nightlogs | DUST TO DUST ❅ EVENT

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DUST TO DUST ❅ EVENT

DUST TO DUST

It will take them time to discern the cause. After all, all the artifacts brought back from the fight with Project Prometheus were deemed safe or at least contained, only able to have their dangerous power unleashed if people were dumb enough to try it.

The altheiometer is not the real thing. It was created by the belief of a child, after reading a certain book series, and therefore is more of a symbolic object, with none of the real capabilities of the device in fiction. Instead, it had other magical abilities. It was not entirely understood by the Project itself, just kept there to be studied and eventually co-opted for sinister use if possible. But it had remained inert in their company.

At the Pole, it passes the magical scan, since it technically is "safe," then finally activates. It works on a child's logic, after all. A child would think daemons are cool but wouldn't think bad people deserved them. A child would think the device should only activate to let good guys have daemons.

In the study containing the safer artifacts, the altheiometer opens of its own accord. Gears turn. The hands start clicking as they move in circles around its clock-like face, rotating back and forth between different symbols. The hands finally stop, clicking as they meet in the same spot, on the symbol of an apple, with a bite taken out of it.

It's all very metaphorical isn't it. The soul can't exist without free will. In some worlds they think free will only exists because of an apple in a garden.

There is a burst of light and sound that reverberates through the Pole. As the floor shakes, everyone sees a brief glimpse of the wave as it passes through walls - and then passes through each of them. Getting hit by it is like getting hit by a storm wave in the ocean, briefly lifting everyone off their feet.

Alongside the sensation of being briefly levitated, there is also the painful sensation of suddenly being aware of something deep inside, briefly made to feel almost like a splinter in their very core.

Then, with all the subtlety of getting attacked with a giant hole punch, the splinter is removed, excised. It does hurt, but there is also a strange relief. Except...whatever it was, it's still here. Next to each of the Guardians. Still attached, just...an externality now.

The wave crashes to the shore. They're all knocked to the floor again.

If they were alone in a room, they aren't now. If they weren't alone in a room, said room's occupants have now doubled.

DAEMONS
Each PC now temporarily has a daemon. Daemons are the soul externalized, sentient and able to talk. Taking the form of animals, they often shapeshift and change forms during someone's childhood, but settle into a permanent shape during someone's teen years as the person's personality becomes more concrete and distinct.

Form: A daemon takes an animal form that represents the person's personality. They usually have a gender opposite to their respective person's, but there are sometimes exceptions, sometimes for entirely unknown reasons, or if the person is some flavor of queer. Daemons will know that they're their owner's soul and be able to tell them that.

Daemon Selection: Here is a page with interpretations of a few animals and what types of personalities they can represent, but please don't take it as law. It's just possible inspiration. The daemons can be any animal. For characters not from Earth, their daemons can be animals that are entirely made up or ones in their canons.

Link: Daemons are connected metaphysically to their person through an invisible link, allowing that person to still be attached to their soul. Moving too far from your daemon can cause physical and spiritual agony. Suddenly being ripped apart by a great distance can kill someone. Killing a daemon - which is only as hardy as the animal they are - also kills their owner.

Personalities: Daemon personalities are often similar to their owner's, but sometimes daemons are more willing to be honest about feelings or subconscious impulses. For instance, daemons often instinctually show affection to the daemons of people their owner is fond of. Daemons will remember everything their owner remembers, and was basically there the whole time they were alive, just integrated. Despite being externalized, they aren't something separate from each person, they were always a part of them.

Physical Contact: People can touch their own daemons without effects and cuddling their daemon can be a positive experience of self-love. Someone hurting their own daemon can feel like they've caused the damage to themselves, and hurts on a spiritual or almost self-hating level. Meanwhile, picking up someone else's daemon without permission can cause incredible discomfort and pain. Alternately, touching someone's daemon with permission can cause comfort, a surge of happiness, or even pleasure, depending on the context of the contact and the relationship the two people have.

OOC DETAILS
❅ Event Length: The plot will last an OOC and IC 2 weeks before they can figure out what's causing the change and reverse it, making the daemons internal again. During this time, allies of the Guardians will temporarily take over their duties and fortunately no major crises will happen. Players can set their own opens during this time as well as play out anything that happens over the whole 2 weeks in this post.

❅ New Characters: If your character is introing at this time, assume they arrived just in time for the magical wave to hit them, or walked into a cloud of its residual energy.

❅ Opt-out: Anyone that doesn't want to play in the plot or have a daemon can handwave Vasilisa's magical defenses caught on to the power surge and her glowing charms protected at least some people in the Pole from the transformation. You can ignore this and thread as if there's just a little extra chaos around the Pole.

❅ Jack Frost: There will also be a network post with Jack explaining what Vasilisa has magically discerned has happened. It will take time to find the source, as the altheiometer is very good at cloaking its readings and registered as "safe." (Technically, it is safe, it's just...inconvenient.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Honestly, the things he does for love.]

And you know I love a good bask.

[It might be the serpent in him, or maybe he would've taken to the sunshine regardless of his nature, but there's no denying that he's a creature of warmth. He doesn't necessarily come across that way, with the propensity to dark clothes and his sterile flat, but Aziraphale knows him better than anyone.

Well enough to raise an eyebrow at the mention of fun, but anything clever he might have said is lost to indignation.]

I'm not wearing those. You can't make me.

[Asteria starts chuckling to herself, even though she agrees with Crowley's stance. She just thinks it's kind of funny, too.]

I do know. [ His little mental Crowley details scrapbook prevails. Not to be confused with his physical one (just in case he ever loses track of the mental one).

It makes for a very good cuddle, being with a creature of warmth. Aziraphale will admit that for free. And even more for free, he'll fail to pretend to look disappointed by the refusal. His ass knew exactly what he was going to get for an answer. ]

Oh. Too pink? [ :(

For once, Timothy is going to "yes and" Aziraphale instead of being mean to him for NO reason WHATSOEVER (source: Aziraphale's opinion). ] I think they must be too pink.

[The tartan towels were one thing, but he really has to draw the line at ridiculous sunglasses, especially since he's started to adjust to not wearing them nearly so often.]

It's not the pink that's an issue, it's the bloody flamingos.

[He could wear a little pink, maybe; it's close enough to red that he can work with it, but novelty sunglasses are ridiculous.

Asteria is going to be very helpful by trying to grab the sunglasses out of Aziraphale's hand with her teeth. If she happens to "accidentally" break them in the process, it's a tragedy that couldn't be averted.]

People like flamingos.

[ Crowley could be one of those people. He's very leggy, they have that in common. Aziraphale is only arguing to argue, of course.

Although he does make an offended sound when Asteria snatches the sunglasses. And has the audacity! To accidentally break them! (Who is he kidding. He can't be properly angry at that face.) Tut and tsk and other such noises. ]

Oh, behave! Statement pieces like those don't grow on trees. [ He's not technically wrong. Nothing that's part of these .50 plastic sunglasses grew on a tree, probably. ]

Some people like flamingos, I'm not one of them.

[They both know that this argument only has one purpose, which is wasting time while they're forced to wander down the halls. He misses being able to teleport.

Asteria bares her teeth in the best approximation of a grin, before spitting out the glasses. They live on the floor now. It's their home. Her job is done.]

Those things cost less than a quid, they're not hard to come by.

[ Walking from place to place like peasants. How far they've fallen.

Timothy picks the glasses up like a consummate professional. By which the narration means he'll either get bored and drop them again anyway, or he'll enjoy burying them at the beach. Could go either way. ]

It's the principle of the thing. [ And yet Asteria is getting petted. Loved and cherished. ] They're very striking, you know. Flamingos. I would have thought they were your 'style'.

[ ✨style✨

Crowley should turn all his opinions about everything for the rest of time over for Aziraphale to know about them and feel self-satisfied for knowing. Starting with this random bird. ]

[Timothy officially labelled as a traitor...... at least until the glasses are potentially buried in the sand.

Asteria continues to be labelled a little baby, judging by how she starts purring again.]

I've no idea if that's supposed to be a compliment or not. [Relationship growth is the fact he's willing to say that out loud, instead of just internally having a crisis about it.] M'afraid I don't have strong opinions about most birds. Except secretary birds, they're bastards.

They remind me of you. [ Aziraphale will not be going into further detail about what he means. From his tone: it was in fact a compliment.

Whether it maintained its positive molecular structure from point A to point B isn't his business! Unless it went over very badly, in which case he'll be thinking about it at 3 in the morning forever! But at least right now Asteria is here to help ease the potential future burden. Emotional support soft little baby. ]

I'd take a secretary bird over an emu. Aesthetically speaking.

[ If he's going to be discorporated by a terrifying bird... it might as well be aesthetically enjoyable. ]

It's 'cause I'm leggy, is it?

[If they weren't in the process of walking, he might be feeling silly enough to briefly do a flamingo pose, but alas, Aziraphale will have to be deprived of this joy.]

Are emus the big ones? [Look........ there's so many birds, he can't remember all of them.] They haven't got a personal vendetta against snakes, as far as I know. Secretary birds are the bloody St. Patrick of birds.

And striking.

[ Daemons can snicker even when they're carrying novelty sunglasses in their mouth. Timothy proves it in real time.

Which ruins Aziraphale's "honestly it's like you never listen to me At All" kayfabe. Ugh. How is he supposed to live like this? With Crowley knowing that he knows he pays attention to him all the time? ]

Hm. Can't hold that against you, I suppose. [ Like. It's fair. ] Emus are the big Australian ones. Used to be bulletproof, I think.

[ The short but powerful list of giant birds who've had military action taken against them. ]

[Crowley makes a sort of unintelligible noise, entirely unsure how to respond to that compliment, so Asteria fields it for him.]

Careful, you'll make him blush.

[She's rude, but Crowley is still appreciative that she saved him from having to find anything else to say and they can just move on with their lives. Hopefully.]

Used to be? Did they stop being bulletproof, or is it 'cause bullets got better?

[Time is fake but let's pretend they made it to the Snowglobe Room by this point so that Crowley can wander in and claim one.]

You reckon we need a specific place, or will 'uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean' work?

[ Aziraphale will inoculate Crowley to hearing his compliments and praise and horny on main thoughts like boiling a metaphorical frog. Maybe Crowley should have considered all this before looking very sweet when he's flustered.

Asteria gets a free kiss for her helpful contribution, because she's perfect. ]

Just a... minor oversight during the design process. It got patched out. [ Not entirely well enough, they're still far sturdier than they have a right to be in his opinion. His hypothetical opinion, if he were to have had one about the design process, which he obviously didn't because it wasn't his department.

He squints at the snowglobe. He ponders the orb. ] I think they handle general directions well enough. A sorcery more about the, um. The feeling than the technical wording. I suppose magic does always tend to be either one or the other.

[ Well. ~Magic~ as in fiction and fairy tales and worlds on the edge of ruin but that still have Santa's Workshop hanging about. ]

[The relief he experiences when Aziraphale allows him to go without responding is truly unreal.]

Should've let it as it was, would've been good for a laugh.

[Maybe they should've made the dodo bulletproof instead, but that's also none of their business.]

Alright, let's see... an uninhabited island somewhere in the Pacific, with enough landmass for these two to have a proper run around. And with some plant life.

[Just assuming it's kind of like a monkey paw wish where he needs to be specific or they're going to end up on a spit of sand five meters long with fuck all on it.

He tosses the snowglobe, pockets another so they can get back, and then gestures at the portal.]

Well, looks decent enough. Ladies first?

[He's got that cheeky look on his face that suggests he's referring to Aziraphale, although he could theoretically be talking to Asteria.]

[ Oh, good for a laugh indeed. Would have been horrifying.

Crowley gets the bitchy little look that he's probably seeking by being a cheeky little upstart, free of charge. Ladies first. He's a riot. A true comedian. ]

I think we're well past that point, aren't we? [ If any scrap of the qualifier remained to them before they got together, they took care of it in very short order, thank you. ] But I'm very happy to escort this darling first, yes.

[ Beach day activated. Aziraphale goes ahead through the portal. If there's a petty way to do that, he's obviously doing it. ]

[Crowley hates to see him leave, but loves to watch him pettily walk away.]

Sorry, Timothy, but m'not carrying you across the threshold.

[Asteria has baby privileges on account of not weighing more than 30 lbs. Timothy's weight would involve an extra zero, at least, and Crowley just isn't built to haul that sort of weight around unless it's an emergency.

So they'll just have to walk through together, as he gives Timothy an apologetic ruffle of his mane.]

Why do we never go to the seaside back in England? [It's an idle question, and after a moment he miracles his shoes and socks away to walk barefoot across the sand.

Asteria is going to start wiggling to be put down, instead of using her words, because she's a little shit.] The drive isn't a long one, really.

[ Timothy gives him a rumbly affectionate headbutt by way of thanks for the sentiment as they go through. All the better not to strain Crowley's twiggy legs, really. They're so beautiful as they are.

As another payment, he immediately starts digging a hole with one paw to give these novelty sunglasses a personalized grave.

Aziraphale releases Asteria into the wild like the little shit she is. But not before she gets another dumb kiss on her dumb baby head. ]

I'm sure I couldn't tell you. It's always been all the rage, hasn't it, the seaside? [ Pick up some pretty rocks. Enjoy the breeze. Complain about the sand together. Might be a bit less sunny in England, of course. ] We'll have to put it on our to-do list, I suppose. Could be fun.

[ In the nebulous future of being home again. It's an inevitable thing, really. In the meantime, they've got their little island here, and it's a very nice one. Crowley loses the socks and shoes, and Aziraphale makes good on his vacation-appropriate attire. It's singlet season again lads. Probably including some sort of ridiculous sandals and, of course, the most ridiculous floppy sun hat this side of the equator.

In his very humble opinion, the only foolish one here now is Crowley in his head-to-ankles black getup. No swimwear, no fluffy beach towel, no themed sunglasses? How embarrassing for u. ]

[Upon gaining her hard earned freedom, Asteria immediately runs over to Timothy, bites his tail (affectionate) and then runs off across the sand with the very obvious hope that Timothy will give chase.

Crowley isn't sure how to feel about how playful and open she is about all this, but fortunately he's distracted by Aziraphale's ridiculous get up and has to bite his tongue not to burst into laughter. He's still obviously amused, he just doesn't want Aziraphale to take any laughter the wrong way.]

Do I want to ask what century that's from, 'cause it's certainly not this one?

[The truth is that it's actually very cute and he's not sure how to cope with how much skin is exposed. It doesn't matter that he's seen Aziraphale naked, it just hits different when there's some clothing involved.

He's going to develop a weird kink about old fashioned swimwear. That's the real embarrassment.]

[ RIP Asteria: got precisely what she wanted. Don't worry, the offended and VERY dignified yowl that precedes the chase is entirely for show.

Lil shit. No idea where she gets it from. ]

Of course it's from this century. I've only just made it, haven't I?

[ Don't leave a free technicality open if you don't want him to take it. ]

[This is the best day of her very short existence and she's going to use her agility to her advantage in trying to avoid being caught.]

You know perfectly well that's not what I meant. Don't get smart with me.

[Actually he likes it when Aziraphale gets smart with him.]

I'm sure I don't know what you mean.

[ Absolutely, one hundred percent knows.

Would being kissed on the cheek help? Maybe that will help. Now that there's not some dumb lion hogging all of his attention, wow. ]

[Being kissed on the cheek will not save Aziraphale from further complaints, but it does get a smile.]

The last time someone wore a bathing suit like that was last century, is what I mean. [Which Aziraphale knew!!!] Should I pop on something from the nineteen bloody twenties to match?

[ The ideal scenario. Poo poo boo boo Crowley and his funny little grumpy complaints. ]

Wear what you like. That's obviously what I'm doing. [ Since he's apparently! Not fashionable!! Even though he thinks it looks very nice! ]

You'd be scandalized if I started swanning around in a bikini.

[Old habits die hard; he's forgotten it's no longer scandalous to wear very little clothing, not when Aziraphale has seen him naked.]

[ Mental image loading nonetheless. Hmmmmmmmmm. ]

I would be distracted, at the very least.

[ No wait. ]

Do you mean in public?

[ Bc then he might be respectfully jealous of everyone with good taste ogling his beloved. ]

[There are so many ways he could respond to all that, but he decides to continue being a little shit.]

What, am I not allowed to show that much skin in public?

[Because clearly Aziraphale is controlling and jealous and would forbid that sort of thing.]

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