abranax

[abranax]

[abranax]

enamored with an anderson who knows everybody. who lays claim to a multitude of people he calls good friends - television hosts, rockstars, influencers, hitmen, angels, demons, ghosts and the undead - all of whom he keeps amicable relations with and occasionally calls upon as needed. (hey, i need a little favor.) he mingles in all sorts of crowds, it's only reasonable that he emerges with a little posse that finds him entertaining. but out of all those people, who can really say they know him?

[abranax]

“ i bet on a car here, once. won. ”

@voidpill has the sort of distant, caved-in focus that he sees in many of his kind. it doesn't feel right when he reaches for his wallet and produces a dimebag tucked among his dollars and cents, but. he'd argue that he's in a rough place, too.

the restaurant is themed to the great vegas vision, gold and glimmering, but anderson scoffed on arrival and suggested the previous owners must have kicked the bucket. it was a card room back in the day, he said, and only half as nice. better, that way. he fishes around his collar, unclasps a chain. the slim curette, a little gold spoon, rolls innocuously between his fingertips. “ the plymouth, out front, i mean. for a while i'd risk getting shot if i set foot over the nevada line. ”

the gesture he makes is discreet — something like searching his wallet, scratching his nose — and takes a hit, not his first. dilation: the recessed lighting is just dim enough to cast them in half-darkness and the movement around the room swirls an inattentive flow. 2D is a shape on the other side of the crescent booth, tall and watching; what expression is on his face when anderson leans back and exhales with the drip, he doesn't see. maybe doesn't want, nor need to, to know. he's been admonished before. “ but that was back in the sixties. back before — before they gentrified this place for the average suburban homeowner. ” —— he doesn't look that old.

[abranax]

Yosuke Onishi, 1979

[abranax]

screamin’ eagle

[abranax]

on anderson's 'abilities' ie. powers as a fragment of the demiurge

・　as part of the demiurge and the act of creation he can be likened to one star of a galaxy — a singular fragment of light given sentience out of many, many other bodies with no due identity or self-awareness, diligently pushing creation ever-outwards. in its own right, a single star is an explosion of energy and generation of entropic power, still. he is a concept given life, but cannot totally harness nor control it — lacks the expansive energy to, would too easily self-destruct. this concept can be described metaphorically, but its full understanding is intended to achieved with gnosis; to grasp its breadth in invented terms is impossible.

・　alteration of reality: describes an umbrella of similar acts which fall under the category of altering the ability to perceive time, space, and self. if truly pressed, anderson can cast another living being into a psychedelic nightmare of all-seeing; the expanding vastness of space, the invention of a living earth, the jittering particles that fetter reality into a perceivable shape. in targets this can result in violent mood swings, emotional breakdowns, and in more serious instances organ failure and dementia. in common trials of his patience he uses this ability to generate confusion, forgetfulness, or eagerness to follow crowd behavior in subjects, giving him the added ability to slightly sway emotions and behavior in his favor. this is usually plotted in advance.

・　acts of creation: as part of the demiurge he is responsible for generating fragments of existence as the human mind understands it. he can generate ideas in the mind of another, as part of his ability to alter behavior, but is also capable of spontaneous generation of objects and living things. there is a limit to the extent of this capability, as it heavily taxes the living energy of his vessel. however, he uses this ability to recover lost objects, "find" small sums of money in his bank account, mend broken belongings. in some instances he can cause rain to arrive or clear, or temperatures to shift by a few degrees. in a way he is capable of adding to the gamut of the ecological tree by suggestion; somewhere in the world, there is an animal of his own making that has never been seen, and no man will ever see it. he keeps these little acts of creation as secrets.

・　side effects: every instance in which he uses these abilities can be incredibly taxing on both his overall strength and the health of his human vessel. though he does not frequently need it in normal circumstances, in bouts of overuse he experiences a heightened need for sustenance and sleep to recover. in a sudden, massive throe of power, perhaps to avoid a disaster or change the course of reality permanently, he can become gravely ill for an extended period in consequence. how he tends to his human vessel — drinking, using substances — can also impact his ability to call upon his powers when he needs them, a dysfunction he chalks up to poor luck.

[abranax]

@sinsuerte continued from here.

He'd wanted it so badly. Willed it in his eyes — hit first — and jumpy, ragged voice that hurled insult after injury — try me.

They'd found him outside. Knocked him hard against the walls of the alley, and laid him out in the night's worth of ash and vomit and piss and drove boots into his ribs until he stopped moving. He heals up nicely in difficult circumstances but the wet, jagged breaths that come out of him are staccato, sharp rhythms punctuated by long hauls of silence; if he moves he makes too much noise, and like an animal playing dead that's a risk he's unwilling to take, so he lays as still as the pain will let him. Worst he's ever got it, he'd say; whether he earned it he couldn't tell, not right now. Maybe not, if he doesn't live through this.

The sun turns the desert sky just a hint of skin-pink. He's ashamed to say that it's Lemuel, the guardian angel, who finds him. Of course. No one else would come for him running so fast.

They move slow, through the wading heaviness of a dream moving towards a nightmare. Time turns slippery; there's no easier way.

His skin is yellow under the cheap fluorescent lights and tacky against the faux porcelain bathtub. What Anderson groans first is get ice, and while Lemuel races to the dust-laden ice box at the office in rounds of footfall and silence, with hands that won't uncurl from fists Andy carefully rips the buttons of his shirt open and lays breathing in stutters.

He focuses on the triple bulbs situated above a crusted bathroom mirror. When Lemuel dumps ice over his beaten body, raw meat and blood, he screams, just once, and then mutes himself by clamping his jaw down hard. The sound that escapes after is that of an animal dying. When Lemuel runs away for more, the lights in their room stop flickering, and in the half-morning light he can see the streetlamps take off in turn, buzzing, flitting in and out, dying when he passes.

Lemuel is back, for the last time. He's too cold to move and ice is pooling in a shallow inch of reddish-brown water around him, mingling with the filth of the alley and turning his clothing dark. His head lolls to the side and he lets his cheek, where his eye swells shut, press carefully against the chill surface. Shivers take hold like convulsions, but the bruises are worse, and so when Lemuel moves from kneeling to try and lift him away from the cold and into his arms to make for the bed he shakes his head limply, forces himself back under. It'll keep the swelling down, keep him from looking tenderized the morning after. All this he says without speaking, but the earnest way he endures shoveling melting ice cubes onto his purpled chest with gritted teeth says enough. He doesn't ask the angel if he's going to die. He's already making certain of the answer.

Inebriated, in the throes of it still, he has nothing to say of Lemuel touching his fingers to his wrist between bouts of fretting over his wounds, but his fingers curl, slightly, to clasp around his hand when he feigns away.

He's sorry. He thinks, distantly, that he'll be sorry for the rest of his years.

Hand held, wrapped gently around Lemuel's wrist, he can only hope that he won't let go.

[abranax]

a comprehensive list of scenarios

feel free to combine multiple prompts or add  “ + reverse ”  to switch roles !   for reference, the one sending in the prompt is the one committing the action.

1.  GUEST :  for one muse to offer the other a place to stay. 2.  STORM :  for both muses to find shelter from a severe storm. 3.  MEDIC :  for one muse to show up at the other’s doorstep injured. 4.  SURPRISE :  for one muse to come home and find the other already inside. 5.  TRIP :  for both muses to road trip or travel together. 6.  BABYSIT :  for one muse to help the other home while they’re drunk. 7.  INSOMNIA :  for one muse to find the other still awake at 3am. 8.  AMBUSH :  for both characters to come under attack by the same enemy. 9.  DANCE :  for one muse to ask the other to dance at a party. 10.  STRANDED :  for one muse to help the other who’s stranded on the road. 11.  SERVICE :  for one muse to cover the cost of something for the other. 12.  SAFEGUARD :  for one muse to save the other from being hit by a vehicle or from some other life-threatening event. 13.  DAZE :  for one muse to wake somewhere and find the other hovering over them. 14.  STOWAWAY :  for one muse to find the other hiding on the same ship. 15.  TAXI :  for both muses to share the same taxi ride. 16.  MAKEOVER :  for one muse to help the other with a new outfit or hairstyle. 17.  LIFEGUARD :  for one muse to rescue the other from drowning. 18.  DISASTER :  for both muses to work together to escape a fire, flood, or other disaster. 19.  TRANSIT :  for one muse to sit next to the other on a public transport. 20.  SPRAIN :  for one muse to carry the other after spraining their ankle. 21.  EMPLOY :  for one muse to be hired as the other’s bodyguard, tutor, assistant, etc. 22.  QUEST :  for one muse to help the other with a task in exchange for compensation. 23.  SOOTHE :  for one muse to calm the other during a panic attack. 24.  RECOVER :  for one muse to return the other’s lost belonging. 25.  UMBRELLA :  for one muse to share their umbrella with the other on a rainy day. 26.  HEAL :  for one muse to nurse the other back to health from a sickness or injury. 27.  NIGHTMARE :  for one muse to comfort the other after a nightmare. 28.  REUNION :  for one muse to run into the other again after a long time. 29.  PRIZE :  for one muse to win the other a prize at a carnival. 30.  NUDE :  for one muse to walk in on the other while they’re changing. 31.  BED :  for both muses to wake in the same bed, naked or fully clothed. 32.  TRAIL :  for one muse to notice the other has been following them. 33.  EVADE :  for one muse to pull the other into an alleyway to escape their pursuer. 34.  THIEF :  for one muse to confront the other after having something stolen by them. 35.  CAUGHT :  for one muse to walk in on the other singing / dancing. 36.  FESTIVE :  for both muses to decorate for a special occasion. 37.  PRESENT :  for one muse to give the other a  (birthday)  gift. 38.  WEARY :  for one muse to wake up after falling asleep on the other. 39.  CAPTIVE :  for one muse to hold the other against their will. 40.  SNAP :  for one muse to yell at or push the other out of frustration. 41.  SLEEPOVER :  for one muse to stay the night at the other’s place. 42.  TRESPASS :  for one muse to trespass on the other’s property. 43.  BREAK-IN :  for one muse to discover the other robbing their place. 44.  MERCY :  for both muses to come across an injured animal. 45.  UNKNOWN :  for both muses to wake and find themselves in a strange place. 46.  ACCOMPLICE :  for one muse to assist the other at the scene of a crime. 47.  ASTRAY :  for both muses to take a detour and lose their way. 48.  RELAX :  for both muses to share a hot tub or hot spring. 49.  MUSE :  for one muse to model for the other’s art project. 50.  ACCOMPANY :  for one muse to give the other an extra ticket to an event. 51.  SALVAGE :  for one muse to retrieve the other’s belongings from a thief. 52.  MEAL :  for both muses to prepare and share a meal together. 53.  CEMETERY :  for one muse to find the other at a gravestone. 54.  REFUGE :  for one muse to shelter the other from enemies. 55.  ARRANGED :  for both muses to date or marry out of convenience. 56.  FAVOR :  for one muse to owe the other a favor. 57.  VACATION :  for both muses to book the same hotel on vacation. 58.  DEFEND :  for one muse to save the other from one or multiple assailants. 59.  CATCH :  for one muse to return the other’s pet that escaped. 60.  RESTRICTED :  for both muses to sneak into someplace they’re not supposed to be.

[abranax]

Yay ❤️ Pale horse reveals omen

[abranax]

[abranax]

With the sun glinting off the apex of his pupils he notices wisps of clouds, a delicate pastoral breeze whispering where it ought not go, the bed of soft lawn that cradles him, born-again. And he realizes that he, focused entirely on the careful task of taking the air, acclimated to heaving the thick methane haze of midtown and the breath of rancid sewage catacombs under tar roads, is somewhere entirely of fantasy. Ultimately, a place of which the grass emerges greener; Eden, somehow, from the fragmented place among the redwoods where near-centuries of ritual had broken down the barrier that kept him drawn up in one piece. If it were possible his pulse would take off, his breath quick with fear, but he could only stand to lay in his blood like a stillborn, twisted at the spine in an awkward shape, silent, staring.

A shadow moves over his face, God, maybe worse. God wears robes to cover his shame but leaves Anderson bare. God speaks in words he does not understand. God picks him up gracelessly and maneuvers amid his stumbling limbs to put his arm around his shoulder to secure him. God guides him, but does not shield him. There's little he can do but turn his face, in instinct, listlessly away; God pulls him, drags him along in shambles, leaves little room for resistance in such a pathetic state. Stripped of all defenses, Anderson takes the form of a newborn calf in the arms of the shepherd, struggling at the unfamiliar touch but subject to his care.

The low, thick blossoms of the apple trees offer shade, at least. Harlon - God, as he knows it - is not looking at him, but some place off in the distance. Familiar shapes take view, of small houses wrought in stone, the grass breaking off into dirt, then cobblestone, all the marks of civilization. Motion grows difficult; his limbs, heavy and sight dimmed. He tries, Where are we, Who are you, How did I get here, but the weak sound that croaks from his throat is best read, "You, this place ... I don't know. I was sent ..."

-`𖤓´- 𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖑𝖔𝖓 𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖆 𝖑𝖔𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊, feels almost rooted in place, watching this man-shape lumber about gracelessly in his mind's eye. a stranger, he is, in the last place a stranger should be. an american-- the skin of one, at least. there's much more to what pilots the body than what meets the eye. dawn breaks, pouring its pale light over the orchard in a slow and steady swoop. but even in the dead of night harlon could have found his way; he knows this land as well as it knows he.

-- there at the edge of the grove, a fleshy shape, splayed out in the tall grass like a dying animal. that uncomfortable feeling of unease, bordering on dread, only grows the closer harlon gets, even with nuada's warmth pressing at his back. sweat springs up around his neck like a collar. there's a choice to be made here. to drag it back into the woods, to cut its throat and see if avellenau will accept this wretched unthing as an offering. or...

❝ thoir maitheanas dhomh... ❞

up the body comes, and harlon, hating the thick, dead weight of it, pauses a moment to steady himself. a beat then, as he listens, ears turned toward the wood. silence reigns over the clearing. no cicada song, no rustling leaves. nothing. the choice is made for him. with the sun in his eyes, harlon slowly makes his way back toward the garden, stranger in tow.

[abranax]

a comprehensive list of scenarios

feel free to combine multiple prompts or add  “ + reverse ”  to switch roles !   for reference, the one sending in the prompt is the one committing the action.

1.  GUEST :  for one muse to offer the other a place to stay. 2.  STORM :  for both muses to find shelter from a severe storm. 3.  MEDIC :  for one muse to show up at the other’s doorstep injured. 4.  SURPRISE :  for one muse to come home and find the other already inside. 5.  TRIP :  for both muses to road trip or travel together. 6.  BABYSIT :  for one muse to help the other home while they’re drunk. 7.  INSOMNIA :  for one muse to find the other still awake at 3am. 8.  AMBUSH :  for both characters to come under attack by the same enemy. 9.  DANCE :  for one muse to ask the other to dance at a party. 10.  STRANDED :  for one muse to help the other who’s stranded on the road. 11.  SERVICE :  for one muse to cover the cost of something for the other. 12.  SAFEGUARD :  for one muse to save the other from being hit by a vehicle or from some other life-threatening event. 13.  DAZE :  for one muse to wake somewhere and find the other hovering over them. 14.  STOWAWAY :  for one muse to find the other hiding on the same ship. 15.  TAXI :  for both muses to share the same taxi ride. 16.  MAKEOVER :  for one muse to help the other with a new outfit or hairstyle. 17.  LIFEGUARD :  for one muse to rescue the other from drowning. 18.  DISASTER :  for both muses to work together to escape a fire, flood, or other disaster. 19.  TRANSIT :  for one muse to sit next to the other on a public transport. 20.  SPRAIN :  for one muse to carry the other after spraining their ankle. 21.  EMPLOY :  for one muse to be hired as the other’s bodyguard, tutor, assistant, etc. 22.  QUEST :  for one muse to help the other with a task in exchange for compensation. 23.  SOOTHE :  for one muse to calm the other during a panic attack. 24.  RECOVER :  for one muse to return the other’s lost belonging. 25.  UMBRELLA :  for one muse to share their umbrella with the other on a rainy day. 26.  HEAL :  for one muse to nurse the other back to health from a sickness or injury. 27.  NIGHTMARE :  for one muse to comfort the other after a nightmare. 28.  REUNION :  for one muse to run into the other again after a long time. 29.  PRIZE :  for one muse to win the other a prize at a carnival. 30.  NUDE :  for one muse to walk in on the other while they’re changing. 31.  BED :  for both muses to wake in the same bed, naked or fully clothed. 32.  TRAIL :  for one muse to notice the other has been following them. 33.  EVADE :  for one muse to pull the other into an alleyway to escape their pursuer. 34.  THIEF :  for one muse to confront the other after having something stolen by them. 35.  CAUGHT :  for one muse to walk in on the other singing / dancing. 36.  FESTIVE :  for both muses to decorate for a special occasion. 37.  PRESENT :  for one muse to give the other a  (birthday)  gift. 38.  WEARY :  for one muse to wake up after falling asleep on the other. 39.  CAPTIVE :  for one muse to hold the other against their will. 40.  SNAP :  for one muse to yell at or push the other out of frustration. 41.  SLEEPOVER :  for one muse to stay the night at the other’s place. 42.  TRESPASS :  for one muse to trespass on the other’s property. 43.  BREAK-IN :  for one muse to discover the other robbing their place. 44.  MERCY :  for both muses to come across an injured animal. 45.  UNKNOWN :  for both muses to wake and find themselves in a strange place. 46.  ACCOMPLICE :  for one muse to assist the other at the scene of a crime. 47.  ASTRAY :  for both muses to take a detour and lose their way. 48.  RELAX :  for both muses to share a hot tub or hot spring. 49.  MUSE :  for one muse to model for the other’s art project. 50.  ACCOMPANY :  for one muse to give the other an extra ticket to an event. 51.  SALVAGE :  for one muse to retrieve the other’s belongings from a thief. 52.  MEAL :  for both muses to prepare and share a meal together. 53.  CEMETERY :  for one muse to find the other at a gravestone. 54.  REFUGE :  for one muse to shelter the other from enemies. 55.  ARRANGED :  for both muses to date or marry out of convenience. 56.  FAVOR :  for one muse to owe the other a favor. 57.  VACATION :  for both muses to book the same hotel on vacation. 58.  DEFEND :  for one muse to save the other from one or multiple assailants. 59.  CATCH :  for one muse to return the other’s pet that escaped. 60.  RESTRICTED :  for both muses to sneak into someplace they’re not supposed to be.

[abranax]

nahh i dont smoke im trying not to. (sitting there with a cigarette in your hands i figure itd be rude not to offer a light) i feel like if i took one puff id- i have an oral fixation, my doctor tells me- Which is not good! (how did he know that) i was suckin his cock

[abranax]

*at the job interview* i have powers

[abranax]

What sets first the spark of uncertainty in him is the sucking mud under his feet that starts to swallow up the leaves, close off the path. The twilight sky dampens its light to subtle blue, then grey night, and with the last light of the sun the redwood begin to bow and drag their knuckles across the ground in gnarled, unnatural shapes. The land twists in on itself, breathes, churns. He loses his footing before he has it at all.

Without eyes he blinks, carefully, feels in long seeking tendrils that speak to him beyond the senses of man. What the unearthly says in tongues is that he lurching forward, with great, impossible speed, through a pinpoint dilation that struggles to shred and digest the threaded pieces of him that are not wholly of this earth; and for a moment he, not Anderson, but the lion-headed snake and the world in its halo, is being cast from one end of a prism into a million points of light. He is once again, for a length of time without measure, everything at once, absolved of having created the heavens and the earth. For a moment, there is nothing, and he is free.

The sun rises, maybe for the first time. Twisting ash lower their boughs toward the gnoll, a sparrow sings. The first steps he stumbles are that of the first man, of humans learning to walk in the Garden, shamefully guarding their bodies and cautiously eyeing the fruit. Where the ashes break into morning sunlight, to great orchard fields, Anderson stumbles into the dew-laden grass and feels the ground slide out from under him; falls to his bare knees, the urge to cower in his nudity overwhelmed by the uselessness of his new limbs. All is the same. All is completely, confusedly different. The taste of sweetness and vinegar rises in his throat, and, choking on it, he spits only wine-dark blood. Bruises, thorn-pricks litter his body. Pathetically weak, Anderson half-turns on his back, watches the morning sun; thinks, without yet returning to a language he knows, that this is where he took his first steps into hell.

@soursoil

[abranax]

birth of a universe

MAD GOD (2021) dir. Phil Tippett