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 Koreaās 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 didnāt track down an injured and resting Imugi—they tracked down the Imugiās 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. LILITHās 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.
ā¶ AFTERWORD.
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.
[ It doesnāt take long at all for Tezcatlipoca to find Set. Heās one of the first he seeks out, but itās not because of concern. Quite the opposite, technically. He knows that Set is perhaps one of the only people here to view this situation as he does. They simple see the world differently, and even of the gods that Tezcatlipoca has metā¦ They are not conflict and war.
Where Set waits, Tezcatlipoca comes to join him. He leisurely lounges nearby, then tosses Set a (vegetarian!) ration bar. That gesture is given no weight, the same as how he casually takes his place. ]
Ahā¦ This is the annoying shit, aināt it? Only 170k? That aināt bad. Not in our terms.
[ Death tolls were simply different as the sort of gods they were. Set was war, the grinder that fed death endlessly. And Tezcatlipoca was the psychopomp that welcomed souls to Mictlampa. Even that large numberā¦ It didnāt mean much to them. It was a simple price of ābusinessā. ]
Makes one thing for sure. No connection to my realm here. Wherever those souls are headinā, it aināt to me.
[ The ration bar, snatched from the air, is placed down on his knee. He'll eat it in a little while, probably when nobody is around to observe him doing so ā there are few things he cannot abide, as being watched in a vulnerable state. Eating, to him, is an uncomfortable sensation. As Tezcatlipoca lounges, the god of war coils his injured leg below himself, tucking it away from predatory eyes as if all he's doing is getting comfortable. ]
I killed millions on my own.
[ Over several generations across hundreds of years, but that's definitely a high number. ]
It's not an issue of quantity. Humans and those who love them always believe in the quality of individualism. I cannot look at them like that ā I knew they would claim that we abandoned humanity, though. They always lash out like that, short-sighted and incapable of... seeing the bigger picture.
[ INTERESTING that the souls aren't going anywhere... Set looks at the miasma swirling around his wrist. The souls within are silent, for now. He takes it to mean he's still fulfilling his promise. ]
Me too. Only the once, but still wiped out an entire Sunās worth of people.
[ He states it casually, but not callously. Itās subtle, but thereās still a note of respect there, because even with his brutal domains, Tezcatlipoca wasnāt an evil god. He hadnāt enjoyed wiping the First Sun clean, but it had been necessary. Merciful, even. But thatās not something he shares, since itās a detail that he feels only matters to him. ]
Agree with ya, of course. Love āem, but people are still a pain in the ass that way. Canāt even say humans, since you seen half the gloomy motherfuckers āround here? Sheesh.
[ He says, but thereās a bit of gloom on Tezcatlipoca too, though itās of a different quality. Itās more pensive than sorrowful, and Set has nailed why with his question. ]
By the rules of where Iām from, yeah. Even if thereās not an underworld waitinā for āem to ease the journey, theyād still head back to the Root. Couldnāt tell you how this world works, exactly, but their situationās not so dire that itād mess up that process. Even if the kaiju wipe out every single human, their soulād end up somewhere.
[ He shrugs ]
Is what it is. Sure weād still be gettinā shit for it if that nest hatched.
[ It is a mark of Tezcatlipoca's goodness to have killed all at once, as if sweeping a game board clean ā as to have done it year, after year, after year in increments was decided sadistic. Evil, as Set was. His domains are brutal, just like Tezcatlipoca's, and a god cannot simply ignore them ā nor collapse under their weight when they are at their most resonant.
Arguably, Tezcatlipoca is the prime deity here. Set considers the battle the Outsiders are engaged in ( at this time ) a conflict, not a war. His domain requires a little more formality and organization between two or more opponents, while the fight before them lacks ā formality? In Kenos, he had considered himself the lead deity. And maybe he was wrong, but that was how his mind conceptualized it, having lived under the rule of Osiris, the god supreme of men and divine.
It lets him rest, in an odd way. To not have to be so proactive about the whole thing, on edge and vicious and clawing for every victory. Lets him cross to where Tezcatlipoca has sat, and freely press into the space alongside him, touching shoulder and knee to the other god. ]
How do they know where to go, without us? Without divine intervention and guidance in their lives, do they not get lost?
[ Again, he looks at the band of agony around his wrist. Then, to Tezcatlipoca who knows a time when humans no longer needed them. ]
I worry they... could be intercepted. As I have torn souls from their proper path and denied them the afterlife, it is not as though I am being fanciful in that concern.
[ He does huff a laugh, shaking his head. ]
I do regret the loss of resources Seoul represented. That sucks the most out of all that came in the wake of this choice.
[ He chuckles a little as Set comes closer, but itās warm. Heās a more physical person than Tezcatlipoca is, but he scoots over to allow more comfortable room for the two of them, even so. Heās not averse to it, but itās just one of those contrasts between them that represents their domains perfectly. Thereās fiery, passionate war, and thereās the more nebulous, aloof conflict. So, heād agree with Setās assessment as a result. Their two travels represent each of them as well in that way. ]
ā¦Hm.
[ He reaches up and takes off his sunglasses as he listens. Itās what seems like an idle gesture, but Set knows best of anyone that the way that they present themselves is more intentional than it seems. Theyāre essentially just part of a costume thatās meant to convey a casual air. He wants people to see him that way, because his almost thuggish, obstinate nature provides a challenge. He wouldnāt answer the question from anyone else seriously.
For Set, he answers with a story thatās not exactly characteristic of him. He rarely talks about the past or gives it any respect, since his attention is focused on the present. Similarly, that casual air is dropped for the more regal and pensive. ]
When I was created from Ometeotl, I was given almighty power that few gods possess. Prescience. From the moment I was ābornā, I knew about the destiny of all things. We would create five worlds, and four of them would fail. The fifth would be successful, but it would be the last we created. Even when I ruled over the first of them as the black sun, I thought about that future, fifth sun.
Through watching four Suns destined to die to make room for the fifth, I found the answers to your questions. They donāt know where to go. They will get lost. But itās a Sun that belongs to those people. Itās not one destroyed by our squabbles and grievances, because our intervention is a crushing weight. We give them our stories and the occasional, light touch of guidance. Itās why they must fight for their right to exist rather than be complacent. This is all they have. There will be no more.
[ It feels strange to speak this way, like theyāre old words he hasnāt spoken in a long time. He shrugs, partially to shake off what feels like discomfort. ]
—So, even a catastrophic loss of life isnāt something they should dwell on too long when theyāre facing the potential for their Sun to end. They can mourn for a bit, then collect themselves and keep on fighting. Otherwise, theyāll lose.
[ Thereās more he doesnāt touch on, like the interception of souls or the loss of resources, but that first set of questions are more important. Still, he feels heās been too formal for too long, so with a toothy, mischievous smile, he adds one more piece: ]
They better hurry up with it too. Iāve got my own prophecy thatāll be a real pain in the ass if it kicks in. Once the tables turn too far and theyāre destined to be toast? Theyāll lose my support too. Iāll become human for real, which aināt exactly kaiju-fightinā material.
[ Listening to Tezcatlipoca speak is, in a way, listening to an elder. As "elder" as a god can be, when they are meant to be ageless and equal among one another; Ra, of course, was the sole exception, as ( former ) god supreme and the first among them all, she who gave birth to herself from the primordial sea and from her came everything else. Tezcatlipoca's words are on par with a creator god, someone so ancient and deeply entrenched in the world's order that of course, of course, he ought to be listened to. In a way, it's comforting. Set is a rebel god, a wicked thing, but he still finds himself the pivotal point around which order circles at times.
The depth of the words to some, to mortals, might be like hearing the secret of the universe. World-altering and painful. To Set, they're as comforting as a lullaby. One he'd never received from his own mother, whom perhaps should have been the elder to speak to him about the world, but whom had never had eyes for more than eternity. A father whom, much the same, ignored his children for her. A son, red haired and destined for difficulty, who had only ever wanted to be acknowledged.
While Tezcatlipoca speaks, Set leans in against him. Curling to his side and closing his eyes to take in the past of the Azteca, the beginning and end they were ready for. And he sighs, annoyed in only the most minor of ways now. ] That's what I was trying to tell them. Mourn the dead, for the numbers matter to them. But do not let it distract from the whole of humanity.
[ I'll become human for real, is a sentiment that brings him great discomfort and tension, though. His body seizing up against Tezcatlipoca's, hands quick to snatch the dark sunglasses from the other god, shoving them over his eyes. A bit like he had before, when he'd colored his hair blonde and pretended to be a god that could have been his twin in many ways. ]
If they fail you that way, I'll rip this implant out of my body and ensure the kaiju succeed.
Yeah, thatās the part thatās easier said than d—
[ He starts with a sort of weary sarcasm in his voice, but heās cut off abruptly as Set steals his sunglasses. Itās a surprising gesture, and itās not one he immediately understands. It takes Setās defiant clarification for him to at least guess at where itās coming from, and it makes him laugh. ]
Sounds that bad to you, huh?
[ Thatās not surprising, exactly. Almost every god would fear losing their Authority. Becoming mortal, losing their Authority, itās akin to dying. But even as a younger, brasher god, Tezcatlipoca had never thought of his eventual fate that way. In the way that poetry and metaphor were something physical and tangible to the divine, the fact that he would eventually lose all of it felt fitting. In one interpretation, when the sun finally set for the last time and the world was given to darkness, of course its most powerful god would step forward to join it in perpetuity. But in another, and the one he personally, secretly favoredā¦
He would be the last one left. A mortal shouldnāt have to bear that terrible, lonely weight. Such was his form of mercy, and itās a quiet, understated thing.
Tezcatlipoca reaches up behind Setās back to place a hand on his head. He pulls him a little closer as he tousles his hair. Itās fond and annoying. ]
Well, aināt gotta worry about that yet. Only happens once the sun canāt reflect off my obsidian leg anymore. And despite what the rest of āem think, this world is still doinā fine, relatively speakinā. Iāll be concerned once theyāre gettingā to millions at once, and even thenā¦ Eh. They just aināt made to think that way, though.
[ He removes his hand, but itās so he can lean his head against Setās. Since heās curled up this way, heāll indulge it, even if itās definitely not to the same extent. ]
Thatās where you and me come in, seems like. Gotta push āem, otherwise theyāll be stuck moping. You run into Ereshkigal yet, for example? Sheās practically got a raincloud over her. [ ā¦ ] More than usual.
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synflux2024-08-22 04:03 am
wildcard, more or less
Where Set waits, Tezcatlipoca comes to join him. He leisurely lounges nearby, then tosses Set a (vegetarian!) ration bar. That gesture is given no weight, the same as how he casually takes his place. ]
Ahā¦ This is the annoying shit, aināt it? Only 170k? That aināt bad. Not in our terms.
[ Death tolls were simply different as the sort of gods they were. Set was war, the grinder that fed death endlessly. And Tezcatlipoca was the psychopomp that welcomed souls to Mictlampa. Even that large numberā¦ It didnāt mean much to them. It was a simple price of ābusinessā. ]
Makes one thing for sure. No connection to my realm here. Wherever those souls are headinā, it aināt to me.
no subject
I killed millions on my own.
[ Over several generations across hundreds of years, but that's definitely a high number. ]
It's not an issue of quantity. Humans and those who love them always believe in the quality of individualism. I cannot look at them like that ā I knew they would claim that we abandoned humanity, though. They always lash out like that, short-sighted and incapable of... seeing the bigger picture.
[ INTERESTING that the souls aren't going anywhere... Set looks at the miasma swirling around his wrist. The souls within are silent, for now. He takes it to mean he's still fulfilling his promise. ]
Are they going anywhere at all, do you think?
no subject
[ He states it casually, but not callously. Itās subtle, but thereās still a note of respect there, because even with his brutal domains, Tezcatlipoca wasnāt an evil god. He hadnāt enjoyed wiping the First Sun clean, but it had been necessary. Merciful, even. But thatās not something he shares, since itās a detail that he feels only matters to him. ]
Agree with ya, of course. Love āem, but people are still a pain in the ass that way. Canāt even say humans, since you seen half the gloomy motherfuckers āround here? Sheesh.
[ He says, but thereās a bit of gloom on Tezcatlipoca too, though itās of a different quality. Itās more pensive than sorrowful, and Set has nailed why with his question. ]
By the rules of where Iām from, yeah. Even if thereās not an underworld waitinā for āem to ease the journey, theyād still head back to the Root. Couldnāt tell you how this world works, exactly, but their situationās not so dire that itād mess up that process. Even if the kaiju wipe out every single human, their soulād end up somewhere.
[ He shrugs ]
Is what it is. Sure weād still be gettinā shit for it if that nest hatched.
no subject
Arguably, Tezcatlipoca is the prime deity here. Set considers the battle the Outsiders are engaged in ( at this time ) a conflict, not a war. His domain requires a little more formality and organization between two or more opponents, while the fight before them lacks ā formality? In Kenos, he had considered himself the lead deity. And maybe he was wrong, but that was how his mind conceptualized it, having lived under the rule of Osiris, the god supreme of men and divine.
It lets him rest, in an odd way. To not have to be so proactive about the whole thing, on edge and vicious and clawing for every victory. Lets him cross to where Tezcatlipoca has sat, and freely press into the space alongside him, touching shoulder and knee to the other god. ]
How do they know where to go, without us? Without divine intervention and guidance in their lives, do they not get lost?
[ Again, he looks at the band of agony around his wrist. Then, to Tezcatlipoca who knows a time when humans no longer needed them. ]
I worry they... could be intercepted. As I have torn souls from their proper path and denied them the afterlife, it is not as though I am being fanciful in that concern.
[ He does huff a laugh, shaking his head. ]
I do regret the loss of resources Seoul represented. That sucks the most out of all that came in the wake of this choice.
no subject
ā¦Hm.
[ He reaches up and takes off his sunglasses as he listens. Itās what seems like an idle gesture, but Set knows best of anyone that the way that they present themselves is more intentional than it seems. Theyāre essentially just part of a costume thatās meant to convey a casual air. He wants people to see him that way, because his almost thuggish, obstinate nature provides a challenge. He wouldnāt answer the question from anyone else seriously.
For Set, he answers with a story thatās not exactly characteristic of him. He rarely talks about the past or gives it any respect, since his attention is focused on the present. Similarly, that casual air is dropped for the more regal and pensive. ]
When I was created from Ometeotl, I was given almighty power that few gods possess. Prescience. From the moment I was ābornā, I knew about the destiny of all things. We would create five worlds, and four of them would fail. The fifth would be successful, but it would be the last we created. Even when I ruled over the first of them as the black sun, I thought about that future, fifth sun.
Through watching four Suns destined to die to make room for the fifth, I found the answers to your questions. They donāt know where to go. They will get lost. But itās a Sun that belongs to those people. Itās not one destroyed by our squabbles and grievances, because our intervention is a crushing weight. We give them our stories and the occasional, light touch of guidance. Itās why they must fight for their right to exist rather than be complacent. This is all they have. There will be no more.
[ It feels strange to speak this way, like theyāre old words he hasnāt spoken in a long time. He shrugs, partially to shake off what feels like discomfort. ]
—So, even a catastrophic loss of life isnāt something they should dwell on too long when theyāre facing the potential for their Sun to end. They can mourn for a bit, then collect themselves and keep on fighting. Otherwise, theyāll lose.
[ Thereās more he doesnāt touch on, like the interception of souls or the loss of resources, but that first set of questions are more important. Still, he feels heās been too formal for too long, so with a toothy, mischievous smile, he adds one more piece: ]
They better hurry up with it too. Iāve got my own prophecy thatāll be a real pain in the ass if it kicks in. Once the tables turn too far and theyāre destined to be toast? Theyāll lose my support too. Iāll become human for real, which aināt exactly kaiju-fightinā material.
no subject
The depth of the words to some, to mortals, might be like hearing the secret of the universe. World-altering and painful. To Set, they're as comforting as a lullaby. One he'd never received from his own mother, whom perhaps should have been the elder to speak to him about the world, but whom had never had eyes for more than eternity. A father whom, much the same, ignored his children for her. A son, red haired and destined for difficulty, who had only ever wanted to be acknowledged.
While Tezcatlipoca speaks, Set leans in against him. Curling to his side and closing his eyes to take in the past of the Azteca, the beginning and end they were ready for. And he sighs, annoyed in only the most minor of ways now. ] That's what I was trying to tell them. Mourn the dead, for the numbers matter to them. But do not let it distract from the whole of humanity.
[ I'll become human for real, is a sentiment that brings him great discomfort and tension, though. His body seizing up against Tezcatlipoca's, hands quick to snatch the dark sunglasses from the other god, shoving them over his eyes. A bit like he had before, when he'd colored his hair blonde and pretended to be a god that could have been his twin in many ways. ]
If they fail you that way, I'll rip this implant out of my body and ensure the kaiju succeed.
no subject
[ He starts with a sort of weary sarcasm in his voice, but heās cut off abruptly as Set steals his sunglasses. Itās a surprising gesture, and itās not one he immediately understands. It takes Setās defiant clarification for him to at least guess at where itās coming from, and it makes him laugh. ]
Sounds that bad to you, huh?
[ Thatās not surprising, exactly. Almost every god would fear losing their Authority. Becoming mortal, losing their Authority, itās akin to dying. But even as a younger, brasher god, Tezcatlipoca had never thought of his eventual fate that way. In the way that poetry and metaphor were something physical and tangible to the divine, the fact that he would eventually lose all of it felt fitting. In one interpretation, when the sun finally set for the last time and the world was given to darkness, of course its most powerful god would step forward to join it in perpetuity. But in another, and the one he personally, secretly favoredā¦
He would be the last one left. A mortal shouldnāt have to bear that terrible, lonely weight. Such was his form of mercy, and itās a quiet, understated thing.
Tezcatlipoca reaches up behind Setās back to place a hand on his head. He pulls him a little closer as he tousles his hair. Itās fond and annoying. ]
Well, aināt gotta worry about that yet. Only happens once the sun canāt reflect off my obsidian leg anymore. And despite what the rest of āem think, this world is still doinā fine, relatively speakinā. Iāll be concerned once theyāre gettingā to millions at once, and even thenā¦ Eh. They just aināt made to think that way, though.
[ He removes his hand, but itās so he can lean his head against Setās. Since heās curled up this way, heāll indulge it, even if itās definitely not to the same extent. ]
Thatās where you and me come in, seems like. Gotta push āem, otherwise theyāll be stuck moping. You run into Ereshkigal yet, for example? Sheās practically got a raincloud over her. [ ā¦ ] More than usual.