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Entry tags:
- arknights: gavial,
- culture (the): demeisen,
- enderal: jade the prophetess,
- ennead: set,
- expanse (the): amos burton,
- fate/: flat escardos,
- fate/: sakamoto ryouma,
- fate/: tezcatlipoca,
- legend of zelda (the): link,
- life is strange: chloe price,
- practical guide to evil: akua sahelian,
- pumpkin scissors: alice l. malvin,
- suikoden: yuber,
- zone-00: kiritsubo
techalaniani. [cw: dr...ugs...]
[ 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. ]
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. ]
no subject
[ said very gently, hoping that it isn't going to make him angry. He's just recounting what Quetz told him! Really! That's all he has to go on. ]
N-Not that it's any of my business! You're gods, and from another world... and all of that happened a long time ago, right? I don't have much stake in who was right... I was just curious if it was true. It's a much different story from what's told in my world.
no subject
[ Tezcatlipoca’s tone is very flat, but he doesn’t seem upset by it at all, or at least not at Link. In Communion, it’s clearer that this is a sense of mild exasperation. It’s exactly the kind of thing you might expect from an older brother talking about their younger sibling they find annoying. In some ways, the gods were very human, but their experiences were just larger, in a way. ]
It’s true, though, yeah, and it was a long time ago. That was the First Sun—the first world we created—and we were on the Fifth by the time we got here. That’s the last one, though. We always knew there wouldn’t be more than that. Didn’t have my bets on all this being why, though.
[ He clicks his tongue lightly, a soft tch, but it’s with a Communion-shrug. ]
At least you got some manners, unlike most of the fuckers here.
[ He just adds that as a little aside, as if to reassure Link that he’s fine. ]
no subject
In my world, gods were to be respected. Not just the Golden Goddesses, but the lesser spirits and messengers too. It's only through their mercy that we continued to live...
[ And only through their whims that they were cursed to rise and fall over and over again, but. His own crisis of faith is not something he wants to get into right now. ]
I know we aren't in my world anymore, but... it doesn't feel right to me to treat gods any differently from before.
no subject
Well, good. I’m givin’ people leniency since I figure they’re not under my dominion in the first place, unlike anyone from my world. Don’t know the history, don’t know that gods are to be respected, all that.
[ Actually, even the ones from his world have a smart mouth!! Rin!! But he laughs, half-joking as he continues. ]
They’re lucky that I don’t have my omniscience here in Kenos. That’s what usually freaks people out the most and humbles ‘em.
no subject
Mmm. If you had that kind of power, you could just tell us all what's really going on in this world, huh.
[ He laughs a bit sadly. ]
That's too bad. I wish you could. Most of us have just accepted the way things are...
[ he thinks for a moment. ] Is that why you've decided to side with the Zenith? Because your world was going to end anyway?
no subject
[ He doesn’t exactly miss his omniscience and omnipresence, since it’s really kind of a headache. But would it be useful, though? Hell yes. There’s no guarantee that he’d do anything with whatever he learned, of course, but it’s just more comforting for him personally to know. ]
But, yeah. Essentially. Set and I made an agreement for the sake of fairness, but I’m naturally inclined towards what Zenith wants to do, considerin’ how my world’s goin’. The particulars would make your head spin, so don’t worry about it, but humanity’s already been wiped out. By my count, there’s six, maybe seven of ‘em left.
[ There’s a Communion-shrug yet again. ]
It’d be cruel to bring it back. It’s only got a month before it’s obliterated anyways. So might as well place my bets on makin’ something new. Hell, I’ll be the best expert Zenith’s got for how that shit even works.
no subject
The conversation is inching closer and closer to issues Link has been grappling with for a few months now. He hesitates, his humility making him question whether Tezca would care about any of that. ]
...that's how I feel about my world. I still want to save it, to be honest... but since coming to Kenos, I learned that it can't be done. I was with the Meridian until I found out.
no subject
…Yeah. Shit luck, but that’s just how it is, sometimes.
[ He’s not totally correct, but has an impression of what Link’s world must be like for him to say something like that. The particulars are all wrong. But the nihilism that comes from learning about the inevitability of the cycle of worlds? Well… ]
Can’t tell you whether a world is or isn’t worth savin’. It’s never that simple. Always amounts to a matter of opinion in the end. [ Even with the sad state of his world, that was the case. There were still people trying to salvage what was left. ] You wanna create a new world? Or does the idea of returnin’ to yours just not seem like such a great idea anymore?
no subject
[ He says firmly. Correcting him, respectfully. ]
The problem is it can't be saved. Not in a way that'll last.
[ Which answers his questions. Without a way to save his world, and not wanting to bring it back only for it's people to suffer forever endlessly... what's left but to make a new world? It isn't really what he wants, but unless he's willing to go home, it's the next best option. ]
...The most I can hope for now is that my friend and I can make a new life for ourselves in the next world. After she forgives me for not bringing back ours.
no subject
[ His slightly jovial tone drops, and he’s finally completely serious. ]
Same for mine. I’d save it if I could. But on the big scale of things, I wouldn’t be buying it any time. A month? A hundred years? Doesn’t matter much. It’s doomed either way. Not even anything I can do about it—I just knew it was comin’.
[ There’s not any particular emotion with that, though, but maybe that’s not so strange. It’s clear that Tezcatlipoca views the world differently than most, and especially his world where he could see its possibility and its future… And that there wasn’t much left to it. ]
I admittedly ain’t sold on this whole Oracle thing for how it's done… But creating a new world? Yeah. That’s possible. And for plenty of people, something new is the best opportunity there is. Just because the worlds we come from were fucked doesn’t mean that we have to bring that forward with us.
[ …Well. Not for a long time, anyways. It's such a vast amount of time that he's sure that if that's what happens, only he and Set would be the ones to see it. ]
no subject
That's the plan. Or, as much of a plan as there is at this point... I don't know if we have a very good idea, as a group, of what the new world is going to be like, but... I guess it's more important to focus on winning it first.
no subject
I mean, don't disagree. We're the underdogs at the moment, so let's focus on winnin' before we get to arguin' about what comes next, but... Honestly, that's gonna be a shitshow if it's supposed to be "fair". Shouldn't be.
[ The idea of all the Zenites he's met so far even cooperating seems farfetched. That they'd create anything seems impossible. ]
Like, I've created five worlds, and I'll be the first to admit that every single one of 'em was a mess. That's kinda the name of the game. Can't imagine mortals trying to do it, honestly. Ain't like I've talked to everyone since I just got here, but so far as I know? I'm the only one that could manage something livable.
no subject
You'd have a hard time convincing everyone to give you the reins.
[ especially if he's done it five times already and all of them were "a mess"... ]
I used to think Yima must have some kind of plan for how we're going to make a new world that works for all of us, but... even if that was the case... she's gone now.
no subject
[ He doesn’t expect anyone to. Honestly, he expects them to try, and when it fails or all the other Shard-Bearers live their natural lifespans, then he could take over. It’s nothing personal to him, and he’s not offended that they want to try. But as he sees it, it’s a pretty hopeless prospect from the start. At least there will be a god or two to take over, he guesses. ]
Shit, I assumed that I was here for the conflict, but could be just as much so that the whole new world thing doesn’t get totally screwed up… Not the kinda experience I was hopin’ to provide, but, eh.
[ There’s an impression of a shrug. ]
You think about this new world at all? Ignore everyone else for now, I just mean you and what you want.
no subject
Does Tezca think that teach of them were brought here for their own unique reasons? Link was under the impression that it was random chance and luck that determined who got pulled out of the Timestream and who didn't... But the thought of being brought here for a reason makes his stomach turn. That's how things worked in Hyrule, after all. Link, Zelda, all the people of Hyrule, and even Ganondorf himself, they were all chained down by destiny. ]
I'm sure it won't hurt to have a god fighting on our side. [ He says gently, but it's clear from his tone that his mind had been momentarily distracted by something else. There is no time to linger on it, as the god has asked him a question. ]
I've thought about it. Asked a couple people that myself, too... that's how I realized just how much we don't really have a plan for what it's going to look like.
I think... [ he begins, slowing down to choose the right words. ] ...as long as the new world doesn't have the same problems that my home did... I'll be happy. As long as me and the person I got from Yima can live there peacefully, it'll be okay.
[ The new world doesn't need to be perfect. Hyrule was far from perfect, and if it were possible to save it — really save it — he'd choose to go back to it without a second thought. It doesn't matter if the new world has its own struggles or challenges. Any world is going to be like that. ]
no subject
Guess it depends on what kinds of problems you’re talkin’. Something like “I don’t want war ever”, that one’s gonna be tough. That sort of thing is just baked into mortals. Not in a bad way, of course. Just is what it is.
[ He makes a thoughtful noise, then it’s followed with a shrug. ]
But peaceful? Yeah, that’s not too hard. Even a world that does have wars has its peace too.
no subject
[ There's a sense that Link is bowing his head. He doesn't like talking about Hyrule anymore. His home, which he loves so dearly and still feels so devoted to, whose destiny was inextricably connected to his own in a never-ending cycle where neither good nor evil could ever prevail. A world that did guarantee peace, to a certain extent... but never permanently. A world whose fate can never change. A world that cannot, and will not, ever see progress.
It's something he'll tell Tezcatlipoca about someday. With the assistance of a lot of weed, probably. ]
...but, it's fine. I think some Meris have got the wrong idea about what we want — I know I didn't understand it for a long time, at least. But we aren't really looking for a perfect world. I think that's impossible anyway, right? But a world where we can live in a way that's not possible if we go home... I know that's possible.