We're okay for now. Careful of purple flowers. -š¦
Some Outsiders might notice these usernames to be Lucy/Kaede, Taryon, Nanami and Malkuth respectively. The messages end there and there will be no way to contact the senders or anyone who has gone missing. While Outsiders in the town will be able to use the network to speak to each other, the reception will be spotty and the messages might be delayed. It might be more efficient to simply meet up in person.
ā¶ AFTERWORD.
The messages from the kidnapped characters are out! Thank you everyone for participating! Non-kidnapped characters may use this log to have discussions (or do whatever else might be relevant). As previously mentioned, after the 7th, they will not be able to contact any kidnapped characters, and their messages to each other will be spotty or delayed (which can make for funny shenanigans if you prefer). It is probably much easier to organise an in-person meeting, but we will leave it to you to do what you like. The townsfolk convene at the church for their daily prayers and worship at about 12 noon every day. Outsiders may use this time away from the townsfolk to have more private discussions.
We have put this up early to allow people more time to thread in it, but ICly it is going up on the 13th and will lead up to the Kaiju log on the 15th. These messages are also delayed. Whether or not the captives actually are 'okay' is up in the air ...
All tags on this log are worth 2 points and will count towards October AC.
Really? You went after him?! Tezcatlipoca, that was the worst option out of all of the Outsiders. Though, I suppose for you he will either survive it and grow or fold under the weight of a perceived betrayal.
I went after a rando in the field. I think his name is Hunter. I got him good for the Loā ugh. Bleugh.
[ Sigh. He's now thinking of the damage control he'll have to do with their rat. Unlike Tezcatlipoca, he completely understands why Silco would be avoiding them now ( or just tezca ) and what must be going through that mad little brain of his. His perception of betrayal is a fascinating facet of his character, after all.
Set play-wriggles closer to the other god, as if he cannot just stand and walk to him. Inching closer. ]
You are angry? Why so? You never become angry, you are the cold evening and brisk night wind.
Itās not like I meant to! He was just with me the first time it happened⦠[ He clicks his tongue with a sulking tone, leaning his head against the pillar heās tied to. Why the disparity in how theyāre tied up here? bc funy thatās why ] Look, already apologized to him. And explained it. Dunno how he took it, but he should be grateful that I apologized at all.
[ Which may be rude and arrogant, considering itās Tezcatlipocaās fault (essentially), but thatās gods for you. He really isnāt someone who apologizes ever. But heād also argue that heās rarely wrong. ]
ā¦But thatās kinda funny that you got that guy. He had a real shit day, from the sounds of it, since he was the one that managed to save Silco from me.
[ At least Set wriggling closer makes him laugh, but he doesnāt relax, exactly. The question is a serious one. Thereās plenty of people that he wouldnāt give a full answer to, but as always, Set is a special case. Tezcatlipoca is more careful with what he says to people than it appears, since heās well aware of the chasm of understanding that exists between himself and mortals. Set is rather firmly on his side of it. ]
What, thatās a surprise? This thingās fucking with the mind of a god. Its life is forfeit for that alone.
[ He says it with a sneer, but itās one of those statements that heās prone to thatās half-joking, half-not. The joke requires understanding him wellāthe fact that he isnāt actually a god thatās particularly wrathful, as Set had pointed out. But he does still have the pride that all divine entities have. Even Ereshkigal, sometimes. But he sighs before he gives the more earnest answer. ]
Mm⦠Donāt get me wrong, all the conflict is satisfying, but if this many Outsiders can get whisked away without a trace of where they went, doesnāt bode well for this worldās chances. Clearly, they gotta figure out that shit on their own, assuming theyāre even alive. But if they kicked the bucket? These people aināt ready for that. And what a hell of an anticlimactic way to lose the war.
[Tezcatlipoca's view on things is big picture, always. And, so, he doesn't imagine many would be able to move past a mass casualty of their own. They could barely move past the mass casualty of civilians.
It's extremely roundabout to the point that probably only Set would understand... But he's worried for them. ]
[ He says it thoughtlessly, only to snap his teeth shut on the inside of his mouth until it bleeds. A snarl of displeasure ripping through his chest.
How DARE this kaiju. He'll rip it apart with his bare teeth and deign to eat its liver, despite his aversion to meat, solely because he hates it so much. Like Tezca, for the crime of hijacking the mind of the true divine, he wants the Lord punished. In his world, that would mean destroying it, its images, and all of its followers ā condemning it to oblivion and obscurity, the way Set himself had been. It leads him to draw away from Tezcatlipoca, to huddle his face between his knees and fight through the urgent sensation: right your wrong, repay your debt, atone to the Lord.
It finds easier purchase in him, because his will is in tatters. Because he already is working on atoning, and the kaiju simply has tuned into that frequency. As he comes back to himself, he carries on like there's nothing wrong. ]
Sometimes I wonder if we are being tested by something greater. Each kaiju is more difficult than the next, yes. It is the matter of the associated "challenge" that I am thinking of ā the testing of morality, choice, consequence, recovery, mental fortitude. I think that is the true war. As if we are being observed and pressed to our breaking point. I think that is the loss we cannot come back from. Not the loss of numbers, but the will to continue.
[ By comparison, itās having a harder time finding purchase in Tezcatlipocaās mind. His will is as strong and unbreakable as would be expected for a god with such central importance within his pantheon, though it does find the gaps on occasion. They pop up in his impulses, those little bursts of chaos that ask āwhat ifā and want to simply create conflict for conflictās sake. Slashing Silcoās leg, taking a bite of Laiosās hand⦠Itās simple, but itās effective.
So, this isolation is effective for him. Well, relative isolation, at least. Itās a good thing that he and Set are here together, actually, since heās sure if either of them got bored, theyād make a point to escape their binds⦠]
ā¦Iāve thought the same, more or less.
[ Heāll just continue like Set hadnāt just had a Moment. Thereās nothing to point out there, so why linger on it? ]
Itās the kinda Trial Iād craft. Bigger scale than I could manage, but the ideaās the same. Most of these people are weak.
[ What kind of weak doesnāt matterāSet had explained that part himself. Though he often speaks in terms of warriors, which brings the assumption of physical strength, his interests in āstrengthā are broader than that. All the tests that heād pointed out are things that Tezcatlipoca would want to see forged into something better. ]
You're right. They wonāt come back from that kinda loss. But thatās just as much because if they lose that will, theyāve lost their right to live in my presence.
[ Itās a cold, calmly stated thing. Thatās clearly Tezcatlipoca and that brutal, steel will, not the kaiju. ]
[ He's grateful that Tezcatlipoca ignores his vulnerability. Others he knows ( Sebastian ), would leap upon any opportunity to prey upon such a thing; even Tezcatlipoca, he feels, would advance upon illness and injury as a predatory ought to. They are the sum of many things, including animal behaviors and the embodiment of their domains to an embellished degree, after all. ( Set had lain into poor Hunter, simply because he was small and tried to talk his way out of a deadly advance. )
Across the old wood of the barn floor, he stirs at hay and wood chipping as he grows closer to Tezcatlipoca. Listening to the god with the respect that the weight of his worlds deserve. He believes much the same ā with key differences that delineate their respective roles, about the necessity of willpower. Set rarely respects anyone who does not have conviction, or who falter or change their minds when they are met with adversity. He was pleased to note the resilience of the other Outsiders, after Seoul. They floundered, they regret and mourn, but they got right back into it in the end.
They're also still weak, in his eyes. Unwilling to pay high costs, to preserve the important core of LILITH's goal. Outsiders are more important to the war than common people, so until the war is over, non-Outsiders are expendable in pursuit of the salvation of humanity. ]
And of course, they cannot see that. Not like we can.
[ Most mortals are very short-lived, their memories small and finite, their perceptions a narrow field of view. ]
The kaiju we have been facing are upping the stakes with each encounter. I once suggested to one of the Outsiders that they were not base animals, and was informed I could not be correct ā and that individual was wrong. The kaiju have motive for being here, for doing what they do. It may be an overarching goal, it may be unique to each kaiju, but there is intelligence in them. None moreso than this one, for example.
[ He crosses his legs once Set gets close enough, though he doesnāt draw any attention to it or offer his lap. His thighs can be a place that Set can rest his head if he wants, but thereās no need to insist either. He just thinks it could be more comfortable than the hard floor, even if itās softened with hay. His consideration is a quiet thing. ]
Donāt expect āem to, to be fair about it⦠They start thinking too hard about shit like that and weāre right back in Kenosās stupid problems. Those considerations aināt for them.
[ To any other ears, itād surely sound like uniquely divine arrogance, like theyāre the only ones that should be allowed to do it, but between them, thatās clearly not what it is. Despite the fact they resemble humans in appearance and maybe even biologically at the moment, thatās not what they are. They can see the world in the scale of the infinite because they were made for it. Humanity wasnāt.
ā¦Not that you can tell humans that easily, though. Itās why he sighs heavily and shakes his head. ]
What a pain in the ass. It makes better fighting, and Iāll especially look forward to whatever dish Laios makes outta this one. [ f ] But the more intelligent they get, the more people are gonna have a problem with it. Not all of āem, naturally, but enough to be significant. Already thought it was dumb as hell to try and hatch those eggs and naming āem so people get attached⦠The kaiju start getting chatty and this planet is fuckinā doomed for all the soft-hearted fuckers they decided to nab.
@TYPHON
[ yeah ok set ]
no subject
I know you tried to take a chunk out of someone
switches this
wriggling closer in his ( useless ) binds ]
ā he was right there. It was serendipity. The Lord needed his life spā
[ WINCING ]
That shxtty kaiju!
no subject
Yeah, that's what I thought. Who'd you get, anyways? I took a chunk out of Silco which is why he's giving us the silent treatment.
[ More accurately, why Silco is having a paranoid meltdown, but that's something that Set is going to understand better than Tezcatlipoca does. ]
...Wrath ain't exactly my thing, I'll admit, but this one has really pissed me off.
no subject
Really? You went after him?! Tezcatlipoca, that was the worst option out of all of the Outsiders. Though, I suppose for you he will either survive it and grow or fold under the weight of a perceived betrayal.
I went after a rando in the field. I think his name is Hunter. I got him good for the Loā ugh. Bleugh.
[ Sigh. He's now thinking of the damage control he'll have to do with their rat. Unlike Tezcatlipoca, he completely understands why Silco would be avoiding them now ( or just tezca ) and what must be going through that mad little brain of his. His perception of betrayal is a fascinating facet of his character, after all.
Set play-wriggles closer to the other god, as if he cannot just stand and walk to him. Inching closer. ]
You are angry? Why so? You never become angry, you are the cold evening and brisk night wind.
1/2
[ Which may be rude and arrogant, considering itās Tezcatlipocaās fault (essentially), but thatās gods for you. He really isnāt someone who apologizes ever. But heād also argue that heās rarely wrong. ]
ā¦But thatās kinda funny that you got that guy. He had a real shit day, from the sounds of it, since he was the one that managed to save Silco from me.
no subject
What, thatās a surprise? This thingās fucking with the mind of a god. Its life is forfeit for that alone.
[ He says it with a sneer, but itās one of those statements that heās prone to thatās half-joking, half-not. The joke requires understanding him wellāthe fact that he isnāt actually a god thatās particularly wrathful, as Set had pointed out. But he does still have the pride that all divine entities have.
Even Ereshkigal, sometimes.But he sighs before he gives the more earnest answer. ]Mm⦠Donāt get me wrong, all the conflict is satisfying, but if this many Outsiders can get whisked away without a trace of where they went, doesnāt bode well for this worldās chances. Clearly, they gotta figure out that shit on their own, assuming theyāre even alive. But if they kicked the bucket? These people aināt ready for that. And what a hell of an anticlimactic way to lose the war.
[Tezcatlipoca's view on things is big picture, always. And, so, he doesn't imagine many would be able to move past a mass casualty of their own. They could barely move past the mass casualty of civilians.
It's extremely roundabout to the point that probably only Set would understand... But he's worried for them. ]
no subject
[ He says it thoughtlessly, only to snap his teeth shut on the inside of his mouth until it bleeds. A snarl of displeasure ripping through his chest.
How DARE this kaiju. He'll rip it apart with his bare teeth and deign to eat its liver, despite his aversion to meat, solely because he hates it so much. Like Tezca, for the crime of hijacking the mind of the true divine, he wants the Lord punished. In his world, that would mean destroying it, its images, and all of its followers ā condemning it to oblivion and obscurity, the way Set himself had been. It leads him to draw away from Tezcatlipoca, to huddle his face between his knees and fight through the urgent sensation: right your wrong, repay your debt, atone to the Lord.
It finds easier purchase in him, because his will is in tatters. Because he already is working on atoning, and the kaiju simply has tuned into that frequency. As he comes back to himself, he carries on like there's nothing wrong. ]
Sometimes I wonder if we are being tested by something greater. Each kaiju is more difficult than the next, yes. It is the matter of the associated "challenge" that I am thinking of ā the testing of morality, choice, consequence, recovery, mental fortitude. I think that is the true war. As if we are being observed and pressed to our breaking point. I think that is the loss we cannot come back from. Not the loss of numbers, but the will to continue.
no subject
So, this isolation is effective for him. Well, relative isolation, at least. Itās a good thing that he and Set are here together, actually, since heās sure if either of them got bored, theyād make a point to escape their binds⦠]
ā¦Iāve thought the same, more or less.
[ Heāll just continue like Set hadnāt just had a Moment. Thereās nothing to point out there, so why linger on it? ]
Itās the kinda Trial Iād craft. Bigger scale than I could manage, but the ideaās the same. Most of these people are weak.
[ What kind of weak doesnāt matterāSet had explained that part himself. Though he often speaks in terms of warriors, which brings the assumption of physical strength, his interests in āstrengthā are broader than that. All the tests that heād pointed out are things that Tezcatlipoca would want to see forged into something better. ]
You're right. They wonāt come back from that kinda loss. But thatās just as much because if they lose that will, theyāve lost their right to live in my presence.
[ Itās a cold, calmly stated thing. Thatās clearly Tezcatlipoca and that brutal, steel will, not the kaiju. ]
no subject
Across the old wood of the barn floor, he stirs at hay and wood chipping as he grows closer to Tezcatlipoca. Listening to the god with the respect that the weight of his worlds deserve. He believes much the same ā with key differences that delineate their respective roles, about the necessity of willpower. Set rarely respects anyone who does not have conviction, or who falter or change their minds when they are met with adversity. He was pleased to note the resilience of the other Outsiders, after Seoul. They floundered, they regret and mourn, but they got right back into it in the end.
They're also still weak, in his eyes. Unwilling to pay high costs, to preserve the important core of LILITH's goal. Outsiders are more important to the war than common people, so until the war is over, non-Outsiders are expendable in pursuit of the salvation of humanity. ]
And of course, they cannot see that. Not like we can.
[ Most mortals are very short-lived, their memories small and finite, their perceptions a narrow field of view. ]
The kaiju we have been facing are upping the stakes with each encounter. I once suggested to one of the Outsiders that they were not base animals, and was informed I could not be correct ā and that individual was wrong. The kaiju have motive for being here, for doing what they do. It may be an overarching goal, it may be unique to each kaiju, but there is intelligence in them. None moreso than this one, for example.
no subject
Donāt expect āem to, to be fair about it⦠They start thinking too hard about shit like that and weāre right back in Kenosās stupid problems. Those considerations aināt for them.
[ To any other ears, itād surely sound like uniquely divine arrogance, like theyāre the only ones that should be allowed to do it, but between them, thatās clearly not what it is. Despite the fact they resemble humans in appearance and maybe even biologically at the moment, thatās not what they are. They can see the world in the scale of the infinite because they were made for it. Humanity wasnāt.
ā¦Not that you can tell humans that easily, though. Itās why he sighs heavily and shakes his head. ]
What a pain in the ass. It makes better fighting, and Iāll especially look forward to whatever dish Laios makes outta this one. [ f ] But the more intelligent they get, the more people are gonna have a problem with it. Not all of āem, naturally, but enough to be significant. Already thought it was dumb as hell to try and hatch those eggs and naming āem so people get attached⦠The kaiju start getting chatty and this planet is fuckinā doomed for all the soft-hearted fuckers they decided to nab.