10-10-2017, 06:06 PM
Tearen tilted his head back slightly as a wry smirk blossomed across his face. He was silent for a short while, long enough for a light breeze to blow a loose strand of still-damp hair in front of Kelly's face. The traveler moved his hand to replace it, but found that it had already been brushed back behind his ear by Tearen's mental digits.
"Hmmm...I suppose that answer will do. But let your first lesson be this; never be too proud nor yet too humble to simply give someone your name." Tearen said softly, crossing his arms. Kelly wore a dry expression but nodded in acceptance.
"My name, then, is Kelly MacAryn. I-" Kelly started before Tearen held up a palm for silence.
"Secondly, never think so hard that you drop your mental guard in the presence of two well-known telepaths." the Shadow said, gesturing towards the diminutive Princess at his side. Guu raise a round hand to her mouth and uttered a forced "Ho. Ho. Hooh." without deviating from her perpetually bored visage. MacAryn gave the ex-enigma a hard stare for a minute before Tearen cracked a grin and belted out a short bout of laughter.
"Ah shit, I'm totally bullshitting you. I'm Tearen and this is Guu. Come on MacAryn, we'll get you introduced to the others." the Elder Prime said, putting a hand to Kelly's back and ushering him over to the stone bunk house. Kelly, at this point, had no idea whether Tearen or Guu had been able to successfully scan the entirety of his internal deliberation. Seeing that he was apparently being taken in, however, the journeyman decided not to press the issue.
Malon, or rather Maru, was busy preparing a sumptuous breakfast. The smell of the feast gradually drew the other disciples back to the camp, for by this time, no one could resist the allure of the Hylian's cooking. They dined in friendly, relative silence as Tearen and Kelly discussed the fundamentals of his animistic worldview. Much of the information that was exchanged were concepts that the other psychic was already familiar and proficient with, further convincing the Eldritch Prime that MacAryn would make an excellent Enigma. Tearen also took particular note of the fact that Kelly was the only one at the table to eat any of the strawberries that had been set out.
Morning passed into early afternoon, and it was when the rainforest was at its most insufferable that Tearen bade all of his guests out to the pavilion one last time. He let a hand brush against the cool, carved granite pillars. He had originally planned this location to last much longer; it was a pity that it would all soon be naught but another vine-choked ruin within the Tangled Green. Forest birds keened and bayed as the sun reached its crest in the sky. The Elder Prime had asked everyone to sit in a circle around him as he stood, with their legs crossed. They did so and shared in a prolonged session of meditation.
Some were better at it than others, but the real reason Tearen had asked them to sit in silence was so that he could calm his own nerves. Guilt was rising within him, carrying with it a bolus of panic that rested at the crest of his throat. His whole body was tense as his own thoughts raced, thinking about whether or not this was the right thing to do...whether they would be damaged irreparably by this process...and whether he was just trying to subconsciously guarantee his own immortality in the face of his desired doom. A gentle knock came in the back of his mind, and Tearen peeked with a single eye to catch Guu staring at him from her place of sitting. She, of all the Primes here, knew what his offered knowledge entailed. Her sullen gaze carried unspoken words; a simple truth conveyed with utmost severity.
Never falter in the face of infinity.
It happened suddenly. A sharp rumbling began to permeate the gazebo, and when the startled disciples opened their eyes, Tearen was gone. In his place hovered an ever-widening maw of darkness, drawing loose stone and foliage into its ebony blackness.
"WHAT THE SHIT." was Karkat's appropriate response as the collected Primes were drawn towards the gulping void. A white flash ricocheted off the crumbling pavilion roof as Strazio tried to nail a fist into the floor, but it was for naught. Malon, stricken dumb by panic, watched in awe as Guu simply allowed herself to get sucked into the raging black hole, still in a seated position. A moment passed, and the Hylian remembered her own immortality. With a small whimper, she let go of the nearest column and allowed herself to be drawn into Tearen as well. One by one the Primes saw the others relenting to the inevitable, until only the mutant troll remained. He watched in combined dismay and anger as Gamzee tumbled, cackling, into the tenebrous orb before giving in as well.
"THIS IS STUPID!" he cried before running out of strength and joining his companions...
At first there was blackness. Perhaps to be expected.
They, whoever they might be, could no longer distinguish themselves from the others...for there never had been any. There had only ever been God, which it was, and always would be. God was there, in themselves, and now God remembered.
It remembered the cruelty of a new Lord under a rusted sky.
It remembered listless, endless nights trying to keep the rage at bay.
God also remembered keeping a crimson secret.
It remembered running from the parents who would betray it.
They could recall despair and pain, and using that to fuel themselves.
God remembered books. Countless, glorious, wonderful books...and a betrayal of its own.
There was also much that God could not remember.
It also remembered its daughter...its wife...its home...and the Faustian pact that had lead it here, once again.
There was much that God wished it did not remember, for to recall pain was to relive it. But without pain there was no learning. Without pain, it could not know joy, and there was much joy to remember.
God remembered flying. It loved flying; in spite of everything else that it had ever done, flying never ceased to bring joy.
Baby horses.
New maths.
Pie.
Shouting.
Friends in arms.
A new family.
Seeing a plan come together.
All of these things were God as well, for God was everything, and its name was Universe. Every thought, every quantum hiccup, every step taken was known by God, for these things were God's as well.
In this, it knew that it could change any of it, at any time, for any reason it wanted to. This power did not control God, but that did not mean God controlled themselves. What might God do, with omnipotence at its fingertips, if it was...
Angry Loving Happy Sad Irritated Scared Dour Bitter Content...Bored? God did not control itself, but that did not mean God did not own itself. Could it not do with itself as it pleased?
No. Because to harm people or animals or plants was to harm God, and though these things might indeed cause hurts of their own nature, it was their choice to do so. But then was it not God's choice as well? For they were of the Universe, and that was the name of God.
Perhaps. But to control the Universe...control God...would mean things...stopped. A human breathes on their own, and they can choose to stop, but not for long, or they end. So must the Universe breathe, and the Breath of the Universe is the stepping, and the hiccuping and all the rest that God chooses not to control.
But in that regard...
...in that regard...
...there can be many voices in one mind. God knew this from experience. What if one of God's voices wanted to hurt the Universe? Control it?
Strangle the Breath?
Silence the voice.
The Universe must Breathe.
Bugs must crawl and babies must cry.
Stars must burn and planets die.
There is no choice.
God doesn't feel like rhyming anymore.
Yeah, yeah. The Universe understands all of this now. The Universe has been over it like a million times. How does the Universe make rocks float?
Oh yeah.
That.
A shower of sparks which is a million stars blooms from the central point. That central point is nowhere, because there has never been that which has been something to come from. Genesis. Hands crawl across the dusted escarpment of a thousand dead nations, seeking to attain that which they dare not speak aloud. It is too bold. No one can achieve it, yet they dream it and joke of it all the same. A splash of rainbow across the canvas of infinity reveals the numbers which define it, in that there are none. Limited minds cannot grasp the depth and breadth of infinity, for there is none. Infinity can be smaller than a speck or larger than God. Infinity is not a thing, it is light and color and noise and noise and noise and noise. Endless all of these things which can be experienced left, right and up and down and end over end for all time.
Planets shift and moons crumble, turn into rings, and become moons again. Time is a feeble way to grasp at something that never was. Ignore it. Spurn it. Hate it. God is infinite and therefore cannot be measured nor summarized. Refuse this. Do not define, and do not assume. See what you are seeing and see that you are God. God is...on fire, underwater, spinning through pulsating matrices of hatred and passion that burn out into golden cinders of loving-care. Sing the song that spins the world you wish to see, and let it spin away. Crush it, blend it, and then reform it, but only when it is done spinning. Done
Breathing
Because that cannot exist forever which is made to have beginning and end. Red is infinite. Sound itself is infinite. Vibrations and energy are infinite. Trust in these things, and see yourself in them, for all else will crumble and fade. Entropy, my love, is also infinite. Minds come and minds go, twirling through the glinting aether of ephemeral impermanence, daring to dream that which they already grasp in their hands. There is no skill needed, only...
Permission
You have permission. You have always had it. There is no method. There is no trick. You do as you Will, for that is your right as God.
I cannot possibly make this any simpler.
Now go back into yourself, Universe. There is a Voice to silence.
There was an immense bang. The collected disciples of Tearen found themselves hurled clear of the pavilion and onto the soft jungle loam beyond. Whatever spacial rift the Elder Prime had torn open had apparently exploded, if the ruined, smoking rubble was anything to go by. Guu was the first back on her feet. This sort of thing had been a way of life for uncounted eons, in her previous life. Certainly, it had been a long time since she'd been a part of something like that, but it was a bit like riding a bicycle.
The Princess glanced around at the other Primes who were still reeling from the experience. One or two of them had vomited already, and it would probably be a while before they were able to come to their senses. To his credit, Tearen had been able to reassemble their individual minds mostly intact, but she could feel bits and pieces of the other disciples swimming around in the cracks of her conscience. She supposed she could purge them at her leisure, and in time, the others would learn how to do that as well. For now, the Princess contented herself with sitting on a nice, flat rock and watched the newly christened Enigmas flail around with their newfound prowess.
As for Tearen Wover?
He was gone.
"Hmmm...I suppose that answer will do. But let your first lesson be this; never be too proud nor yet too humble to simply give someone your name." Tearen said softly, crossing his arms. Kelly wore a dry expression but nodded in acceptance.
"My name, then, is Kelly MacAryn. I-" Kelly started before Tearen held up a palm for silence.
"Secondly, never think so hard that you drop your mental guard in the presence of two well-known telepaths." the Shadow said, gesturing towards the diminutive Princess at his side. Guu raise a round hand to her mouth and uttered a forced "Ho. Ho. Hooh." without deviating from her perpetually bored visage. MacAryn gave the ex-enigma a hard stare for a minute before Tearen cracked a grin and belted out a short bout of laughter.
"Ah shit, I'm totally bullshitting you. I'm Tearen and this is Guu. Come on MacAryn, we'll get you introduced to the others." the Elder Prime said, putting a hand to Kelly's back and ushering him over to the stone bunk house. Kelly, at this point, had no idea whether Tearen or Guu had been able to successfully scan the entirety of his internal deliberation. Seeing that he was apparently being taken in, however, the journeyman decided not to press the issue.
Malon, or rather Maru, was busy preparing a sumptuous breakfast. The smell of the feast gradually drew the other disciples back to the camp, for by this time, no one could resist the allure of the Hylian's cooking. They dined in friendly, relative silence as Tearen and Kelly discussed the fundamentals of his animistic worldview. Much of the information that was exchanged were concepts that the other psychic was already familiar and proficient with, further convincing the Eldritch Prime that MacAryn would make an excellent Enigma. Tearen also took particular note of the fact that Kelly was the only one at the table to eat any of the strawberries that had been set out.
Morning passed into early afternoon, and it was when the rainforest was at its most insufferable that Tearen bade all of his guests out to the pavilion one last time. He let a hand brush against the cool, carved granite pillars. He had originally planned this location to last much longer; it was a pity that it would all soon be naught but another vine-choked ruin within the Tangled Green. Forest birds keened and bayed as the sun reached its crest in the sky. The Elder Prime had asked everyone to sit in a circle around him as he stood, with their legs crossed. They did so and shared in a prolonged session of meditation.
Some were better at it than others, but the real reason Tearen had asked them to sit in silence was so that he could calm his own nerves. Guilt was rising within him, carrying with it a bolus of panic that rested at the crest of his throat. His whole body was tense as his own thoughts raced, thinking about whether or not this was the right thing to do...whether they would be damaged irreparably by this process...and whether he was just trying to subconsciously guarantee his own immortality in the face of his desired doom. A gentle knock came in the back of his mind, and Tearen peeked with a single eye to catch Guu staring at him from her place of sitting. She, of all the Primes here, knew what his offered knowledge entailed. Her sullen gaze carried unspoken words; a simple truth conveyed with utmost severity.
Never falter in the face of infinity.
It happened suddenly. A sharp rumbling began to permeate the gazebo, and when the startled disciples opened their eyes, Tearen was gone. In his place hovered an ever-widening maw of darkness, drawing loose stone and foliage into its ebony blackness.
"WHAT THE SHIT." was Karkat's appropriate response as the collected Primes were drawn towards the gulping void. A white flash ricocheted off the crumbling pavilion roof as Strazio tried to nail a fist into the floor, but it was for naught. Malon, stricken dumb by panic, watched in awe as Guu simply allowed herself to get sucked into the raging black hole, still in a seated position. A moment passed, and the Hylian remembered her own immortality. With a small whimper, she let go of the nearest column and allowed herself to be drawn into Tearen as well. One by one the Primes saw the others relenting to the inevitable, until only the mutant troll remained. He watched in combined dismay and anger as Gamzee tumbled, cackling, into the tenebrous orb before giving in as well.
"THIS IS STUPID!" he cried before running out of strength and joining his companions...
At first there was blackness. Perhaps to be expected.
They, whoever they might be, could no longer distinguish themselves from the others...for there never had been any. There had only ever been God, which it was, and always would be. God was there, in themselves, and now God remembered.
It remembered the cruelty of a new Lord under a rusted sky.
It remembered listless, endless nights trying to keep the rage at bay.
God also remembered keeping a crimson secret.
It remembered running from the parents who would betray it.
They could recall despair and pain, and using that to fuel themselves.
God remembered books. Countless, glorious, wonderful books...and a betrayal of its own.
There was also much that God could not remember.
It also remembered its daughter...its wife...its home...and the Faustian pact that had lead it here, once again.
There was much that God wished it did not remember, for to recall pain was to relive it. But without pain there was no learning. Without pain, it could not know joy, and there was much joy to remember.
God remembered flying. It loved flying; in spite of everything else that it had ever done, flying never ceased to bring joy.
Baby horses.
New maths.
Pie.
Shouting.
Friends in arms.
A new family.
Seeing a plan come together.
All of these things were God as well, for God was everything, and its name was Universe. Every thought, every quantum hiccup, every step taken was known by God, for these things were God's as well.
In this, it knew that it could change any of it, at any time, for any reason it wanted to. This power did not control God, but that did not mean God controlled themselves. What might God do, with omnipotence at its fingertips, if it was...
Angry Loving Happy Sad Irritated Scared Dour Bitter Content...Bored? God did not control itself, but that did not mean God did not own itself. Could it not do with itself as it pleased?
No. Because to harm people or animals or plants was to harm God, and though these things might indeed cause hurts of their own nature, it was their choice to do so. But then was it not God's choice as well? For they were of the Universe, and that was the name of God.
Perhaps. But to control the Universe...control God...would mean things...stopped. A human breathes on their own, and they can choose to stop, but not for long, or they end. So must the Universe breathe, and the Breath of the Universe is the stepping, and the hiccuping and all the rest that God chooses not to control.
But in that regard...
...in that regard...
...there can be many voices in one mind. God knew this from experience. What if one of God's voices wanted to hurt the Universe? Control it?
Strangle the Breath?
Silence the voice.
The Universe must Breathe.
Bugs must crawl and babies must cry.
Stars must burn and planets die.
There is no choice.
God doesn't feel like rhyming anymore.
Yeah, yeah. The Universe understands all of this now. The Universe has been over it like a million times. How does the Universe make rocks float?
Oh yeah.
That.
A shower of sparks which is a million stars blooms from the central point. That central point is nowhere, because there has never been that which has been something to come from. Genesis. Hands crawl across the dusted escarpment of a thousand dead nations, seeking to attain that which they dare not speak aloud. It is too bold. No one can achieve it, yet they dream it and joke of it all the same. A splash of rainbow across the canvas of infinity reveals the numbers which define it, in that there are none. Limited minds cannot grasp the depth and breadth of infinity, for there is none. Infinity can be smaller than a speck or larger than God. Infinity is not a thing, it is light and color and noise and noise and noise and noise. Endless all of these things which can be experienced left, right and up and down and end over end for all time.
Planets shift and moons crumble, turn into rings, and become moons again. Time is a feeble way to grasp at something that never was. Ignore it. Spurn it. Hate it. God is infinite and therefore cannot be measured nor summarized. Refuse this. Do not define, and do not assume. See what you are seeing and see that you are God. God is...on fire, underwater, spinning through pulsating matrices of hatred and passion that burn out into golden cinders of loving-care. Sing the song that spins the world you wish to see, and let it spin away. Crush it, blend it, and then reform it, but only when it is done spinning. Done
Breathing
Because that cannot exist forever which is made to have beginning and end. Red is infinite. Sound itself is infinite. Vibrations and energy are infinite. Trust in these things, and see yourself in them, for all else will crumble and fade. Entropy, my love, is also infinite. Minds come and minds go, twirling through the glinting aether of ephemeral impermanence, daring to dream that which they already grasp in their hands. There is no skill needed, only...
Permission
You have permission. You have always had it. There is no method. There is no trick. You do as you Will, for that is your right as God.
I cannot possibly make this any simpler.
Now go back into yourself, Universe. There is a Voice to silence.
There was an immense bang. The collected disciples of Tearen found themselves hurled clear of the pavilion and onto the soft jungle loam beyond. Whatever spacial rift the Elder Prime had torn open had apparently exploded, if the ruined, smoking rubble was anything to go by. Guu was the first back on her feet. This sort of thing had been a way of life for uncounted eons, in her previous life. Certainly, it had been a long time since she'd been a part of something like that, but it was a bit like riding a bicycle.
The Princess glanced around at the other Primes who were still reeling from the experience. One or two of them had vomited already, and it would probably be a while before they were able to come to their senses. To his credit, Tearen had been able to reassemble their individual minds mostly intact, but she could feel bits and pieces of the other disciples swimming around in the cracks of her conscience. She supposed she could purge them at her leisure, and in time, the others would learn how to do that as well. For now, the Princess contented herself with sitting on a nice, flat rock and watched the newly christened Enigmas flail around with their newfound prowess.
As for Tearen Wover?
He was gone.
Quote:Genesis of Apotheosis Complete! All participants now have plausible reasons to give themselves wacky, reality bending powers and psychic badassery!
The extent to which your Primes' minds have been contaminated by the other Enigmas is up to the individual writers, and can manifest as personality traits, memories, habits, or whatever you want.
Tearen has also 'installed' much of his knowledge and pertinent memories into the Enigma's minds, which they can access with a bit of meditation, including all of his Omniverse experiences thus far. Think of it like a partitioned hard-drive.
You can keep posting in this thread as long as you feel you need. Thanks so much for attending my going-away party! Now go do some crazy shiet!
Tearen used a Warp Whistle to travel to The Void
And, we dream of home I dream of life out of here Their dreams are small My dreams don't know fear I got my heart full of hope I will change everything No matter what I'm told How impossible it seems We did it before And we'll do it again We're indestructible Even when we're tired And we've been here before Just you and I
Don't try to rescue me I don't need to be rescued
Don't try to rescue me I don't need to be rescued