Chapter Text
Your name is ZOOEY. You would like to say you are an ordinary girl, but you are a PRIMAL BEAST who was born from the wishes of all skydwellers, and your purpose is to keep PEACE AND STABILITY in the Sky Realm. Or, it was. You were once part of a larger, embodied concept called GRAND ORDER, but after descending to the Sky Realm and learning about SKYDWELLER CULTURE, you learned to become a PERSON, and have not been able to go back to being a CONCEPT. Thankfully, GRAND ORDER was kind enough to give you your own BODY and IDENTITY, and you have been living here ever since.
You have a variety of INTERESTS. You are in love with SKYDWELLER CULTURE, and are fascinated with all that they do and create. You especially love EATING FOOD, because you never actually need to eat, and the act itself is so enjoyable that you end up eating all the time. You care for a swarm of small DRAGONS, your two closest companions being DYRN and LYRN. You love SPACE and the COSMOS, as you were once, quite literally, the universe itself. You also enjoy the OCEANS in Auguste, and have a secret fixation on SENTAI SHOWS. (Nobody can know about that one, though.)
Your chumhandle is grandeStarseed and you tend to type in lowercase... speak softly and curiously... with very precise enunciation, and use many ellipses and gentle exclamation points!
What will you do?
> Zooey: Pet a dragon immediately.
You call one of your DRAGONS over. LYRN chirrups and flaps over to your side. You give it an affectionate headpat.
Aww, it’s so cute. It enjoys chin scritches and horn rubs! All your dragons do.
You can tell LYRN apart from the others because it has a red ribbon tied in a cute bow on its tail. GRAND ORDER did this a very long time ago, and you’re not sure what went through its— your?— head when you did.
LYRN makes a small noise and curls up in your lap.
Oh no. You’ve been trapped.
> Zooey: Pester your best friend.
You are about to pick up your PORTABLE COMMUNICATION DEVICE and pester your best friend when it lights up on its own. It seems he has had the same thought and has decided to pester you first!
You’ve always been strangely connected like that. Being a PRIMAL BEAST is strange.
> Zooey: Read message.
-- icarusCradle [IC] began pestering grandeStarseed [GS] at 18:01 --
IC: hey. did you figure out the thing olivia showed you yet?
IC: she said lucifer found it in some ruins. or rather, he found books with the code for it (?)
IC: honestly, it looks like bad news, but im not going to say that to olivia
GS: hello sanchan! c:
GS: no, i have not figured it out... i haven’t heard back from olivia about it since she showed me last night.
GS: you might want to ask her yourself? i think she trusts you enough.
IC: are you kidding me she kind of hates me.
IC: or at least i think she does, she acts like im always getting on her nerves
GS: she’s like that with everyone. but i know you two are close!
IC: zooey stop being so stupidly perceptive, i hate it
IC: if we are close she doesnt act like it
IC: i really am not in the mood to deal with her passive aggressive schtick right now.
GS: hee hee. i understand.
GS: she’s been especially grumpy lately what with azazel gone.
GS: but i’m sure lucifer wouldn’t mind, he always loves talking to you...
IC:
GS: you know i’m right.
IC: but theres just no way he would want to listen to me talk
IC: he probably has something important to do
IC: or more important than answering me
GS: sanchan... he doesn’t have anything important to do anymore. he’s not the supreme primarch, you are! and you know he came back because you
IC: DONT
IC: say it
IC: no matter how many times you tell me this i wont believe it. i know i never get it but thats because i have no sense of self esteem.
GS: i wish i could make you see what i see in you... maybe you’ll understand someday if i say it enough times.
GS: if you need me to, i can pester him for you.
IC: that would be great, actually, why are you the best
GS: i’m not /the/ best, i’m just best for you, i think…?
IC: yeah
IC: <>
IC: if you could do that it would make everything a little easier i think
GS: okay. but promise me something?
IC: depends what it is.
GS: if he comes to you directly
GS: you have to talk to him.
GS: is that fair?
IC:
IC: yeah i guess thats fair.
IC: if i know he wants to be around me its a little bit easier.
IC: i have to go olivia is pestering me and i have to log off immediately i cant deal w her biting sarcasm right now
IC: talk to you soon
IC: <>
GS: hee, good luck.
GS: <>
> Be the other guy.
You can’t be the other guy yet! You are too busy being Zooey and worrying about the well-being of the other guy and petting your DRAGON.
> Zooey: Who is this other guy?
That’s SANDALPHON, your MOIRAIL!
You would call him your BEST FRIEND, which he is, but your relationship with him is actually quite SPECIAL and UNUSUAL. You seem to be connected with him on an empathic wavelength. You keep him stable, and he keeps you stable. You’re not quite sure how you would live without him. He could be considered your NON-ROMANTIC SIGNIFICANT OTHER, but that is a mouthful. You call him your MOIRAIL, which is a term you picked up from a long and fascinating GRAPHIC NOVEL you read with him once. In short, it is a committed and usually exclusive platonic relationship— you are the KEEPERS OF EACH OTHERS’ HEARTS. This is also why you leave off with a DIAMOND SIGN whenever you say goodbye. But this is all embarrassing and you do not tell anyone else this because they will think you are a strange nerd.
As for who he actually is, he is another PRIMAL BEAST, a PRIMARCH in particular. He is quite emotionally unstable and has been through two thousand years of TRAUMA and MISFORTUNE. He pretends to be ANGRY and EDGY to protect himself. But he is kind, resilient, devoted and powerful, and you know without him saying that he always has the best interests of THE WORLD at heart.
And you are an ally of THE WORLD.
> Zooey: Consider your MOIRAIL’s safety.
Is he safe? Has he slept enough? How many cups of coffee has he had today? Did he leave his room? Is he alone and sulking right now?
You are always very worried for his well-being! He does not take good care of himself! Someone has to look after him, and you’re quite glad that it’s you.
> Zooey: Pester Lucifer.
-- grandeStarseed [GS] began pestering canaanIlluminated [CI] at 18:15 --
GS: lucifer? are you there?
GS: i wanted to ask you about the tomes olivia showed us... the ones you found in the ruins?
GS: have you figured out anything about them yet?
CI: Ah. Zooey. It’s a pleasure to hear from you.
CI: To answer your question: Yes, we have made some progress. I managed to transcribe the code into a language we can understand, and it seems to be compatible with Astral technology.
CI: Possibly it interfaces with magic monoliths to create some sort of simulation.
CI: I would call it a game.
GS: so it /is/ a game… that’s interesting.
GS: do you think it’s safe?
CI: I am not sure.
CI: If it really is Astral-created, it surely would not be safe. They would not have left it behind if it was free of traps and pitfalls. They were not that kind.
CI: But we are primal beasts. If anything, it would be less dangerous for us than for skydwellers.
GS: did you manage to find any explanation on how to use it?
GS: that may be too hopeful of me, but anything would help.
CI: You are a very hopeful being.
CI: Possibly the glyphs on the walls could be a piece of the puzzle.
CI: This temple was in Canaan, hidden by multiple seals and layers of rock. It was a well-kept secret; almost like a time capsule. I was only able to access it because I was privy to all of Lucilius’ methods and technology, and I was the only one able to translate the glyphs.
CI: It was almost as if they wanted to preserve this history in case one of them survived this long. Skydwellers, or even primal beasts, may not have been meant to access it.
GS: it just makes me want to do it even more, when you put it that way.
GS: are you planning on going through with this entirely?
GS: if so, i’d like to join.
CI: From what the murals depicted, I believe this game could possibly involve the creation of a new universe.
CI: I would ask if you are prepared for that, but I know who and what you are.
GS: i’m not opposed to that, but i know someone who would be even more enthusiastic about it than i am.
CI: Sandalphon?
GS: yes! he was actually the one who asked me to ask you about it.
CI: That’s puzzling. Why didn’t he just come to me about it? I would have been happy to explain.
GS: i told him that but he didn’t believe me…
GS: you know how he is.
GS: but i’m sure if you reach out to him first, he will feel less afraid.
GS: validation from you makes him feel safe.
CI: You seem to know him very well.
CI: I would like to understand him as well as you do.
GS: you still have two thousand years worth of issues to work out with him, you know. it is up to you to do that.
CI: I will keep that in mind.
CI: Should I reach out to him now?
GS: wait, for now.
GS: i think he’s being pestered already.
GS: he said olivia was messaging him and that’s why he logged off.
CI: I see.
GS: be gentle. you know how much he needs you.
-- grandeStarseed [GS] ceased pestering canaanIlluminated [CI] --
> Be the other guy.
Okay, you can be the OTHER GUY now.
Your name is SANDALPHON. You are one of the first PRIMAL BEASTS made by the ASTRALS, called a PRIMARCH. You do not like being a PRIMARCH. It has caused you much GRIEF and TRAUMA. But you will not go into your TRAGIC BACKSTORY right now. You need to preserve the illusion of mystery and secrecy for the reader for just a little while longer.
You have a few INTERESTS. Not much catches your attention anymore, but your favorite thing is COFFEE. You love coffee so much. You often go to coffee plantations across the Sky Realm to find and sample different variants, and you especially like to roast and grind your own CUSTOM BLENDS. You make the best cup of coffee in the whole damn world, and you are proud of it. It’s one of the few things you can take pride in.
You also spend your time indulging in STORYTELLING and FICTION. There is not a lot to do when you’re not in battle, and being around people for too long tires you out, so you love to read in your spare time. You are particularly fixated on MYTHOLOGY, not just from the Sky Realm but kinds that have found their way, seemingly, across universes.
Your chumhandle is icarusCradle and you speak in lowercase quite bluntly and dont use apostrophes at all
What will you do?
> Sandalphon: Sigh pensively and look out your window.
You’ve had enough of the pensive sighing for today. You’re going to play a game, you think. And maybe it’ll be fun.
Maybe.
By all accounts so far this whole game thing seems to be much more dangerous than fun. But you’re all about putting yourself in dangerous situations.
> Sandalphon: Pester Lucifer.
No. Absolutely not. He hasn’t pestered you first or in any way insinuated that he wants to hear from you, so pestering him is completely out of the question.
Now that he’s back and not, you know, DEAD anymore, you feel like maybe you should be a little more open, a little less paranoid. But his resurrection has only served to make you even more terrified of messing things up with him. You thought you were moving on well enough— as much as someone in your position could move on, at least. You didn’t actually expect him to come back for you.
Not even “for you.” Your MOIRAIL constantly tells you that yes, he was revived simply out of the power of the SUPREME PRIMARCH’s wishes, but you don’t believe her. There is a whole world outside of you that he adored. There’s just no way that you could be the only reason he’s back, or even the most important.
You know exactly what Zooey would say to this because you’ve had this conversation countless times before. She would say something to the effect of well, then why do you think you kept his wings and his role? if he really came back through his attachments to the world as supreme primarch, then you wouldn’t have those wings on your back. he’s handed the reins over to you and now all he wants is to live peacefully, and to have another chance with you. And you would inevitably fight her on it for five to ten useless minutes, during which she would remain infuriatingly patient and let you run out of steam and arguments on your own. Why does she have to do that? Bluh bluh stupid supportive MOIRAIL bluh bluh.
You’re getting yourself in a DOWNWARD SPIRAL again.
> Sandalphon: Calm down.
The best way to CALM DOWN during one of these doozies is to go make yourself a nice cup of COFFEE. It’s always been your go-to COPING MECHANISM, apart from escapism into FICTION and making BAD LIFE DECISIONS. Which usually means you go to it after you’ve exhausted the first two options. But no matter.
You’re about to go head down to the kitchen and get started on your CRAFT when your PORTABLE COMMUNICATION DEVICE lights up. Oh no.
This can’t be good.
> Sandalphon: Answer him.
-- canaanIlluminated [CI] began pestering icarusCradle [IC]at 18:34 --
CI: Hello.
CI: I’m not sure if you’re online or if you’re just invisible. But Zooey told me to speak to you.
CI: Are you planning to join this game? Did she explain it well enough to you?
IC: oh
IC: damn it she wasnt supposed to tell you to talk to me
IC: uh yes i am hopefully going to join
CI: Did she inform you of the possible outcome? That is, what we may receive if we are successful?
IC: uhhhh no.
IC: i mean, if its a game, then isnt it just something you play for the sake of playing?
IC: unless its a gambling type, in which case there would be stakes
IC: are there?
CI: I’m not sure about the stakes, per se.
CI: But there is a possibility that, if we do well enough, we may be given the opportunity to…
CI: How do I put this?
CI: Create a new universe.
IC:
==>
You have to stop and sit down for a moment.
You’re tempted to ask him if he’s making some sort of joke, or if he’s trying to test you for any remnants of your old god complex, or something like that. But he’s not a very good liar, and he’s not that crafty.
Creating a new universe?
You used to dream about that all the time. You used to look up through the sealed-off sky from your cell in Pandemonium and dream of making a better world, where the Astrals never existed and no one was ever tortured or experimented on or locked away, where you could be a person and not a weapon. But now you don’t really know what you’d do if you made a new world. What you’d look for, what you’d focus on.
You feel more nervous than excited. More expected than expectant.
> Sandalphon: Reply.
CI: Sandalphon?
CI: Are you all right?
IC: yeah
IC: sorry, i just had to take a moment
IC: youre telling the truth, right
IC: itll really let us create a new universe
CI: It is only a theory, but one that I gleaned from the murals on the walls inside the ruins. Those tell a story of some sort.
CI: Building upwards, through new planets and into the sky, until they reached some sort of center, into which poured all sorts of materials, and what was born from it was… what looked like our realm.
CI: I cannot confirm or deny it. But the evidence seems to point towards that as a reward.
IC: well
IC: that could mean pretty much anything
IC: but you seem to know maybe too much about this kind of thing, so im inclined to believe you somewhat.
IC: who else is playing? you, me, and zooey, is that it?
CI: Usually, four players is recommended. Three players could possibly cause a serious imbalance.
CI: The most obvious fourth player I assume would be Olivia.
CI: I have no reason to believe she would be opposed to playing either.
IC: ugh youre right she would love this kind of thing
IC: its why she showed it to me in the first place
IC: i didnt expect we would actually play it though…
CI: Are you having doubts?
IC: not particularly.
IC: i just wonder if itll work out.
IC: all of us are… complicated. and weve all had thousands of years of interpersonal issues between us to deal with.
IC: if that affects the outcome of this game just because we cant get along or squabble like a bunch of school-aged skydwellers then i want no part of it
CI: That is up to us, then, to prevent.
CI: Or to use this experience to forge bonds stronger.
CI: I believe we are capable of it.
CI: You and Zooey get along perfectly, anyway, so there’s nothing to worry about.
IC: im still pretty sure olivia hates me though
IC: and
IC: well never mind
CI: What is it?
IC: i said never mind okay
IC:
IC: ill think about it and get back to you
IC: no promises
CI: Ah. Take your time, then.
CI: We will talk later.
IC: yeah
IC: ill let you know
-- icarusCradle [IC] ceased pestering canaanIlluminated [CI] --
==>
You really need to make your cup of coffee now.
> Sandalphon: Be Lucifer.
Okay, reader, that’s not cool. It’s not even funny, it’s just mean. Look, now he’s glaring at you. You know what you did. How dare you make that kind of joke when you know perfectly well what happened to him. How dare you.
> Okay, fine. Please switch to Lucifer.
Who is this elusive angel of a man anyway?
> Enter name.
Your name is LUCIFER.
You, like the other two we have been introduced to so far, are also what is called a PRIMAL BEAST. Specifically, you are a PRIMARCH, which is just a fancy way of saying you’re a beta version of other PRIMAL BEASTS, before they figured out they weren’t supposed to make them that strong. You were once the SUPREME PRIMARCH who oversaw the evolution of the Sky Realm, but a CERTAIN SERIES OF EVENTS took both that title and the WINGS that signified it from you. Or rather, you GAVE that title to SOMEONE VERY IMPORTANT, because you were going to die.
But you are no longer DEAD, and lacking the RESPONSIBILITIES of being the SUPREME PRIMARCH, you are allowed now a second chance. You were never able to tell this VERY IMPORTANT PERSON how much he truly meant to you, and you are thankful to be given this opportunity to do so.
If only he would let you.
You do not have many INTERESTS. You enjoy READING and STUDYING the SCIENCES OF THIS WORLD, watching the EVOLUTION AND INTERACTION OF SKYDWELLERS, and COFFEE. You are trying to learn to like OTHER THINGS, and find more INTERESTS of your own, since you never had the opportunities to do so before.
Your CHUMHANDLE is canaanIlluminated and you tend to type in a polite and somewhat emotionless manner, with standard capitalization and punctuation.
What will you do?
> Lucifer: Sit down and enjoy a relaxing cup of coffee.
You haven’t even put the coffee on yet! You can’t enjoy a cup when it hasn’t even been brewed.
Speaking of coffee, you really could use one of Sandalphon’s signature blends right now. It seems that in your absence, he’s gotten much better than you at experimenting and crafting a good cup of coffee.
He gave you a bag of the blend the other day, but you haven’t opened it yet. You think if Sandalphon knew this, he might be upset, but it’s really only because you wonder if you can make it the same way he does. You don’t want to waste his beans.
> Lucifer: Examine room.
This room is a temporary arrangement, as is everything. You are currently staying in CANAAN for a short while, though you don’t really know how long “a short while” actually means, mainly just to tie up some loose ends. LUCILIUS’ LEGACY has left quite a mess for you to clean up.
The room is a cluttered library, shelves stacked floor to ceiling with various BOOKS, TOMES and ENCYCLOPEDIAS. This is where Lucilius used to study, and you’ve been camping out in here for a while, clearing out his old research and destroying any implements that could be used to create anything else along the lines of AVATAR. You don’t really like it here— it has the atmosphere of something dying, and brings back too many memories, both bitter and sweet— but you’re not sure where else to go.
> Lucifer: Pore over a book or something.
You open one of the TOMES that has been sitting on the cluttered desk. It’s a book full of technological blueprints for the LABORATORY. Incubation tanks, magic obelisks, surgical machines— you shudder. You close the book.
> Lucifer: Get pestered.
Your PORTABLE COMMUNICATION DEVICE emits a small chime. You reach over the desk to examine it.
-- dusklightExile [DE] began pestering canaanIlluminated [CI] at 18:42 --
DE: Lucifer?
DE: Luciferrrr~?
DE: Stop futzing around with your textbooks and come help me find Sandalphon.
CI: Doing what with my textbooks?
CI: Ah, well. I just spoke to him.
DE: What?!
DE: He’s been offline for a few hours, how were you
DE: Oh, damn it. That sneak.
CI: He isn’t in the mood to talk right now. I would quite like it if you kept his mental well-being in mind for a spell.
DE: Is that passive aggression?
DE: From the great former Supreme Primarch?
CI: ...No?
CI: At least, I do not think so?
DE: It sure did sound like it~
DE: Well, whatever. I suppose that means you’re getting used to the whole Being A Person thing.
CI: Thank… you?
DE: You’re welcome!
DE: Anyway, I asked because he’s been avoiding me for the past 24 hours but also because we need to talk more about the game.
DE: And by the game I mean The Game. The one you found in the ruins? Or its source code, I suppose.
CI: I have already discussed the matter with both Sandalphon and Zooey.
CI: You are participating, correct?
DE: I would hope so!
DE: I’d really like to, honestly. It sounds like fun~
CI: I am unsure that I would use the word “fun” to describe such a game, but I digress…
CI: Four players would be ideal.
CI: Hm… Now that I think about it, everyone in this group seems quite disorganized. Did you not know of our conversations?
DE: No! No one is telling me anything and it’s no fun.
DE: Hm.
DE: Hold on, I have an idea… Let me pester Zooey.
> Lucifer: Be the other girl.
Which other girl?
> The one we haven’t met yet.
Oh, this MYSTERIOUS BROAD, you mean. Well. I suppose we can introduce you, dear READER.
> Mysterious broad: Enter name.
Your name is OLIVIA.
You are an ARCHANGEL with power over DUSK and TWILIGHT. Well, you were, until you FELL. After spending a good few thousand years in HELL PRISON, you broke out and vowed to help your other fallen brethren escape, tracking the movements and actions of the SUPREME PRIMARCH. Until, of course, he died and passed on his powers to your friend from HELL PRISON, Sandalphon. And now that he’s back, sans power and authority, he’s turned out to be quite kind and neutral on the issue of other FALLEN ANGELS. So you don’t really have any qualms with the SUPREME PRIMARCH anymore.
You have a variety of INTERESTS. You are primarily concerned with REVOLUTION and the destruction of CAPITALISM and PRISONS and THE PATRIARCHY and other related woes. Of course, this doesn’t mean very much considering skydweller society has not yet reached the point of late-stage capitalist despair that the writer’s society has. But you just like REVOLTING against things. You are also interested in the ELDRITCH and ZOOLOGICALLY DUBIOUS, having been in close quarters with creatures from the OTHERWORLD for quite a while. Most of all, however, you love FASHION. Very much so. Originally you did not understand the skydweller compulsion to decorate the clothes they wear just because they like them, but after being around skydwellers for so long, you have come to love the concept. You think you’re getting good at putting together cute yet practical outfits. Gotta look both fashionable and badass when you’re smashing the system.
Your CHUMHANDLE is dusklightExile and you type in a playful manner, with standard capitalization and punctuation, and like to use tildes at the ends of your sentences~
What will you do?
> Olivia: Look through your WARDROBIFIER and pick a new outfit.
Great idea! You’re always up for a change of clothes. Even if you’ve only been wearing these for a few hours.
You swap out your dark purple MINISKIRT for a nice pair of navy high-rise SHORT SHORTS. Easier to move around in. Your long lacy BLOUSE makes it look a little like you’re wearing nothing underneath it, though, so you replace it with a ruched white TANK TOP with lots of little red RIBBONS. Perfect.
RIBBONS put you in a good mood. The reason for this is a SECRET, because it’s pretty GAY.
> Olivia: Pester your friend.
Which one? You have a lot of friends lately. Or rather, maybe three or four, which is still a lot in comparison.
You already talked to Lucifer today about that weird code he found, and immediately showed it to Sandalphon, who must have talked with Zooey about it, who talked to Lucifer, who talked to Sandalphon... You’ve always felt a little left out of their circle, in a way. Zooey and Sandalphon are so close you can barely catch them apart, and Lucifer and Sandalphon are obviously in love but won’t admit it, and Lucifer and Zooey apparently go back a ways. You end up feeling like an awkward interloper, most of the time. It’s also not helpful that you may have a bit of a crush on Zooey and by a bit you mean maybe a little more than just a bit, but nobody can know that, so thank god you didn’t say that out loud!
> Olivia: Pester Zooey?
Hmm... maybe. She’s so relatively stable and well-adjusted compared to those other two dorks. So chatting with her is always a safe bet, even if you get a little fluttery on the inside.
You still have to talk to her about that Idea you had earlier, anyway!
-- dusklightExile [DE] began pestering grandeStarseed [GS] at 18:45 --
DE: Hello~?
DE: Zooey, are you around?
GS: hello there olivia! c:
GS: lucifer and i have been talking about the possibilities of the game he discovered, and i think right now he is talking to sanchan about it?
DE: Oh, I was wondering when we were all going to get on the same page regarding that.
DE: I pestered Lucifer to get Sandalphon to talk to me since he’s been ignoring me and now it’s all a mess.
DE: You know what we should do?
GS: what?
DE: Make a memo. ;)
GS: you mean like a group chat sort of memo?
GS: olivia! that’s such a good idea, i can’t believe i didn’t think of that.
GS: so much information is being passed around and i’m not sure who knows what... we need to keep track of all this somehow, and that’s a wonderful solution!
GS: thank you!! ‘u’
DE: That emote is so cute, have I ever told you that.
DE: Anyway. Shall I make it or is this a job for our grand arbitrator? ;3
GS: leave it to me!
GS: i’ll make sure all of this is organized and ready to go in no time.
DE: Wonderful.
DE: But please beware. I’ve heard the memo system on Pesterchum can have some... chronology issues.
DE: I have a feeling either you or Sandalphon will be able to handle it if those come up.
GS: why sanchan? :o
DE: Call it a hunch, I suppose?
DE: It’s just a feeling I get from the two of you. Time and space, I suppose.
GS: hmm...
GS: i think i can see what you’re talking about!
GS: i never considered sanchan a time person, but maybe he is... he’s had a lot of it.
GS: anyway! i’ll set up the memo. i hope it’s not too confusing.
DE: All right, good luck~
DE: Talk to you there, then?
GS: of course!
-- grandeStarseed [GS] ceased pestering dusklightExile [DE] --
Aaaand… right on cue. There’s a notification.
> Olivia: Open memo.
CURRENT grandeStarseed [CGS] RIGHT NOW opened public transtimeline bulletin board Untitled
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CGS RIGHT NOW opened new memo on board Untitled
CGS: “current” grandeStarseed?
CGS: hmm... okay.
CGS: any ideas on what to name this?
CURRENT icarusCradle [CIC] RIGHT NOW responded to memo.
CIC: hey
CIC: what is this?
CGS: it’s a public bulletin board!
CGS: olivia suggested we make one so everyone can keep track of where they are regarding their knowledge of the game we are putting together.
CIC: damn olivia had a good idea for once i guess
CURRENT dusklightExile [CDE] RIGHT NOW responded to memo.
CDE: Aw, Sanchan, that’s mean. I have good ideas all the time!
CIC: dont call me that only zooey gets to call me that.
CDE: Sandy~
CIC: fuck you liv you know i hate being called that
CIC: and you know exactly why
CGS: olivia, cut it out. >:c
CDE: All right, all right.
CDE: I was only teasing, you know.
CIC: still dont like it
CGS: please do not argue on my memo!
CGS: also we still need a title.
FUTURE icarusCradle [FIC] 47 HOURS FROM NOW responded to memo.
FIC: team fuck the astrals
FIC ceased responding to memo.
CGS: ...???
CGS: well, i suppose that’s the title then?
CGS changed the bulletin board name to TEAM FUCK THE ASTRALS.
CGS: thank you sanchan from... the future?
CGS: ... he’s gone.
CGS: olivia, is this what you meant when you said chronology issues?
CDE: Yes, this is what I meant!
CDE: Though I couldn’t have imagined it would come up so soon.
FUTURE dusklightExile [FDE] 37 HOURS FROM NOW responded to memo.
FDE: Yes, actually, the chronology shenanigans only started to happen when we began playing the game.
FDE: None of you can mess around with timelines yet, but when we all enter the Medium, which we will, the concept of time will hold much less meaning.
FDE: Hello, past me.
CDE: ... This is so strange.
CDE: Anyway. Maybe future-me has a point. Let’s not attempt to play with time until we start the game.
CURRENT canaanIlluminated [CCI] RIGHT NOW responded to memo.
CCI: What exactly is going on here?
CCI: Olivia, is this the idea you were talking about?
CGS: lucifer! hello. i was wondering when you would come online.
CGS: i made a bulletin board to help us all keep track of the information we’ve gathered about this game, just so there’s no misunderstandings or confusion.
CGS: now that we are back on topic and everyone is here! let’s all lay out what we know.
CGS: ... though maybe i should ban the future selves for now.
CGS banned FIC from responding to memo.
CGS banned FDE from responding to memo.
FGS banned herself from responding to memo.
CGS: !!?
CDE: Good to know future-Zooey is just as cooperative and considerate as current Zooey, at least.
CGS: i didn’t even have to say anything and she just came on and banned herself.
CIC: i have a really bad feeling about this
CIC: by this i mean being on a board where i can freely yell at past or future versions of myself
CIC: this is probably going to cause me great distress
CGS: shoosh.
CIC: no im serious
CGS: then i’ll ban all the mean sanchans when it happens.
CIC: what if all the mes are mean
CGS: i’ll ban all of them until you calm down. shooooosh.
CGS: anyway! what do we all know?
CIC: so i talked to zooey first, asked about the code that olivia showed me, she said that lucifer got it from some astral ruins, and then olivia started trying to pester me and i logged off
CIC: and then lucifer messaged me to tell me that its apparently a game and that it could possibly result in the creation of a new universe.
CGS: oh, i messaged lucifer between our conversation and yours with him.
CGS: and he told me the code was for a sort of simulation that could be compiled and interfaces with magic monoliths all over the sky realm.
CCI: Yes. We know it is a simulation-type game, that it requires access to a monolith to activate, that it may reward us with the creation of a new universe, and that the four of us were going to play it together.
CCI: The minimum amount of players required is two, but four is a very safe and stable number.
CCI: So Sandalphon and I discussed that.
CCI: I am also of the opinion that we should probably choose monoliths that are far away from each other.
CCI: Why this is, I am not sure, but from what I can fathom about the game, it is played in real-time and real space.
CGS: good summary so far.
CGS: are you sure about playing so far apart, though?
FGS unbanned herself from responding to memo.
FGS: he is correct in that assumption. make sure to spread out across the sky realm to play.
FGS: i will not elaborate on the details but everyone should make sure that their monolith is located as far away from the rest of the players’ monoliths as possible.
FGS: there are ruins on every island, mostly.
FGS unbanned FIC from responding to memo.
FIC: yeah seriously just do what she says
FIC: also we cant all go in at the same time
FIC: we need to create a four-person chain
FIC: the game runs on a server-client system, and for all of us to participate in the same session, we would have to… eugh. i dont feel like explaining this.
FIC: be right back
CCI: What?
CCI: I... don’t understand. But all right?
FUTURE icarusCradle [FIC2] 48 HOURS FROM NOW responded to memo.
FIC2: fuck it wont let me sendificate it
FIC: oh wow you already messed it up
FIC2: its not my fault. the other side is blocked.
FIC2: ughhhhh i cant get in there either now that were in the medium
FIC: @ lucifer go back to the astral ruins and wait at the shrine until further notice
CGS: ugh, i knew things would get weird. future me why did you unban everyone!
FGS: because if i did not then you all would be doomed.
FGS ceased responding to memo.
CGS: jeez.
CGS: am i always this vague and ominous?
FIC: yes
FIC2: yes
CGS banned FIC from responding to memo.
CGS banned FIC2 from responding to memo.
CGS: rude.
CGS: anyway i suppose we should listen to our future selves. lucifer, can you make it back to the astral ruins?
CCI: I can do that, yes.
CGS: it sounded like future sanchan was waiting for you there.
CCI: I’ll go now.
CGS unbanned FIC2 from responding to memo.
CGS unbanned FIC from responding to memo.
CGS: future sanchan when do you expect him there?
FIC2: is two hours enough time
CCI: It should be.
FIC: wow rushed much
FIC2: shut up
FIC: dont fuck it up
FIC2: awfully bold of you to presume i could fuck it up when its already going to happen
CGS: no arguing on my memo! >:o
FIC: sorry
FIC2: sorry
CGS: you are forgiven.
CGS: but i am still banning you both for now!
CGS banned FIC from responding to memo.
CGS banned FIC2 from responding to memo.
CDE: Wow, not even the multiple future Sandalphons can keep themselves from arguing.
CIC: see i told you this would happen
CIC: i hate time
?GS at ??:?? responded to memo.
?GS: i’m so sorry in advance sanchan.
?GS: but you are going to be having to deal with time
?GS: for a very long time.
?GS banned herself from responding to memo.
CGS: i really am that vague and ominous!
CGS: why am i always so vague and ominous?!
CIC: heh. zooey thats cute.
CGS: i am very tired of all iterations of myself being so ridiculously opaque and fatalistic.
CGS: grand order was always like this and i hoped i had outgrown it, but apparently not!
CIC: i dont know. i feel like theres a part of you that has always been inscrutable and menacing and its not often i get to see it.
CCI: I agree with Sandalphon.
CCI: Forgive me if this is disrespectful, but you are always so calm and gentle that it is easy to forget who and what you truly are, and the power you hold.
CCI: It is almost… how to explain it?
CIC: cool
CIC: it makes her sound cool
CCI: ...I suppose so.
CGS: aww, don’t fluster me like this!
CDE: And there’s our adorable Zooey back again.
CGS: olivia! ///
CIC: jeez is today like “everyone hit on zooey” day or something
CIC: everyone make incredibly obvious passes at zooey, go ahead, just fucking do it shes right there
CGS: sanchan i don’t think your sarcasm is coming through over text.
CGS: please don’t hit on me, actually.
CDE: I wasn’t hitting on you! And neither was Lucifer.
CDE: Lucifer isn’t even interested in you like that.
CIC: oh and you are?
CDE: No!
CDE: I was just talking about in terms of orientation!
CDE: Lucifer is GAY!
CCI: Everyone… please…
CCI: It is true that I am not attracted to women, and all of you know that. I hardly believe that it is an immediate signal of romantic interest to simply compliment a friend?
CCI: Unless I have it all wrong.
CIC: no you have it right youre fine
CIC: everyone stop flirting with zooey
CIC: “everyone” being liv actually
CIC: lucifer where are you rn?
CCI: On my way to the Astral ruins.
CCI: As you may know, I’ve been staying in Canaan recently to tie up loose ends. But the path to the ruins is quite precarious, and requires constant authentication.
CIC: two hours still enough?
CCI: It should be, yes.
CIC: ok i hope my future self knows what hes doing
CGS: i’m sure he does!
CGS: you should have more confidence in yourself.
CIC: im pretty sure its an ingrained instinct for me to be mean to all versions of myself
CIC: zooey how do you even do it
CIC: be nice to your different selves, i mean
CGS: well most of them don’t really look like me.
CGS: and they all talk differently as well.
CGS: maybe if your other selves weren’t complete reflections of you it would be easier?
CIC: maybe
CIC: but then again youre just kind to yourself unlike me
CGS: well… yes.
CGS: but someday i will convince you that you deserve to be kind to yourself too. <>
CIC: hey no diamonds in public
CGS: hee hee! okay.
CDE: Uuuuugh. You guys are so supportive of each other it’s almost gross.
CDE: But not quite.
CGS: i don’t know what’s gross about that.
CGS: it’s nice to support others that you care about.
CGS: you’re just jaded, olivia!
CDE: Maaaybe.
CDE: What does diamonds even mean?
CIC: its kind of an inside joke
CIC: or not really a joke but
CIC: an inside… thing.
CDE: Sounds silly.
CGS: maybe a little. but it's important to us!
CGS: where’s lucifer?
CCI: On my way.
CCI: Zooey, will you kindly unban future Sandalphon so I can know when he’s ready?
CGS: sure thing.
CGS: wait… which one?
CIC: probably the second one
CGS unbanned FIC2 from responding to memo.
FIC2: im waiting there whenever youre ready
FIC2: so if you get there before two hours pass then thats fine too
CIC: hey future self just a question
CIC: the hell did you come from
CIC: like i dont remember leaving in two hours to go meet lucifer or even thinking of doing so because youre the one doing it
FIC2: hah. okay. well just so you know
FIC2: youre going to be dealing with a lot of duplicates of yourself over the course of this game
FIC2: YOURE not going anywhere in two hours
FIC2: im an entirely separate self. different body different memories different everything
FIC2: its because youre a time player
FIC2: youll constantly be going forward and meeting future selves and then when youre there youll be going back and encountering past versions of yourself and doing shit to guide those selves but youre always going to be hostile to them by default
FIC2: its a horrible cycle of bullshit and youre going to be so tired of it but sbound gives you these roles to challenge you and not necessarily to suit your strengths
FIC2: (altho zooey and lucifer and sort of olivia got good aspects that theyre good at and idk why we got the short end of the straw)
CIC: maybe that means we eventually get good at it
CIC: but youre not far enough in the future yet so youre still kind of shit at it
FIC2: youre one to talk
CGS: oh my god you both are so insufferable.
CGS: here. i’m making a separate memo for you and all your ridiculous future selves to duke it out through text.
CGS RIGHT NOW opened new memo on board TEAM FUCK THE ASTRALS.
CGS renamed memo sanchan versus sanchan fight scene montage.
CIC: zooey this is so embarrassing
FIC2: i saw this coming
CGS: go. there. NOW.
CIC: sorry
FIC2: sorry
CGS banned FIC2 from responding to memo.
CGS: siiiiigh.
CGS: being an arbitrator is hard.
CGS: it’s hard and no one understands.
> Be Lucifer.
You are now Lucifer.
You are currently journeying through the catacombs of the ASTRAL ruins in CANAAN, as you were told to do by a mysterious future version of Sandalphon. The road is treacherous, and full of traps and rubble and authentication systems. You can handle it, though.
Future-Sandalphon told you to be there in under two hours. Before him and his current-self started arguing, you were informed that he was about to send the thing. You’re not sure if this means he will be waiting at the deepest part of those ruins, or if there is something else helpful waiting in his place. You sort of hope he will be there in person. It is always nice to see him.
==>
You come across yet another FINGERPRINT SCANNER. Though ASTRAL ruins have always looked ancient, their technology was much more advanced than that of skydwellers. It is a strange sort of anachronism. In fact, the only reason you and your friends have those SMALL COMMUNICATION TABLETS is because you stole that technology from this same lab and managed to recreate more of them. Having the same mental capacity of your creator, the ASTRAL LUCILIUS, comes in handy sometimes, and by sometimes you mean all the time.
What also comes in handy is having the same fingerprints as him. You were made in his exact image, after all, a fact that you both dread and appreciate.
You would like to think you are a kinder person than he was.
> Lucifer: Authenticate.
A rusted door slides open. Under all the age and detritus, the metal is cold and sleek and clean. It gives you chills. The ASTRALS may be gone now, but there is so much left. All of it is hard and surgical and precise, when you clear away the rubble of years.
This GAME you are about to play is no exception. You have a feeling it’s going to be very dangerous. But if anyone can handle it, it’s you, and the other PRIMALS you are about to play it with.
> Lucifer: Check memo.
You check on the memo Zooey had recently opened, to see if future-Sandalphon has anything else to say to you. Instead, you find two Sandalphons arguing with each other, and a frantic Zooey attempting to mediate before finally banishing them off to their own board.
You sigh.
> Lucifer: Update memo on your progress.
CCI: I think I may be ten minutes or so away from the shrine.
CCI: I’m not sure if future-Sandalphon can respond but I am just making sure that he is aware.
CGS: hello c:
CGS: i sent them off to go have their little spat somewhere else, so future-sanchan is banned for now and current-sanchan is probably occupied.
CGS: future-sanchan is almost definitely aware. he did say he was waiting.
CCI: That’s good to hear, at least.
CCI: These tunnels are awful. I am enjoying this trip as much as I enjoyed the last one.
CCI: Which is to say, I am not.
CGS: lucifer! you did a joke!
CCI: Did I?
CCI: Oh, I suppose I did.
CCI: I think I am making progress. Don’t you think so, Zooey?
CGS: yes! ^u^
CGS: developing an individual voice and sense of humor is integral to the formation of identity.
CGS: it took me a little while to learn what “i” sounded like. but i think i have a pretty unique way of talking and typing as well now.
CGS: and at least i’m not so vague and confusing anymore.
CCI: I can attest to that. You were once very… distant and fatalistic.
CGS: yes, i was…
CGS: hopefully i’m easier to talk to these days.
CDE: Zooey, you’ve always been soooo easy to talk to. It’s quite calming being around you.
CGS: hee hee. c:
> Lucifer: Stop dawdling and get to that shrine.
You don’t like being rushed.
> Okay, take your time.
Thank you.
Maybe we should switch to someone else while we wait.
> Be Sandalphon.
You are now Sandalphon.
You have been talking quite antagonistically to a future version of yourself for a while now. Zooey locked the memo for you, bless her, so only versions of yourself can post in it, and no one else (save Zooey herself, probably, since she’s the admin) can read it. This way, you don’t have to worry about Olivia seeing this and making fun of you, or Lucifer’s opinion of you dropping any lower than you’re sure it already is.
You’re not even sure why you do this to yourself. Just… every version of you is so haughty or self-important, like they’re so much smarter than you just because they’re in the future, and you hate it. You hate their snark and their self-defeating attitude and the way they act like you’re all imminently doomed. Ugh. You hate yourself so much.
==>
CIC: seriously i dont know and i dont want to know.
CIC: youre acting like everythings just going to end up being futile and theres nothing any of us can do about it.
CIC: and it makes me so mad. so what if it is? why cant we at least /try/ to make things better?
CIC: god just let us go through this ourselves before you start coming in here and yelling about how you told me so you told me so
FIC: i dont see why you care so much
FIC: your optimism doesnt suit you
FIC: you know exactly how fucking depressed you are and it really doesnt line up with your image
CIC: so what if it doesnt. what if i want to get better.
CIC: what if things ARE going to be okay and i want to believe that.
CIC: is it some sort of crime to recover from trauma or change the horrible awful person you know yourself to be?
CIC: im finally starting to believe good things about myself, i dont need this particular strain of self-hate in my life right now
FIC: its always been in you no matter what you say
FIC: if it wasnt us fighting you it would just be you in your own damn brain
CIC: i dont CARE
CIC: let me feel like im doing something good and useful for once
FIC: but youre NOT
FIC: everything you do is just going to end in failure and thats not even entirely your fault
FIC: its just the way things are and its the way time players are, so youre going to have to get used to it
FIC: the fact that youre constantly acknowledging the ways in which you fucked up and constantly seeing dead versions of yourself and all your friends
FIC: always addressing your own failures and realizing over time that you are really just a piece of shit, no matter what you do.
FIC: you are the useless scrap. its you.
CIC: shut up. just shut up
CIC: i dont want to hear it anymore
FUTURE icarusCradle [FIC2] 1 HOUR FROM NOW responded to memo.
FIC2: im sending lucifer the damn guide
FIC2: hes made it to the shrine i dont think he knows theres a time capsule there
FIC: good
FIC2 ceased responding to memo.
FIC: now that we have that squared away
CIC: i hate the time aspect i hate the time aspect i hate the time aspect i hate the time aspect
CIC: wheres zooey when i need her im so fucking mad
FUTURE icarusCradle [FIC3] 13 DAYS FROM NOW responded to memo.
FIC3: its possible.
CIC: what
FIC: what
FIC3: dont listen to that asshole
FIC3: @ current me
FIC3: youre okay
FIC3: you guys will be okay
FIC3: yeah your session is doomed and so is your whole universe
FIC3: but it doesnt have to be
FIC3: theres a way out you just dont know it yet, and itll be a way you wont see coming
FIC3: just… trust in zooey, and trust in your own decisions, and clean up your own dead bodies as you go.
FIC3: and dont self-prototype, fuck
FIC3: it should be obvious, i cant believe i have to say that, but please just fucking dont self-prototype. its horrible and the worst idea.
FIC3: i have to go
FIC3: were passing through another dreambubble and theres friends i have to meet
FUTURE icarusCradle [FIC4] 8 DAYS FROM NOW responded to memo.
FIC4: wait tell me one thing
FIC3: oh my god
FIC4: is lucifer alive in your timeline
FIC3:
FIC3: yes.
FIC3: in no small part thanks to your future efforts.
FIC3: just do the right thing
FIC3 ceased responding to memo.
FIC4: you know what
FIC4: he was right
FIC4: there is something i can do
FIC4 ceased responding to memo.
FIC: damn it why are all my future selves past a certain point so sure of themselves
FIC: let me hate on myself fuck you
CIC: your loss.
CIC: im leaving now
CIC ceased responding to memo.
FIC: fuck
> Be Lucifer again.
You are now Lucifer.
You’ve made it to the inner sanctum of the ASTRAL ruins where Sandalphon directed you to go. This deep in, it looks kind of like a shrine. The MURAL PAINTINGS are massive and worn by time, and you can’t tell what’s happening in half of them. But some of them make more sense. The one on the right wall is concerned especially with frogs. Why frogs?
> Lucifer: Update future-Sandalphon.
CCI: I’m here.
CCI: Zooey, can you kindly unban him for me?
CGS: if he promises to behave himself.
CGS unbanned FIC2 from responding to memo.
FIC2: okay good you made it
FIC2: listen carefully
FIC2: do you see that weird circular platform behind the pedestal
==>
You walk around the enshrinement where you found the codes buried.
There’s a pile of rocks and rubble and twisted metal where he told you the platform would be. Upon first glance it seems innocuous enough, but when you take a closer look, all the debris is covering what looks like a platform, rising just a little bit above the dirt-covered floor. Enough to look important.
==>
CCI: Yes, I see it.
FIC2: its covered with rubble and shit isnt it
CCI: Yes. It doesn’t look impossible to clear out, though.
FIC2: ok can you clear it off then
FIC2: sorry to make you do all the work.
CCI: It’s all right.
CCI: I can do it, just wait a few moments.
==>
You push the stones away with your feet, clearing the larger ones and sliding them off the pedestal. They’re only about a little bigger than your head, so it’s not as if it’s impossible to get all the rubble out of the way. You kick the smaller stones away. They bounce down into the weird moat surrounding the shrine.
Under the white chalky rock, and with the dust swept off, you notice the platform’s polished metal surface.
==>
CCI: Is that…
FIC2: yeah thats a sendificator platform
FIC2: im sending you something right now
==>
Suddenly, with a little white flame, a large TOME of some sort appears on the platform.
> Lucifer: Examine.
You examine the TOME.
It is old, and the pages are aged and yellow, and it smells like chalk dust and ancient book. It also has a few… are those bloodstains? Possibly bloodstains on the opening pages. The binding reads: SBOUND FAQ AND WALKTHROUGH.
CCI: Sbound? Is that the name of this game?
FIC2: thats what its called
FIC2: i didnt name it, it seems like its been named that for a very long time
FIC2: the first chapter should tell you i guess what i was too lazy to explain
FIC2: which is about how to operate sessions with more than two people
CCI: May I ask where these bloodstains came from?
FIC2: oh thats mine
FIC2: trust me you dont want to know
FIC2: doomed selves and messy deaths
CCI: ...Oh.
CCI: Are you all right?
FIC2: i guess
FIC2: as much as i can reasonably be in this situation and also considering who and what i am
FIC2: traumatized
FIC2: depressed
FIC2: full of pining and self destructive impulses
FIC2: but what else is new
CCI: I suppose that makes sense.
CCI: I’m sorry.
FIC2: youve already done enough apologizing
FIC2: anyway you should probably get out of the ruins for now
FIC2: bring that back to wherever youve been staying and let everyone read through it for now
FIC2: sound like a plan
CCI: It does.
FIC2: okay good.
FIC2: now since ive done my job its time for me to fly up into the sun like a fucking piece of gargbage
FIC2: close the time loop and all that
FIC2: bye
CCI: ?
CCI: I don’t understand?
FIC2 ceased responding to memo.
CCI: Oh no.
?GS at ??:?? responded to memo.
?GS: sigh…
?GS: lucifer, if there’s one thing you have to know about sanchan during this game…
?GS: it’s that he kills himself a lot. and i can’t really do anything to stop it.
CCI: Oh gods. Why not?
?GS: it’s the nature of being a time player and using time travel.
?GS: he goes back or forward and changes things, but paradox space doesn’t allow people to leave their time loops open. so the version of him that travels through time is imminently doomed, and will die at some point.
?GS: i really don’t like seeing them die, but unfortunately, that seems to be unavoidable.
?GS: he would much rather have control over when and how he does die. i would prefer he keep his alternate selves alive for a bit, but he’s said before that he doesn’t want them getting in the way.
CIC: understandable
CIC: that really sounds like something i would do too
?GS: fly up into the sun like a piece of garbage?
CIC: no, fly up into the sun like a FUCKING piece of garGbage, get it right future zooey.
CGS: you are silly, sanchan. i do not like to swear! even in the future, i hope.
CGS: and you’re not even a piece of garbage, or gargbage.
CIC: that version of me sure did sound like one.
CIC: anyway im really curious as to what future me was giving lucifer
CIC: lucifer let us know when you get back so we can look through the book together.
CCI: I will.
CCI: I am also quite curious as to the author of this book.
CCI: Examining it now, it says it was written by dionysianTactician, Rogue of Mind…
CCI: Are there really other players from our universe? Who else is playing this game? Or are they from a different universe entirely? If so, how did future Sandalphon get his hands on it?
CCI: I would have loved to ask him this.
?GS: unfortunately it is too late to do so.
?GS: i will, however, tell you this.
?GS: you meet him, later. DT, i mean.
?GS: but that is all i will say on the matter.
?GS ceased responding to memo.
CGS: …
CIC: you really are that vague and ominous
CGS: ...is what i was going to say, yes.
CGS: <>
CIC: yeah yeah <> you too