The decision has been made. LILITH Japan orders the Outsiders to mobilize to pursue the Imugi.
Given that they are in a foreign country, they are largely dependent on LILITH Koreaâs resources. In response to the decision, the Korean branch provides some assistance: the Outsiders are given just enough vehicles to help transport them, essential supplies, and only a few operatives to help guide them. This is the most the Korean branch is able to give, as they must focus on relocating people and restoring peace following the attack.
LILITH announces that the Imugi is currently resting near Gangneung on the east coast and they must move quickly. The effects of Rift poisoning will grow stronger as they approach the source; a sign that they are close to a kaiju. Upon reaching the mountains just outside the city, LILITH informs them that they are right on top of its location.
However, there is no Imugi to be found. After searching the area, Outsiders will discover the source of the trace and the poisoning: eggs. They will find about twelve eggs. When they report their findings, Seokdang will curse. In their rush, they had followed the wrong trace. They didnât track down an injured and resting Imugi—they tracked down the Imugiâs nest. So where is the Imugi?
Not long after, Outsiders will receive an update on their implants: the Imugi reappeared in Seoul. After seeing the corpse of its mate, it went berserk and attacked the city again. While many of the citizens were evacuated to nearby Incheon and remaining shelters, just as many perished, with the death toll at 168,000 and rising. LILITHâs Korean base is destroyed.
The Imugi was last seen flying north, but the Korean government prohibits the Outsiders from pursuing it again through their territory. By choosing to pursue the kaiju, the Outsiders have abandoned humanity and thus will receive no further support. They are ordered to leave the country immediately.
LILITH Japan will order them to collect as many eggs as possible and continue to the abandoned city of Gangneung, where they will arrange pick up and return to base in Tokyo.
ⶠAFTERWORD.
Thanks everyone for participating in our first major Event Decision! We hope you had fun discussing what to do both ICly and OOCly.
After failing to capture the second Imugi and also failing to save a large portion of Seoul's population, characters will be shipped back to Japan. The events of the TDM will springboard from there. Feel free to use this post to thread out any aftermath threads if you would like.
All tags on this log are worth 2 points and will count towards August AC.
[ Perhaps surprisingly, when they reunite, one of the first people that Tezcatlipoca seeks out is Ereshkigal. Itâs not immediateâsurely he catches conversation with others firstâbut eventually, he finds his fellow god of death. Sheâs sitting in a corner, all curled up, and he approaches quietly enough that she might not immediately notice.
But surprisingly⊠He sits down before her. He hears her lament, but doesnât respond immediately. He just takes out his cigarettes, then pops one out of the carton. ]
[ Oh hey, one of those gods who mocked and belittled her. Now coming in hot to laugh some more at her, she bets. As if she didn't feel miserable enough, now he's adding anger to the mess of emotions she's going through. ]
How fare your efforts to prove you have humanity's best interests at heart?
[ That was the condition for the smoke. And with the decision he made - with the way he is acting now that his decision has been proven to be the wrong one - he is earning no points in her book. ]
[ Itâs an answer that comes easily. Unlike others, Tezcatlipoca doesnât seem so bothered by this development, but thatâs unsurprising. Surely, thatâs precisely what she expects with her (completely warranted) view of him. And since her answer is an implicit refusal, he pops the cigarette into his mouth instead. ]
You just got an expression like you might need a smoke.
[ He lights it, then blows a puff of smoke away from her with a little sigh. ]
Figure I know the answer, but Iâll ask anyways. You got any connection to your afterlife left?
[ She can smell the stench of death, but that's it. And that's what she would answer, if she wasn't so damn pissed by his mere presence. She sees no reason why she should answer anything when he obviously feels no remorse for the part he played in this. When he sees this number and thinks of it as small, not discarding his divine preconceptions would it be for a second. ]
You have become an enemy of humanity, haven't you?
[ Is she wrong? Perhaps. Probably. But what stands before her isn't an ally of humanity.
... Or is she just trying to find an excuse to never smoke? The world may never know. ]
You do not believe in them. You would rather see them dead than take a chance on their potential. [That's what he is doing back home with the Lostbelt and Ritsuka. This is what he did here with his choice to abandon Seoul.] You may be no Beast, you may not even classify as an enemy... But your heart is the most rotten of all, Tezcatlipoca.
[ This again? He sighs, because itâs not like itâs ever going to be less contentious between them, but itâs an annoyance of his own creation, essentially. He could resolve this misunderstanding if he just explained the futures heâd seen, since even if she didnât agree with his decision to ally with Daybit, sheâd at least understand why heâd done it. Why neither of them were considered enemies of humanity despite wanting to unleash one of the greatest ones that exists.
He frowns deeply and looks away as he rubs a hand through his hair. Itâs clear he wants to say something, but also that heâs not going to. Not straightforwardly, anyways. ]
Not all potential is a good thing. [ Thatâs what he settles on, but itâs not exactly helpful⊠] Seems like you got opinions closer to my brother, so no wonder we donât get along.
[ He doesnât seem particularly bothered by that, but he does feel a bit bad for her. That kind of warm love doesnât suit a god of death, since itâs bound to make them miserable. Compared to Mictlantecuhtli, he always thought that he was more friendly to the dead, but Ereshkigal⊠She takes it to a different level. ]
Alright, letâs imagine things had played out different? Cool. We killed mom. Now a dozen of the little fuckers get to run around Korea and get fat and happy on the populace instead. Tens of thousands of people die now, tens of thousands of people die then.
[ Another sigh, another drag of the cigarette. ]
Youâre takinâ their words too seriously. Theyâd be sayinâ the same shit no matter what happened.
[ If he just said there's a wacko out there trying to turn humanity into a cosmic parasite, then she'd get it!! Just tell her "every planet in the cosmos will have its own Ishtar" and there, done deal. No question, humanity was a mistake, nuke it. She'd even lend a hand with her future beast form!
... Maybe. ]
You are assuming they would have been able to survive without their mother. [Which is a pretty massive assumption if she says so herself.] You are also assuming we wouldn't have been able to track them down while they are still young.
[ Basically, assuming the worst for the sake of assuming the worst. Quite convenient if you are unable to admit you were wrong (she will struggle to admit when she's wrong too, but details). ]
You are correct. Not all potential is a good thing. But so terrified you are of what you saw, you shut down all of it. [A pause.] You are no different from them.
[ The gods from her pantheon, those who had been so terrified of what humanity could become, they desperately threw scheme after scheme to try and tighten their grip over humans. For the result everyone knows. ]
Fine. Then we fucked up the decision. That what you wanted to hear?
[ He says it matter-of-factly and shamelessly, in large part because he doesnât feel any. While revenge had been the motivation for some of his teammates, it hadnât been for him. It was a simple, practical choice, but it was a roll of the dice they didnât win. If anything, he blamed LILITH for not having the tech to be able to distinguish between eggs and an adult before theyâd started pursuing, but he doesnât bring that up. For their conversation, itâs not relevant. ]
Doesnât bring back the people that died. But doesnât change what needs to be done either.
[ Another sigh, and he takes a longer drag of the cigarette this time with a tight expression. This isnât why heâd come of here, since despite her (valid) impressions of him, he wasnât coming to pick a fight. Heâll torment humans and really push them to a breaking point, since they need that strife to be able to develop stronger skills and resolve. But a fellow god? It doesnât work that way, so heâs frustrated. Theyâre stubborn (and he includes himself there). ]
—Look. [ He starts with a puff of smoke out of his nose this time. Itâs darker and fragranced with copal rather than tobacco, though. ] If we had our divine foresight, wouldnât be having this argument, would we? Weâd both know with certainty which decisions are the right one. But thatâs not how this shakes out. Weâre subject to bad decisions and uncertainty, same as humanity, for once. Iâm not sayinâ you canât mourn the casualties. But there will be more cominâ.
[ Ereshkigal immediately stands up to yell at him. How dares he speak as he does, make excuses after excuses to justify his own failings. What manner of gods accepts senseless sacrifice of death as easily as he does? She will not stand to let him justify himself, not when this time his words led to consequences. ]
If you are so incapable of using reason without your foresight, then never again partake in the decision-making process!
[ She takes a step forward, her hands trembling as she is resisting the temptation that would be smashing her hand straight into his face. ]
How many deaths does it take for you to realize the folly of your philosophy? 168 000? A million? A billion? All of them? Your callous disregard for life is repulsive! Humanity has no need of gods such as you!
[ When she stands and starts to yell at him, he sighs like her anger is an annoyance rather than a potential threat. As she continues and trembles, he pushes himself to slowly stand too. For once, his expression is severe and icy cold. Heâs not taunting her with his normal, shitty smile, but thereâs still part of his expression thatâs daring her to hit him. Heâll take it, apparently, since his hands are tucked into his coatâs pockets, but thereâs an impression that it might be a mistake to do so. ]
[ He takes a step closer. Just the one, but itâs still a step into her personal space. The casual tone is dropped for one thatâs more regal and more suited to a god, so apparently, he is capable of it. ]
Let me be clear once, and only this once, since our lands are distant. I am Tloque Nahuaque, the lord of the near and the nigh, and death is only one of my concerns. If every human dies, then all I can hope is that they fought for every second of their existence so they can meet my paradise before that timeline gets pruned away. Itâs not my place to interfere, since our days of influencing humanity are long past. It could very well be why this failed.
[ âŠIf he had his way, he wouldnât participate at all, really. But jokeâs on him that heâs in a jamjar and doesnât have a choice there, so, Itâs the one thing he might take away from this conversation that, yeah, she might be right. He shouldnât partake in the decision-making process. Maybe it was too optimistic to think that he could. ]
âŠWe wonât agree on this either.
[ Thatâs his point here, apparently. And with his serious statement done, he slips back to casual, but his voice is still cool and certain. ]
Do what you want, since I'm not here to convince you my way is right. Iâll take your advice next time around, yeah? Stay out of decisions and just tear some kaiju apart. Nice n' simple.
[ I-It's just unbearable. Now that he's on the back foot he goes all serious, waving his titles and authority in an attempt to silence her? That's exactly the opposite of her! She tries to be super scary when she first meets people and then gets progressively more and more mellow as the bullying intensifies!
But she's not going to let another god walk all over her. When he invades her personal space, she takes yet another step forward and gets right up in his face! She'll probably collapse in a puddle of anxiety later upon realizing just how daring she's been. ]
And I am Ereshkigal, the sole mistress of the underworld! [He takes pride in death being only one of his many domains. But she takes just as much pride in it being her only domain. Well, she has others... But bringing up her authority over deers right now would be counterproductive.] Mortals and gods alike fear me, for I am the end of everything. Do not presume my love of humanity to be a weakness, Tezcatlipoca.
[ She's still trembling, but it's not out of fear. Just pure, sheer anger. Honestly she can't remember the last time she'd been so furious. So much so she can't even feel the neck pain that's starting to creep in from having to crane her neck up to stare at him. ]
In their hour of need, humans have proven their brilliance and devised the means to summon us. You are here because humanity willed it. If you will not act in consequence, then destroy this vessel of yours and rid us of your presence!
[ Is he even going to listen? Probably not, she figures. It's not like she's really listening to his arguments either. There's no point to this. She just wants to go back to moping without him around. What a stalker!! ]
Begone! I have tolerated your presence long enough and I will not suffer it a moment longer.
[ Itâs probably also a little intimidating how calm he is in comparison. Sheâs full of passionate, vibrant anger that makes her shake, but Tezcatlipoca is relaxed and calm, having not so much as raised his voice save for the lilts of annoyance. Heâs a scary god, but itâs because of that aloof nature. Itâs hard to guess whatâs going through his head.
Itâs nothing he clears up, either, since with another lazy shrug, he turns and steps away to leave with a cryptic comment. ]
Well, whatever. Guess youâre not exempt from a trial either.
[ âŠNo wonder sheâs so fond of Chaldea, is what he thinks. He doesnât feel disappointed by it, exactly, but itâs more just another layer of understanding. He thinks her aversion to death is unbecoming, considering, but heâll keep that to himself. After all, who knows? Maybe thatâs just a culture difference for you. Itâs what he suspects. But it means this will be just as hard for her as any human. That does spark a feeling, but itâs none sheâd welcome, so heâd never express it.
He does leave, but once his back is turned, he raises his hand to wave it slightly with a parting comment: ]
Enjoy your moping. Just be ready for the next battle and I wonât have any complaints.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
synfluxmods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
synflux2024-08-22 04:03 am
no subject
But surprisingly⊠He sits down before her. He hears her lament, but doesnât respond immediately. He just takes out his cigarettes, then pops one out of the carton. ]
Feelinâ the smoke yet?
no subject
How fare your efforts to prove you have humanity's best interests at heart?
[ That was the condition for the smoke. And with the decision he made - with the way he is acting now that his decision has been proven to be the wrong one - he is earning no points in her book. ]
no subject
[ Itâs an answer that comes easily. Unlike others, Tezcatlipoca doesnât seem so bothered by this development, but thatâs unsurprising. Surely, thatâs precisely what she expects with her (completely warranted) view of him. And since her answer is an implicit refusal, he pops the cigarette into his mouth instead. ]
You just got an expression like you might need a smoke.
[ He lights it, then blows a puff of smoke away from her with a little sigh. ]
Figure I know the answer, but Iâll ask anyways. You got any connection to your afterlife left?
no subject
You have become an enemy of humanity, haven't you?
[ Is she wrong? Perhaps. Probably. But what stands before her isn't an ally of humanity.
... Or is she just trying to find an excuse to never smoke? The world may never know. ]
You do not believe in them. You would rather see them dead than take a chance on their potential. [That's what he is doing back home with the Lostbelt and Ritsuka. This is what he did here with his choice to abandon Seoul.] You may be no Beast, you may not even classify as an enemy... But your heart is the most rotten of all, Tezcatlipoca.
no subject
He frowns deeply and looks away as he rubs a hand through his hair. Itâs clear he wants to say something, but also that heâs not going to. Not straightforwardly, anyways. ]
Not all potential is a good thing. [ Thatâs what he settles on, but itâs not exactly helpful⊠] Seems like you got opinions closer to my brother, so no wonder we donât get along.
[ He doesnât seem particularly bothered by that, but he does feel a bit bad for her. That kind of warm love doesnât suit a god of death, since itâs bound to make them miserable. Compared to Mictlantecuhtli, he always thought that he was more friendly to the dead, but Ereshkigal⊠She takes it to a different level. ]
Alright, letâs imagine things had played out different? Cool. We killed mom. Now a dozen of the little fuckers get to run around Korea and get fat and happy on the populace instead. Tens of thousands of people die now, tens of thousands of people die then.
[ Another sigh, another drag of the cigarette. ]
Youâre takinâ their words too seriously. Theyâd be sayinâ the same shit no matter what happened.
no subject
... Maybe. ]
You are assuming they would have been able to survive without their mother. [Which is a pretty massive assumption if she says so herself.] You are also assuming we wouldn't have been able to track them down while they are still young.
[ Basically, assuming the worst for the sake of assuming the worst. Quite convenient if you are unable to admit you were wrong (she will struggle to admit when she's wrong too, but details). ]
You are correct. Not all potential is a good thing. But so terrified you are of what you saw, you shut down all of it. [A pause.] You are no different from them.
[ The gods from her pantheon, those who had been so terrified of what humanity could become, they desperately threw scheme after scheme to try and tighten their grip over humans. For the result everyone knows. ]
no subject
[ He says it matter-of-factly and shamelessly, in large part because he doesnât feel any. While revenge had been the motivation for some of his teammates, it hadnât been for him. It was a simple, practical choice, but it was a roll of the dice they didnât win. If anything, he blamed LILITH for not having the tech to be able to distinguish between eggs and an adult before theyâd started pursuing, but he doesnât bring that up. For their conversation, itâs not relevant. ]
Doesnât bring back the people that died. But doesnât change what needs to be done either.
[ Another sigh, and he takes a longer drag of the cigarette this time with a tight expression. This isnât why heâd come of here, since despite her (valid) impressions of him, he wasnât coming to pick a fight. Heâll torment humans and really push them to a breaking point, since they need that strife to be able to develop stronger skills and resolve. But a fellow god? It doesnât work that way, so heâs frustrated. Theyâre stubborn (and he includes himself there). ]
—Look. [ He starts with a puff of smoke out of his nose this time. Itâs darker and fragranced with copal rather than tobacco, though. ] If we had our divine foresight, wouldnât be having this argument, would we? Weâd both know with certainty which decisions are the right one. But thatâs not how this shakes out. Weâre subject to bad decisions and uncertainty, same as humanity, for once. Iâm not sayinâ you canât mourn the casualties. But there will be more cominâ.
no subject
[ Ereshkigal immediately stands up to yell at him. How dares he speak as he does, make excuses after excuses to justify his own failings. What manner of gods accepts senseless sacrifice of death as easily as he does? She will not stand to let him justify himself, not when this time his words led to consequences. ]
If you are so incapable of using reason without your foresight, then never again partake in the decision-making process!
[ She takes a step forward, her hands trembling as she is resisting the temptation that would be smashing her hand straight into his face. ]
How many deaths does it take for you to realize the folly of your philosophy? 168 000? A million? A billion? All of them? Your callous disregard for life is repulsive! Humanity has no need of gods such as you!
no subject
Yâknow. Iâve been lenient. Figured some patience was in order, since this situation, you got people from all over. Plenty of people that donât have MĂ©xico where theyâre from, much less havinâ heard of teotl.
[ He takes a step closer. Just the one, but itâs still a step into her personal space. The casual tone is dropped for one thatâs more regal and more suited to a god, so apparently, he is capable of it. ]
Let me be clear once, and only this once, since our lands are distant. I am Tloque Nahuaque, the lord of the near and the nigh, and death is only one of my concerns. If every human dies, then all I can hope is that they fought for every second of their existence so they can meet my paradise before that timeline gets pruned away. Itâs not my place to interfere, since our days of influencing humanity are long past. It could very well be why this failed.
[ âŠIf he had his way, he wouldnât participate at all, really.
But jokeâs on him that heâs in a jamjar and doesnât have a choice there, so,Itâs the one thing he might take away from this conversation that, yeah, she might be right. He shouldnât partake in the decision-making process. Maybe it was too optimistic to think that he could. ]âŠWe wonât agree on this either.
[ Thatâs his point here, apparently. And with his serious statement done, he slips back to casual, but his voice is still cool and certain. ]
Do what you want, since I'm not here to convince you my way is right. Iâll take your advice next time around, yeah? Stay out of decisions and just tear some kaiju apart. Nice n' simple.
no subject
But she's not going to let another god walk all over her. When he invades her personal space, she takes yet another step forward and gets right up in his face! She'll probably collapse in a puddle of anxiety later upon realizing just how daring she's been. ]
And I am Ereshkigal, the sole mistress of the underworld! [He takes pride in death being only one of his many domains. But she takes just as much pride in it being her only domain. Well, she has others... But bringing up her authority over deers right now would be counterproductive.] Mortals and gods alike fear me, for I am the end of everything. Do not presume my love of humanity to be a weakness, Tezcatlipoca.
[ She's still trembling, but it's not out of fear. Just pure, sheer anger. Honestly she can't remember the last time she'd been so furious. So much so she can't even feel the neck pain that's starting to creep in from having to crane her neck up to stare at him. ]
In their hour of need, humans have proven their brilliance and devised the means to summon us. You are here because humanity willed it. If you will not act in consequence, then destroy this vessel of yours and rid us of your presence!
[ Is he even going to listen? Probably not, she figures. It's not like she's really listening to his arguments either. There's no point to this. She just wants to go back to moping without him around. What a stalker!! ]
Begone! I have tolerated your presence long enough and I will not suffer it a moment longer.
no subject
[ Itâs probably also a little intimidating how calm he is in comparison. Sheâs full of passionate, vibrant anger that makes her shake, but Tezcatlipoca is relaxed and calm, having not so much as raised his voice save for the lilts of annoyance. Heâs a scary god, but itâs because of that aloof nature. Itâs hard to guess whatâs going through his head.
Itâs nothing he clears up, either, since with another lazy shrug, he turns and steps away to leave with a cryptic comment. ]
Well, whatever. Guess youâre not exempt from a trial either.
[ âŠNo wonder sheâs so fond of Chaldea, is what he thinks. He doesnât feel disappointed by it, exactly, but itâs more just another layer of understanding. He thinks her aversion to death is unbecoming, considering, but heâll keep that to himself. After all, who knows? Maybe thatâs just a culture difference for you. Itâs what he suspects. But it means this will be just as hard for her as any human. That does spark a feeling, but itâs none sheâd welcome, so heâd never express it.
He does leave, but once his back is turned, he raises his hand to wave it slightly with a parting comment: ]
Enjoy your moping. Just be ready for the next battle and I wonât have any complaints.
[ WHAT AN ASS I'M SO SORRY ERESH!!!!!!!!!!! ]