asgardsartist | SKADI'S TEMPLE

SKADI'S TEMPLE - OPEN LOG

welcome to steina lysa.

Who: ANYONE; Skadi may or may not appear if asked to (and even if not!)
What: Any interactions that take place in Skadi's temple.
When: ANYTIME; the temple does not lock or close in any way, and this log is permanently open.
Where: Steina Lysa, in Skadi's district.
Rating: Please take anything adult rated to a private log; everything else is welcome.

This is a permanent open log for anything that takes place in Skadi's temple. Using this log is completely optional and you are welcome to use the log community instead. This is just one easy way to get an NPC handler's eyes on something you may want Skadi to be aware of, whether the goddess actually makes an appearance in your thread or not. You are welcome to play out threads with other characters as well, or even just leave your own comment of something your character is doing alone in the temple. This is a completely open action log for literally anything.

If your character wishes to make contact with Skadi, you can simply leave a comment here with an OOC note or plot it out ahead of time! How your character attempts to gain her attention is their choice, just as it is her choice whether or not to respond. Comments on this post are valid for AC.

navigation.

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[for more than a month now, klaus has suffered with the lack of coffee, has pushed through the loss of the alcohol rather well (it helps when you're out hunting down plants that might provide some semblance of narcotics), but going most of without his eyeliner? yeah, that's been a travesty and he's finally tired of it. he hasn't got a clue if skadi's going to be able to help him with his plight; if anyone could though, wouldn't it be an art goddess?

initially, when he steps into the temple, he's expecting something unique, but the floating lights and entrancing twists and turns above his head are far more intricate than he could've ever anticipated.] Woah, [he breathes.] Now, this is some crazy-ass shit I wouldn't mind seeing at a rave.

Imagine the insane light-show you could have with these sorta things! Changing colors, strobing at different times, moving around the room— [okay, he's getting a little carried away here.] You came here for a reason, idiot. [followed by a sigh.

then he shakes his head and continues down the way, raising a hand to cup near the side of his face when he calls out,] Anybody here? Hellooo?

❰ while klaus's voice echoes (more than one might expect) through the temple's interior, skadi's does not. it comes from somewhere vaguely in front of him, where an unhurried figure approaches amongst the lights. ❱

I wondered, ❰ she says, ❱ When you might find your way here. ❰ she doesn't bother to raise her voice across the distance, but he hears her as clearly as if she were standing just before him. ❱

[after his own voice peters out and skadi's replaces it, klaus whips his head in her general direction, eyebrows raised with well-warranted astonishment.]

Damn, even the acoustics in this place are amazing, [he chuckles, shuffling forward a couple paces to help bridge the gap between them, although his own pace isn't rushed at all, either.] Really now? Did I take longer than expected? I'm sorry, my life is a bit out of whack at the moment.

❰ the response - so acquiescent yet cavalier - diverges a bit from the expected batch of questions, and her lips lift at the corners as a result. she's not terribly fond of these fresh new mortals, but she can't help but appreciate when they break ever-so-slightly from the mold. ❱

Mm, ❰ she says, which loosely translates to 'of course it is, you chose tyr'. ❱ I suppose the question is, what boon could I possibly offer that Tyr might refuse? ❰ there's really no use pretending he isn't here for some sort of boon - that's why anyone ever sets foot in her temple, for boons or for answers and he doesn't seem like the 'answers' sort. ❱

[he's hardly been the most subtle of the hargreeves, this situation won't be any exception. the fact it's because he's deadset on walking out of here with a stick of eyeliner might have a lot to do with it-- but at least he won't be completely bullshitting anyone.]

Look, I love Tyr, don't get me wrong. Great guy, but this request is for someone with a bit more artistic character. [nobody can say klaus isn't a smooth-talker when it matters to him. answers aren't what he's thinking about right now, even though it probably should be. no, he's here for a far more basic need:] Do you have any idea what makeup is? Or the kind of fun people are lacking without it?

❰ she wants to say no on principle, a kneejerk distaste of the otherworldly plastic-coated cosmetics that rained from the sky in parts of her district. but after a long moment, her head tilts just slightly. ❱

You'll have to be more specific, ❰ she says, ❱ on both counts. ❰ what form of make-up he's looking to acquire and what sort of fun he has in mind. ❱

[give him a chance to explain first before possibly crushing his dreams!]

Uh. Okay, well, eyeliner is a must-have for me, but there are so many other things people could experiment with? Mascara, eyeshadow, rouge, lipstick. Powders and creams and primers, oh my! [klaus thoughtfully taps his chin.] It'd be so much easier to show you... but I'm not sure that's possible. [pause] Is it?

❰ and she listens with at least some degree of intrigue as he rattles off a laundry list of words she has very little context for or comprehension of. just as she's thinking this would be far easier if she could simply look at them, the very same notion springs from his lips. ❱

It is. ❰ but it's a bit offhanded, almost dismissive of the idea, because: ❱ Your kind have called it 'invasive'.

[listen, ‘invasive’ is hardly a word in his vocabulary when it comes to something like this. klaus still raises a considering eyebrow at the remark, tilts his head, teeters his hand a little. to be frank, he needs to know what she believes would be considered meddling first.]

Invasive how? Because my definition of the word and someone else's may vary quite a bit here.

You think of your cosmetics as I touch your mind. ❰ simple. straightforward. efficient, yet nonetheless fundamentally alarming to entirely too many of the mortals in this city. ❱

And that's it? [funny, he sounds awfully levelheaded about the explanation.] Listen, I'm pretty desperate here and if that's going to make this easier...

Desperate for your cosmetics, ❰ she says, in a tone like it amuses her but not necessarily in a cruel way.

and she takes a step toward him, then another. ❱ I suggest that you sit. ❰ some handle this process far worse than others. ❱

Like you wouldn't believe, my dear.

[she moves toward him somewhat, takes a second step and klaus's eyebrows raise with curiosity.] Sit? [what, on the floor? which he promptly does without hesitation (or asking), crisscrossing his legs and resting his hands on his knees.] Alright, whenever you're ready then, I guess?

❰ yes, sit. he doesn't seem the sort to thrash about in his own skull about something like this, but she's very much not inclined to catch one more mortal solicitor who up and decides to get themselves dizzy.

when he sits, she sinks to her knees in front of him. ❱ Show me what it is that you need. ❰ as he does so, her hand lifts palm-up as if waiting for something to arrive in it - and so she is. the next few cosmetics he actively thinks about appear in her palm, true to his recollection but lacking the clutter of brands and labels. ❱

[is he supposed to close his eyes? klaus has no idea, but after she's knelt in front of him, he lets them sink shut, focuses on the first things coming to mind: an eyeliner stick, a tube of mascara and a bottle of nail polish. all in black, of course.

hesitantly, he cracks an eye open, the other one opening with an immediateness that could make someone's head spin. each and everyone one looks sleek, ultramodern without the ridiculous stickers he's usually peeling off anyway.] Oh, my God, I cannot believe that worked!

❰ skadi lets out a hum, the sort that suggests she may not have been horribly impressed with his declared lack of faith in her magic. ❱

What good fortune that we exist regardless of mortals' belief in us. ❰ the words are dry, and she's depositing the cosmetics into his hands before she can change her mind about the boon altogether. ❱

[he cringes in response, knowing full well he hadn't meant for it to sound that way, but also realizing how his incredulousness could be mistaken for disbelief.]

My bad, I— [klaus hesitates, fumbling slightly with the items she's handing over before clenching them in one hand, the other lifting to sheepishly rub the side of his neck.] It wasn't meant to sound like I didn't believe? I'm just surprised it worked so easily.

[ The next day after their conversation, Peter shows up at the temple as promised a small white box in his hands. She asked for nothing in exchange for the help but it feels strange to come with empty hands. He imagines gods have anything they might want and bring flowers is a no, because Skadi would probably staple his balls to the wall if he cut any of her plants. So he brought her a homemade dessert, nothing too fancy but who doesn't love some chocolate? he even added a lil plant-like decoration at the top.

Steina Lysa is like any temple he's seen before and, while very pretty, it's also somewhat confusing. He admires the arty decorations as he walks around looking for the goddess. ]

❰ skadi watches him wander the temple from the shadows for a couple of minutes, intrigued by what he'll make of it... but it seems to be very much the normal wanderer response (fascination and disorientation in equal measures), so she doesn't allow too much time to pass before stepping out onto the path through a gap in the abstract decor. ❱

There is seating a bit deeper in the temple, if you'd prefer. ❰ yes, that's her greeting. right down to business, this one. ❱

[ To Peter's credit, he only jumps back a step once Skadi shows up out of nowhere. One day this woman might give him a heart attack but there's a level of comfort when it comes to interacting with someone so blunt about things. It's so different from Ego. ]

Oh! Ey, hello...yeah, that would be perfect. [ Peter flashes her a smile and follows, she's the one who knows the place. He also offers her the small box after a moment. ] I know you didn't ask for anything but I brought you something as token of appreciation for your time.

❰ she's been informed on more than one occasion of the irony in the goddess of art being so terribly straightforward. to skadi, it's as if she maintains a blank canvas until struck with the inspiration to do otherwise.

but she's not the one with intent to create today. this wanderer has come here hoping that she'll extract music from inside his mind, a request that only highlights another difference between the mortals and the gods (if a song were in her head, she'd hardly need to extract it to listen again - she'd be able to hear it simply by thinking it).

he offers a box, and she accepts it. she doesn't open it yet, but her fingertips alight on top of it in thoughtless gesture that it hasn't been forgotten as she turns to lead the way off down the temple's path. ❱

Have you been thinking of your songs? ❰ it sounds like smalltalk, but it's very much not. ❱ I'll admit, I don't entirely grasp the limitations of the minds of mortals. I only know that if your recollection isn't crisp, then neither shall be the copy.

[ He pauses and smiles slightly when she takes the box, not al that surprised when Skadi doesn't open it. She has other things to do than waste time in pleasantries but at least she accepted the present. ]

Yes. I'm always thinking in terms of music. [ Which it might sound weird to other people but it's an honest answer.

Music has been part of his life for so long that he can't imagine a life without it. It has been Peter's only comfort when he was alone and something to share with friends and family. It's special to him and that's the reason why he's so desperate to get the songs back that he's asking the gods for favors. ]

Then I'll focus on the voice of the originals singers, least you get them in my voice. [ Peter knows he's better at dancing than singing, even if he likes to do both. Not like such thing has ever stopped him from breaking into song when he feels like it. ] Do you know how long it takes to extract each song? The full duration of the song, or...?

The full duration, ❰ she echoes in confirmation, ❱ From the first note to the last.

❰ by now they're emerging into a much cozier space, the walls a veritable jungle of colors but the center filled with a number of what most closely resemble beanbag chairs, in varying sizes. she found one after the deluge and was rather taken with it. ❱

If you allow me the liberties, I can guide it along. ❰ her hands lift to cup vaguely in the air, almost as if directing some sort of stream. ❱ Isolate it to ensure that nothing compromises the integrity. You're very distractable creatures.

Makes sense. It also means it will take us a while to get all the songs. There's a lot of them, 300 or so.

[ Which is what Peter considers a lot. He used to only listen to the same 12 songs for 30 years, his concept of 'a lot' might differ from other people. The new room is much more pleasant to his eyes and it looks very comfy. He's a little surprised, to be honest. ]

Yeah, of course. [ Peter manages to keep his voice even but four years later and a planet-father brown up, he's still wary of Gods getting into his mind. She's mindful enough to ask first, which helps assuage his worries. He even smirks at the last comments. ] That we are but is part of the fun of being us. the distractions, now knowing what might happen...Never boring day with us around. Where do you want me for this?

[ He will happily keep standing if that's easier but the mental image of Skadi lounging in one of those beanbags is kinda adorable. ]

❰ she isn't necessarily mindful on his behalf, don't give her too much credit. it's more that she doesn't like the rough-edged asynchrony of a mind that doesn't want her inside it.

the question gets a vague hand-wave toward the chairs. ❱ Sit. ❰ she's discovered it best to allow the mortals to sit through this process after one of them lost their footing. it was thoroughly unnecessary - the process is hardly noticeable, it's not as if your vision goes black or your head dizzies for any reason beyond the anxiety you might fabricate for yourself. ❱

[ He's trying really hard not to think of Ego, let him lie a bit to himself Skadi about how much the gods here actually care. And sitting he does, like a good boy.

The general anxiety Peter feels towards Gods might benefit from him not standing up. He most likely won't faint but he could fidget and start walking around the room, which would sure annoy Skadi. ]

Does it matter which song I start thinking about? Do you find slow ones easier to retrieve?

❰ oh, it would certainly annoy skadi. she has precisely zero intention of following him as he paces about, so he'd likely get half a song at best before he marches out of range (not out of range of her capability, mind you, but of her patience) and she's declared it a loss for the day. ❱

Whichever you most urgently wish to retrieve. ❰ a beat, and the slightest lift of one shoulder in a vague little shrug. ❱ Or perhaps whichever comes most easily. ❰ is there a song stuck in your head, peter? ❱

[ Let's avoid that happening then. ]

Oh, in that case...

[ Some songs come easier to him than others, either because he has heard them more times - He only had available the 12 songs from the Vol1. cassette for 30 years- or because he associates them with special moments. Hurtful ones too, like Ego and the song Brandie, but Peter's mind is in a different memory now.

There's a song he associates with his family and especially with Gamora. A song he first listened to when they become a team. And so, Peter closes his eyes and starts humming 'I no mountain high enough'. The lyrics and rhythm come to his mind easily but so does Gamora's voice asking him where to go from there, and that might interfere. ]

❰ it very well tries to interfere, and listening to that song at a later time might offer a buzz of something like barely-there static underneath the music itself when gamora spoke, but peter did say skadi could interfere as well and her interference is stronger even than the force of peter's affectionate recollection. sorry, gamora. you've been kicked out of this song, or at least this reproduction of it.

they make their way through the song, all two and a half minutes of it. then there's a pause, one in which skadi lets out a slow, pleased sort of sigh.

then, without warning, she lifts her hands a bit to the sides and the chorus of the song rings out in the room. the sound quality is spectacular, like nothing peter has ever heard before, even with no clear point from which the sound originates. after the chorus, the next few words fade out to silence again. ❱

Another, ❰ skadi decides. demands, almost. he wasn't wrong about this music that day in the park - there's something incredibly compelling about it. ❱

[ It's probably for the better that she fixed the song, even if her interference almost startles him. It feels strange, not bad, so Peter tries to focus on properly from now on. She raises her hands and that time he does jump a little on his seat, only to smile as if Christmas came early when the song starts playing. ]

Woah! That's great!!!

[ Peter stops himself from clapping but it's a very close occurrence. You're amazing, Skadi. Scary still, more so with that commanding tone, but he's too happy to do anything else but follow it. He knows she likes songs about strong feeling like sadness and fear so the next one Peter starts to think about (and sing) is Hurt, by Johnny Cash. Can't get a more raw feeling that this one. ]

So, it wasn't immediate. It took her an hour as a macaw to figure out that the soft orange glow was the same one on one of the coins she'd grabbed by mistake. It looked like the creamsickle smelling colors at Skadi's section of the town. Figuring that this 'might' have something to do with her, she flapped her wings and made her way over to the temple.

At some point during the evening of the 17th, perched at the entry to the temple pathways, looking in, was a bobbing teal blue macaw.

"Wraaaack!" It didn't actually sound upset as it started to flap its way along the inside of the pathway, looking around for Skadi.

Edited 2019-08-20 04:41 (UTC)

❰ skadi arrives before long, drawn by the racket. she emerges from deeper within the temple, head tilting slightly to admire the macaw - or more appropriately, to admire her handiwork. ❱

I'm afraid I don't understand you, ❰ she warns before the feathered creature can squawk again. if this is who she thinks it is - the troll girl, it feels like her presence even in this altered form - the bird may very well continue to squawk regardless. ❱

[The macaw alighted on something that didn't look like a sculpture and stared at Skadi with beady black eyes. Its head bobbed several times, though it wasn't easy to really tell whether or not it was nodding or just doing that because it was fun to do.

It did squawk again, before whistling and making a clucking sound that almost was reminiscent of laughter.]

Having fun, having fun, hehehe. [Whistle] 'Rezi wanna cracker?

[Congratulations, Skadi. This one likes this little curse.]

❰ surprise of surprises, this bird seems absolutely delighted. skadi watches as she bobs and chatters, but the request at the end has the goddess's lips curling slightly at the corners.

her hand extends, and between her fingers appears a plain saltine cracker. ❱

How does the saying go? 'Don't spend it all in one place'?

[The parrot hopped down and clutched the cracker in one of its claws, letting out a very pleased whistle before bobbing and making that chortling sound. Terezi found getting people to give her crackers hilarious.]

Wrack! Polly has a cracker! [Pause, and she thought of a way to say something simply eough to get it out with her little parrot lungs.

How long it last? How long it last?

[Munch munch.]

❰ in truth, skadi hadn't quite anticipated the ramifications of allowing the birds to talk. now she's right back where she started, upholding a conversation with a mortal.

at least now the mortal is a bit more aesthetically pleasing.

the question earns a vague sort of shrug. ❱ Mmn, it should wipe clean through the night, I suppose. ❰ she hadn't quite thought of that part - the part where the wanderers turn back - but at night the wild magic is stronger and so is the gods' own, burning away at lesser curses such as this one. ❱

[Munch much. Crunch crunch. She swallowed and cocked her head to look at Skadi, eyes locking for a second before bobbing again and letting out a little chortle.]

Pity. Kind of fun!

[Munch munch. She was plenty happy with her cracker at the moment. Any oversight about the birds talking was just the tiny bit about how Parrots were already talkative little bastards. Her head bobbed one more time.]

Fun talking. Rawk. Thank you!

[And with that, another squawk, she took the rest of the cracker and stared to fly off.]

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SKADI'S TEMPLE - OPEN LOG

what up artist babe i got some tradition for you (it's called makeup)

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♫♪♫♪♫

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The 17th

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