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.
'Too kind'… hearing something like that from you sounds seriously creepy. You know it's not like that, cut it out.
[ The reality is, hasn't Sampo already done much worse? Consider it Elysium's payback. The last thing either of them want is for this back and forth to escalate?? ]
Unlike your little snow globe, the things here aren't just for show. [ … ] I tested it out a while back with a friend of mine. Incredible, right? C'mon.
[ With less of a frame of reference for the house, the insides are… much less spectacular than the details given outside. There's a bar stocked to the brim, but otherwise, it seems to exist just to exist. At least, there's a table and couch that sit facing outwards towards windows—"man of many talents" but interior decorator ain't one, it seems. ]
[ Now, what would be the worst? Elysium's face scrunches a little. But before Sampo can read into it if he so happens to be looking, a wool blanket will manifest right above him, falling atop his head with a solid thump. ]
Just clearing the last debt between us.
[ Intuitively, it's not like he wants to see what Sampo's reaction to that would be, either. ]
It's been a long time coming, so just think about everything else as interest. [ because he could. because he wonders what the weight of 168k lives and counting would be, to him. and because he remembers the mention of belobog being a final bastion of humanity, and if he's reminded of that. ] It's not that deep.
Oof, if you keep stealing words from my book there, I'll sue ya.
[Same thing, same thing. Clearing the debts. Not letting favors fester, and rotten, and change into something else.]
[He lets out a little squeak at the wool blanket, though, pulling it down with his head peeking out. Mm. Cozy.]
Not that deep. Okay. [And a pause - he seems to chew on that, and spit it out mentally, like he's found out he's munching on days-old gum. He pats the spot next to him.] C'mere.
[ Sampo's head pokes out from earthy browns like a sprout of bright blue, just in time for Elysium to school his expression from something complicated to something more——amused, a façade of how he actually feels. ]
Were you always the type to want to canoodle? How cute. But if you aren't careful, you'll end up adding to your tab.
[ A vague hand gesture that eventually settles on the bar. ]
Canoodling? [He holds his hands up, like a criminal being caught in a flashlight beam.] C'mon, do you see me as that touchy? Can't a guy just ask for another guy to sit next to him?
[And yeah........sure. Yeah. The drink. He huffs.]
Just kidding. [ The 'here and now.' The echo of it still rings. As he moves behind the bar, it's not that he's become more comfortable behind it, per se. Unlike in the beginnings where he'd carelessly put together drinks both from recipe cards and not, there's more purpose in his movements, actual concentration when he measures out various liquors.
Not that it particularly matters when the drink will taste like how Elysium remembers it anyway—the result: hot sima, or as an expression of its parts, warmed honeyed mead with vodka. 'Sampo Koski'——if that even is his name, would find its origins in Sami of Elysium's world: an amalgamation of various Nordic countries, a frozen, inhospitable land, its people characterised by their sheer resilience. Thus, the drink Elysium's made. Thus, the drink that represents who he's chosen to be, because who is Elysium to try and define him?
He might realise that a piping hot drink doesn't really work, even in the cool setting of an air-conditioned bar. It steams, even as it's set down in front of him. ]
Tadaaaaaaaa. [ singsong and with a smile. and yet, his intonation is practically non-existent. ]
Couldn't hear that in my place in Blankettown, sir.
[He says, muffled. "Do you think you're the only factor?" What a question. It burns a little. Another thing to chew on, with a bittersweet taste.]
[He stays in Blankettown for now. It's simple there. He wishes it could always be simpler. He won't watch Elysium
-okay maybe he WILL peak, just a tad. Just a little. The man behind the bar, and its a mirror of their first meeting, with the taste of absinthe burning down their throat. Elysium moves with confidence, which makes him stare, mildly transfixed, before he notices him starting to move away with his creation and he's hiding again.]
[Hello, Blankettown. Simple as ever. He'll leave once he hears the tadaaaaaaaa, glancing between both Elysium and the drink with interest.]
For me? You shouldn't have.
[He'll take it to take a gingerly sip.]
[It's warm. It smells good. It warms him. It reminds him of the Geomarrow, mined to provide heat to the cold, shivering denizens of the Underworld.]
[He wants to smile, and joke, but he
can't, at least for now. He'll simply stare, cupping the warm drink to let the heat seep into his palms.]
[ how demure. very mindful. very cutesy. the antithesis of how he has been, combatant at every corner.
He contemplates this very scene in front of him before he flits his gaze to make eye contact, expression blank. His arms are loosely crossed, but the gesture itself is a touch defensive. ]
… A high note to end our positive feedback cycles on, don't you think?
[ Come here, he gestures. But when has Elysium ever been complaisant, particularly to him? ]
What's with the expression? You haven't already forgotten your promise, have you?
[ A heavier sigh, followed by a lighter smile that's tired around its edges. While he won't make any motion to join him on the couch, he does lean forward, close enough for their faces to be inches apart. If he wants to run, that's fine, too. But this is 'dealing' with him, at least to Elysium. ]
No more transactions, no more debts. [ Enunciated clearly, hands now on his hips. ] With the slate wiped clean, what else are you going to attribute what I say and my actions to? [ A 'nostalgia' he doesn't know anything about?
This is how it should've been to begin with, he thinks. With a healthy degree of separation, the same in which he treats everyone else. It's simpler. It's more complicated. As if history is that easily forgotten or overwritten. After all that's said and established is a quieter: ]
… You're welcome. [ to flip the repaid debt on its head. ] This Operator Elysium guy sure knows how to look after someone. You can say it, you know.
[Elysium pulls in. The snake desires to share its warmth - he may not have a tail anymore to wrap around his legs, but his hands move to put the drink down before they reach up to rest on the sides of the man's neck. His own head moves forward, and forehead knocks lightly against forehead.]
[The slate is clean, huh? It should be something of a relief. He never likes debts sitting if he has to let them sit. They accumulate, and grow to things untameable.]
You do know how to look after someone. [He admits, softly. The churning feelings from before at the news (-you abandoned humanity-) feels like its making a comeback, with a sigh.] Sit with me for a while, would you?
[ hello sir weren't you supposed to be allergic to sincerity?
It's the physical contact that goes beyond teasing, touch that has seemingly has no apparent purpose other than to keep Elysium close. The vulnerability in his tone and gaze, however genuine and however much it mirrors what he's trying to willfully ignore has Elysium immediately wanting to jolt back, bubble into laughter, and look anywhere but at him. Instead of doing any of that, he freezes. Perceptibly.
Are all their debts truly settled? ]
… Right… [ Eventually, he starts, a little stiffly. He has to mentally kick himself not to gape, closing his eyes with an exhale he tries not to turn into a shudder. … A press of his forehead back, and then he's straightening himself out again, all to plop himself top the blanket, a thin veneer of separation between their bodies. ]
I've seen you around, trying to cheer up others. [ … ] How similar is this place, you'd say, to Belobog?
[ rambly. as if trying to find something, anything, that'll stick. ]
[There's no reason to this. And honestly, even Sampo couldn't tell you how far this goes - whether its sincere, whether its insincere, whether he's just dabbling in it, whether he's really just tired and feeling the weight of those thousands of lives more than he'd like, being reminded of a faraway beach at the end of the world.]
[Could be anything. Could be everything. Could be nothing at all. He's leaning into it, though - at least, the fatigue is what he will admit before anything else.]
[What a problematic thing, to be human, huh?]
[Elysium plops next to him. He shifts, imperceptibly, a little closer. Not yet too close.]
Belobog? [Of course he wants to shift to a subject, and its one that's softer to him than most. He closes his eyes for a little while, still smiling.] Not especially similar! But people aren't in the best state of mind, in circumstances like they have.
[ A sea for two. A log cabin blanketed in snow for two. There's a lot to be regretful for and Elysium wonders if this will be one of them. For the time being, he breathes a quieter laugh, bringing a knee up to his chest to rest his chin atop of it. ]
Mm. I can imagine. [ … ] But I meant the view.
[ Did he? He could've been more specific to begin with. In a way, these large cities were their own bastions or humanity. Nevertheless, he burrows his face, rocking to his side to bump shoulders with Sampo, as if to suggest for him to loosen up (ha) before he returns to his original position. They're close. They're distant. They're both all at the same time, and it elicits a weird sort of comfort even when it shouldn't, compared to the tension of the last time they'd been in such proximity.
In the meantime:
< @ MONEYBAGS has been made an ADMINISTRATOR of [UNTITLED] >
controls of this idyllic world for Sampo to do what he pleases with, if he wants to do anything with it at all. ]
[The man bumps into him. He smiles at that, but the sudden popup makes his expression plummet - it almost looks like a brief moment of actual shock, even panic.]
...Hey, buddy. [Back to smiling again, though he's nervous, his hand reaching out to grasp the man's shoulder - he shakes it a little.] You really don't need to do that. That's- that's too much-
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synflux2024-08-22 04:03 am
no subject
[ The reality is, hasn't Sampo already done much worse? Consider it Elysium's payback. The last thing either of them want is for this back and forth to escalate?? ]
Unlike your little snow globe, the things here aren't just for show. [ … ] I tested it out a while back with a friend of mine. Incredible, right? C'mon.
[ With less of a frame of reference for the house, the insides are… much less spectacular than the details given outside. There's a bar stocked to the brim, but otherwise, it seems to exist just to exist. At least, there's a table and couch that sit facing outwards towards windows—"man of many talents" but interior decorator ain't one, it seems. ]
no subject
[He tilts his head, with the smuggest little grin.]
What is it, then? Tell me. A guy like me is real curious. Else, I'll just assume the worst!
[He will, he can, and he has assumed the worst. Nya. :3]
[But that aside, he will step inside, glancing around, before throwing himself unceremoniously onto the couch.]
Better than what I got at home. See, there's even furniture.
no subject
Just clearing the last debt between us.
[ Intuitively, it's not like he wants to see what Sampo's reaction to that would be, either. ]
It's been a long time coming, so just think about everything else as interest. [ because he could. because he wonders what the weight of 168k lives and counting would be, to him. and because he remembers the mention of belobog being a final bastion of humanity, and if he's reminded of that. ] It's not that deep.
no subject
[Same thing, same thing. Clearing the debts. Not letting favors fester, and rotten, and change into something else.]
[He lets out a little squeak at the wool blanket, though, pulling it down with his head peeking out. Mm. Cozy.]
Not that deep. Okay. [And a pause - he seems to chew on that, and spit it out mentally, like he's found out he's munching on days-old gum. He pats the spot next to him.] C'mere.
no subject
Were you always the type to want to canoodle? How cute. But if you aren't careful, you'll end up adding to your tab.
[ A vague hand gesture that eventually settles on the bar. ]
I still have your drink to make, you know.
no subject
[And yeah........sure. Yeah. The drink. He huffs.]
Sure. Make it. I'll wait.
[Going underneath the blanket again. Bye.]
no subject
[ their track record
but also… ]
Just kidding. [ The 'here and now.' The echo of it still rings. As he moves behind the bar, it's not that he's become more comfortable behind it, per se. Unlike in the beginnings where he'd carelessly put together drinks both from recipe cards and not, there's more purpose in his movements, actual concentration when he measures out various liquors.
Not that it particularly matters when the drink will taste like how Elysium remembers it anyway—the result: hot sima, or as an expression of its parts, warmed honeyed mead with vodka. 'Sampo Koski'——if that even is his name, would find its origins in Sami of Elysium's world: an amalgamation of various Nordic countries, a frozen, inhospitable land, its people characterised by their sheer resilience. Thus, the drink Elysium's made. Thus, the drink that represents who he's chosen to be, because who is Elysium to try and define him?
He might realise that a piping hot drink doesn't really work, even in the cool setting of an air-conditioned bar. It steams, even as it's set down in front of him. ]
Tadaaaaaaaa. [ singsong and with a smile. and yet, his intonation is practically non-existent. ]
no subject
[He says, muffled. "Do you think you're the only factor?" What a question. It burns a little. Another thing to chew on, with a bittersweet taste.]
[He stays in Blankettown for now. It's simple there. He wishes it could always be simpler. He won't watch Elysium
-okay maybe he WILL peak, just a tad. Just a little. The man behind the bar, and its a mirror of their first meeting, with the taste of absinthe burning down their throat. Elysium moves with confidence, which makes him stare, mildly transfixed, before he notices him starting to move away with his creation and he's hiding again.]
[Hello, Blankettown. Simple as ever. He'll leave once he hears the tadaaaaaaaa, glancing between both Elysium and the drink with interest.]
For me? You shouldn't have.
[He'll take it to take a gingerly sip.]
[It's warm. It smells good. It warms him. It reminds him of the Geomarrow, mined to provide heat to the cold, shivering denizens of the Underworld.]
[He wants to smile, and joke, but he
can't, at least for now. He'll simply stare, cupping the warm drink to let the heat seep into his palms.]
...Thanks.
no subject
He contemplates this very scene in front of him before he flits his gaze to make eye contact, expression blank. His arms are loosely crossed, but the gesture itself is a touch defensive. ]
… A high note to end our positive feedback cycles on, don't you think?
no subject
[Another sip. Only a light twitch of his eyelids is an answer for that question, which isn't an answer at all.]
[He reaches out a hand and pats next to him on the couch. C'mere.]
no subject
What's with the expression? You haven't already forgotten your promise, have you?
[ A heavier sigh, followed by a lighter smile that's tired around its edges. While he won't make any motion to join him on the couch, he does lean forward, close enough for their faces to be inches apart. If he wants to run, that's fine, too. But this is 'dealing' with him, at least to Elysium. ]
No more transactions, no more debts. [ Enunciated clearly, hands now on his hips. ] With the slate wiped clean, what else are you going to attribute what I say and my actions to? [ A 'nostalgia' he doesn't know anything about?
This is how it should've been to begin with, he thinks. With a healthy degree of separation, the same in which he treats everyone else. It's simpler. It's more complicated. As if history is that easily forgotten or overwritten. After all that's said and established is a quieter: ]
… You're welcome. [ to flip the repaid debt on its head. ] This Operator Elysium guy sure knows how to look after someone. You can say it, you know.
no subject
[The slate is clean, huh? It should be something of a relief. He never likes debts sitting if he has to let them sit. They accumulate, and grow to things untameable.]
You do know how to look after someone. [He admits, softly. The churning feelings from before at the news (-you abandoned humanity-) feels like its making a comeback, with a sigh.] Sit with me for a while, would you?
no subject
It's the physical contact that goes beyond teasing, touch that has seemingly has no apparent purpose other than to keep Elysium close. The vulnerability in his tone and gaze, however genuine and however much it mirrors what he's trying to willfully ignore has Elysium immediately wanting to jolt back, bubble into laughter, and look anywhere but at him. Instead of doing any of that, he freezes. Perceptibly.
Are all their debts truly settled? ]
… Right… [ Eventually, he starts, a little stiffly. He has to mentally kick himself not to gape, closing his eyes with an exhale he tries not to turn into a shudder. … A press of his forehead back, and then he's straightening himself out again, all to plop himself top the blanket, a thin veneer of separation between their bodies. ]
I've seen you around, trying to cheer up others. [ … ] How similar is this place, you'd say, to Belobog?
[ rambly. as if trying to find something, anything, that'll stick. ]
no subject
[Could be anything. Could be everything. Could be nothing at all. He's leaning into it, though - at least, the fatigue is what he will admit before anything else.]
[What a problematic thing, to be human, huh?]
[Elysium plops next to him. He shifts, imperceptibly, a little closer. Not yet too close.]
Belobog? [Of course he wants to shift to a subject, and its one that's softer to him than most. He closes his eyes for a little while, still smiling.] Not especially similar! But people aren't in the best state of mind, in circumstances like they have.
no subject
Mm. I can imagine. [ … ] But I meant the view.
[ Did he? He could've been more specific to begin with. In a way, these large cities were their own bastions or humanity. Nevertheless, he burrows his face, rocking to his side to bump shoulders with Sampo, as if to suggest for him to loosen up (ha) before he returns to his original position. They're close. They're distant. They're both all at the same time, and it elicits a weird sort of comfort even when it shouldn't, compared to the tension of the last time they'd been in such proximity.
In the meantime:
controls of this idyllic world for Sampo to do what he pleases with, if he wants to do anything with it at all. ]
no subject
[Ah.]
[The man bumps into him. He smiles at that, but the sudden popup makes his expression plummet - it almost looks like a brief moment of actual shock, even panic.]
...Hey, buddy. [Back to smiling again, though he's nervous, his hand reaching out to grasp the man's shoulder - he shakes it a little.] You really don't need to do that. That's- that's too much-
no subject
[ you know what
his reaction is making this worse, actually. ]
Enjoy! Later, Koski.
[ one peace sign later and he's gone just like that!!!!!!! ]
no subject
[WHAT]
....Elysium?!
[HE'S FUCKING GONE??? TAKING OUT OF HIS PLAYBOOK AGAIN AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH]
[yeah he will yell into this nearby pillow FUCKING. ELYSIUM. HE'LL GET BACK AT YOU FOR THIS YOU HACK]