympathy.]

Of course. Would you like to lead the way?

[The question is a shared joke he thinks Blake will appreciate. For he has been the one leading the way these past centuries.]
beautifullies: (wнaт ιғ нe'ѕ ғorgoттen мe?)

[personal profile] beautifullies 2024-05-14 05:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Claire nods, not realizing she's echoing Julia's thoughts. "Humans always want to believe they'll be the one to beat the odds. I don't know what that is, some sort of primal over-confidence." To be the one who goes down in history as the one who pulled one over on a god.

"You walk among them still because you still have hope, no matter how buried it may feel. This is why I come here when I need things to feel easy and right," she admits. "I understand feeling the need to perhaps pull back, I don't think there's anything wrong with it, as long as you don't sink into it."

Even when Claire was at her lowest, when she was alone and left with echoes of bad choice after bad choice to unravel for the humans, she made room for it. Because nestled in there were hopes for time to unravel just enough to make a better choice, and that's always what she's searching for: those who simply want to do better. She doesn't operate quite the same as Julia, but she likes to think she understands, at least a little. Enough.

"Which problems surface the most often?"
beautifullies: (489)

[personal profile] beautifullies 2024-05-14 06:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Claire takes a deep breath and makes an attempt to seem casual, though when she exhales, everything comes out of her, albeit a little haltingly.

"There...might be a life we're not remembering. A time...before Abraxas, even." Which boggles the mind; she's always been here, she was born here because her father has always lived here, on this planet. Nevermind the holes in what she thinks she knows as fact. Instead of looking at Aloy, she fidgets with a bangle on her wrist.

"I don't understand much more than that, but what we know may not be true."
beautifullies: (Default)

[personal profile] beautifullies 2024-05-14 06:11 pm (UTC)(link)
"Well, now I'm curious what you'd come up with," she teases, bumping into his shoulder. But she does give in, providing more details.

"A wolf was in my woods, one I didn't recognize. When I got closer, Jon revealed himself and it was nothing but compliments, really." How much he enjoyed the space, the peace, the warm pulse of life through her forest. There's the faintest hint of pink to her cheeks as she continues. "And he's found his way here a few times for no particular reason." Her, she's the reason.

"I think I've forgotten how to..." she gesticulates to try and get her point across "...move things forward. And if he hasn't made the attempt, perhaps there's a reason."
ushiri: (pic#15839990)

sorry this is short!!

[personal profile] ushiri 2024-05-14 06:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He doesn't wait once he feels Viktor's grip start to falter. Maybe he should encourage him to hang on, just one more, but he doesn't want to prolong this for him (or for himself). Without warning this time he wrenches the last cable out, letting it fall and wrapping both arms around Viktor now that he's free from those connectors. ]
assembles: beard (surprise there's more beard)

[personal profile] assembles 2024-05-14 06:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ By this point the Sentinel has learned that Anthropos was not responsible for that particular situation, but what he did to solve it wasn't necessarily the right solution either. He claims he's the one who stepped in and did something, but who's to say that was actually help and not just a way to feed his own curiosity?

They could probably go round and round in circles about this into eternity. And the worst part is, they actually do have that kind of time. While Anthropos may stare right into him, the Sentinel doesn't flinch or avert his unblinking gaze. ]


At a point experience doesn't matter as much as what you do with it. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

[ A basic lesson, and yet one that Anthropos seems to be immune to learning. ]

What caused that kind of mass illness? I assume you know, if you helped them with it.
oversight: ([±] super mysterious)

[personal profile] oversight 2024-05-14 06:49 pm (UTC)(link)
"If only," he says, shaking his head. While he hasn't hated this long life, he grows tired and bored of it on occasion, increasingly so the last several hundred years. It's far past routine, a life made of flitting from one passion project to another, occasionally flirting with happiness but never finding it in him to settle too long. He finds a rhythm that suits him occasionally — usually with Dean — but it's not forever. Nothing is forever, right? Even gods.

Stepping up to the man, he takes the tray and holds it. "Once you've had your fill, I should like mine." His head tilts towards the dance floor where colorfully dressed guests glow and swirl like ethereal clouds. "Unless you have a better offering, of course." It's his party, after all; he'd be remiss not to put forth his own demands, especially considering how infrequently he finds Geralt captive to his whims.
princessvegas: (239. cause she's sweet but a psycho)

[personal profile] princessvegas 2024-05-14 06:56 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm not afraid of anyone. [ It's a snap response, comes out of her mouth before she can even register the actual thought. She would remember someone she fears — if she doesn't, then she can't be afraid of them.

Her shoulders square, shaking. But there's still defiance written across her face; when she speaks, her fangs are visible, dripping venom back down her own throat. ]


That still doesn't make sense. The world can change, life can be upturned in a second. But reality is reality. We have lived these lives, and that can't just be taken away from us. Not unless our minds are taken away, and if they are... if that's going to happen, what does it matter anyway?

[ She glances away, her chest heaving. Her ribs feel like they're crushing her lungs, squeezing until there isn't room for her breath. The tension in her body is reminiscent of a rabbit in a trap, still only because he is looking at her and she has frozen as a defense. ]

We haven't heard from the Old or Cardinal gods. They wouldn't allow reality to just be erased without so much as a word.
righteously: (¹⁰ Wᴇʟʟ I'ᴍ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ɪɴ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ)

[personal profile] righteously 2024-05-14 06:56 pm (UTC)(link)
( That hand around his wrist, that look in his brother's eyes — no, Geralt's eyes. Not Sam's. The feelings are similar, though, an echo of the dynamic. They share notes, but the song is different. Geralt is and is not his brother; he is and is not other things as well that are so very different from Sam. It's just- for a second, he's thrown back again to somewhere else.

The memory that cracked the sky for Dean, days (weeks? hours?) ago. The feeling that came before the onset of failure, that came before duty and obligation, the feeling that he's simultaneously ashamed of, and sad to let go.

It surfaces again now that Geralt is asking, and the sharpness of it pricks at his eyes. They go wet, shining green.

What did you remember?
Peace.
)

I was done.

( The god damn relief of it all just finally being over, before the harsh reality that came with realizing they have to go back. Not knowing if he's got it in him to do a few more decades of all this, let alone centuries.

And then unquestionably knowing that it doesn't matter if he can, because he will regardless. For the people around him. Whether he wants to or not. He just- can't do it alone. That's where he draws the line. That's why he's here.
)
ushiri: (pic#17053603)

cw: homophobia, abuse

[personal profile] ushiri 2024-05-14 07:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[ There's a lot, Kyle realizes, that in all these centuries he's never known about Jerry.

With the boy gone, he watches the flickering of memories playing out in front of them until the other young man whispers about programs, and then he's staring at Jerry again with an inscrutable, faraway look on his own expression. The voices of these men seem to surround him for a second, plucking at his own memories (are they? sometimes he thinks he sees someone - another blonde young man, another stern, older man with rage and disappointment in his eyes, his features constantly shifting).

He doesn't need to ask about stray doorknobs.

He doesn't remember the name of the man who did the same to him, only that he never needed to hide the abuse. That man wanted everyone to know Kyle's shame. Kahlil touches his face, feeling old scar tissue that was once very faint get suddenly more noticeable, a cut that once split his mouth nearly ear to ear. He is quiet for a moment after Jerry downplays it all. Kahlil understands that particular discomfort, too.

He never wanted pity.

(it got easy to believe he deserved what he got, that what they said about him was true) ]


A monster raised me too. [ he finally says, letting his hand fall away from his face. He gives Jerry an odd look, not one of empathy - more like he isn't sure he should be saying this - or anything at all except we can go now. ]

I guess we turned out alright.

[ By being the opposite of those men that raised them. ]