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draino2024-07-06 09:30 am
saltburnmods) wrote in draino2024-07-06 09:30 am
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ππ ππππππ πππππππ ππ πππ π ππππ β£ JULY TDM
JULY 2024 TDM: LECTISTERNIUM
Welcome to SALTBURNT, a panfandom smut/thriller game based off the film Saltburn, where characters are encouraged to indulge their deepest desires. The money never runs out and the liquor never stops pouring, so you may as well indulge from the bounty. Of course, things are rarely what they seem, and the manor itself seems to have a consciousness of its own. Throw parties, trash the house, engage in youthful merriment, but remember β dangers come out at night, and no one, no matter how rich you are, is safe from demons lurking in the shadows.
Threads can be considered game canon, provided the players agree. Players can also start fresh upon acceptance into the game. In game characters can post to the TDM directly, so all posters can use the title Β« CHARACTER NAME | CANON | NEW CHARACTER/IN GAMEΒ» in the header. There will be a spot below for new characters to link their toplevels for easy access. Alternatively, prompts on the Test Drive can be used for in game logs.
WELCOME TO SALTBURNT
It's the hangover more than the light streaming in through half drawn curtains that wakes you up, your brain rattling in your skull, your mouth dry and cottony, your stomach churning with whatever it is you drank last night. If self preservation is your strong suit, you might turn over in bed and see a few painkillers laid out for you on a silver dish, accompanied by a glass of water. If it isnβt, stay in bed and wallow β eventually a maid will be in to tear your curtains open, saying, "Breakfast is served," and scurrying out quietly, invisibly. Breakfast? Maybe itβs normal for you. Maybe it isnβt.
You're drawn from the room, either by the mystery, or an undefinable urge that could be supernatural in origin, or could be your hunger catching up to you. It's almost nostalgic, the walk to the dining room β have you been here before? Were you drawn up to this estate in a car? Havenβt you done all this already? Maybe you mosey around a library, maybe you run into your suite mate in your adjoining bathroom. Regardless, seemingly all hallways, covered in priceless artworks and ancient relics from times long past, lead to the dining room, where a comically long table houses the Balfours and their many guests, who seem just as disgruntled and confused as you. No matter. "The breakfast is self-serve," they say. But not the eggs.
If you want to leave, youβll have to tell Giles, the housekeeper, who will arrange a car for you that mysteriously, or perhaps suspiciously, never arrives. Unfortunately, confronting Giles about it is near impossible, as heβs as good at being invisible as the rest of the house staff. Of course, thereβs no reason why you canβt just walk out. The front gates are easy enough to jump over, even if the walk towards them gives you a strange sense of foreboding, or just outright discomfort, as if the ground itself doesnβt want you to leave. Those more sensitive or fragile might find they canβt make the jump, no matter how physically able, or desperately wanting. Still, a strong person could continue on, over the fence and into the lush English countryside. The feeling doesnβt dissipate, though β this sense of wrongness, almost sickness, like a weight on your back. Walk into the evergreen, carry on, but the strongest will make it perhaps a mile or so before the weight of dread and paranoia brings you to your knees, and then to your face, flat in the middle of a dirt road. What were you thinking? Is this really better?
Wake up with a hangover, in a bed, the curtains drawn, the maid saying, "Breakfast is served," before scurrying out. The painkillers are there, just like you remember. In fact, itβs all exactly how you remember, as if you never left an imprint the first time, or any mess you made was cleared away while your back was turned. Walk to the dining room, find everyone there eating away at their breakfast. Itβs self serve, naturally. Just not the eggs.
"We dress for dinner," says Portia, with a kind, if discerning smile. "Black tie."
You're drawn from the room, either by the mystery, or an undefinable urge that could be supernatural in origin, or could be your hunger catching up to you. It's almost nostalgic, the walk to the dining room β have you been here before? Were you drawn up to this estate in a car? Havenβt you done all this already? Maybe you mosey around a library, maybe you run into your suite mate in your adjoining bathroom. Regardless, seemingly all hallways, covered in priceless artworks and ancient relics from times long past, lead to the dining room, where a comically long table houses the Balfours and their many guests, who seem just as disgruntled and confused as you. No matter. "The breakfast is self-serve," they say. But not the eggs.
If you want to leave, youβll have to tell Giles, the housekeeper, who will arrange a car for you that mysteriously, or perhaps suspiciously, never arrives. Unfortunately, confronting Giles about it is near impossible, as heβs as good at being invisible as the rest of the house staff. Of course, thereβs no reason why you canβt just walk out. The front gates are easy enough to jump over, even if the walk towards them gives you a strange sense of foreboding, or just outright discomfort, as if the ground itself doesnβt want you to leave. Those more sensitive or fragile might find they canβt make the jump, no matter how physically able, or desperately wanting. Still, a strong person could continue on, over the fence and into the lush English countryside. The feeling doesnβt dissipate, though β this sense of wrongness, almost sickness, like a weight on your back. Walk into the evergreen, carry on, but the strongest will make it perhaps a mile or so before the weight of dread and paranoia brings you to your knees, and then to your face, flat in the middle of a dirt road. What were you thinking? Is this really better?
Wake up with a hangover, in a bed, the curtains drawn, the maid saying, "Breakfast is served," before scurrying out. The painkillers are there, just like you remember. In fact, itβs all exactly how you remember, as if you never left an imprint the first time, or any mess you made was cleared away while your back was turned. Walk to the dining room, find everyone there eating away at their breakfast. Itβs self serve, naturally. Just not the eggs.
"We dress for dinner," says Portia, with a kind, if discerning smile. "Black tie."
WHICH WAY TO THE BACCHANAL?
CONTENT WARNINGS: alcohol, nudity, potential for nsfw.
Itβs been a balmy, warm summer in Saltburnt, with long, amber-hued nights making the house glow from the outside in. After the last party, things have managed to keep mostly calm and largely unassuming in the intervening weeks, with the focus kept on indoor activities β a scavenger hunt, a sex club, avoiding the outside trauma of cannibalistic cakes for as long as it seems to have taken the family and house staff to settle and, tangentially, forget. However, seemingly overnight a new structure appears on the outside grounds, under block construction fixtures and with loud building going on throughout the following day and night, tirelessly worked on. By the next day, however, the structure gets revealed β a Pantheon, and quite a sizable one (see: no, not terribly historically accurate) from the outside.
Between the columns and up the stone steps, youβll find an entryway dedicated to worship on a grouping of twelve Roman gods β six male (Jupiter, Neptune, Mars, Apollo, Vulcan and Mercury) and their six female counterparts (Juno, Minerva, Venus, Diana, Vesta, and Ceres) β as depicted by several busts with small, holy fires lit before them for offerings. Notably, thereβs also a thirteenth altar, with a statue depiction of the guest of honor: one John Gaius, who has been ascended to Roman godhood for the party. Offerings have the potential of gifting little boons to those who worship, like increased luck or a small amount of foresight. Feel free to make up your own, as influenced by the gods that you sacrifice to as you like.
Beyond the foyer, the space opens up into a sizable atrium that doubles as a dining hall, full of colorful, cushioned couches made for lounging while you eat. There's an endless supply of food brought in throughout the day, ranging from a traditional three course Mediterranean meal served with honey-sweetened spiced wine, to a more modern adaptation for pickier eaters with fried chicken and Red Bulls, to more adventurous eaters with flamingo tongue and fried doormice. Pistachios are served by the bowlful, fat figs littered on every tabletop, all alongside water flavored with rose petals. Also among the feast are several artistically decorated cakes, each featuring the name of any guest with a birthday in June or July. In addition to the meal, guests are encouraged to lay out plates in honor of dead loved ones, a more time honored tradition of Roman history, although here it has the benefit of being complimented by actual roaming skeletons (courtesy of John) who give animated attempts at play eating the food left for them.
Further into the temple, there is an overlarge, public bathing room for guests to enjoy, the bath carved into rock while the ceiling stays open air, for a visual on clear blue skies or a starry sewn tapestry. Modern heating has been applied to the water to make it steam and bubble, effectively creating a giant hot tub for patrons to slip into, in whatever state of undress they're comfortable with, though nude is greatly appreciated. When in Rome, as they say. Along the back wall is a more intimate stage for small parties, bedecked in a range of instruments and a karaoke machine, for a talent show, or just entertaining a few guests. Velveteen cushions sit in a circle facing each other, for Socratic circle style speech and debates, with a random grab bag of topics to choose from, that range from who is the best NSYNC member? to what is the meaning of life, really?
There is a second story to the structure, although there are no rooms. It's a roofless veranda that looks out on the backyard of the temple, wherein a concave dirt patch has been baking in the sun, for gladiatorial fights and the people observing them.
Itβs been a balmy, warm summer in Saltburnt, with long, amber-hued nights making the house glow from the outside in. After the last party, things have managed to keep mostly calm and largely unassuming in the intervening weeks, with the focus kept on indoor activities β a scavenger hunt, a sex club, avoiding the outside trauma of cannibalistic cakes for as long as it seems to have taken the family and house staff to settle and, tangentially, forget. However, seemingly overnight a new structure appears on the outside grounds, under block construction fixtures and with loud building going on throughout the following day and night, tirelessly worked on. By the next day, however, the structure gets revealed β a Pantheon, and quite a sizable one (see: no, not terribly historically accurate) from the outside.
Between the columns and up the stone steps, youβll find an entryway dedicated to worship on a grouping of twelve Roman gods β six male (Jupiter, Neptune, Mars, Apollo, Vulcan and Mercury) and their six female counterparts (Juno, Minerva, Venus, Diana, Vesta, and Ceres) β as depicted by several busts with small, holy fires lit before them for offerings. Notably, thereβs also a thirteenth altar, with a statue depiction of the guest of honor: one John Gaius, who has been ascended to Roman godhood for the party. Offerings have the potential of gifting little boons to those who worship, like increased luck or a small amount of foresight. Feel free to make up your own, as influenced by the gods that you sacrifice to as you like.
Beyond the foyer, the space opens up into a sizable atrium that doubles as a dining hall, full of colorful, cushioned couches made for lounging while you eat. There's an endless supply of food brought in throughout the day, ranging from a traditional three course Mediterranean meal served with honey-sweetened spiced wine, to a more modern adaptation for pickier eaters with fried chicken and Red Bulls, to more adventurous eaters with flamingo tongue and fried doormice. Pistachios are served by the bowlful, fat figs littered on every tabletop, all alongside water flavored with rose petals. Also among the feast are several artistically decorated cakes, each featuring the name of any guest with a birthday in June or July. In addition to the meal, guests are encouraged to lay out plates in honor of dead loved ones, a more time honored tradition of Roman history, although here it has the benefit of being complimented by actual roaming skeletons (courtesy of John) who give animated attempts at play eating the food left for them.
Further into the temple, there is an overlarge, public bathing room for guests to enjoy, the bath carved into rock while the ceiling stays open air, for a visual on clear blue skies or a starry sewn tapestry. Modern heating has been applied to the water to make it steam and bubble, effectively creating a giant hot tub for patrons to slip into, in whatever state of undress they're comfortable with, though nude is greatly appreciated. When in Rome, as they say. Along the back wall is a more intimate stage for small parties, bedecked in a range of instruments and a karaoke machine, for a talent show, or just entertaining a few guests. Velveteen cushions sit in a circle facing each other, for Socratic circle style speech and debates, with a random grab bag of topics to choose from, that range from who is the best NSYNC member? to what is the meaning of life, really?
There is a second story to the structure, although there are no rooms. It's a roofless veranda that looks out on the backyard of the temple, wherein a concave dirt patch has been baking in the sun, for gladiatorial fights and the people observing them.
VENI, VIDI, VICI.
CONTENT WARNINGS: violence, body horror, gore, animal attacks (specifically wolf), potential body transformations.
You may have noticed in this particular party, a special leniency when it comes to costumes. Where usually semi-strict dresscodes are enforced, tonight it's more of a free for all for good reason: everyone dressed in a Roman inspired outfit (very loose is A-OK) will be seen as Roman royalty, while everyone not adhered to theme will be the royalty's slaves, servants, and workers. It's all for fun and more BDSM in practice than anything serious, but party poopers are expected to tend to their much more fun counterparts, especially once the gladiatorial fights commence. In addition, John, Furiosa, Hawk, Embry, Zoro, Matt, Nami, Chione, Hao, Koby, Alina, Tim, Alia, and Louis for their dedication to Otherworld have been gifted a single metal tag with their individual names on them, to give to collared friends of their choice for claiming purposes.
In any case, collared and claimed and laymen people are offered huge palm leaves for fanning, or grapes and pistachios and figs to hand serve their betters. Below, the gladiator fights take place all day β a somewhat humble dug out arena that's been lined with soft sand, accented in the back by an enclosed stone structure, no bigger than a single horse stall, where occasionally one can hear huffing and grunting coming from a too high to reach barred window. Anyone can take on a challenge, personal or for fun, and engage in a sparring match. The rules are simple: best of three rounds that end in a submissive pin or tapping out, wherein the loser loses their clothes after each fight. First go their clothes, then go their underwear. Fighting in the nude is an age honored tradition, of course, and we love our history.
That said, the stone building is a somewhat foreboding sight to anyone observing. As time goes on the structure begins to rattle, and as the sun starts to set, the integrity of the building becomes more and more questionable. By the time the last fight is over, a final challenge is announced to the public β a creature of great mythos, versus the entirety of the estate. From the rattling building, a 7ft Wolfman is guided out with gold, rattling chains wrapped around his impressive neck and wrists. Many onlookers applaud the spectacle, wrongly presuming it to be a play act for the party. However, the chains inevitably snap from those holding them, and the Wolfman gets set loose throughout the estate, running with supernatural speed on all fours throughout the temple and beyond.
Scared? Maybe you should be. The Wolfman is hungry, and indiscriminate with who he eats. It seems the only thing dissuading his appetite from certain people is the metal name tag some were given, like dogs recognizing their separate masters. Still, people will get attacked. A scratch or bite from the Wolfman will result in a similar transformation taking place, a necessary hunger set in your bones where vice and sin seem to infect you, become as necessary to you as breathing or sleeping. Indulge, and become more and more of a beast β abstain from all immoral acts, all wickedness for nine days, and the infection will cure itself.
If you find that too difficult, there is one other solution. Only 23 separate cuts will kill the Wolfman, who divides himself in odd ways with every penetration β less like he's being stabbed and more like he's being carved with every inflicted wound, the two halves of himself sliced apart. The 23rd and last attack completely separates the wolf from the man. It leaves a desiccated human corpse in its wake, and a full blooded wolf scampering off into the dark depths of Saltburnt proper, lost in its many rooms.
It'll probably be fine! Despite that hiccup, the Pantheon stays up for the month to encourage an ongoing celebration, the party inside ranging from feral, half-made Wolfpeople frenzy to a fragile relaxation depending on the state of the Wolfman. Thank you as always for bewaring the ides.
You may have noticed in this particular party, a special leniency when it comes to costumes. Where usually semi-strict dresscodes are enforced, tonight it's more of a free for all for good reason: everyone dressed in a Roman inspired outfit (very loose is A-OK) will be seen as Roman royalty, while everyone not adhered to theme will be the royalty's slaves, servants, and workers. It's all for fun and more BDSM in practice than anything serious, but party poopers are expected to tend to their much more fun counterparts, especially once the gladiatorial fights commence. In addition, John, Furiosa, Hawk, Embry, Zoro, Matt, Nami, Chione, Hao, Koby, Alina, Tim, Alia, and Louis for their dedication to Otherworld have been gifted a single metal tag with their individual names on them, to give to collared friends of their choice for claiming purposes.
In any case, collared and claimed and laymen people are offered huge palm leaves for fanning, or grapes and pistachios and figs to hand serve their betters. Below, the gladiator fights take place all day β a somewhat humble dug out arena that's been lined with soft sand, accented in the back by an enclosed stone structure, no bigger than a single horse stall, where occasionally one can hear huffing and grunting coming from a too high to reach barred window. Anyone can take on a challenge, personal or for fun, and engage in a sparring match. The rules are simple: best of three rounds that end in a submissive pin or tapping out, wherein the loser loses their clothes after each fight. First go their clothes, then go their underwear. Fighting in the nude is an age honored tradition, of course, and we love our history.
That said, the stone building is a somewhat foreboding sight to anyone observing. As time goes on the structure begins to rattle, and as the sun starts to set, the integrity of the building becomes more and more questionable. By the time the last fight is over, a final challenge is announced to the public β a creature of great mythos, versus the entirety of the estate. From the rattling building, a 7ft Wolfman is guided out with gold, rattling chains wrapped around his impressive neck and wrists. Many onlookers applaud the spectacle, wrongly presuming it to be a play act for the party. However, the chains inevitably snap from those holding them, and the Wolfman gets set loose throughout the estate, running with supernatural speed on all fours throughout the temple and beyond.
Scared? Maybe you should be. The Wolfman is hungry, and indiscriminate with who he eats. It seems the only thing dissuading his appetite from certain people is the metal name tag some were given, like dogs recognizing their separate masters. Still, people will get attacked. A scratch or bite from the Wolfman will result in a similar transformation taking place, a necessary hunger set in your bones where vice and sin seem to infect you, become as necessary to you as breathing or sleeping. Indulge, and become more and more of a beast β abstain from all immoral acts, all wickedness for nine days, and the infection will cure itself.
If you find that too difficult, there is one other solution. Only 23 separate cuts will kill the Wolfman, who divides himself in odd ways with every penetration β less like he's being stabbed and more like he's being carved with every inflicted wound, the two halves of himself sliced apart. The 23rd and last attack completely separates the wolf from the man. It leaves a desiccated human corpse in its wake, and a full blooded wolf scampering off into the dark depths of Saltburnt proper, lost in its many rooms.
It'll probably be fine! Despite that hiccup, the Pantheon stays up for the month to encourage an ongoing celebration, the party inside ranging from feral, half-made Wolfpeople frenzy to a fragile relaxation depending on the state of the Wolfman. Thank you as always for bewaring the ides.
DIRECTORY
no subject
Ennead, [ Matt repeats. ] As in ... Heliopolis?
[ Shit, this guy isn't going to like the use of Greek. Although it's not like "Ennead" comes from a dialect out of North Africa. Matt watches the bust launched up, hitting its crest, falling back down. Up, down. Up, down. His eyes narrow. ]
You wanna talk fast?
[ Matt probably can't lift the bust himself, which means he probably can't levitate it himself. But he isn't without options. He waits for it to leave the stranger's hands again, to reach the apex of its arc, and--
With a wrench of breath that leaves his cheeks flushed and his lips slightly parted, there's a telekinetic tug that aims to interrupt the normal play of physics, to jerk the bust from its trajectory and send it into Matt's arms. ]
no subject
[ Of course, he will begin to preen a little. The attention isn't exactly what he wants, so much as it is the acknowledgment; old habits die hard, and Set has always worked harder than any other god within the Egyptian pantheon to protect, defend and uphold the right of the divine to rule. Acknowledgement is something he lives, breathes and dies for, even if he knows he deserves none of it anymore. Comparatively, his siblings will forever enjoy their bountiful and generous legacies, while he lives in their shadow. ( Knowing, in the end, that he was made for it; that he is being punished for his own ill deeds.
Even while others escape theirs.)His mouth broadens, one corner lifting to bare a slip of tooth, animal-sharp and bright. The man's question does not escape him, nor does the narrowing of his focus; what briefly sets him alight, energy and adrenaline pouring from his chest out to his limbs in a blinding, searing call to action β is the sudden use of power. Magic, he thinks. And oh, magic-users are a chore to deal with for a god built on physical prowess ( and surprisingly, unlike his siblings, nothing magical? curious! ).
The tug of power rips the bust from his grasp, and rather than snatch at it, Set goes low. A crouch that bunches the muscles in his bare thighs before he launches, not for the bust, but for the man himself β aiming to collide with him just as the heavy stone statue drops into his arms. To force him off his feet, using the same knowledge of physics that Matt just relied on to pressure him onto his back. And hey! If he ends up straddling Matt, isn't that a win/win. ]
β really? You have a real god before you, and you want to covet another's image?!
no subject
Ah.
Uh.
It doesn't occur to Matt to be afraid, exactly, though he's staring up at the stranger with wide, bright eyes. The exertion of the magic has his cheeks still flushed pink; between that and the shock and pain of being knocked prone, his heart is beating rabbit-quick. ]
You don't have to be so jealous, [ he protests, gasping to get his breath back. ] I'm interested in you both--all of you. [ He bucks his hips to try and dislodge the stranger, which has, humiliatingly, absolutely zero effect. ] You haven't even told me your name.
MY FAVORITE ICON LMAO
[ #bratbehavior
Perched atop Matt now, Set's legs grip along his ribs powerfully. His weight dropped onto the young man's solar plexus in a way that invites no illusions that he's perfectly positioned to wallop him if the situation calls for it. Fingers dip to the spot where he'd seen the goddess's bust collide with Matt's ribs, prodding at it thoughtfully β does it hurt? did he break something? The natural urge to find a vulnerability and exploit it cannot be stopped.
Finally asked for his identity, Set leans himself over the prone figure trapped below him, writhing in the hopes of dislodging him. Futile, but he won't disapprove of someone's survival instinct!
Red hair falls around his shoulders, eyes brightening even as his mouth falls into a line that is a little more somber. Announcing oneself used to be done by acolytes, it came as a formality, not as a way of educating the ignorant β he was identifiable, once. ( And maybe it's proof that he is atoning properly, that he is not as Known as he was. Even if the feeling sends a spasm of agony through his heart. )
Fourth-born of sky and earth. The wicked god of war and the desert β Set.
[ Something about looking down upon Matt like this makes his brow furrow. A sense of deja vu, like they've been in the position before. ( Maybe in another life? :) ) ]
twice in one thread set is truly #blessed
Pain from a jarring fall can't hope to compete with divine revelation, however, even if the specific manner of the reveal is "a hot guy sitting on his chest." Once his wince has passed, Matt's expression returns to one of wide-eyed fascination. ]
I know who you are.
[ Who sows enmity, who creates destruction,
the evil one who incites rebellion.
Set is arguably the chief antagonist of several seasons of the divine Egyptian soap opera. But from what Matt remembers, it's a little more complicated than that. Along with the Set story everyone knows, the murder of Osiris, there's Set as defender of the sun, perched at the prow of the barque of Re to defeat an evil serpent. Set as a more ambiguous figure in the realm of sexuality: ejaculating into Horus as a bid for dominance, only to swallow himself back concealed in a lettuce leaf; able to satisfy a dizzying array of consorts; associated with Min, the permanently turgid god of fertility.
Matt could throw the poetry he remembers in his face, all the Set-as-villain stuff, but it feels--not petty, exactly. Maybe cruel. He can't help remembering how casually Armand had implicated himself with the word monster.
And so, wracking his memory for grimoires, tidbits from the edges of surviving esoterica: ]
They used to carve your name on love charms, where I come from.
noogies him so hard
Matthew, your life.
Completely unbeknownst to him is the young man's train of thought; the things he could say, but does not for one reason or another. Maybe the threat of violence being the foremost among them. The bust of Aphrodite-Venus has rolled to a stop, chipped and cracked in places where the thinner parts of her carved ears and nose had collided with the flooring below, and ultimately β she is forgotten for the moment. Instead, Set begins to lift his chin upon hearing those all-invigorating words: I know who you are, only for his breath to be driven from him at the follow-up.
They used to carve your name on love charms. ]
Wh-what?!
[ Like a particularly startled cat, his posture straightens, knees driving absently into Matt's sides as his fingers curl and eyes widen. The picture of pure shock, neither pleased nor displeased. And then the hostility rushes in to fill the void, more defensive and prickly as a means to guard the flush that spread across his cheeks at the mere IDEA that he's affiliated with love!! ]
Are you mocking me? What the hell do you mean "love charms"! That is Hathor's domain, not mine. What kind of place do you come from, where you can mix up "war" and "love"!
:3
[ Heβd thought to offer the kindest impression he could, though it occurs to him that a god of war might consider love tokens as insulting as someone else might find maggots or β¦ wickedness. Still, Setβs name on love charms is a real thing; they really did dig those artifacts up. Is it possible Setβs forgotten?
At some point in here, Matt realizes a nettled war god is still sitting on him. ]
Humans, ahβwe tend to have pieces of a thing and its opposite both in us at the same time, [ he offers. ] The more you love someone, the more you want to strangle them sometimes. And, you know β¦ love and war share some overlap. Adrenaline, sweat, getting your pulse racing β¦
[ Somewhere in here, Matt remembers thereβs a nettled war god sitting on top of him, but from a wider angle this time. One that encompasses Mattβs tousled toga, Setβs lack of much clothing at all, their mutually intense expressions.
Wow, I suck at sex magic. ]
no subject
Love and war.
To say that he feels seen in that moment might be a step too extreme, but there is a poignancy to the concept that Set was not remembered solely as an evil god. That the advancement of humanity means the recapture of little elements of him that are interpreted like so β a god of violence, whose name bestows promise to love charms. Humanity's freedoms, to do and think whatever they want. It flusters him.
Unlike Matt, Set doesn't think anything about their positions. He's grappled and wrestled with innumerable opponents, so the first thing that comes to his mind regarding his perch is that he is the one in control of the situation. And how "the more you love someone, the more you want to strangle them" makes him feel a little cool and sticky inside, as if he wants to protest but can't really find an angle to. It's kind of true, after all.
So, he attacks instead. Voice brassy as he lifts his chin, gaze bright, mouth sneering through its gamut of emotions until it finds its way into a curl of smugness. ]
Is that why you were reaching out to her? For... a pulse racing experience? Why not try me, then? The divine before you.
no subject
Ah-- [ Fumbling, visibly. ] Okay ... well. A lot of what I do when I reach out to a god or a spirit is just ... kind of gratitude, for keeping the wheel of existence turning. For contributing to the world around me. So--
[ Matt tilts his head back to regard Set's face a little bit better. The motion exposes the line of his throat, a not-that-unconscious gesture of submission. He exhales. ]
Thank you. For raising my pulse. I feel very, ah ... alive, right now. And it wouldn't be possible without you.
no subject
β what the hell. [ He mutters it, heaving the words like an exasperated, confused ( wanting ) thing that isn't used to praise. To gratitude. Matthew offers him a connection, and he doesn't know if it's... if he can, or is allowed, to grasp at it. But, it reminds him a little bit of Horus's earnesty. The way his nephew looked at him and cut through all of his bluster with words of gratitude, of gladness. It's a little too much, the rapid rise and fall of his emotions catching up to him in the end with a loud crash of over-stimulation.
From atop Matthew, Set turns a brilliant, deep red that flushes him from cheek to throat. And seconds after he flusters, he cracks his fist against the poor guy's jaw ( it's not too hard, just a reactive pop like someone who strikes out without thinking β ) and his weight comes off Matt's hips following it. The retreat quick and hasty, his words ripe with exasperation: ] You can't just say thing like that, you weirdo!!
[ The rasp of stone signals he's not relinquishing why he'd even come this way to begin with, as he kidnaps Aphrodite-Venus's bust as he FLEES. He'll probably to enshrine it as a trophy in his room like a weird fucking cat. ]