techalaniani. [cw: dr...ugs...]

[fursuit]

[ It’s about two weeks after the chaos that’s hit Highstorm and Springstar both. The dust has had time to settle and people have started to pick themselves back up. And in that busy time, the Shard-Bearers of Kenos are touched by someone new. It’s a mind that gives the impression of vastness in the way that other gods and similarly supernatural creatures have. There’s dark, fragrant smoke of copal, and the humid heat of a rainforest. It probably feels faintly familiar to some, since there’s just a hint of that warmth that feels similar to a certain sun god(dess)…

But as it focuses, that warmth seems to be coming from a campfire, perhaps oddly. The logs around it offer you a “seat”, whether proverbial or not, and it’s only if you take one that the speak themselves will come into more focus. But the introduction that comes with it is much cooler (in both senses of the word) than the bubbly Quetzalcoatl. ]

Yo.

[ …Is that how the newest god is greeting the masses? Yep. Apparently so. ]

I talked to enough people when Kenos was jerking me around [ no, that was me, the player, ] that Communion is just more efficient. So, for those I’ve met and for those I haven’t, consider this a more formal greeting. You’ve removed my brother Quetzalcoatl and allowed me to descend in his stead.

[ And even though he’s identified Quetzalcoatl as his brother… The smirk in that statement is unmistakable. He’s pleased that Quetzalcoatl is dead. For those that know the mythology of the Aztec pantheon even faintly, this wouldn’t be a surprise at all, since Quetzalcoatl only has one enemy that would be glad to see the feathered serpent fall. ]

Name’s Tezcatlipoca. Tloque nahuaque. [ The Nahuatl is spoken with a sense of power that’s subtle, but still raw, even though there’s no one that would understand it. Still, it conveys the idea well enough—this is no minor god of that pantheon. ] If you know me, great, and if you don’t, well. Met your god Set one of the times I was stoppin’ by, and our whole deal is similar enough. I am conflict, so in the spirit of fairness, I’ve thrown my lot in with Zenith. Can’t have two gods that oversee war and conflict on the same side, yeah?

[ There’s humor in his tone that makes it seem like it’s a joke, but… No. It’s not. That’s a pretty significant part of his rationale for picking Zenith. Thanks Set!/Don’t worry about. ]

Anyways. All that formal shit aside, easy one to follow it all up. Ain’t often that I got a human body to enjoy getting fucked up. So, if you’ve got a preference for weed, hit me up. Workin’ on somethin’ artisanal there, but I wanna know the poisons of preference for the locals. Let me know what you get fucked up on, and I might even make it worth your while.

[ …So. You know. That’s one way to introduce yourself. ]

Comments

[wolof]

[ The soft impression of a laugh in return. ]

Ah, I understand better, then. War can be many things, from the cruel to the just, but conflict is much more... nebulous, is it not? Conflict can be everything from the mundane to the world-changing, can't it? War is war, inexorable but it often sweeps everything into its wake. Conflict is different, isn't it? It can, and so often does, but does not have to.

[ A beat ] Ah, but perhaps that is only my experience with such things. You would be the expert, I suspect.

[ She does not, however, invite him to tell her she's wrong. Because. Akua... ]

[fursuit]

Nah, you got it. Whether it's an argument between two friends or a war that destroys another state, I oversee it all.

[ He has an understated sort of pride for it too. Though it's a domain that might tilt towards being something "bad", he still embraces it fully. But there's another nuance in that too that he doesn't bother to elaborate on. Conflict is change, and in that, it's something much more neutral than war. ]

But I got plenty more than that too. It's just the real relevant one when you've got two sides trying to duke it out! I assume that's why this World wanted me so bad, but my brother's a big blocker.

[wolof]

Mm, a god, have more than one area of focus?

[ She asks with a tone that says: oh, what a surprise. Mind, her perception of gods is. Weird. And not really "domain" based, but she's seen how they act here, seen how they are all so different, and often have areas of concentration, that she understands it is something different.

There's a note of a smile in her voice, as she says: ]

Was Quetzalcoatl a different... [ Communion is a way to express words that sometimes we don't know, the impression is without words, but it's conveyed as: the same but different, as if she is asking if Quetz was an AU version of his brother. ] version? Or is this simply a shift in her expression?

[fursuit]

Sure. Like, there's overlaps, and a lot of them kinda go together, but I ain't a minor deity that's just over one thing. Hell, I'm the most powerful within my pantheon. Don't even mean it to brag, that's just a fact.

[ And the casual, matter-of-fact way he says it adds credence to the claim. Tezcatlipoca is arrogant, sure, but he doesn't express it here. There's no need. ]

But just to name a few, I'm the god of providence, darkness, magecraft and conflict, the lord of the Night and Ruler of the North. I'd call those my main ones. But then you get into real specific stuff like jaguars and obsidian. Very granular in my pantheon, which is why we can be over a lot of stuff. Same with Quetzalcoatl, but I'm not surprised she didn't elaborate. Quetzalcoatl's always been all brawn, no brains.

[ He clicks his tongue in displeasure, but it's absolutely the sort of an elder sibling complaining about an annoying younger one. It's a good transition to her question, though. ]

—But, nah, the Quetzalcoatl you all knew is the same idiot brother. Could tell just by going out to her temple. I assume you're askin' about the gender thing, and, yeah, it's just not a big deal for us. Dunno why he was in a female body here, but I've taken that up myself before, so it's not a huge surprise or anything. [ Granted, it was to be a trickster, but. ] We've both got male souls, though, so even if he's got different equipment goin' on, he'd still be my brother.

[wolof]

That makes sense. My own gods are more... amorphous, but I should think were they to manifest in some way, they would have little care for the body they occupy. Though I know it can be of distinct identity for some.

[ Or at least from what she's read. Gods of Virility versus Motherhood, etc. Had Akua spent time reading about gods? You're damn right she did, those libraries are used to her nerd ass reading about everything within her own purview time and time again. ]

I suppose with her being the god of the sun, it would stand to reason that you would be of Night, then. Same with the Brawn. [ A laugh. ] Occasionally, I would watch her in the coliseum when I visited. She had a way about her.

[ That was not unappreciative, but like someone was watching wrestling because they liked watching the rippling muscles, not because she appreciated the technique. ]

Personally, you sound more the type that I would... deal with. [ In communion, the word "deal" is somewhere between worship / intercession / draw the attention of, all in one. The word is doing a great deal of heavy lifting. ]

Though, given that I am a sorceress, that should be no surprise do you, I'm certain.

[ Yeah. The Sorceress thing and not the. Conflict thing. ]

[fursuit]

[ There’s a general sense of agreement to her analysis, since it’s essentially the same for them. Their true existence was a strange one, considering the actual extraterrestrial origin of the Aztec pantheon… It necessitated being able to take a variety of forms just to interact with the world, and with the Fifth Sun, a human form was generally the best bet. Even Tezcatlipoca’s appearance as he is now is nothing he’s particularly attached to—They’re simply an amalgamation of facial features that were familiar to Daybit mixed with some of his own divine symbols, like his hair and eyes.

But as Akua continues, the brotherly irritation comes back in full force… ]

Yeah, saw the posters for her when I went over to Springstar a while back. Ain’t fuckin’ surprised that’s the shit she got into at all.

[ So he’s truly thankful that Akua explains more of a kinship with him. It’s slightly petty, but he’s not exactly looking forward to having to deal with the annoyance of being cast in a villainous role like he’s her damn rudo or something like that. Even when Quetzalcoatl’s dead, she still manages to be a headache for him. ]

So maybe I’ll take all the would-be worshippers I can get. [ He laughs, clearly not taking the idea of Akua personally worshipping all that seriously. ] Don’t imagine it’d surprise you to learn that Quetzalcoatl was real popular. If you’re into my kinda stuff, you get it. Not exactly the stuff the average person gravitates towards, yeah?

[wolof]

[ Her laugh spreads through communion like a thrown knife. It is directed toward Quetzalcoatl, even though it is half-hearted at best, respect for her memory. After all, killing gods was not in the interest of balance, was it? She could hardly say that she was interested in veneration of the sun god, but she also was not interested in tearing her down.

There was a balance to find, after all. ]

I suppose that depends on what your average is. Where I am from, it is... normal to turn ones worship to Below. [ The "evil" gods is implied, though evil and good are not as... much about morality as they are about who one is worshipping. It's Complicated. ]

I will admit, I am not often the most... pious of sorts, but I understand what benediction gains. And what making an enemy of gods would do as well.