#medicus-mortem

[ikkaku-of-heart]

Goddess of Light and Guidance Ikkaku hanging out with big brother God of Chaos and Nightmares Law by @namaeekaki. She's probably showing him some mortal she's been helping, and Law just doesn't understand why she bothers. But it's Law, so he indulges his sister's weird hobbies and just makes note to give the mortal some particularly nasty nightmares if he dares cross her.

[belovedcorvid]

❣︎ | @medicus-mortem :: from here |

As long as they'd been travelling together, Rocinante really ought to have known by now that there was little room for bargaining with this kid. Not when he was thinking about this from a triage perspective: bleeding had to stop first, they could worry about cold later. Guilt still settled in his heart though, for it was his fault for being hit and now it was going to cost them something later. Half a cry escaped his ribcage without permission when a small foot collided with his knee and pulled him sharply away from his spiraling thoughts - equal parts to get his attention and to tell him to get his shit together, he imagined. Fair; it was difficult to sway Law's mood when he was this stressed. Still, the large man's voice withered into a reedy, half-breathless chuckle. " I'm not doin' anything ! Don't - don't be so mean, " protest aside, he took the jumper and pressed it to the injury as directed, face briefly contorting with pain though he remained quiet.

Anything else that he wanted to say died in his chest as the boy shouted, concern flickering across his own features as he noted the change of tone in Law's voice - the fear, the guilt that bled through. Did he think this was his fault ? Self-blame, like the grip of death, clung to this kid. Rocinante had to resist the urge to reach out for him, fingers twitching against his makeshift compress as the other got caught up in the throes of a coughing fit. " Law, this isn't - you didn't - " It felt incredibly important to say, but he couldn't get his increasingly anaemic brain to cooperate. What did he say ? He was going to go get something ? A wave of undisguised worry coursed through his expression.

( Wait it's dangerous, don't leave by yourself. ) ( Don't leave me. )

Time must have swam, moved on a bit without him, because when he opened his eyes again ( when had he closed them ? ) it was as if he'd never left at all. The former executive steadied and measured his breath, doing a quick mental checklist to try and discern the state of the rest of him, wound aside. " Glad y'came back. 're you okay ? "

[waraxarcana]

Hawkins doesn't even say anything. He just glares at his fellow Northerner. He didn't need his cards to tell him that no matter what he said, Trafalgar would just have some comment to try to get a further rise out of him.

He wasn't the type to flip a man off, but oh, he suddenly saw the appeal.

[heavens-sin]

✆ [from medicus-mortem, Law is glaring at me right now]

                                 @medicus-mortem sent : ✆ Accepting

𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 : ─•❥ (𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐂! 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐒 )

𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐄 : Welcome to the black parade

𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 :

[pxison]

@medicus-mortem cont. from here

Disappointment is but a brief feeling as his attack misses and doesn't do much in terms of harming the surgeon. He is not given much time to think about it as he is forced to twist drastically to avoid the blade looking to cleave him in two beyond the reach of his sword humming with bloodlust even he could taste from close proximity. Not all of him comes out of the fray in one piece as a good chunk of his cape is split off and left to drift to the ground.

His body does get pushed back by the force, boosters sputtering to keep up with the complex movement as his lips twist into a frown. Lack of success was not something he was used to, but Ichiji wouldn't let that get to him, still intent on pushing this forward and testing the Hearts captain.

Close quarters while risky had more of a pay off than keeping away where objects could be tossed endlessly at him. Though, even out of range he had weapons of his own to use before closing the distance again. Eyes shimmering with a red glow, Ichiji released powerful bursts of photonic energy out of his eyes to chase the pirate captain as he resumed his pursuit, the beams hot enough to make quick work melting any object in its path.

"I don't need to be fast to attack you. So long as you are well within eyesight, you won't be safe." He speaks, continuing bursts to challenge such a ridiculous power whilst being wary of the next time he struck.

[ferromagnetiic]

【 ⚙ 】  |  【 continued. 】 @medicus-mortem

This motherfucker. This cheeky motherfucker. So, he wants to dance, huh? Sure. He can go. He's got a couple of minutes to burn. Might as well waste them on ruining this asshat's day.

❝ Ah, well, you'd know all about animal carcasses when ya got a damn little dead mole glued to yer fuckin' chin. What, can't grow a real beard so ya had to settle for strappin' a wee rodent to your face? Shame, that. Dun' fret, maybe one day yer balls will finally drop and you'll be enough of a man to grow a half-decent beard instead of having a face that looks like a freshly trimmed gash before a night on the town. ❞

Flecks of his accent always seep through when he's ranting like this; a habit he won't apologize for. Tough shit if the surgeon need's a translation, because he isn't going to bother writing out his death report.

❝ Nah, I ain't insulted that ya hate my clothes, though. I ain't lookin' to get complimented by someone who's been stuck wearing the same jeans he bought when he was fourteen. Still clinging to that teenage youth, aye? Still hoping there's some wee dweeby boyband out there that's desperate enough to take you in? Good for you; follow yer dreams, and all that sad shite. ❞

He takes a brief pause to bring his bottle of rum to wet his lips, but barely has a chance to swallow before he's continuing.

❝ — And would ya mind not fuckin' sniffin' me, ya damn freak? Don't think I like ya gettin' up in my face and taking a whiff of me. If ya got a problem with it, either back the fuck off, or I can cave yer fuckin' nose in and it won't be a problem anymore, aye? ❞

[mediicusvitae]

@medicus-mortem said: Law is just going to wrap his baby sister in a tight hug because he missed her so much.

"Onii-sama!" Lamy laughed brightly as her brother sneaked his arms around her, burying his head in her shoulder as he held her close. Her own arms wrapped around his middle, squeezing tightly.

She could feel his heartbeat against hers, a reassuring rhythm that reminded her of the unbreakable bond they shared. The warmth of his hug washed away all the weariness and distance of the past few months.

They held onto each other for what felt like an eternity, as if trying to make up for lost time in that single hug. It was a hug that conveyed all the words left unsaid, all the laughter they hadn't shared, and all the support they had missed giving each other.

"I've only been gone for a bit, have you missed me this much?" she chuckled teasingly, but she didn't loosen her hold on him, intent on enjoying this embrace as long as he would allow.

[shiigures-a]

She had been the rescue party for the Whole Cake Island fiasco and hadn't seen the man they all made an alliance with back in Punk Hazard when they had split up in Zou. Truth to be told, Tashigi never wanted to see the guy again but it wasn't going to be like that for awhile until they had all taken down Kaido.

Now after the battle in Wano, there wasn't a lot of time left. She wanted at least to be a little cordial with the other captain, as Trafalgar did help a lot during this adventure to the secluded land. "Just wanted to say thanks for the assist for all of the battles. Especially when dealing with the captain too". And that was it for the most part.

@medicus-mortem liked for a Pirate! Tashigi that joined the Straw Hats starter.

[opwomcn]

@medicus-mortem replied: Law will confess that he thinks Viola has garbage taste in men. [from medicus-mortem]

Viola / Violet, knowing that a certain someone also likes a messed up Vinsmoke person:

[naviculariis]

⭐ !? [from medicus-mortem]

MULTIMUSE MEME: Send a " ⭐ " and I will list muses I would be interested in throwing at yours, or potential muse combinations if you are also a multi.

@medicus-mortem

HI BUDDY. So like. Twirls hair. Slams down the Kidd Pirates to absolutely get on Law's last fucking NERVE. Robin?? For that weird kid vibe. Luffy!! Saaaannji? Perhaps? Obviously u get pen & shach <3 . & because I'm curious how they'd get on, especially with his DF: Vasille. Surgeon of Death meeting a Necromancer??? 👀

[belovedcorvidarchive2024]

“That’s … a lot of blood, is that - oh, fuck.” [from medicus-mortem, hi how could I not traumatise the angry lad more?]

❣ | Memes :: This One | High Pain Tolerance

@medicus-mortem - hello !!

----

Any complaints or reassurances he wanted to make would have to wait for a little while, because he quickly found that it was becoming necessary to focus on breathing through the pain that came with this wound, and on moving in spite of it. He's always had a certain level of pain he could ignore, especially with injuries to the extremities - the benefits, if one could call them that, of familiarity with the sensation and widespread lasting damage. Permanently dulled nerves. But when he got hit hard like this, centre mass, he had to remind himself to breathe. He'd gathered Law up and sprinted them away from where the fight had occurred as soon as it had broken up, as far as his long legs would carry them without a break, but now that the adrenaline was wearing off the benefits that came with it were too. Suddenly, remaining upright was a lot more difficult than it had seemed previously. Rocinante quickly set Law down to avoid dropping and accidentally hurting him as his head swam, his resulting attempt to sit down a little more like a collapse than he was hoping it would be.

Leaning his back against the wall of the abandoned building they were hiding in hurt, but that much was a type of pain he could still stifle his reaction to. More pressing pain bloomed along his left shoulder and clavicle as a heavy hand tried to find the edges, the extent of the wound, wincing at the sensation of fabric tacky with blood clinging to his skin. He didn't have the nerve to look at it yet, so instead he focused on calming the kid beside him, placing a clumsy, slightly bloody hand on his shoulder in a way that he hoped would be comforting.

" Shh, hey, everything's gonna be fine - I just need to uh, just need to stop for a minute. "

[ikkaku-of-heart]

Ruined City

Plotted Folk Horror Starter for @medicus-mortem

Ikkaku frowned sadly as she walked through the ruined city she'd been taking shelter in for the past few days. Flevance might have been left off the newer maps, but the old ones her grandfather had left her had shown her the way. It had once been a beautiful, thriving place from what she'd heard. Full of life and prosperity. Where faeries and mortals and hybrids had actually lived happily.

Now, though, less than two decades after it had been overrun by their jealous neighbors, it was basically a ruin. Nature had been creeping in and taking over once more, with vines and moss growing over the skeletons of burned-down houses. Foxes, raccoons, and birds had been making nests and dens in the various nooks and crannies throughout the city. Yet while there was indeed life, there was no mistaking that it was only due to the horrible deaths of the citizens. Ikkaku swore she could even smell smoke and burning flesh the other night when she'd bunked down in one of the old houses. It was unsettling. Even more so than the eyes she felt on her at times, or the shadowy figure she swore had been over her one night when she'd awoken from a nightmare. It had vanished before she could get a good look, so she wasn't sure if it had been a dream or not, but the danger had certainly felt real enough.

Despite her unease, she was there for a reason. A few, really. Part of it was that, despite the history, Flevance seemed like a safe place to hide out for a few days. Being hunted by the faerie courts meant she wasn't really safe anywhere. However, after the fires and accidents that had broken out in the last town thanks to mischievous sprites and fierce fae hounds tearing through the streets, Ikkaku realized that it might be better to stay somewhere that was already destroyed and full of death. The faeries couldn't ruin a ruin, after all.

The other reason was wanting to understand the faeries better. Many claimed that the Unseelie Court were the "bad" faeries, while the Seelie Court were the "good" kind. Yet it was the Unseelies who had lived in harmony with mortals here, while the Seelie had taken her grandfather away, putting her in this situation in the first place. Ikkaku wanted to understand if beings like the fae even held the same morality as mortals, or if their minds worked in a less linear manner.

After all, understanding her hunters was essential to surviving their tricks and traps.

A cold wind moaned through the abandoned streets, and Ikkaku shivered, the chill that ran down her spine coming from both the weather and the feeling that she was being watched again. The hounds and hunters that had destroyed the last town hadn't followed her into Flevance, but it was becoming harder to tell herself she was all alone. That figure with the golden eyes could be a scout, or perhaps a faerie who sought to claim her for the Courts itself. Or maybe it wasn't a participant in their game and was simply curious about a mortal in the city. Either way, Ikkaku kept walking through the city, clutching her iron knife tightly in one hand and the hood of her cloak in the other.

[ikkaku-of-heart]

Ikkaku laughed loudly at getting flipped off, her joy and relief at how this night had turned out palpable and echoing throughout the cave. Instead, she just bumped his hip with hers, letting him know without words that this would not be the end of her teasing over his poor choice of words.

Really, this was arguably the best anniversary adventure they could have asked for. Banter, treasure, cryptids, and Law getting to be badass. Truly the best outcome possible.

But the night wasn't quite over yet, and Law's fun was only just beginning. They needed to get out of the cave and back to the ship so he could play mad scientist. His powers would get them outside with little fuss, but he had a point about now wanting to lug around the cryptid until they had their bearings. If it was dangerous outside, it was better to not have their hands full.

Yet he also had a point about not leaving the body on the damp floor of the cave. That could make it decompose a bit quicker or make it bloat. At the very least, it was gross. Better to put it someplace dry and where it wasn't at risk of getting washed away if something came up.

Peering around the cave, many of the higher points were still hidden in shadow, but she did spot a ledge near the moonlit entryway. That could be where the creature would sleep so it could escape easily should the tide come in at night.

"There's a ledge way up there," Ikkaku pointed out. "Probably doesn't see much water unless there's a storm or full moon. That'll at least be a bit dryer than down here, and it'll keep it from getting wet as the tide comes in. We'll be quick and efficient checking out the cliffs, then come back for your test subject. Don't worry, Law - you'll get the bat monster dissection of your weird fantasies," she teased.

   The monster settles gently onto the wet cavern floor. A shiver runs through law, the cold night air cutting though him now that he is damp. He should have been more careful in here. That’s sea water and it really could have put a stop to his powers if he’d got more than a few splashes on him. Oh well. He got his monster and a huge haul of coins. It’s a successful night in his estimation. Law gazes down at his catch, the doctor already taking note of the creature’s musculature and bone structure. Already he is fascinated.

   Ikkaku comes over with her snark, shoving him playfully and taking note of his word usage. Lips purse at the teasing and at first his response is to simply flip her off. She then gets to the task of contacting the crew and Law holds off on his own snark for now. Instead, he crouches down to get a closer look at those wings and the leathery membrane the beast used to fly. Mind goes to the tests he will run, the dissection he will perform. The excitement of it burns away some of the alcohol, his mind growing sharp as it races with possibility. Then his engineer’s call is done and she throws a question his way.

    A hum, gaze turning to the crack they squeezed through and then to the gap above them.

   “It won’t fit through the caves, not unless I take it apart here and I wanna save that for the lab,” he says, standing. He strides over to where his jacket fell, an arm of it sitting in stagnant sea water. He pulls if free, shaking it. “I’ll teleport us out. Besides, the tide will be coming in soon. Don’t wanna get trapped here when that happens.”

   And getting topside straight away will let them get a more accurate location for the cavern. Law makes the Room around him vanish before creating another Room. He spreads it out further than the last, stretching until it goes far beyond where they can see. Law closes his eyes, focusing on the data getting pumped into his brain. The terrain outside isn’t ideal but Law isn’t surprised. They did head further down in the cave so that would mean what’s out there is below shore level.

   “Seems like there is a cove beyond that wall,” Law says, pointing to the right. “That crack opens out of the cliffs into that cove. We’ll have to take a look before moving the bat monster.” A grimace as eyes open. “Damn. Don’t like leaving it in the damp.”

[waraxarcana]

"It truly does confound me, how a captain can care so much for his subordinates. They are pawns meant to serve us. Their lives are ours to do as we must to achieve our dreams. To care for them is to torture ourselves when they die. Because they will. Death is inevitable and the seas are cruel. Attachment will simply break you."

[diolanza]

@medicus-mortem

𓂃࿔*☣𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔𓂃

❝ Aw, I didn't realize my family and I had fans. How cute! ❞

[pxison]

@medicus-mortem cont. from here

Reiju listens to the Lich as she finishes up her inspection, her power surging through ashen soil to expand outwards through roots onto the next until she runs along the borders of the forest and pulls back. Her wisps weaken and fade away as they return to her and pull away from the earth to coil among her he deadened carved breast.

An odd grinding noise is emitted as she grits her jaw just at the mere mention of the crumbled kingdom perched off in the not so far distance. Those that were responsible for the forests state now used to reside there and she bore an immense regret not getting to as many of them as she'd liked. The least they could repent to her would be their rotted corpses left as food for the suffering nature around them.

"So you intend to stay there in that place." She sounded like she was about to protest but thought better of it, cooling her aura before it could surge to a hot pink in rage. She wasn't mad at the Lich, more so at the idea that there was any use at all to be had there still. The machinery there had long since rusted and destroyed wheeled machinery littered the forest grounds the closer one got to the palace and kingdom grounds.

"That is acceptable I suppose so long as we both benefit, I won't try to deter you. What is it you want to know of the wretches that inhabited that kingdom?" She was prepared to give all she knew as much as it pained her to remember. She was but a mere sprouting bud when the kingdom first thrived, and she remained even after their hubris befell them.

"It ended the way all human empires go eventually, lost to time and their own insipid sense of superiority to everything in their vicinity."