Video: UN - CentaursTesticle

[alternia_strength]

[Equius was standing in the forge, staring at something. His omni was turned on because his omen was a touch concerned about him. He just had a vacant, slackjawed look. The image he was looking at was in the mirror, and it looked almost like a portal to another place. The city is drab, colorless, without a speck of living beauty to it. Its people walk, nearly faceless and expressionless in a muted way, pacing about their business without a thought.]

This is not accurate. I... do not remember this. It was never this bad...

[He reached out to touch the portal, like he was trying to reach through, but his fingers just passed through it and he growled in irritation.]

Bah, this is a vision. Of course it is. The color returned to that place. That, and the palace was badly damaged last I recall... Bah, they are toying with my think pan again.

Eh? Arthour shut that off. It is not necessary to see this. I do not require assistance. Now, what was I...

[He was staring at the image again, transfixed. Confused. Might actually need help to snap him out of this.]

Comments

audio; UN: TripleJ

[kyley_b]

Uh, dude? Dude, you okay?

[alternia_strength]

Eh... who's speaking? Is someone...

[It took him a second, and there was a snapping of fingers from his omen before he blinked and broke his gaze away. Oh, someone was speaking. He looked at the username. Right. Kyle human.]

Ah, it is you. Yes, I am fine. Why do you ask?

[He was not fine, but he wasn't in danger at least.]

video; UN: TripleJ

[kyley_b]

[He sighs and switches to video - looks like it might be hard to keep his attention. Kyle looks pretty rough.]

It's Kyle, yeah.

You look really out of it, and as someone who spent a month getting gradually more fucked up? I'm concerned for you.

[alternia_strength]

[A pale, white hand rested on his shoulder, shifting him around while he wasn't paying attention. It caused the view of the portal to be behind him, which seemed to help his concentration and he grunted, smiling awkwardly.]

Out of it? Ah, I apologize. I was just looking through the portal. Something seemed inaccurate, and it was occupying my think pan.

[He looked a little better now that he wasn't staring at it, but he was taking a minute to get back to normal.]

[kyley_b]

Yeah, I think you're right in assuming it's trying to toy with your think pan.

[He waves a little.]

So, like, I think maybe you should go away from the portal thing, dude. I can safely say that anything trying to distract you hardcore? Probably not going to be good for you.

[alternia_strength]

I did not say toying. It was not... hmmmm... ah, yes perhaps this was them afflicting my mind. That is a possibility. It would explain the disparity.

[He grunted and shook his head, glancing over his shoulder. A pause followed, before Aurthor gave him a smack on the face and he blinked.]

Yes. Away from the portal. There is no returning to Asgard. Excuse me a moment.

[He picked up the omni and started to walk away, getting some distance, and looking far less confused with every step.]

Is it unusual to give us altered visions of our pasts?

[kyley_b]

Yeah. I don't think we can go back anywhere unless it's through the sea.

No, it's pretty fucking common, I think. Like in some form or another.

[alternia_strength]

We were informed when the gates finally closed that there would be no true return. It was an accepted fact. And besides, the colors of the city were returned. Perhaps it is a doomed timeline where none were summoned.

Bah. Alternate doomed timelines. I seem to have a history with them.

[kyley_b]

Maybe.

You've seen a lot of them?

[alternia_strength]

I have only experienced them through proxy. [he grunted and shifted his weight as he settled into a new seat.] Ours was a doomed timeline, though I have been told that a fool fixed it and now it is not, even if my version of events is inherently doomed.

Time shenanigans are complex.

[kyley_b]

I really hate that phrasing. 'Doomed.' Like there's no hope at all. Which I guess is exactly the case, but... I dunno. Feels so final.

God, they really fucking are. You guys are so chill with them, though.

[alternia_strength]

In these particular cases, it was an accurate use of the terminology. Certain actions were taken which solicited a result whereby success was not possible in any metric, leading to the eventuality of destruction. It was merely a matter of temporal passage at that point.

I am not exactly ... chill as you put it. More resigned to their insufferable existence.

[kyley_b]

Yeah. Yeah, it still sucks.

Oh. Yeah. Jeez.

[Kyle sighs.] Can you avoid that portal until it goes away?

[alternia_strength]

It is not such a significant issue. That is not my homeworld. It simply dredges up memories of a time in another dream bubble after my expiration. I doubt it will prove a problem in the long run to avoid.

[He grunted, folding his arms.]

I have not explained Asgard to you, I believe, have I?

[kyley_b]

Uhm, no. No, you haven't. You went there after you died?

[alternia_strength]

Yes... and no? So, after expiration, we continued to exist in dream bubbles conjured by one of my fellows, wherein various other doomed timelines existed. Apparently I continued to persist, was fused with another to meld together into the equivalent of someone's omen, only to watch them fail and expire again and culminate the doomed timeline, or something like that?

And then one of the few survivors reset events entirely in temporal shenanigans that began shortly after my expiration. And yet, I arrived in Asgard from before all of that.

So... it is complicated, and Asgard is not entirely unlike this place? Only with less color, and a lot less blood. Considerably less blood. And the proper color.

[kyley_b]

That sounds... really frustrating.

Huh. It's funny, isn't it, how many weird little places exist where you just like, wake up there? With people from all over.

[alternia_strength]

Hmmm... that is a word for it. I suppose I was frustrated. You can ask Karkat. Most of us were frustrated, but we also spent most of our existence being frustrated with each other. He simply included being frustrated with himself.

I have been informed that others have experienced it before arriving here. It is making me certain the multiverse is reality.

[kyley_b]

Karkat finds life in general sort of frustrating.

Yeah, I think it MUST be. Which is... sort of exhilarating? But not something I want to contemplate too long.

[alternia_strength]

That is a very succinct way of describing him. [He laughed darkly, which was itself an oddity. But he was sort of getting back into his think pan space.]

I suppose I have grown accustomed to the idea myself, but I think perhaps I have built up a certain amount of tolerance in my life for oddity. [that and, though he wouldn't admit it, he was the sort to just 'go with the flow' a lot more than his gruff demeanor sounded.]

[kyley_b]

I mean, I do spend a lot of time with him.

Dude, I understand that. Weird shit happening is just like... life. Here it just happens to be generally kinda violent.

I still think you should avoid portals though. They seem sneaky.

[alternia_strength]

That may be for the best. This was harmless, but if something were to emerge, given the time frame, it could easily have been Surt, and I am not exactly up to that strife personally.

He was rather robust.

[Yes, the Fire Giant who initiates the end of the world was 'rather robust.']

[kyley_b]

Okay, not entirely sure what that is, but if you think it's tough it's probably fucking terrifying.

[alternia_strength]

Fire giant. He was king of Muspleheim, and the initiator of the war of the end of the world. Quite beefy. Was legitimately impressed when I saw him from a distance.

[kyley_b]

Wow. Okay.

Yeah. That's terrifying.

[alternia_strength]

Terrifying? oh no. It got my blood pusher racing with exc...

Oh right...

Yes, everyone else was running screaming who didn't have a weapon in hand. And then there was that one crazy person with the axe, but they were aiming for his ally. The ice queen had to die. Surtr could at least ... he was predictable.

[kyley_b]

...are you saying it made you horny?

[alternia_strength]

What? Glob no. I didn't know enough to develop an infatuation. he was simply powerful! It was nothing like with that witch!

[...uh... he might have a hangup about Marisa.]

[kyley_b]

No judgement, dude.

What witch? [Ooo, troll gossip.]

[alternia_strength]

Ngh... it was a stupid blonde witch. Marisa by name. She kept picking fights with me, and would make such a scene of it. I am quite certain that she did not understand the impact the attention had. But ...

Humans usually can't take that much punishment and keep smiling. It was impressive.

[kyley_b]

Ohhh, I get it. She didn't realise she was totally flirting with you. Aw, that's too bad.

Yeah, we're usually pretty fragile.

[alternia_strength]

She did not even seem to understand well when explained. She may not have been the most perceptive of souls. [Putting it mildly.]

She is one thing, and it is not fragile. I assure you.

[kyley_b]

I'm sorry, that sucks.

...you, uh. Gonna be okay there, buddy? Looking a little sweaty.

[alternia_strength]

[He scrawled on paper and produced a towel to mop his head.]

Perhaps... a little perspiration. It ... is fine. Just old infatuations. That is all. I have not seen her in a sweep, honestly. I suspect she will not come to this place.

[kyley_b]

You miss her?

[alternia_strength]

Hmmm... no. Not exactly. It was an infatuation. It's kind of like thinking about someone who really attracted you once. I might take things up if I ever saw her again. Maybe. Probably not. But maybe.

But we never connected far past flirtation.

[kyley_b]

I get that.

Ah, yeah. Cool.

[alternia_strength]

I personally think that infatuation is a thing that it would be best served if I move beyond for the time being. It interferes with my capacities to create proper wonders. So much less time to create something when I am busy worrying about the exchange of bodily fluids.

[kyley_b]

Dude. I love the troll way with words.

Alright, well. Stay away from portals, dude. I'll check in on you later, maybe.

[alternia_strength]

It is at least good to see someone appreciates the importance of proper nomenclature. [That's totally it, dude.] I will endeavor to follow through on the advice. You do likewise.

text | carcinoGeneticist

[klawful]

WHAT CRYPTIC KIND OF BULLSHIT IS THIS

[alternia_strength]

[It took a moment for him to get back to Karkat. There was some snapping him out of it by Kyle involved first. He grunted before replying to the troll who probably qualified as one of his only fronds in this ...

DID HE JUST USE THE WORD FROND IN HIS MENTAL VOCABULARY?

That was it. he was finding think pan bleach. He would not be caught thinking like Feferi.]

D --> That would be the local equivalent of a dream bubble
D --> At least that is my current running assertion of e%actly what I observed
D --> Though if you must know the content of what I was e%pounding upon
D --> That was the Holy City of Asgard
D --> Though not e%actly as I remember it
D --> It was never so colorless when I was present
D --> We were mid process when I arrived

[klawful]

SO, WHAT. PROBABLY A DISTORTION THEN. BAD TIMELINE?

(Is this.....................comforting...?)

[alternia_strength]

D --> Genuinely possible
D --> A timeline of Asgard where color was not reestablished
D --> Which would place Surtr as supreme
D --> It would probably be hazardous if anything from a timeline such as this arrived
D --> He was moderately robust

[Understatement of the year, Equius.]