EVENT #18: EMERGENCE - IC EVENT LOG

[abraxasmods]

Event #18 - Emergence

OOC Plotting Post ⦁ Pre-Event Info ⦁ Setting Descriptions

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.

---

Comments

[itookashot]

"Don't I always?" Jesper whispers back, amused since they don't need to whisper. No one can see or hear them. But they both do seem to hesitate so they can hear the end of the ceremony. He has the energy of a proud parent without being one, smiling as the couple become legally and spiritually one.

The two of them were never like this couple. They got along from early on. There was never a fighting to kissing moment, only the latter. He's felt solid and understood by Wilhelm for as long as he can remember. It broke his heart when for a time they weren't able to live in their harmony, although he was understanding about the reasons why. And he waited, loyal to a fault, for his pigeon to come back to him.

Now that is merely the past and he can reel Wilhelm into his embrace, never taking a moment with him for granted. Jesper himself has been married twice with many of his loved ones in attendance. He, Mat, and Kaz are something of a trio these days, time making many problems seem so pointless. But what he has with Wilhelm is special on its own.

"This is the third wedding this week. It's the season, I'm going to have constant Echoes until the summer." Blessing couples and unions. He keeps caressing Wilhelm's wings. "How is your dominion going, my dear?"

[ordinar]

The years apart from Jesper had been rocky — all jagged edges and plunging cliffs. For a long time, Wilhelm withheld his blessing and scattered his insecurities all over instead. People he might have helped to bloom shrunk into the shadows. They might have stayed friends, he and Jesper, but it hurt too much to be near him and know that he'd never be his. His love felt like an open wound, his jealousy an infection.

Wilhelm thought that the time apart would cure him. And it had, just not in the way he anticipated: his love remained, but the jealousy settled into acceptance. Jesper was like the sun, he realized. All that light and heat couldn't belong to one person, and someone else receiving the sun's rays doesn't diminish the warmth he enjoys on his own skin.

"Spring is busy for me too, you know. Everyone's looking for a change after the winter. They just need a push in the right direction."

[itookashot]

Jesper's never been willing to change for anyone, too at home in his own skin and his own wants, although he respects everyone's views on their own love lives. It was deeply painful to know he was hurting someone he loved and their separation was agonizing but necessary. He missed Wilhelm like a full limb he was forced to cut off, and his other lovers urged him to have patience. It worked out. His beloved pigeon came back to him with minimal (although very real) damage to the world.

"New year, new them. Time to grow and evolve." Jesper pulls Wilhelm into his waiting embrace, giving him a hug and kissing his check, nuzzling his nose into the crook of his neck. Content with any displays of affection that feed him. His own mood being light and joyful makes all the energy around him radiate the same. There was already joy at the wedding, but smiles grow wider, people start to laugh for no real reason at all. He bleeds it all around him.

"I may not remember every detail, but I do recall a sweet boy who was doing plenty of growing himself." All the dominions make sense to the god that developed it. Wilhelm has come so far since then, but he also looks out for youths who need it. It's a credit to his gentle heart. "How's the family? Your dad still with the dragons? Steve's been such a downer lately." He loves his step-father but he can be exhausting!

[ordinar]

Jesper always could light up a room by the sheer force of his charm and confidence. The only difference is that now he can do it even when nobody can see his dazzling grin. Swaying into Jesper's embrace, he traces with gentle fingers the familiar planes of his stomach and chest. His laugh puffs hot against Jesper's ear as he obliquely refers to that long ago time.

Growth, Wilhelm has found, is not a straight line but a spiral. As his power mounted, his mistakes grew in magnitude. Just like the fire in his bones and in his hands used to, it terrified him, what his carelessness could destroy. But the good he could do for others also bloomed. He looked for the ones who feel as powerless as he once felt, and through helping them he cultivated his own fragile confidence.

"We're still growing. It's not something that just stops one day." He rests his forehead against Jesper's. He never did catch up to his towering height. "Dad's fine. Still working on his garden down in the Nether, speaking of never-ending projects."

Wilhelm worries that he'll push his power too far, that he'll start to lose himself — he has always worried. But the day is too beautiful to ruin with darkening thoughts.

"You should invite your dads to the next wedding."

[itookashot]

"I don't know what you're talking about, I can't possibly grow any better than this. The world would explode." Jesper grins at him and leans into his forehead, keeping an arm around him. Jesper changed very little physically about himself, it's all an internal skill made external with his positive spirit stretching around him. He's teasing though and he kisses Wilhelm's forehead.

He knows Wilhelm went through a struggle. Some of them did, with the world changing as it was, and their bodies and essences changing. None of them are now what they were, and that can be a scary thing. They didn't ask for the Singularity to change them, but it's just a fact in the end. He's not surprised that Wilhelm had to fight to get every step that he did. He's a very strong and stubborn individual.

"Not a bad idea. I took Steve to a Libertas festival to cheer him up. I'm pretty sure one of these days he's just going to become a permanent statue." And right there underneath his otherwise cheerful tone is something more serious. A genuine concern, masked over. Not unlike Wilhelm's own feelings about Lucifer. So Jesper does what he can to pull people at risk with him. Steve is practically marble at this point.

"Are you coming to my festival? Remember to look your sauciest." Jesper has a worship festival every year and throws a god party at the same time. It often ends up in an orgy, although people can leave earlier.

[ordinar]

"Fine, fine," he laughs. "You may have reached the pinnacle of existence, but the rest of us are still trying to catch up."

Meanwhile, the wedding feast has commenced. Wine splashes into goblets and food heaps onto plates, while over the garden floats bright music from a flute. Later, the lawn will fill with dancing, but for now, it's just Wilhelm swaying into Jesper in a wordless invitation.

His fingers flutter down the back of Jesper's neck as if to smooth away the concerns circling at the edge of their conversation. The weight of them is familiar to Wilhelm — Jesper worries for Steve as he worries for his dad. This power that has become a part of them, something behind their ribs and in their marrow, demands balance. Wilhelm has crashed into the rocks that wait in the shallow end, the risks that come with neglecting his godhood, but the other extreme is just as dangerous: vast depths waiting to crush if you plunge in too far.

He's here if Jesper needs an ear, but the change in subject pulls him away from pursuing the matter further for now.

"Of course I'm coming. I wouldn't miss it."

[itookashot]

"The only improvements I'm looking for are more people to love. Although no one else will ever be my pigeon." Jesper tilts his head up and kisses him, putting a hand on his waist and taking his other hand to start dancing them around. He breaks the kiss and smiles down at him, swaying to the music in the air. He spins Wilhelm slowly under his arm, pulling him back into a waiting embrace.

Jesper has never fully outrun his desire to act nonchalant about everything. His worries for his parents are genuine. It's not as if parent-child concerns go only one way. He wants to make life better for them, especially Steve, who seems to be drifting by the day. But he also knows it's not up to him. Still, Wilhelm knows him well enough to see to the true concern, and he wouldn't try to hide it from him either. They're too close for that.

"Good, I would've dragged you regardless." It wouldn't do for one of his favorite people not to show up. "You should come with me to the Feywilds afterward, they have their own holidays starting soon, and it's a nice break from the adoration of our followers." Jesper loves that, obviously, he is literally having a festival in his honor, but it can be exhausting. Being around long-lived people who don't give a fuck about what they are can be such a relief.

[ordinar]

Their relationship may have evolved over the centuries, but Jesper still drapes the same nickname over his shoulders like something warm and well-worn. What began as a fun joke between friends has deepened into a term of endearment that bears the same steadfast heft as my love. Wilhelm smiles into the kiss and spins under the suggestion of Jesper's hands. As they tilt around to the music, the late afternoon sunlight catches on the golden freckles splashed across his face.

"Yeah, then it will be my turn to worship and adore you. You're sure I won't wear you out?"

His voice sways into teasing, aided and abetted by his fingers tracing Jesper's chest along familiar trails. In time to the swelling melody of the flute, he leans in to brush his lips against Jesper's jaw.

[itookashot]

Jesper barely remembers what the nickname means, he doesn't have the original Ketterdam context these days, but he knows what it means. Soft, sweet, endearing Wilhelm. He has a nickname that is special to them and that's very rare. For all his lovers, he has the typical pet names, but Wilhelm is his pigeon.

He laughs and dips Wilhelm to make him laugh too, tugging him back up and close and allowing him to touch and kiss wherever he likes. His arm slides around his back and holds him up close. "Mmmm, never. I just get more power from your love, my dear." Being cherished will do that. Jesper lets him kiss his jaw and slides his hand up the back of his shirt. He loves the golden freckles and his cute, pretty little face.

"I think someone's missed me. Weddings do inspire a certain mood." That is one of the reasons he enjoys going to them. It's ripe for his particular brand of attention. He ruffles Wilhelm's hair. "Do you want to dance, or do you want to dance?"

[ordinar]

It's hard to remember the shy boy he used to be all those centuries ago. Wilhelm feels like a completely different person now. As a god of evolution he knows that you don't really shed your past selves like snakeskin; who you are grows from who you have been.

"It's not my fault you've made missing you so easy to do."

If Jesper's presence is like the sun, then when he's gone it's like the day has closed. But the thing about the sun is that it always rises the next day. Wilhelm's lips slip down Jesper's neck to nestle in the hollow of his throat, where he hides his impish grin as he pretends to think over the question with a prolonged:

"Hmm...why not both?"

To demonstrate, he twirls himself in Jesper's arms, except instead of completing the circle, he stops halfway to press himself spine-to-sternum flush against Jesper. Folding their joined arms around his middle, he casts a low-lidded look over his shoulder as he sways his hips purposefully to the rhythm of the music.

[itookashot]

Jesper remembers that Wilhelm was shy, it's the details that get fuzzy. Exact conversations, exact moments. But he knows that they were both very young when they first kissed, and so there will always be a bit of young lust attached to them, like being teenagers all over again. And he finds that very sweet about the two of them. He would definitely say that he's as he always has been. Jesper only grows more into himself as time goes on.

"I'm so adorable, I know. Luckily you never have to miss me for long."

Jesper is a constant. Wilhelm could turn around in a hundred years and Jesper would be waiting for him with a cocky smile and a blow of a kiss. Time doesn't fade things for him. He will always be here for Wille to have a naughty dance with, when the mood strikes him.

"Ooo la la." Jesper laughs at the move and firmly grips him around the middle so he can't move away from that flushed position. He lets Wilhelm set the rhythm of the dance and takes advantage of where his mouth is to press kisses against his pretty long neck.

Jesper licks a stripe from shoulder up to his ear, nipping at the earlobe and murmuring into it, "Wille." He nuzzles into the crook of his neck, nipping it gently. Around them the energy starts to shift because of his own feelings, lust and warmth spreading. The wedding feast is leading to more wine, to people snuggling with their spouses, with young people starting to give each other shy glances across the tables. They're inspired to make invitations so more people end up on the dance floor, closer than they might ordinarily dare.

[ordinar]

His wings, pinned between his back and Jesper's chest but not uncomfortable for it, shimmer and ripple in the slanting light. Their color deepens as arousal sizzles in the pit of Wilhelm's belly. Though tangible, they are more a manifestation of his magic energy than a physical appendage. So, they react to the current of power around him, Jesper's warmth entwining with his own wanting.

Wilhelm sighs, melting under the heat of Jesper's mouth pressing kisses like secrets into his skin. The gentle sway of his hips, the light brush of his body against Jesper's, evolves into a slow, sensuous grind. If they were visible to the mortals dancing in the grass nearby, he wouldn't even care. All that matters is Jesper's eyes and lips and hands on him.

"Touch me, Jes," he whispers, shadowing his hands. He guides his touch over his body, up his taut stomach and arching chest, down his thighs. Anywhere he wants, he's welcome.

[itookashot]

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