asgardchrysalis | INTRO LOG + SKADI CURSE.

INTRO LOG + SKADI CURSE.

FEBRUARY INTRO LOG( FEB 16TH & 17TH )

february 16 ↴
INTRO: NEW WANDERERS' ARRIVAL!

Our batch of new Wanderers wake this morning, as all new Wanderers have before, on a plush bed with a mild but lingering sense of recent disorientation. Frigg greets them as per normal, though rather than outright escorting Wanderers to the front doors this time, she and Sigyn allow the Wanderers time and space to leave their bed, meet the pantheon, and even depart the palace at their own pace - but not without a warning. All Wanderers must choose a deity to tether to before dawn the next day, or else one of the gods will choose them. This is of grave importance, as that's precisely how long the magic giving them form is able to last untethered before the Mother's own magic overwhelms it.

(Though the gods are more than willing to allow Wanderers to leave, it's worth noting that many a castle servant - natives, born in this land - might see fit to intercede and insist on the choosing of a god before Wanderers step off the Gladsheim Palace grounds.)

Stepping outside, you're greeted by an almost bright and sunny day... Undermined thoroughly by a sharp, biting wind that permeates any small gap in your clothing. I bet the gods might give you a sweater, if you ask. It probably won't even look that absurd, depending on which one you ask. A trail of what seems like stringless balloons float at eye level from just outside the palace door, guiding Wanderers down the path to a notice board just outside the palace grounds. On this notice board, Wanderers find a brief handwritten guide to accessing the city map on their cuffs, specifically denoting the little colored house icons ( ⌂ ) to help Wanderers make their way to each god's housing.

Also on this board appear to be a variety of job listings, for those who want to get more involved in Asgard as a whole. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we? There's more than enough time for that once you've chosen a god to tether to in the first place.

february 17 ↴
GOD CURSE: CHARACTER-BUILDING WITH SKADI.

The storm brewing within Skadi is hardly a secret. She was impatient during the gods' supposedly unanimous address, and in the days to follow, Sigyn (with all her desperately good intentions) tried to balm the irritation but only abraded the goddess further still. She attended the Wanderers' arrival purely by the letter of her duty and swept back out the doors as soon as that duty released her, and since then she's been holed up in her temple, her pointy-faced statues positioned just outside as sentinels meant to intimidate mortals away.

They dared to tell her that she does nothing. Nothing for the Wanderers, that is. Nothing to help them grow and self-actualize, as if these 'Wanderers' are so much more important than Asgard itself, which weakens by the day as her fellow gods fling their magic about to overprotect the Wanderers, or even to satisfy their whims. The consensus to draw back some of that wasteful protection would have pleased her, if she weren't so thoroughly fixated on the slight that preceded it.

They want her to help the Wanderers self-actualize? So be it. There's no better way, truly, than to confront and overcome the ways in which you're flawed.

So the morning after arrival day, many Wanderers wake up with a stinging, itching spot somewhere on their body. Maybe their arm, maybe their back, maybe their throat. In that spot, as it turns out, is a set of words in a deep ruddy brown (almost like old blood) under their skin as if tattooed in place. But these aren't just any words - they prey directly into the Wanderer's fears, their regrets, their insecurities, and their mistakes. They're facing down some of the worst things they've ever thought or feared about themselves.

The other gods, of course, are eager and willing to try to relieve the poor Wanderers of these cursed marks... but they find that it's not quite so easy. Wanderers who seek a god's removal of the words find that not only do the words remain, but a new set appears: Flees the truth.

But that's fine = For most Wanderers, these words disappear on their own in a day or two. A handful of unlucky souls find that their marks linger indefinitely, or seem to disappear but return at truly inopportune occasions down the line.

MOD NOTES

This is the February intro log and Skadi's curse, our mini-event for this month!

Skadi's curse is is entirely opt-in - not all Wanderers are affected - and is detailed more fully in the 'This Month's Events' section of the February Bulletin, and you're welcome to direct any follow-up questions to the Bulletin's mod questions top-level.

You've also likely noticed that god jobs are now live! The listings themselves can be found here (same link as within the 'arrival' prompt), with a brief FAQ featured over here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[...]

[Well, it's hard to argue with that. Failure, in bright red. The vagueness of the way he puts it more or less leads Jet to believe that, yeah, he more or less tried to carve the words straight off himself the same way Jet did.]

[There's a visible rigidity to his stature as he stands there, frozen on the spot, the blade of a borrowed knife half-buried into a strip of skin at his arm.]

[But eventually, Jet sighs and forces the tension out of his body.]

...fine.

[uncomfortable as it was, seems like klaus got his message across.

he exhales a slow, quivering breath, yanks the shirt back down and hooks the arm around his midsection, gripping the fabric tight, harder than necessary. sure, the words are fucking awful but at least being on jet's arm, they can be covered. he doesn't need to cut them off.

the other wanderer relaxes so he does the same, aside from squirming his fingers further around the knife handle.]

Give me this, I'll let you go, okay? And I can heal your arm, that way it isn't bleeding anymore.

[With visible reluctance, Jet eases his grip on the blade. The red leaking down his arm is nothing compared to the words that lie branded into the exposed strip of skin. COULD NOT SAVE HER. He didn't need the reminder. He really didn't.]

[The pain is secondary. The aftermath is secondary.]

For what.

[He's going to heal him up for free, is that it?]

[and the moment he does, klaus cinches it in his own hand, cringes as he withdraws the blade from jet's arm. oh god, why'd he do that? why? his stomach rolls, an awful, sour taste flooding his mouth that he somehow manages swallowing down again.

he shakes off as much blood as possible, wipes the rest on his sweater then sheathes the knife back at his side.

obviously, he'll do it for free, no other reason except to help him. why would he expect something for that?]

For... nothing? [as klaus upturns his right hand, bracelet still glowing. though the pressure on jet star's arms has vanished, there's continuous power flowing, channeling into the translucent green moths fluttering around his fingers now.] I wouldn't make you repay me for it.

[The invisible tension clamping him in place eases and he breathes out in a shaky sigh, sounding for all the world like someone who doesn't want to let on how tense the entire affair has made him. Cutting into his own skin? Negligible, and necessary. Someone stopping him from doing that? Profoundly uncomfortable.]

[Not sure how he feels about the greenish light flitting around Klaus's hands now, either. But look, man, details - ]

Already owe you.

[hearing jet breathe out like that makes klaus feel even worse. he hadn't wanted to make him uncomfortable or give the guy any reason to distrust him, but he also didn't want to watch him skin his own arm for no goddamn reason. especially when he knows trying to get rid of the words doesn't work.

the moths won't bite, for whatever that's worth? and as he tentatively moves his hand closer, they dart across jet's arm, slowly but surely healing the torn skin, leaving warmth in their wake.]

What do you mean?

[It's complicated. Zone politics. Interpersonal politics. You're not one of his crew, so it stands to reason - you can't assume anything. Klaus has given him information, has given him insight, has given him a knife even if his conscience clearly, clearly screamed against it, and Jet has thus far given him nothing except the possibility that he might have traumatized him more than he already is already.]

[Then again, that might be overselling it.]

[The sensation of his skin knitting itself over, of lacerated flesh smoothing back into something sound and whole, makes the rest of him crawl with pins and needles. A weird, alien warmth hovering over the part of his arm where those words still lay bared to the world.]

Keep helping me.

[honestly, at this point, there shouldn't be much that could traumatize klaus anymore. he's been through so much shit, it's astounding. watching someone flay their own arm though, that's... something new entirely? so, kudos to jet star for that one, he'll be thinking about it for a long, long time.

but he's not traumatized by it, for whatever that's worth. just thoroughly freaked out.

watching the wound heal puts his mind slightly at rest; jet isn't going to be without the words because of it, but at least he isn't bleeding anymore and won't have a nasty scar. tiny green wings recede once the injury is finally gone, klaus wrings his hands afterward, attention downcasted.]

Don't worry about it, man. If I didn't want to, I wouldn't, y'know?

Don't have to.

[Particularly considering that the help he just offered nearly had Jet biting his head off. That's real gratitude for you. Certain barriers are a given for the kind of life he's had. Being on the defensive, being on the offensive - there's always collateral for that. Often interpersonal relationships are the first things to go.]

[A necessary sacrifice. One Jet understands, and accepts. Which is to say, he wouldn't blame Klaus for deciding that maintaining any kind of working relationship with this dude is more trouble than it's worth.]

I know I don't. I want to.

[didn't he just say that? klaus is used to most people biting his head off, even when he's helping, so it's not like that's anything new. frankly, he'd be more worried if they weren't showing him some sort of tough attitude; jet's no exception to this rule.

besides, what's any relationship without a little difficulty here or there? nothing's perfect, not even friendships, especially when they're still being worked out.]

[A quiet grunt, and Jet's single eye slides away from him for a moment. Not entirely. He keeps him in his periphery, just like how he keeps everyone in his sights. Doesn't know them. Doesn't trust them. Doesn't feel predisposed to trust them.]

...fine.

[He'll just have to remember this. Pay it forward, if he can.]

[That's the least he can do.]

[despite his fancy healing properties, klaus hasn't ever been against keeping good ol' handy-dandy bandages with him at all times. from the side opposite his knife, he reaches into a small pouch, removes a roll of gauze and offers it out.]

Here, [and if jet doesn't take it right away, he'll just. give him an insistent little nudge.]

This way you can cover it up if you want. Use the excuse you cut yourself— [pause] —erm, or... something?

[smooth as chunky peanut butter.]

[Jet snorts a little at that, though his expression doesn't break much. It's a hoarse breath of air that quickly cuts itself short. He winds the roll of bandage around the ink-dark stains on his skin with a practiced effortlessness that suggests this isn't the first time he's done this very same thing. It isn't.]

[He doesn't look up from his work, but he makes it quick.]

Saw them, huh?

[The words on his arm. Pretty sure it was obvious what they said.]

[hey, a snort is something and it's better than what klaus had been expecting. his own lips quirk slightly at the edges, features softening and hand withdrawing once the bandages are taken.

at first, he just watches jet while he wraps, engrossed in the steady motion, though the question jostles him enough from the daze that he glances up.]

Yeah... [he's sorry, klaus'd never make someone uncomfortable like that on purpose but since he has technically already seen them—] Is— is it okay to ask about? You don't gotta tell me shit, obviously, but if...it helps...? [shit, this is awkward.]

I'll tell you mine, too. [since that'd only be fair.]

[Is it okay to ask about? It feels like the worst of it is already out there. It's strange - the context of it is violent in such a way that it's fucking with him just by thinking about it. To go from a place wherein his notoriety was so immense that entering the most densely populated area was a death wish to a place where no one knows so much as his name is a shift he hadn't expected to jar him as deeply as it has.]

Had a kid.

Lost her.

[He shrugs one shoulder, like that even remotely sums up what happened. He says it shortly, so fast that he doesn't have to dwell on the pressure in the back of his throat. He says it like emotional evisceration can be done as casually and simply as that: in five words or less.]

[the moment jet says, ‘had a kid,’ his eyes widen with surprise, even without hearing the second remark. that only makes him shrink down a little further into himself, a fleeting amount of guilt settling uncomfortably in the pit of his stomach.]

Shit, man, I'm sorry. [because what else does one say? and when jet said that he'd lost her, it's presumptuous of him to do so, but he can't help assuming she's, uh, no longer among the living. ironic, keeping in mind what mark klaus had shown him in return.]

I lost someone, too. [a few someones. a beat during which he decides to add,] Funny thing about Asgard, they don't discriminate on who comes here, so...

[maybe he can see her again?]

[Who hasn't lost someone? That's one of the foundations of living. It'll hurt. It'll hurt no matter what but the longer you last the more names you'll start to stack into the shelf of your soul.]

[He doesn't want to instill a sense of false hope within himself, not even if there is a chance. She wasn't the only one they all lost. They did everything for her, but if any of them were to show up - what would that mean for him?]

[It's safer not to think about it. Not to pretend it'll happen unless it does.]

...anyone from your home show up?

[Just trying to gauge the likelihood here.]

[for klaus, it was pictures – so many of them – when he'd made contact with reginald hargreeves in the afterlife. some that weren't supposed to be there, even. those are what bothered him the most, made him wonder if shit didn't change, would their deaths inevitably be the outcome?

it's honestly one of the reasons why he's glad at least two of his siblings have shown up here. one more than once, too! so, that's something else to consider.]

A few times, actually. Couple of my brothers showed up, one of which made the trip twice.

[both five and ben are gone now, though. such an unfortunate circumstance.]

[Brothers. He's got family.]

[Most people have family. And family's who you stick with, who you live with, who you trust. Seeing them again means - ]

[Well. He can read between the lines.]

They didn't stay.

[It means that would be the risk. The risk that they could disappear just as easily. Whatever force deposited any of them here in the first place, apparently it's just as randomized as the possibility that they could be returned to wherever they came. Returned to death.]

[But if it were the Girl, if it were any of his brothers - he'd see them again. And he'd know that they were safe, and...]

[Is that something he's willing to shoulder?]

[Ultimately, it's not his choice. And he doesn't have to confront that if it never happens.]

[sisters too, although he hasn't seen either of them around asgard.

the confirmation makes klaus lift his shoulders in a shrug. he's honestly just glad he didn't have to say it when revelation stings each and every time.] No, [he confirms through a sigh,] but it was nice seeing them again, knowing they're okay.

[regardless of how painful it was any time they came and went, klaus appreciated that. whether they went back to their actual timeline or not, he hasn't considered, mostly doesn't want to in case five's time-jump fucked everything up even worse.]

Don't hold your breath, obviously, we never know who's going to come through next. You'll turn blue before then but I'm just saying: have an open mind.

[having another chance to see them, no matter who comes through, that should be worth it, right?]

[Knowing they're okay.]

[But if any of them were to come back - they'd be returning to their deaths, wouldn't they? Even the Girl, whose fate he doesn't know because he managed to get her out of the building but it was a shot to the chest that laid him out on top of the Trans Am so he has no idea if their suicide mission to get her out worked. If it was worth it. If any of it mattered.]

[If any of them appeared, he'd fight like hell to keep them here.]

[Whatever it took.]

Okay.

[There's no reason to expect any of them might appear. It might be more generous to hope that they don't. That they stay where they are, with the Witch to guide them - that might be better than ending up here. For his part, Jet knows which of those he'd prefer.]

No guessing who leaves either. Or when.

[possibly? nobody knows what happens when one goes home and comes back.

rhys looked different and that's all klaus really remembers, the few things he described to him aside. all stuff he wouldn't be sure about sharing and even if he did, who would understand except people from the same world? he doesn't get what opening a vault even means besides that it's super important. bringing someone back from the dead like the gods did with ben is a whole other ballpark and if it meant having him alive, he would have kept him here.

much to his dismay, he got sent back and klaus didn't really have a choice in the matter.

he nods agreeingly, pleased they've at least squared that part away. people come, people go; sometimes they stay, other times they... don't. but that's fine.]

Nope, they're just kinda... not there anymore one day. Nobody can really explain it.

[which he's alright with because he, too, has considered where his siblings could end up after leaving asgard. if it's somewhere they're always separate or never quite whole again, then maybe it is best they do not come here. (just ignore the fiery apocalyptic end and everything's a-okay.)

maybe, selfishly, klaus wishes they hadn't left, though.]

Hm.

[It's hard to say what Jet thinks about that. His expression's returned to its characteristic stony default. All of it comes down to a lack of control, which isn't exactly new to him. Being stuck in a world where things so much bigger than yourself, that's normal shit where he comes from. Probably where most people come from.]

[It's just that it's his instinct to fight back against those systems. But when no one knows the cause of something like this, how the hell do you fight that?]

Hope they're not dead.

[i hope so, too, is his next immediate thought and should be what he says aloud but instead:] It'd really suck if you died coming to and leaving Asgard.

[not the most reassuring thing, taking their conversation into account, but klaus's assumptions are only that: they're speculation. people might appear perfectly fine now, he hasn't witnessed anyone else blowing up since the one time— and that isn't an okay thing to remember at the moment.

but it's fine, he's totally got this!] If I'm being honest, I try not to think about it too much. We're here for whatever reason, right? Might as well make the best of the circumstances.

[always with one eye on the gods, though.]

[Well, when you've only got the one eye to begin with, looking anywhere else gets a bit tough.]

[That being said, the morbidity doesn't bother him overmuch. Jet's inclined to agree, but he figures anyone would. He's already died once, and he's not terribly keen on dying again. Especially since, here, it's...vague how much influence the Phoenix Witch might have, and how much power she might wield in drawing his soul back where it needs to go. Assuming she has any power here at all.]

[He's not about to put carbons on that.]

Guess so.

[Even if death would be simpler. But if the Witch hasn't closed his curtain just yet, then he's still kicking.]

[Why him and none of the rest?]

Could be worse.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject