【 Thank you for choosing the Golden Peacock, 5-Star Resort and Casino. You are currently registered as a WILDCARD in our system.
Due to unprecedented high demand we are temporarily unable to check you in to your reserved room. We apologize for the inconvenience. We have arranged for a temporary room while we work on processing your reservation as quickly as possible. We appreciate your understanding.
As a special wedding gift from us, we have arranged for you and your new spouse to stay in one of our junior penthouses while you wait. Congratulations on your new marriage. We are so pleased you have chosen our resort for your honeymoon.
You will be notified as soon as your official reservation has been processed. Your comfort and happiness are our utmost priority. We hope you enjoy the provided amenities and lose yourself in marital bliss. 】
EVENS
EVENS: NEW CHARACTERS
Music plays. Instrumental, the tune gentle enough not to disturb peaceful rest. The sudden insistent beep of the Watch is a cutting cacophony across an otherwise sweet lullaby. Upon opening their eyes, new arrivals will quickly discover that something is wrong. The quilt snug across their body is weighty. Crystals glint in a weave of embroidery and cotton shimmers with threads of silver. Dozens of decorative pillows surround the bed. The gauzy curtains of the canopied bed are drawn, obscuring the rest of the room.
Extravagant for a kidnapping. Too extravagent. What’s more, these new guests will find something even stranger than this new diamond-studded suite tucked into bed beside them. Someone else. Who are they, what are they wearing? What happened last night?!
Guests are encouraged to explore the resort from here! There are paper maps available for those who would like and staff are happy to recommend locations if they have any preferences. Enjoy your honeymoon, you lovebirds!
ODDS
ODDS: SPECIAL RE-ARRIVAL
Never trust a hallway in the Golden peacock.
Cross the wrong threshold and time begins to slow. A short hallway becomes long, sheds its doors, only leading to turns without end. Guests too eager to explore the resort have gotten lost before. For how long always varies, dependent upon capriciousness of the resort. Hours? Yes. Years? Yes. Every guest caught in the winding hallways has reported the same thing: time is different there and too difficult to discern.
Some wayward guests have been caught in the endless hallways since the FIRST TDM. Weeks pass before a single doorway appears in the distance. It creaks upon opening before everything goes topsy-turvy. These guests have been let out of a trap door in the depths of Crane's Respite.
All water corridors will eventually lead back to the populated areas of Crane's Respite. The waters are warm, the scent of bath salts returns, and staff are wild with joy at finally finding all of you. They have been beside themselves searching ever since you vanished!
NOTES
PROMPT NOTES
▶ Because we love all of the new characters premiering on this TDM, we kindly request that our Evens prompt be top level exclusive for new characters. Current characters are encouraged to tag in to these prompts with the caveat that they’ve been picked up from their assigned suite (or wherever else they were before) and dumped into the new arrival’s bed. We would like for new characters to have this prompt unique to their top level comments!
▶ Players are welcome to have their current character riff off of these prompts in the log community with the exclusion of the new arrival element. This request is just for TDM top levels.
▶ Current characters and new characters are both welcome to freely mess around with the Odds prompt with the exclusion of the arrival element. For new characters, players may participate with the idea that their character is exploring Crane’s Respite after their unique arrival in the Evens prompt. The Odds arrival element may also be utilized by current player characters who may have been on an unofficial hiatus in January and did not tag as much as they would have liked, to explain any long IC absence.
▶ Octopi may be killed. If a character decides to eat one of the octopi they may find themselves taking on some of its traits. Which traits are up to player discretion.
ELEVATORS
ELEVATORS
The house has recently ordered a full changeout of art in all high traffic areas. The elevators in particular have received special attention with many different famous artworks and portraits studded to the walls for guests to admire. These artworks are treasures of the modern world that one would typically see behind glass at a museum. Guests may even find works from their own world hanging in the elevators. Even famous works that maybe have been lost to time. So this is where they ended up. Is that Vermeer's The Concert?
Guests may find their elevator suddenly stopping without warning. The portraits on the wall stir, curiously studying them, but there are three main portraits calling the shots. The portrait that controls that particular elevator will make their demands known with the threat that, if they are not obeyed, you will be trapped forever.
Elevators will function after the portrait's demands are met. Guests that hold out and refuse may find themselves trapped upwards of twelve hours. Guests with the ability to do so may crawl out of the top emergency door, free to go wherever they want from there.
GREAT TIT!
GREAT TIT!
Great Tit! is the Golden Peacock’s popular dessert bar and cafe. With its bright pops of color and whimsical treats, guests simply can’t resist stopping in for a butt shaped cookie and hazelnut coffee. After catching wind that the resort has decided to celebrate a dessert shop's most lucrative holiday, Great Tit! is ready to impress the masses. Advertisements for limited edition drinks and desserts rain the main lobby; one can’t go three steps without slipping on a neon pink coupon for 10 percent off nipple buns. Guests that decide to pass by the cafe will find themselves assaulted with confetti cannons and eager employees ushering them inside.
Guests will find a temporary communal shower room upon exiting Great Tit! where they can wash off after a fun day of rolling around in sugar. All guests will be gifted a tee branded with a, CHOCOLATE IS MY LOVER logo.
NOTES
PROMPT NOTES
▶ This portraits prompt has been triggered by several characters expressing interest in and investigating the lore of the resort paintings. This is just dipping a beginning toe in, but congrats to all for poking around!
▶ Portraits in the elevator should not be destroyed, purely for continuity’s sake. If a character would go far enough to attack one of the portraits, the portrait will slap them back with ghostly power.
▶ Characters may also figure other ways out of the elevator if they have specific abilities to do so. While the portraits can control the elevators, they cannot control your character(s). Any destruction to the elevator itself is liable to result in a rush of security dragging the culprit(s) away to the Iron Net.
▶ Great Tit! is running a massive sale! Even characters who are on the broke end of the spectrum will be able to afford to join in on the fun and indulge in sugar at these prices.
▶ Players are encouraged to make up any other elements for the Hall of Chocolate. If it’s a dessert and edible, it’s there. Enjoy your sugar coma!
▶ While the chocolate boxes are ICly limited due to Alessandro’s skills as a chocolatier, this is only an IC mechanic. There is no OOC limitation on this prompt as far as chocolate rarity goes.
THE NEST
ALICE AND THE PARROTS
Fashion boutiques are a dime a dozen in the Nest. The shopping hub is massive, lined with stores all trying to aggressively appeal to guests. A challenge in itself — but the guests of the Golden Peacock are no ordinary people. Used to being pampered and fed excitement, if these boutiques don’t bust their bottoms to appeal to the fickle nature of their patrons, they won’t be in business for much longer! One particular boutique, Alice and the Parrots, is riding winds of romantic thrill and churning out a couple of brand new fashion lines sure to draw in loads of chips.
Guests are welcome to try on clothes in Alice and the Parrots' dressing rooms. These dressing rooms are small and can only accommodate two people sharing at a time. Such is the life of a small boutique store. Sharing is no big deal, right? And there’s no way you can buy clothing this expensive without giving it a test first.
NOTES
PROMPT NOTES
▶ Players are encouraged to make up whatever cute outfits they would like for this prompt.
▶ Wedding clothes do not have to be cute and frilly; this section accommodates tastes of everyone.
▶ Alice and the Parrots is more expensive than Love Dove. Their clothing quality is excellent but their price tags are high. Staff may watch low ranks extra diligently to cut off any stealing. Thieves will be chased by NPC security! Anyone caught gets a day in the Iron Net.
CASINO CHAPEL
CASINO FLOOR
A Pop up Chapel has appeared in the Phoenix Casino. Guests are delighting in playing out weddings and pretending to get married — and a few guests are even tying the knot for real. They aren't worried about the sanctity of marriage; they can divorce tomorrow if they get bored of each other. And everyone knows that getting married doesn't mean you can't fuck whoever you want!
Since the resort isn't keeping track of how many marriages a guest has, all guests are encouraged to marry as many people as they would like. The more the merrier!
Wild wedding events will continue all throughout the month of February, until the guests find it's gotten stale. A divorce rush will round out the fun at the end of the month.
NOTES
PROMPT NOTES
▶ Weddings are not legally binding. Birdvis is not registered as a real officiant, but he does have an excellent beak and pompadour.
▶ Prizes from easy mode slot machines are automatic and do not require mod thumbs up to claim.
▶ Chip prize from difficult mode slot machines is automatic. The special prize is 5 reward points to add to your bank on rewards. Players who wish to claim the special prize should link the finished thread (the kink in question has been completed) under their rewards header with the header, Wedding Slot Machine. If you do any combination of 6/6 (finger hand lol) we ask you somehow make this sexy or involve a climax in order to claim the points.
BLANKET CW: Aphrodisiac; Compulsion; Costumes; Dubcon; Entrapment; Foodplay; Gambling; Lingerie; Matrimony; Tentacles; NSFW Images and Language; NTR; Nudity; Roleplay; Sacrilegious Themes
▶ All new characters on the TDM are WILDCARDS, which means they have not yet been assigned a card value. The house is still observing and deciding. As rank and suits are assigned upon acceptance your new character's suit will not manifest until they are accepted into the game.
▶ All TDMs are game canon. This TDM acts as the game's February event.
▶ Current characters may top level on the TDM. Please make sure to review the arrival prompt notes! Any current characters posting to the TDM should note they are current in their subject header.
▶ The top level directory is for new characters only. We want to make sure new characters are priority and receive attention!
▶ If you aren't satisfied with the prompts on this TDM please feel free to check out our LOCATIONS to explore more of the resort.
▶ Smut threads that take place on this TDM can be used for rewards. If both parties in the smut thread join the game, you may retroactively apply the character's initial card values to your 52 bank. If one character does not join the game the thread will not be applicable toward rewards (as that character would not have a card value). The character that does join would still receive a small payout for the encounter. Hopefully it was a fun thread anyway!
▶ We ask you to kindly add content warnings to your threads as appropriate.
▶ If you do not currently have permissions and kinks listed in your character’s journal we suggest leaving a note in your top level of any limits or boundaries for other players to reference.
▶ Thank you for spending Valentine's Day with us! You're our sweetheart this year. 💕
[ My name is John, the painting begins to squawk indignantly, but this time it's feng xin that cuts him off. ]
Shut the fuck up.
[ yeah, about that... if john thought seth's mouth was filthy, it's only because feng xin had been keeping relatively calm this whole time. but feng xin isn't even looking at the painting now, his sharp golden gaze fixed on the other man in the elevator with him. ]
Tell me why.
[ it's a far quieter demand than the one he'd just given to the painting, but it's clearly one that matters more to him. ]
[ the stranger shuts the painting up, and seth snorts another laugh, this one more amused than he'd normally allow. looks like he isn't the only one with a foul mouth, huh?
he sobers abruptly at the question, though, nausea crawling through him as he balls his hands into fists. ] .. My followers? [ he inhales once sharply, forcing his fingers to relax, trying to ignore the throb of the bracelet embedded in his wrist. ] What kind of people worship a war god? [ he's thought it often since being forced to truly see the result of his rule: he never should have had followers to begin with. he never should have been worshiped. his temples should have never been raised in the first place.
would osiris still have wanted him if he'd been no true god at all? would any of this have been set in motion?
he waves a hand dismissively, turning his head from the stranger. ] My reasons don't matter. [ they're just excuses. ]
[ the redhead turns his head away before he can see the shift in expression on feng xin's, how curiosity melts slowly into pure incomprehension. another war god? what are the odds? ]
People who need protection.
[ his followers pray for peace and safety and, yes, sometimes that involves a war, and sometimes that involves violence. but a god is only as powerful as his followers, and without the latter the former would simply not exist. what else is he to do but listen? ]
You said your name is cursed. What would you give me if I asked for it?
[ a hollow bang echoes in the elevator as the side of seth's fist hits the wall. ] People who need protection? [ he snaps, mouth an anguished smile. ] I am for war. People who want protection pray to gentler gods than I.
[ and every one of his worshipers deserves death. he hasn't found even one who should be allowed to live, not after what they've done to their own kind. he'd created horror by abandoning his guardianship of kemet.
a breath shudders back out of him in a sigh, and he rubs his hand over his face, smudging the kohl at the corner of one bright red eye. ] .. Seth.
[ the most that violent fist gets out of feng xin is a cursory look, merely to see if it'd left any crater behind. (feng xin's got a matching one in his own suite.) ]
Seth. [ he says is clearly, as if in challenge. when nothing immediately happens after, he answers with his own. ]
Mine is Feng Xin. I was called General Nan Yang where I'm from, the martial god of the Southeast region.
[ what the fuck. ] What the fuck? [ he gives the stranger an incredulous once-over, pain and anger forgotten in the face of disbelief. ] You're a war god? [ that's rude, seth, especially when you get mistaken for horus's girlfriend all the time.
he pauses, then clicks his tongue, planting that fist on his hip instead. ]
[ he's never heard of that, or seen someone that even looks like feng xin before coming here. maybe it's a young nation, with young gods. maybe it's too far from seth's deserts for them to have had contact. maybe it simply hasn't made the mistake of going to war with him yet.
[ there's a brief pause as the word slides right over feng xin. ]
...I'm not sure.
[ all along, feng xin had been working on the assumption they were from different worlds — it's become his default, after being here for over a month. that may still well be the case, given he's never seen or heard of a war god like seth before.
after a grunt, he adds, ]
You've just shown up? It took me a while to realize how vast the reach is of our captors. We're... very likely from different worlds.
[ different worlds? .. well, that's not an entirely foreign concept to him. isn't the duat somewhat of a different world? don't stranger-gods have their own realms to inhabit? though from the wording, it sounds as if he means this in a considerably vaster way. ]
.. How is that possible?
[ ex-excuse me! john interrupts, offended by this long sidebar conversation, have you forgotten why you're here?! without even looking, seth slaps a hand over the painted face, eyes still fixed on the other man. ] Who is in charge of this.. hotel?
[ feng xin's laugh is sharp, a rough bark of derision that has nothing at all to do with seth, but everything to do with the situation at hand. and also maybe a little about judgmental john, because fuck that guy. ]
Nobody knows.
[ he leans himself back against the wall (the one not covered by john's portrait, sadly) and makes another disgruntled sound in his throat. ]
Trust me, I would have already taken care of them by now if I knew.
[ not the answer he wanted to hear. if this were any other time, if things were different at home, he could afford to simply bide his time. but now?
he shudders, hand sliding away from the portrait, something a little bleak crossing his expression. ] I need to leave. My son-- [ the words catch in his throat, and he has to swallow hard, ignoring the lump there. ] Has anyone found a way out of this place that you're aware of?
[ he doesn't want to think of what osiris will do to anubis when he realizes that seth is just.. gone. ]
[ how quickly feng xin's demeanor changes, the second seth's turns bleak. the expression had been jarring enough, but what he says — my son — has feng xin shifting back into a steadier stance, his arms falling to his sides. ]
...No. [ i'm sorry, he doesn't say, but it's there in his tone. his eyes. ] They say if you complete the game, you're granted a wish. I only know of one other who has won, and he — [ hm. feng xin doesn't know how much of anything here he trusts, but. if it can offer any bit of comfort... ]
He seems to be one of the only ones who can come and go as he pleases. I'm supposed to meet him, when he returns, and when I do, I'll get answers from him.
[ it may involve less than savory things, but. it's just par for the course with this place. ]
There are others from my world here, but they only remember what I do up to a certain time. But even though they're from an earlier time, they'd never once made mention of this place. It's possible that when we do leave this place [ when, when, always when ] we will return exactly where we're from.
[ .. a wish. any wish? if it's granted by someone that can reach across time and space and pluck gods from their homelands, then.. can he trust that it's possible? and if so, does he dare upset the natural order like that? can he wish to undo everything? to go back to that night, or perhaps even before-- or even to wish osiris out of existence?
will he even know to ask? if they return, if they don't remember being here..
he has so many questions, and there are so few answers to be had right now. still, one thing seems obvious, doesn't it? he balls a hand into a fist and taps it against his outer thigh, restless, red eyes cutting to the painting, then back to feng xin. ] And this-- this stupid painting, 'punishing' me.. it has something to do with the game? If I play along with all of it.. [ he can do that. what is his pride, if it means righting such a wrong? ]
[ fifty-two people? is that all? he can do that. he's already done that, probably, even if he hadn't had much choice at the time. that does make it different, though, doesn't it? he has to choose these people, supposedly.
his mouth twists up at the corner, wry, brittle again. make allies? trust people? that's easier said than done. and who would trust him? if they really know him, really know who he is and what he's done.. who in their right mind would even want him near for longer than necessary? ]
If I can protect my son, none of this shit matters. [ what's misery in the face of the last several centuries? what's misery compared to the curse of all those he's killed?
he reaches out, one slim, callused hand flattening in the center of feng xin's chest, eyes meeting his. ] Will this count? Here and now.
[ seth's touch is light, but heavy with implication and intent. feng xin doesn't look away, but there is a grimmer set to the flat line of his lips. behind him, judgmental john hackles them on in encouragement. ]
...It counts when at least one of the involved finds release.
[ he's been there long enough to get a sense of how it goes. seth may be resigned to playing no matter what, but feng xin still stubbornly tries to feed him the rules just in case any of those loopholes may matter, in the end.
truthfully, he's a little envious. no, maybe that's not the right term here... ashamed, for sure, that this man's dogged determination to protect his son so clearly highlights feng xin's own shortcomings. should not he, too, be willing to do whatever it took, to ensure cuo cuo's safety? yet here he is, harping on about keeping one's sanity and control and consent.
one thing is for sure — seth is a far better father than he could ever hope to be. ]
I'm a ten of spades, [ he supplies a moment later, resigned in his own way. it's ultimately unnecessary, as seth's watch will log it down for him afterwards, but he's made a habit of keeping to that formality... as if to assure to whomever is his partner at the time that they'll no longer have to seek out another ten of spades for this abhorrent game if they don't want to.
it's funny, really. for someone who is so insistent on trying to make each moment feel like it's on purpose, he remains so methodically clinical at the beginning of it. ]
[ that's the thing, isn't it? seth isn't a good father, and hasn't been one in a long time. at first, yes, of course he'd been: he loves anubis more than anyone or anything else in the entire world. he'd let osiris do all of that to him just to protect his baby. his love hadn't been enough in the end, though, had it? his pride and his fear had gotten in the way, and his adoration for anubis had taken on a resentful edge.
he's trying to fix it, though. he's trying to protect him, to save him. if that means doing something like this, then so be it. at least this man isn't his brother. there's nothing covetous or cruel here. he doesn't know him, he doesn't want him, and he doesn't want to own him.
his fingers curl faintly into fabric, and he takes a breath, then a half-step closer. this near, he smells of sun and clean sand and heat, even here in the hotel away from his desert. ] No, I can't. Neither of us can if we want to get home, right? That's what this is about. [ his fingers tighten, and he uses his grip to tug feng xin the few inches that separate them, so they're practically nose-to-nose. ] You have shit to fix back there, too.
[ feng xin flinches when he's brought in close; it would have been small enough to be imperceptible, but seth's eyes bore into him with a determination feng xin has to respect and admire. if only circumstances were different. if only feng xin weren't so stubborn in his own morals. ]
I do, but... [ unstoppable force, meet immovable object. ] I won't do it at the cost of you.
[ or anyone, for that matter. reaching up, he wraps one large hand around seth's, coaxing those fingers to release him. seth may be strong, but with that bracelet feng xin is stronger, and so soon enough that hand is being drawn away. ]
I told you all that needs to happen to make it count, right?
[ he takes a couple of steps back. the elevator isn't too terrible spacious, especially with feng xin's size added to the mix, so he's soon on the other side of the small space, where he turns to face the wall. seth can probably put two and two together by then, as feng xin doesn't make it particularly discreet when he reaches into his pants to begin. well. you know. ]
[ what? seth is gobsmacked into silence, not even fighting it as his hand is drawn away, and he watches in disbelief as the other man moves to turn away from him. is he--? ]
Wait, what are you-- [ .. really? seth is here. for once, he's not even fighting it. if he hadn't said those words, seth might think he's just not attracted to him, but he'd specifically said.. at the cost of you.
does he think seth is weak? that he can't handle it somehow? ] I'm not some precious virgin! [ atem forbid seth think anyone's actually just being considerate. ] Didn't I say it's fine? [ fuck, why is he even fighting this? isn't it better like this, anyway? why does it matter if this stranger thinks he's weak? hadn't he resolved to do better, to be better? ]
[ it's... an embarrassing enough situation, fervently trying to get yourself off in the presence of another all in the hopes of getting them out of some ridiculous predicant — if feng xin had coin for every time this has happened so far, with the other party protesting it, at that, he'd have two, which yeesh isn't a lot but the fact it's happened twice at all — so being yelled at in the process certainly doesn't help to put one in the mood, so to speak. ]
It isn't fine, though.
[ he thinks of xie lian, who had been beaten down so often, for so long, that he'd learned to just view his body as any other tool to be used and abused—
feng xin grits his teeth, head bowed down to stare at his hand stuffed into his pants, pumping futilely at himself. hell, even judgmental john is staring at his back in mute shock. ]
This place is going to put you in situations like this, time and time again, so any time you can cheat it — why not take that opportunity?
[ seriously, what the fuck. does this guy just not get it? ] You idiot, [ he starts, and then can't speak past the stone in his throat. this is so stupid. people aren't supposed to be like this with him. it was already bad enough at home with horus, but at least with horus he can sort of rationalize it. here? this guy's a stranger. he's heard what seth has done.
maybe it wouldn't matter. maybe he's like this with everyone, no matter how monstrous. ]
I said it's fine, [ he finally gets out, chest heaving, overwhelmed and embarrassed and upset by his own reaction to.. all of this. ] I-- [ fuck. fuck. ] I never get to say it's okay, so why don't you fucking understand?
nbd nbd just my heart aching for seth for the nth time nbd
[ short of clobbering feng xin upside the head (and even then, it's got to be a really good hit), there's very little that can be done to stop him once he's stubbornly set his mind on something.
what seth says, though? yeah, that'll do it.
(give him a second to awkwardly draw his hand out of his pants........)
then he's turning back to face seth, tanned cheeks splotchy with embarrassment. ]
Make me understand, then.
it's fine, it's all fine!!! (nothing is fine) also just to be safe, cw: sa mentions
[ seth's own face is nearly as red as his hair and eyes, the color spreading clear down his throat in some combination of humiliation and anger. he doesn't want to talk about it, not in front of a stranger and a stupid talking painting. he wants to stuff it all in a tiny box and hide it away in the smallest, weakest, ugliest parts of him, where no one can ever find it or make him look at it again.
he almost takes it back. he almost just sits down in the corner of this ridiculous box and tells this guy to fuck off, because that would be easier and he could endure that. ]
They don't ask, [ he spits before he can change his mind. ] None of us have a choice here, but you didn't just.. [ he trails off, making a frustrated gesture. ] So it's fine! I don't mind. You're not trying to own me. You didn't just do whatever you want.
[ feng xin raises a hand to his brow, feeling that curdling of anger churn deep in his gut again. with no other outlet for it, and judgmental john's own poor timing of choosing that moment to speak up again — something derisive and condescending, he's sure. feng xin doesn't actually hear much of it before he's suddenly slamming a fist right over the portrait's face. the painted man balks, ducking away from the frame for the time being. ]
I wouldn't — Fuck, I'd never — [ fuck. fuck. can he really make such promises, knowing what this resort can get up to when it's motivated? fuck, why's he even making it about him right now?!
his hands drop to balled fists at his sides, and when he looks back to seth there's embers in the golds of his eyes. ]
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goldmods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
peacockstop2024-02-10 11:29 am
no subject
Shut the fuck up.
[ yeah, about that... if john thought seth's mouth was filthy, it's only because feng xin had been keeping relatively calm this whole time. but feng xin isn't even looking at the painting now, his sharp golden gaze fixed on the other man in the elevator with him. ]
Tell me why.
[ it's a far quieter demand than the one he'd just given to the painting, but it's clearly one that matters more to him. ]
What made you lose your faith in your followers?
no subject
he sobers abruptly at the question, though, nausea crawling through him as he balls his hands into fists. ] .. My followers? [ he inhales once sharply, forcing his fingers to relax, trying to ignore the throb of the bracelet embedded in his wrist. ] What kind of people worship a war god? [ he's thought it often since being forced to truly see the result of his rule: he never should have had followers to begin with. he never should have been worshiped. his temples should have never been raised in the first place.
would osiris still have wanted him if he'd been no true god at all? would any of this have been set in motion?
he waves a hand dismissively, turning his head from the stranger. ] My reasons don't matter. [ they're just excuses. ]
no subject
People who need protection.
[ his followers pray for peace and safety and, yes, sometimes that involves a war, and sometimes that involves violence. but a god is only as powerful as his followers, and without the latter the former would simply not exist. what else is he to do but listen? ]
You said your name is cursed. What would you give me if I asked for it?
no subject
[ and every one of his worshipers deserves death. he hasn't found even one who should be allowed to live, not after what they've done to their own kind. he'd created horror by abandoning his guardianship of kemet.
a breath shudders back out of him in a sigh, and he rubs his hand over his face, smudging the kohl at the corner of one bright red eye. ] .. Seth.
no subject
Seth. [ he says is clearly, as if in challenge. when nothing immediately happens after, he answers with his own. ]
Mine is Feng Xin. I was called General Nan Yang where I'm from, the martial god of the Southeast region.
[ there's a wry curl to the corner of his lips. ]
I guess they mean different things, between us.
no subject
he pauses, then clicks his tongue, planting that fist on his hip instead. ]
Feng Xin? [ what kind of name is that.. ]
no subject
It's Chinese.
no subject
[ he's never heard of that, or seen someone that even looks like feng xin before coming here. maybe it's a young nation, with young gods. maybe it's too far from seth's deserts for them to have had contact. maybe it simply hasn't made the mistake of going to war with him yet.
he purses his mouth thoughtfully. ]
Where is that from Kemet?
no subject
...I'm not sure.
[ all along, feng xin had been working on the assumption they were from different worlds — it's become his default, after being here for over a month. that may still well be the case, given he's never seen or heard of a war god like seth before.
after a grunt, he adds, ]
You've just shown up? It took me a while to realize how vast the reach is of our captors. We're... very likely from different worlds.
no subject
.. How is that possible?
[ ex-excuse me! john interrupts, offended by this long sidebar conversation, have you forgotten why you're here?! without even looking, seth slaps a hand over the painted face, eyes still fixed on the other man. ] Who is in charge of this.. hotel?
no subject
[ feng xin's laugh is sharp, a rough bark of derision that has nothing at all to do with seth, but everything to do with the situation at hand. and also maybe a little about judgmental john, because fuck that guy. ]
Nobody knows.
[ he leans himself back against the wall (the one not covered by john's portrait, sadly) and makes another disgruntled sound in his throat. ]
Trust me, I would have already taken care of them by now if I knew.
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he shudders, hand sliding away from the portrait, something a little bleak crossing his expression. ] I need to leave. My son-- [ the words catch in his throat, and he has to swallow hard, ignoring the lump there. ] Has anyone found a way out of this place that you're aware of?
[ he doesn't want to think of what osiris will do to anubis when he realizes that seth is just.. gone. ]
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...No. [ i'm sorry, he doesn't say, but it's there in his tone. his eyes. ] They say if you complete the game, you're granted a wish. I only know of one other who has won, and he — [ hm. feng xin doesn't know how much of anything here he trusts, but. if it can offer any bit of comfort... ]
He seems to be one of the only ones who can come and go as he pleases. I'm supposed to meet him, when he returns, and when I do, I'll get answers from him.
[ it may involve less than savory things, but. it's just par for the course with this place. ]
There are others from my world here, but they only remember what I do up to a certain time. But even though they're from an earlier time, they'd never once made mention of this place. It's possible that when we do leave this place [ when, when, always when ] we will return exactly where we're from.
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will he even know to ask? if they return, if they don't remember being here..
he has so many questions, and there are so few answers to be had right now. still, one thing seems obvious, doesn't it? he balls a hand into a fist and taps it against his outer thigh, restless, red eyes cutting to the painting, then back to feng xin. ] And this-- this stupid painting, 'punishing' me.. it has something to do with the game? If I play along with all of it.. [ he can do that. what is his pride, if it means righting such a wrong? ]
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No.
[ feng xin steps closer then, using his bulk to partly obstruct the painting, who squawks in protest. ]
The game requires you to bed people of different ranks and suits. [ he reaches out, tapping the watch on seth's wrist. ] 52, to be exact.
But this? [ he waves a hand at the elevator, the paintings. ]
These are just tools. Encouragement, they say. But there's still some way you can keep control.
[ maybe that in itself is a delusion. they're all still made to play, after all. but maybe, at this point, even a delusion can be enough. ]
Make allies. Lean on the people you've come to trust. Be wary of new locations, and untested food and drinks. Reach out for aid if you need it.
This place can be... miserable. But there are ways you can keep from losing yourself in the process.
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his mouth twists up at the corner, wry, brittle again. make allies? trust people? that's easier said than done. and who would trust him? if they really know him, really know who he is and what he's done.. who in their right mind would even want him near for longer than necessary? ]
If I can protect my son, none of this shit matters. [ what's misery in the face of the last several centuries? what's misery compared to the curse of all those he's killed?
he reaches out, one slim, callused hand flattening in the center of feng xin's chest, eyes meeting his. ] Will this count? Here and now.
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...It counts when at least one of the involved finds release.
[ he's been there long enough to get a sense of how it goes. seth may be resigned to playing no matter what, but feng xin still stubbornly tries to feed him the rules just in case any of those loopholes may matter, in the end.
truthfully, he's a little envious. no, maybe that's not the right term here... ashamed, for sure, that this man's dogged determination to protect his son so clearly highlights feng xin's own shortcomings. should not he, too, be willing to do whatever it took, to ensure cuo cuo's safety? yet here he is, harping on about keeping one's sanity and control and consent.
one thing is for sure — seth is a far better father than he could ever hope to be. ]
I'm a ten of spades, [ he supplies a moment later, resigned in his own way. it's ultimately unnecessary, as seth's watch will log it down for him afterwards, but he's made a habit of keeping to that formality... as if to assure to whomever is his partner at the time that they'll no longer have to seek out another ten of spades for this abhorrent game if they don't want to.
it's funny, really. for someone who is so insistent on trying to make each moment feel like it's on purpose, he remains so methodically clinical at the beginning of it. ]
You can still refuse, you know.
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he's trying to fix it, though. he's trying to protect him, to save him. if that means doing something like this, then so be it. at least this man isn't his brother. there's nothing covetous or cruel here. he doesn't know him, he doesn't want him, and he doesn't want to own him.
his fingers curl faintly into fabric, and he takes a breath, then a half-step closer. this near, he smells of sun and clean sand and heat, even here in the hotel away from his desert. ] No, I can't. Neither of us can if we want to get home, right? That's what this is about. [ his fingers tighten, and he uses his grip to tug feng xin the few inches that separate them, so they're practically nose-to-nose. ] You have shit to fix back there, too.
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I do, but... [ unstoppable force, meet immovable object. ] I won't do it at the cost of you.
[ or anyone, for that matter. reaching up, he wraps one large hand around seth's, coaxing those fingers to release him. seth may be strong, but with that bracelet feng xin is stronger, and so soon enough that hand is being drawn away. ]
I told you all that needs to happen to make it count, right?
[ he takes a couple of steps back. the elevator isn't too terrible spacious, especially with feng xin's size added to the mix, so he's soon on the other side of the small space, where he turns to face the wall. seth can probably put two and two together by then, as feng xin doesn't make it particularly discreet when he reaches into his pants to begin. well. you know. ]
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[ what? seth is gobsmacked into silence, not even fighting it as his hand is drawn away, and he watches in disbelief as the other man moves to turn away from him. is he--? ]
Wait, what are you-- [ .. really? seth is here. for once, he's not even fighting it. if he hadn't said those words, seth might think he's just not attracted to him, but he'd specifically said.. at the cost of you.
does he think seth is weak? that he can't handle it somehow? ] I'm not some precious virgin! [ atem forbid seth think anyone's actually just being considerate. ] Didn't I say it's fine? [ fuck, why is he even fighting this? isn't it better like this, anyway? why does it matter if this stranger thinks he's weak? hadn't he resolved to do better, to be better? ]
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It isn't fine, though.
[ he thinks of xie lian, who had been beaten down so often, for so long, that he'd learned to just view his body as any other tool to be used and abused—
feng xin grits his teeth, head bowed down to stare at his hand stuffed into his pants, pumping futilely at himself. hell, even judgmental john is staring at his back in mute shock. ]
This place is going to put you in situations like this, time and time again, so any time you can cheat it — why not take that opportunity?
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maybe it wouldn't matter. maybe he's like this with everyone, no matter how monstrous. ]
I said it's fine, [ he finally gets out, chest heaving, overwhelmed and embarrassed and upset by his own reaction to.. all of this. ] I-- [ fuck. fuck. ] I never get to say it's okay, so why don't you fucking understand?
nbd nbd just my heart aching for seth for the nth time nbd
what seth says, though? yeah, that'll do it.
(give him a second to awkwardly draw his hand out of his pants........)
then he's turning back to face seth, tanned cheeks splotchy with embarrassment. ]
Make me understand, then.
it's fine, it's all fine!!! (nothing is fine) also just to be safe, cw: sa mentions
he almost takes it back. he almost just sits down in the corner of this ridiculous box and tells this guy to fuck off, because that would be easier and he could endure that. ]
They don't ask, [ he spits before he can change his mind. ] None of us have a choice here, but you didn't just.. [ he trails off, making a frustrated gesture. ] So it's fine! I don't mind. You're not trying to own me. You didn't just do whatever you want.
cw: gestures at all of ennead, tbh
I wouldn't — Fuck, I'd never — [ fuck. fuck. can he really make such promises, knowing what this resort can get up to when it's motivated? fuck, why's he even making it about him right now?!
his hands drop to balled fists at his sides, and when he looks back to seth there's embers in the golds of his eyes. ]
So let me ask you, then.
[ let him do this properly. ]
Seth. Will you let me make you feel good?
sighs in osiris
all my homies hate osiris!!!
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