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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.



falcony: (✓ >> 8)

[personal profile] falcony 2024-05-19 08:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Sam doesn't know if he's moved on. Sam doesn't know if he ever will. It's something he's learned to accept about himself over the years and years he's continued to live - how his heart, his love, it adapts and changes shape but never really leaves. But what is the same for him is that it doesn't hurt so much anymore. Doesn't leave him feeling like he'd done something wrong, in not forcing what couldn't work. For a time they did not keep contact, the pain too fresh and their lives too separate, but it has been over the last couple of centuries that they've found their ways back to each other again.

Sam likes Jon. Sam knows Jon is good for Claire. That he will treat her well and right, and that he can do all the things that Sam couldn't. It doesn't mean that he will ever stop holding that special part in his heart for Claire - she is there for the rest of time. But she is happy, he can see that as good as anyone, and that is really all he cares about.

Wildflowers blossom, and Sam smiles back at her, feeling the warmth of the spring breeze. Solvunn always had better changes to its seasons, he could feel it in the air more than he ever could in the Cities. This part has always been easy, being them. "You always shine." He says easily, reaching forward to take the anemone. Brushes his fingers against hers, briefly, before bringing the flower to his nose to smell.
techmaturgy: (pic#15348799)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2024-05-19 08:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[If Viktor notices the Nomad's surprise, he doesn't show it--though that's easy, given the fact that neither of their faces (or, in Viktor's case, his mask) betrays very little. He is aware, though, of everyone's general perception of him. How they don't know how deeply he cares for this place, despite actively separating himself from humanity.

But he knows that the Nomad understands. They're not so different, in their need to be alone.

This is not the first time someone has expressed this kind of sentiment to him, and he finds himself once again wishing he could have done something for Formahault, back when it might have mattered for the people there. All he can do now is press forward, and hope that one day he will realize the dream of restoring this place.
]

Despite everything, our power is limited. There are still mysteries I have been unable to solve.

[The sentience of the automatons, for one thing.]
cryptsleeper: <user name="malagraphic"> (thinkin for a sec here)

[personal profile] cryptsleeper 2024-05-19 08:28 pm (UTC)(link)
--Okay.

[Alucard doesn't know if this will work. Himeka knows herself best, but the state of her mind is still a question mark. If water may even remotely be right, then that's what they need to do.

Still, his mind reels. Water is essential to life, it could do even more harm. Suck up life from that and....

...and she said deep. Where food is scarce. That's the safe guard, isn't it? The darkest depths and then moving up to the surface. Behind him, another portal begins to come into focus. Alucard's eyes are locked on Himeka.]


I'm opening this up in the deep. Go through, and I will watch you from the other side here since I am not meant for water pressure that intense. If this works, start to head up to the surface. Then I'll join you.

[He steps aside, the portal now letting out a distinct briny smell into the air. The dhampir is terrified of this not working, but he needs to get over it. If all goes to hell, Himeka can come back after spending some time with the Singularity. He's done worse to those closer to him.]
techmaturgy: (7)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2024-05-19 08:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Probably for the best.

[Cid is...a lot, and Viktor gets the sense that he's always been that way, even in a former life, the details of which he can't fully recall. But there aren't many engineers among them, so he finds himself an occasional collaborator. It works out, mostly, but now that the music box has reared its figurative ugly head again, he finds himself wanting to solve it once and for all.]

Functionally, nothing. I've taken it apart countless times, at his request, only to find that all of the components are functional. But he insists.

[It's possible that Viktor is here simply looking for validation that he isn't crazy, at least in this matter.]
sscuriosity: (ι ρℓαу му ѕтυρι∂ ѕσиgѕ)

[personal profile] sscuriosity 2024-05-19 08:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Sometimes. Not really critiques just ... helpful suggestions.

[Yes, he leaves them notes because even after hundreds of years he can't keep his mouth shut when there is a smart solution in front of him. Whoever said old habits die hard was right on the money.]

That's very philosophical of you. I know we're not from the same place but you would've loved Socrates and Plato.
sscuriosity: (ι ρℓαу му ѕтυρι∂ ѕσиgѕ)

words cannot clarify how painful this tag was to write

[personal profile] sscuriosity 2024-05-19 08:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[Azem is well, to put it politely - gorgeous. Dustin didn't used to look at girls the way he does now. He hit fourteen and suddenly he's acutely aware of traits like eyes, hair, attitude, things he never really cared about before.

Even at almost 315 being in eternal "puberty," didn't do him favors and so he sits with his mouth agape for a minute before finding himself despite those hormonal odds.]


That's nice. Do your followers come here too? What's good here?
thedreamer: (018)

[personal profile] thedreamer 2024-05-19 09:09 pm (UTC)(link)
She doesn't have to be his child for her to still be his in some way. His friends all through time and space, all these long years, have always been the best of him, have always been his in one way or another. With his memories restored now, it feels so long ago, but there's the shadow of something there, the remembrance of that slight weight in his arms, of a small voice calling to him, a tiny hand holding fast to his. Centuries have passed, memories just ghosts now, but all the more precious to him.

In this untrue reality, he'd been given a chance to remember what it felt like to have someone look to him like that, think of him as family, as attached as they could be. For a little while, there was only joy.

His hand presses closer to the back of her head, stroking over her curls.

"We're not what we thought and everything's changed, but you haven't lost me, Claire. You won't. You never could."
beautifullies: (ιғ we ѕυcceed тonιgнт)

[personal profile] beautifullies 2024-05-19 09:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Claire breathes in deeply, then lets it out shakily as her hands move through his hair, touching his face, feeling almost as if she needs to memorize him, make mental notes.

"If we only lose one another if we choose, then—" she stops short of asking him to choose her. It isn't fair, he might've been perfectly happy until this magic, whatever it is, changed his life. She wouldn't know, because she didn't know him then, and that same dread rolls through her stomach. She may hate knowing, but she's grateful that he told her, that he respects her enough to have told her everything right away.

Still, new fear grips her and she clings to Jon once again.

"Don't go back out. There's no battle, stay with me," she pleads, pulling back enough to hold his face in her hands. "Stay with me, and we can decide what to do together." It isn't as if hiding will keep them safe from whatever may be stripped away, but if she can hold on for a little longer, is there any shame in it?
beautifullies: (jaмιe ι waѕ ѕo angry aт yoυ.)

[personal profile] beautifullies 2024-05-19 09:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Claire pulls back just enough to look at him, then reaches out to slide a thumb across his temple.

"It's happened to all of us," she recognizes, knowing she isn't alone in finding out awful truths and having two lives in her head. "You remember too much now, I can tell. I can still tell," she says with just a hint of a broken smile.

"If this is all true, then it's been a long time since I've seen your eyes so sad." She should have to think harder, to pull from so far back it should seem impossible. But instead, it's right there, a memory so close it can't have been hundreds of years ago.

"Maybe I don't have any right to ask now, but...might I stay a while? Please?"
iustise: (21)

[personal profile] iustise 2024-05-19 09:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[John mounts his own horse alongside Geralt's, with only a moment of hesitation as he wonders where Karolus had gone off to.

Karolus?

He shakes his head. Wondering where that thought had come from, and what it means. Where this is coming from. He lets the other man take the lead and set the pace for the ride, still feeling shaken and unsettled. Trying to focus on the path in front of them and the sway of the horse beneath him, rather than the thoughts rattling around his mind.

At the suggestion, he glances up at Geralt, his expression softening. Next winter...]


I would like that. To spend some time with you both.

[He can see through you, Geralt, he doubts that Ciri is the only one who likes having him there.]
blackeyedprince: (burn)

[personal profile] blackeyedprince 2024-05-19 10:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Mara nods slowly. His desire to help is strong and genuine. It comes from a place of care, not control, from being in similar places and knowing how a kind, guiding hand could have change the disastrous trajectory he put himself on. Or so he likest o think. His father is right. Istredd knows him better than anyone else. He sees further and clearer than anyone. He's right to remind Mara that no matter his intentions, he can't save anyone against their will. As much as he likes to think that being in their situation he would have listened, it is no more than wishful thinking. All this means that he'd like to spare himself, and others, the suffering that results from choosing the wrong path. While in truth, he'd be as stubborn as those mortals, if not more.

People want to see what they believe in. Too often in contrast to what's actually there. Even denying what's right before their eyes. It is a wonderful and terrifying quality. One that Mara both appreciates and is deeply frustrated by.

"I know, I would never want to take it from them."

This would not help. Even worse, it would make their complaints valid. They are meddling in the affair of the mortals enough. The balance is delicate and difficult to maintain. No one knows it better than Mara. He's always struggled with it.

"I just want to help."
godshattering: (pic#15570277)

[personal profile] godshattering 2024-05-19 10:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Bahamut has a point - logically, Sidus knows this. The same goes for the prodding into doing those godly duties he'd rather leave for another day, if ever. Sunlight is unlikely to run out any time soon, so it's not the best excuse he's ever tried to make. There's no avoiding some things even with the answering is purely being done out of spite.

Which applies to now since it's with an audible sigh and a flick of one hand the book disappears to also be forgotten about until later, though he glances over his shoulder again at the offer of how to travel. ]


Are you sure? You seemed like you were enjoying your rest, well-earned as it is.

[ Restlessness is certainly also something he understands well as it's stayed with him century after century, though. The echo calls again and this time a little more plaintive, which is... curious. Time is more of a concept than a reality to him these days but it surely hadn't been long enough to warrant that; something to contemplate as he takes Bahamut's direction and climbs up. ]

You're in luck since we've got a bit of a flight ahead of us. If I remember right, this particular shrine is between Aquila and Cadens.

[ And he certainly never declines a chance to meddle with Cadens in particular. ]
wiedzminka: (two hundred & sixty-three.)

[personal profile] wiedzminka 2024-05-19 10:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[ When he steps forward, Ciri feels the crazy urge to push him away, to try to get away. She holds very still instead, and her shoulders beneath his hands are tense.

Another glance up at the sky shows ominous cracks.

In the back of her mind, a voice. A woman's voice that some part of her instinctively identifies as mother -- but it isn't Yennefer's voice, and it isn't familiar. She can't tell what it's saying.

Ciri shakes her head until the voice goes quiet. Her mismatched hands lift to Geralt's elbows, gripping him back, and her eyes meet his again, searching his face. ]


Geralt. I'm right here.

Are you sure you're all right? Are you sure you remember?

[ After all, of the two of them, he has more of a history with issues in that respect than she does. What if something's affected him again, a crack appearing despite centuries of feeling like it's all there again?

(Like the cracks in the sky, the cracks in her own memories, the strange discrepancies she's begun to notice over the last few weeks with Sidus, with Viktor--)

Ciri takes a deep breath and slides her fingers up his arms to his wrists, to pull his hands off her shoulders into hers. ]


You're frightening me.
godshattering: (pic#15733091)

[personal profile] godshattering 2024-05-19 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[ An option - that gets a skeptical look from Sidus directed towards the Sentinel as the other god settles on the sand dune and he himself continues that transformation towards more wyvern than man. He does, however, narrow his eyes slightly at the question which caps it off. Whether that's out of some genuine reaction or that the Sentinel's invoked some unintended playfulness to a grim task will have to be seen. ]

I suppose that's up to him as well.

[ An intentional turning back of the Sentinel's words back at him by way of an answer and simultaneously not an answer at all. Then again, maybe it's just as clear that's precisely what he intends to do. The sharp grin made all the more so by wyvern fangs Sidus offers in response might be intended to fill in the blanks, but he's not going to offer more than that either.

Not when there's the exile to focus on, and his attention turns back there next. Even in the time they've been talking those steps have become slower and slower through the sands. No sight of the Maw just yet, but it wouldn't surprise Sidus if it's merely waiting for a chance to claim another exile with as little movement as possible.

And they can't have that, but they also need a bit more of a reason to act first. Sidus raises a clawed hand and contemplates his options, and then a quick flick of it summons The wind. The breezes increase until they pick up sand within them and with dust and grit flying it's only a matter of time until it starts to block out the sun to make that wandering a bit more dire. ]
diametrically: (pic#16804020)

[personal profile] diametrically 2024-05-19 10:40 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Sure enough there it is.

Instinctively he winces as her fist meets his shoulder. It doesn't matter that he's also a god, Annabeth's strength has always been greater than his. Which is why he knows that she didn't punch him with all of her force, only enough to make a point. That doesn't mean a lecture or some kind raised voice is ruled out.

But then the warmth of familiar arms around him dislodges the tension he'd held before. Without thinking twice he wraps his arms around her, immediately feeling comfort, feeling home. It's here that the hunger feels lightyears away. The corners of his lips twitch and even though she can't see it, she'll be able to hear the smile in his voice. ]


I'd think this were an alternative universe if you weren't.

[ The smile in his voice mellows out into sincerity. ]

I'm sorry.

[ For disappearing. For forgetting. ]
godshattering: (pic#16265577)

[personal profile] godshattering 2024-05-19 11:29 pm (UTC)(link)
"Aside from that. Doing the same thing as always is rather boring after a while, isn't it?"

There's no actual waiting for a response considering Sidus already has his mind set on an idea of what that other way could be. Which is, of course, why he keeps right on talking.

"Sometimes it's better to not answer with exactly what they want, but that doesn't exactly inspire belief unless you put a little extra planning into it. What we really need is an event. Sure, the echoes and whatnot will factor into that too, but we could always put on a pretty nice display to, say, assist."
ordinar: (♛ 025)

[personal profile] ordinar 2024-05-19 11:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[Something seizes him, as if the ocean itself has arms and the muscle to back them, and Wilhelm thrashes harder. The steel-eyed woman is talking, her words floating through the water in distorted waves. For the rest of your life, in every step you take, you'll always be compared to... Why does he already know the shape of this small feeling that burrows in his chest to curl up and die?

Memories of Mara, whom he has loved as his brother for centuries, dissipate and rearrange as someone whose name he can't remember, but whose face echoes somewhere deep inside. He knows, with startling sureness, that he has wrestled and raced and shoved and hugged this grinning golden boy.

All at once, the churning current of memories stills. Suspended there like a held breath, Wilhelm curves his gaze around the dark waters, anemically lit by a shaft of light trickling down.]


I didn't come here on purpose.

[It's only now that he realizes...his lungs aren't burning for breath. His mouth isn't filling with water when he opens it.]
diametrically: (pic#16919528)

[personal profile] diametrically 2024-05-19 11:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[ As they materialize Cassian doesn't so much as blink, falling into step with Viktor as they make their way through the domains of their fellow gods. Some he isn't capable of putting a domain to a name, but there are others that immediately spark recognition where they hadn't been any before.

His eyes skip towards Viktor. ]


Really? Why?

[ If anything he thinks it makes perfect sense that he doesn't have a domain. ]

furibund: (whatif11)

[personal profile] furibund 2024-05-20 12:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ Nebula can see the way that he struggles as if pulled between two different eras - two different hims. Someone who's suddenly greatly aware of how they've yanked themselves free from the roots they'd grown. ]

[ For better or worse. ]

[ She does not look away. Does not flinch as his attention searches her own - pleading for the answer to his dilemma before he even speaks it. Why? She almost wants to laugh. The question one she'd ask herself more times than she can count - in different ways at different times. ]

You were the one who told me that who we're meant to be can evolve.

[ She counters. The details are fuzzy, so long ago that she shouldn't remember it. It should be a detail long forgotten - as much of who she was had in that time. When she was still more inorganic than organic, before she started changing on her own. ]

It's easier to forget some things than let them hold you back.

[ She means it, but she also doesn't mean it. Her memory problems are something she's never really spoken of - though, perhaps, it became more obvious in those early years. ] You were never one to hold back, as far as I knew it.
godshattering: (pic#15529810)

[personal profile] godshattering 2024-05-20 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
A dangerous invitation to offer, certainly; Sidus is about to break into one of many possible grand tales created in the same instant the words would have left his mouth as all those details. Claire's spared that since he decides to wait and that (miniscule display of) patience is rewarded by what she says.

"Sounds a little like the way those grand romances mortals come up with begin, you know," he teases while leaning to bump his shoulder back into hers in return. The smile on his face grows to a grin along with it since that's only meant fondly - even if he stands by that assessment just a little bit. "I look forward to it appearing in a novel very soon. But I think you're overlooking the reason he's coming here, if he's continued with that..."

That's a thought he'll let trail off in more affectionate banter, but: it also works well for that ending thought Claire's left off with when paired with the flushed cheeks from before. It deserves less joking and more consideration, and for a second or two Sidus turns his attention back to the butterflies looping around the water. "Sometimes you have to give someone a little shove into romance. Not that I'd know anything about that," added purely for her entertainment as he cuts his gaze to her briefly with a smirk that says even over the centuries he's not forgotten where he'd needed the same, "especially if things have been the same for a while, even if it's a good same."
godshattering: (pic#16265573)

[personal profile] godshattering 2024-05-20 12:28 am (UTC)(link)
[ A wide, genuine grin appears on his face after Azem tastes it and proclaims it as wonderful as he'd thought it was - and more importantly, as he'd hoped she'd find it. The same for the rest of each of those selections when she's someone he knows can make them into any number of marvelous things.

Such as the one she makes which immediately has Sidus' face lighting up. ]


Sounds incredible and like the cheese absolutely shouldn't be optional. Maybe cheese inside of it too. Or that could go another loaf of bread to go with it.

[ Just to add to the cheese since there can never be enough of it in his opinion and as she might have guessed from any number of dish requests he's made over the years. Though speaking of that, it has him snapping his fingers in a realization of what else is in the basket. ]

Like this one! [ From the remaining contents, the rest which he'll leave for Azem to look through at her leisure, Sidus retrieves a small wheel of cheese no longer than his palm still wrapped in a cloth. ] From what I've seen from wandering around bakeries now and then it's made to be baked whole inside a loaf so it's all the better to break into while it's still warm. Perfect for a meal all in itself.
thedreamer: (& amelia pond - before you fade)

and wrap 🎁

[personal profile] thedreamer 2024-05-20 12:51 am (UTC)(link)
She knows him well, so well, enough that you'd almost believe they've known each other for centuries. They haven't, but they have. In all his long years, it's certainly not the first time he's ever had to grapple with converging timelines and false memories, but it's absolutely the first on such a grand scale like this, with reality twisted, memories stolen, trapped in a world so far from his beautiful blue box.

When they wake up fully, he'll still be in the Free Cities and just as helpless to fix all of this as he's ever been, but he's also more determined than ever.

For now, he just wants this quiet moment with Claire — the one who's made him proud, made him smile, made him miss it so desperately all over again, that feeling of being a father.

He smiles gently, kissing her forehead tenderly. "You can ask anything of me. And you absolutely may stay a little while longer. I'll be here."
a_better_man: (d!mat flirty grin)

[personal profile] a_better_man 2024-05-20 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
Once more Mat throws back his head and laughs, rich and hearty. Ah, these fellows....

"I do like the way you think." Silver eyes sparkling like sunlight on blackened waves. He catch's Kaz's gaze with a wink. "I believe that's exactly what we ought do."

He does love to get Jesper worked up, and he certainly enjoys Kaz in a carnal sense. How lucky he is, to have them both like this. But he's always been lucky, one way or another. The coin had simply landed heads when flipped the final time, or so he likes to think. They ought to have made him the patron of luck!

"Take back your throne, pretty man," another chuckle and a playful snap of his 'teeth' at Jesper. Oh, but he is a beautiful creature. A playful nudge follows.

"That's the observer's spot."
spiritread: (014)

[personal profile] spiritread 2024-05-20 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
Helpful suggestions.

[ She breathes it out in the huff of a laugh, hidden behind a hand as she shakes her head. ] You really are a busybody.

[ It's said fondly, rather than with any meaning of malice. Though the concept of philosophy earns a tilt of her head. ] Air Nomads have always been spiritual teachers, there's a lot of famous workings by the Gurus.

[ Which is to say that, perhaps, there's really not that much difference afterall - even if she doesn't remember all of the specifics. ] What did they teach, your Socrates and Plato?
nadine_he_loves: (smile)

[personal profile] nadine_he_loves 2024-05-20 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
[Nadine laughs and finds herself a place to settle and sit, a wide flat stone that subtly shifts to conform to her as she takes a seat.]

You've come to the right place, then. Sit down, we'll talk about anything but requests.

[She understands the sentiment. Sometimes they need a break. It's not easy being a god. The demands placed on them, and so many they're forced to ignore....it takes a toll. Particularly on people like them.]

So first of all, how do you feel about blasphemous usage of fruit? Because there's a good bit of that.