I'm sure it's all lore that will be revealed in due time, but could you tell us about some of the side effects of consuming the celestial flesh?
I’m definitely not good at working linearly and slow at story plot reveal right now anyway, so happy to answer lol
Also, I wasn’t sure how to gage how much context this answer needed so sorry in advance for the long answer 😭. And cw for graphic descriptions of disease/body horror stuff.
Tl;dr Eating Yvishnir eventually caused evolutionary entropy that sometimes causes horrors.
It’s said that Yvishnir (the body not in the ocean) was a fallen star from long ago, before humanity and the fall of Tartarus(ocean body). The primordials, (Furies and sea dragons) were the ancient fish and birds that fed on Yvishnir in order to sustain their size and godhood and multiply on Earth as its continued keepers. They grew jealous over humanity’s progress and out of fear they buried Yvishnir so humans wouldn’t find it, and hid themselves away. That’s how part of the creation myth goes anyway. Then Tartarus fell and uncovered Yvishnir once again, drawing the primordials out and changing the sea.
So when I say ‘eating the flesh’, I mostly mean the Crux. At first, when Yvishnir was discovered and exposed to the atmosphere, it produced something called Crux which permeated the corpse and oozed from it as a liquid, thought to be a type of otherworldly bacterium or ichor to help it decompose. It caused a sort of explosion of hyper biodiversity/evolution, starting with plants. Here are some examples, mostly some fungi:
Most Humans didn’t really consider eating the Crux of course.
There were a few eccentrics and cults however that started the ball rolling. They would mostly eat it from fungi that had grown around Yvishnir, as well as cooking with it. This caused versions of human evolution, where they began to evolve into the Myce and other species to repopulate as, genetically merging with fungi in order to survive the new world. They’re under the blanket term ‘Hox Strays’, who make up most of Marrowtide and other known civilization islands to this day. There are different variations of these and their mutations have ‘stabilized’ over many generations but that’s another story.
As for Yvishnir, there was a point where the Crux changed its properties, becoming more crystalline. Entropy took over the longer the body was exposed. Even the very insects that were feeding on it began to quickly horrifically mutate and grow. People would say that demons were being birthed from its rotted juices. The Crux began to bring on less desirable effects. Humans classified it as several new forms of horrific diseases ranging from otherworldly prions to the very DNA itself denaturing and mutating.
✨Some outcomes include but are not limited to;✨
>Victims known to have fits of uncontrollable laughter while bleeding from orifices. Several cysts that had broken out on the skin were found to contain bits of teeth, hair and even eyes, like they were growing them.
>Some victims became more beast-like but at the cost of their minds and insatiable hunger for more of the celestial flesh/Crux.
>Victims first described it as a tingling sensation in their chest and extremities. Their blood began to change its molecular structure to be crystalline as well. Cells became shard-like, until their blood eventually hardened completely. It could be seen poking through skin, like they were full of glass.
>Worse still, in a sort of sped up form of the first outcome, they can become a never ending cycle of constantly evolving body parts, growing biomass like cancerous tumors of body parts forever in bloom, eg. growing several hands from your eye or numerous organs. The body can’t sustain this and it pretty much ends in death.
These modern day effects were mostly observed by The Ladder and they determined that Yvishnir was not to be consumed by organisms any longer. In the modern day it is safely contained in Hearth, which is the name of the quarantined citadel outside of The Fever, serving god knows what purpose aside from genetic experiments they’re rumored to be continuing with the remaining crystalline Crux Root.
The primordials felt that those who continued eating the Crux were forsaken, punished for eating the god. They along with others had migrated far, far away at that point, populating the mountains of Zenith and oceans that no one dared to sail through. The body of Yvishnir faded into legends. Even people living within Fever and the isles surrounding it knew less and less about the body as time went on, more focused on surviving day to day.
Their are cases where people have somehow managed to preserve the liquid form of Crux, said to still be procured and preserved when the body was first uncovered and would thus have the least amount of risk involved.
Some people hunt mermaids for the soul purpose of searching the contents of their stomach, to see if they have remnants of Tartarus in them.
With Tartarus it’s all based on theory because no one is able to get down there to see wtf is going on, they only see the results.
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The Things We Do for Love pt. 2
Simon 'Ghost' Riley X GN!Reader
Word Count: 1700±
Warnings: Profanity, mentions of death, angst?
Part 1
“Ghost…”
It was not the voice he wanted to hear.
“Fucking hell, Ghost.”
Maybe if Simon kept ignoring the voice it would fade into the back of his mind and disappear.
“LT!” Johnny smacked his palms onto the table in front of Simon.
“The fuck do you want, MacTavish?” Simon sighed.
“I got a call. Price said Y/N’s returned,” Johnny said, shaking his head and exhaling in relief.
Simon looked down at his phone. The screen showed no new notifications. No calls from you, no messages.
“Did you hear me? Y/N has returned. Aren’t you relieved? Everyone’s relieved,” Johnny added.
That was an unusual reaction to someone returning from a mission. It was as if they were expecting you not to come back.
“Return from where exactly?” Simon looked up at his friend.
“You… did Price not tell you?” Johnny hesitantly asked.
Simon grabbed Johnny’s collar, scrunching it in his fist.
“Where?” Simon asked.
“I can’t tell you,” Johnny said, but immediately opened his mouth again as soon as he felt Simon pulling him up. “The BSAA asked for a couple of expendable squads and Y/N went.”
“Expendable?” Simon repeated.
“Disposable,” Johnny clarified.
“I know what that means!” Simon let go of Johnny’s collar, realising he had been breathing heavily.
Johnny fixed his clothes and took a considerable distance from Simon who was looking back at his phone.
“Y/N is in quarantine, but Price didn’t say we can’t see them,” Johnny informed.
“Quarantine?!” Simon repeated, feeling his blood pumping.
“It’s… BSAA business of course there’d be quaran—”
Simon kicked back the chair he was sitting on, sending it against the wall.
“Where are you going?” Johnny asked, very concerned.
Not responding, Simon walked away.
At first, Johnny was going to follow him, but seeing his reaction, he would rather not. So, he went to call Price instead, informing him of the situation.
The captain told him simply to stand down and leave the lieutenant be. Then, Johnny went to Kyle for protection in case something bad happened.
Simon was waiting for anything from you. Calls, texts, even your sudden appearance for the next two weeks. He got nothing.
Maybe you had moved on after all. That was the hardest pill to swallow. He always had a hunch that it would happen at some point, but never this early. Never so soon. Without adieu.
A few nights after Simon told himself to accept the fact that he would never be with you anymore, Johnny joined him whilst he was smoking outside of his barrack.
“You got your uniform ready for tomorrow, LT?” the sergeant asked.
“The fuck you on about?” Simon replied.
“The ceremony,” Johnny excitedly said. “Y/N got the promotion and they’re getting a medal.”
Surely if you wanted Simon to come, you would have let him know, right? So, why had you not?
Upon not getting a reaction from the lieutenant, Johnny patted the taller man on the shoulder.
“Just get it ready. Must be excited to see Y/N, eh?” Johnny said before walking away.
Not if it seemed you did not want him to see you. Hell, Simon had no idea if he wanted to see you either now that he had received no words from you these last weeks.
However, Simon dusted his dress uniform and prepared all the trinkets for it. He hated how he still cared about how he might look when he saw you tomorrow.
Going to the ceremony with the rest of the 141, Simon mostly said nothing to them or entertained their words at all. He was still waiting for your call. Or texts. Anything.
There was not a single word still and he had no idea if he should be angry at himself for waiting or at you for staying in the dark. Maybe at Price for keeping everything about you away from him. From keeping you away from him.
Soon enough, the ceremony began and you were stepping onto the stage. By now, Simon had no idea what to feel anymore. He could not translate a single feeling that he felt when he saw you.
Was he relieved? Yes, but you looked half dead. Was he angry at you? Yes, but he was proud of you at the same time.
You looked… different over all. Fresh scar on your face, new uniform, definitely new rank and another medal. There was no smile on your face, one that used to light Simon’s day up. There were no friendly eyes, the one that would look right into Simon’s eyes every time he was being unreasonable.
Waiting for the ceremony to end, Simon stood behind everyone, giving anyone a dirty look every time they looked at him. He said not a single word, but you were all he saw. Not once did you see him.
Why did he even bother? You never wanted him anyway.
The group soon found themselves walking towards you. Simon stood still where he was before, watching Price and the others congratulating you. At that point, Simon started walking away.
Ignoring Johnny who was calling his name, Simon continued walking away from the venue. Then, he heard his name called, but instead of Johnny’s voice, it was yours.
Simon stopped in his tracks. He did not turn around, but he felt the familiarity of your gaze on his back. Then, he heard your footsteps before seeing you in front of him.
It seemed to be a long time that the two of you stood in front of each other, merely looking at one another. There was so much to say and nothing at the same time.
“No call, no texts,” Simon said.
“Lost my phone,” you said.
“Not like you don’t memorise my number,” Simon scoffed in disbelief.
“It’s not by choice,” you said. “I got my orders.”
“Price ordered you to shut me out?” Simon asked.
“Look at my uniform, Simon, I got another captain to answer to now,” you pointed out. “He’s American. Got Redfield in his name.”
It was a BSAA uniform. That meant you belonged to them now. You were… to dispose as they liked.
“The prick that punched a boulder,” Simon sighed.
“That one,” you said.
Simon saw the thin smile on your face and felt his shoulders loosen.
“I guess congratulations are in order,” Simon said.
“You know why this happened, right?” you asked.
“It’s a sacrifice,” Simon nodded once.
“Do you wanna know what my mission is, Simon?” you replied. “To save as many civilians as possible.”
“That’s never a problem with compassion such as yours,” Simon said.
“Yeah, that’s why out of 218 civilians, we lost none of them and out of 24 soldiers—more than half was official BSAA SOUs—only one came back,” you said, struggling with a lump that formed in your throat.
Simon said nothing for a few seconds, sinking in that information.
“I guess that’s how you get your medal, then,” Simon said in a rather friendly tone.
You let out a weak chuckle, but you were looking down immediately. Swallowing your tears, you took a deep breath.
“Aye, cheer up,” Simon said. “I heard the BSAA pays are more generous.”
“Way more generous,” you nodded. “Of course that means I renewed my contract. Can get us that bike you wanted so bad. All thanks to Price.”
“Price?” Simon asked.
“He didn’t tell you? Of course he didn’t,” you sighed. “You’d dampen his cigars with your dirty underwear.”
“That’s a good idea,” Simon said.
“Don’t,” you chuckled.
“You can’t stop me if we’re not in the same base,” Simon said.
“Right,” you said after a pause. “I will even more rarely see you after today.”
“After today? It’s been months,” Simon reminded. “You’re not staying here?”
“I told you, I got my orders,” you said.
“That’s… disappointing,” Simon said. “I guess you do deserve it now that you bear such a rank.”
“Tell me it’d get better,” you said.
“It won’t,” Simon stated. “You’d get a Soap and a Y/N and your life is a living hell.”
“I won’t be a you!” you protested.
“A—the fuck, a me?” Simon questioned, offended.
“Yeah,” you nodded. “You’re trouble.”
“Yet here you are,” Simon said.
You only smiled at him.
“I can tell people we’re engaged, then, yeah?” Simon asked.
“Right now? Are you sure?” you asked back.
“What are they gonna do? Separate us again?” Simon replied. “Besides… it’s been almost a year.”
“I don’t… we should still be careful,” you said. “23 people died—”
“Doing their job,” Simon cut you off.
“It doesn’t feel like that,” you reasoned.
Behind his mask, Simon stitched his brows together.
“Yes, I did this for us, but it’s… isn’t this too much? If I’d known love cost this much, I wouldn’t have had it,” you said.
Brokenheart was not something Simon felt a lot. This time, it felt like he had been shot in the chest twelve times.
“Besides, don’t you prefer to be with someone who can wait for you at home? Not risking their life in the same way you do?” you piled.
“Fuck that,” Simon said, stepping closer to you so he could speak more quietly. “I asked you to marry me because there’s no one else I’d rather be with.”
“And as soon as I said yes everything went downhill. Price showed up, we got separated, I got transferred, people died,” you recalled.
“Irrelevant,” Simon stated.
You looked down, stepping back from him.
“You’re a soldier for fuck’s sake, get over your guilt!” Simon said.
“It’s gonna take some time, then,” you said. “Until then… maybe we should stay away from each other.”
“I can’t believe you’d say that,” Simon said.
With a heavy heart, you fixed your posture and nodded once at him.
“I will see you again, Lieutenant Riley,” you said before walking away.
Simon was frozen, watching you walk away from him. If he had felt like he was shot in the chest twelve times, he felt it again.
“What the fuck? LT, why is Y/N walking away?” Johnny showed up out of nowhere. “What did you say? Why are you still here? You should come after—”
“Fuck off, MacTavish,” Simon harshly said, pushing the sergeant away as he walked himself out of the area.
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