#the stigmata of progress

[pixlatedvampire]

You gave those wounds to your god, Enki. Did you think they would heal so easily?

(Uh Oh! Someone gave the priest catholic guilt!)

[eralacrimae]

New art tomorrow! Stay tuned! ❤️

[honeydots]

stigmata chapter 45!!!! yes!!!!

-

He made Xander mad, he knows he did. It’s been a long time coming. Laslow imagines he’s the last person Xander would like to see this evening, save for maybe Gunter.

But Laslow also doesn’t want to end up in even more trouble for not doing his job. He’s been left completely unaware if Xander got help with his armor, or got dinner, and it’s his and Peri’s responsibility to assure he’s attended to. Laslow could seriously do without another scolding for shirking that duty.

⚜ Lover's Stigmata ⚜ xanlow | ongoing Summary: After a false execution order goes wrong, Xander is forced to flee the castle and abandon his title. With his retainers in tow he tries to support Nohr from the shadows, but finds that his home is farther out of reach than he ever could’ve imagined.

my newest fates longfic!! it'll update every other friday~

[atthecenterofeverything]

on degeneration theory

due to the amount of discussions regarding degeneration theory, i wanted to lay out some of its basic arguments and compile some quotes by the main proponents of this theory (including the founder of its concept, the french psychiatrist bénédict morel), with a focus on its context (the second half of the 19th century in france) to better understand its workings.

warning: as might be expected, violent eugenics, racism, ableism, and extermination rhetoric as expressed explicitly by its theorists under the cut. all quotes originally in french (except nordau), all translations mine.

degeneration theory speaks of a biological basis to physical and mental inferiority. this biological basis can be and is exacerbated by one's ancestors' habits, diseases, environment, or eating and drinking patterns, as well as by new technologies and social changes occurring, and is then transmitted to the offspring in a degenerating process.

Some diseases, some intoxications, some habits among parents are capable of producing among their offsprings a constitutive state, a particular organistic state that can then be transmitted indefinitely until extinction of the race.

Bénédict-Augustin Morel (1809-1873), as quoted by Philippe Buchez in “Rapport sur le traité des dégénérescences mentales du Dr. B. A. Morel” dans Annales médico-psychologiques, 1857.

this basis constitutes a predisposition that makes one more likely to succumb to madness and weakens one's will to resist to passions (paranoia, insanity, hedonism, revolutionary ideas, etc.).

Degeneration is the pathological state of the being which, in comparison to his more direct ancestors, has his psycho-physical resistance constitutionally weakened, and which can not realize the biological conditions necessary for the hereditary struggle for life. This weakening process translates through permanent stigmatas and is essentially progressive, except in the case of inter-current regeneration; in the absence of the latter, the process results, faster or slower, in the race being annihilated.

Valentin Magnan (1835-1916), as quoted by Jacques Postel et Claude Quétel in Nouvelle histoire de la psychiatrie, 2012.

the degree of responsibility retained by the individual and the measures thought capable of resisting this process vary among degeneration theorists in significant ways. some thought reeducation possible and some did not.

Education does not and cannot have any effect on potential, dispositions, or the innate activity of intellectual, moral, and affective faculties, (because) psycho-cerebral vitality is essentially inborn. (Workers) are individuals originally vitiated by intellectual, moral, and affective defects, which are more or less hidden; the reason they are not educated is that they show reluctance to it.

Jacques-Joseph Moreau de Tours (1804-1884), La psychologique morbide dans ses rapports avec la philosophie de l'histoire ou de l'influence des névropathies sur le dynamisme intellectuel, 1859

this leads to circular logic: only degenerated individuals could act thus, which proves they are degenerated, and so is their behavior. the interdiction of homosexuality, communard activity, prostitution or alcohol, as well as a general dissatisfaction with the state of one's life or with the world, were thus often pathologized.

Great revolutionary moments only enthuse and lead to madness those who are predisposed to it, and who would probably have turned to insanity about other causes as well.

Louis-Victor Marcé (1828-1864), as quoted by Valentin Magnan in Annales médico-pyschologiques, 1857.

through this process, the general national (and racial) stock is weakened, thus expanding to the rest of the population if not prevented by eugenistic efforts (leading to Regeneration), explicitly framed as a hygienist and medical endeavor. this aimed to legitimate the social order of the french third republic by entrenching the position of the white bourgeois citizen as the rational subject (often implying that god created man as a perfect creation, who is then slowly corrupted by terrestrial influences), against among others disabled, non-white and/or working-class subjects. this also lead to the concept of "degenerate art" as used by nazis.

What happens to an individual can also occur for a group of individuals, and even spread to an entire society, to almost an entire people. (They thus form) a collective of organisms, equipped, so to speak, with their respective predispositions, united and acting on the same scene of social and political affairs.

Jean-Baptiste Vincent Laborde (1830-1903), Les hommes et les actes de l'insurrection de Paris devant la psychologique morbide, 1872.

this was also a central idea to the development of conceptions of mental illness as hereditary or not, curable or not - and to the nosology of insanity itself. you can trace many contemporary parallels with those ideas, including with people wildly removed from its ideological origins. for example, note rhetoric concerning new technology leading to a progressive weakening of intellectual faculties, adults being inexorably made slower (through appeal to neuroscientific claims) by the use of (and especially "reliance" on) these technologies, a gradual disappearance of the will/attention span/capacity to resist satisfaction ("dopamine") or hedonism, etc.

The degenerate is not in a condition to fix his attention long, or indeed at all, on any subject, and is equally incapable of correctly grasping, ordering, or elaborating into ideas and judgments the impressions of the external world conveyed to his distracted consciousness by his defectively operating senses. It is easier and more convenient for him to allow his brain-centres to produce semi-lucid, nebulously blurred ideas and inchoate embryonic thoughts, and to surrender himself to the perpetual obfuscation of a boundless, aimless, and shoreless stream of fugitive ideas; and he rarely rouses himself to the painful attempt to check or counteract the capricious, and, as a rule, purely mechanical associations of ideas and succession of images, and bring under discipline the disorderly tumult of his fluid presentations.

Max Simon Nordau (1849-1923), Degeneration (transl. by George L. Mosse), 1892.

[goldfinchwrites]

Genre: ghost story, gothic, psychological horror, literary-upmarket

Demographic: adult

Form: novel

Progress: third draft complete (soon seeking beta readers)

Inspiration: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, the short fiction of Shirley Jackson, Twin Peaks, Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, the poetry of Charles Baudelaire, Yellowjackets, Possession (1981), Ethel Cain’s discography, A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, the behaviour of cuckoos, the limestone quarries of South West England

Aesthetics: rotting apples fallen from the tree, chainsmoking, Bathstone, stigmata wounds, tradgoth fashion, flies, dust, decaying autumn leaves, pastoral bliss corrupted

Synopsis: In the drought-ridden Somerset town of Twygrave, eighteen-year-old Peter Linwood gets trapped in the disused limestone quarry. With his loss sparks a chain of events that have Violet Spencer, his stepsister Grace’s best friend turned bitter nemesis, leaving the town – and the country – seemingly for good.

Six years later, with Peter recovered, it’s the brilliant, magnetic Grace now missing, and all her husband Malcolm can do is adjust, a plan is thwarted by Violet’s sudden return. Violet reattaches herself to the charming (and wealthy) Linwood family, tries to make a tentative truce with Malcolm, and reunites with her teenage sweetheart Rhona, but cannot ignore the inexplicable happenings within the town that can only be described as a haunting.  Violent and Malcolm find themselves lost in horrifying revelations that call into question what happened to Peter in the quarry, what Rhona might be hiding, and just who Grace, the woman they all loved and despised, really was.

(In other words, my 'main' project, the thing I've been working on since the summer of 2022 and have been really nervous to post about, finally here!)

[metanarrates]

orv's usage of symbolism is interesting because it rarely has symbols As Simply Symbols. a good 95% of the time, its symbols are often primarily plot-related mechanical stuff, like the fourth wall, or unbroken faith. they are things that move the plot along and are used as tools in-universe to solve problems. one of the genius elements of the skills/stigmata system is that those abilities do INCREDIBLE heavy lifting for characterization, by both being talents the characters can apply in ways that reveal who they are as people, and by being symbols that reveal aspects of a character by the mere fact of the character possessing them.

this is very unlike a lot of other stories! most of the time, if something exists in a work to be a symbol, the symbolism is its primary narrative function, and any other plot-moving functions are secondary or nonexistent. and most of the time, that's totally fine. orv has symbols that work that way too: the white and black coats (and by extension white page/black letters) and the squared circle. they're images that serve to inform the reader about integral ideas to the story.

but it's brilliant for a story that is primarily fantasy-action-adventure to take its mechanical plot items or skills, which are incredibly necessary to the progression most fantasy action stories, and then have them be incredibly symbolic. it's not new ground to break, either. this is something a lot of fantasy stories do. but it feels very unique because of how symbolically charged nearly EVERYTHING is, and how in-depth the symbolism often is! especially for the really major plot mechanics (fourth wall as ultimate example) they often serve as metaphor for a number of things simultaneously. it makes for a reading experience that is very engaging because there's always so much going on, and it often makes the reader feel clever for noticing it!

[sleepy-sirin]

Incarnation (Honkai Star Rail x Child! Herrscher! Reader)

Summary: In which Y/n, the creation of Will of Honkai, successfully defeated her own creator with the help of her friends. After defeating the Will of Honkai, for using too much of her power she goes into a deep sleep.

Previous | Next Chapter

Chapter 8

Third POV:

Back in Era:ZERO

"E mi et escontina♪

O plenitas o colindia♪

Mi mortis sicle ha juus costro♪

Mawe Poco entalius♪

Gledis clant o pledistiant♪

Enti lai viginse lescayan♪

Mawe poco es vienticlo♪

Taan ma tai la la la♪

La la loo♪"

Y/n sing a song that she discovered and took liking to it. She was at the seashore singing while observing the "God of War" a stronger weapon against the Houkai proposed that Dr. MEI build, and a giant red sting ray (Y/n's real body) is attacking the "God of War".

"Are you still going?" Y/n asked Kiana who was beside her.

"Yeah, MEI is waiting for me." Kiana said to Y/n.

"Will you be coming back?" Y/n asked her.

"Don't worry, I will defeat the Houkai and come back to everyone." Kiana said.

"...... Is that so, it seems that you are still so stubborn......" Y/n watched Kiana walk away from her.

"Goodbye, my beloved Kiana...."

-

Years later

[Huge Houkai outbreak]

[Human civilization has been confirmed destroyed]

[Alaya]

"Begin to implement civilization amendment program..."

"First stage, begin calculations."

-

"E mi et le escontina♪

O plenitas o colindia♪

Mi mortis sicle ha juus costro♪

Mawe poco entalius♪"

".... Sigh. What a boring world..... Always in a hopeless cycle of reincarnation." Y/n said, as she stands up from the sand and went to dive into the deep sea.

"..... to see, an old friend ~" She said. as she made her way to the Stigmata Project.

"Long time no see, is the child ok?" Y/n asked the A.I hologram Infront of her.

"Terminal calculation is in progress, Do not approach." The A.I said.

"What an indifferent machine, it's merly a parasitic remant of human civilization that lives inside me... How ungrateful." Y/n said.

"We are symbiotic, that agreement is still in effect, you have no room for rebuttal." The A.I said.

"Ah... that's right, if it wasn't for that agreement with that child, there wouldn't have been so much trouble." Y/n said.

-

4???? Years ago on the moon

"Sure enough it still didn't work.... You couldn't change anything." Y/n said to Kiana.

"Weather it's humanity, or Houkai...." She said.

"Y/n.... Can I ask you for something...." Kiana said.

"Of course, I'll make all your wishes come true for you. Because that's what I was made for..... To become your lover." Y/n said.

"This time.... Stop joking...." Kiana said.

Y/n chuckles. "Haha, I'm being serious. To become a lover of humanity, to become a lover of Houkai, to become.... Deeply in love with your lovers. I will wait for you, Kiana."

"Whether you remember me or not, no matter what you become. I will keep it for you, the possibility of a future that you want...."

-

Y/n's POV:

Back in the present

"Y/n, will you help us?" Bronya asked me.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm only abandoning the side that will always lose. Lack of tact, that's one of  your human tricks of the trade, isn't it?" I said.

"You will always lose... You can't be the first-" Yssring said.

"I don't know, right?" I said.

"Not as the doomed dead, but as friends." Kiana said. She reaches out hand.

"Let's fight together, Y/n!"

I hold Kiana's hand. "Okay. That's not too bad."

-

"Phemie Iris and Y/n attack the Will's outer body from the outside. You all need to hurry up and destroy the Will's core!" Phemie Iris said.

"The Supervisor of Will has already assimilated the moon and sucked out the power of the Ruler of the End. Plus, there's still a "passageway" that connects the two universes. That allows us to take in an unlimited amount of collapsed energy from the collapsed universe. That Will's power is at its peak, so don't underestimate them." I said to the group.

"Thanks for the heads up, Y/n!" Kiana said.

"But in this realm of the human soul-" Mei said.

"There's no way we can lose!" All of us said.

"Y/n, Why betray us?" The Supervisor of the Will asked me.

"That's a really silly question. You've already calculated and derived the answer, haven't you? You are just like that kid Otto. You have been "rulers" too long. Your wills have been set long ago, you are doomed to defeat." I said.

"I have been waiting for this moment for a long time."

"Obey." The Supervisor of the Will tried to control Y/n but it didn't work.

"It's useless. In this realm, Y/n is not under your control. Now she is not a servant of collapse, she is my friend!" Kiana said.

"Lock on."

"All bullets fired!"

The Supervisor of the Will's tentacles attack at the group. All tentacles were easily obliterated by the attack of mechanical wings and heavily armed rabbits. The power of the attack was far beyond the power of the soldier gods. Ninti became a galloping golden lightning bolt, breaking one by one through the defenses built by the Supervisor of the Will.

"We are nothing but stupid creatures repeating the same mistakes." The Supervisor of the Will said.

"Seele and Sin, their actions actually proved it. People can grow! We will not allow them to be slandered!" Bronya said.

"Humans have been fighting creatures since ancient times, but human history is a history of progress. It's you who don't see it. They really are stupid creatures!" Yssring said.

"The future of our world is full of endless possibilities, but your world is already rigid. Even with the Sacrament- We kept going with our burdens and arrived at this moment of triumph!" Ninti said.

The "black flame" gathered in Kyuushou's hand and became a huge sphere that slammed into the Supervisor of Will. Compared to it, the controller of will looked obviously small.

"Don't screw with humans, overseer of wills!" Kyuushou said.

"Don't make me laugh!" The Supervisor of the Will said.

The destroyed body of the Supervisor of Will was re-built. At the same time, a golden light, similar to that of the law of the end, was emitted from its body, the same golden light as that of the law of the end.

"This guy is till going strong!" Kyuushou said.

"It's just a bluff." Kiana said.

"It's a pseudo-created emotion, but it sounds like the real thing." Mei said.

"Behind me, the energy life forms of the entire collapsed universe are waiting! There is no way we can compete with a mere earth civilization! I will make you regret it from the bottom of my heart!" The Supervisor of the Will said.

All of us attack the Supervisor of the Will with all of our strengths but the Supervisor was too strong to be taken down. The firepower of  Phemie Iris and Y/n is not strong enough.

"Let's just block the "passageway" between the two universes so that guy can't use the disintegrating energy. Because then that guy will be nothing more than a lump of meat the size of the moon." Y/n said.

"How can we do that?" Mei asked.

"It's the opposite of the way the Supervisor of the Will opened the "passage" and sent the first disintegrating energy, me and the first Kiana into this universe. Besides, the distance between two universes is closer now than it used to be so we don't need to start a big war like before to block the "passage"." I said.

"But this knowledge exists only in my main body and in the consciousness structure of the "first you". The "first you" is already gone, and the power of the law giver of the end has been absorbed. So-"

"No, you can't!" Mei said, already know what I was planning to.

"If you do that, Y/n-" Kiana was about to convince me, but she was stopped by me.

"It's okay." I assured Kiana and Mei.

"I've known for a long time... That "Kiana" I am looking for is long gone. I was looking for a version of "her". I also know that I wasn't "special and unique" to you from the beginning." I said. I approache to Kiana.

"But I couldn't ignore my feelings." I put my hand on Kiana's cheek.

"The only one who knows this knowledge, all the power involved in it. Take all of me Kiana." I kissed Kiana gently on her forehead.

Both Kiana and Mei looked shocked at what they saw, seeing me and my main body scattered, glowing with light.

"And this is not a "fusion" mission given by the collapse. It's not due to some meaningless sinecure, either. Just of Y/n as a human being. A final, selfish "love" for you." I said.

"Y/n... You are so selfish, Y/n..." Kiana smiles at Y/n.

Mei chuckles. "Hah... Kiana, you are really loved by everyone. But she saved the day." Mei hugs Kiana tighter, feeling jealous.

Taglist: @starxao

[mollish-art]

What is Generation Loss: Unperson?

Unperson is a Generation Loss AU written, illustrated, and narrated by yours truly!

The story begins as canon-adjacent to Generation 1 (the first chapter, Savior's Stigmata, is technically a prologue, in that it takes place during the events of episode three of The Social Experiments). In chapters 2 and onwards, the cast of TSE begin an adventure anew.

Showfall Media has revolutionized the field of interactive entertainment. In Hetch's Social Experiments, this entertainment took the form of three consecutive livestreams, which the audience could actively participate in and, ultimately, decide the fate of the Hero [i.e. Generation 1 of Generation Loss]. Now, Showfall Media is proud to bring you entertainment through an even more immersive medium: video games.

Anathema Annihilation is Showfall's most innovative use of "Phantoptics" technology to date: a video game where one's choices really matter and actively impact the world we live in.

Charlie awakens in a new environment and with a new purpose as the face of the beta tester's Hero avatar. Elsewhere, Ranboo has been revived, reprogrammed, and repurposed with a new face of his own: a biomechanical, bestial antagonist known as "The Devourer".

The player character - the Hero (who we know to be Charlie) - joins forces with a helpful non-player Companion (Sneeg) to eliminate a wide range of enemies - known as "Anathemas" - across multiple levels, each culminating with a fight against a powerful boss: an "Abomination".

Depending on the player's Variant choice, the theme (and therefore appearance and ability mechanics) of the Anathemas, as well as the Hero and Companion classses, changes.

Regardless of the player's Variant choice, however, the Abominations always remain the same: previous cast members who have been previously rejected by an audience and have been revived and repurposed as biomechanical monstrosities.

As the Hero and Companion progress through the levels of Anathema Annihilation, their minds become increasingly plagued by questions concerning their memories, free will, and grasp of reality. But they are not the only ones cursed with introspection; the Devouerer, too, clings desperately on to whatever shreds of humanity it still possesses, and seeks, above all else, to avenge its friends.

...

Now that you have a brief synopsis of the world and premise of Unperson, if you are so inclined, you can read the available chapters here or check out the in-universe website I created for it!

On the website, you can find additional lore, concept art, links to all currently available chapters (as well as audiobook adaptations of all of them, narrated by the author), themed playlists, and a fanworks feature page (showcasing some of the fanart and cosplay that you guys have made for this story)!

I am always open to Tumblr asks if you have any further questions!

Please note that Unperson is currently on a bit of a hiatus, however, as I am in graduate school and must focus on my academics before working on this AU. It will be completed - I promise you that! I have plans for the rest of the story, as well as more art and such on the way. Patience is key ;)

Here are the currently available chapters [updated March 2025]:

That's all for now, folks! Remember to check out the official website as well as my Unperson Youtube Playlist, which contains speedpaints for all of the chapter art as well as the audiobook adaptation!

Lastly, if you'd like to keep up to date on this project or share your feedback, follow or post on the #UnpersonGL tag!

[thepunkmuppet]

FINISHED PART ONE

all in less than twenty four hours. are you proud (deeply ashamed) of me?? 🥰🥰

idrk what to say tbh, if you couldn’t tell I am REALLY really enjoying it, it’s incredibly engaging and well-written and I can definitely understand its status as an iconic work. not sure how the plot is gonna progress because I kind of thought the stigmata thing was like the WHOLE thing, but i’m excited by it. I love these characters and yeah turns out that’s what they are to me, characters. only bits that make me kind of uncomfy are the smuttier scenes, but overall in my head it’s almost like mcr are playing characters in a movie that happen to have the same names as them lmfao, and i’m okay with that. having the names and faces of my favourite band slapped onto the characters makes it easier to visualise and empathise and whatnot. also so real of fictional frank to be so obsessed with gerard because me too brother me too

I would NEVER ship real people irl I still think it’s wack tbh, but the writer did a damn good job at making me ship the characters of frank and gerard really really hard. a lot of conflicting feelings lmfao

excited to read the rest and ignore my upcoming exam and coursework deadlines!! <3

[toskarin]

what's the connection between hirudo score and one's potential ability/compatibility as a vessel?

this is one of those questions I've gotta be careful answering because it's really easy to get the wrong impression here. the short answer is "it's intimately correlated, but correlation does not equal causation"

having a high hirudo score is actually a bad thing, but also an inevitable thing. it means your life gets worse in material ways, even though the score itself technically only exists to measure a benign physiological anomaly of vessels

you can think of it kind of like leukocytosis: there's nothing actually bad about the elevated white blood cell count itself, but it shows that the body is under great stress and is doing its best to adapt to its condition

[see below break for rambly elaboration]

a hirudo score measures a symptom of attunement (name subject to change), which is a vessel's nature shifting away from humanity as they spend time bound to a pygmalion. there is no way to measure attunement because it's not actually quantifiable, but hirudo score measures one manifestation of attunement because it provides relevant parties with a good idea of how quickly/intensely a vessel is changing

old vessels always have high hirudo scores, so it's easy to notice this and assume it's a measure of power. more accurately, anyone who can survive a hirudo score above six for longer than a few days must have already been exceptionally suited to surviving the conditions of attunement

all hirudo score measures is a vessel's ability to take in foreign ferrous humor, but because this is a symptom of progressing attunement, it can also be used to get a good idea of a lot of other things.

it's not a hard rule, but about half of vessels that exhibit stigmata first begin to manifest them after passing hirudo score three. only five percent of vessels manifest stigmata before passing hirudo score three, and in those cases, it's a known property of their pygmalion rather than one of the vessel in question

additionally, if someone passes hirudo score eight without dying, it's very likely that they're going to reach ten one day. the reason for this is that the worst of vital system atrophy tends to occur at hirudo score seven

a high potential vessel can have a low hirudo score, but all that means is that they're wet behind the ears, so to speak. as long as they keep pushing their limits, they'll elevate it one day

someone with a hirudo score of nine is never going to be a pushover, but that doesn't mean that they're necessarily better than someone with a hirudo score of five. all it means is that their mettle was tested and they survived

the best a vessel can hope for is that the elevation takes place over years, because a surge in hirudo score shows that something has gone horribly wrong with your body and you're probably going to die from it. the hirudo score doesn't cause this, nor the violent eruption of stigmata and failure of vital systems that comes with this, but it's connected

so the slightly less short answer: a hirudo score is a bad measurement for anything beyond a vessel's physical health, but it can give you an idea of what exactly you're going against.

just as a final note, everyone is born with a hirudo score of zero. there have been no recorded births where a human was capable of subsuming ferrous humor naturally, as that would require being bound to a pygmalion before birth

a parent being bound to a pygmalion doesn't cause this, and even if it did, most vessels are rendered infertile in the first place

[flowerscatsandwichystuff]

pagan witch to goth is such a natural progression. fate knew what it was doing when it made me reblog the post about bauhaus stigmata martyr just for you to see 🖤

Yeah, it knew very well what it was doing.Ty for helping me start my journey <3

[e17omm]

Whooo I made some good progress on the Mobius in ER chapter!

The Flamechasers she's met that I have written have gone from 1 finished and 1 barely past meeting, to 2 finished, 1 in the middle of their talk, 1 on the way, and 1 coming by in passing.

I am definitely taking some liberties in ER;

Floors arent linear. They do lead somewhere so you can get past the Forgotten City in just a few gates, but then spend a large amount of time in the Forgotten Woods. Map sections aren't 3 normal rooms + boss. Its too game-y.

Flamechasers doesnt show up one after the other. Like, in a row. They still show up one at a time (mostly) but you can go several rooms without seeing any.

Signets has some form of small power boost given by the Flamechasers (in additional to awakening powers from the Stigmata for those that need/have a Stigmatas). Mostly because I wanted Mobius and Eden to be a little more intimate and I use the Signets for that ngl its mostly because of this.

[herrscherofmagic]

A Home Lost, A Home Found

I just made a post with this idea, and thought "wait I can just write the story right now", so I did ^.^

Since I put this up on AO3 I figured I'd share it here, too!

Crimson eyes met azure eyes once more. For a split second, the figure wondered if the child before it could hear the fear in its voice.

“Listen to me very carefully, and I promise that you and Natasha will not die today.”

.

One era ends, a new era begins. A certain special someone is left behind with nothing but her precious memories, and she must find new meaning in this long and empty life of hers.

When the Herrscher of Finality descended upon Earth, it took merely hours for nearly everything Seele loved to be seized away from her. But in those final moments, she still had her other self, and together they made a great sacrifice to give humanity one final chance.

As she collapsed against her comrade, Seele’s hand slipped off the handle of the Abyss Flower and fell onto the broken ground. In those final moments, she could hear a voice cry out to her before being consumed by the violent cracks and rumbles of earth-shattering lighting, before the sound faded away into silence.

The light in those azure eyes peacefully dimmed to nothing, another life lost to this sudden and tragic end of the Current Era. But in a small room suspended in the void, a pair of crimson eyes frantically looked around and loud cries were left unanswered. In those final moments, Seele realized she was alone.

.

.

.

“The Stigma Awakened holds remarkable value, but they’re only the intersection of stigmata and humans, and the most primitive guarantee of Project Stigma.”

When she first heard these words Seele thought nothing of them- pointless philosophy, disconnected from reality and a waste of her time. How cruel it was that these words would replay in her mind over and over like a broken record, Seele now understanding the true meaning behind them.

From the first moments she came into being, Seele knew she was an “other”, that this was not her life to live. But as they passed day by day in the orphanage, as they fell into the Sea of Quanta, as they fought through the Theatre of Domination, and as they faced Finality together, Seele began to believe that she belonged.

Even if it was not her reality, she could still see the world through the azure eyes of a gentle soul.

Without that fragile tether, the Stigma now found herself back where she belonged. A Stigma Space, a dream where time is distorted. The checkered floor that once served as a refuge now became a timeless prison, where this Stigma would desperately cling to her memories of Seele Vollerei.

.

.

.

When Finality brought one era to an end, it also marked the beginning of a new era. Civilization would form once more, built up by the history and knowledge of generations of humanity. Stigmata serve as records of this process, and so as humans once more walked the Earth and began telling tales, one particular Stigma once more caught glimpses of the real world.

Now that she could perceive the world as she once did, this Stigma saw just how much time had passed. She had never bothered to keep count, and she wasn’t even sure if she was isolated for a moment or an eternity.

In this new era the Stigma kept her distance, watching from afar as generation after generation passed by­— though every now and then she would appear before whichever host was alive at that time, and offer a sliver of her power. She had little interest in meddling with the messy affairs of others, so many people who bore this Stigma lived their lives without ever knowing it was there.

This was her new reality, and the Stigma told herself that she was content to live this way. Even if Finality descended once more she would simply move on to another era anyways, so she didn’t care what fate befell her hosts. They were nothing more than a convenient means by which she could eavesdrop on humanity’s progress.

So it was until the moment when she felt her own fear for the first time in this new era.

.

.

.

“Get behind me!”

The cracks of gunshots were deafening in the ears of the crying child, but they did not scare her as much as the approaching roars of Honkai beasts. As another beast cried out, she tightened her grip on the leg of her adoptive mother.

"Shit." Natasha swore under her breath again as the rifle began to click; the magazine was empty yet not a single Honkai beast fell. She backed up until she was halted by the cracked wall behind her. Before she could even turn to run the other way, yet another monster appeared.

They were trapped.

In those final moments, countless thoughts raced through Natasha’s mind. She wondered where she went wrong, she cursed her misfortune, she fervently prayed for a miracle.

In those final moments, the crying child shut her eyes as if she were tucked in bed and hiding from the monsters in her bedtime stories. With eyes closed, she did not notice a distant gaze that fell upon her.

In those final moments, the cries of beasts gave way to silence. The air grew still, and the warmth she desperately clung to had disappeared. She slowly opened her teary eyes and saw a single figure standing alone in an impossibly black darkness.

“Am I… dead?” Still dazed from the sudden sensory deprivation, the child could only muster a gentle whisper.

No reply.

With her tiny, tender hand the crying child rubbed tears from her eyes. The child blinked once, twice, and now clearly saw the face of the lone figure.

It had her face, it had her hair. But unlike her it had crimson eyes which stared at her, as if it were peering into her soul, as if it were about to devour it any moment now.

“W-w-what are you?” The child’s heartbeat grew louder and louder in the silence as she stumbled onto the ground, breaking into tears and ugly sobbing.

Tch. How obnoxious.

With crossed arms the figure closed its eyes and took one step forward.

“You are pathetic.”

Another step.

“Weak.”

Another.

“A coward that can’t do anything to protect what she loves most dearly.”

Now a mere couple of feet away, the figure towered over the child before her. Eyes still closed, it took in a deep breath. “But this time… things will be different.”

Crimson eyes met azure eyes once more. For a split second, the figure wondered if the child before it could hear the fear in its voice.

“Listen to me very carefully, and I promise that you and Natasha will not die today.”

The Honkai beast pulled back its limb; a massive lance which would pierce Natasha clean. She held her rifle up as a shield even if it’d do nothing to soften the blow. What more could she do?

As the lance flew forward towards her, Natasha shut her eyes tight. She did not notice that the child behind her let go of her leg. She did not see the smile that crept onto the child’s face, nor the blade which began to form in the child’s hand.

One second had passed and a grinding screech rang out, a noise like the scraping of a shovel against rock.

Two seconds had passed but the lance did not touch Natasha.

Three seconds had passed and she heard the shrieks of one, two, three Honkai beasts. Natasha tensed at the sound and looked up to see what was happening.

Ten seconds had passed, and then there was silence.

Natasha usually felt no fear when facing Honkai beasts, but this time was different. She felt fear for herself, but especially for the young child which was with her when the beasts attacked… but she never imagined that she would be frightened by the child herself.

The child that was sobbing and clinging to Natasha merely moments ago now stood in place of the pack of Honkai beasts. Silicon carapaces lay around her, violently torn apart. In the girl’s hand was a massive scythe that was even taller than her; it was a dull metallic grey with red accents and what appeared to be a single bloodied eye glaring at Natasha. It seemed like the weight of the weapon should crush the little girl, yet she effortlessly held it.

Head still turned away from Natasha, the girl spoke. It was nearly the same voice that would meekly ask for a bedtime story or politely ask for another serving of cake. But there was no trace of her usual innocence in these words; instead they seemed to drip with venom.

“Listen closely, Natasha. Don’t take my help for granted.” The girl turned her head to the side, eyes still covered by the sides of her hair.

“Take better care of Seele. If you don’t, I will know. And if you let anyone or anything harm her…”

“… I will never forgive you.”

[blindfoldcd]

@arkclipse asked: 🎲 Nea and Miya :>

kiss roulette | meme 33. A kiss to a scar, birthmark, injury, or other marking

It's not often she witnesses his resolve crumble and his walls fall. Nea had always seemed self-assured, willing to do whatever it took to fix the situation him and his dear brother found themselves in. They were victims of this damn holy war, just like her. Two men who were far from how she remembered them the first time they met.

The expression on her face is one of painful understanding as brilliant blue eyes remain trained on her partner, seated on the singular couch in the comforts of his piano room on the Ark of his own making, the entirety bathed in an ethereal porcelain white. Nea looked defeated by their latest blunder, another failed attempt at pulling Mana from his prison, his eyes downcast, stigmata ring around his forehead like a false crown. The best she can offer him is her presence and her faith.

❝ Nea... I know that things look bleak, that it seems like his condition has progressed too far in the time it took you to reawaken... I can see how hard you're trying, how DESPERATELY you wish to save him and just how much you're willing to ruin yourself if it means a return to normalcy. ❞ Miya pauses, stepping forward until their knees practically touch, her hands moving to cradle his head as her fingers comb through his hair soothingly. She continues, tone soft, but confident, the full-extent of her belief in him lacing through the words she gifts him.

❝ You've shouldered this alone for too long, but the time for that is over. You have me now. I may not be much in the way of assistance – I'm only an exorcist, after all, a mere human forced into the role of a sacrificial weapon, however... it's your side I choose to be on and it's YOUR CAUSE that I believe in. You don't have to do this alone anymore and you will have me here to help you carry that weight until I take my last breath. ❞

She crouches down, balancing on the balls of her feet with the grace of a cat, as calloused hands find his jawline. The look in her eyes is earnest, NO PITY to be found, and thumbs stroke his cheeks with a gentleness she is not usually known for. Miya leans up, brushing soft strands of his hair aside to press a chaste kiss to the center-most stigmata 'pon his brow. Plush lips linger for a couple moments, hoping to convey even a fraction of trust in him before she relaxes back into a crouch and gives him a loving smile. ❝ PLEASE, don't be afraid to lean on me whenever it is all too much to bear – Mana needs a brother to come home to and he can't do that if you LOSE YOURSELF in the process. ❞

[pissmaster228]

1 Mars year is 1.88 Earth years the new trio are literally babies compared to the Martians

wait. theres an npc in oxia who goes "ive already wasted the entire year! only half of it has passed" hmm hmm. then Giuseppe is 15 martian years old but behaves like an earth 15 year old. and martians normally live to 90. and chenxue mentioned giving health checkups to entropy who was in diapers at the time. then chenxue is in her 50s in earth years?? well that makes. sense.

orrr hear me out. time in langqiu runs 2x faster than oxia since the great eruption but their perception of time stayed the same. this is how we fit 200 years of technological progress in a century. this kinda falls apart via some canon fact i think.

theres just too many inconsistencies in oxia for it to not be a dream. it might be ajita's stigmata space?? that's if ajita is chenxue. is she, though?

[perueresnezhevna]

my heart is a wound the size of your soul by @dykes4knights

Harrowhark: @theninthsaint instagram

Gideon: @jamesbolly instagram

Makeup: @theninthsaint

📸: roxthelalonde (instagram)

I’m late making a post for myself but here is my contribution to @tlt-big-resurrection

This was such a fun collaboration! Go check out the fic!

Progress pictures of the stigmata prosthetic can be found on my instagram.