![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
TDM #2
TDM #2
DREAMING (new characters)
At first, there is nothing. You are nothing. Whatever existed before ceases to be if for a moment. Then, bit by bit, you start to become aware. Where there was not even darkness now is a dim haze, gentle and almost mist-like. You have limbs again and beneath your feet lays a path of light reaching out like limbs of a great tree beneath you, twisting and climbing out into the horizon.You take a step forward for what else is there to do? As you walk you begin to remember what it was you were doing before the nothingness; maybe something as simple as chatting with a loved one or close friend. Maybe you were just beginning a great journey or facing off against an old foe. Whatever it was, you get the distinct feeling that wherever and whenever that was, it is not here. Not now.
The path of light twists off into different directions. When you look up you can see that it is not a sky above you but the sky of everything, a grand cosmic tapestry littered with not mere stars but galaxies and clusters of galaxies that gleam like crystals against the velvety backdrop of space. Admire it for a moment, if you will. You don't know how long you will drift here, but you are not alone. Other wanderers will come and go as you bask together in the vastness of creation.
It seems to you that there are two paths to walk in this place, the light and dark beckoning in turn.
❖ THE LIGHT AT THE CENTER
One leads you to the center, splintered fragments folding together and colliding until only one thing remains: a light that speaks to you with the voice of all there is and has ever been. It greets you simultaneously as an old friend and as a lost child, both rejoicing in and mourning your arrival. You remember it too, somehow, with a feeling of complex nostalgia, as if returning to a place recalled from your distant childhood.
You’ll feel the same of the other wanderers that join you in the light; you know their faces, their voices, and as you reflect upon the world of your birth, you may witness fragments of theirs as well. You feel a comradery, then, a synchronicity of thought and emotion. Are the lives of others truly so different from your own? Or are you simply two hands of the same, greater being? Though some individualistic part of you may resist, the longer you spend in the light, the more you will find yourself becoming one with it.
Despite this welcoming call, no matter how eagerly your pursue its embrace, before you can fully submerge yourself in this oneness you will find yourself being torn away. As if seized by the impossibly long, cold arm of a creature unseen, you are plucked from the edge of fulfillment. The last thing you will remember is the sensation of your world, and all the others your experienced here, collapsing into nothingness.
❖ THE DARK OUTSIDE (CW: deep despair, ego death)
The other leads towards the outside, where the splintering becomes so great that the vestiges of reality can do nothing but collapse back into the abyss at the end of everything. As you wander to these barren outskirts, your thoughts will not be drawn to familiarity and oneness, but instead to memories of discontent and waste. The darker the path becomes, the more you find yourself dwelling on life’s disappointments and injustices, of the things about yourself and your world you find wanting.
If you see others here, at first they will feel frightening or contemptible, as if representing to you the worst experiences in your life. Even if they are someone you’re certain you know, that familiarity and affection will be stripped away in the face of the great emptiness before you. In the end, you were all the same. In the end, none of this was worth it. If you approach the end together, you may even form a kind of kinship around this acknowledgment, as the need for paranoia and hatred fades.
Slowly, the darkness encroaches, and you can see it devouring all the things you once knew. Memories of your home, of those you loved, dissolve into nothing, and you can only reflect on the barren emptiness in your heart as you see it happen. In your final moments, though, you feel peace with it all, knowing that there was no other way. You step from the edge of the last dwindling fragment of being and are greeted by silence.
❖ THE END
No matter which way you go, you are left with a single impression: you feel the world you came from die. It's a realization that transcends logic or sense; it weighs on your heart and leaves the vestiges of dark memories dancing in your thoughts like motes of ash. It's a memory of your home crumbling away into nothing as if consumed from within by rot. Returned to the void, all that's left to you is to be reborn.
REBIRTH (new characters)
In a new time and place, you awaken. Stirring within a capsule of warmth and isolation your senses will slowly return, only to observe that you are trapped. Your body, as it wakes, is tangled in close, yours eyes unable to open, as if still within the womb. You are held tight in the embrace of something unyielding, so smothering that at first you only have the strength to struggle for moments at a time. Yet, as you persist, the pressure begins to relent in turn; it may take hours, but eventually you will find the purchase to push, to claw, to fight, and it will all give way.The chrysalis surrounding you bends like flesh and cracks like glass. It tears as you force your fingers through, finding liberation one inch at a time, until finally you have emerged. As if having undergone metamorphosis, you feel old and new all at once. You are weak, piteously so, but the markings and scars of your previous life remain. As you slump down upon the smooth cavern stone, you realize that you've just wrenched yourself free of gigantic crystal, though its hollow, shimmering form is now in pieces on account of your passing. Somewhere on your body, a shard of similar material remains embedded.
The cave itself looks almost like the inside of a geode, the walls and ceiling bedazzled with greyish crystal that shines with all the colors of the rainbow. While they vary wildly in size and shape, only a few have grown large enough to hold a form like yours, and you can see the one you just escaped isn't the only one bearing a passenger within. They may have already hatched, or they may still be lingering in stasis. Either way, there's enough time that you may have a chance to speak to yours unexpected peers, or to perhaps to struggle to find something to cover your naked body with. You feel the chill of the open air against your moisture laden skin, a distant light trickling in through the cavern's opening.
Make the most of this time. It won't be long before you're interrupted.
[Mod Note: If you don't want to deal with your character being naked in front of the others at that location, feel free to assume they emerge at a different time than the others of their legacy. Characters will be 'hatching' over a period of several hours.]
DREAMING (OLD CHARACTERS)
For those already in Horos, they will find themselves in the same dreamscape as the new arrivals, only, this time, it's familiar. You'll feel more cognizant of your surroundings as you reawaken in this psychedelic realm, more in control of your emotions. What's more, you recognize that light at the center and the darkness at the edge: it's the Pleroma and Kenoma respectively. The one you are attuned to will call our to your soul, and though you are technically free to wander as you please, the closer you get to the force of your opposite sect, the more it will grate against you spiritually. Pleroma attuned nearing the Kenoma will feel as if its presence is desperately trying to tear them apart, and Kenoma attuned nearing the Pleroma will feel as if its light is burning them from the inside out.
More importantly, you notice that entirely new souls are wandering here with faces you didn't see in the cavern. It gradually becomes clear that they are Aions in the same state you were prior to your rebirth, lost and wandering this stretch of the cosmos with no idea what's to come. Maybe this is your chance to ease the confusion of their arrival, or maybe you'd simply like to scope out what kind of people are on their way. It's also possible for you to run into Aions already in Horos, wandering just like you are. Unfortunately, things are a lot less neutral than they are the last time you shared this realm.
No matter what you do, eventually the cosmos above will begin to burn out, just as it did the first time you were here. As darkness swallows reality itself, you will wake with the visceral memory of your world corrupting and breaking apart.
More importantly, you notice that entirely new souls are wandering here with faces you didn't see in the cavern. It gradually becomes clear that they are Aions in the same state you were prior to your rebirth, lost and wandering this stretch of the cosmos with no idea what's to come. Maybe this is your chance to ease the confusion of their arrival, or maybe you'd simply like to scope out what kind of people are on their way. It's also possible for you to run into Aions already in Horos, wandering just like you are. Unfortunately, things are a lot less neutral than they are the last time you shared this realm.
No matter what you do, eventually the cosmos above will begin to burn out, just as it did the first time you were here. As darkness swallows reality itself, you will wake with the visceral memory of your world corrupting and breaking apart.
SEARCHING (OLD CHARACTERS)
Soon after the dreams begin, it will become clear that the Aion NPCs of either sect are also aware of what's happening. For those in Achamoth and Greentruth, the imminent arrival of new Aions will become a matter of official discussion. All able Aions will be called upon for their aid, in whatever way they can offer. Getting to the shrines themselves will be easily accomplished via teleportation. What's would be more complicated is ferrying any new arrivals back to a secure location. Thankfully, it seems this is something both sects have already prepared for. All characters will have the opportunity to acquire a 'returning stone'. In all cases, this will amount to an amulet made of the same shimmering material as the shrine monuments, though the stylization differs between the Pleroma and the Kenoma. While regular Aion teleportation can bring you to any of the shrines you know the sigil and location of, a returning stone is magically programmed to bring its wearer back to a specific destination to which it is attuned. Normally, these stones will only be able to store enough energy for one 'return' a month, but it turns out that the ambient power created by the shrines being active will temporarily super charge them. Though it's not guaranteed, this means they may generate enough energy to perform multiple returns for TDM purposes.
Spare returning stones will be issued to all Aions so that they can be used to bring back anyone they collect, as it's possible to bring someone alongside you if they are also wearing a returning stone. Where your stone leads will depend on your sect.
❖ PLEROMA
Tehri will be the one to supply returning stones, based out of Greentruth. She will not travel to Godsblood to deliver returning stones to those that have not visited Greentruth, but it can be assumed that Greentruth's visitors can pass them along to anyone who has been staying in the city. The returning stones are apparently set to bring them to a secure location beneath the water of Godsblood's coast. From there, new arrivals will have to be allowed to rest and then brought up into the city when they're ready.
Greentruth is limited in its resources, but it will attempt to send troops to the Innocent, Seeker, Wanderer, and Firebrand shrines, all of which are close to the forest. Meanwhile, while no formal affiliation with the new Aions has been made, bands of guerilla fighters, most likely from Godsblood, will turn up at the Artisan and Sovereign shrines. Whether they have any affiliation with Greentruth will not be clear, but they do seem to have a beef against the Achamites. These reinforcements will struggle against powered Aions, but they might be able to delay any troops sent by Achamoth.
❖ KENOMA
Xishen will be handing out returning stones to all Kenoma the day after the dreams begin. She'll explain how to use them, and state that the Regent expects for them to head to the shrines once they become fully active. The Kenoma will have whatever mundane weapons or supplies they need at their disposal for this mission, along with some modest Achamite reinforcements. She'll warn not to rely too heavily on them however; after all, only the Aions are able to quickly move between the shrines and at the Citadel. The Achamites will have to be deployed by river or by land, and mobilizing them will take time. They will feasible be able to reach all of the shrines to some degree or another, but will more easily populate the shrines of the Martyr, Celebrant, Lover, Champion, Visionary, Sovereign, and Firebrand.
The Hylicians will apparently not be helping this time around, as the capture and holding of the first batch of Aions was already a lengthy venture. Xishen herself says she will be travelling to the shrines, however, while another Aion named Dionys remains in Achamoth to 'keep watch'. All Kenoma Aions will be given a familiar vial of black sludge, and are instructed to feed it to any Aions they capture at the shrines. It will cause the same effects it did in the cavern, though it will resolve in a few days rather than a week.
RETURNED (ALL CHARACTERS)
New characters that are found a the shrines will be brought back to one of two lodestones, depending on which sect they are taken by. This will be accomplished by their escort putting a 'returning stone' around their neck that will enable them to be teleported to a secure area in their sect's territory. It is advised for your character to be taken by whichever sect you'd like them to end up in.
❖ TO THE PLEROMA
In a dazzling flash of psychedelic light, you will find yourself brought to the Pleroma's lodestone: a monolithic rock set in the center of temple-like ruins. The entire cavern is hidden away beneath the ocean waves, just outside of Godsblood, and the ceiling itself is comprised of nothing but a barrier of water, as if held back from filling the space by some unknown force. The waters surrounding the lodestone are exactly body temperature, with swarms of tiny, violently iridescent fish darting through it. Crabs that look as if they're made of pure, clear crystal wander the sparkling, sandy shores.
There isn't much here in the way of accommodations, but it's comfortable enough that the new arrivals brought in by the Pleroma can take a moment to catch their breath. Some relatively plain but assorted new clothing will have been brought to the cavern to make sure they are actually clothed, as well as blankets and basic food items. It's a good time to ask your questions, or if you are an established Pleroma, to help out your freshly arrived peers. After all, their welcome at the shrine may have been a confusing one.
New arrivals will be permitted to leave the lodestone's temple when they are ready. Unfortunately, the only ways out of these place are through your choice of either swimming through pockets of water that eventually lead to the surface, or by spelunking through a series of tunnels to make your way the cliff faces near the city of Godsblood. More information about the city itself can be found on the setting page, though it would be preferable to keep TDM interactions to the lodestone area. As characters emerging from the shrines will start our as Untouched (more info about attunements here) they will not be permitted entry into Greentruth until they have attuned to Pleroma.
❖ TO THE KENOMA
As your returning stone activates, you will feel yourself thrust into a suffocating void, only to emerge just as quickly somewhere else. The most pressing thing on the minds of anyone taken by the Kenoma will be the vial of pitch black sludge they are forced to drink, whether it is before or after their arrival. Maybe their 'escort' from the shrine gave it to them, or perhaps another Kenoma does soon after they arrive. If not, one of the Achamite cultists wandering around definitely will. Dedicated servants to the Regent's will as they are, they are not afraid to gang up on the vulnerable new arrivals and force it down their throats.
Once in your mouth, the potion will slither down your throat as if it's a living thing. The effect takes hold quickly: as this darkness creeps through your insides, it will embolden your darkest and most despair inducing emotions, plaguing your thoughts with the worst sorrows of your life. What's worst, it simultaneously seems to awaken some form of enhanced psychic empathy within you, both projecting your thoughts for others to hear, and allowing you to receive those of the others around you in kind. Black ooze will begin to seep from orifices, or the space around your shard. The effects of this contamination bring out your worst, and its recipients will be forced to live with these effects until they accept the force corrupting them into their souls.
This world is not good enough, a voice speaks to your through the Kenoma. This suffering you feel, the cruelty that has birthed this darkness in you... it is simply the rot that is consuming this existence. A better universe awaits, one forged by your own hand, and all you need do is first bring about this broken reality's end.
How long this goes on will depend on how long the characters is able to fight it. Acceptance of the Kenoma can come as quickly as immediately, if your character is inclined towards it, or it could be drawn out to take a few days. In the meantime, they will have to stay in the barren halls surrounding the Regent's lodestone, and will not be permitted to exit into the greater Citadel as the current Kenoma are. All that will immediately be offered to them down there are stone slabs that can be used as beds and formless white robes that reach down past their knees.
Of course, that doesn't mean the characters that are already of the Kenoma can't do something about that. If they desire it, they will be able to bring food or other supplies to those suffering with their Kenoma infections, and it will be equally within their power to try anything from bullying them into accepting to lovebombing them. Once a character accepts the Kenoma and attunes to it, they will be permitted to leave, but for the sake of the TDM interactions should be kept to the lodestone area.
❖ TO THE PLEROMAIn a dazzling flash of psychedelic light, you will find yourself brought to the Pleroma's lodestone: a monolithic rock set in the center of temple-like ruins. The entire cavern is hidden away beneath the ocean waves, just outside of Godsblood, and the ceiling itself is comprised of nothing but a barrier of water, as if held back from filling the space by some unknown force. The waters surrounding the lodestone are exactly body temperature, with swarms of tiny, violently iridescent fish darting through it. Crabs that look as if they're made of pure, clear crystal wander the sparkling, sandy shores.
There isn't much here in the way of accommodations, but it's comfortable enough that the new arrivals brought in by the Pleroma can take a moment to catch their breath. Some relatively plain but assorted new clothing will have been brought to the cavern to make sure they are actually clothed, as well as blankets and basic food items. It's a good time to ask your questions, or if you are an established Pleroma, to help out your freshly arrived peers. After all, their welcome at the shrine may have been a confusing one.
New arrivals will be permitted to leave the lodestone's temple when they are ready. Unfortunately, the only ways out of these place are through your choice of either swimming through pockets of water that eventually lead to the surface, or by spelunking through a series of tunnels to make your way the cliff faces near the city of Godsblood. More information about the city itself can be found on the setting page, though it would be preferable to keep TDM interactions to the lodestone area. As characters emerging from the shrines will start our as Untouched (more info about attunements here) they will not be permitted entry into Greentruth until they have attuned to Pleroma.
❖ TO THE KENOMAAs your returning stone activates, you will feel yourself thrust into a suffocating void, only to emerge just as quickly somewhere else. The most pressing thing on the minds of anyone taken by the Kenoma will be the vial of pitch black sludge they are forced to drink, whether it is before or after their arrival. Maybe their 'escort' from the shrine gave it to them, or perhaps another Kenoma does soon after they arrive. If not, one of the Achamite cultists wandering around definitely will. Dedicated servants to the Regent's will as they are, they are not afraid to gang up on the vulnerable new arrivals and force it down their throats.
Once in your mouth, the potion will slither down your throat as if it's a living thing. The effect takes hold quickly: as this darkness creeps through your insides, it will embolden your darkest and most despair inducing emotions, plaguing your thoughts with the worst sorrows of your life. What's worst, it simultaneously seems to awaken some form of enhanced psychic empathy within you, both projecting your thoughts for others to hear, and allowing you to receive those of the others around you in kind. Black ooze will begin to seep from orifices, or the space around your shard. The effects of this contamination bring out your worst, and its recipients will be forced to live with these effects until they accept the force corrupting them into their souls.
This world is not good enough, a voice speaks to your through the Kenoma. This suffering you feel, the cruelty that has birthed this darkness in you... it is simply the rot that is consuming this existence. A better universe awaits, one forged by your own hand, and all you need do is first bring about this broken reality's end.
How long this goes on will depend on how long the characters is able to fight it. Acceptance of the Kenoma can come as quickly as immediately, if your character is inclined towards it, or it could be drawn out to take a few days. In the meantime, they will have to stay in the barren halls surrounding the Regent's lodestone, and will not be permitted to exit into the greater Citadel as the current Kenoma are. All that will immediately be offered to them down there are stone slabs that can be used as beds and formless white robes that reach down past their knees.
Of course, that doesn't mean the characters that are already of the Kenoma can't do something about that. If they desire it, they will be able to bring food or other supplies to those suffering with their Kenoma infections, and it will be equally within their power to try anything from bullying them into accepting to lovebombing them. Once a character accepts the Kenoma and attunes to it, they will be permitted to leave, but for the sake of the TDM interactions should be kept to the lodestone area.
QUESTIONS
Is this TDM canon?
Mostly! It's part of an in-game event. However, only threads with new players that app and are accepted will be considered game canon. Threads between old characters will all be canon, but threads involving new characters that don't apply or aren't accepted will either need to be tweaked to remove their involvement or made non-canon. New characters will also be able to decide TDM threads aren't canon if they end up changing directions.
Who can toplevel on this post?
Anyone, whether they are a new character or a current one. However, we do ask for current players to do their best to tag new characters. If you are bringing in a new character and want a current character to bring them into your sect of choice, post your request here! ICly, current characters are fighting to claim new arrivals, but it's up to the player of new characters where they ultimately end up going.
When is this TDM taking place chronologically?
The last few days of April. The shrines will be active and forming Aions during that time. The dreams will start around the 24th. All current Aions will be able to sense when it's time for the new arrivals to start emerging.
What are the shrines like?
Every shrine is comprised of the crystal-filled cavern character emerge inside and then the massive statue symbolizing the relevant Legacy built on top. More information about each shrine can be found in the "Aion Shrine" section of the setting page.
Are everyone's homeworlds really gone?
That's a complicated issue, and while the fate of their world is not without hope, they may certainly get the impression its been destroyed from the dream they had. Alternatively, they may refuse to believe what they felt and attempt to dismiss it as only a vision. More about this situation will be revealed as the game goes on.
Can I only experience one end of the dream sequence prompt?
New characters may experience one ending, both endings, or neither. If they experience both they will struggle to recall which came first or which feels the most 'true' to them, as both will simultaneously be the thought they are reborn with. If your character refuses to pursue either path they can simply linger in the middle until the infinite worlds above them start being extinguished one by one, eventually expelling them into darkness in a similar style to the light prompt. Which dreams they experience will not dictate their initial sect affiliation.
Is it possible to pull another character back from the end of the light or darkness dreams?
Yes! If your character is able to resist the pull of either end, they will have the chance to try to pull another character back from the edge of the abyss or the edge of oneness. Whether or not they succeed is entirely up to the other character, though.
Do you come out of the chrysalis wet?
For most intents and purposes it's the same experience as hatching out of a real butterfly chrysalis, so yes, a bit.
How does attunement to the Pleroma or Kenoma work for new characters?
More information about sect attunements can be read on their dedicated info page, but in summary: when new characters are brought to Horos, they will be in the state of being "Untouched" meaning they are not attuned to either sect. By the end of their first month in game it is expected they will either attune to Pleroma or Kenoma, though for those taken by the Kenoma's forces, the transition will be forced within the first few days. If taken in by the Pleroma, it may take then some time to attune to Pleroma, depending on the strength of their spirit, but it could also happen almost instantly if they are allowed to. How quickly it happens will depend on how strongly they align with the Pleroma's traits. Characters who have been taken by the Pleroma but that remain Untouched will not be allowed into Greentruth until their attunement to Pleroma is complete.
Can a character taken by one side end up attuning to the sect of the opposite one?
This is theoretically possible, yes: a person taken by the Kenoma could potentially resist the Kenoma's call, and someone taken by the Pleroma could end up falling to the Kenoma while staying with them. Generally, though, we recommend that you have your character be taken by whichever sect you want to end up in, as doing a switcheroo will cause narrative complications that might bog their introduction down in plotting that will need to be done with the mods. It can happen, but it is not to be done lightly!
Mostly! It's part of an in-game event. However, only threads with new players that app and are accepted will be considered game canon. Threads between old characters will all be canon, but threads involving new characters that don't apply or aren't accepted will either need to be tweaked to remove their involvement or made non-canon. New characters will also be able to decide TDM threads aren't canon if they end up changing directions.
Who can toplevel on this post?
Anyone, whether they are a new character or a current one. However, we do ask for current players to do their best to tag new characters. If you are bringing in a new character and want a current character to bring them into your sect of choice, post your request here! ICly, current characters are fighting to claim new arrivals, but it's up to the player of new characters where they ultimately end up going.
When is this TDM taking place chronologically?
The last few days of April. The shrines will be active and forming Aions during that time. The dreams will start around the 24th. All current Aions will be able to sense when it's time for the new arrivals to start emerging.
What are the shrines like?
Every shrine is comprised of the crystal-filled cavern character emerge inside and then the massive statue symbolizing the relevant Legacy built on top. More information about each shrine can be found in the "Aion Shrine" section of the setting page.
Are everyone's homeworlds really gone?
That's a complicated issue, and while the fate of their world is not without hope, they may certainly get the impression its been destroyed from the dream they had. Alternatively, they may refuse to believe what they felt and attempt to dismiss it as only a vision. More about this situation will be revealed as the game goes on.
Can I only experience one end of the dream sequence prompt?
New characters may experience one ending, both endings, or neither. If they experience both they will struggle to recall which came first or which feels the most 'true' to them, as both will simultaneously be the thought they are reborn with. If your character refuses to pursue either path they can simply linger in the middle until the infinite worlds above them start being extinguished one by one, eventually expelling them into darkness in a similar style to the light prompt. Which dreams they experience will not dictate their initial sect affiliation.
Is it possible to pull another character back from the end of the light or darkness dreams?
Yes! If your character is able to resist the pull of either end, they will have the chance to try to pull another character back from the edge of the abyss or the edge of oneness. Whether or not they succeed is entirely up to the other character, though.
Do you come out of the chrysalis wet?
For most intents and purposes it's the same experience as hatching out of a real butterfly chrysalis, so yes, a bit.
How does attunement to the Pleroma or Kenoma work for new characters?
More information about sect attunements can be read on their dedicated info page, but in summary: when new characters are brought to Horos, they will be in the state of being "Untouched" meaning they are not attuned to either sect. By the end of their first month in game it is expected they will either attune to Pleroma or Kenoma, though for those taken by the Kenoma's forces, the transition will be forced within the first few days. If taken in by the Pleroma, it may take then some time to attune to Pleroma, depending on the strength of their spirit, but it could also happen almost instantly if they are allowed to. How quickly it happens will depend on how strongly they align with the Pleroma's traits. Characters who have been taken by the Pleroma but that remain Untouched will not be allowed into Greentruth until their attunement to Pleroma is complete.
Can a character taken by one side end up attuning to the sect of the opposite one?
This is theoretically possible, yes: a person taken by the Kenoma could potentially resist the Kenoma's call, and someone taken by the Pleroma could end up falling to the Kenoma while staying with them. Generally, though, we recommend that you have your character be taken by whichever sect you want to end up in, as doing a switcheroo will cause narrative complications that might bog their introduction down in plotting that will need to be done with the mods. It can happen, but it is not to be done lightly!
no subject
It's why he laughs -- it's like an angel and demon have stopped to have a chat with one another. But isn't that rather rude to give the role of a demon to his companion? Yes, but only a little.
Still, he sobers up as his question is answered with a question. He turns to look back upon Dextera's visage; the young man looks so lost and uncertain. There is honest remorse on his face as he looks at the two of them. One can even see how the throat clenches, but no words come out.
Why is this such a cherished memory of his? Lots of reasons. None of them good. ]
The betrayal wasn't beautiful at all. It was hideous and sinful. [ He steps forward reaching out to touch the image, lovingly. ] But the remorse... the moment when I felt like he was truly sorry for everything... that was beautiful. Lovely. Worthy of forgiveness, even. [ Yet he did not fully forgive him, did he?
His smile remains affectionate before he attempts to grab onto Dextera's neck and strangle the image. But it is just an image and fades as soon as he tries it. ]
... wishes and horses, I supposes.
no subject
and so they, a feigned archangel and a make-shift demon, having an esoteric chat along the very edges of what remained of the universe — it's so hackneyed it almost seems entirely contrived.
absolution.
there is precious little he has been able to extract out of dextera regarding himself and his circumstances. makoto typically doesn't find himself under the sway of curiosity for such things, but within the other young man he found a sort of kinship that he would've never expected. when he had finally gotten the opportunity to ask him what it was that he wanted out of this conflict, out of anything at all, that was the answer that he had given him. and as the stranger turns toward the image of the young man and makes his answer, a shudder goes down makoto's spine; his soul rattles with a kind of understanding and recognition that reaches into the heart of what he is and begins to try to pull it free.
are these the sins he was seeking to wash away? he had wanted to shake him free of such strict thinking, even if he knew his efforts would most likely be in vain. who got to decide what was either sinful or noble? at what point does a person's vengeance become the righteous retribution of the downtrodden? the archangel smiles, and he tries to wrap his hands around dextera's neck, and makoto can't help but remember how J had done the same when he'd torn his head from his shoulders — as if every abrasion he put upon him, body and soul, was a kindness from the depths of his heart. would he have the gall to think that makoto's was an ugly and abhorrent thing, when he had directly and indirectly led him straight to it? it would be just as unseemly as expecting him to have a shred of remorse afterward.
when the archangel turns his attention back to makoto, he will find that the young man's presence looms closer now, his pale gaze piercing and baleful as he regards him, head slightly canting to one side. )
What is he to you?
no subject
It's more of a sound than a thought. He is surprised that his demonic companion has come to draw so close to him. The look that he is being given -- Archangel can't be certain he understands it. His fingers flex as he looks back toward where his memories manifest. ]
What is he to me.
[ He repeats the question as a statement. His eyes widen as memories unfold. Dextera rushing through the dark corridors of the Neuro Tower; the frantic sound of his steps as he tries to escape the horde of Meta-Beings that are chasing after him. Their teeth gnashing loud in the darkness as the horde rushes after him. Archangel watches on. The expression he wears is affectionate, loving even, despite knowing that those monstrous abominations chasing after him will kill him in this memory. ]
The person I hate the most in the world. [ Spoken like a lover's whisper. ] The person I love most in the world. [ He turns back and spits the words out like a curse. ]
Someone I want to suffer, to break, to live his life in agony until he can't bring himself to stand. [ He calls to the memory as the creatures attempt to tear him apart. ] Someone I want to live, to be adored, to carry on in a world that will be only kind to him...
The person I confide in. The person I lie The most to. The one I want to never betray me and yet... and yet... no matter how much faith I give him, he always ....
[ A laugh bubbles up before he turns away from the memory; ignoring the screams of death. ]
Yes. He is all those things to me and more.
no subject
for reasons that are obvious enough, dextera has never been particularly open about himself, the world that he came from, or his past in it. the glimpses that he gets through the archangel's own memories playing out in the metaphorical space around them are of welcomed interest. labyrinthine tunnels, writhing masses of monstrous pursuers, violence, pain, and death. the demon that makoto is now is unfazed by the macabre scene that plays out, though whatever tiny shadow of the human he'd once been shrinks back in sympathy for one of the only "friends" he has in this new world.
the obvious contradiction in the archangel's reply doesn't stick out as problematic to him as it might to many others. when he had still been human, J had told him that, "mortals are the only ones who struggle with contradiction." maybe that's where his own personal answers lie. to love or to hate someone were not mutually exclusive: it had to do with possession, with ownership — of claiming the right to every emotion and outcome. thinking about it makes the gall rise in the back of his throat; having been smothered from a similar enough desire from J, he knows how much it rankles, how little personal agency it leaves behind.
it leaves them no choice. )
He betrays you, ( he speaks with the unswervering certainty of personal experience; venom drips from his words, and they strike together with incendiary feedback, ) and he always will, because one person cannot be everything to another. Beneath those conditions, there are only two options: you lash out, or you break.
no subject
How dare you --
[ Anger mixes into those three words; it's enough to choke him. He feels his eyes burn with so much rage that it feels like he might actually start tearing up. His fingers flex, like he might lash out to try to strangle this demon instead of who he really wants to hurt. ]
You don't know anything! You don't understand anything about us!
[ The wings behind his back, though artificial, extend out like any perturbed bird's might. Tears do start freely flowing as he finds himself unable to catch his breath. All the words that he want to say getting tangled in his throat because he doesn't know which one to start with first. ]
Then he should break! He should break under me if those are the choices! Because he -- [ His arm extends out to point toward where his memories began. ] -- his sins are greater than any I could ever bear! [ He can feel his arm shaking, trembling. And yet for as much of a sinner as he thinks of him, Dextera is also his salvation; his absolution. ]
How dare you say that he should always betray me!
[ There is a curse beneath his words. A curse that is meant to the man they're talking to rather than the man he's talking to -- "There is no one else that could ever want him but me. So he should be loyal only to me!" It shouldn't be to the Absolute God, to the world, to anyone, but him. ]
im so sorry for some reason i thought i tagged this one
demons cannot be killed by physical violence — at least, that was the case in hell, and it formed the basis of his instincts as they were forged in that very unique crucible. it didn't necessarily stop them from tearing one another apart, but it at the very least made it seem uncouth and largely unnecessary, especially when there was a far easier and superior method of establishing who had the upper hand against who. for creatures who would live as indefinitely as their names were called, spoken, and feared, it was all about perception. maintaining a certain image, hiding certain information until the optimal time to play it, obfuscating certain terms of binding agreements — in order to gain power, one sharpened their tongue, not their steel.
provoking others was a demon's art. if you could rip the rug out from underneath them and maintain your own footing, you established your social dominance. the superior demon is always the one who acts unassailable, unattainable, unbeatable — so long as everyone around you sees you as such, it becomes you.
sadly, these rules of hell do not apply to makoto anymore, not on horos or painted in the cosmos that swirl around them. but they still mark how he goes about this interaction — this confrontation, one might say. that he can rattle the man to such an extent so quickly; it buoys him onward, puts strong wind in his sails. )
That's not your choice to make.
( his lips part to bare straight, white teeth in an open sneer, rife with contempt. ) I didn't say he should. Just that he always will. ( though, to be fair, makoto also thinks he should, but he at least tries not to sully his arguments with personal bias (mostly). he had had half a thought of who had put all those thoughts of guilt and absolution in dextera's head. what delirious serendipity that he'd stumbled across their apparent source. )
Really, if there is anyone you should take umbrage with, it's yourself — with all that you put him under and put him through, you left him precious little choice.
NO WORRIES ... i also thought i responded /SWEATS
He won't.
[ Archangel lifts his head up. ] He won't. [ Why would he have this dream when he is about to fail? Is he arguing with himself? ] He can't betray me, again, because it would be damning the entire world in doing so!
[ Somehow, his wings seem to extend wider. His breathing increases before he straightens his posture; he feels his anger draining out of him. Why? Because he has a spark of inspiration. ] He won't betray me, again.
[ With an easy voice, he says: ]
We'll start over. [ He rolls his shoulders. ] I'll erase his memories. I'll drain him of everything that made him rebel against me. We'll start again. And we'll do it again and again until he behaves himself.
[ Archangel clears his throat, and corrects his wording: ] Until he finds his salvation for his sins. [ His maddened stare fixes on the demon in front of him. ] He won't betray me, again. ... He won't have reason to do it since the reason will no longer inside of him.
no subject
and now he's very obviously come across the individual responsible for putting him there.
makoto has loomed above human desperation many times — it's the default state in which he was summoned as a demon, a final and frenzied act for one last wish to be granted before their souls were rendered up. he had only ever found him able to look upon them with contempt. it was a very human sort of weakness that disgusts him, perhaps because it stains far too much of his past and who and what he used to be.
but this insight that he has now into dextera's despair and desperation doesn't give him any feeling of contempt. it's — bizarre, especially for the demon, but it simply makes him angry. it was usually so easy to see the broken path of poor decisions that a human has left behind in their wake, but how much of his had even been made on his own volition? had he not just been walled into a labyrinth with no way out?
makoto leans closer; his face falls into shadow, but his almost luminescent pale eyes still stand out, ) If you must resort to such lengths, ( the arch of his wings also follows the gesture, reaching forward until the talons at the end of the long, spindly digits hook into the feathers of the archangel's wings, attempting to wrap around and grab hold of them like overly-large, eldritch hands. his voice lowers, the tone dangerous in its perfect stillness, like a predator prepared to strike, ) You might as well admit you've already lost him.
( you've pushed him too far. he thinks of J, of everything that he had wanted so badly from him and all of the confusion, humiliation, consternation, manipulation, turmoil, and trauma he had received in return. all he had wanted was the love he had been promised before he'd been taken into hell — but perhaps that's the only way demons know how to love. perhaps the same can be said for those who style themselves as angels. )
no subject
Perhaps, it is almost on some command that his memories start to spill forth. Those that relate to the young man; they overlap one over the other to where it is a bizarre collage that goes on behind them. All that a person can be certain of is the obsession that Archangel has for Dextera is all-consuming and absolute.
His wings are false; he can't feel the talons that dig into them, but the two of them are much closer. It is in that second that he reaches out to grab onto the demon's neck. His fingers curled just like the way those wings grip onto his own. He attempts to wrap his hands around the neck, to dig in with his nails to tear the throat out himself, if he can't strangle the man to death.
Archangel loses all his eloquence; he loses all of his words. All he can do is scream. Foam builds up in the corner of his mouths, drool dripping down his lips and chin. It's more of a sound than anything else. A howling cry of something driven to the brink of insanity.
Yet a voice rings out through the collage of memories; through his deranged screaming. Mine! He's mine! It repeats over and over. He's mine! He will not give him up to anyone, to anything!
But he isn't able to do much -- perhaps, he is only able to grab onto skin, but perhaps not. He vanishes from the dream and wakes up in a crystal.
His fingers digging hard into the crystal's surface as he starts to claw his way out -- frustration eating at him, and he does not fully know the reasons as to why. ]
no subject
he could care less whether the wings were flesh and blood or fake — they are a symbol, and it's one that the talons of his wings now dig into, first as purchase but then as punishment. he would tear them to shreds and wonder in vain if that might somehow ground the wild, contemptible spirit of this stranger. in the end, he doesn't really get the opportunity. the archangel's hands wrap around makoto's neck, and as they do so, he will realize quickly that this is not the first act of horrible violence to be enacted here. no, it's almost impossible to miss the ridge of scarring that encircles all the way around, just at where his head attaches to the body — and the stitches that appear to be keeping the two together now.
oh, there's much the archangel could do to harm him here, but there's little that he hasn't already suffered before (or suffered worse). he could try to claw at his jugular or his windpipe, he could try to throttle him, he could even try to test the strength of those sutures and remove his head from his body yet again. even as the intent of violence becomes a sharp and present one, makoto doesn't back down. wings locked into the stranger's, he grabs two fistfuls of his clothing, baring his teeth in a feral snarl. all the while they stand in the eye of a maelstrom of obsession and fury's making, swirling all about them in flashing images and strings of words before it all seems to crescendo into a final moment of violence and —
it's over.
the man vanishes from his grasp, and then the dream of the cosmos slowly fades as well.
he wakes up, stews in his fury for a long moment, and the reaches for his shard. )