THE REGENT'S ADDRESS [OPEN TO ALL]

[aionpcs]

[It comes on fast, once the Regent has your spirit in their hold. Around you, you may see other Aions stumble in the same moment, as if shaken by the same tectonic motion. An inexorable darkness claws at your senses, and you have only a few moments, hard fought, to reposition yourself so that you don't simply drop to the ground when it overtakes you. It has similarities to Communion, to the way another entity's thoughts and words reach out to your mind, but by the same token it's entirely foreign.

This presence is not like another person, it is like a raging, screaming cacophony that drowns out everything else in its path. Whether you be Kenoma or Pleroma, the Regent's presence in this metaphysical realm is staggering. To the Pleroma, though, it also feels caustic, as if the movement of their aura is enough to erode your own, with time.

Gradually, a new world forms. Unlike other Communions, where you are ultimately grounded in reality, here you can been dragged to what seems to be its own distinct psychic realm. A vast, void-filled courtroom, where only the throne at its front has a defined form. Around you, you see shadows of other people, other Aions, that have summoned along with you... but for the moment they seem spectral and unclear, their identities obscured by the realm's aggressive focus on its master.

The Regent sits at their throne, their body swathed in dark fabrics that drift and flutter like smoke. They have no face to be seen, only a faceted silver mask, without any markings or the barest indication of what might be beneath it. Their size is indistinct, maybe a bit taller than you are. They at first sit reclined, but straight up as their 'guests' arrive.]

It's been a long time coming, my subjects.

[At first, they are the only one that can be heard. Though you feel as if you have some physical presence here, a shadowy body of your own, if you attempt to speak no sound emerges.]

To the Pleroma: well done surviving thus far. Granted, I feel as if my Kenoma have made things easy for you. How strange, that most of you were allowed to wander a city within my empire without recourse. Able to summon that wretched creature to your side, even.

I hope you've enjoyed yourself, in the time you've had, because this will be no more. You've spread your infection in Venera, in Godsblood, and it is only necessary that these wounds be cleansed by the touch of the Kenoma. Your presence gives the people ideas... ideas that would disrupt the fragile peace they've come to enjoy, after so many years of suffering. As a kindness, I will only trim the vine, rather than burn the vineyard. What Venerans have taken up your cause, I will see shorn from my empire. And in Godsblood... an example will be made, as of the Sovereign's moon.

My Kenoma will do this for me. Fight them, if you want. But know that I am no longer asking for your fealty. I am demanding it.

[As if opening their court for questions, you will find yourself more able to act. Those that speak or take action will find their physical forms taking shape, standing in the court as people rather than shadows. If you want to question the Regent, now is the time to do so.

OOC: This post is a free for all! We will try to response as the Regent to people who directly engage with them, but you are also allowed to threadjack and interact with each other if you like. Please note that we will not be responding to tag ins done later than the 12th.]

Comments

[hikikosaurus]

[The whole address is a series of ups and downs, overwhelming to take in all the details. That shadowy figure leaping and taking form, the previously concerned and alarmed Estinien now as quick to attack as several of the others had cautioned... the ease with which the Regent brushes it off, exactly as Undyne hadn't. Alphys bites her lip for at that, biting back tears.

It sounds like the Regent doesn't distinguish between the Aions sworn to the Pleroma, and the entity of stagnation itself, which... She has to, because they really do sound so concerned and well-intentioned in their ignorance, it's hard to see them as enemies. At least Father Paul says it clearly enough that maybe some of them will stop... Except, well.]

D-Do we really have to... invite them to fight us? [She can barely make eye contact, such as it is with the Regent's mask, and wrings her hands together.] I mean, it's already, um, hard enough? If they'd just surrender, we could make things better, so much faster...!

[Not to whine, she's trying to take this announcement of upcoming difficult missions seriously. But she's whining a bit here.]

[aionpcs]

[The Regent turns to look at Alphys and then pauses, suddenly, as if squinting to discern something. They are silent for a long moment.]

...One does not simply surrender without adequate motivation.

[hikikosaurus]

[Alphys squirms under that watchful stillness, hands twitching like she doesn't know whether to cover her face or her shard. She's always brimming with guilty secrets, but most of the worst leaked out in her initiation... and as for the newest one? It feels worse, facing down that serious stare, even and especially with an encouraging pat on her back.]

I, uh, I guess not. Not without... something they want to hear.

[Is that a confession? An apology? She's working hard to do better.]

So... S-So, you're motivating them, with the... futility of things, huh? Sorry for interrupting, and questioning th-that!

[aionpcs]

Hmm.

[The Regent seems to engage less with what Alphys is saying, apparently distracted by something else.]

Yes. Surrender is for those that have given up, after all.

[hikikosaurus]

[The distracted seriousness does not help her to calm down, not after the amused playful banter of some of the Regent's earlier replies. She glances around in search of sources of distraction, not so much expecting something to be there as hoping. There's been so many sudden interruptions already, maybe it's not something about her that's caught their interest. Maybe.]

And they haven't given up, yet. I think I understand, th-thank you.

[Maybe the hazing approach of their initiation makes more sense, in that respect.]

[vapour]

[ gives Alphys an encouraging pat on the back, gently so he doesn't freak her out. ]

[hikikosaurus]

[Alphys doesn't freak out or react like she's under attack, so in that respect the gentleness of the pat does its job. She does startle at the touch, briefly, and shoots Childe a weak and sweaty smile.

...The chaos of this address is churning up her every doubt about the Kenoma mission, and only some of her resolution about it all - and it shows.]

[vapour]

Try and calm down. Regardless of what you think, don't let them see it.

[ them is a little vague, but he actually means never let anyone see it... For her own protection, really. ]

[hikikosaurus]

I'm... I'm working on it.

[She nods gratefully for the advice, but lowers her voice, cadence less a whine and more a soft complaint.]

It's all just a little... sprung on us.

[vapour]

[ a bit quieter himself ] Yeah, no, I get you. This sucks and I hate it.

[hikikosaurus]

[She lets out a slow breath, relieved to hear one of the others say so.]

I wish we could just... Talk it out, you know? But talking's just riling p-people up... I guess it really can't be so easy as all that.

[Of course, the worst is yet to come - scant minutes before the Regent confirms they destroyed everyone's worlds.]

i'm sorry

[comelately]

People aren't gonna just surrender to--

[ wait. he squints his eyes as Alphys's form becomes clearer as she speaks. ]

-- W-wait, is that a dinosaur in a jacket?!

[ HOL UP ]

this post has the best mood whiplash, I love it

[hikikosaurus]

[It takes her a minute - in which she carefully doesn't look behind her, in case it's a trick - before she realizes what he must mean.]

What, uh, what kind of question is that? I'm a lizard.

[dragonmount]

[ from the shadow jail peanut gallery:

is her being a lizard with glasses less weird than if she were a dinosaur with glasses.............. ]

[hikikosaurus]

[Well, no, because there probably were dinosaur monsters in the underground too and her username is a dinosaur joke... But she's a lizard, so calling her a dinosaur is weird to her!! Gosh, shadow jail.]

[comelately]

[ to answer rand: no, not even a little ]

I -- [ her extremely human response seems to deflate his confusion - it's hard to keep being all shocked and bewildered when said dinosaur (or, rather, lizard) acts and sounds like a regular woman? He feels rude suddenly. ] -- i-is there really that much of a difference? I mean... uh, nevermind.

[ awkwardly, he rubs the back of his head. hayame is no longer the weirdest person he's seen here... ]

[hikikosaurus]

[It's like all the confusion deflating from him has just poured into her, instead, as she watches his face journey. She's no longer suspecting this to be some kind of what's that behind you trick, but she is left blinking at him in genuine confusion.]

Well, d-dinosaurs are a little more endothermic than m-- [She cuts herself off, clapping a hand to her mouth and shooting a glare his way like this was the trick. What's she doing, practically giving away weaknesses to somebody who's... well, given the examples of the people caught in shadowy tendrils, somebody who's being her enemy?]

N-N-Nevermind that! What were you saying before? [Confusing him about surrender talk might distract him enough to forget she almost said anything.]

[comelately]

[ johnny, internally: wtf is endothermic ]

Huh? [ the lizard thing threw him off enough that it takes him a second to remember what he was responding to in the first place. ] Oh -- yeah, you were saying it'd be easier if we'd just surrender... You think we're just gonna roll over and die?

[hikikosaurus]

[Alphys: if she can confuse the Pleroma into not fighting, she will pull out a thesaurus, don't even try her.]

Roll over and h-help us, maybe! We're not destroying everything just to destroy everything, you know...! [Or maybe he doesn't know, or maybe he's heard it but doesn't believe it. There's other people trying to explain that much, better than she thinks she can.]

[comelately]

[ he gets the appeal, he really does, but the price is too high for him... ]

I don't wanna destroy everything, period. You really haven't got anyone or anything back home you want to protect?

[baltimores]

[ Amos makes sure he has Alphys' attention — a slight raising of his hand, catching her gaze — before he speaks up, voice gentle, an attempt to be encouraging with his own steady presence. ]

Hey. You okay?

[hikikosaurus]

[It helps to see that care in getting her attention, because for all she's gotten more used to seeing humans everywhere, there's a lot of terrible surprises happening. She sniffles and nods with a quick wipe at her eyes, the better to be sure no tears go trickling between scales and itching.]

Y-Yeah, I'm... I'm fine!

[Even as she says so, she glances up at the figures bound in shadowy tendrils.]

I'm just... I c-can't blame them, not really, for reacting like this? They seem like... they really still think they're doing the right thing.

[It's not as much a confession of her doubts as it is something wistful. She wishes it were as easy as some of the Pleroma make it sound.]

[baltimores]

[ He can't say he's too familiar with animal-like people here, but hey, everything about being in Horos had been weird at first. Why question it, right? Not like she can help looking different. At least she seems... better? Better.

Though Amos can't help but follow her gaze. Sigh at those suspended above them, like he's tired just from the fact that they were stupid enough to try attacking the Regent here, of all places. Or at all.

Back to Alphys, back to something he hopes is reassuring. ]

Sure. All kinds of people will use whatever they can to justify things to themselves. Even when they're hurting people, they'll still think they're in the right.

[ He speaks as though he's seen that in action before. Kinda has, even if his own ability to distinguish between right and wrong is questionable. But really, he's just trying to be supportive here, so... ]

You heard the Regent though, right? This is on them. Sooner we put a stop to it, sooner everything'll be okay.

[hikikosaurus]

Heh. You say it like that, but I guess we can justify it too, huh...?

[She's more amused than cynical, for all her voice is still choked up, but it's a mix. She did hear the Regent, ordering them to fight - to hurt people. And what's he saying, but reminding her how they'll be in the right to do so?]

I-I mean! I know, I know. They're the ones, uh, dragging it out!

[Alphys waves her hands in a panicked attempt to convince him, to not sound like she's as on the fence as she sometimes feels. She remembers that grief she felt, facing the light full of memories.]

And. It's not like there were many people left to protect, anyway...

[baltimores]

[ Amos frowns for a second at the moral hypocrisy she's kinda just pointed out. Yeah, but they're the ones in the right, so it doesn't matter.

He gets over it quick enough at least; he truly is fantastic at burying things he doesn't want to think about. Any side eye dispels as his gaze softens, replaced with the desire to continue reassuring her. Make her feel comfortable. Because yeah, they're gonna have to hurt people, and she's going to have to be a part of that — but it's going to be fine. ]

Yeah. Exactly — they're dragging out the inevitable. They're only hurting themselves.

[ It's so easy to justify things, isn't it...

He really doesn't get what has her so worked up, but as long as she comes out of this okay. Accepting what they're going to be doing. This is the time for anyone who needs to to get it out of their system, right? So Amos goes for putting a steadying hand on her shoulder, if she'll let him; no need to flail about or anything. ]

You lost your people?

[ Asked as kindly as one could possibly ask a question like that. ]