Update

[synfluxmods]

▷ DECISION UPDATE

▶ OUTCOME: BURNING BRIDGES

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 Korea’s 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 didn’t track down an injured and resting Imugi—they tracked down the Imugi’s 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. LILITH’s 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.

▶ 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.

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Comments

[emancipating]

No, I don't believe we did. I can't speak for everyone, but I know that most of us made our decisions with the best interests in mind. And I hope we won't have to do this ever again.

[ even if what they wanted didn't always align with the results in the end. fate, as always, works in mysterious ways. who's to say that if they'd stayed, the deaths would be lessened? strife is unavoidable.

he knows this. and yet, it's difficult to reconcile.

he leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he searches her expression. his smile is wan, but earnest. ]

But you aren't alone, Marcille. Let us share some of that burden.

[picky]

[ It's hard to contend with the grief and guilt when even that feels like a luxury—like it's better to be alive and grieving than it is dead under the rubble of Seoul. Survivor's guilt, it's supposed to be called, but Marcille feels like more of a usurper than a survivor. She can reason it out with other people as much as she wants. All she can do is wait for this to get a little easier to bear, day by day.

Probably, anyway. She's never been good at grieving.

She wipes her eyes. ]

...Thanks, Zagreus. I hope so too. [ She blinks open her eyes and sets the water bottle back in her lap. ] What about you, though?

[emancipating]

[ mismatched eyes blink at her when she asks, even lifting a finger to point at himself like ? him?? ]

What about me?

[picky]

How do you feel after everything?

[emancipating]

[ the question makes him pause for a moment. how does he feel? there are many emotions within but like paint in water, they swirl together, clouding each other. he's never been asked that before, and now that he's forced to confront it, he doesn't know what to say. ]

I'm... tired, I think. I don't believe I've ever been this worn out in a very long time.

[ but she doesn't quite mean that, does she? ]

Truthfully, I'm not sure. I think everything's all... jumbled together and it's hard to pinpoint a single feeling.

[picky]

[ If she lets him, she'll hesitate before reaching out and taking one of his hands in both of hers. She gives it a soft, reassuring squeeze. ]

It's hard to do sometimes when you're already exhausted. Are you used to fighting like this?

[emancipating]

[ he doesn't mind it, resting his other hand on top of both of theirs. ]

Yes. But it wasn't quite the same. I wasn't fighting for the safety of others.

[ he was simply fighting for himself; to escape his father's domain and reach the surface to uncover the truth. he fought his friends, lovers, but death is never permanent. not like this. ]

[picky]

What were you fighting for then?

[emancipating]

The truth. Myself. The consequences of my actions, I knew them, but I was selfish. It didn't matter to me who I'd hurt in my pursuit. But the scope of it was not like this.

dm spoilers

[picky]

[ Everything he says resonates. It's obvious in the quiet, growing shock on her face, brows lifting, lips parting. She feels it like a blow to the chest, punching the air from her lungs. Without a second thought, her hand reaches and clutches the front of her sweatshirt. ]

What did you do, exactly...?