✫ ┆ ❛ ᶜᵒˢᵐᶦᶜ ᶫᵒᵛᵉ

     Patiently waiting for pedestrian signals, when one was an all-powerful celestial being, felt similar to what she’d imagine sitting at a kindergartner's desk as she took a quiz about the shapes of clouds proctored entirely by a circus clown riding a unicycle would feel like: infantilizing, but pretty funny to consider. So, she waited, reusable shopping bag weighing on her shoulder as she gave a soft huff and glanced up at Rex from her phone with a grin.

   contemplating on such words, lala had little to offer in terms of a rational explanation and cognitive reasoning. though with how furnished the shop is and how ethereal its owner exuded her presence, the girl assumed that nothing needed to be understood. either that, or she was optimistic to playing enigmatic to a stranger she had compliment on impulse. of course, she wasn’t going to be petty and take back the compliment - not when her integrity went into it, after all.

   though her comparison of wolfsbane… lala had to chew on that analogy for a bit, wondering if amelia would lend her that encyclopedia of plants she adored to the point of rebinding time and time again. “ i don’t believe that covers anything about me, but i digress. “ she paused and continued glancing as she idled, unsure if she could roam around as she was now under a watchful eye. “ i was curious, so i walked in. what sort of shop is this - …and are those cookies i smell? “

        ❝ Rarely do individuals see themselves the way strangers do, ❞ she began, pulling herself from her aging stock-cart to make her way behind the counter. ❝ This is an occult shop, or a  ❛ witchery. ❜  We mainly sell magic supplies, but we have a few fortune telling services as well. ❞

        ❝ And, why yes, they are! Once a week I like to waft the smell of baked goods into the street to trick people into coming in to buy velvet baggies of assorted quartz, ❞ she admitted with a finger pressed over her smiling lips, eye gleaming as if she had given away some miraculous secret to life itself. Maybe she had. The value of cookies could not be underestimated, and Absynthia was sure to pluck one for herself as she leaned against the glass jewelry case. By then, she'd begun moving her attentions to mull over a binder of spreadsheets that laid open next to the register, having been quick to vacate the minuscule floor space.

unfinished thought process hours, but i have four main verses that i populate with my barely related npcs. the lore+setting is generally vague enough that content from them can be adapted to fandoms or another player's verses, but on the blog ive mainly based my setting off the first two. each one has a codeword because i like to make things hard on myself and also it’s, like, thematic for my tags, and the ‘in meta’ filing system, duh

Alluvion; A modern Earth, with a well integrated population of mythical races and fantasy aspects. The most commonly used, with an inconsistent timeline, and a varying level of visible magic in day to day life. Least sure what i want to do with this one tbh 

Tempest; A deceptively mundane Earth, plagued by eldritch horrors and devious actors. The unholy and the terrible occupy this world, hiding among the shadows as they prey on the unobservant and weak.  Someone from another universe might make note of the fact that the colors in this world are just a little more muted and washed out if they were to visit.

Undertow; A deeply overpopulated cyber/technopunk Earth. Most major cities are littered with high-rise residential buildings, desperately attempting to cram humans like sardines into the dingy, neon landscape. Corruption runs wild, and late stage capitalism has all but consumed humanity. Absynt lives in a city called Apoptos, and works as a ‘task broker.’ If you need possibly shady work, she has the connections to get you the jobs.

Aequorea; A fantasy world set in the distant past, focused on a single continent where both magi and mundane national powers negotiate and battle for the future of their resources. Heavy palace intrigue, and Absynt is often found serving kings and queens as a royal magus/witch. The main countries i've focused on developing are Alcemena ( a northern neutral country populated by healing mages from several other backgrounds and groups who fled various generations ago to a haven for doctors, midwives and hedgewitches, ) and Boros ( A fire nation, one of the pivotal powers who's ruler is chosen or blessed by a grand dragon. ) but i have something like 15ish countries named and conceptualized to fill the space till i get to them in narrative, if i ever end up rping and developing it with someone else ever again ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

and then the side verses i keep are

Cloudburst; An Earth that experienced The Great Flood. Violence between three major factions with varying beliefs on the cause and proper response to the flood is the norm, and most cities are either built on what's left of dry land, or on vast floating raft caravans. Some technology was maintained and salvaged, but people live simpler lives. There are also pirates. Reeeeee.

     As the sun had begun to hang low in the sky —— picnic blanket beneath them crumpled and rumpled from the long lunch in the park —— there was a comfortable silence as they enjoyed their desserts. Apple pie; one slice for her, and two for him, carefully dolloped with whipped cream she'd brought in the tiniest of tubs.

     She'd steal fleeting glances at him as he ate, right up until she set her own half-finished plate to her side, staring long and hard towards the warming horizon instead.

“And you are as beautiful and charming as I remember. Tell me, has anything changed for you since last we met? Forgive me if my phrasings are bit more…‘down to earth’, I suppose you would call it. You know how staying the 4th dimension can be quit the infectious mindset.”

        ❝ Falling into the dialectic is normal—— I know I certainly entertain the habit after a few months on a fresh, new little blue rock. Plus, it makes the locals more comfortable around you. ❞

✗

As the shopkeeper’s power is put to use on the plant, Malcolm, as dizzy as he is from blood loss and pain, realizes that he’s dealing with someone who shouldn’t be messed with. Does the Bureau know about her? If so, no one’s mentioned it.

On the topic of time, he also realizes that he probably doesn’t have much.

“Don’t know who Devin is…but I’ll take your offer,” he finally says, leaning a bit more heavily on the counter. At this proximity, Absynthia may notice that, though he’s naturally on the fair side, he’s looking pale. “What do I… Do I have to do?”

Assuming he doesn’t die, he’s going to have a lot to explain to the field mission director when he returns to HQ. That’ll be Not Dying Malcolm’s problem, though.

Even so, this still isn’t the stupidest thing he’s ever done.

✗

     An exhale of relief escaped her lips once he’d finally relented in his caution to the call of good-old self preservation. A magnificent instinct that really separated the beasts from the men. This would save them both quite a bit of time.

     Upon pushing the now overgrown pot well out of her way to the edge of the case ( Nastya was going to be furious seeing that monstrosity on the counter when she came to open the next morning, ) she reached out gingerly, palms up in wait.

Her answer would be as elusive as cryptic, but he let it go. However, the man had to stop and remind himself he had barged in with a lie, and wasn’t actually part of any official law enforcement nowadays. Lying was easier when you really didn’t think about it, so he tried his best not to.

“Not really..” he mumbled, turing over lids and opening bottles as he saw fit. “Its really counterproductive to trust something you can sense and give it your devotion.” He accidentally sprayed himself with what thought was a perfume, and right onto the kisser at that. He coughed and heaved but tried to not look to disturbed by it and the aftertaste.

“Based on what I’ve seen, If there’s such a thing as a God, I don’t think it would look kindly upon humanity.”

     At first, her only reply was an all-knowing smile, cheek laid so daintily on her skyward palm as she watched him fumble about. Well, at least the bergamot oil would help with the breath he’d surely obtained while foisting tobacco stains onto her lace curtains. What a waste of a nice mouth.

        ❝ Perhaps you're right, but I like to think it depends. Maybe, in some way, each god could think differently of the little things below it. ❞