of those blackholes & revelations

[capemods]

WHO: All imPorts.
WHERE: Atropos.
WHEN: January 7th to January 14th.
WARNINGS: Death and destruction.
SUMMARY: Atropos has risen in the night, and the inevitable has come: with her jaws she shears away the City from Earth and swallows it whole.

But the City is not yet dead.
FORMAT: Whatever you please.



The formless mass of metal haunting above, hovering like a lunar tombstone, begins to take shape. Asteroids plummet into the cheeks, the eyes, carving out bone structure. Her features howl with fury, with triumph, as she stares down below, savoring her conquest. A cavity opens. Metal swoops to form jagged, angry shears. Her teeth are born.

She waits as the world rotates, its spin more wobbly than it used to be.

And then she leans down to feast, her bite vampiric. She takes the City and then some, and all that it encompasses, so that every single imPort is captured. She takes the time to drink in any stragglers, any imPorts elusive to the City's thrall.

She holds the City on her tongue as she draws back her fist to punch the world.

And then teeth close to the shuddering, glass shattering vibration of a cosmic laugh. The jaws close, and there is no light for about an hour -- until Atropos begins to siphon solar energy from the sun into her veins. She is dissatisfied with its dying tint, or perhaps she cannot stand the redness of color, so once she injects this energy into her her body (her most intimate domain), she turns it bright yellow again. The universe within her is illuminated.

The City is a floating chunk of broken skyscrapers and puckered asphalt streets. The trauma of consumption has wrecked the usual infrastructure: buildings are half collapses, or skeletal, vehicles are flipped and strewn across the layout. Whatever vegetation that is still clinging onto life has rejoiced under the return of normal sunlight.

You can breathe. It isn't too hot, or too cold -- it's unusually pleasant, in fact. The sunshine veins that light your world are not overwhelming. There is no blue sky to complement the atmosphere, and whatever water still in the City will be constrained to the bottled kind found in shops.

But there are other floating pieces of worlds, and they might have water. Or food.

If you live in the City, your possessions should still be in the City. While about 76% of the natives have fled the City (which had gotten the brunt of focus over the past week), there are still some natives who were too sick, too sentimental or too stubborn to leave.

You'll find that your powers work normally, though you can't teleport within Atropos. You probably wouldn't want to teleport outside of her, anyway.

She swallows, and the City gentle glides down a slick throat. Dust and particles create stunning visuals, like the aurora borealis, except in warmer colors. Light reflects so easily from solar veins and starstrewn flesh.

While you can breathe easily, gravity is fickle. Physics is often defied. Atropos was never one to play by the rules.

Comments

[incywincyhero]

[Enter Spider-Man, looking somewhat the worse for wear, uniform covered in dust and microtears. He's got one hand clasped to the other arm, which dangles limp.]

Uh, hey. Dr. Hooper, isn't it? I think my arm's dislocated-- there was a truck-- well, anyway. I tried popping it back in myself, but that didn't work so well.

[ecphrasis]

[Seeing an actual costumed superhero makes her start, but she manages to get her staring under control. Molly blinks rapidly, but nods, almost dazed, and ushers him into the office.]

Um right, I'm Dr. Hooper. Dislocated, you think? Let--let me just-- [Awkwardly reaching towards the shoulder in question and waiting for permission to touch it because how are superheroes even real. Not that she hasn't been saved by them before, but still.]

[incywincyhero]

Oh -- right, sorry. Do you need me to take off my shirt? [Spidey felt a little weird about that, but hey, she was a doctor.]

[ecphrasis]

[Molly is the doctor here and she still feels weird about it.]

Yes, yes actually that would be good. I mean, helpful. It would be helpful for resetting it.

[incywincyhero]

One sec. [Spidey gets as far as peeling his shirt off his abs when he realizes a problem.] Uh.

Usually in a situation like this I'd just cut it off, but I'm kinda low on spare outfits right now...

[ecphrasis]

[Professionalism is hard.] Right, I get it. I'll just. [Reach for the hem and try her best to avoid touching his skin at all.]

[incywincyhero]

Sorry about this -- thanks -- ouch! No, I got it. [Aaaaand shirt's off! There is no discernible difference except that his abs are now people-colored.]

[ecphrasis]

[Oh no, people-colored abs. She drops the shirt on the office chair as if it's burned her.]

Okay, now let's--let's have a look at that shoulder.

[incywincyhero]

Sure. [Spidey turns so she can get a better look, then sits there for a few moments in awkward silence.]

So, you come here often?

[ecphrasis]

[At least now that she can actually work with his arm, the awkwardness bothers her less. She's a doctor, and it shows. But his question throws her off, her hands hovering just above his shoulder.]

Um, yeah. I mean, I've worked at the clinic since I got here. What about you? [Good job, Mols.]

[incywincyhero]

Well, I haven't been working at the clinic. Kidding! I mostly just... swing around. My day job's in my other identity.

[ecphrasis]

[Molly smiles a bit to herself, finally getting back to working on his shoulder. Yup, definitely dislocated. But she keeps him talking to distract him.]

I guess not even the end of the world is enough to get you to tell me what that is, huh?

[incywincyhero]

[He hisses and twitches underneath her touch, but manages to keep mostly still.]

Hey, if there's ever a time we need a little romance in our lives... I mean, mystique! In the mystical sense.

[Beat.] You know what I mean.

[Smooth, Parker.]

[ecphrasis]

[Molly almost freezes up again. She can't be talking about romance with a superhero, it's too cliche. And totally right up her alley.

No, concentrate, Molly. But her voice is almost a squeak.]

Yeah, right. [Back to business.] Um, alright, it doesn't seem too bad, so I'm going to have to relocate. Is that... alright? I've got some muscle relaxants that will help.

[incywincyhero]

Nah, I gotta get back out there after this. Webbing may not be heavy machinery, but trust me, at five stories up that doesn't make much difference.

[ecphrasis]

[Her brow furrows.]

As a doctor, you really shouldn't. This will take weeks to heal properly. [She pauses.] But... as a person, I think that's for the best. People need help. People who can't get here on their own, especially.

[incywincyhero]

[He spreads his free hand wide, never mind how silly the gesture looks only half-complete.] You're talking to a superhero, remember? In a few hours it'll be like it never happened. But I can wear a sling for a little bit, if that'd make you feel any better.

[Not that he won't stop using it the moment he really needs two hands.]

[ecphrasis]

[A small smile.] I guess I am, and yes, a sling will work. Alright, Mr. Hero, let me see that arm. And, you know, this is going to hurt, but the relief should be almost immediate.

[incywincyhero]

[He sketches a loose salute.] Don't worry, I've been to this rodeo. Haul away.

[ecphrasis]

Grab my arm with your free one, and just squeeze when it hurts, okay? [Molly moves into position, bracing herself against the table. And then she pops a shoulder back into place however you do that sort of thing.]

[incywincyhero]

...Yeah, you don't want me doing that. Super-strength, y'know-- ugh! [So much for the tough guy routine, but at least he'd kept it down to a grunt. Grunts are manly, right?]

[ecphrasis]

[She hears the bone pop back to where it's meant to be, and there's a moment of satisfaction immediately followed up by worry.]

Sorry, sorry! Let--let it sit for a minute, just. Sorry.

[incywincyhero]

I'mokayI'mokayI'm okay. I'm okay. [He sucks in a breath, then blows it out.] Whew, that smarts.

[ecphrasis]

[She can't stop wincing on his behalf.]

Yeah, I bet. [Back to doctor mode.] It's going to be tender for a while, but the swelling should go down soon.

[incywincyhero]

Hopefully sooner, in my case. But I should try not to use it for a while, yeah? [He's already thwipping himself a sling -- two-handed, hallelujah, but favoring his stronger arm.]