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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.



funbreaker: (thancred-court-007)

[personal profile] funbreaker 2024-05-07 10:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It doesn't come as any surprise to find that Azem would rather not use a mortal as bait if there is any other option. Aegis knows part of that comes from her fondness for the humans, but she does back up her choice as well; she would understand her own demigod best, and if it's gods that it would have a taste for, then so be it.

Despite the fact that Aegis is the one who was jokingly put up as bait when they first discussed the runaway demigod, it seems that Cid will be taking over that role in practice. Aegis hardly takes any offense. He would have gone with either plan, but he's happy to leave it to Cid.

Of course, he does have to give both of them a hard time for it first. He lets out a scoff. ]


Suddenly I'm not good enough, is that it? I suppose we are all out of ambrosia.

[ He doesn't let them get too sidetracked, however, instead moving to join Azem so that they can put themselves into position for their thrown-together plan. ]

Well, Cid, let's see if you make for decent bait. [ His grip tightens around the handle of his gunblade. ] We'll be ready.

[ The pond, with its strange milky water, continues to show no signs of life beyond a few bubbles that pop at the surface here and there. The demigod is certainly leaving them in suspense. ]
cryptsleeper: (That Shot Tho)

changed my mind, probably the next tag, they deserve at least one or two more moments of this

[personal profile] cryptsleeper 2024-05-07 11:00 pm (UTC)(link)
So rude.

[Teasing is always a two way street, but not just for the sheer joy of it. In the back and forth there's hints about mood and what is acceptable at any given moment, and the moment the ease of it shifts, that means that they can both adjust to get back to that comfortable zone. That's the real joy of it - reading the remarks and knowing that things are bad if they aren't being rude little shits at each other.

He's fine chasing after another kiss, this one just as eager and much less interested in the question of brevity. Alucard's not subtle, never been subtle, is categorically bad at it, and that fact always displays itself in actions. Another easy to read thing.

There's no attempt to nudge Astarion's hands off his wrists. The angle is just enough of a challenge to make things fun.

Speaking of. There's a particular shamelessness as Alucard lets his hips roll and angle upwards. It risks getting at least one jab in about desperateness or thirst, but that's absolutely fine right now. It has been a bit, and frankly, looking up at Astarion and the way the robe frames him just so deserves that kind of reaction.]
funbreaker: (pic#16108604)

[personal profile] funbreaker 2024-05-07 11:25 pm (UTC)(link)
It seems that Aegis agreeing to help has appeased Lucifer to some degree, judging by the weather. With any luck, this will be a short and painless response to an echo and then they can be done with it. As much as Aegis doesn't necessarily want to babysit his fellow gods, he somehow tends to fall into it anyhow.

Such as cleaning up some of the messes caused by Istredd's absentmindedness. He and Lucifer are like two peas in a pod that way.

Aegis continues on toward the cluster of buildings, but instantly halts at that name. Thancred.

No one calls him that, as it is not his name, and he's not certain where Lucifer even got it from. At this point Aegis assumes it's just some nickname that Lucifer has come up with, though he doesn't understand its origin.

He glances over his shoulder at the leosylph and almost considers asking before he decides it isn't worth it.

"Who was it who called to you? And what did they ask for?"

It's best they focus on the task at hand.
monomachy: gazgraphics @ dw (fast car [event])

[personal profile] monomachy 2024-05-07 11:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Diana had known, in theory, what being worshiped as a god would be like; but in practice, it had been a big adjustment for all the Summoned, herself included. It had taken a lot of training to learn how to tune out the echoes, even with all her experience, her concentration can still slip. But despite all of that, being a god of this world comes naturally to her, even if her attention is more focused on other Summoned instead of the mortals of this realm.

For the most part, Diana retains her usual form, and has for nearly six thousand years. Only when she embraces her newer gifts, granted by a co-mingling of her innate magic and Abraxan magic, does her form alter. So it's telling, perhaps, that her skin has darkened to the colors of midnight, with pinpoints of light twinkling across her body and hair, and her eyes the bright white of starlight. But her voice is still her own, warm and full of compassion. She cares abut what Harley has to say, and it is not an act.

Diana hums quietly for a moment, acknowledging Harley's answer before giving her own. "I recently returned from the Witchwood. But really, I'm just making the rounds." Of checking on other Summoned, as her domain calls her to do.
theidlemaiden: (pic#16095207)

[personal profile] theidlemaiden 2024-05-07 11:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Anyone that was truly traumatized by it was thankfully made to think that it was some sort of fever dream. Which, in many ways, it was. A fun one. For she and Jaskier. ]

You're so right, Ed. There were so many scenes that we wanted to add in, but just didn't have the time for.

[ At the time she had put up a bit of a fuss, but had come around to it in the end. A 5 hour long musical wasn't enjoyable for anyone, even gods.

Her fingers make quick work of his hair, a braid already beginning to form. ]


Maybe by that time we can come up with a secondary plot line for the other love interests! It's not really a drama without another set of love interests to root for. Do you think any of the characters might be well suited to that?
theidlemaiden: (pic#16095207)

[personal profile] theidlemaiden 2024-05-07 11:40 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The mention of a heart - his heart - is met with a fond little smile that she tucks into the corner of her lips. Apart from that she makes no comment about it though.

They're working with temperature sensitive things after all. She motions for him to put his gloves on. She's quick to deposit the bone and hair into the melted metal. ]


Mix it until they're combined and then we can pour it. I'll go get the other bits ready.
monomachy: insomniatic @ dw (lucky strike)

[personal profile] monomachy 2024-05-07 11:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Diana laughs at that, a genuine sound that comes from deep in her chest. She grins, and says with affection: "I hope the brushings are accompanied by apples and sugar cubes. Roach deserves it." Any horse who has been through what that one has does.

"That sounds... nice." Diana can't remember the last time she spent an entire season with someone else. Despite her social activities, she actually spends a good portion of her time alone. Checking on other Summoned doesn't necessarily mean lingering with them, though perhaps it should. There is just always something else to do, someone else who needs her help.

"Did you celebrate Wintertide?" She usually passes through settlements and cities around that time, but rarely takes the time to enjoy the festivities for more than a day or two.
cryptsleeper: <user name="malagraphic"> (wreck with great glee)

[personal profile] cryptsleeper 2024-05-07 11:47 pm (UTC)(link)
[Alucard catches the smile out of the corner of his eye, but doesn't dare remark on it. He simply does as he's asked, pausing to tie his hair back before putting the gloves on. Gods or not, ripping hot metal is still hot metal and it damages everyone.]

Understood.

[The dhampir is so very careful as he begins to move the metal about. The bone disappears first, and in his chest, he feels it sink in. The hair doesn't burn. It is instead coated in liquid before sinking further down.]

Hilda? We're good to go.
satanicpanics: made by <user name="inkonic"> (pic#16613125)

[personal profile] satanicpanics 2024-05-07 11:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah. That kind of sucks, doesn’t it?

[ It really sucks—for both of them, he imagines. Because Eddie would be lying if he claimed that part of him wasn’t disappointed that Henry doesn’t remember and can’t possibly remember. It would make everything so much easier, but he never lived that part of his life and it makes it very hard to be properly angry with him.

Eddie still remembers what it’s like to be pinned for a crime that isn’t yours, and—well, this isn’t the same, but he can still find shades of his own experiences in there. At least if Henry had lived that life and was aware of the choices he’d ended up making, Eddie would feel just fine with cutting him off, but that isn’t what happened, and he can’t bring himself to do that, and it’s all incredibly frustrating.

It’s probably why he doesn’t grow bitter or angry at the prospect of helping with something. If anything, he lights up. Just a little bit.
]

Maybe. That kind of depends on what something is.
sophos: (pic#17110666)

[personal profile] sophos 2024-05-08 12:06 am (UTC)(link)
[ she wants to look away from him so badly, but she finds she can't. he has her trapped as he speaks, and she doesn't interrupt him. she just lets him talk, and talk and talk, each piece of this life he describes more real than the last. she even sees a flash of - something. it's her and percy, standing before an array of what she instantly knows as gods, though none of them are of this world. there is a part of her that thinks she knows exactly what he means. a refusal of immortality, something she never wanted - but she wants this, she wants to hold on to the power she has to shape herself and shape the world around her. ]

[ daughter of athena, he says. clarisse had said so too, and all she can think about is how she never had a mother. combined, they say it so easily, like it's just a fact, and all annabeth can feel instead is a hollow sense of abandonment. ]

[ her eyes well up, and instead of approaching any of this with any more attempted logic, she resorts to something she thought she was far above at this point. she lashes out. she shoves him away, before she can stop herself. ]

[ it's so hard for her to let go of this. she doesn't want to. it feels like her thoughts are being split in too many directions, and she can't keep it together. she's been so together for so long, she doesn't want to think of that as fake. ]


Stop it. Don't try to take away what I've done.
thedreamer: (0610)

[personal profile] thedreamer 2024-05-08 12:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ The Doctor has been, more or less, married to a few people in the whole of his life, but that most recent marriage came with such pain that he knows it's not something he would have ever considered quite so easily. It's a strange twist of events, though, that his marriage to River had technically happened in a reality and timeline that didn't actually exist, either. That they'd married to prevent the universe from collapsing.

Marrying Julia hadn't been quite so fraught and they were happy, yet it also wasn't real. Like with River, though, it doesn't just neatly wrap up simply because things have been set to right. The memories linger, the feelings are real. Everything he'd felt for her and everything he'd begun to feel shortly before reality fractured — none of that was false by any measure. ]


It was real enough for me.

[ His hold on her when she tucks her head against him is just as tight and protective as it's ever been. Those words, the way his arms cradle her with such reverence — this is his way of saying that he loves her, too. He's just not doing a good job of actually saying it. He does, however, take both of her hands for a moment when she pulls back and holds onto him, and then he's delicately kissing her palms before pressing both of her hands over his hearts.

In some way he can't begin to explain like she deserves, these old, tattered, worn hearts of his belong to her. He's given his love to many, in ways he's often not conscious of understanding, and he tries so hard to love every beautiful, fragile little life in the universe in a myriad of ways, but there are few he would ever trust to sink into the depths of him. Here and now, it feels important to tell her that even if he struggles with those words. ]


If there are any two I believe in with absolute certainty to get it done, it's the pair of us. We are rather good at this.

[ And oh, how he's missed her. ]
ancunin: (pic#16691552)

[personal profile] ancunin 2024-05-08 01:15 am (UTC)(link)
[ Astarion is present, and eager to keep things going - avoiding whatever strange and unwanted thoughts keep lingering in the dark, none are strong enough to pull him out of body as they continue their chasing and teasing - mostly Alucard chasing and Astarion teasing, letting himself be caught in a longer kiss.

And when Alucard's hips move he fakes an affronted sound, arching an eyebrow as he straightens his spine, nearly sitting up straight again. His hands release Alucard's wrists, only to run his nails down the front of his shirt. He could easily tear it to shreds, just for fun, but it's a nice enough shirt and he vaguely remembers a time when he might've been precious about a single shirt. ]


Eager little pup - [ He doesn't allow his body to reciprocate the motion, instead he lets his hands slide back up the way they came before leaning down for another kiss that he lets linger this time. ]
northerndragon: where it wasn't supposed to be (i found love)

[personal profile] northerndragon 2024-05-08 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
He is no more quiet than she is, most of the time. It doesn't matter much behind stone walls, and in the forests here, her domain or his, who is there to hear them? No one they don't wish to. Even out in the world, though, he has never tried to hide his love for her, his appreciation. He likes to be alone with her, to have her to himself, but in other ways, he doesn't usually much care who can hear them.

That appreciation comes in the form of a low grunt when she scrapes her teeth across his throat and then soothes it with her tongue. It makes the rhythm he settles into with her a little harder, and when she lifts her leg, he catches and holds it. It's deeper here, more pleasurable. He kisses her mouth hard in time with the thrusts, and murmurs, "You'll drive me mad, lady."
seaweedbrain: (037)

[personal profile] seaweedbrain 2024-05-08 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
I can't take away what was never there.

[ Annabeth physically pushes him away from her and Percy doesn't defend himself, doesn't push back.

He can see the way his words have started something — there's the beginnings of a fissure in this illusion, and he'll keep scratching at it and scratching at it until it pries something loose. ]


Remember this? [ He lifts a hand up to touch at the grey strands of hair that surprisingly haven't gone away even though he's got his memories back. He doesn't know how or why, but it's something else he can lock onto. ] Do you remember how we got these matching grey streaks? We each had a turn at holding up the sky when we fought against Atlas. It was the heaviest thing I'd ever lifted before, I felt like my bones were going to be ground down into dust.

[ He lets his hand drop and continues. ]

And your dad — he showed up at the end. Do you remember that? He flew into battle on a Sopwith Camel with literal machine guns blazing. It was kind of awesome.
Edited 2024-05-08 01:55 (UTC)
northerndragon: the terrible things that happened to you didn't make you. you always were. (i am who i am - animated)

[personal profile] northerndragon 2024-05-08 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
For a long moment, he only continues to hold her tightly. It might be the last moment before everything changes. Or it might be nothing so terrible as that. The trouble is that there is little way to know without going forward.

Eventually, he relaxes his embrace a little. It is hard to know how to even begin to talk about this, so he decides to begin at the beginning.

"What do you recall of your life before Abraxas?" The question is careful -- hesitant.
cryptsleeper: <user name="malagraphic"> (NO??? NO!!!)

[personal profile] cryptsleeper 2024-05-08 01:30 am (UTC)(link)
[There is a version of Alucard that would very jokingly make an awoo at being called a pup and proceed to absolutely ruin the mood, all for a bad joke. That version of Alucard, thankfully, does not rear his head. The Alucard that is instead present makes a show of a heaving bosom as Astarion's nails brush over the fabric of his shirt, enjoying the sensation of moving fabric over skin. It provokes the slightest shiver of delight, one that works up Alucard's spine and syncs perfectly as Astarion's hands rejoin Alucard's wrists again.

The next kiss is welcomed just as before. Without being able to touch Astarion in turn, deepening each one is the best means of reciprocating action that the dhampir can do. His eyes flutter closed for a moment, concentrating on tongues, on fangs, on how his own fingers curl up in delight. Faintly, he worries about needing to remove his boots at some point, as they are much too tall and involve way too many laces at the moment that neither of them are going to have patience for.

When his eyes open, the space he focuses on is just over Astarion's shoulder. Except the gentle baroque flourishes of the room have been replaced entirely with stone. Old, old stone from Wallachia, and--

--In the present, Alucard tenses. Gold eyes keep staring over that same shoulder. His fingers uncurl, slowly and then all at once.]
aquilus: (pic#9513252)

[personal profile] aquilus 2024-05-08 01:46 am (UTC)(link)
Don't you already know?

[There's a faint note of surprise in his tone, distant and distracted as it is. The question is genuine. Partly because he feels as though Alucard has lived in this world long enough to know well the nature of his peers, and partly because the power within him will not let Altaïr see any other purpose to his presence here; to anyone's presence here.]

I have always sought truth. Every man or woman who sets foot here tonight seeks the same. Truths of the world, and truths of themselves. I can give them that.
thoughts: (2)

[personal profile] thoughts 2024-05-08 01:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ privacy is fallacy for serenity at any rate - except, coincidentally, where it comes to the other gods. she can see all there is across abraxas, everything that isn't shielded by magic or a god's domain. with every lifetime laid out before her from start to finish, it's too much to hold on to any details. it all blurs together in a dizzying spiral of colors and sounds, hopes and fears, joy and misery and everything in between.

it's enough to drive anyone mad. eksya's impression of her isn't inaccurate. serenity is doing her best just to be, to exist at all without getting lost in the mire. a young girl named river struggled in much the same way, clutching onto a sense of humanity that had been carved out of her with knives and needles. now those memories are gone and the mad maiden remains, a being with too much power and a fractured grasp on reality. everything is and is not at the same time, so she it only makes sense that she is and is not too.

but her cognition doesn't reach the gods. she isn't overwhelmed by the sights and sensations of the godlands or the horizon, isn't privy to the inner workings of her fellow divinity without coming into physical contact with them. she can't tell that eksya is just above her in the trees, and for that scared little girl that fought so hard to maintain control only to lose it in the end, the silent but stalwart companionship of the singularity is a blessing.

she can count on one hand the number of people she's touched in the last few centuries. but here, she can reach out to the singularity and feel connection without pain. it's the closest she ever comes to feeling whole again. ]


They call it a "holy relic" but I think it's just a hairbrush or a comb. I can't remember the last time I ever brushed my hair.

[ despite its extreme length and the way it shifts in the air when she uses her magic. it must be ancient, carried by her followers for generations as something sacred to protect, only to end up losing it. it seems fitting somehow. they are fanatics, after all. ]

Nothing special about it, but maybe it could be, as a reward for anyone that makes it to the end of the forgotten maze. What do you think? You've given us gifts before.

[ she smiles and waits, knowing no answer will be coming but content to sit in the silence of her one-sided conversation anyway. it's hard to say if the magic granted to them by the singularity is truly a "gift," especially with the messy path she's fallen down as a result of it. but for all her anguish and confusion over the centuries, she has never blamed the singularity. perhaps she should, but she doesn't. it stands eternal at the core of them all, and they are left to make what they will of the magic at their fingertips.

she wants to do the same for those desperate and foolish enough to pray to her. just a nudge, a drop of her power for them to take the next step forward on a path of their own. maybe she'll make it a comb that gives you good dreams... ]
a_better_man: (d!mat who me)

[personal profile] a_better_man 2024-05-08 01:55 am (UTC)(link)
[Curious. Mat waits for his friend, blending in with the shadows of the door as he does so. He's long since abandoned a proper flesh body, made of shadow and fog made solid instead.

He emerges when Jon appears, a man-shape of shifting swirling black and black stepping out of the darkness.]


What's wrong?

[He can tell immediately that something is wrong.]
thoughts: (41)

[personal profile] thoughts 2024-05-08 02:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ the moment yennefer's hands join river's to stabilize the bowl, to keep it safe when the whole world is contained within it, it's like something releases. her fear of dropping it, of losing him, of never being able to come back from this moment - knowing that they will be irrevocably changed nonetheless, if they survive it at all, if they can somehow bring him back.

the weight of it all sags in her body and she weeps, hoping yennefer's hands will stay steady for her. ]


It's Kassa - Cassian.

[ it's a whisper, a sob. his name is said like a prayer, the fervent desperation that this will not be his end. her brother ( the only one she knows or remembers ) and the center of her galaxy. river's throat closes and she shakes her head as she continues, her words becoming more frenzied, the loss of control that would come to define her seeping into her vision as past and future blur together. ]

Or, i-it's most of him. The rest is gone. Missing. Here but not here, scattered to the wind. Our stardust will return to the universe when the time comes but the sun hasn't fallen yet.

[ she's not making sense. she never makes sense. a tremor shakes in her body and the ground, the windows in their frames and the tables and chairs across the room. there's a quiet chink! beneath the low rumble as a crack spiderwebs along the side of the glass bowl holding cassian's remains.

yennefer's magic keeps it from breaking as river's control slips and the chaos spills forth. her eyes turn gold and stay gold, a fiery intensity like the molten core of the earth or the stars, and she does not speak with the desperation of someone rejecting grief but a certainty she can't yet explain. there is divine magic swirling within the bowl and in the air around them. ]


It's not his time. He's not dead, Yennefer. I have to find him.
sophos: (pic#17115931)

[personal profile] sophos 2024-05-08 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
[ she reaches up to touch her own hair despite herself. the grey has been there forever; she just assumed it had always been there. but she recognizes the pain he speaks of, the weight of the literal world bearing down on her and not metaphorically. it shouldn't be something she's capable of doing, but somehow she knows she has. ]

[ then she pushes him again, harder, nearly punching into his shoulder. ]


I don't have a father. [ her voice strangles it out, because it's not a feeling born of nothing. she's not arguing it solely from the reality of her godhood. it's something buried in her, something slowly being patched over but still painful. suddenly she feels seven, not over seven hundred, and her vision blurs over entirely. ]

[ she can't do this. curling her hand into a fist, she hits him again, because he's there, because he loves her, because he's hurting her, because he's safe and suddenly she doesn't feel safe. ]


It is here. It has to be here. [ incredulously: ] The sky - you always loved your stories.
familysucks: (07)

Wilhelm

[personal profile] familysucks 2024-05-08 02:07 am (UTC)(link)
Michael is confident enough in his own abilities that he hadn't sought company for this particular trip to the Witchwoods. All the same, when he bumps into another Summoned-god between the trees he nods a greeting and sweeps out a wing in an invitation to join him. He and Wilhelm don't know each other beyond a surface level, but they aren't at odds. He learns something every time he fights alongside someone new.

Besides, Wilhelm's a bit young to be fighting demigods on his own. All of his fellow Summoned are too old for him to fret over like they're newly created, of course, but Wilhelm's on the young side of eight hundred. Youth and wisdom don't often go hand in hand.

"Do you often come here alone?" And does anyone know he's here?

His tone is conversational rather than judgmental. Not his kid, not his duty to ferry him home unless he actually gets into trouble.

Michael turns back to the direction he'd been facing. He'd been following the scent of something through the woods a moment ago. He hasn't spotted it, nor heard it beyond the usual ever-present rustling of leaves and branches cracking, but he nonetheless has the sense that it's close by.
familysucks: (12)

Lucifer

[personal profile] familysucks 2024-05-08 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
This existence is not as watertight as advertised. Reality finds its way in through the cracks. For some it's a slow, steady trickle, while for others it's a rush that has already reached their neck. All of them are forced to deal with it, whether that's trying to plug the holes or sticking their hands in deep and breaking them wide open.

Michael has retreated to the hottest part of his domain, though it's the simplicity of the locale he seeks to balance the influx of memories. There's blue sky above and white sand below. The horizon is a clean line that separates the two without ambiguity. He sinks his claws into the dune and watches the sand flow between his fingers.

He watched a young man help his grandmother this morning, bringing her the loose coins she'd dropped, and thought of Samandriel. He doesn't know who that is; he is certain he has known him all his life. He overheard two men speaking of the brother they haven't seen in years and remembered the face he's been trying to recall for eight hundred years. Gabriel. Everywhere he goes, every interaction he's witness to, there is a new name that comes to him.

Does he have as many siblings as this desert has grains of sand? How could he have forgotten so many?

Better yet, how did he forget the one underlying it all, the bedrock below—the Father he both loves and dreads.

Michael forces his hand deeper, until the sand covers the back of it, and tries to follow the thread of his memories from one name to another. He wonders how much is still lost to him.
thoughts: (73)

CLOSED ⚝ divine meet & greet

[personal profile] thoughts 2024-05-08 02:19 am (UTC)(link)
[ it was an accident.

it's always an accident these days, despite how hard she worked to learn to control her magic for decades. the first whispers of "the mad maiden" have begun to spread as serenity's delirium starts to affect people across abraxas. sometimes it's just a single person in some corner of the world waking up to visions of the future, or a small group of people suddenly hallucinating in the middle of the day.

but sometimes it's like this, when the chaos overflows and floods the immediate area around her with madness. serenity was just passing through this village on her pilgrimage to find the scattered pieces of her brother. she's still too young, too new to the immense power she cannot control, and hasn't yet learned to hide her eyes from the mortals that will get lost the supernova of her gaze.

she stands in the midst of them now, distressed as she watches the villagers become plagued by insanity. some weep, some scream, others lay platonic. it doesn't affect everyone, so there are those left bewildered and terrified for their family, their friends, their neighbors. ]


I-I didn't mean to, I don't -

[ they can't see or hear her, her presence on the physical plane thinning with the instinct to return to the safety of the horizon. but she can't just leave them here like this! ]

I'm sorry, I can't fix it! I can't - I! H-help, someone, please help them!

[ she doesn't think to pray but begs with a mighty desperation for someone to make the madness stop, knowing the only ones with such power would be another god. ]
Edited 2024-05-08 07:04 (UTC)
thoughts: (Default)

[personal profile] thoughts 2024-05-08 02:20 am (UTC)(link)
Player Name: Faith
Character Name: River Tam
Type of Interaction: River's powers are wildly out of control at the start of her godhood, so although it's not an intentional abuse of power, I would love it if one of the old gods came to stop her from causing too much damage. There would be no physical conflict involved, she's essentially asking for help to reverse the effect of her abilities. Lore-wise, she would want to know how they became gods and how they learned to control their powers ( if they needed to learn or if it came naturally to them ). This would help her as the Herald of Transcendence to make sense of everyone's evolution into godhood and how those that came before them found their footing.
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