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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.



vixening: ([ ∿ ] 100 [S3])

[personal profile] vixening 2024-05-18 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[ river may feel like she is the one failing, when in reality, it says more about yennefer's own failing. about yennefer's own lack of control when she should have provided more. river sees her as this beacon of strength, unfaltering pillar amongst the chaos that fills the room around them now, when the truth is so much further from that. yennefer knows how to steady the air because she had spent so much of her life as the chaos itself, picked up and shattered by the movements of the air, the decisions of others, her own mistakes.

it has been centuries since, yennefer now somewhere in her second, or was it third, century of life. and where yennefer is, who yennefer is, has changed with it. she has had to become something steady, something controlled, if she wanted to help any of those who turned to her for help. if she wanted to be anything at all, if she wanted to help anyone at all, she needed to change. she needed to adapt.

a rebirth.

yennefer knows that river's potential, that river's power and her access to it, is something she could never truly reach. but what yennefer has grown to understand, what yennefer has grown to be, is not an emmulation or rival to river's power - but a guidance to master it. their bond is more than mentor and student, more than mother and daughter. river is the epitome of yennefer's purpose, of who she has chosen she needs to be.

a guide.

river trembles, she rants, she asks what to do and tries to put words to the feeling yennefer can pick out from her thoughts. it is and it isn't, it's soon, it's now. yennefer holds her hand to river's cheek and lets her continue, lets the words spill forth, and she settles. firm. constant. the sand does not budge, even as river tries to ground herself and fails. emotions, power, force - it explodes outwards, in every direction, pulling at yennefer's clothes, whips both the girls dark hair around their faces. dread weighs on the air around them, and even yennefer can feel the shift, can tell how much more energy it takes to take a breath.

but this feeling, this loss - yennefer is no stranger to the fear of it. the only difference is that this time, with this, she can do something about it. ]


River. Wedd. Look at me. [ it is only when yennefer has river's attention - not just her eyes, but her focus. however fractured or splintered, yennefer only needs a moment. a sliver.

when she gets it, yennefer reaches forward - her telekinesis not quite changing what is going on in river's mind, but in a sense, giving that steady rock an extension from the pouring in the room up to the rapids in river's mind. it is only a moment, but like a clap of thunder, it breaks through the onslaught if river has it in her to reach for it.

at the same time, she presses her forhead to river's - there is a kind of force, perhaps tighter than it needs to be, in yennefer's grip on river's cheek. if river cannot find the pillar to recenter, yennefer will rise to fill the larger space. ]
It is not too much. But you must focus.

[ she cannot begin on kassa, on cassian, on the sand that remains still and unmoved in yennefer's hand, until she has river's focus. it doesn't need to be whole, it does not to be complete, but she needs to have more of it than not. ] On me, first. On this, here, right now. You have nothing to fear.
gynvael: (413)

[personal profile] gynvael 2024-05-18 10:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Geralt stares at him. What sort of question is that? ]

It matters to me.

[ Dean is right. He realizes that. They can't bury their heads in the sand. Nothing in this life or another is perfect. They can only hope that it is theirs, and this—this isn't theirs. And if it isn't theirs, then it isn't Ciri's, either. She is out there somewhere he cannot reach. How long has it been? Is she searching for him, some version of her? Or are they here together?

No. He can't abandon his daughter. But it still fucking matters.

The breath he releases is sharp, dissatisfied. He doesn't say his goodbyes. (It doesn't feel right. Not yet.) ]
I'll be back. If you're there.
thedreamer: (0722)

[personal profile] thedreamer 2024-05-18 10:47 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The magic his friend imparts makes the journey at least more peaceful than the horrors of what they left behind. It's a method of travel he's not capable of himself, but one that lends a bit of comfort to his mind, but more importantly, seems to soothe the children. As they walk, one child taps the stars on the top of his hand, a silent question, and the Doctor smiles briefly, opening up his palm to reveal a few miniature stars and a little floating planet. Just an illusion, but one to bring something gentle to a day with sharp and painful edges. To Geralt's question — ]

They will, you're right. They'll never really stop.

[ He knows what's capable of, what he'll do if he must, he knows there's a darkness in him that he sometimes has nightmares about, as though it all can't actually be real. But knowing the worst about himself keeps him fighting against it and turning to compassion and hope as often as he can. Those are the memories he wants to leave behind, the impact he wants to have on this world and all beyond, that he sought to help and defend, that what he fought for most would be the persistence of mercy. ]

I'll look for the children, and the lost, and the hopeless. And the monsters that come — [ And they will. ] — will answer to me.

[ He'll go to the ones who call for him and he'll stand between them and the dark, but — he'll hold it back, not seek it out or become it. What he'll do to said monsters remains unspoken, but he'll always recall the look of fear he'd conjured in the children and he'll hold fast to that to steady him in those moments when it seems the easier path to take, to give in to cruelty. ]

And you?
righteously: (¹⁵ I'ᴍ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴍᴀᴋɪɴ' ᴍʏ ᴘʟᴀʏ)

[personal profile] righteously 2024-05-18 10:48 pm (UTC)(link)
( His smile is hollow. An empty gesture.

He pulls back, reels himself in, and offers Geralt the only thing he really has to offer right now: comforting bullshit.
)

I'll be there.

( As though he can possibly promise that with any kind of confidence. He doesn't believe it, he doubts Geralt will believe it either, but it still doesn't matter. )

Go get your kid. I'll see you on the other side.
thedreamer: (0566)

[personal profile] thedreamer 2024-05-18 11:01 pm (UTC)(link)
You were, Nathan, and you missed her. And you'll get back to her, you will, but you denying she exists helps nothing and no one. And right now, it's imperative you listen to me and think.

Why did you let go of her? Why did you forget? Was it easier?

[ All their memories were toyed with here, he can't presume anything about the mechanism of their thoughts being rearranged — why the Doctor himself remembered nothing of his own life either, but others did — but he does know pain has a way of bringing one back to themselves. ]
thedreamer: (0710)

[personal profile] thedreamer 2024-05-18 11:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Quite right, of course! Suppose it's only that, stone — nothing more or less, nothing ever before and nothing but, and simply...the monolith holding the hands of time. Just stone, but...part of everything.

Scratch that — not just, no. Nothing is ever just anything at all, that's why life is so grand.

[ Watching the star settle in the grass brings a soft, almost whimsical smile to his face. ]

It reminds me of a friend a bit, sort of, if I could remember better. I don't know what's a dream or a memory anymore. Not important, though! I do...wish we could go there. [ He looks up to the sky again, eyes lingering on the expanse of sky above. ] I wish I could show you a star up close.

[ He thinks he liked that once, taking friends across the universe. ]
thedreamer: (0535)

[personal profile] thedreamer 2024-05-18 11:22 pm (UTC)(link)
When you love anyone or anything at all, you know always — even if it's just a whisper you pretend not to hear — that they will break your heart one day. They'll go and you'll be here and all that you can hold now is their name, their memory, what they left behind.

But it's so important, Adrienne. You won't let her be lost by forgetting her, will you? I won't.

[ He steps closer and holds out his arms to her, offering a moment of comfort. ]
familysucks: (09)

[personal profile] familysucks 2024-05-18 11:38 pm (UTC)(link)
A steed is a horse, you realize. But I'll take 'trusty'.

[Trustworthy and reliable are among his favourite compliments to receive.

Michael raises his wings and brings the wrists together so Eddie can cross over from one arch to the other if he cares to. He's not a jungle gym, either, but he considers catering to his companion's restless nature a show of friendship. There'd been a time when he hadn't thought of Eddie as anything more than another resident of Solvunn. There's nothing quite like repeatedly seeking him out over the course of a few hundred years—giving him the idea that maybe his company is needed—to earn Michael's friendship, though.

That inability to keep secrets, however? This is why Eddie doesn't get anything earth-shattering. It's not much of a secret that calling him names won't get Michael to alter his path.]


Since you don't want to fight anything—[One of the hallmarks of a great quest, his tone says for him. Anything smaller than a demigod wouldn't be a fair fight and anything larger is outside their weight class, so if it's not demigods, fighting is off the table.]—I thought we might build an adventure for someone else.

[This does not answer the question of 'where to', but they're not far off from his intended destination. There's a small, shaded clearing in the woods where his people don't go—where no one goes, really, because going deep into the forest is generally considered a bad idea. It's the domain of the gods. Michael's taken to using this particular spot as a dumping ground for the questionable treasures Ed gifts him and all the knick-knacks left for him as offerings. He appreciates the gestures, but as he is now he has little use for trinkets.

As they arrive, he settles into the cool grass and lowers his wings. Bits of gold and gems and polished steel glitter in the pile on the ground before them.]


Pick a few things you find interesting.

[He's going to rely on Eddie's sense of aesthetics for this one. He was human, once; Michael never was.]
sophos: (pic#17065477)

no worries, it's all good! c:

[personal profile] sophos 2024-05-19 12:18 am (UTC)(link)
"So it's not entirely work chatter," she says with a faint smile.

Annabeth has been married to Percy for so long she often forgets there must have been a time she wasn't. No one is born married. Her own experience is limited (albeit in a different way), but she sympathizes with Claire and all she's gone through regardless. As far as she's concerned, her mother-in-law deserves the world.

"It's hard not to be worried based on what happened in the past, but anyone would be beyond lucky to have you. Maybe you can be more upfront about wanting to spend time with him, in general, rather than anything about your feelings yet."
thoughts: (59)

[personal profile] thoughts 2024-05-19 12:23 am (UTC)(link)
[ serenity can't help but grin victoriously at guessing correctly. it's generally nothing special for her to predict what lies ahead, but with kassa's exasperation and the challenge thrown aegis' way, it's too much fun not to get swept up into it. a good-natured game between siblings on a night when their meal is simply for the sake of sharing it rather than satiating the bottomless hunger that afflicts both kassa and azem in times of famine.

it's rare for things to be this simple and sweet in the world of the gods. serenity is honestly a bit suspicious of what it may mean for them and the future she cannot yet see, but she wants to enjoy this while they still can. ]


Bavarois. An egg-based cream dessert, like jelly with milk.

[ is he right? she can't tell from here. serenity watches aegis eating the pita chips and finally takes one herself to break into pieces with her fingers as she turns back to the kitchen. ]

Did you add a liquor to it? Figs are supposed to pair well with white wines and dark liquors.

[ not that she would know by trying it. ]
thoughts: (23)

[personal profile] thoughts 2024-05-19 12:23 am (UTC)(link)
[ the arrival of the forest brings a wave of calm that washes over her the way it normally does when serenity visits him. it's a temporary reprieve, dousing the flames and clearing enough of a path that she can follow them out of the building just moments before it crashes in on itself.

the siblings fall into each other's arms and weep in the streets. the eldest seems to stare directly at serenity - perhaps she's the one she felt called to as the child looked into the flames and challenged what fate might come for them. serenity stares right back, the human protected from her true gaze by the black blindfold over her eyes, and a bond is formed between them as the rest of what happened here floods into her, the details clearer now that the panic has passed. ]


It happened so fast.

[ they descended just after the lights had gone out in most of the houses. they killed those in the streets first, as others began breaking into the houses indiscriminately. serenity looks around as she watches the path of violence they carved through this small village, seeing it all play in reverse and fast forward.

she knows geralt asked an important question. but a part of her is still trapped in that wild feeling of dismay, the fear and pain that lingers in these roads filled with blood and the stench of death in the air squeezing at her heart. ]


They're all the same. In every age, in every corner of every world. How many times have you seen this exact same scene unfold? How are you ever supposed to stop them?
thoughts: (66)

[personal profile] thoughts 2024-05-19 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ there is something overtly expressive in his behavior, like a caricature or - well, like a clown. his carnival shifts key and this time, the vast majority of the mortals fall under his spell and start ambling about, oblivious to the god that pulls their strings like a gleeful puppeteer.

she watches it happen in a daze. how is this a reward? what has she forgotten? she knows she was pulled through the fountain in thorne, that her magic ballooned out of proportion as her connection to the singularity deepened. she fought for control and ultimately lost it - but if she is a god the same way he is, and their powers are theirs to do with what they want... ]


They don't like the truth.

[ that's what he'd said. ]

Is this it? The truth. This world is magic and reality can be shaped at will by those with the most power. We are the chaos and they are just... drowning in it.
ushiri: (pic#16104269)

[personal profile] ushiri 2024-05-19 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ Kyle is reluctant to leave the dog alone. He worries she will vanish from Geralt's domain if he loses sight of her, but he worries equally that trying to approach right now will cause her to bolt, that she'll slip through his fingers again and he will have to start over in his search. So he follows Geralt to where he sits, choosing to lean against the thick wooden side with one shoulder. ]

Do you remember why?

[ There's something happening to all of them. He crosses his arms over his chest, frowning to himself and at the snowy ground. ]

I've been angry at someone for a long time, for choosing to forget.

[ For doing it to himself. ]
ordinar: (♛ 021)

[personal profile] ordinar 2024-05-19 01:17 am (UTC)(link)
One of us, Kyle says, and Wilhelm takes it as a direct strike at his own failures, which lie like scars beneath his skin. He's sharply aware that he hasn't always been the most reliable god — but at least he's trying. He doesn't need anybody to worship him. In fact, the reaction that gods-made-flesh usually invoke in mortals makes him shy away from appearing before any of his followers. But he feels in his ribs that he needs to do the right thing.

"You aren't any different from them. You've given up too," he throws at Kyle. As if he hasn't given up over and over again, drowning only to thrash back to the surface only to slip under again.

Without waiting for a response, he flashes in a shadowy streak across the barren hills to the ridge of the chasm, which the vanguard of the exiles has reached.
ordinar: (♛ 049)

[personal profile] ordinar 2024-05-19 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
[He pauses so that River can get a better look at the crystals encasing his hand like strange armor. In answer to her question, he wiggles his fingers.]

It doesn't hurt. It's...weird. I can feel them growing, like they're coming out of my skin, but it doesn't hurt. See?

[Eyes lowering in concentration, breath sinking slow and deep, Wilhelm encourages the crystals to grow. And little by little, the fractals stretch back to protect his wrist. It's a strange thing, to watch the slow work of centuries play out in the space of a minute.]

Not sure how durable it is. You think we should test it out?

[An invitation with a grin, like it could be fun to test his limits. As she hides her jealousy for the explosive growth in his magic ability, he hides his anxiety over what all this new power could mean.]
gynvael: (374)

[personal profile] gynvael 2024-05-19 01:28 am (UTC)(link)
My home is here. [ The answer comes easily, as though Geralt has considered this before. The old, empty fortress gave way to the cabin filled with three occupied rooms and shelves of belongings. It's lived in. It's warm. It does not hold horrors in its dark cellars. His mind is clear without those shadows waiting to trip him.

But Kyle seems to be inching towards something more than Geralt's decision to let go of pieces of his past that no longer serve him or his ability to protect his family.

Or so be believes. Maybe it's difficult to say when the memories are blurred. ]


What did they leave behind?
ushiri: (pic#15827112)

[personal profile] ushiri 2024-05-19 01:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ It does feel like a home. More than the fortress he seems to slowly be able to build in his mind. Or was it a monastery? That place that smelled of pine needles, incense, and sweat in his oldest remaining memories, what tatters of them remain. ]

You've always seemed so sure of your place in the world.

[ Maybe that's why the dog sought him out.

Or maybe it is just the bones. ]


The memory of someone. The pain of losing them.
northerndragon: an awkward family luncheon (S8 i made a huge mistake)

[personal profile] northerndragon 2024-05-19 02:23 am (UTC)(link)
He tilts his head up again when she touches his face, then leans in to press his forehead against hers. The slate is hard and cold against his knees. The room feels smaller now.

Did they find each other, or did the magic push them together? He remembers overhearing a wildling woman once, when she said that sorcery is like a sword without a hilt: there is no safe way to grasp it.

"We found each other. Do we lose each other now? I don't know if this will end, or how long it will last. I only know that you deserved to know. No -- that I couldn't keep it from you."

Will she understand the difference between those two things? He couldn't keep it from her not only because it would be wrong to lie to her about it, to maintain the lie in its fullness, to share suppers and beds and a whole life without her knowing, but also because the weight of it would have been a heavy thing to bear alone. He would have tried, if it had been necessary, but he knows she would not have wanted him to.

Would she?

"I faced an enemy, before I came to this world. One who could spell the end of every living thing. I was gathering resources to fight him, his army -- I had little hope. I knew that a last day might come, when we'd have to make our stand. The end of the world." A pause, and he makes his point. "I have been wondering if it will feel like this. No battle is coming, but... Claire, it's bad enough. It feels bad enough."
nadine_he_loves: (smile)

[personal profile] nadine_he_loves 2024-05-19 02:23 am (UTC)(link)
[He's right, of course, she should.

It was strange, once, to think that there was a holiday in her honor. Nadine still remembers that. Her past is murky and disordered, but she remembers portions of the early years. It's dim and shadowed beyond that, but it doesn't bother her any. Things are as they should be.

With a last trailing touch of her fingers, Nadine straightens with her flowered crown on her head and steps forward. With one step to the next she materializes. Her chosen form is not so great and strange as to need alteration when appearing among mortals. Even now there's a sense of restraint about her.

A cry goes up and the celebrants turn. She raises her arms and her vines, a display of blessing to all gathered in her name. Intentionally, she lets herself glow. Soft and golden, like the sun in the late afternoon before it turns to evening. A few words are spoken. Children run up with bunches of flowers and fruit, which she takes with a smile.

There are two thrones on a dais already waiting, decorated with flowers and greenery. One is a bit larger than the other. Beckoning for Jaskier to join her, she moves to take her place.]
vixening: ([ ✗ ] 017 [S2])

cw: self harm

[personal profile] vixening 2024-05-19 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
[ if he's waiting for a snap, he'll see it the moment his answer leaves his lips. the no hits her like a slap, the I am a painful streak across her eyes. she winces, at first, trying to find her footing in that answer. trying to understand how he could be ready to rid himself of everything they've built, everything they accomplished, everything they finally have here that took decades, centuries, her coma, his loss of memories, the fact that they've returned to each other over and over and over- ]

No. [ yennefer spats back, shakes her head, moves as if she's trying to step away from him. but even as she begins to move, she knows she won't get far. knows that it's futile. that tether that binds them together she can feel now, stronger than ever. stronger than it's ever been that she can remember, pulling, holding her there. ] No, I won't-

[ that is when he reaches for her, lightning fast, too fast for her to consider trying to react. his hands are around her hands, turning her wrists up towards her, and yennefer tries to wrench them away. she tries, once, tugging hard only for him to hold them true, hold her in place. the restraints have her eyes wild, a kind of desperate panic to match his own desperation, but this isn't- no, no she's felt this before, hasn't she? been here before. restrained, imprisoned, held down while they pried away from her the very thing she- ]

It was the only choice I got. [ the words burst out of her, through her gritted teeth. they would be a hiss if she had any more control over them, her teeth bared as she tugs on his grip on her. tries to free herself of the hold.

it is only in the moment after, not even half a breath, that what she says sinks in. the fire, the anger, the fury that she had been spitting back in his face stills in place of wide eyes. the memories do not flood back to her so much as strike through her memories like the lightning around them, matching the storm. flashes, moments suddenly clear and then gone, things she had known and things that had made her and all of this, all of these things she'd forgotten- ]


No. [ this time, it's less of a demand. this time, it sounds more like a plea. another flash courses through her, of pain unimaginable. of being remade, for the first time. reborn. she winces, visibly, and when she looks back up to him it's different, he's different. in just a blink and they're in the basement of a crumbling home, he looks- he looks young. she feels young. they are lifetimes away and his hair falls around his face. he might even see it too, her powers changing the very space around them, manipulating the visions, the images. no longer are they surrounded by the same trees they've come to be so familiar with, but instead stone walls, sunlight streaming through glass windows, pillows around their feet.

when did you last feel happy when you were trapped?

is that what she is? trapped? held together by years and years and years of a path she's walked for so long she doesn't know her way back? is there a back to return to, after everything? ]
No. [ she turns her wrists in his hands, presses her palms to his chest, and shoves. the image around them breaks, snaps back, and whether or not there is any force to her shove doesn't matter so much now that the scars on her wrists aren't staring back at her. ]

I won't lose this. I won't lose everything. Not again. [ again? again. even that brings with it a weight, a shift, as ash begins to fall around them, gently at first and then thicker, heavier. with each passing second she can feel the weight of those memories bearing down on her, no matter what it is she says. her fingers blacken where they curl on geralt's chest, balling to fists. ]
Edited 2024-05-19 04:11 (UTC)
thearchangel: (Archangel | BAT-turian!)

[personal profile] thearchangel 2024-05-19 04:50 am (UTC)(link)
"Hey-!"

Like that ever stopped her. Like shouting after her would actually do any good. Except maybe make her laugh at his audacity. Despite the centuries, despite the ages of practice, changing has never come naturally to him. Never come easily to him. It takes heartbeats longer, it's not as quick and painless as it is with her.

But once he's up, he's up, and hot on her tail.
unwings: (castiel00105)

[personal profile] unwings 2024-05-19 05:04 am (UTC)(link)
[ castiel quirks an amused half-smile at him, knowing currency is about as worthless as acorns to the wolf. maybe more - acorns you can eat. ]

Does that coin make a comfortable mattress for your winter naps?

[ he clearly isn't spending it on fine lodging and feasts, as evidenced by their modest camp fire and the deer geralt likely ran down himself not long ago. he imagines geralt curled up on a pile of coins like a wolf turned dragon and it lightens the weight of the mood for a brief moment. he knows why geralt still answers them. it's probably similar to why dean does - because someone needs saving, and that's all he needs to know. cas sometimes wishes he could look at it so simply, and ignore the cascade of failures that unravel after each divine action struck down. It always pulls him back to that last echo Geralt's asking him about.

Castiel sighs, props his arms on his bended knees and examines the lines in his seemingly human hands. white wings folded in at his back shudder, kicking off imaginary dirt, letting some restless anxiety of the topic seep out. ]


The one that made a crater where this forest is now.

[ he'd restored it since then, after his power caused a quake so violent it swallowed the village of nomads that'd settled there. they'd been told by the ones who sent the echo that these people were invading raiders, that they'd captured their children, they'd been running them off their land and barring them from the river. they'd been told. ]

I thought myself righteous. Delivering justice, aiding the meek and defenseless. [ it was only after the quake that they noticed the malnourished bodies, ratty clothes. the only weapons were rusty, shoddy things, barely good for hunting game. ] I was divine retribution for petty resource hoarding.

[ dean didn't see it that way. he called it a misunderstanding, a simple mistake, one they could overlook and put behind them, but Cas stood in the desolate crater, picking through ruined homes and mangled bodies of women and children who were simply trying to survive. it was a mistake, they should've checked first, they shouldn't have trusted so freely. he'd call cas a coward for stepping away from it all, but to castiel it was clear. ] I could never shake the knowledge that every time we take action on this mortal plane, someone else suffers. No matter how right the cause, the scale of our power rocks the balance of those less capable in ways that can only be fixed by more interference. Mortals are left to grovel and struggle and plead their cases for protection from whatever whims leave them as collateral.

[ any move he makes only worsens it, so best he just... doesn't look. ]
krazed: (vexin(27))

[personal profile] krazed 2024-05-19 05:11 am (UTC)(link)
Harley might have had some idea, but the idea of it didn't meet her expectations. Most ladies want to be swooned over, worshipped, and pampered but after being on the receiving end of all that admiration Harley preferred the hands-off approach with her peons. She didn't take to all the fuss, and would rather go around incognito to prevent getting caught-up in all the attention.

Wonder Woman was hot before god-dom and her full-on goddess mode was no exception to that rule. It took it to a whole new level and out of this world was no longer just a pun but the reality.

"Just making the rounds," Harley makes a show of pantomiming what she said and how she said it. "Sounds boring. What about taking time for yourself? I know people need us but we need us too, right? Girls night in? Any one on one time with a hot bath and a steamy book?"
krazed: (vexin(29))

[personal profile] krazed 2024-05-19 05:14 am (UTC)(link)
The shut-in says what?

[Harley pushes her tongue through a large goofy grin which yes, is at his expense, but is well meaning despite the call-out.]

Every time I'm here I feel like I'm with freakin' Nosferatu. If the gift of gab gets you out of your shell then I'm happy to burden you with it.
unwings: (ikoUsEp)

[personal profile] unwings 2024-05-19 05:31 am (UTC)(link)
'Right choices.'

[ he repeats, leaning back with a lofted brow. julia likely knows well enough now what castiel's stance on considering themselves divine, or anything with the right to manipulate, guide, or judge the humans. who are any of them to tell another being what's right and wrong? when they're all so broken themselves.

all the ages have done is grant them power, not mended their minds and spirits. he doesn't need to revisit the same old tirade to remind her, so he leaves it at that. he'd rather bask in the sweet shiver the touch to his wings brings, letting a relaxing sigh fall into a soft hum. he trails fingers through her hair, gently carding the strands. ]


They call on you because you help them. If you stopped helping, they'd stop calling. Perhaps they'd even learn how to live on their own merits.

[ or they'd go praying to the next summoned willing to accept worship for super-powered favors. he isn't so foolish as to think all of them might stop one day, and let the mortals figure their world out on their own, as they should. but he's found peace here, disconnected from it all. he wishes those he cared for could find the same. ]

If you're sick, why keep going back?

[ Julia knows she could stay here. Anyone willing to leave the deification at the tree line is welcome in his forest, but it's so sweet a siren call to the summoned. they always end up going back, like it's them who need the mortals more than the echoes would have one believe. ]