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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.



theidlemaiden: (pic#16095198)

[personal profile] theidlemaiden 2024-05-08 05:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[ They're no longer humans, where Hilda had little to no idea what any of the schematics or things in front of Viktor means. She's come into her own, setting aside the deflection that her head contained nothing but air and cotton candy dreams.

A quick scan of the table is enough to tell her something is about to happen. Something that she isn't sure she can stand by. Out of his friends, she's probably been the most accepting of his augmentations and changes that have resulted in him going from man to machine over the centuries.

She hums as she approaches, a clear sound of disbelief in the sweet tone. ]


You know that hasn't ever stopped me from worrying anyway.

[ Despite that she'll allow this gentle farce to continue a little longer. Hilda pulls a chair up, settling beside him, wings hanging limply off her shoulders. ]

Didn't you just do some routine maintenance the other day when I was here? What needs adjusting this time?
sorser: (pic#15216021)

[personal profile] sorser 2024-05-08 05:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[What he's doing is this: a strange mix of meditation and seeking, his eyes closed, his books circling him in an erractic whorl. The fractal pieces of so many possibilities, turning and reflecting and radiating around him. He "sits" at a desk, though sitting is more like floating, his cape billowing about him like he's underwater. The trance is deep; the focus is unerring.

Well, almost unerring.

A voice interrupts his focus; a voice of a fellow god, and one that's more familiar to him than most, is perhaps the only thing that would break his reverie. But break it, he does.

Stephen jolts out of his focus. The books fly away in opposite directions, and the fractal, mirrored pieces of reality shimmer in protest.]


What-

[Eyes blink, widen, and look at Steve. Confusion sweeping over his features in lieu of a dark brow pinching.]

What is it? I'm-- Busy. Problem-solving.

[Which may be a kind way of saying: having a minor freakout.]
magicalarchaeologist: (smiling down)

[personal profile] magicalarchaeologist 2024-05-08 05:37 pm (UTC)(link)
A balance is necessary, Viktor, especially for us. Demigods are made from being too far in one direction.

[ Too much embracing of godhood and obsessively answering Echoes, problem, too little and avoiding all of it, problem. Istredd has over the centuries learned how to make a life filled with work and his own passions. The library is a bit of both. He says this knowing Viktor - a literal genius - is well aware of what he's communicating, but he feels like it still deserves to be said. Viktor's work is impressive but absorbing.

He smiles faintly and shakes his head. The offer is appreciated though and he hopes that is clear between them. There is no judgment on his side, he understands why Viktor has done this, it makes plenty of logical sense. Perhaps not on an emotional or personal level, but he leaves that up to him to decide. Everyone is in charge of their own lives, as they should be.]


I admire your dedication to physical and mental perfection, but I like my imperfections.

[ Not to mention Istredd does have people to answer to and he's chosen that. His lovers are fond of the way he is. They've all settled into the people they want to be. ]

Although I would love to hear about your newest modifications. [ His glowing eyes light up even more. ]
magicalarchaeologist: (light smile long hair)

[personal profile] magicalarchaeologist 2024-05-08 05:50 pm (UTC)(link)
They've only grown more serious with time, I'm afraid, but I try to remind them of fun, despite not being great with it myself.

[ His fun is reading! Flying with the dragons, listening to music, having a quiet drink with friends. But Istredd has settled into a pleasant life with purpose that he appreciates, and now his worry extends solely to his troubled children. Yennefer and Lucifer are well and settled themselves, but Kell and River struggle and often disappear on him.

Hopefully in another few hundred years they will get to the same place. He thinks some of them the Summoned are better at adjusting than others, more certain in their place these days. He's stopped trying to fix everyone's lives for them though. As if he ever knew better. Silly.

One thing he has gotten much better about is warming up to people and not being so nervous about it. It helps, liking yourself, something he was not good at before. Jaskier's been a good model of that. He returns the kiss and puts an arm around Jaskier's waist, keeping him close. ]


I may have thought showing you this would flatter you into a certain mood.

[ Istredd grins down at him, a little mischievous. What? He never stops wanting the people he's let into his heart. ]
divinityfrompain: (look down)

[personal profile] divinityfrompain 2024-05-08 06:14 pm (UTC)(link)
"Two hundred." And that was after six hundred years of genuine happiness, before things started to take a downward spiral. So they have spent more time than not working together. She can't deny that he's probably right. Both she and the Doctor still love each other, they just can't be around each other right now without being upset and angry (in her case). It could get better in another century or two.

Julia looks to the people around her and it's true that her immediate feeling toward them is annoyance. She's gotten to this place by her own stubborn refusal to walk away. There is such a thing as too much attention and she's done that, it's how the demigod got made in the first place. She still hasn't learned her lesson. It's frustrating, as she turns her anger into herself. She is so young compared to him, even now.

"You might be right." She says with a sigh, acceptance. She is tired of these pathways and surrounded by their troubles. She answers almost every Echo and shows up where she has to. She's lost the love for this. "You're so stable all the time, it's annoying." But she smiles when she says it, not meaning it.
divinityfrompain: (273)

[personal profile] divinityfrompain 2024-05-08 06:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Julia takes the drink from him and she doesn't care about the blood. As if it makes any difference these days. Alcohol doesn't really work on her, but she pretends like it does, if only to feel like something can. The slight taste shift at least is new.

"I managed not to claw his eyes out or scream at him, so better than I expected." Julia loves him so she'd never do the first, and she figured out quickly that the latter would do nothing for either of them. Even if she does want to just high pitched wail at him until he has to cover his ears, for the sake of it. He makes her so angry she can't see straight, and especially after seeing him.

"He isn't answering his Echoes, he's just been sitting in his domain doing nothing." Julia and the Doctor agreed a long time ago that it was their duty to be the best gods they could be. So for him to become a terrible one and disappear on everyone, while she has to keep suffering through the frustration it brings her, was unacceptable. If she had to keep going, he had to too.
abraxasnpcs: (Default)

[personal profile] abraxasnpcs 2024-05-08 07:16 pm (UTC)(link)
"Much and little."

That mouthless face remains fixed. There is no sense of warning in the mingled chorus and no air of reproach. Only something mildly expectant.

"Perhaps something familiar. You are still coming into your own."

An observation offered without judgement.
techmaturgy: (pic#15348786)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2024-05-08 08:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[Viktor is satisfied, yes, though of course there's some discomfort in knowing how many of the others worry about him in this particular way. It's difficult not to feel the slightest bit resentful, that everyone else might prefer him as he was, when that someone was fragile and sick. Perhaps it was more comforting, for everyone else to know that he was limited.

But his help is needed now, so he pushes those thoughts out of his head, a process made easier by the very procedures that Cid worries so much about.

It doesn't take him long to get at the inner workings of the Orchestrion, and soon he has the delicate pieces laid out on his work table. He's a little loath to continue with this train of thought, given that he's sure Cid doesn't want Viktor tooling around in his brain, but he does wonder what other options there might be.
]

It doesn't have to. [Only go one way, that is.] There are methods of...sectioning off certain neural pathways, or preventing them from activating. It could be that the memories are there, you are just unable to access them.
Edited 2024-05-08 20:58 (UTC)
funbreaker: (thancred-court-053)

[personal profile] funbreaker 2024-05-08 10:22 pm (UTC)(link)
The hospital truly does stand out for its sheer age. Regardless of what has changed around it, due to political upheavals or simply the changing times, this one building has remained the same. It's the sort of place that people new to the city might stop and admire for its resilience, or that might feature on a tour of the area as a notable landmark.

All normal enough things for a building that has been around this long, but the significance of it is something that Aegis hasn't been able to shake from his mind. As soon as he'd realized Mara was somehow part of it, he'd known the only option was to bring him here. At least Mara has been a decent sport about playing along.

Now that they're here, though, his demeanor is quite different. There's a tension in the air, like a storm cloud that's about to burst.

That shift in Mara's eyes is strange, and Aegis isn't certain what to make of it. He doesn't think he's ever seen it before.

"I thought so," he says with a distant nod, glancing from Mara's face to the building itself and then back again. "Do you know why? Perhaps we should go inside." He'd had the thought before, but somehow hadn't wanted to do it alone. Now that Mara's here, he feels emboldened enough to step within.
beautifullies: ("good nιgнт)

[personal profile] beautifullies 2024-05-08 10:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Claire reaches out to squeeze his arm, and then she scoffs. ]

If I have anything. Please.

[ In what feels like no time at all, the stone cottage she's occupied as far back as she can remember comes into view. Almost as if to prove she's always ready for him, that she's earned every reason he calls her mom, she's able to sit him at the small kitchen table with confidence.

She could easily use magic right then and there to produce something, but instead, sitting on a wooden cake stand is a blue velvet cake with a creamy blue-hued drizzled icing. It's decorated with late spring berries, and already has a slice removed. She had no idea when he would visit her home next, but when she bakes, she still makes treats he loved when he visited every day. ]


Same to drink as always?

[ Inside hasn't changed much, including the small room she's kept for him with the blue, star-patterned quilt. Her father had given it to her once, and she'd given it to Percy. The kitchen is small and cozy, the table seating only three comfortably, and it smells mainly of warm herbs and spices; clove and rosemary. ]
restingstitchface: (Boredom [AU])

[personal profile] restingstitchface 2024-05-08 11:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[Anthropos clasps his hands and closes his eyes.]

You sound like one who speaks from experience.

[His dull tone hides his bemusement.]

Well, I'm sure others have tried interfering with your work, from time to time. People have a talent for poking their noses where they don't belong, don't they?
assembles: (easycompany-Avengers4trailer-41)

[personal profile] assembles 2024-05-08 11:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[ No human is meant to be this old, no.

Steve's thought about it a lot as the time has passed and their seeming immortality has become more and more obvious. There's a reason that they have a set lifespan, isn't there? Sure, there are other races like Asgardians who live to be thousands and thousands of years old, but they're built for it, somehow. Time passes differently for them, and maybe it's that the days don't weigh as heavy, or a year for them can sometimes feel like an hour, but they're meant to live that long.

For someone like Steve, who in many ways had already believed he was living on borrowed time after the Valkyrie's crash, this is too much. It's too much for Sam too, that has become obvious over the years. And Steve will admit, there are days when he wonders if their stubborn insistence on remaining as human as they can even when they're obviously now something more than that is doing more harm than good.

They're making it work, though, or so Steve thought.

And then, all of a sudden, Sam's voice sounds through the house.

Steve immediately stands from the couch, and almost instantly he knows that something is wrong. It's not just the hint of something in Sam's voice, an edge to it he can pick out even from this distance, but also the fact that he waited so long to respond to him. Even if he'd been in the bathroom, he would have yelled back. Or if he'd been napping, Steve's voice would have woken him up. So why—

It's fine. No reason to panic. ]
Coming! [ He starts up the stairs and shoves aside any worries he might have, at least for the space of time it takes to reach the bedroom. There he finds Sam sitting on the edge of their bed, but something is very wrong.

His whole self is faded at the edges, like a washed out photograph. More than that, he's flickering. He'll disappear, if only for a split second, like a dying lightbulb in a dark hallway. ]


Sam? [ Steve isn't able to keep the urgency out of his tone, though he knows when Sam hears that it will probably only make things worse. His brow furrowed, he continues to watch the man he loves more than anything flit in and out of existence, his own face awash with concern. ] Sam, what... what is this?
thedreamer: (0547)

[personal profile] thedreamer 2024-05-08 11:06 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Does he want to use the memory of her daughter somewhat against her like this? Not particularly. But he will if he must, and they all need to wake up now. Their survival depends on it.

He goes back to English now, for a moment, to purposefully pull at her. ]


Isabella. You remember that name, I know you do. You remember her. Deep down.
beautifullies: (yoυ нave тo adмιт нe ιѕ raтнer)

[personal profile] beautifullies 2024-05-08 11:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Claire has moved on from whatever leftover sting there was at seeing Sam. For her, it did take time—too much, maybe—to grow used to being alone again. Then, even longer to let someone else promise her things without worrying that, centuries later, she would find herself alone again. She knows now that she would get through it, should Jon ever find a greater purpose in life, because the centuries are healing. And of course, she knows Sam still cares, that he never stopped.

Wildflowers blossom in her path, her smile warm at his comment. "Springtime and successful births are when I tend to shine." She's never implicitly considered herself an overseer of animal and childbirth, but those echoes, she tends to pay the most attention to.

She holds a single blue anemone out to him; blue for a wish of protection against any and all ill will; an important distinction from red for love forsaken.
beautifullies: (468)

[personal profile] beautifullies 2024-05-08 11:17 pm (UTC)(link)
"Something, something, the strength of the human will to live," she says before watching as Zagreus goes in again, easily stopping the murderer in his tracks. It almost feels as if the ground heaves, the Maw heaving to meet its meal.

Claire takes a moment to gather her thoughts, then turns to look at Zagreus with a touch of wonder.

"I don't suppose we should go 'round bringing anyone and everyone back from the dead." She knows they shouldn't, but she does study her hands in a new light. "I appreciate your help," she says after a beat. "With everything, even this part of the mess."
restingstitchface: (Interest [AU])

[personal profile] restingstitchface 2024-05-08 11:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[Being invited to lecture about his motivations? Well, he chooses to indulge, because he hardly feels the need to defend himself.]

Would you believe me if I said people are happy? I grant them peace. I gift them stability. Do you know the state this village was in three centuries ago?

[No, of course not.]

False allegations and moral panic that resulted in a loss of life. If I had not intervened, there would be no village left to speak of.
thedreamer: (0632)

[personal profile] thedreamer 2024-05-08 11:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Nothing feels wrong, does it? At least, not until you scratch the surface. And you're not. You're thinking about your island and your buried treasure and everything is fun and pleasant.

[ Memories can be hazy even in the best of times as the years go on, but most especially now, when their minds have been tampered with, when reality was distorted and they were fed things that weren't real, or worse — caught between truly remembering their lives before for a long while, but then losing it. Its own madness. ]

But this isn't real, Nathan, none of this is. We're trapped in our minds here — listen to me and try not to think about this place, your powers. Think back further, much further. Remember your wife?
restingstitchface: (Examine [AU])

[personal profile] restingstitchface 2024-05-08 11:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, you and everybody else dismiss my methods, but unlike all of you I was ready and willing to help.

[His gaze stares through to the soul. For all this blather and bluster, which of them ensured this village is alive today?]

Or are you going to pretend you have my experience when it comes to social illness? Mass psychogenic illness, to be precise.

[Which he wasn't responsible for, by the way.]
assembles: beard (never enough never)

[personal profile] assembles 2024-05-08 11:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Some years ago. The Nomad nods. Long-lived beings like them don't tend to remember exact spans of time, not when it passes them by in what feels like no time at all. It makes him realize it has been a while since he's come here, though not for any particular lack of interest.

Or perhaps he just didn't come when the automatons happened to be fishing. That's just as likely.

Either way, he considers Viktor the caretaker of these creations, and so it's good to hear him speak of them. His mechanical, modulated voice may not show much emotion anymore (neither does the Nomad's), but he does wonder if he's fond of the robots, the way a parent might be. ]


Are the fish for study, then? I suppose it wouldn't necessarily be safe for the mortals to consume them, if there's a chance they're also infected...

[ But it gives the researchers another sample to study. ]
sophos: (pic#17101640)

[personal profile] sophos 2024-05-08 11:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[ she meets his gaze and tries her best to hold it steady, to hold her own ground, but it feels weakened by the fact that tears are running down her face. she ignores that, just like she tries to ignore the injured way he moves after she'd thrown him into the dock. ]

[ is it worth it? a voice whispers. ]

[ but the singularity has its claws in her deep. so much of the illusion caters to annabeth in a way she doesn't even realize. it's reluctant to let her go, and it's easy for her to give in. ]


I need it.

[ she feels it so strongly. isn't it what she's always wanted? a world she had a hand in shaping? someone beside her, who never leaves? she had both. percy isn't trying to leave her, but he's still trying to take something from her. he doesn't do that to her. it's not how they're supposed to work. ]

[ she throws her hands up, and the force of her very angry magic pulls at the splintered wood, sending it flying. some of it collides with percy on its way to her, but as it draws closer to her she fuses the pieces back together, not sure what she's creating and only wanting to prove she can. ]


I built something. [ and maybe that's the crux of it. with everything he's thrown at her about a life she maybe once lived, she knows it's hardly the perfect world she wants it to be. but she was loved. it was easier to chase that perfection. the wood drops to her feet, cubical in the shape of a miniature house. ]

[ a cabin, she realizes. a home she knows, one that took her in when her family let her down. an owl sits above the doorway. ]


Stop telling me it's fake. [ she tries again to sound resolute, but the sight of it has her wavering. ]
restingstitchface: (Serenity [AU])

[personal profile] restingstitchface 2024-05-09 12:02 am (UTC)(link)
Now, perhaps this is playing to type, but would you believe me if I said nothing?

[His eyes frown at the ocean; watching how the starlight in her hair is reflected upon the surface. He is no more than a meter away but his manner makes him seem as distant as the moon. His voice is a slow and thoughtful drawl.]

I enjoy learning what can happen. I enjoy my experiments. Outside of answering the occasional prayer, I stay inside and work. Perhaps you appreciate that. Or not.

[She is not the only one who can be quiet and noncomittal. But he is at least open and willing to talk.]
krakened: (018)

[personal profile] krakened 2024-05-09 12:18 am (UTC)(link)
[ A mead tea? Do tell more, he needs to know about that one.

Ed swings his cup of bubbly tea in consideration. ]
Mostly my life, you know. I mean, obviously a bit fictionalized for the masses, but some of that stuff did actually happen.

[ The falling in love bit, especially. But, well, he's not fallen in love for a while and there's no one right now he thinks he'd fall in love with, so it's in the past. Sometimes he thinks about it happening, though.

A wistful expression crosses his face. He leans against the railing. ]
Hey, do you...do you ever think the gods get married? Or run off together?
Edited 2024-05-09 00:19 (UTC)
seaweedbrain: (001)

[personal profile] seaweedbrain 2024-05-09 12:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ Percy makes a damned fine attempt to try and to shift out of the way of the broken railing, but the stabbing pain in his chest and the less-than-optimal rest of his limbs, battered by her godly magic, only serve to make his movements more sluggish and weak.

In other words, he's too damned slow.

Splinters go flying like tiny, uneven toothpicks, grazing the sides of his face and coming away with blood, catching at his cheek and nearly taking out an eye on their way back to her.

But still he holds his ground, a hand now clutching at his sides. Truthfully, and maybe a little worryingly, he can probably last for another minute or more like this before his injuries will be above the effects of the water. He doubts this place has any ambrosia or nectar readily available. And he's pretty confident that Annabeth won't really be into the healing-the-boyfriend-trying-to-ruin-her-life thing either.

Staring at the little cabin that she forms in front of her, watching the tears streaming down her face, it only makes him wish he could just go to her. Yeah, even now, he hates that he's the one instigating all of this pain, even though it's clearly working. That's not the house they built here, or any of her temples. It's Athena's Cabin at Camp Half-Blood. He could recognize that little owl anywhere.

He pulls himself together, for both their sakes, and straightens to face her. His ribs feel like they're making shish kababs of his internal organs. Getting out of the illusion was tough on him too, and he kinda hopes Clarisse won't lord the experience over him (doubtful, of course), but it still feels crummy.

He can't stop. ]


Yeah? Make me.
godshattering: (pic#16265574)

[personal profile] godshattering 2024-05-09 01:05 am (UTC)(link)
Maybe.

[ It might've been a halfway convincing lie, if not for that Sidus's face immediately collapsed into a rather sour expression at the question. That'll tell on him enough, something he knows well, so - ]

I'd rather it wasn't if that counts for anything. It's not like I asked it to show up here or any other time.

[ Grumbling aside though he could keep going on for a while about this or anything else, it's probably better to move on to something of more interest (to him) with another detour before asking what it is Viktor's up to first. ]

I take it I shouldn't bring it to visit your lab next time? The stationary one rather than the one here, that is.
ancunin: (pic#16799534)

[personal profile] ancunin 2024-05-09 01:09 am (UTC)(link)
True enough.

[ That raised eyebrow seems to be the extent of his compunction. Choice, in the end, is what matters to him - so long as the one making that choice understands what they're getting into. These life-altering choices involving physical attributes made in moments of desperation sometimes make him... queasy, for reasons he can't quite remember.

It's not like these new hands won't bind this woman to the Machinist, make her his thrall so -

The red threads across her body like nerves or veins he's been plucking at turn golden with strength, and he gives an encouraging nod. ]


Well, get on with it then.