momquest: a quest for moms

[farfromgrace]

[ It's another day in Tokyo-D, and the relentless cycle of content generation for the masses goes on; how long have you been filming this drama, exactly? And it's not that it's a bad show, per se, but the fact that it's really dedicated to showing the gritty realities of combat and using practical effects for it is... kind of a lot.

Also it can't decide if it wants to be a show about frenemies or about enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies. Cowards.

And besides, it's not home, is it?

It occurs to you on break at the really honestly lackluster buffet table set up for the actors and any surviving extras that... there's really not that much security on this show, all things considered, unless there's something you're not seeing... ]

Comments

[heavenlyvisitor]

[ i would argue its the absence of an emotion

but it sure does feel bad

...Why are you there? ]

[worthathousand]

I... prayed. (a lingering sense of wonder and suddenly reinforced faith)

—It's a long story, I should say, but... that's the part which actually made it happen: praying to my homeland's god.

[farfromgrace]

[ but that is a question, isn't it? what is your way out of here? how do you connect yourself back to Tokyo-F?

What bonds you to life in that Hell city, really? And if belief can take you here, what can build you a bridge back to there? ]

[vitainmorte]

[ well, that tracks. (also side-eyeing tenn, what,)

but also frustrates her a little bit-- faith is all well and good and necessary, but--

So what do we do? ]

[enlightenedatheist]

[ Can you pray to get back? ]

/2

[worthathousand]

(faintly bemused) Well, probably not to the River God.

(But...) If prayer really is the bridge, though, maybe something akin to it would work. Calling out to Tokyo-F, more or less.

(there is a part of her that still rebels against the notion: returning to a cage like a pet. but if the alternative is to be away from her family forever—)

throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[worthathousand]

[ so..... she tries. there's no song for this, but she... casts out with her emotions, and with the belief that they'll find purchase somewhere.

I love—
I am close to—
I can reach for—

it's a jumble, honestly—LiliS, her sons, but then specific names: Cardinal; CardinalShrikeKohime; Coriander; the other exalts; (avante)... ]

Re: throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[farfromgrace]

[ well you start to get a chorus of more voices/emotions in return—some confused or concerned, one decisively alert, and also one which is like. half asleep. cats, you know. ]

Re: throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[worthathousand]

[ is this actually progress or did she simply start a new groupchat? unclear. ]

Cardinal—?
How many of you can hear me?

Re: throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[farfromgrace]

[ well

now there's a lot of avantes on this voice call.

Nero: ]

Uhh, I can go get Cardinal?

[ Of course there's Cardinal themselves speaking up: ]

Three including me that I can see. What do we need to do?

[ and then Shrike: ]

Amaranth—? I think Nero and I... but how is this—happening.

[ Kohime is now wide awake and scrambling off a cabinet, and Nem is also expressing her own confusion. ]

Re: throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[enlightenedatheist]

[ oh i am tired already

closes his eyes with a frown, lets all that just happen without comment ]

Re: throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[farfromgrace]

[ oh also Nem wants to know who the fuck is this ]

Re: throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[worthathousand]

[ (new celestial phone; who is THIS?
—also it's Amaranth.) ]

Re: throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[worthathousand]

[ success! ...or. some variety of success. successful groupchatting, in any event. ]

(Thank the gods.)
I'm not sure yet. I'm—
I know this will sound very strange, but I'm fairly sure I'm in Yu-Shan—that is, probably what most here call "Heaven." It's incredible, but there isn't a clear way back.

Re: throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[farfromgrace]

[ really obviously Kohime responding: ]

What? What are you doing there? It didn't exactly work out last time, it broke the world!

Re: throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[worthathousand]

In my defense, a demon dared me to do it.

[ ....it occurs to her now that maybe this isn't the strongest defense. ]

More specifically, I was evading capture—to be clear.

Re: throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[vitainmorte]

[ VERY clear confusion now that there's other feelings happening what is even, ]

Re: throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[farfromgrace]

[ WHY are avantes so SHOUTY ]

Re: throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[softlyfalling]

Oh, um—sorry, whoever this is...

Re: throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[farfromgrace]

[ also: ]

Amaranth, are you a ghost.

Amaranth, did you die facing an army of demons single handedly?!!

Don't just jump to ridiculous conclusions!

[ you know who these are.

and also now cardinal's adding additional yelling. ]

Stop leaving Tokyo-F without me!!

Re: throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[worthathousand]

Well, I was trying to break out of the transfer in the first place, you know! But gods, I wish you could have been there—that fight would have been no contest.

[ pause. is that nero. do nero and shrike both think she died. ]

I didn't fall though; give me some credit. If even one of my powers had been functioning, I'm sure I could have stood against all three of them. Fortunately, that power can be sufficiently replaced by earplugs.

[ "is powers not functioning in Liar Hell a thing now" is... a fair question. ]

Re: throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[gigadevilbreaker]

What were they like? They security or something? And-- how'd you go from fighting demons to landing in Heaven??

Re: throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[softlyfalling]

Ah, I'm glad you're okay, but—

...how do we get you home from here? Or should we try to get there, somehow...?

Re: throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[farfromgrace]

[ and more specifically, a nem-shaped question: ]

--Heaven? Is there anybody there, like--someone really bright and loud? Or like--rooms full of pools of water?

Re: throwing emotional spaghetti at a wall

[worthathousand]

Nemesis?

—Ah, no, it's entirely empty here. I'm at a watchtower by a courtyard where there must have been training drills, once. There are trees growing there too, with powerful golden fruit.