Plasmatio Chuuya PSLs.

[goatsongs]

Want to meet Chuuya after the end of the game? Okay! He's a little busy with two toddlers to fuss over, but he'll always be happy to greet someone he likes. (And if you're not someone he likes, at least make yourself useful picking toys up off the library floor or something.) He's drinking a whole lot less than he used to, and is all-in-all in a much better mental state than he was during the game.

You can also get him to visit, probably not with his sons in tow. Still in a better mental state and sober without having a breakdown!

Also up for AUs like 'what if chuuya did a murder' or 'what if the participants were gods' or whatever, I'm easy.

Comments

[in_a_bottle]

[It's a day after Saga Rock, where Chuuya... well, got to see Ai relive her trauma on stage, but also got to see her regain her confidence, as well as some "special effects" that stole the entire music festival. While she'd been ushered offstage right after that, she comes into the library tonight, looking almost relieved.]

Chuuya-san?

[goatsongs]

Ai.

[He knows those weren't special effects, he knows how terrifying that must have been, and so the moment he sees her, he rushes to her to squeeze her in a hug.]

[in_a_bottle]

[She clings hard, her composed look crumpling for a second.]

I -- thank you for coming. I didn't know what to do, but I knew I had to keep going. Junko bailed me out when I couldn't...

[goatsongs]

[He's not letting go of her sooner than he has to.]

You were so brave. You did amazing out there, but you don't have to be brave right now.

[in_a_bottle]

[She sniffs a little.]

They liked it, didn't they? I'm glad... Thanks. I didn't know what to do. I still feel a little scared, but also... relieved. Like I'm okay. Because I'm dead, I couldn't die again... I mean, a third time.

[goatsongs]

They loved it. And you're safe now.

[No reason to fear lightning. Besides all the trauma.]

Want to go sit down?

[in_a_bottle]

Sure. [She pulls back and takes a breath.] Are you doing well?

[goatsongs]

I'm alright. They don't call them the terrible twos for nothing, so I can't say I'm not tired, but...

[As Chuuya leads Ai further into the library, two tiny boys peek out from around a bookshelf.]

[in_a_bottle]

[Ai turns to the kids and smiles and waves like nothing was wrong.]

Hello! Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you.

[goatsongs]

[An impressive transition into idol mode.

Fumiya - technically the older of the two, though it's hard to tell - comes out from behind the bookshelf, while his brother ducks his head and hides.] Really?

Fumiya, this is Ai. Ai, this is Fumiya, and his brother being shy is Yoshimasa.

[in_a_bottle]

[She nods and bows politely.]

It's nice to see you! Actually, they call me Number 3 nowadays where I'm from, but the rules don't apply over here, so Ai is fine.

[goatsongs]

Number three is a dumb name.

[Kids. What can you do. Fumiya's still gonna do a tiny bow though.]

[in_a_bottle]

Believe me, I know. It wasn't my idea to number us. [But.] How are you finding this place?

plasma au in which gods of something yolo

[hymned]

[ funny how there can be a candidate god to be-- or rather, pantheon leader to be, because this is the sort of contest they've ended up in as they're all already gods here, because of course this is the kind of situation they'd all end up in, and if that isn't already some sort of cosmic joke in itself, well-- who cared so little for gods in the first place, but.

for all that he doesn't care for the position or role, certainty, as their proxies and followers know him as (his title is yet another of the things that would convince him this is, in fact, a cosmic joke), isn't all that certain all of their number would quite handle the responsibility well. quite the opposite, really. of course, the lot of them have barely known each other a few weeks (and that's a terrible timeframe for a project on the scale of making and maintaining a world, honestly, god powers or not), but still.

anyway i've rambled long here and waxed poetic about how julius is all sorts of rolls eyes at this nonsense but also you know, is still here for some reason. you know. dumb julius reasons, probably. he's also showing up at chuuya's door probably in the library or something, clearly looking to talk. though he huffs a bit, mock-despairingly though not without some lightness to it. ]

You're rarely if ever not here if there's nothing else going on at the moment; don't tell me I've guessed wrong this one time I'm actually looking for someone?

Care for a chat, Chuuya, or am I to go looking for you in the parlor instead?

[ i have no idea what chuuya is the god of here or what their relations are like in this au plasma you can decide. ]

[goatsongs]

[Despair, as he is called, does not quite fit his title. He spends more time in the library than talking to the other gods, and if he's not in the library he's drinking.

This time, Certainty has guessed correctly. After a moment, Chuuya swings his door open, smelling moderately like booze but not so much that he's about to fall over.]

You need something?

[They're cordial, sure, and Chuuya likes him as much as he likes any of the other (adult) gods... which is not all that much. But he doesn't dislike him.]

[hymned]

I hardly need anything, per se. You could consider this something more of a friendly discussion?

[ it's the weekend, probably the evening or night just before host switchover or something. do we pretend it's a few weeks in? wonder what their follower counts look like. wonder who the other gods are that we definitely won't be making up on the fly if or when they come up.

Certainty, as the higher powers that be have deemed him, shrugs vaguely. he's not the warmest of gods, sure, but polite cordiality is always something he's managed for the most part, even if he hasn't much sought out his fellow gods much in their time together. he doesn't even wrinkle his nose or anything at the smell. ]

If now isn't a bad time?

[goatsongs]

[Chuuya's follower count isn't high - the name kind of turns people off. That means he'll be hosting once the morning comes, hoping to at least not lose his remaining followers and put himself at risk of murder.

Julius is at least doing better than that.]

Come on in.

[Chuuya's room is of course filled with more books, most of them poetry. Besides that, there isn't much to speak of - a bed, a mini-fridge, a closet. It's depressingly sparse.]

[hymned]

[ Hm, yeah. Unfortunate name, that, especially with more immediately appealing options like Hope or Dedication around. Even Retribution is less depressing.

Julius follows Chuuya on in once permission is granted, and if he has any opinion of the space he tactfully doesn't say anything.

(Well. To be fair, if they were judging by living spaces from back home he wouldn't exactly have much room to talk either.)

But he does hum a little, letting the sound hang in the air only as long as is polite, before: ]

Sorry for showing up without any notice. I didn't exactly preplan this much; you could say it was a whim of sorts, really.

In any case, we've been at this for a little while now. There's a definite sort of pattern emerging, but...

[ The fact that Chuuya is down to one follower isn't mentioned. Julius isn't necessarily the most popular god either, his affected distance doing him no favors, but, well.

He is fairly aware of how Chuuya feels about his last follower, so that's what guides his next question: ]

Level with me a moment, if this isn't too prying. This whole 'picking a leader' business. What do you think of it's been turning out, really?

[goatsongs]

[How Chuuya feels about his last follower doesn't need to be discussed, especially if this conversation is going to be at all pleasant.]

We really couldn't have come up with a better idea than this? Hell, sometimes it feels like random chance might've been better. Less traumatizing for the mortals.

[He agreed to it, but he'd been on the (losing) side of not allowing murder.]

[hymned]

[ Julius' expression twists wry. ]

Yes, we do seem to have deluded ourselves into thinking that lack of permanence means that any harm done doesn't mean anything, haven't we.

If you'll recall, I'd opposed the notion of bringing proxies in entirely, willingly recruited or not. We're a mess. Thinking that the mortals would be any better able to sort us out when they're still following our guidance in the end was a terrible idea to begin with.

[ Chuuya agreed; Julius hadn't. He'd only pitched his vote in for the two leading propositions because his opinion was a minority in the group. That said. ]

All things considered, are you still set on winning this whole thing?

[goatsongs]

...If I could get my followers their wishes some other way, I wouldn't mind bowing out.

[He'd be pissed if Order won, sure, but the more important thing is his followers' wishes. Both his last living follower and the few that have died.]

I'm not stupid, I know I'm not going to beat everyone else.

[hymned]

[ He sort of tilts his head, then shakes it. ]

I'm not asking you to bow out. Not if you still intend to play. But, hm- I wouldn't be opposed to arranging an alliance of sorts, if you aren't opposed. My followers at least are aware of my general opinion of our affairs--

[ the sentiment demonstrated by a dismissive sort of hand wave, ]

--and while in the spirit of the competition it isn't as if I can exactly control them, if you're amenable to it I can at least let them know there's at least certain others here they don't have to be too wary of.

[goatsongs]

I'll tell my follower the same. Not that they were going to murder anyway, but you know.

[Despair's last follower is a good bean who wants to play the game without murder, and Chuuya supports that 100%.]

An alliance seems like the best shot we both have at this point.

[hymned]

I know. Honestly, if we were going to run a game like this you'd think we'd at least tighten up the recruitment criteria.

[ bringing children absolutely not suited for it into a competition where murder is both likely and encouraged by some of the more ambitious gods. really, he knows his own childhood, but he'd like to think he was an outlier in that respect. ]

... It's still a long shot if anything, but.

[ They're both personable to an extent, but they're also both sort of off putting in some ways, whoops. Certainly not possessed of the same infectious, your-new-best-friend quality charms and masks as say, Positivity. ]

[goatsongs]

So much for Foresight.

[Then again, nobody really knows what Alex's deal is, maybe he doesn't mind the child trauma so much.]

Technically I don't mind if Positivity or Confidence win, but they're not smart enough to handle it on their own. Order can fuck himself with a rake, though.