abraxasmods: (Default)
ABRAXAS MODS ([personal profile] abraxasmods) wrote in [community profile] abraxaslogs2024-04-17 10:07 am
Entry tags:

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.



beautifullies: ("lυceo non υro.")

[personal profile] beautifullies 2024-04-18 01:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Claire is not prone to exploring; she does leave her domain, but more often she finds herself near Solvunn and sticking close. There's always room for change in 800 years, and so there are random occasions she finds herself someplace she wouldn't normally go.

She's drawn to knowing there's another divine being close, and she moves in that direction until she hears a voice. The way her hair gives off a soft, moonlit glow gives her away to Crane most likely, before she speaks. ]


Not a good time to say hello?
magicalarchaeologist: (weary)

[personal profile] magicalarchaeologist 2024-04-18 01:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Istredd does sense the moment Lucifer enters the library, but he does go back to being distracted because that could mean anything. Usually he does find Istredd but sometimes he does his own thing as well, but there is an awareness that tingles up his spine and makes him smile privately. They spend so much time together now in the Nether and yet he mentally vibes warmth at him, no need to make a formal hello when they bleed (safely) into one another. When Lucifer is with him, his white wings automatically form themselves, which rarely happens in the library but his presence instinctively sets it off.

"Mmm?" Is his response though when Lucifer does appear to scatter what he's working on. He rolls his eyes although it is difficult to tell that is what he is doing when his eyes are glowing blue and without pupils these days. Lucifer knows that is what he is doing. His exasperation can be felt and he turns from what he's doing to watch him. Luckily Lucifer knows better than to disorganize anything. Yes, he can fix it easily, that isn't the point!

"Mmmmm." He says after considering what Lucifer is probably saying. He does make a list in his head of what he's blessed lately. Nothing that stands out. Istredd doesn't know if mortals have figured out that he is easy to sneak things past, or that they simply believe he supports their endeavors, shady or not. Probably the latter. Oops.

"That's why I have a list of suspicious humans. Although ... I may not have looked at it." Double oops.
bealufull: (e86We48)

OTA - Horizon tavern

[personal profile] bealufull 2024-04-18 01:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Certainly if one knows where to look, the signs of the original Crow Club are still there. The gilded design of birds in flight along the edge of tables. The stairs that lead to private rooms tucked away from prying eyes. Only those hints of a recreated den of iniquity wherein Kaz had once built an empire with Jesper at his right hand.

A place that Kaz no longer remembers. Nothing of the god of this land remembers Ketterdam, or his loss and pain. He doesn't remember the woman he loved, or the brother whose death had shaped so much of who Kaz Brekker was.

What stands instead is a place bright with light and song, flowing with alcohol and good cheer, and celebrating life as it should be embraced.

Kaz glides through the room in shimmery shades and flowing fabrics. The smile on his face is kinder, softer than the one that many see when he's out in the streets. Here isn't about prayers and petitions, but about friendship and connection.

He offers a greeting from his place near the bar, lifting a glass in greeting. "What can I get for you?"


magicalarchaeologist: (wait what?)

[personal profile] magicalarchaeologist 2024-04-18 02:06 pm (UTC)(link)
[ While Istredd gets very absorbed in whatever project he is working on in the library, and he is always working on some kind of project, this vast place is still all connected to him. He does not interrupt other people in how they use his domain, but he feels them. It is somewhat of a 'ping' on his senses.

He is fully broken out of his note-taking and his head shoots up, a familiar presence clocked and Istredd doesn't have to move out of his chair, he closes his eyes and opens them and he's in front of Cassian. The path Cassian was taking would have eventually led him straight to his private study, but Istredd wouldn't want to wait that long.

Istredd has no wings in here but his skin is a patchwork of black with stars although his features themselves are clear on his face, his expression that of longing. Longing for his brother's safe return, which he is witnessing himself, and yet, he knows how this works. He knows this is likely to be a blank canvas to imprint on again. ]


Cassian.

[ He closes the space between them but does not get directly into his physical space. He pauses a respectful distance. ]

You're home.
beautifullies: (ѕoмeтιмeѕ ι ғeel very мυcн)

𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑢𝑛𝑛 ♚ 𝑜𝑡𝑎

[personal profile] beautifullies 2024-04-18 02:08 pm (UTC)(link)
𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏
Unseen by the villagers, Claire moves freely in her godly form, almost seeming to elegantly glide rather than walk. The only mortals capable of seeing her are babes in arms; when she passes a mother and child, the infant burbles and babbles, cooing at Claire and making her smile.

She enjoys the movement of villages at sunset, and so she sits on top of a hill, able to watch as families come home to one another. It's a habit that persists even hundreds of years later, listening to families at prayer and people asking for any blessing, not picky. She welcomes company; it's always better to sift through echoes with someone, rather than sit alone. At least in her experience.


𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐
Often, and in her mundane, human form, Claire visits a very particular place in Solvunn. She's long forgotten why this spot, her former home, was so important. She only knows that in the large garden of wildflowers, Michael's worshippers gather, and where a shrine sits, offerings are left meant for Claire. And so she goes to collect the fresh cut flowers once they overflow from the small statue's base. Then, she walks through villages at random, handing the flowers back out. She even gives them to her fellow divine when she happens to spot them.

"For you. For strength and victory no matter the challenge."
Edited 2024-04-18 17:39 (UTC)
itookashot: (KY_51)

Kaz and Mat

[personal profile] itookashot 2024-04-18 02:30 pm (UTC)(link)
The festival took weeks to plan like it usually does but it is a well-oiled machine at this point and Jesper enjoyed watching over it, perhaps adding a tiny bit of persuasion either way if he liked one idea instead of another. He does get picky! His end of it is different as he still does put a god party together, but they can change things as they go and much of the time it is enjoying what the humans have put together too.

It is not quite time for their end of the celebration to begin and for now it is instead time to watch the humans as they set up the feast, as they dress in their skimpiest of clothes and laugh together as they whisper about who will find each other later that night. Jesper is already glowing; literally, he exudes a healthy glow as this is a night of constant worship and prayer to him, and this is on top of his natural appeal as his godly self. He suits the celebration wearing little except for white shorts, his hair longer and tousled for this event.

He is lying lazily across a throne of his own design, being the guest of honor, and stretches his lean muscular arms up past his head. The musicians are practicing for their debut and he glances over to his husbands, each with their own throne as honorary guests, and smiles.

They've been associated with his identity long enough that some mortals call upon their names this day too, hoping to get the trifecta of approval.

"I think it will be the best one yet. The younger generation of this group is the most enthusiastic I've seen so far." That's what happens when you grow up with an exciting festival every year.
Edited 2024-04-18 14:46 (UTC)
itookashot: (lmNYRZn)

Hilda

[personal profile] itookashot 2024-04-18 02:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It was a few centuries ago when Jesper and Hilda decided to go back to their roots to chase that high that used to be their hobby and business. Jesper is easily bored and while he has fun answering echoes and wandering around drawing people to him, he missed the creative outlet, and they both have that quality to them. He noticed that that their original designs were showing up in museums as relics of a time past, and no no no, that wouldn't do as their last works. Thus, it began again.

Coming up with human identities is particularly fun. They began a dynasty of a sort, a 'family' business that kept being put down to the next generation, and Jesper is not lazy, he loves to put in the details of each human. This particular one, 'Vance,' is a little snobbier than his father with a taste for classy formal wear over party clothes. It felt like a natural urge to get better at every variety.

This shop is impressive but intentionally middle of the road. Successful enough to have their names known, not so successful they need to spend every waking moment living a normal mortal life. The humans that work for them are adorable and Jesper boops them on the nose occasionally to show his affection. They're all a little in love with him, but it's not a surprise, given that despite pretending to be human, he still has a natural beauty and glow to him that he cannot entirely brush off. He is the god of love. Some things cannot be fixed.

"You will not believe who decided to be rude to me today." This is how he announces himself into their design room, an infinite amount of colorful clothes and swatches around them. Jesper is in a huff, fluffing out his longer hair for this disguise. "Braxton Hughes is still trying to buy us out, as if he has any sense of class." A more successful designer with a superior attitude, as if they didn't intentionally not outshine him. ]


I'm going to afflict him. Turn everyone against him! He deserves it.

[ Jesper is a little dramatic still, what a surprise. ]
Edited 2024-04-18 15:21 (UTC)
iustise: (47)

[personal profile] iustise 2024-04-18 02:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[John has not said so in quite so many words, but he loves this place. He loves the quiet crackling of the fire. He loves the smell of the fresh wood and the thatching on the roof. He loves the knowledge of the fact that this impossible person in the bed beside him has built it with his own two hands, not with any effort of magic but simply because he can.

It is a space for just the two of them, and while he knows that it will not last forever, he is content to linger here, warm and comfortable, for as long as he is able.

Hair spilling long and liquid against the pillow (Geralt has always had a thing for his hair, he reflects with a smile) his head lolls, eyes warm and hooded as he watches his companion in the dim lighting. Flicking sideways toward the acorn as it bounces down on the bed between them, but they have been through this song and dance before, and this is not the first acorn to grace their bed. In fact, in the history of the forest life that Geralt has summoned over the years, it's quite tame. He can't help but tease a little, reaching for the acorn with a crooked grin.]


Is that all? I suppose I shall have to do better next time.
itookashot: (knG1TgI)

I decided to respond here instead cause I liked it

[personal profile] itookashot 2024-04-18 02:59 pm (UTC)(link)
"You can get me a kiss from your perfect lips, my darling husband." Jesper saunters on up to the bar, exuding his usual brand of bright sunny warmth and deep attractive features. But that is nothing new to Kaz, who knew him before he supernaturally drew every eye to him. He slides up to the bar and leans over to snatch Kaz by the back of his head, dragging him in for said kiss. Centuries later and he never gets tired of the taste of him.

He pulls back and flops onto one of their stools but simply makes it into a throne, preferring them so he can lounge in them like an oil painting come to live. Very dramatic, but they both are. This is their joint space, Jesper uses it to suit his colorful needs sometimes. A nice big of piano music plays in the background, giving it ambiance.

"Pretending to be a human is exhausting." Jesper and Hilda have been playing at fashion designers for generations at this point, remaking themselves or pretending to be children of their former selves, so they can enjoy their old hobbies. "This fool was trying to buy our business, I should send you after him, he gives definite cheating energy." Like he is trying to manipulate them.
iustise: (100)

Lord John Grey | Outlander | Patron of Verity

[personal profile] iustise 2024-04-18 03:00 pm (UTC)(link)
open and closed starters to follow!

plotting | au info | handwave

feel free to reach out to me for further plotting/discussion at [plurk.com profile] lycanthropy101 or hiraethau @ discord!
gynvael: (384)

[personal profile] gynvael 2024-04-18 03:16 pm (UTC)(link)
[ There is an ease to knowing someone for this long. He no longer thinks about how long in the first place; John slipped into his life in a distant memory and stayed ever since. And it's nice. For someone so used to loss, he likes the certainty that John, like the others, will be there between seasons and decades. Permanent.

He worried once about what that could mean. Now he realizes, it doesn't mean anything. John is still John in all the ways that matter.

He rolls his eyes, turning over onto his side to take the acorn from John's thumb and forefinger. A man grows a tree or two after a good fuck, and he's never allowed to forget. ]
I could open a waterfall on your head next time.

[ His exasperation is fond. He runs his fingers idly through the unfurled locks of hair across the pillows. He has got a thing for John's hair. He likes long hair, always has, even if he occasionally grumbles about Yennefer's when it nearly suffocates him. But John's is at a more reasonable length.

Leaning in, he steals a kiss—an almost chaste one after what they just did. ]
princessvegas: (142. and we don't need saving)

CURRENT - CRATER

[personal profile] princessvegas 2024-04-18 03:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Contrary to her usual interactions with authorities, Julie requires very little persuasion to be ferried away to the Singularity. It feels a bit like a big joke on her, if she's honest; she illegally jumps the border and they offer an official switch the next week. She spends a year studying and practicing to travel here on her own in secret, and only a few months later, they're begging her to take a government-sanctioned trip. Why does she bother planning anything at all?

Her desperation to remain with the Singularity, in reality, has not faded since her illicit visit. The thread inside her has been pulled taut for months, the sense that she should be there competing with the knowledge that she cannot be there. Nowhere in Abraxas has ever felt so much like home — other than the Horizon, the vast empty crater of the Singularity is the only place she has felt complete. Like the missing puzzle piece of herself was found. She could have stayed there for the rest of her life, would have thrown herself back at its mercy over and over if not for Geralt being there to take her back. Back to her family, back to her life. Julie went with him.

But the string never stopped pulling.

It is not until she is through the portal, still far enough from the crater that the Abraxan mages and guards are safe, that a thought crosses her mind. She will be seen when she walks the distance, when she doesn't fall to the ground immediately as she is supposed to. They will know, they will watch her close the gap and reach the monolith itself as everyone drops around her. A brief stab of terror makes her freeze for a beat; she has worked so hard to maintain secrecy, to keep her connection from the knowledge of anyone she doesn't trust.

The string tugs again. Her feet move without her direction, into the descending fog, into the crater. She cannot see the ground, doesn't know if she is stepping into her own old footprints. The sound of bodies falling to the dirt seems distant, barely audible even just yards away from her. There is nothing but the Singularity again, and Julie is whole, complete once more.

Only one intentional thought remains — don't touch it, keep your hands off of it. It was touch that betrayed her last time, sent her consciousness back to the blob. All she has to do is not touch; even as she walks, she absently wrings her hands, clutches them together. Her arms tremble.

She reaches the Singularity, hesitates just outside of arm's reach. The quiver spreads through her body, makes her almost vibrate in place from the strain of holding back. Just one touch, just one, her whole being seems to cry out. She could weep, both from the ecstasy of being reunited and the agony of restraint. Her voice is a shaky murmur, or at least she thinks it is. Her ears are filled with the rushing sound of her own blood, her own breath. She could be screaming aloud and she would have no idea. ]


Hey again. It's okay, you know. Everything is okay. [ She can feel herself moving closer, almost as if to a lover; the exertion of her restraint threatens to bring her to her knees. ] I'm back, it's okay, I promise it is —

[ Julie doesn't realize her arm is moving, can't sense it. If she bows her head, her forehead would bump against the stone. Her hand presses flat against the monolith, like she means to soothe it with a touch.

Her entire body crumples to the ground in a pink-haired heap before she can even breathe, her mind swept away with the others. ]
Edited 2024-04-20 00:52 (UTC)
princessvegas: (268. i'll get you out on the floor)

MONTHS 1/2 - IMMERSION

[personal profile] princessvegas 2024-04-18 03:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Edited 2024-04-18 15:43 (UTC)
princessvegas: (007. now she rolls with rockafellers)

MONTH 3 - AWAKENING

[personal profile] princessvegas 2024-04-18 03:43 pm (UTC)(link)
ushiri: (Default)

Kyle

[personal profile] ushiri 2024-04-18 03:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Plotting link!
AU info!

Looking to handwave stuff with:

➷ Fellow Barrens and Maw lurkers! Kyle will be periodically haunting these areas, either offering the willing a second chance or leading those he deems dangerous into the Maw. He is doing this out of extreme faith in and loyalty to the Singularity bc of his wacky ideas about his past.

➷ Witchwood lurkers! He comes around here often and will team up with people to take down demigods. He's a 'teleporting' little sneak and chops things up with his blackened bone sword + his Gray Space slice & dice powers.

➷ Others keeping an eye on the political situation between territories in the first few centuries! He will back away from this toward the later half tho
thoughts: (Default)

⚭ the missing years ( pre-event )

[personal profile] thoughts 2024-04-18 03:56 pm (UTC)(link)
ushiri: (pic#16195772)

Kyle | Guardian of the Shroud

[personal profile] ushiri 2024-04-18 03:57 pm (UTC)(link)
( content warnings and opt-out | handwaving | plotting | god info & art )


closed & open starters below! hmu on the plotting if you'd like a starter or something pre-log!
Edited 2024-04-18 15:57 (UTC)
thoughts: (Default)

⚮ months 1 & 2 ( submersion )

[personal profile] thoughts 2024-04-18 03:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Edited 2024-04-19 02:49 (UTC)
thoughts: (Default)

⚯ month 3 ( awakening )

[personal profile] thoughts 2024-04-18 03:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Edited 2024-04-18 16:05 (UTC)
ushiri: (pic#15839949)

months 1 & 2

[personal profile] ushiri 2024-04-18 03:58 pm (UTC)(link)
theidlemaiden: (pic#16106062)

— dan heng, or when a swan and a dragon go pearl hunting

[personal profile] theidlemaiden 2024-04-18 04:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[ At first (or sometimes in her lower moods), the prospect of years stretching ahead of them had been intimidating. When one had never ending time, what were you supposed to do with it? Choice was an abundance and that made Valentine - or Hilda - overwhelmed. But maybe that was still the human part of her that still stubbornly refused to die. Ironic how before their ascension into godhood that she had wanted it all. That desire to hold more than her hands could hold, to create everything that her mind dreamed had finally been met with the time to do it all. But as was her nature, she still faltered.

Valentine's humanity had waxed and waned over the course of these eight hundred years but it had never gone. Spending time amongst humans certainly helped stoked that flame and served in helping her remember that there was still joy to be found in the mundane. Which would explain her enthusiasm today.

Anniversaries may not matter to gods but it still matters to her. When Yinyue agrees to her plan on making something for Matia and Mythos' upcoming wedding anniversary, she's thrilled to the point where she glows a faint pink. And why she's even more thrilled when he says he knows where they could find the perfect pearls for it.

What did one wear pearl hunting anyway? It's certainly not in her usual repertoire of clothes, but she makes do with a bathing suit. That should do, right? They arrive at the shore (with at least one of them looking ready for a day at the beach and the other well...the other is Yinyue) and the wings aside Hilda's head flutter in excitement. ]


So is there anything special about these pearls? Are we going to have to dive deep for them?
ushiri: (pic#16565790)

OPEN. the barren & the maw

[personal profile] ushiri 2024-04-18 04:27 pm (UTC)(link)
( content warning: religious trauma, suicide )

THE BARREN.

[ Yasi'halaun, the Black Knife, is the name he's called amongst the heretics, criminals and those seeking escape from Solvunn alike. The ones who name him guardian of the shroud are few and far between, but their whispers sometimes still reach him from their new lives.

He was born blessed and cursed, but that doesn't make him a god. He sees himself as an extension of one that is greater than all of them, a tool or a weapon. A demon, because the world he once came from never had a word for divine children.

From a dusty hill he watches a group of dusty and weary travelers heading from the east in the direction of the Maw, invisible to their eyes. He can taste their doubts like vinegar on his tongue.

To a fellow Summoned, he's cloaked in his shadows and masked, his sword in hand at his side. His expressionless skull mask turns to whoever arrives next to him, and he cocks his head slightly to one side. ]


Did one of them call you?
THE MAW.
[ When he arrived earlier, the faithful were leaping into the chasm of teeth, one by one. He stopped none of them. For a long, quiet moment after it was over, he stood close to the edge and looked down, ignoring the putrid stench wafting up from below. Over the centuries he has felt a call here, wondering what would happen if he were to leap inside himself, if it would destroy him completely, or if he would simply reconstitute after a handful of agonizing decades. In the end, he always decides not to find out.

Now, he stands at the edge of the chasm, watching a panicked man doing just the same as he had earlier: staring into the hungry pit. This one isn't a fanatic wishing to feed the Maw, though. Kyle had watched him on his way here, abandoning the rest of his traveling group of heretics after stealing their rations.

Kyle's hand hover near the man's shoulders. It would take only a second to materialize and push him. He feels like it's what he's supposed to do. ]
ushiri: (pic#16104205)

closed. viktor

[personal profile] ushiri 2024-04-18 04:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Jack spends long periods within the Witchwood, which is often enough the reason Kyle finds himself traveling through the red-tinged jungle. The strange colors and humid air have no effect on the Gray Space, which remains cold and sterile as ever as he travels through it at a slightly slower and more careful pace than he might elsewhere. Kyle keeps an eye out for unfortunate mortals and the demigod spawn alike.

What is strange, though, is the nearly pitch black humanoid form in the clearing ahead. Details are can be difficult to discern from this side of space, but black here usually indicates metal. Some kind of armor, he assumes. The figure is crouched, as though its digging in the dirt. From his hidden space Kyle circles it with curiosity. Sometimes, particularly sensitive beings can sense his presence, and so he's careful not to make direct contact, but he does crouch down as well, some few feet across from it. After a moment or two he steps some paces back and emerges standing, his head tilted to one side. His skull mask hides his face. ]


Looking for something...? [ he asks, and trails off as he gets a better look at the crouched figure, his stomach dropping. ]
Edited 2024-04-24 16:01 (UTC)
ushiri: (pic#16104205)

month 3

[personal profile] ushiri 2024-04-18 04:28 pm (UTC)(link)
ancunin: (Default)

Astarion Ancunín

[personal profile] ancunin 2024-04-18 04:31 pm (UTC)(link)
AU INFO

Astarion's main claim to fame all these years is his explosive divorce from Haelva, culminating in his airship domain smashing into the ground and becoming a smoldering pile of rubble. He did a lot of couch-surfing after that so, feel free to assume he wandered in and out of your domain!