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sinfucks2024-06-30 09:10 am
synfluxmods) wrote in sinfucks2024-06-30 09:10 am
Entry tags:
TDM #5
TEST DRIVE & SIMULATION #5
▶ 001. ARRIVAL / CAFETERIA.
It happens in the blink of an eye -- a dash of time. You're taken from where you were. What you were doing.. it isn't important anymore, and slowly, you give up to desire your normal life. When you awake, figures are looking down on you from a surgical table.
"Yeah, this one will do; let's take them to the rest," That's all you see before losing consciousness again, only to wake up in a pod with many others.
"Your questions will be answered soon enough as I'm sure you will have many," a female, robotic voice says.
Just then, your pod opens in a dim corridor with many others. Your new life is about to begin... whether you like it or not.
The pods drain their stasis fluid which wakens each Outsider. When Outsiders emerge from their pod in only their undergarments which have been supplied to them and head to a locker room in the medical bay, to find a towel to dry off with, a set of gray loungewear to wear as LILITH makes the final decision in organizing the Outsider to their rightful teams. If a character has any accessibility needs, they will be found here. It's about then they will feel a sharp pain at the back of their eyes, almost like there’s a foreign body lodged on the inside of their head. This pain will subside quickly as their body adapts to the changes, but there will always be a sensation of something being not quite right. That their bodies have been changed forever. They would be correct in thinking that. In the pod, all Outsiders have been surgically fitted with ocular and brain implants that will enable them to communicate with LILITH and the rest of the crew, and feed them the information they require. Almost like a computer screen has been loaded into their brains, they will see a loading screen as the implant completes its download. A questionnaire will then pop up, waiting for their answer. A voice, robotic and feminine, will also read along in their brain for them.
█ █ █ LOADING COMPLETE … BEGIN ORIENTATION …
The system will give Outsiders one chance to provide a truthful answer and choose their username and civilian identity. Should they refuse to cooperate, the implant will download the answer directly from their brain (and give them a username or civilian name against their will). This questionnaire will then be posted on the network for all to view and reply to. Almost like an ice-breaker, if you will. LILITH wants all their newest recruits to learn about each other!
Outsiders will receive a quick brief about their situation: They will be told that the year is 2278, and they have been taken to Neo Tokyo, one of the last bastions of mankind in a world terrorized by various Kaiju and monsters. Only a third of the population remains, and LILITH has gathered talented people from other dimensions here as a last ditch effort to save humanity. Outsiders are free to continue asking LILITH questions through their implant, but there’s no guarantee they will provide them with a straight answer …
Outsiders will also notice an implant in their dominant wrist. This implant has a barcode in it that will enable them to purchase goods from the local stores in Neo Tokyo. They will receive a starting balance of 10,000 KRYPTOS (about USD 66), which is barely enough for a few good meals, groceries and supplies. They can view their current balance through a hologram window projected by their ocular implant.
While there would normally be a meal available for them in the cafeteria, this doesn’t seem to be the case this time. Robots working within the cafeteria will instead be handing out food ration bars to each Outsider. They are dense with calories and nutrition, but taste a bit like sawdust.
That familiar, robotic voice is heard again:
"Yeah, this one will do; let's take them to the rest," That's all you see before losing consciousness again, only to wake up in a pod with many others.
"Your questions will be answered soon enough as I'm sure you will have many," a female, robotic voice says.
Just then, your pod opens in a dim corridor with many others. Your new life is about to begin... whether you like it or not.
The pods drain their stasis fluid which wakens each Outsider. When Outsiders emerge from their pod in only their undergarments which have been supplied to them and head to a locker room in the medical bay, to find a towel to dry off with, a set of gray loungewear to wear as LILITH makes the final decision in organizing the Outsider to their rightful teams. If a character has any accessibility needs, they will be found here. It's about then they will feel a sharp pain at the back of their eyes, almost like there’s a foreign body lodged on the inside of their head. This pain will subside quickly as their body adapts to the changes, but there will always be a sensation of something being not quite right. That their bodies have been changed forever. They would be correct in thinking that. In the pod, all Outsiders have been surgically fitted with ocular and brain implants that will enable them to communicate with LILITH and the rest of the crew, and feed them the information they require. Almost like a computer screen has been loaded into their brains, they will see a loading screen as the implant completes its download. A questionnaire will then pop up, waiting for their answer. A voice, robotic and feminine, will also read along in their brain for them.
█ █ █ LOADING COMPLETE … BEGIN ORIENTATION …
Name:
Username:
Civilian Identity:
Age:
Species:
Origin:
What is your darkest fear?
The system will give Outsiders one chance to provide a truthful answer and choose their username and civilian identity. Should they refuse to cooperate, the implant will download the answer directly from their brain (and give them a username or civilian name against their will). This questionnaire will then be posted on the network for all to view and reply to. Almost like an ice-breaker, if you will. LILITH wants all their newest recruits to learn about each other!
Outsiders will receive a quick brief about their situation: They will be told that the year is 2278, and they have been taken to Neo Tokyo, one of the last bastions of mankind in a world terrorized by various Kaiju and monsters. Only a third of the population remains, and LILITH has gathered talented people from other dimensions here as a last ditch effort to save humanity. Outsiders are free to continue asking LILITH questions through their implant, but there’s no guarantee they will provide them with a straight answer …
Outsiders will also notice an implant in their dominant wrist. This implant has a barcode in it that will enable them to purchase goods from the local stores in Neo Tokyo. They will receive a starting balance of 10,000 KRYPTOS (about USD 66), which is barely enough for a few good meals, groceries and supplies. They can view their current balance through a hologram window projected by their ocular implant.
While there would normally be a meal available for them in the cafeteria, this doesn’t seem to be the case this time. Robots working within the cafeteria will instead be handing out food ration bars to each Outsider. They are dense with calories and nutrition, but taste a bit like sawdust.
That familiar, robotic voice is heard again:
"Greetings, my name is SYNTHIA and I will be taking care of you today while the rest of the crew is busy handling a recent issue. Worry not, my children. You are in safe hands."
▶ 002. THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME.
Existing Outsiders will receive a call to report to the data portal within Las Vegas. They’ve done their parts helping to take down the worm kaiju and assisting with the clean up of the city. LILITH’s army of cleaner drones can take the rest from here. It’s been a physically and emotionally draining mission for everyone, and it’s time to head home. The beaming back to Neo Tokyo will go rather smoothly for the most part (and yes, holding someone’s hand through it still helps), but upon arrival, Outsiders might be struck with a splitting headache, nausea and vertigo. They might need an hour or so to recuperate, which they can do in their rooms or the sick bay.
New and fresh Outsiders will be given the task to take care of their seniors as they recuperate. Make sure they have water and food (even if it’s terrible ration bars). Give them a massage, or cheer them up because they’ve had such a difficult mission! It’s a great way to build bonds and get to know your teammates. Ask them what happened in Vegas! They’ll be more than happy to tell you.
New and fresh Outsiders will be given the task to take care of their seniors as they recuperate. Make sure they have water and food (even if it’s terrible ration bars). Give them a massage, or cheer them up because they’ve had such a difficult mission! It’s a great way to build bonds and get to know your teammates. Ask them what happened in Vegas! They’ll be more than happy to tell you.
▶ 003. TOO HOT TO HANDLE.
One thing Outsiders will notice immediately upon stepping foot in the Neo Tokyo base is that it is hot. Did someone forget to turn on the air conditioning? The rest of Neo Tokyo doesn’t seem to be any better. With summer approaching, the city has been hit with a heatwave, and it doesn’t help that the heat is interfering with the city’s power generators. This means that not only is it hot, but notices are popping up within everyone’s implants to be mindful of how much electricity they are using. Blackouts appear to be happening all over the base and the city. Electricity is being rationed, and when residents exceed it, it’s cut off.
This is having a devastating impact on the people of Neo Tokyo. The fact that it’s hot and there isn’t much air conditioning is one thing. Hospitals are also struggling from an influx of patients being admitted due to heat stroke, dehydration and severe sunburns. Fires are breaking out more often in the heat and this is only making things worse.
On top of it all, restaurants and stores have been greatly impacted by the electricity rations. Refrigerators and freezers are not working, so food storage is a problem and fresh ingredients are going bad. Restaurants are desperate to sell off what remains of their stock before it spoils. LILITH has been giving out food ration bars and non-perishable meals (such as canned food) and it’s been keeping the people from starving, but their subpar taste doesn’t seem to help the morale one bit.
While LILITH knows that older Outsiders have just had a difficult mission, there’s no choice but to activate them once again. A mission brief will pop up in everyone’s implants:
While things aren’t looking too great, the Neo Tokyo Meteorological Agency is promising that temperatures will go down when the rainy season comes along. There hasn’t been much rain recently, however …
This is having a devastating impact on the people of Neo Tokyo. The fact that it’s hot and there isn’t much air conditioning is one thing. Hospitals are also struggling from an influx of patients being admitted due to heat stroke, dehydration and severe sunburns. Fires are breaking out more often in the heat and this is only making things worse.
On top of it all, restaurants and stores have been greatly impacted by the electricity rations. Refrigerators and freezers are not working, so food storage is a problem and fresh ingredients are going bad. Restaurants are desperate to sell off what remains of their stock before it spoils. LILITH has been giving out food ration bars and non-perishable meals (such as canned food) and it’s been keeping the people from starving, but their subpar taste doesn’t seem to help the morale one bit.
While LILITH knows that older Outsiders have just had a difficult mission, there’s no choice but to activate them once again. A mission brief will pop up in everyone’s implants:
█ █ █ MISSION OBJECTIVE:
✖Contain heat-wave related fires and conduct rescue operations
✖Assist hospitals to care for the influx of patients while they may not have the power to use their medical equipment
✖Distribute water and food rations to citizens in need
✖Assist restaurants and supermarkets to salvage their food supplies as far as possible
While things aren’t looking too great, the Neo Tokyo Meteorological Agency is promising that temperatures will go down when the rainy season comes along. There hasn’t been much rain recently, however …
▶ 004. WELCOME TO OKINAWA.
After a few days of continued efforts to support the people of Neo Tokyo, things seem to have calmed down. LILITH has fired up some backup generators that are able to power the hospital and essential services, most of the fires have been contained, and the hospital has been able to get its patient load under control. LILITH has stepped in to further support the city, with their drones working hard to hand out supplies and provide medical aid. Restaurants continue to struggle, but nobody is starving, and LILITH is working hard to get the power back in operation.
On July 5th, there is a message from Captain Yamakawa:
Departure is set at 1100hrs, and Outsiders will be provided a water bottle and some sunscreen. Once they step through the data portal, they will be met with soft sand, the hot sun, and clear, beautiful waves - Welcome to Okinawa! Specifically, Outsiders will find themselves in Emerald Beach. While the water is pristine, the first thing Outsiders might notice is that there are unnaturally large coconut crabs all over the shoreline; with the majority of them the size of a large dog, and the largest of them about the size of a car.
Nearby to the beach, there are many abandoned fruit farms (such as watermelon, dragon fruits, mango and pineapples) that may have fresh produce for Outsiders to harvest. With how the rift changes the environment, some of these fruits have grown humongous in size. On top of that, the water appears to be cleaner than that found in Tokyo Bay. There are fish still swimming in it, and while some of these fish appear to have mutated, they do not appear inedible.
This is probably what Captain Yamakawa means by ‘supplies’.
On July 5th, there is a message from Captain Yamakawa:
“My Angels of LILITH. You may be at ease now. Our dedicated staff will take over from here. It’s been a difficult month for us all. To show appreciation for your efforts, we have organized a company trip to allow you the appropriate rest and relaxation. We do ask that you gather some supplies since food is short in Neo Tokyo, but that should be an easy task for our talented workforce. Please report to the data portals for departure at once."
Departure is set at 1100hrs, and Outsiders will be provided a water bottle and some sunscreen. Once they step through the data portal, they will be met with soft sand, the hot sun, and clear, beautiful waves - Welcome to Okinawa! Specifically, Outsiders will find themselves in Emerald Beach. While the water is pristine, the first thing Outsiders might notice is that there are unnaturally large coconut crabs all over the shoreline; with the majority of them the size of a large dog, and the largest of them about the size of a car.
Nearby to the beach, there are many abandoned fruit farms (such as watermelon, dragon fruits, mango and pineapples) that may have fresh produce for Outsiders to harvest. With how the rift changes the environment, some of these fruits have grown humongous in size. On top of that, the water appears to be cleaner than that found in Tokyo Bay. There are fish still swimming in it, and while some of these fish appear to have mutated, they do not appear inedible.
This is probably what Captain Yamakawa means by ‘supplies’.
█ █ █ MONSTER DEBRIEF SHEET
NAME: Coconut Crab
SIZE: 24 inches (size of a large dog) to about 5 meters (size of a car)
CLASS: Mild threat
LOCATION: Shoreline, ocean, forests
ABILITIES: Razor-sharp pincers with formidable gripping force - once it grips on to something, it is difficult to break free. Very hard shell that would take effort to crack.
WEAKNESS: Poor eyesight and hearing. Helpless if you tie them up. Becomes stunned with a knock to the head.
EXTRA NOTES: Apparently very delicious.
█ █ █ MISSION OBJECTIVE:
✖ Hunt and capture coconut crabs. Alive is preferable for the best quality meat.
✖ Harvest fresh fruit
█ █ █ ATTACHED PHOTO:
▶ 005. THIS IS A VACATION WE PROMISE.
“Are they seriously making you guys work on your vacation?! This is why we can’t leave everything up to that stiff-ass commander. This should be our beach episode! Don’t worry, your daddy Seok Dang’s got you. Take a crab, take whatever you want, have a damn barbeque! Lie on the beach until your tan comes in. Get nude! Let’s get this party started!”
(LILITH would highly discourage anyone from actually taking off their clothes.) Following Seok Dang’s message, outsiders will notice a pop-up appearing in their eyes, prompting them to accept an outfit upgrade. If accepted, they will find themselves in beach-appropriate attire (player’s choice) using LILITH’s Style Upgrade technology.
Despite Seok Dang’s bid for a party, Outsiders will have to make their own fun in this abandoned beach. They are free to do as they like, whether it’s having a swim, lying in the sand, playing a game of volleyball with an old ball that happens to be lying around, or cracking open a watermelon to share. He does try to encourage things along by sending a few gifts. Through the data portal, several drones will emerge and drop off portable grills, boomboxes, and alcohol from his private stash. For some reason he’s also unleashed a robot that is insistent on challenging Outsiders to a watermelon slicing competition. It looks like he’s serious about this beach episode …
Outsiders may travel between Okinawa and Neo Tokyo throughout the few days using the data portals. There are no resorts in operation in Okinawa, but should they choose to stay near the beach, they may set up a camp or sleep in an abandoned house or hotel.
▶ 006. AFTERWORD.
Welcome to our fifth TDM! All TDM threads are game canon; characters who don't app will be glitched out of this world. As TDM will act as the event, existing characters are heavily encouraged to participate. We encourage this format for top levels: CHARACTER | CANON | CURRENT / NEW CHARACTER. '
There are currently 13 available player slots. New players are welcome to use this TDM to get samples for when APPLICATIONS open.
None of the prompts suit your fancy? Feel free to check out our main base and locations page and make up your own prompts! (Note that Las Vegas is currently being rebuilt and will be made available to visit sometime next month.)
Use the code provided in the ARRIVAL prompt if you'd like to participate in the ice breaker and place it in your top level along with your other prompts. Anything such as civilian name or username can be marked as UNDECIDED if you're unsure of what you'd like your character to have for now. Though it says 'Orientation', existing characters can still participate in the ice-breaker.
For oldbies: for a job well done after the last kaiju mission, 250,000,000 KRYPTOS (~1700 USD) will be deposited into everyone's account. And to our kaiju MVPs: we haven't forgotten you! Those characters will get their due recognition next event. :)
Please note that all tags in this log will count for 2 reward points each and will count towards July AC.
There are currently 13 available player slots. New players are welcome to use this TDM to get samples for when APPLICATIONS open.
None of the prompts suit your fancy? Feel free to check out our main base and locations page and make up your own prompts! (Note that Las Vegas is currently being rebuilt and will be made available to visit sometime next month.)
Use the code provided in the ARRIVAL prompt if you'd like to participate in the ice breaker and place it in your top level along with your other prompts. Anything such as civilian name or username can be marked as UNDECIDED if you're unsure of what you'd like your character to have for now. Though it says 'Orientation', existing characters can still participate in the ice-breaker.
For oldbies: for a job well done after the last kaiju mission, 250,000,000 KRYPTOS (~1700 USD) will be deposited into everyone's account. And to our kaiju MVPs: we haven't forgotten you! Those characters will get their due recognition next event. :)
Please note that all tags in this log will count for 2 reward points each and will count towards July AC.
TDM #5 BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)
1. ARRIVAL PROMPT: Newcomers arrive with ocular and brain implants and told a breakdown of the premise with an icebreaker orientation to fill out. Their first cafeteria meal is food ration bars. Newcomers are placed in gray loungewear while they are being sorted into teams.
2. THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Senior Outsiders return from Las Vegas via the data portal and will experience side effects such as dizziness, nausea and headaches. Newer Outsiders are tasked with taking care of their senpai.
3. TOO HOT TO HANDLE: There is a heatwave and that's messed up the power grid, leading to a city-wide electricity ration. Hospitals are struggling, fires are breaking out and black outs are happening all over the city. Restaurants are struggling to store their food so there there is a shortage of fresh food. Outsiders are tasked with assisting the hospitals, containing any fires, distributing rations to citizens and assisting restaurants to salvage their supplies.
4. WELCOME TO OKINAWA: With the chaos in the city now under control, LILITH has sent all Outsiders on a vacation to a beach in Okinawa. The caveat is that they will need to gather food supplies. These supplies come in the form of a coconut crab kaiju, fresh fruit and fish.
5. THIS IS A VACATION WE PROMISE: Seok Dang is eager to get this beach party starter. He's updated the implants, allowing all Outsiders to swap into beach-appropriate attire using LILITH's Style Upgrade technology. He's airdropped portable grills, music players and alcohol for Outsiders to enjoy. There is also a robot challenging people to watermelon slicing competitions. Outsiders can do whatever they want to relax at the beach.
arrival - ii
Oh?
[ Is he bothered by Set's question? No. Annoyed, sure, but that's because he has to eat, actually, and that means that he needs to hold onto his money. That does not stop him from lifting his lips in the slightest of smiles, a quirk of his lips, before he tipped a hand toward him. ]
Though, I'll donate toward the cause if you are entertaining about it.
[ It will be one krypto. He's being a bit of a shit about it, but then again, given their new circumstances... maybe he's allowed to be a shit. ]
no subject
You know I am good for it.
[ Does he?
Actually, even after saying it, Set's expression shutters — eyes narrowing in upon the man before him as if he could flay him layer by layer. Is this Silco? Silco whom recalls him, whom aligned with him, whom shared much with him — and, the war god spots his mangled hand. It must be. What a fate for them, of all people. ]
It does depend on how you are approaching the mission at hand. Tasked with killing beasts in order to save a world? However will you twist this in your favor!
[ He slips his arms across the table before him, lounging into Silco's vicinity with ease as if preparing to lurch across the table and sweep the man into his arms. Annoying. ]
— reality does not wish me to mourn you, it seems.
no subject
Though, he meets his eyes, an unblinking, hateful little thing that still burned as hot and angry as ever. ]
Would you wish to? I always thought that it would be the end when we face, and yet... it is an anti-climactic shift that forces us to meet here. Perhaps there will be a fight still with what is left where we were.
[ Were they copies, that were left? Is he the copy? It is difficult to say, and though Silco wants to worry over it, and attest that he is the original, he doesn't dare voice that treacherous thought to Set, who would lash onto a weakness in some way. He can hear it now, a goading, cajoling tone that he isn't quite ready for. They can talk about it later. ]
Perhaps I will simply task you with doing all of the killing, since I am donating to your fund, hm?
[ as if his thirst for blood would be satisfied by staying back these days. ]
no subject
[ Mercilessly, he admits to it.
There are lower stakes here, in this place. No, that is not quite right — a world could still be obliterated, but the stakes are not as deeply personal and inspiring zealotry. It feels more like a fun hunt to him, and an opportunity to judge the world for its convictions once more. The difference between where he had been ( still was? would be one day? ) was enough to loosen his tongue, to allow bleak honesty between he and this difficult, horrible man.
Someone he thought of as a friend, in the end. A soulmate. Quite literally, in some circumstances. His words also imply he'd be the one left, after they were inevitably set against one another. ]
Maybe Meridian and Zenith have yet to awaken to the end, even. The point is that we are still here, to be tested and honed upon yet another field.
[ A laugh escapes him, and finally he slips across the table in order to slide his arms around the hateful chem-baron and squeeze him. In a way, he's happy to see Silco freed of another's influence — Silco had been whom he'd adored, and even molded by other hands he was Silco. Until he was not, anymore. ]
I am certain some would prefer that, but I wish to see you in your true element: sans the power others granted you, yet twice as unstoppable.
no subject
Had he already been mourning him, in that way, at that time? Even though they were... at that moment, the closest they had been? Nearly the same — one could have even called them soulmates, for there had been a shift near the end. ]
Our new benefactors are fortunate I do not get tired of such requests. Of the struggle. Of starting over yet Again from scratch.
[ His words punctuate, a bit of that sharp, mean old thing that only someone like Set could appreciate. He sees this as insult, but not as an impossible challenge. Silco had never been one to shirk away, nor was he one to tire in the face of defeat. Oh, he would keep low, keep his head down, and build it back up from the beginning, but caution was not the same as acceptance. ]
I'm sure you'd enjoy watching, wouldn't you? See how long it takes for them to see little, weak, me as a threat?
no subject
I believe that this time, we are to participate together in reaching a unified goal. That goal is the rescue of this world from an unseemly end, which is why I am surprised to see you assigned to this task.
[ SILCO????? SAVING THE WORLD???
But. In a way, Set had always believed that a man like him could harness that sharpness, that raw, frightening determination, and create amazing things. Not because he was good, but because he'd love to spite? whomever would tell him he couldn't? ]
Because you are the most spiteful creature I have ever met.
[ Said with love. <3 ]
I want to see how you do it, this time. Perhaps I will not have to lose you, in this life.
no subject
[ Silco doesn't believe it. He would much rather levy that toward anyone who took him away from his mission, his cause, his... everything. His fingers brush against the item in his pocket, and though it is not neutral and warm anymore, a part of him still, still thinks of it as if it is. Is there a part of her still in there? Or is it merely what it was before? A gemstone that was entirely inert, and useless?
Was there even a way to tell? Or would he have to deal with the uncertainty and lack of knowledge?
His fingers tightened around it in his pocket — a gesture Set would recognize, given how much time they spent together — and know it for what it was. A tick, a motion that sought to soothe and comfort, the knowledge that she was safe in some form. Eventually, he would ask the fated question from LILITH, and eventually, would come the time for the reckoning of what it meant. Would Set crow and gloat, or would he understand the sharp pain that came, from knowing that they may have all been deceived? ]
You wouldn't have lost me in the last, Set, not until the last, when...
[ When one of them would have had to be the victor. He knew where the winds would have blown, and as long as she would have been safe... ]
Well.
Perhaps this will be more interesting. Working together. [ A beat. ] Whether it is towards their goals, or — as I know you are wont to do — towards something more interesting, hm?
[ He wondered if he would level the same vitriol toward LILITH as he had... her? ]
no subject
[ In so many ways, that is beyond the truth. Silco knows of his greatest vulnerabilities, the not-so-secret hungers in his heart, the easily-maddened love he holds for his child. A man so dangerous, so categorically unscrupulous, and yet — Set has trusted him with so much.
Perhaps because they are dark mirrors of one another, and in that is a strange truce.
It's why he does recognize the way Silco's hand shifts in his pocket, and yet he's astounded that of all things: that is the personal item granted to him. Then again, Silco's strength has been in his lack of materialism, in the end. ]
Adhering to LILITH's goal is solely because it supports what I want, and once the goal is realized — I aim to be free to do as I desire. Whatever road I must walk, I will do so to get home.
[ He does offer his hand to the man, holding it out invitingly. ]
no subject
Is it actually what he thinks it is? Does it matter? Did Silco even question it? You know he didn't. Silco's own self confidence was always his downfall. That, and his inability to let go of the past. ]
Do you think she will allow us to be free? I do not think she will. [ He knows people like this, with power like that. ]
Though, if she does not, are you prepared to lay waste to this world to get that freedom? [ He knows the answer. ] I refuse to be shackled, Set.
[ He reaches out, to take his hand. His grip lacks the dead coolness it once held, when he'd given up another piece of his humanity for power. It was warm, but still a surprisingly fervent grip for such a small man. ] I know you do, too. Neither of us will be chained for an eternity to their goal. After all, they ask for help, they know they must pay the price for our loyalty.
[ Silco only wanted one thing. Silco always only wanted one thing, and time and time again it kept slipping through his fingers, no matter how many times he grasped for it. Like Set, there was only one thing important enough for them to cut themselves, whittle themselves down to the bone. They were the same, in this, and it had tied them together as they had both surely known. ]
no subject
[ Sorry, Silco. In this, they are plenty different — Set's concept of power, control and dominance is on a different plane entirely. Even diminished as he is, there is a natural superiority in being a god; since Silco was briefly, briefly that, he must understand. Doesn't he see how he was made into the very thing he would have railed against, and by an external force? Power is power, but being irrevocably changed from who he was meant that... well, they will never have to find out!
He slips his hand into Silco's instead, because in this world they are allies. Perhaps moreso than anyone else he could find, he looks to men like Silco and fellow gods like Tezcatlipoca to find the rational minds ( HAHAHAHAHAH SILCO!!!! RATIONAL!!! ) that he can understand. Heroism for the sake of others is not who he is, at his core. That's someone like Horus, whom he has begun to understand is not that brilliant a hero either — he's a bit of a freak. Why is Set always surrounded by men who surpass his freak. ]
As far as I care to understand it, LILITH's goal will pull this world from the brink; I am not a god of humanity, but I am of the world. [ He is the desert, after all. <3 ] We shall see if the people who poisoned their world are truly worth my efforts.
no subject
[ Though what others "allow" was a challenge, rather than something to be discarded. Silco needed it, to be told not to, in order to feel like he was doing something right. Perhaps that was because he needed to feel right, to do what he did. He was human, after all — painfully so, after... — and human meant he was small, and infinitesimal. Powerless. After all, Silco's philosophy had always been anything (except...) for power.
Here it would be the same. He would do anything for it. Just like before, nothing would stand in the way of Silco getting what he wanted. And what he wanted was... probably more irrational, and slightly more reasonable, than anyone other than Set probably realized. He would simply always go too far, and too much, dooming him every time. ]
Are people ever worth it? [ He asked, his hand remained curled around Set's, understanding — fervent — ] They cannot even defend themselves here, for they need us to do what they cannot.
They are weak. They built a world they cannot live in, and then they ask us to clean up for them, while they rot and starve, instead of making them fight for themselves.
[ Silco doesn't want to help! ]