chainconviction

[chainconviction]

[chainconviction]

Jack.

Of course she would ask, eventually.

And to be fair, he owed her answers. After all, he was the reason that she was not there with witness such things herself. She had kept this in mind, her question was pointed. She blocked his path, and she had started her line of questioning with every intention to ask this one question.

Who, he wondered, had told her?

"If you know even a thing about it, then you can presume why I would have no desire to discuss him." His own statement lacked her sharpness, her wit. He felt dumb, his tongue heavy in his mouth and his gaze averted from hers for a moment. He meets it once more, staring back at her. Every scar on his body ached at the memory.

"I have no desire to see him once more, nor for him to arrive here. Capricious Stars or no." He didn't wish to speak of the man. His 'friend' whom had betrayed him in such a way. He had committed his own sins, had done his own wrongs.

Perhaps it was his punishment, he was unsure even now.

"... What would you ask of the situation? Of me?" His scars ached. The scars he kept covered and out of sight, long sleeves even in the summer heat, his cravat securing his shirt to his neck.

He did not wish to speak of it. But he would. For Lacie.

TO EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED WAS, in a way, a fine philosophy which she has come to follow in her own ways. nothing was certain in her eyes, miracles to be made from the most mundane things that so many overlook. and even here, in this world where many were pulled from their homes, made to live outside the comfort of what they knew... it wasn't impossible for those little coincidences to build themselves up. had he not thought that jack may wind up here in the same, fleeting moments as each other?

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀or perhaps—

hands untwine themselves from behind her, almost offering a gentle hum, one familiar to them both, connecting them still to the man which haunts the narrative of their conversation now. ❝ Anything is possible. Why shouldn't I expect it? Sometimes these Stars are as capricious as I can be, even. But mm... alright. Then I suppose my next question, ❞ she muses, those crimson hues honing in on oswald without relent, this time her pace halting in order to block his path without a single doubt as to why she might.

❝ How long are you to play dumb, Brother? ❞ perhaps her tongue was a little too pointed, polished by knowledge she should not know, gleaming as if it were a dagger beneath the light. ❝ Or maybe you aren't really playing at all? In that you didn't think I would find out about the things you have kept from me. Like the reason why you never once spoke of Jack to me this whole time... ❞

[chainconviction]

"Something temporary. Fleeting. In my experience, when we leave here, we simply return to our current states." Nothing, or at least, not themselves. But...Was this themselves? These bodies. These falsehoods. A life that was now his to live and he hardly knew what to do with it.

Purple eyes moves from the skies toward Break with his question, expression betraying nothing of his intent, nor of his mood. Blank, striking, he simply stood. Allowed silence to linger. A blanket that settled over even this world, if not for how bright the stars were this evening. The moon not eclipsed, shining brightly in the sky.

A beacon, calling most to rest. But not them, that night.

"I suppose I have no reason to." His answer was simple, but truthful. Honest, and there simply was no reason for it. No reason for them to fight. He simply floated on the nothingness - no position, not much in the way of a purpose. Even Lacie was angry with him. He exhaled.

"Not at this moment, anyway. Call it a truce, or whatever you would like."

TO THINK HE'D JUST RECENTLY TALKED ABOUT THIS with lacie is ironic at best. he doesn't recognize glen by appearance, blind as he is, a fact that only serves to irritate him more as he recalls the man's goading words, at the end of his life.

are you in such a hurry to die?

   he was.

   the same underlying implication swims in what could be called a greeting. adjusting the grip around his cane, break does his best to ignore the ever-present pressure of mad hatter, almost begging to be let out. it, too, remembers the taste of death and blood upon cutting off the hand of this glen's descendant, eager to receive a bit more.

   break, however, is tired. and they're not home, are they? they're somewhere else, and glen possesses a body he lost a long time ago, and break is alive when he shouldn't be.

   he steps up until they're side by side, though with a few feet between them, tilts his head in the opposite direction. ' that makes two of us then, doesn't it? '

   resurrection, or turning back the clock's time on their physical form, or whatever this power is that the stars hold over them. taking a breath, the night air fresh and new, break sighs wistfully, the threat that follows losing a lot of its weight with the nonchalance. ' will you give me a reason to cut it off again? ' the last of his powers is what it took the last time around, what pushed him over the edge he's been balancing on for so long. he'll do it again, if necessary.

[chainconviction]

Purple eyes gazed at the stars. He remembered this place, at least. Up on this cliff, away from the lights of the city, the stars shone in a way that the burning light of those lamps that lit with the flip of a switch. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply through lungs that were his own, if artificially.

He felt the breeze on his own skin, even if the scars from this place putting him back together ached, at the very least, it was his ache.

When he opened his eyes, his own eyes, once more, someone had joined him.

An eerie quiet replaced the peaceful one.

He finally spoke, acknowledging the new presence.

"It's not the same that you cut off, but my own arm is hale and whole." His face hardly registered any emotion, as though he had forgotten how to, "From what I understand, this place can raise the dead, put them back together again."

Implications swam underneath his words.

@schleckermaul

[chainconviction]

;; okAY now that i'm catching up on some things across my blogs, let me do some catching up on oswald. here's a starter call, capping at 4 with castmates exempt!

[chainconviction]

Even now, he didn't expect anything joyous. As...odd as it felt, truly, it was as though he had gone to sleep and woken up one more, even further into the future of this place. She looked annoyed - perhaps more than in one of her whimsy moods. She spoke, and he listened, a voice he had missed.

But it did occur to him, still as her tone was, what was like as not to happen. Something he had certainly expected, perhaps, on a dark knight where he spent his time restlessly thinking on his many mistakes. Guilt lain down on the horizon so the sun could not peak over it.

Funny, she says. She doesn't know. She knows he does.

Then again, perhaps, even further, she isn't aware that he has come from the dead. Split apart, put back together for this place. Soul missing parts and visitors. Less voices in his head. More limbs than had been welcome to for some time.

"Funny...?" Were his first words, lacking any spark of amusement or annoyance.

"Did you expect otherwise...? I have come and gone myself." A pause, he is unsure on how to pace this. Awkward at his best - tossing in one of his few emotional connections left leaves him near unable to string together a coherent conversation.

"Do you suspect I would know why? I hardly know how I could be here." Or you.

WERE IT ANY OTHER TIME, perhaps this would be a joyous reunion between the two siblings. the cool, black strands of hair, falling over such sorrowful, purple eyes — the guilt laden in them is only matched by the spark of subdued annoyance, smoldering as if their crimson hue were but a fire that awaits to become wild. ❝ I should have figured you would end up back here, Brother, ❞ she speaks, her tone strikingly even, both arms tucking behind her back idly with each step of hers in tandem with his own.

⠀ ⠀⠀⠀her beloved brother was never one to be exempt from her emotional whims.

eyes drift from his direction, a simple note of their surroundings, barren save for them upon their leisurely stroll. ❝ It is a little funny I have yet to see Jack all this time, though. I'm almost beginning to think these Stars of ours have some aversion to him. ❞ lips press together in a soft hum, reminiscent of a tune since lost to time itself, all before the deliberate pause in her steps as if to accentuate a point. so, she turns thereafter, careful in how she blocks his path with a curious, yet dangerous, glint in her gaze.

❝ Well? What are your thoughts on that, Brother? ❞

@chainconviction

[chainconviction]

medicinial​:

the name was typed into the system, a few elegant yet brisk taps of his thin fingers and he was signed in. there was no mistaking the grandeur to such a name, jakurai for a moment likening it to some elegant noble in a fairy tale, or the tragic hero of a british novel. his manner of dress certainly might have aided such a picture, with the formality yet class with which it boasted. a man out of time perhaps? then the greatest care would need to be given, so as not to further disarray the man’s mind. “ thank you, mr. baskerville. “ a physical was noted, before he moved from the desk and gestured to one of the nurses that he intended to leave the area with a patient.

“ i can certainly do that for you, sir. follow me, if you will. “ there were a variety of rooms available, but for the purpose of eliminating the sense of unease which came with the man’s tone, with the fact he looked so simply stunned to be there at all. a private corner of the clinic, with arguably the best window anyway. a small-ish room, with only the most simple requirements for an exam, the small box window overlooking the private garden to which no stranger could walk within. “ take a seat here please. do you mind if i call you oswald? “ jakurai took the seat before him, notes placed upon the desk between them. “ i simply need to ask you a few questions before we begin. make yourself comfortable, there’s no need to worry. “ 

“ i do need to ask about any current health issues before we begin. any recent illnesses or injuries? any medication? “

Mr. Baskerville ran down his spine like something rotten, resonating with every rib on the way down like a melody through his body until it settled in his stomach. A leaden weight as he followed the doctor, head hanging low as he considered how he was, truly, to go about this. No expression of concern fell over his face, and when he finally looked up he was being gestured to sit. His various coats were removed, and he sat where he was told.

And at once, there was relief. “Please, I would prefer it, to tell the truth.” Vastly, really. There was no combination of words that could express how much he would prefer to be called Oswald than Mr. Baskerville. Not without a sordid history lesson that would likely lead to him being asked to leave the premises.

But that nervous feeling came back when he was asked about recent history. He began to undo his cravat.

“No medication or illness, however...” He paused, both hands removing his cravat gently and pulling away at his collar. Violet eyes avoided the doctor as he revealed a scar making its way across his neck. It did not look very fresh, or very recent, but one could see it ran the circumference of his neck, connected in a neat circle.

“You will find similar injuries along all connecting points of my limbs to my torso.” He spoke calmly, in an even tone, but his fingers curled around the cravat in his hands. “The concern is that - up until I set foot in this place, I was quite dead. I know this for certain. As I am...Effectively pieced back together, it must be understandable that I bear concerns over my well-being and health...” He trails off, finally looking back up at the doctor.

“I...Understand if you would prefer I go. Most doctors do not expect the dead to walk into their office.”

[chainconviction]

@cataclysmal​

He had not seen Lacie in days.

Worry clawed at his chest as he continued making his way through this place, teeming with even odder sights than normal, the displaced population even more displaced than normal as he searched for her. Unease spread through his body, slow creeping but there as more and more time went by.

A fire, spreading and licking at his heels that he attempted to outpace, the concern in his gut like cinders licking at his worry. Were he somehow more vulnerable, he would have broken down at some point. Even now, he felt like giving up was his best option.

And just as he was about to let himself be overwhelmed, she was there, or...A memory of her.

“...?”

A trick of the mind, it must be. Him, hunched over in his cloak, looking down at that familiar face. Younger than the last time he saw her, as though her own clock were moving in reverse to his own.

“Lacie...? What happened to...?”

[chainconviction]

@tragedysorchestrator​

This place had provided a semblance of a quiet life, if stiflingly hot at times, for the Baskerville siblings. While Oswald’s shoulders sunk with the weight of his own guilt it was difficult to truly find himself wallowing in his own grief when Lacie dragged him out of it by force.

Or simply by being herself. Herself prior to her ultimate fate.

But if this was not hell, then why was he constantly coming face-to-face with those he had wronged?

The face he had worn, now facing him directly, in his own body. They were not meeting for the first time, but it felt both monumental and nostalgic.

“Leo.”

“So you have arrived as well. This must truly be a place to face my own sins.” And yet it was preferable that it was Leo here and not...

[chainconviction]

starters  /  prompts taken from f. d. soul’s work ,  between you and these bones .  feel free to change pronouns  /  tenses as necessary .

‘  the problem is you keep trying to use your eyes  ’

‘  how i soften when you pull me against you  ’

‘  you are teaching me to love  ’

‘  i will pretend that i have not already heard the question in your eyes  ’

‘  you perhaps will become my swan song  ’

‘  it is a very human thing to love  ’

‘  you are my good days  ’

‘  i have been loved dearly  ’

‘  i promise you will not always be this war  ’

‘  thank god for the stubbornness of organs  ’

‘  it takes me seven days to stop being in love with you  ’

‘  there will always be another day  ’

‘  there will always be another mercy  ’

‘  perhaps i will take up dancing again  ’

‘  what a pretty little disaster you will be  ’

‘  i am terrified for you  ’

‘  i will fold inside of myself  ’

‘  today i am thankful  ’

‘  i didn’t want to sleep because i didn’t want to wake  ’

‘  come and get me  ’

‘  i tell myself i do not need you  ’

‘  i think i broke again last night  ’

‘  i’m just trying to connect with you  ’

‘  you are an ocean that will perhaps never stop crashing  ’

‘  burn the house down in search of yourself  ’

‘  don’t you dare ever stop looking  ’

‘  i struggle not to feel guilty  ’

‘  you are a wild  ,  unkempt thing  ’

‘  sometimes it is a very sad thing to be human and longing  ’

‘  find that you are made of russian nesting dolls  ’

‘  the trees are always kindest with spring comes  ’

‘  teach yourself the hymns again  ’

‘  he is every amen i have ever laid down on lips  ’

‘  this life is an altar  ’

‘  i am sorry i do not have more time  ’

‘  there is a mountain in me  ’

‘  by the morning i am a triumph  ’

‘  there are words playing hooky in the back of your throat  ’

‘  today is by far the most beautiful creature i have ever come across  ’

‘  there are many things that will fit beneath your skin  ’

‘  forgiveness does not take up much room  ’

‘  some days you will breathe and it will be enough  ’

‘  you do not have to hold it quite so tightly  ’

‘  there is a prayer in me  ,  still  ’

‘  you scare me a little  ’

‘  you can be a good thing and not a whole thing  ’

‘  there are flowers in my chest again  ’

‘  the rain comes and sounds like you  ’

‘  i cannot tell you why i still trust god  ’

‘  find peace and build a home out of it  ’

‘  there is never an end  ’

[chainconviction]

THE    FIVE    SENSES     /      SENTENCE    STARTERS  .

some   may   be   nsfw   and   /   or   be   triggering.   

01    :     TOUCH .

❝ i love this [ FABRIC ], it feels satisfying. ❞

❝ your touch. it leaves me breathless. ❞

❝ your touch is unlike any other. ❞

​❝ have you ever felt anything more comfortable? ❞

❝ feel this. what does it feel like to you? ❞

❝ i wanted to see what it felt like. ❞

​❝ touch it. i dare you. ❞

​❝ you felt ice cold when i touched you. ❞

​❝ you feel warm to me. ❞

​❝ i love the feel of [ FABRIC ] against my skin. ❞

​❝ i love the feel of your skin against mine. ❞

​❝ i would never touch anyone else. ❞

​❝ i love the feel of your hair between each of my fingers. ❞

​❝ don’t you dare touch me. ❞

​❝ i want to feel your lips against my own. ❞

​❝ i can feel your pulse. it jumped. ❞

​❝ let me give you a massage. ❞

❝ you feel like home to me. ❞ 

02     :      TASTE .

❝ i love the taste of you. ❞

❝ i can never forget that taste. ❞

❝ fair warning, it does have a bitter taste. ❞

​❝ no offense, you just aren’t my taste. ❞

❝ can i have a taste of that? ❞

❝ i have yearned for the taste of your lips. ❞

​❝ that tasted pretty good actually. ❞

​❝ it just left a really bad taste in my mouth so no thanks. ❞

​❝ nothing taste better than chocolate. ❞

​❝ i’ve got something you might want to taste. ❞

​❝ i will forever savor that taste. ❞

​❝ blood has such a metallic taste. ❞

​❝ my taste buds are mad at me after eating that. ❞

​❝ how’s it feel to get a taste of your own medicine? ❞

​❝ you didn’t even taste it. ❞

​❝ trust me, you’ll want to taste this. ❞

​❝ i think it has a bit of bitter sweet taste. ❞

❝ so you tasted it, did you like it? ❞

03     :      SIGHT .

❝ i see you. ❞

❝ i’ve never seen things so clearer than i do now. ❞

❝ it’s too dark, i can’t see anything. ❞

​❝ how can you see anything? it’s pitch dark. ❞

❝ i’ve looked close enough and i see you for what you are. ❞

❝ please, just look at me. ❞

​❝ stop staring at me like that. ❞

​❝ get that light out of my face. ❞

​❝ it’s so bright outside today. ❞

​❝ what’s wrong? what did you see? ❞

​❝ you’re scared, you must have saw something. ❞

​❝ what i saw, you’ll never believe me. ❞

​❝ i’ve never seen you before. ❞

​❝ have we seen one another before? ❞

​❝ you see me for what i truly am. ❞

​❝ i didn’t see anything. ❞

​❝ did you see that? ❞

❝ i can’t believe my eyes. ❞

04     :      SOUND .

❝ shhh, i just heard something. ❞

❝ did you hear that? ❞

❝ what is that sound? ❞

​❝ i missed the sound of your voice. ❞

❝ do you hear me? stay away from me. ❞

❝ i hear you, loud and clear. ❞

​❝ i’m sorry, what was that? i didn’t hear you. ❞

​❝ i’ve heard that sound before. ❞

​❝ you didn’t hear anything at all? ❞

​❝ can you hear what they’re saying? ❞

​❝ aw, i love the sound of music. ❞

​❝ i never said i could hear them. ❞

​❝ wait, hear that? something is coming. ❞

​❝ i could hear screams … ❞

​❝ i heard you all the way upstairs. ❞

​❝ you didn’t just hear that? that sound? that noise? ❞

​❝ trust me, you’re going to want to hear this. ❞

❝ please, just hear me out. ❞

05     :      SMELL .

❝ what is that smell? ❞

❝ i have missed your smell. ❞

❝ you smell nice. ❞

​❝ it’s unlike anything i’ve smelled before. ❞

❝ i smell the food cooking from here. ❞

❝ do you smell that? ❞

​❝ how are you able to smell that? ❞

​❝ no offense but it really smells. ❞

​❝ it’s starting to smell. ❞

​❝ tell me, you’ve smelled this before. ❞

​❝ i know that smell, it’s the smell of lies. ❞

​❝ i can smell you from here. ❞

​❝ are you smelling me? ❞

​❝ i missed the smell of your hair. ❞

​❝ i need to step away, get some fresh air. ❞

​❝ do you smell that? that’s the smell of freedom. ❞

​❝ i could never erase your smell. ❞

❝ i can smell the fear on you from here. ❞

[chainconviction]

Oswald Baskerville

[chainconviction]

Six Word Stories + Pandora Hearts

“In his story, I’m the villain.” by heydana

[chainconviction]

He had never quite considered himself good with children, despite how he had gotten along with Gilbert even as a small child. Admittedly, it was painful to think about Alice and Gilbert when they were smaller, and how fond of him they had been, but, well...

He couldn’t simply let the young boy keep trying to reach, or worse, try and climb up himself.

Lifting him under his arms, he holds the bright boy up to reach what he had wanted, and hearing a note of joy, he looks at what is being shown to him with a gentle smile.

“Very pretty.” His own way is quiet, but his expression is genuine. Many similar globes are on higher shelves. “If you would like, I can carry you on my shoulders around the store.” At a bit over six feet, he was taller than most.

                                                   ››› @chainconviction

it’s a little hard to reach. he almost wants to step on the shelves, climb his way up, but he knows that’s impolite. for now, he’s reaching up as high as his arms can reach ( —all in all, not very, ) and he’s about to give up to find a step-ladder or.. anything that’ll help, when he suddenly feels himself lifted up, and his hand brushes against the snowglobe that he was so interested in. he grabs it, not thinking to check just who picked him up.

it’s different from the others he’s seen, with miniature planets within. when he shakes it, the star-shaped snow sparkles and swishes around. “Wow!” he turns a little, so he can show the other person, too. 

[chainconviction]

@exbourreau​

Petals danced in the air even as the summer hearkened, although Oswald would have no such concept about these trees being in or out of season, they were flowering and typically reserved for the spring.

A light breeze blew in the summer’s eve as he caught a few petals in a gloved hand, looking down with interest as the lights of Cotes ward started to come into view. Stopping where he was, he pressed a thumb into the petal, wondering-

He jumped, the snapping behind him causing him to turn around with a jolt, hand on his wooden blade, bright fireworks dancing in violet eyes as he gazed upward, the loud noise having startled him more than he care to admit.

“...”

A girl of fair features stood nearby, and he turned to her inquiringly, “Is this...An early-summer celebration?”

[chainconviction]

fscythe‌:

     ✧ ❝ Though it is unfortunate that you know the meaning of my words, I am glad you do all the same, ❞ if only because… Well, it’s nice to know that someone understands, even in some small capacity.

     ❝ … Even so, the time we spend whole again should be cherished, I think. ❞

“Another shared sentiment, I suppose.” It truly was good to feel understood. The scars that ran over his remade body burned at the very thought.

“I am luckier than most, here, from what I have seen and heard. It would be difficult to cherish such a thing were someone I had once thought lost to me present before my eyes much the same - whole and here.”

[chainconviction]

“...It is a small comfort to hear the sentiment echoed, although I would not wish it on another.” Her strange appearance aside, he heard her words resonating within himself.

“Even if that place was nowhere, it is disconcerting to be here and whole.”

      ✧ ❝ … While it is nice to have a whole body again, it also worries me immensely to not be where I once was, ❞ even though she really was just… Sleeping as she drifted through space.