Abhilasha

(( I have noticed that understanding Abhi is a bit... hard for some. Basically. She is not a demon from hell. She is fairly nice (if cold and emotionless sometimes) and won't hurt you outside of some kind of thing that turns your character on. She will refuse to inflict lasting harm, disadvantage, or death on someone if it is at all possible - and since she can reform people, it often /is/ possible. Basically, think of her somewhere between a lesser goddess and a professional dominatrix - the former because she rules a concept and is dedicated to doing things with it, the latter because she /basically/ follows 'safe, sane, and consensual'... even if 'secretly wanting it' is her idea of 'consensual'. ))

Considering that the first things about Abhilasha you're likely to notice are her inhuman features, or at least her red eyes... and then, on top of that, her rather skimpy attire... It wouldn't be an unfair conclusion to believe the girl to be a succubus. But that's actually fairly inaccurate, and if mislabeled in this way, she /will/ correct whomever said so (and usually be mildly annoyed). No, Abhilasha is a daemon - yes, she's rather insistent on that pronunciation and will correct mistakes on /that/ as well (...though 'demonic' will somewhat be allowed).

But what is a daemon, then, and how is it different from a demon or succubus? In the world Abhilasha hails from, concepts have a certain sense of power to them, and every concept will, given time, manifest a daemon, who serves as its caretaker on some levels. But at the same time, as just one sentient being, a daemon doesn't have world-spanning attention or abilities (...with some exceptions, as you'll see soon). Abhilasha, in particular, is the Daemon of Desire, which makes her significantly younger than many of her siblings, and /definitely/ younger than her 'parents' - as much as that word can even apply to daemons.

The Daemons are, unlike the demons of other worlds that they resemble, more of a morally-ambiguous force than one of evil and corruption, with the morality of any one particular daemon based largely on the nature of its concept. Likewise, daemons have only a very loose sense of hierarchy or society (unless their concept explicitly revolves around such ideas, of course), and instead believe themselves to be family to one another - an idea definitely promoted by the Daemons of Family, Relationships, Inheritance, and similar, but upheld by the majority regardless. And in the daemon family... while some are definitely the 'children' of concepts theirs is derived from, and count as siblings those that are rather similar in some way? All daemons universally look up to the Daemons of Creation and Existence as their mother and father over all other parents - for it was the all-father of Existence who ensured that it was possible for things to even be real, and it was the all-mother of Creation who then simultaneously created those things that would necessarily satisfy the fact of existence. Beyond this familial structure, though, daemons are highly individualistic (again, unless their concept contradicts that).

Abhilasha in particular counts as a younger daemon because her concept, Desire, is one born from sentient beings, who - since despite her world's supernatural nature, it still followed cycles of evolution and formation of nature - came long, long after the more fundamental concepts of the world. And for that reason, as well as just her nature, she was far more comfortable and familiar with mortals than her elders were. Indeed, Abhilasha is a well-celebrated daemon around her homeworld, even if her cult isn't nearly as devoted or large as those of more... directly benevolent daemons.

Which raises a rather good point, there: Abhilasha can be cold, she can simply use people, and can even simply do things that would not be considered 'good'. Yet... Abhilasha nonetheless follows a code of ethics, and /very/ strongly at that, and that code by and large works out for the benefit of others more often than it does to the detriment of them. She also tends to, as per her concept, find great interest in wants, needs, and... yes, desires - and will usually seek those who possess ones that are interesting to her. Or discard those who prove to lack significant desires or possess boring ones. In this way, Abhilasha can be selfish and hedonistic, but she's not... entirely beyond caring.

So, now that you know about the girl... why is she here? The answer to that is in an old saying: "All good things must come to an end.". The world of the daemons is no exception, as the laws of nature readily decreed the eventual death of all life and collapse of the world into entropy. The former fate, Abhilasha bore witness to, even as some of the mortals she owed her existence to can and did escape to other worlds when the conditions necessary for life's existence began to progressively vanish. But... as some daemons whose concepts were becoming obsolete would later do, Abhilasha would eventually decide to follow them out of her dying world... arriving at Nexus Park soon thereafter. Such a world... seemed almost founded on desire. This would prove... very entertaining indeed...

--=Abhilasha's Code of Ethics=--

1) Do only what is desired. Abhilasha will never act on something either she, or another, does not desire in any way, shape, or form. However, she draws no line on how significant a desire has to be, so if they even in the slightest tiny seed of yearning desire something that Abhilasha happens to want out of them much more, she can and will inflict it upon them.

2) Do not reduce the world's desires. Abhilasha will not permanently kill or destroy anything that can possess desires, no matter what. She will also try her very hardest to not discourage a desire, unless another desire would take precedence over it. This /can/ lead to immoral-seeming or suicidal-seeming behavior when you contrast the two manifestations of this law: A predator's desire to consume its prey is completely legitimate and she will encourage it, even if it means suffering for that prey (Though she will also ensure the prey will survive if she can.).

3) Nurture desires that would otherwise be lost. Abhilasha has a special interest in bringing to the fore those desires that others have forgotten, repressed, or never knew they had. She believes doing so will cause growth in both that person, and more importantly to her, the landscape of desire in the world.

It is from these simple precepts that Abhilasha forms almost all of her morality.

--=Powers and Capabilities=--

Abhilasha has a surprising array of powers, stemming from both her basic nature as a daemon, and from her concept as well. Still, she is by no means all-powerful, and due to the general nature of her ability portfolio, she's usually very ill-suited to combat or many utilitarian applications.

Daemon: As a daemon, Abhilasha is truly immortal. Her essence is not contained within a soul, and as such is not susceptible to the destruction of souls. But even on a bodily level, Abhilasha can, at-will, restore herself from any degree of destruction, up to and including obliteration of every atom of her body. In addition, she doesn't actually have a normal anatomy - her body imitates it with organs, a skeleton, and so on, but they only function if she alters herself to have them do so. This has a number of consequences: She cannot become pregnant (or impregnate, if she alters herself to have the right parts) unless she wills it so, cannot digest unless she wills it so, does not need to breathe or consume food/water to function, and will not in the remotest sense be hindered by injury for systemic reasons (i.e. going into shock, dying from blood loss, etc.). Finally, her body can easily defy some amount of physical laws, especially when it comes to range of motion (or range of... stretching), making her an almost disturbingly-good contortionist.

Body of Desire: However, Abhilasha's body is even more unique than just her daemonic traits might make it. She can, and very often /will/, adjust any part of herself to provide the best experience she can manage when pleasuring someone with her body. Her holes will tighten, squirm, and yet have ample give no matter what goes into them; her skin will always be delicate and sensual without flaw; even her voice will harmonize well to be the most appealing.

Sense of Desire: Abhilasha knows the presence of her concept instinctively. The immediate, surface desires of others are instantly known to her, and if she concentrates on someone, other desires - even deeply secret, repressed, or even unconscious and unknown ones - can be revealed to her.

Transformation: As a daemon, and aided by the power of Desire, Abhilasha is capable of transforming herself and others. However, simply out of a lack of development of the power due to her not being of a concept that specializes in it, Abhilasha's abilities are limited to things that fit her target's "milieu". In this sense, she could alter genders (sometimes in ways no natural member of the species should be altered, like having multiple genitalia of either kind), somewhat change size, change build within plausibility for their kind and carriage, alter the intensity of a trait they already possess, and so on.

Reformation: By accessing the very powerful desire to continue to live, Abhilasha is able to gift others with her daemonic restoration abilities. Much like her transformation abilities, though, Abhilasha can only bring them back to a form that in some way represents their nature (...though there is a loophole: Changes that others have inflicted on the subject count as "part of their nature" as equally as their original state).

Daemonspawn: Abhilasha can, at any time, spawn lesser daemonic entities that are effectively separate from her body, but in all other ways an extension of her self. These include tentacles, gaping fleshy maws with their own digestive or reproductive systems, and basically anything else that roughly fits into the 'fleshy abomination' category of life.

Private Space: A latent daemonic ability that Abhilasha has honed relatively well, this is the art of creating pocket dimensions of her own configuration. Despite her normal inability to create inorganic material and the like, her pocket dimensions are always capable of supporting life - possessing ideal temperature, breathable air, and any other amenities a being might require - born solely from their desire to live. This ability can also be used to traverse long distances instantaneously, since she can open a portal to and from the private space wherever she wishes.

And More...?: It is possible that, with a desire strong enough from another, Abhilasha might gain - whether permanently or temporarily - a new power to serve that desire, if it's compatible with her concept and daemonic nature.

(The Yearning Tone amongst the Sacred_Bells.)