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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.



cryptsleeper: (Softe)

[personal profile] cryptsleeper 2024-04-26 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
[Twenty.

Himeka's teeth are unpleasant and not unlike a bread knife with their edges. They dig and cut in the same way, and Alucard really supposes he should stop turning his body into food. First the soup, now this.

Fifteen.

It is impressive, how much blood she's been able to consume in such a short amount of time. Alucard can feel the threat of lighte headedness kicking in, but he can keep counting.

Ten.

Ten?

Relieved he doesn't have to try and pry his friend off of his arm, Alucard takes the moment to remove his own too sharp nails from his flesh. The wound that Himeka latched onto is gone, as are all the teeth marks left. He shakes the arm out once, then looks to her.]


Truthfully, I'm shocked that was as effective as it appears to have been. [His tone is casual, like this happens every day.]

Do you think it took?
aquilus: (modern - sun & shadow)

idk where this is happening you can decide lol

[personal profile] aquilus 2024-04-26 01:11 am (UTC)(link)
Altaïr doesn't answer her immediately. The brighter golden glow in his eyes doesn't inherently signify his drifting further from what he thinks of as his humanity and closer towards his divine nature, but in this case that's exactly what's been happening, for some months now. The Eagle's adherents are informal, unorganized, but the strength of their belief rivals any congregation's, and whispers in the shadow grow louder in times of conflict.

There's a group in the Free Cities, people who want to take its regulated structure and make it rigid, controlled, extend its peace beyond its borders by force. They don't have much power to back up their ambitions, but it's enough to make a word float up from the corners of his mind that house long-ago memories. Templar.

Prayer can't hurt a god, but he has such a headache.

"Well enough."

She knows him well enough to parse out more meaning than should be possible from his few words. Altaïr reaches out a hand without really looking, knowing she will take it in hers.
seaweedbrain: (142)

[personal profile] seaweedbrain 2024-04-26 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's a combination of her gentle assurance and the reminder that while he's a god, she is also one (as he watches her heal herself), that eventually calms Percy down enough to come to his senses.

The last of the storm in his eyes recedes, the clouds cleared away. And like always, when he shifts into his mortal-looking form, the memories of what it's like to be Claire's son 'Percy' return too, at least as much of it that his memory will allow him. There are always bits and pieces that feel a little foggier, as though smudged away with time. They don't bother him because the important stuff is still there, but it serves as a reminder to come around a little more often so as not to forget entirely.

At her request, Percy moves in without hesitation to take her hand and pull her up to her feet before she tugs him forward for a hug. It's one that he gladly and gratefully returns, arms wrapping around her tightly and holding on. ]


Missed you too, mom. [ he says, heartfelt. He doesn't even realize how much he's missed her until now. He squeezes her a little for good measure before pulling back to smile. ] You know, there are always other ways of getting me to visit you.
thedevilwhorose: » Nick (fuck you have to say)

[personal profile] thedevilwhorose 2024-04-26 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
He snaps away almost immediately at the touch as though that's answer enough. Because Lucifer didn't want this. He didn't want kindness or sympathy and that is Istredd's go-to. And even if Lucifer was the World's Greatest at Communication and could get across to Istredd that he really, really didn't want that, they're connected!

A completely closed off wall isn't good either though and, well, Istredd is Istredd.

He's going to care.

So Lucifer's #1 strategy: Avoidance!

If not for the storm, he could've made this work. Seen through the light at the end of the tunnel, gotten through without snapping. But the storm Kept. Going. and with it Lucifer's sanity peeling away.

Nott was supposed to be his distraction, through his flute playing, and then his help.

And then they lost it. He couldn't garden, he couldn't train.

Of course he was going to crack.

"I didn't want your help," he says, cutting. Despite his wrath, there is the barest flicker under the words that he does not mean 'I didn't want you' though he can't ultimately control if Istredd takes it that way or not.

He can't control most things.

That's the whole point.

Similarly adding to the dig, he's surprised to see two guards in the doorway and wonders the gall of them showing up for a lover's quarrel. Did someone actually report them?

"Go away," he snarls, "can't you see we're busy?"

He trains one of them, when the weather and work aren't overtaking everything else. Enhardt.

"Forgive the interruption," Enhardt's sidekick says. "The Summoned are to be taken to the Singularity."

Istredd likely focuses in on the word Singularity, ringing loud and clear through Lucifer's thunderous thoughts.

Lucifer just hears take.

"Why?" Lucifer demands.

"The Summoned have always had a greatest connection with the Singularity," sidekick continues, as though it's obvious, "if they're able to reach out maybe this will stop."

"That's nice, don't care. The adults are talking."

"This isn't a debate," Enhardt says. Little shit's gotten good at standing up to Lucifer after being tested on his footing numerous times. "We're under orders."
thedevilwhorose: » hallucination (wait it will come)

[personal profile] thedevilwhorose 2024-04-26 01:18 am (UTC)(link)
Passionate, alright, he'll give them that. "So am I," he says pointedly. And look what destruction that passion has wrought them in the past.

He's much less sympathetic to the Brotherhood and it has nothing to do with the namesake they share. But then, that's just how they are.

Besides, he can't really judge Istredd for his enabling considering the fact that Istredd enables him.

He waves a claw that isn't connected somewhere along Istredd's body. "No," he says, aggrieved, "they're fine." They're still in one piece, mentally, not several dozens. Lucifer's gotten so good at discovering how far he can go after all this time. They're almost functioning people!
restingstitchface: (Boredom [AU])

[personal profile] restingstitchface 2024-04-26 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
I believe I saw the world as I understood it at the time. Though this is not the first time I have been awakened to the nature of reality.

[He turns his head and closes his eyes; deep in thought about bygone events. When a section of humanity had sought to look beyond their reality.]

I understand a section of humanity were trying to commune; to see reality from your perspective rather than through their own. I am curious as to why you offered your assistance.

[He can calculate of course but it is nice to discuss theory.]

What was your hypothesis?
magicalarchaeologist: (after powers)

[personal profile] magicalarchaeologist 2024-04-26 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
Istredd is who he is and it's impossible for him not to care. He loves Lucifer and his pain is shared, whether that is what he wants or not. He doesn't take it personally but it's still confusing. He doesn't go after him or try to touch him again though, just crossing his arms.

"That didn't stop you with Jack, why would this be different?" If anything, Lucifer seemed to want his presence, his comfort. It was new to him at the time but he accepted it, he gave into it. He's about to push more when they are interrupted, his attention shifting there.

"What?" He does hear Singularity and he's surprised. "Oh that would ...." Make sense, honestly. Istredd feels the pit of his stomach drop at the word take though and he steps forward. "Wait, Enhardt, give us a moment. Let me go talk to Ambrose, surely we can let the kids stay here." He thinks about River, who is fragile as it is, and the new youths who came. They aren't ready.

"This isn't a debate," Enhardt repeats, and he reaches out to grab Istredd by the wrist. "Let's go."

Istredd is overwhelmed with a sudden fear, and it's not because he is being manhandled. No, he's afraid of what Lucifer will do when 'take' becomes real, looking over at his lover a second before he can react. "Don't ----"
Edited 2024-04-26 01:24 (UTC)
inthenameofhades: (Smiling face)

[personal profile] inthenameofhades 2024-04-26 01:34 am (UTC)(link)
Perhaps Zagreus should wonder, why his fellow gods have such fantastical true appearances that differ so very much from the mortal guises they sometimes where - and yet the changes in Zagreus are practically superficial. But somehow it feels normal and expected.

Surely they've just always all been this way.

"Hey, we can't all be the son of the Sea God!" Zagreus protests. "You know you might both be singing a very, very different tune if this were...I don't know, a zombie fishing competition."

Surely, if all the fish were dead, Zagreus's victory would be practically assured!
seaweedbrain: (149)

[personal profile] seaweedbrain 2024-04-26 01:42 am (UTC)(link)
[ If she wants to do it by hand, he's hardly going to be the one to argue against it. And it occurs to him (not for the last time, he's sure) that digging for clams and clam-like creatures for a hearty stew is the kind of thing he expects to be doing when hanging out with his aunt.

It's cool.

And now he nods in confirmation of her question. ]


We could probably check. Or — we could be the kinda gods who come bearing surprise stews. And if no one wants any, well, that just means more for us.

[ He's getting into this idea. ]
nadine_he_loves: (flattered smile)

[personal profile] nadine_he_loves 2024-04-26 01:50 am (UTC)(link)
I try.

[Nadine turns and straightens up, dusting her hands off as she turns her attention to Altair. She's not sure when she saw him last, she doesn't pay attention to that sort of thing, but he seems...distant, in a way. Had he looked that way before?]

But right now I'm just playing around with flower colors. And I could use a break, so you've shown up at the perfect time.
ordinar: (♛ 047)

[personal profile] ordinar 2024-04-26 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
His wings flutter under Jesper's touch. After all this time, these little attentions Jesper bestows on him still sink warm under his skin. Wilhelm curls in closer to him, weaving their fingers together as the priestess, chanting a prayer, continues to wrap ribbons around the brides' hands.

"You look amazing," he whispers, as if the wedding guests lining the benches can hear them anyway. Even the soft breeze rustling the broad leafy tree under which the ceremony takes place is a greater distraction. As the happy couple speaks their vows, Wilhelm settles into silence to listen. Only when the ceremony has concluded, and the guests are showering the couple in flower petals and well wishes and hugs, does he reply, "Yeah, I guess I know how it goes."

His smile is tongue-in-cheek. Wilhelm can't explain what pushed his feelings from friendship into something deeper, something fathomless, after so many years of the same, comfortable pattern. Maybe it was watching him write happy endings — or happy beginnings, really — for so many others. Maybe it was just that his heart, tired of boys who left him alone in the end, couldn't help but take the plunge for the one boy who was always there for him.
restingstitchface: (Ennui [AU])

[personal profile] restingstitchface 2024-04-26 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
[One man is burned alive. One stands petrified. One flees to live only to starve.

Starvation seems a befitting punishment; to have their safety and security stolen as they had stolen them from others. To suffer as a victim instead of being the victimiser. The irony makes him inhale and love the desert air. Earth, mist and flora combining in a heady aroma. He imagines himself as the bandit scrambling across the dunes, fantasising on what he's smelling, knowing it's certainly not rain.

He disappears at that moment - vanishing from sight of his partner - to appear by the bandit who is now shovelling sand into his mouth. Grateful to have found an oasis, grateful to have discovered water.

Water, water everywhere. Not a drop to drink.]


Well, doesn't that beat all?
magicalarchaeologist: (welllll)

[personal profile] magicalarchaeologist 2024-04-26 01:54 am (UTC)(link)
"I know. Imagine that, me being fond of foolishly passionate people." It may as well be his job occupation. The amount Istredd indulges all the people in his life is a problem, or it would be if he minded. He's happy to do so, surrounded by friends and family these days. Though he doesn't actually remember the last time he saw some of them. The years can slide by so easily. River and Cassian both visited recently though so he knows they're getting by, albeit not as well as he'd like.

He will check in with the Brotherhood. Perhaps he should have been more concerned with their leadership, for all he knows it has passed hands by now. Organizations have a way of doing that when they're not being watched. He apparently has to be a slightly attentive parent for a few years.

"Fine by your standards or fine by Kyle's standards?" It makes a difference. Kyle is fairly good at keeping them both on track when they can't tell for themselves how it is going. Though Istredd has several people who show up if he's misbehaving. Viktor also has come by recently. Unfortunate. Why must the humans constantly misuse his gifts?*

[*ooc: insert this image]
inthenameofhades: (Smile 2)

Diana

[personal profile] inthenameofhades 2024-04-26 01:55 am (UTC)(link)
It's a beautiful day in the Horizon, and you are two gods who have just beaten the absolute shit out of each other.

Perhaps this area of the Horizon once featured a mountain. Well, it's gone now. Somewhere in the battle, the top of it's been blown clear off. A grove of impossibly tall purple trees are now on fire. And a some point a massive marble statue seems to have been made into a projectile, judging from the way pieces of it now scatter across the landscape.

All in all, a good time has most definitely been had.

"We really should do this more often!" Zagreus says, with a soft laugh as he flops back onto the bloody grass. From Zagreus - who almost never likes to lie down or even stop - it's a rare moment of rest. "No one fights quite like you, Diana."
divinityfrompain: (sm1b_184)

[personal profile] divinityfrompain 2024-04-26 02:04 am (UTC)(link)
Wicka stares at the two of them and she probably would have let them go ... eventually. It hadn't crept into her yet, the guilt, but something about them reminded her of something long forgotten. She can't remember why it seems so familiar. In a strange way, she doesn't want to stop the moment, her mind reaching for a memory, as they suffer not thinking there is a way out. She snaps out of it when Zagreus appears.

"I gave them choices the same as anyone else." That's all she does. Give choices that are constantly thrown back in her face as they pick the wrong one. There are so many chances they are given first, and she can see their brightest path, written out right in front of them. Then again, it is up to her how harshly she punishes them. It could be a slap on the wrist. It's less that these days.

She crosses her arms against her chest, defensive, and almost doesn't tell him the truth. It'd be easier to defiantly refuse to acknowledge that she is struggling, but it's her brother. That counts for something. "I went and saw my husband." It's been two hundred years of them refusing to be in the same room. Or rather, her refusing, and him sinking deeper into regret. "He's stopped answering any echoes, he just ... gave up."

And here she is, still answering them, and hating everything about it.
divinityfrompain: (running fingers through hair)

[personal profile] divinityfrompain 2024-04-26 02:19 am (UTC)(link)
The rulers now aren't so bad, I've seen their paths and some of them could go alright for the kingdom. But it could easily go wrong too.

[ That's what Julia can always see. The pathways laid out in front of people, their fate, her blessing of foresight letting her see the options for each person in front of her. Nothing is destined, certain to happen, because they still get to make choices. They call on her when they want to know what their future holds, and she gives them options. It's the ones who pick the path of selfish trickery that ruin her good mood, and it's been happening more often than not these days.

But she's not thinking about that while on his shoulder. It's peaceful. Maybe she should take more breaks from humanity. Being among them all the time is probably not good for her. ]


I have Echoes there. Quite a lot all of a sudden, so I thought I'd bang them all out.

[ She doesn't know what set off this new wave of fears about the future, but she's fine with answering them. If she ends up in a bad mood afterward, at least she'll be able to get some wine in Hayle, which is very vintage. There's something very soothing about one foot in front of the other as he stomps across the earth. ]

Thanks. It's much easier to get around in. It's called a fox in my world.

[ A glowing fox and a giant raccoon on a leisurely walk together. ]

Where are you hanging your hat these days? Living, I mean?
thedevilwhorose: (but despite how far I wander)

[personal profile] thedevilwhorose 2024-04-26 02:31 am (UTC)(link)
Because it just is. Lucifer is a finicky creature. A cat with an exposed belly that might just shred through skin or pull someone in.

(And the true difference is that Jack was someone he lost before he could ever connect with. Gabriel and him had an eternity of baggage, pulled and ripping every direction, anger and vitriol and love and spite. The sibling that didn't want his older brothers to fight. The sibling that ran to avoid the fighting. The sibling that still found himself a questionable mediator between his older brothers that didn't want to kill each other but could barely react in any way cordially but actually found some semblance of working relationship--certainly not family--when Gabriel was around.

All of that dragged crudely away with all the mixed-bag of emotions going with it, Lucifer left with a pick-up sticks game of whatever was left behind of those same emotions, fresh and bleeding, and touch and comfort were a sting, not a salve, not a help.)

Any other interruption than this would have been welcome, but every chord in Lucifer's body is wound tight and ready to spring. Thorne's trap finally about to bite down on them. He's not their test subject. He's not their experiment to throw into a pit and see what happens. That's his job.

If Lucifer wouldn't currently let Istredd touch him, he was not going to let the guards do it, either.

"I'm not going with you anywhere," he roars. He doesn't have space for a lightning shield, Istredd too much out of the cusp, and Istredd isn't supposed to be one of the mages that he temporarily paralyzes before he gets a spell off.

(Poor planning. Needs to adjust those parameters.
Include allies outside of immediate proclamation.
Hasn't thought to care about it before, hasn't needed to.
Selfishly.
Shield links, then.
He's considered that before--a chain-lightning effect,
connecting to other sources of the enchantment...)



Somewhere mid spurred-calculation Lucifer's broken the arm of Enhardt's sidekick.

He never registered Istredd's plea, though a lot of good Istredd thought it might do him. Just an instant reaction, not expecting results. Lucifer's not known for listening or polling for public opinion when his freedom's at risk. And this is much, much different than the last time he was pulled by the guards. Last time he needed to get the work done. Last time he couldn't risk fighting.

Magic protections snap up around the guard but Lucifer has him by the neck ignoring the magics eating away at the skin of his vessel. In the exact moment he remembers that Enhardt went past him to reach Istredd. Lucifer could do it. He could go through the guard, get to Istredd, and they could work in tandem from there.

(Last time he couldn't risk fighting but--he can't in the here and now either, can he?)

Lucifer's been better the last year at plotting ahead, not operating in the moment. Less reckless, back to planning, just not for an Apocalypse. The Summoned have survived the Singularity before. By all rights they should just end up in the Horizon. There's an after this. Whatever Thorne thinks they can do is just out of cowardice, not likely to achieve anything except pissing them off and risking the balance the Crown has struct with its Summoned populace.

If he murders a guard in cold blood, one of his trainees, that blows up Lucifer's well-crafted reputation in their aftermath.

"L-Let me go," the guard croaks, struggles against Lucifer's grip.

"This isn't going to work. What do they think is going to happen?"

"They have to try. I'm sure they'd love an option that wasn't relying on you." The Devil with his hand choking the guard's windpipe. But maybe the Summoned as a whole.

Lucifer drops him. Must of the skin of his hand has been filleted down to bone from the guard's shield. (It reminds Lucifer of Wanda, possessed, in the Horizon.)

There's an electrifying current to the air that has nothing to do with any of Lucifer's enchantments. A calm in this room within the storm outside. An impasse.

The ball is back in your court, Istredd.
northerndragon: selflessly getting what i wanted (in every possible way)

[personal profile] northerndragon 2024-04-26 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
The grinding makes him gasp. He rests his face against her neck, tugs at her earlobe with his lips.

Some people say they're not human at all anymore. They've grown bigger. They are as invisible as ghosts or spirits. Some of them choose to look inhuman indeed. And Claire is some sort of goddess to him, it's true, the center of everything. He had had friends, in those early years, but he had been lonelier than he wished to admit. Now... with the way his body responds to her, feeling warm and hard and eager... isn't that human?

He has her skirt all the way up to her waist now, and he presses against her just as she does him. "You have me," he murmurs. "When you're ready."
gynvael: (336)

[personal profile] gynvael 2024-04-26 02:35 am (UTC)(link)
For as long as Geralt can recall, he's been called on by others: humans, friends, allies. From the mortals, he continues to take his payment in coin; their money isn't worth anything to him, but he's discovered they grow troubled when their offerings go ignored.

As for his fellow gods (he still thinks of them as Summoned), it's a rare case when he doesn't answer. Even the most distantly acquainted have crossed in and out of his sphere for nearly a thousand years. So when Jon reaches out to him, he comes, riding across the arid desert to the western end of the continent. His mare strides a greater distance than it once did; it doesn't take long before he appears in a swirl of sprouting grass and dense trees that collapse and unfold around him.

Without a reason to announce his presence to the humans, he leaves his wolf shroud down, appearing as the man beneath—unchanged beyond an uncharacteristic braid in his hair (Jaskier's doing). He can't see their target, though he can smell something in the air. A thick putrid odour, the metallic bite of blood.

He slows to a stop beside Jon. "What is it?"
respiting: (o31)

[personal profile] respiting 2024-04-26 02:43 am (UTC)(link)
Huh. You got a point.

[ Does she? Do either of them? Yes, they're probably making up drama to make up drama, but boy is it fun. And it's harmless! Unless he actually makes himself known and gives ol' Bonehead down there a real foolish name, they're just gods up here having a little bit of fun.

It's fine.

In any case, he listens to Nebula describe the failure of a relationship over broken dishware and lets out a laugh. ]


Humans really can be spectacular morons, huh?

[ Made things worse? Nah. They were always gonna do that themselves anyway. ]
exuviage: 🍁 fanart. (pic#17094632)

[personal profile] exuviage 2024-04-26 02:44 am (UTC)(link)
[ !!! PAPA! ]

Thank you, Father. [ Ever formal in public, Yinyue graciously accepts the hug and the accompanying lift with hardly any reaction, but... Anyone who's been around more than a few decades can see that, despite it not showing on his actual face, Yinyue is pleased with his performance and his father's praise: he's doing airplane ears, after all. ]

Your performance was very well done, too. The sword trick had a very good response.

[ He full on watched someone in the front row grip the armrests of their seat so hard that they broke a nail. Probably snapped the wire on their orthodontics or something. Too bad this reality is doomed because you just created a new breed of monsterfucker. ]
magicalarchaeologist: (what???)

[personal profile] magicalarchaeologist 2024-04-26 02:56 am (UTC)(link)
Whether or not Lucifer wanted to have this conversation, they were going to have it, and Istredd was going to keep pressing until he had a better understanding. He doesn't jump to conclusions, such as Gabriel being his brother and he loved him, because he prefers to react to what Lucifer reveals to him and deal with it then. This is not even close to the end of the conversation. The timing is just very, very bad.

All of this is bad.

Istredd's anxiety skyrockets because he knows how bad this can get and fast, and he has vying concerns all at the same time. Finding a way to convince Ambrose to let the youths stay, keeping Lucifer from crossing the line into violence he can't get back from, and his own deep PTSD-ridden mind cringing away from the idea of being captured again. They've always been trapped, but it's different to have a hand on him, different to be thrown into a crater that is a type of pit.

Luckily his logical mind always prevails over his animal instinct. Istredd twists his hand out of Enhardt's grip and says very sharply. "Everyone stop." The command in his voice is rarely heard but he has been teaching long enough in this place that some mages can't help but react to an order from an older one. There is, for a moment, a pause.

He crosses the room to Lucifer and does not touch him; he isn't afraid of him, but he knows it will only upset him more, even if he's being touched by someone who loves him. It's too tense right then. "They're afraid and they're being stupid. We'll just go to the Horizon and come back."

They're taking everyone. Including the kids. They need us. You need to stop, you can't help anyone if you're locked up. Please, Lucifer. We're not ready to run yet.

It's always been a possibility, that they would have to run, it's something they've talked about since the beginning. They had their reasons to just make plans and wait. They aren't prepared to go, and that's the only option if Lucifer kills someone, and the two would have to leave right this minute.

"Please don't make this worse." Who he is saying that to could be anyone's guess. Everyone, honestly. "We can all make it out of this."
infiniteban: (do you hear the lion roar)

[personal profile] infiniteban 2024-04-26 02:57 am (UTC)(link)
A push? [No. Too unsure. Needs more confidence.] A push. [No, still wrong.] A pull. [One of these days he'll act like he completely knows what he's doing when he reaches for a mortal.

But if he hasn't yet, he likely won't ever.]
I'll just slurpy [that word used to evoke something in him] away what got them to this point. [A loud squelch, a some of the black muck coating his body drips from a crooked arm to the ground and them slurps back into his body. Not on purpose, this just happens, but it kind of enforces his point.] Maybe they'll still end up driven back here, but hey, who knows. They'll be disoriented though. Need some help navigating out. Like a drunk buddy. [Pause.] They're the drunk ones, not you. [Unless you're holding out on him.]
kobes: ([star] hopeful)

[personal profile] kobes 2024-04-26 02:59 am (UTC)(link)
Good. [Over the years, Koby's become more confident, more secure in his presence, in his body. Nadine had been there at the very beginning, though the details are fuzzy now -- most of the time Koby can't quite recall the fact that they aren't related by blood. Time is a stronger bond than that anyways, one that's build over and over again over centuries.

So he settles down between a couple tree roots, with the familiarity of someone sitting on a comfortable chair. Maybe it's this exact tree they've sat under a thousand times, maybe not -- it's home, though, he knows that much. His little starlight fishes formed of stardust skip over to greet Nadine, swimming in midair around her, letting off sparks of excitement.
] Someone needs to. Even goddesses get tired sometimes, right?
gynvael: (373)

[personal profile] gynvael 2024-04-26 02:59 am (UTC)(link)
[ Dean's ability to locate him without fail has always felt right; that, at least, hasn't changed now. Nor does the ancient nickname rolling off Dean's tongue. But he can tell Dean is...off, sword digging carelessly into the ground (hasn't he taught a fellow wolf better?), the feathers on his wings thinning.

He frowns. His gaze flicks to the fallen weapon, then back to Dean. The shadow following him for miles creeps closer. ]


I don't know. [ It's an honest answer. I was with John. He saw thought I was somebody else. But Dean looks distraught, and that takes priority in his mind.

Geralt hops off of Roach. He can't take his eyes off of Dean's wings. His forest magic might be degrading, but the wings are something else. That's a part of Dean.

An icy grip coil around his ribs. Without thinking, he reaches for Dean's arm, flipping it over to see if—

If what? What would even be there? (Why is he thinking of the mark now? When they have long moved beyond demons and corrupted souls?)

Abruptly, he lets go. An uncharacteristic hesitance crosses his expression. ]
Your wings. What happened?