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abloodredsettingsun · 21 hours

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For some time, when you talked about the end of the war, you talked about a total victory for Ukraine: Ukraine would return to its 1991 borders, affirm its sovereignty in Crimea, and retake all of its territory from Russia. But in recent months, you have become more open to the idea of negotiations—through peace summits, for example, the first of which was conducted this summer, in Switzerland. What has changed in your thinking, and your country’s thinking, about how this war might end?

When I’m asked, “How do you define victory,” my response is entirely sincere. There’s been no change in my mind-set. That’s because victory is about justice. A just victory is one whose outcome satisfies all—those who respect international law, those who live in Ukraine, those who lost their loved ones and relatives. For them the price is high. For them there will never be an excuse for what Putin and his Army have done. You can’t simply sew this wound up like a surgeon because it’s in your heart, in your soul. And that is why the crucial nuance is that, although justice does not close our wounds, it affords the possibility of a world that we all recognize as fair. It is not fair that someone’s son or daughter was taken from them, but, unfortunately, there is a finality to this injustice and it is impossible to bring them back. But justice at least provides some closure.

The fact that Ukraine desires a just victory is not the issue; the issue is that Putin has zero desire to end the war on any reasonable terms at all. If the world is united against him, he feigns an interest in dialogue—“I’m ready to negotiate, let’s do it, let’s sit down together”—but this is just talk. It’s empty rhetoric, a fiction, that keeps the world from standing together with Ukraine and isolating Putin. He pretends to open the door to dialogue, and those countries that seek a geopolitical balance—China, for one, but also some other Asian and African states—say, “Ah, see, he hears us and he’s ready to negotiate.” But it is all just appearance. From our side, we see the game he is playing and we amend our approaches to ending the war. Where he offers empty rhetoric, we offer a real formula for bringing peace, a concrete plan for how we can end the war.

And yet, in 2022 and 2023, your words and actions signalled a categorical refusal to negotiate with the enemy, whereas now you seem to have opened a window to the idea of negotiating, a willingness to ask if negotiations are worth pursuing.

If we go back two years, to the G-20 summit, in Indonesia, in my video appearance, I presented our formula for peace. Since then, I’ve been quite consistent in saying that the Russians have blocked all our initiatives from the very beginning, and that they continue to do so. And I said that any negotiation process would be unsuccessful if it’s with Putin or with his entourage, who are all just his puppets.

Everyone said that we have to allow the possibility of some kind of dialogue. And I told them, “Look, your impression that Putin wants to end the war is misguided. That’s a potentially fatal mistake you are making, I’m telling you.” But, on our end, we have to demonstrate that we do have this desire for dialogue—and ours is a genuine one. Our partners think we should be at the negotiating table? Then let’s be constructive. Let’s have a first summit where we all get together. We shall write up a plan and give it to the Russians. They might say, “We are ready to talk,” and then we’d have a second summit where they say, “This formula of yours, we agree with it.” Or, alternatively, “We disagree. We think that it should be like this and like that.” This is called dialogue. But to make it happen, you have to prepare a plan without the Russians, because, unfortunately, they seem to think that they have a kind of red card, as in soccer, that they can hold up and block everything. Our plan, however—it is being prepared.

I understand that you are going to present this plan to Biden?

The victory plan is a bridge. After the first peace summit, our partners saw that Russia was not prepared for any talks at all—which confirmed my message to them and my insistence that without making Ukraine strong, they will never force Putin to negotiate fairly and on equal terms. No one believed me. They said, We’ll invite them to the second summit and they’ll come running. Well, now we have the second summit planned and they don’t look like they’ll come running.

And so the victory plan is a plan that swiftly strengthens Ukraine. A strong Ukraine will force Putin to the negotiating table. I’m convinced of that. It’s just that, before, I was only saying it and now I’ve put it all on paper, with specific arguments and specific steps to strengthen Ukraine during the months of October, November, and December, and to enable a diplomatic end of the war. The difference this time will be that Putin will have grasped the depth of this plan and of our partners’ commitment to strengthening us, and he will realize an important fact: that if he is not ready to end this war in a way that is fair and just, and instead wishes to continue to try to destroy us, then a strengthened Ukraine will not let him do so. Not only that but continuing to pursue that goal would also considerably weaken Russia, which would threaten Putin’s own position.

What happens if Biden says, “With all due respect, this is a difficult time, the election’s coming up, I’m having enough trouble with Congress without trying to increase aid packages for you,” and he rejects your request—do you have a Plan B?

We have been living in Plan B for years. Plan A was proposed before the full-scale war, when we called for two things: preventive sanctions and preventive reinforcement of Ukraine with various weapons. I told our partners, If Ukraine is very strong, nothing will happen. They didn’t listen. Since then, they have all recognized I was right. Strengthening Ukraine would have significantly lowered the probability of Putin invading.

I’m now proposing a new Plan A. This plan means we change the current course, where it’s only thanks to the strength of our military, the heroic devotion to the European values of our people and our fighters, that we have stood our ground. If you don’t want this war to drag on, if you do not want Putin to bury us under the corpses of his people, taking more Ukrainian lives in the process, we offer you a plan to strengthen Ukraine. It is not a fantasy and not science fiction, and, importantly, it does not require the Russians to coöperate to succeed. Rather, the plan spells out what our partners can do without Russia’s participation. If diplomacy is the desire of both sides, then, before diplomacy can be effective, our plan’s implementation depends only on us and on our partners.

You were right, this plan is designed, first and foremost, with Biden’s support in mind. If he doesn’t want to support it, I cannot force him. If he refuses—well, then we must continue to live inside Plan B. And that’s unfortunate.

What would that look like? I mean, if Biden says no?

That’s a horrible thought. It would mean that Biden doesn’t want to end the war in any way that denies Russia a victory. And we would end up with a very long war—an impossible, exhausting situation that would kill a tremendous number of people. Having said that, I can’t blame Biden for anything. At the end of the day, he took a powerful, historic step when he chose to support us at the start of the war, an action that pushed our other partners to do the same. We recognize Biden’s great achievement in this respect. That step of his already constituted a historic victory.

And what would you say, maybe not even to Biden but to the American public, many of whom feel that we cannot raise our engagement and support for Ukraine any further than we already have?

I would tell them that Ukraine has done everything possible to keep America out of this war, actually. Putin counted on defeating Ukraine in a quick campaign and, had Ukraine not stood its ground, Putin would have marched on. Let’s consider what the consequences would have been. Number one, you would have some forty million immigrants coming to Europe, America, and Canada. Second, you would lose the largest country in Europe—a huge blow to America’s influence on the Continent. Russia would now have total influence there. You would lose everyone—Poland, Germany—and your influence would be zero.

The American public should realize that the fact of Ukraine still standing is not the problem. Yes, war brings difficulties, but Ukraine’s resilience has allowed America to solve many other challenges. Let’s say Russia attacked Poland next—what then? In Ukraine, Russia has found fake legal ground for its actions, saying that it’s protecting Russian-speaking people, but it could have been Poland or it could have been the Baltic states, which are all NATO members. This would have been a disaster, a gut punch for the United States, because then you’re definitely involved full scale—with troops on the ground, funding, investment, and with the American economy going to a wartime footing. So saying that you have been in this war for a long time is just not true. Quite the contrary: I believe that we have shielded America from total war.

Here’s another crucial element: this is a war of postponement for the United States. It’s a way to buy time. As far as Russia is concerned, Ukraine does not even need to lose outright for Russia to win. Russia understands that Ukraine is struggling as it is; it already stands excluded from the European Union and NATO, with nearly a third of its territory occupied. Russia might decide that’s enough, so it might strike Poland just the same—in response to some provocation from Belarus, for example. And so, after two and a half years of your support and investment—for which we are very grateful—you can multiply them all by zero. America would have to start investing from scratch, and in a war of a totally different calibre. American soldiers would fight in it. Which would all benefit Russia tremendously, I should add.

During the Presidential debate, moderators asked Trump whether he wanted Ukraine to win against Russia, and he sidestepped the question. He just said, “I want the war to stop.” It must have troubled you to hear his answer and to consider the prospect of his winning.

Trump makes political statements in his election campaign. He says he wants the war to stop. Well, we do, too. This phrase and desire, they unite the world; everyone shares them. But here’s the scary question: Who will shoulder the costs of stopping the war? Some might say that the Minsk Agreements either stopped or froze the fighting at some point. But they also gave the Russians a chance to arm themselves even better, and to strengthen their fake claim over our territories they occupied.

But isn’t that yet more cause for alarm?

My feeling is that Trump doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how. With this war, oftentimes, the deeper you look at it the less you understand. I’ve seen many leaders who were convinced they knew how to end it tomorrow, and as they waded deeper into it, they realized it’s not that simple.

Apart from Trump’s own reluctance to talk about Ukrainian victory, he has chosen J. D. Vance as his Vice-Presidential candidate.

He is too radical.

Vance has come out with a more precise plan to—

To give up our territories.

Your words, not mine. But, yes, that’s the gist of it.

His message seems to be that Ukraine must make a sacrifice. This brings us back to the question of the cost and who shoulders it. The idea that the world should end this war at Ukraine’s expense is unacceptable. But I do not consider this concept of his a plan, in any formal sense. This would be an awful idea, if a person were actually going to carry it out, to make Ukraine shoulder the costs of stopping the war by giving up its territories. But there’s certainly no way this could ever happen. This kind of scenario would have no basis in international norms, in U.N. statute, in justice. And it wouldn’t necessarily end the war, either. It’s just sloganeering.

What does it mean for Ukraine that people with such ideas and slogans are rising to power?

For us, these are dangerous signals, coming as they do from a potential Vice-President. I should say that it hasn’t been like this with Trump. He and I talked on the phone, and his message was as positive as it could be, from my point of view. “I understand,” “I will lend support,” and so on.

[Vance and others who share his views] should clearly understand that the moment they start trading on our territory is the moment they start pawning America’s interests elsewhere: the Middle East, for example, as well as Taiwan and the U.S. relations with China. Whichever President or Vice-President raises this prospect—that ending the war hinges on cementing the status quo, with Ukraine simply giving up its land—should be held responsible for potentially starting a global war. Because such a person would be implying that this kind of behavior is acceptable.

I don’t take Vance’s words seriously, because, if this were a plan, then America is headed for global conflict. It will involve Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Taiwan, China, as well as many African countries. That approach would broadcast to the world the following implicit rule: I came, I conquered, now this is mine. It will apply everywhere: land claims and mineral rights and borders between nations. It would imply that whoever asserts control over territory—not the rightful owner but whoever came in a month or a week ago, with a machine gun in hand—is the one who’s in charge. We’ll end up in a world where might is right. And it will be a completely different world, a global showdown.

Let Mr. Vance read up on the history of the Second World War, when a country was forced to give part of its territory to one particular person. What did that man do? Was he appeased or did he deal a devastating blow to the continent of Europe—to many nations, broadly, and to the Jewish nation in particular? Let him do some reading. The Jewish people are a strong power base in the United States, so let them conduct a public-education campaign and explain why millions perished thanks to the fact that someone offered to give up a sliver of territory.

When we last spoke, in 2019, Ukraine was caught in the middle of an American political scandal. There was the question of your phone call with Trump, an implicit threat to curtail U.S. aid, and the subsequent impeachment hearings against a U.S. President. I recently reread our interview, and you told me at the time, “In this political chess match, I will not let Ukraine be a pawn.” Do you worry that Ukraine has now ended up in a similar situation, used by various political actors to push their own agenda or advantage in the U.S. political context?

To be honest, the incident you mention no longer feels as relevant. That was a long time ago. And since then, many things have changed.

Nonetheless, you must have drawn some conclusions from this experience.

I think Ukraine has demonstrated the wisdom of not becoming captured by American domestic politics. We have always tried to avoid influencing the choices of the American people—that would simply be wrong. But, in that incident and elsewhere, I believe we have always demonstrated that Ukraine is definitely not a pawn, and that our interests have to be taken into account.

You have to work to maintain that every day, though. Because the second you relax, that’s exactly what will happen. A lot of world leaders want to have some sort of dealings with Putin, to reach agreements, to conduct some business with him. I look at such leaders and realize that they are very interested in playing this game—and for them, unfortunately, it really is a game. But what makes a real leader? A leader is someone whom Putin needs for something, not a person who needs Putin. Flirting with him is not a sign of strength. Sitting across the table from him might make you believe you’re making important decisions about the world. But what are those decisions really about? Has the war ended? No. Has it produced the outcome you wanted? Not yet. Is Putin still in power? Yes.

Ukraine is a very painful topic for Putin—he wanted to defeat us and couldn’t—which means that it offers a way to build a bond with him. But the truth is that you can only develop relations with Putin on his terms. That means, for instance, proposing that Ukraine should give up some of its territory. This, in a way, is the easiest thing to call for. It is very concrete. And for Putin, it’s a morsel that he doesn’t even have to cut in order to eat—you have already chewed it for him and placed it right in his mouth. When you give it to him, you think you’re so smart and cunning, that after such a gesture Putin will listen to you and support your positions. Well, tell me, when did Putin respect those who come to him from a position of weakness?

After Russia invaded, many people were inclined to compare you to Winston Churchill, Britain’s leader during the Second World War, but you’ve said in interviews that you prefer the example of Charlie Chaplin, who waged a struggle against fascism through appealing to his audience, the public. How do you regard your role as a communicator?

People are always more comfortable relying not on abstract ideas but on some specific historical examples. But it feels immodest to compare myself with the people you mentioned. That said, Chaplin had an unquestionable talent for telling a story, for finding a way to get through to people. He didn’t merely broadcast some facts and numbers—he used the language of cinema to craft an emotional narrative. He used that talent to fight fascism. As for Churchill, he was the leader of a country that found itself in very difficult circumstances, but still managed to be the only country in Europe that firmly said no to fascism. It’s not that other countries necessarily said yes—some were invaded, lost battles, or were subdued in other ways. Hitler occupied much of Europe. But from Churchill and the U.K., there was a firm no. And this no convinced America that it should become a serious ally in the war.

Let’s talk about the Kursk operation. What is its motive? And who is the intended audience: Putin, to show him that Ukraine, too, can go on the offensive, or Ukraine’s Western partners, to demonstrate to them what Ukraine can achieve if given the proper resources?

Both these motives are important, but there is more at stake here. First, it was clear to us that Russia is pressing us in the east. No matter how the Kursk operation ends, military analysts will someday calculate the speed of Russia’s progress and ask, What prevented us from stopping them earlier? How fast were they moving in the east before the Kursk operation began, and why? Ukraine had trouble mobilizing people, they might say, and didn’t have enough strength to stop them, but that is diverting the focus from the more pertinent point—namely, the fact that we should receive what we’ve been promised. I say, first give it to us, and then analyze if the root of the problem is with Ukraine or with you.

Imagine: you’re struggling in a tough war, you’re not receiving aid, you strain to maintain morale. And the Russians have the initiative in the east, they have taken parts of the Kharkiv region, and they’re about to attack Sumy. You have to do something—something other than endlessly asking your partners for help. So what do you do? Do you tell your people, “Dear Ukrainians, in two weeks, eastern Ukraine will cease to exist”? Sure, you can do that, throw up your hands, but you can also try taking a bold step.

Of course, you’re right to wonder if this action will go down in history as a success or a failure. It’s too early to judge. But I am not preoccupied with historic successes. I’m focussed on the here and now. What we can say, however, is that it has already shown some results. It has slowed down the Russians and forced them to move some of their forces to Kursk, on the order of forty thousand troops. Already, our fighters in the east say that they are being battered less frequently.

I’m not saying it’s a resounding success, or will bring about the end of the war, or the end of Putin. What it has done is show our partners what we’re capable of. We have also shown the Global South that Putin, who claims to have everything under control, in fact does not. And we have shown a very important truth to the Russians. Unfortunately, many of them have their eyes closed, they don’t want to see or hear anything. But some Russian people could not help but notice how Putin did not run to defend his own land. No, instead he wants to first and foremost look after himself, and to finish off Ukraine. His people are not a priority for him.

It has been more than a month since the start of the Kursk operation. We continue to provide food and water to the people in territories we control. These people are free to leave: all the necessary corridors are open, and they could go elsewhere in Russia—but they do not. They don’t understand why Russia didn’t come to help, and left them to survive on their own. And people in Moscow and St. Petersburg—far from Kursk—saw that, if one day the Ukrainian Army showed up there, too, it’s far from certain they would be saved. That’s important. That’s also a part of this operation: long before the war gets to these places, or there’s some other crisis, Russian people should know who they have placed in power for a quarter century, with whom they have thrown in their lot.

This war is being fought not just over territory but over values. But during war, in the name of victory, it may not always be possible to maintain these values as one might in peacetime. Do you feel that there are occasions when these two interests—democratic values and the reality of wartime—can clash, or end up in conflict? The United News TV Marathon, for example, which has been on air since the beginning of the invasion, pulls together multiple television channels to broadcast news about the war and other events in a highly coördinated way.

The truth is that journalists came together because, in the early days of the war, when people feared a total occupation of the country, no one knew what to do. Some people took off in one direction, law enforcement in another. There were even stories about how the President had run off somewhere. It was chaos. The fact is that I was among those who stayed and put an end to that chaos, and I don’t think that has led to anything so terrible. Many would say it’s one of the factors that gave people the strength to fight for their country.

But the centralization of power has a downside.

I want to finish. Journalists in Ukraine decided to join forces in order to combat Russian disinformation. I want to make it clear that simply because the news departments of these [six] TV channels have come together it does not mean the channels themselves are destroyed. They exist as they did before. They have kept their own places in the broadcast lineup. They are free to show what they want. But this telemarathon has become a resource for people who, say, have no electricity or see drones flying overhead. There have been lots of periods when there were all kinds of misinformation going around, and the telemarathon provides the truth. And you’re saying this is a bad thing. O.K., if that’s the case, I’m not insisting.

A last question about how war changes a person. It’s hard to imagine an experience with a more profound effect on the human psyche.

I’m still holding it together, if it’s me you’re talking about.

But I wonder if there are moments when you catch yourself reacting to things differently than you might have before. Do you notice you’ve changed at all?

Perhaps I’ve become less emotional. There’s simply no time for that. Just like there’s no time for reasoned discourse and arguments. I only have the opportunity to think aloud in that way during interviews. I don’t do this with my subordinates and colleagues in the government. If I were to sit down and ruminate on every decision for an hour, I would be able to make only two or three decisions a day. But I have to make twenty or thirty. ♦

#full article in the link this is just the interview #volodymyr zelenskyy #ukraine

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lowkeyclueless5137 · 5 months

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Day 3- For Villainy!

Pair: Malleus x Idia x Azul

Prompt: Business, Secrets, Confidence/Insecurity

Au: Superhero au

Notes: minions movie inspired oneshot. How about that :3c

Warning: blood and injury, folks :D

It was a lazy morning for Idia. He debated if he even wanted to go to his morning classes at college, but then Ortho would nag him.

He didn't make himself any coffee, only took his usual pills with a glass of cold water. That was bound to wake him up a bit. Then, looking through the fridge, Idia grumbled at the lack of food. He is running out of instant ramen, which means he has to go grocery shopping. Even more to add to things he didn't want to do today.

Then, before finally leaving his small flat, Idia caught a glimpse of his pinboard. A big board where articles of papers, photos and notes were stuck and united in between them with colorful threads. Dates were also marked in there, the most recent one being actually last week.

'Attack on the royal ceremony! The ocean prince saves the day!'

Next to the article, a photo of a closeup was put. It depicted the said superhero. Bright red hair and blue eyes, smiling and waving at the civilians. He wore a generic superhero outfit, dotted with small pearls and baby blue patterns, hand in hand with the emerald green details. In their left hand, they holded a silver trident, the metal glistening in the sun, with fine engravings on it.

And, of course, behind him was his sidekick. Idia bearly saw a glimpse of that one. No one really got any concluding photo of them. It was frustrating, but news and papers gave up on this. The sidekick didn't matter. Only the hero had the spotlight, for he fought head on the villain. With those thoughts, Idia finally left his apartment and went on to his college classes.

Speaking of the Villain...

Once classes were over, Idia decided to go right to grocery shopping. There was a store in his way after all. But, that plan was quickly tossed away when the superhero of this city was thrown through the glass doors, shattering them. The all infamous Thorn king, was the supervilain terrorising this city for a year or so. At this point he was the ONLY supervilain in this country. Idia didn't really know about how other places have it.

But still, he knew one thing: he had to write it down.

So he took some cover, out of the flight's way, taking out his phone and typing as fast as he could on the notes app. What were these 2 fighting about, he wanted to know. This was an important report of his carrier as a journalist.

Because he was there before Hector!

The thought alone made Idia's mouth to tug at its corners, raising in a proud smirk. He could already imagine his victorious smile he would give when Hector would be told that no, Idia was first! His article came faster! He could contribute with a photo if he wants, but the article is Idia's! Ah, yes, sweet victory!

"You punny little merman!" Thorn king grunted, managing to block an attack from the trident, before shooting lighting towards the superhero, yet they parrayed it, sending the attack straight to Idia.

BOOM!

Feeling no pain or impact, Idia looked up to see black. The black suit was very simple, much like the black heels with silver bottoms, the body adorned with a soft lavender silk. The white hair was shortish, unlike Ocean prince's and the person took a deep breath as they managed to subdue the attack fully. Idia saw the faith purplish glow trailing from their hands as the said person turned towards him. "Are you alright?" They asked, their voice soft and melodious as their face was covered by a black mask dotted with pearls at the corners.

Only now Idia saw the gold shell pendant dangling from their neck.

The ravenette nodded, eyes as big as plates. Was this the sidekick?! Idia's breath was caught up in his throat, feeling heat raise to his cheeks. "You aren't fine... You should get far from here..." The said sidekick instructed. Idia dumbly nodded as they left to deal with even more property damage.

Of, Idia was sure he was going to have an amazing article!

In that evening, the black haired boy rushed towards the newspaper office, with his full article, edited and written in all necessary formats. "I have a report on today's super fight!" He declared, putting the papers down on the chief's desk.

The chief, a woman in her 50s, who still thinks she's around 20, raised her burgundy glasses and looked at Idia with a raised brow, before down at the papers. Idia could hear her humms as she read the article fully, before leaving the paper down. "This is a very good article, Shroud.-" she started and instantly Idia deflated at the tone. It was an all too familiar tone.

"But Hector came a hour earlier with his. Therefore we might put it in the newspapers 2 days from here." She mused. Of course, Idia always got the article a day after the first one. Not a front page, just a small rubric that people pass over it. It was the best that he could get.

As Idia got out of the office, deflated by his defeat, as if it wasn't rubbing salt on the wound, Hector was talking with some other work colleagues about how he got that article itself. "And he told me eveeeery little detail! Such good lad!" The guy puffed his chest. "And?" "And I got his interview, went home and wrote it down. Although his sidekick is a bit of a pain... That mute guy keeps insisting to leave." Hector noted.

At that, Idia perked up. The sidekick was not mute. He talked to him at least. He wanted to correct Hector, but already the latter noticed him staring. "Hey! Shroud! How was your office visit?" "Second page... Again..." The ravenette mused, with a bitter taste of defeat. "Ah, buddy, don't be sad!" the latter smacked Idia's back, which made him almost fall forward, much to the other employees's amusement. "You'll get one day on the front page!" Hector said and Idia left before he could hear the follow up.

"Maybe after I retire." Hector said, clearly loud only for the purpose of Idia also hearing it. He simply slammed the door after himself, the latter puffing as he exited the building.

He needed an article so good that it would outshine any kind of half-assed writing and speech to text Hector would do.

One thing that was to note about the newspaper office he was working at, was that it faced the imposing Draconia palace. It was named after the ones who built it, the Draconia dynasty. And they stood like that. The current king, Henry, was one man Idia found it hard to believe would've gotten to the throne any other way besides the hereditary right.

Then again, news about the royal family were hard to gain. They were the juice of all articles and even the tiniest rumour about it will get on the front cover.

Passing by a poster, Idia looked at the said big crown plastered in the middle. In 3 months, the king will have a royal walk through the city. Idia knew it was some formality, but everyone will have their eyes on that. Everyone expects that.

"In 3 months... I guess everyone is yet to go crazy about this..." Idia yelped at the unknown voice, looking to his side to see a man with brown hair, nicely combed to the side. He wore some glasses, their blue eyes glimmering with some sort of desire. They were dressed quite casually for this wintery day, their coat going down to their knees as they arranged their scarf around. "What do you think?" They turned to face Idia as well.

"Well... Uhh... Maybe with the supervilain going lose around... It's a bad idea?" he mused. "The crown of the country... Oh, who wouldn't want that pricey thing... It would cost a fortune!" "I wouldn't want a tacky crown if I am to say..." The ravenette puffed, which gained a soft giggle out of the other.

"I'm Azul... Azul Ashengrotto..." "Idia... Idia Shroud." "A pleasure meeting you, Idia... Maybe we could hang out another time." The latter mused and before Idia could fully process, he scored a phone number.

Although, when their hands touched, he also got a small electric shock. Azul said that it had to be from the phones, saying that maybe he should change his at one point. Idia bought it, but offered to try and fix it if it was a problem with it.

The rest of his walk home, he was lost in his thoughts. He couldn't believe he got some guy's number. The thought was alien to him. Someone saw him and thought he was nice enough to keep talking with.

Bump!

He ran into someone. "Ack! I'm so soo sor-" Idia apologised, words caught up in his throat as his eyes meet some piercing green ones.

It was a guy, tall, imposing and elegant. He looked at Idia up and down, before his features softened. "My apologies... I didn't look where I was going." he mused, genuinely sorry looking for his actions. "Ah... It's my fault too and I... Yeah... Nevermind..." Idia fumbled around.

What's with him and meeting only pretty guys today?!

"You... Are a reporter?" the latter tilted his head. Idia followed his gaze down to the 'press' badge he had on his messenger bag. "Ah... Just a 2nd hand journalist... Nothing much..." Idia grumbled. "Hmmm... How nice... I like the 2nd page articles." the man mused. Idia perked up at that, before feeling a blush creeping up on his cheeks. "Really?" "Last week's palace gargoyle article was my favorite!" The man smiled.

Idia wrote that one! Out of a stressing day, he wrote mindlessly about the palace gargoyles. The chief said they could use it as a filler for last week's article. Idia didn't give it much thought then.

"I... I wrote that." He mused. "Really? Then I must congratulate you! Such thoughtful article!" the man gently shook Idia's wrist. He felt a shock of electricity through it, which the other also felt, both taking their hands apart in a flash. "Ack... Must've gotten electrified by the metal around..." He apologised. "It is no bother... I..." The latter made a pause, before suddenly leaving.

Well... That was some wierd guy.

At home, Idia crashed on his bed. Today was tiring. So he only dialed a number and left it to pick up, on speaker, as he layed on his back in bed, looking at the empty ceiling of his apartment.

"Hello? Idia?" A feminine voice was heard. "Hello, mama!" the latter responded. "Oh! Idia! Honey! How are you doing?" the woman responded with a smile. "Just a tiring day... How are you? And dad? And Ortho?" "Oh, we are good, we are good! Your little brother tho... Started to chew on things... Mainly your papa's pens." Idia couldn't help but hide a giggle. "Ah... His tooth finally fell off?" "Yes. And he was so happy... He wanted to show you so bad." She mused, before some noise was heard on the background.

"Big brother!" a younger voice. Idia couldn't help but creak a smile. "Hey, Ortho... How are you?" "My tooth fell off! Mama said that I'm a big boy now, cuz I didn't cry when it fell!" "Really? You're the biggest of the boys then." the older brother mused, hearing the latter definitely be excited. "well..." Mrs Shroud finally got the phone back. "Your father is still at work... Maybe tomorrow you'll catch him on the phone too. It's pretty late, so maybe you should go to bed, Idia... You have work to do." "I know, I know... Geee, mom..." "Love you, honey." "Bye bye, big brother!" the 2 voices were heard.

"Bye... Love you too..." Idia mumbled, before he closed the call. The resulting silence felt maddening. Only him and himself. No one else.

Groggily raising back up, Idia grumbled as he changed in some pijamas and faced the bathroom mirror.

Slowly, the coal black hair became a firey blue as it was engulfed in the same colored flames. Looking at the clock, Idia exhaled. His pills wore off. Naturally, he didn't say anything about it. He was alone. No one could see it. So he only set himself on the bed, laptop in his lap, working on his college assignments until sleep claimed him.

That week turned out to be, much better than the one bad day Idia started with.

He kept meeting up with Azul. Then with the wierd guy that, apparently, was named Malleus. Both were a nice company and by the end of the week, all 3 finally started to hang out together.

And a week turned into 2, then, by the end of the month, Idia found himself in his apartment, Azul finishing some cooking in the kitchen as he and Malleus were setting up the small table. The food looked rich and smelled amazing, much better than Idia's ramen cups. Still, everyone dug in with a smile and a small talk to boot.

"So... How is your job, Idia? Any new articles?" Azul piped in. "Well... Since our only supervilain is on some sort of hiatus, most trending articles are announcements about the royal stroll..." The ravenette mused, picking a bit at his food before taking a bite out of it. "I do enjoy this peaceful times... Although... The expenses for the stroll are... Quite odd..." Malleus mused. "Hmm? How so?" "Well... Along history... The royal family would have a weekly stroll... Unless times of war... Since King Henry... That tradition was left in the dust..." the tallest of the 3 mused, frowning a bit. "I may be a traditionalist, but I feel like this is a display of wealth, rather than a bonding activity with the people." He puffed.

"I don't know... I don't wanna see some pampered up guy go around in a carriage and wave at people... I could, just as well, play video-games... That would be more productive..." Idia puffed. The talk was left at that, as the food was finished and Malleus offered to wash the dishes. After some back and forth, the 3 ended up all washing the dishes.

Which escalated in a water fight through the apartment.

"ah... I'm beat..." Azul layed on the bed, fluttering his eyes close. "I wish every day would be as carefree as today..." he exhaled, before opening his eyes to see Idia and Malleus by his sides. "Well... I cannot offer such thing... But I can offer this..." Malleus declared, before kissing the back of both boys's palms. "You are such a romantic..." Idia rolled his eyes with a small smile creeping up his lips.

"Well... A romantic needs a lover... And I need lovers for my romantism needs." Malleus trailed. "I... Would lo-" Azul started.

Ring! Ring!

"Ack! Excuse me..." Azul mused, picking up his phone from the desk and answering it. It was short, but the latter had a bad taste in his mouth. "I... Have to go..." "Wait... But what about us?" Idia found the courage to ask. Both looked at the brunette with big eyes. Azul tho, closed shut his, taking a deep breath.

"Leave it... It's... Not worth it... I'm so sorry... Idia... Malleus..." He mused, grabbing his coat in a rush and slamming the door after him.

That night, Idia awkwardly looked as Malleus got his own coat on, a few minutes after Azul left. "I'm... Sorry it turned out like this..." "It is none of our fault... Circumstances make it hard for love to bloom..." Malleus mused, looking down. "But... I want to make it work... You... Azul... You both make me happy... And I want that..." Idia mused, hugging himself. "I wish for this as well..." Malleus mused, gently grabbing the latter's hand and planting a kiss on the back of it.

"But we need to support Azul... He's clearly having a hard time now..."

For a few days, Azul was deadbeat. Malleus also said that he needs to go back to his job, so Idia again was left alone on an evening, in his empty apartment, with only some generic video-game and his assignments to tend to his boredom.

One day tho, Idia was so bored that he decided to even cook. Azul gave him a pretty simple recipe, but for that to be fulfilled, he had to go grocery shopping. His fridge was, again, overtaken by instant ramen cups, over which Idia did get bored of as well.

BOOM!

An explosion, a few streets nearby. Idia could see the smoke cloud raising and civilians running opposite of the direction he intended in going. He gripped tight onto his bag, looking at how the fight was, slowly, going towards his direction. This time, Ocean prince was trying to push away Thorn king from something, probably a thing that the villain wanted.

Idia could just as well hide and start noting on the fight. But was it worth it? Hector will again, by some blatant favorism, get the front page.

Then, he made eye contact with the villain. Thorn king seemed frozen for a second, before he immediately summoned a wall of thorny plants in between him and the hero, followed by another one in between Idia and his only escape out of the street. "You." he pointed at the ravenette, who let go of his bag strap with a yelp and big eyes.

Only now Idia's feet started to move, looking for any possible escape.

Still, he was not athletically fit, as such the supervilain had no trouble in grabbing him by the hand. "Let go of me!" Idia yelled, trying to get himself as further as possible from the other. What's a supervilain going to do? Surely Idia could be used as a bargain chip. He didn't want to be a bargain chip!

"You... Shouldn't be here..." The latter mused, dragging the terrified Idia closer. "Are you hurt?" He asked, examining the latter for any wounds. He didn't touch anything, but hold Idia's hand, eyeing the body and trying to pinpoint if there was any wound.

Idia was confused, but still, he managed to yank his hand away his hand from the villain, stepping back a bit. "Let me go... I'm fine." He pressed on his words.

"You heard him... Let him go!"

THUD!

Idia watched in surprise as the supervilain was punched by something invisible. That invisible thing became back distinguishable in the form of the sidekick, clearly mad and ready to fight. "Your fight is with me..." he demanded, serious.

"Hah... Hahaha..." the villain cracked a laugh. "So... Finally you get out of your shell! I've waited for this day..." The villain crackled, the sky darkening as thunder was heard. Idia saw how the latter made one step back, before gritting his teeth as the latter spread his arms wide with a taunting smirk.

"Show me everything you have, my dear king!"

This seemed to enrage the sidekick as they charged forward. Idia ducked behind some drebries, peeking out to see the fight itself.

The sidekick was summoning weapons made out of ink, trying to fight the latter on the close range. "You are holding back..." The latter noted, which in response got a grunt and a missed punch. "Stop it..." The sidekick demanded, finally managing to kick Thorn king on the ground, the body sliding next to Idia. Seeing the said boy, the supervilain softened his gaze. "Are you alright?" He asked, Idia nodding, eyes following how the sidekick came closer, summoning from ink a trident, pointing the weapon to the villain's throat.

"So you are better than him..." "Shut up... Or this is taking your voice." The sidekick threatened. Then, he looked at Idia. "I'm... Sorry you have to see this... Are you hurt?" Idia shook his head negatively. This seemed to gain a frown from the villain, but he was silenced by the heel pressing on his chest. Still, he lowered the Thorn barriers. "You are... Free to go..." He choked out, Idia looking with big eyes behind the sidekick.

BOOM!

The said sidekick was blasted into a wall, making them to crash on the ground with a groan. Gently touching their head, they looked at their hand stained with blue liquid, before at the culprit.

Ocean prince pointed their trident at Thorn king. "Finally! You'll meet your end!" They declared happily. Thorn king immediately sprung on his feet, stepping forward. "I refuse to bow down to some fraud." He puffed as the hero charged up the trident, ready for a last attack.

Idia didn't even have time for a full yelp that the villain grabbed him along the knocked out sidekick.

BOOM!

The beam shot through, leaving in it's place only ashes. The crowd cheered and the hero was acclaimed for slaying the villain. The news and reporters were rushing in, camera flashes and cheers filling the trashed street.

Thorn king only puffed at the display from the shadows, before lowering back down the sewer cap. Looking down at the 2 people he got with him, Idia seemed shaken up as he was trying to get the sidekick to wake up.

"Is he bre-"

FWOSH!

Thorn king stepped back in surprise at the blue fire that engulfed Idia's hair. The latter let down his hair, covering his whole back as he was crouched down. "Don't even think to try anything funny." The firehead spoke lowly. "He's breathing, just... Knocked out from the wounds." he added. Thorn king hummed as he still got closer, grabbing the latter in his arms, making sure to put the sidekick's head rested on his shoulder. Idia rose up, his hair taking a tint of orange. "What do you think you are doi-" "Everyone thinks both of us are dead... They didn't identify you yet, but it wouldn't be safe for you to stay here." The taller mused, making a following gesture.

Idia found himself in a gigantic room, fit for royalty. The supervilain gently set the sidekick on the bed, summoning a first aid kit. "Let me do it..." Idia insisted. "If you want... I will have to consult with my minions..." the taller mused, before setting the said kit on the nightstand.

"Please let me know where you want me to drop you off later..." He said, before leaving the room with a poof.

Idia looked in disbelief at the spot where once the villain stood. Still, he shook his head and started to treat the said wounds of the sidekick. His firehair fell on the latter when Idia had to lean over, seeing how the sidekick was leaning more towards the warmness of it. Most likely now they were asleep.

Once he was done, Idia closed the box with the first aid, before settling on the bed edge, his hair falling on the latter like a small blanket. The room was warm too, with light coming from the chandelier in the ceiling, it's green flamed candles magically not running up.

"mmmmgh...." Idia halted as he heard the other groan and wake up. They blinked, before their eyes fell on Idia. The blue eyes went big. "Idia?" they whispered, hand raising up, hesitantly. "I-"

"I'm back... So? Have you de-"

FWOSH!

Idia froze in place as the sidekick summoned a spear, pointing to the newcomer with a frown. "You..." He growled as the latter seemed to ignore him, lowering the spear head and trying to reach Idia, still, the spear was put in between the 2. "Don't you even try it." the sidekick spoke, glaring at the latter.

"Ehem... Idia... Did you decide where you want to go?" he asked, which made the sidekick to hesitate and look towards Idia. "What is he saying?" he gestured towards the other. Idia wanted to speak, but he was outdone as the Thorn king dragged his voice.

"I'm leaving an innocent man to go home. I'm not that cruel, you know?" he mused with a puff. The sidekick lowered his weapon, still wary. "Then why me too?" he asked, pointing the spear again towards the latter.

"We were all about to get killed. Your boss almost killed us all... If it wasn't for him..." Idia gestured towards the supervilain, who nodded. The sidekick was silent, before un-summoning his weapon and looking down.

"You should've let me there." "NONSENSE!" Boomed the latter. "You don't understand... That is my purpose! My purpose is to get killed by them!" The sidekick insisted, hands going towards his mask.

Thud

Silence

The mask fell on the floor. Idia and thorn king's breaths hitched. They looked at the blue eyes and sniffling face. Azul holded his face in his hands. "I have to die... And you stole that opportunity..."

"Azul..." The villain mused, dragging both boys in a hug, his robes covering the 2's bodies. Surprisingly, Idia's hair didn't burn, only evaporated Azul's inky tears as it offered warmth in the small hug. "You don't deserve such fate... None of you do... For as long as I have a say in it." he declared.

Idia finally figured it out why it felt so safe. The one holding him was none other than Malleus. Resting his head on his chest, Idia closed his eyes as he coiled hid hands around Azul, the crying male accepting the hug. "Lets stay here for a while..." He mused, which the 2 listened to.

In the morning, Idia woke up in the big bed, Azul in the middle of him and Malleus. The other 2 were still in their hero and villain costumes, but the masks were left on the floor.

"Morning..." Malleus mumbled after Azul woke up as well. It was followed by him kissing both of their hands's backs. Smiling, the latter hummed as Idia exhaled. "Like it or not... We all 3 need to tend to our civilian lives..." He mused. "I... Can't... My boss lives with me... He'll know if I come back..." Azul mused, words hard in his throat.

Malleus hummed. "Then... You can stay in my lair..." He mused. "I-" "Or at my apartment... We can all stay in there..." Idia mused.

The same evening, Idia found himself setting alongside Malleus the small table in his apartment, as Azul set down the food. It was a heavy silence as all 3 simply ate.

Unlike Idia was used to, Malleus still kept his horns and pointy ears, sometimes scales peeking out from under his clothes. Azul still had his hair a pure and fluffy white, as opposed to the more tamed down brown.

"We need to do something about this... They will find out I'm not dead the second they try to name Rielle king..." Azul breathed out. "King of what?" Idia asked. "Ocean..." Malleus cleared out. "I made my research... The trident the hero kept using... Is the aincent trident of the sea... Whoever has it, controls the oceans... An immense power that shall never be abused of." he explained, cutting through his food and eating a piece. Idia's gaze fell on Azul, who mostly played with his food.

"The trident is tied to me... It was... An accident... I was small and I didn't know better... It wasn't supposed to chose anyone then..." Azul mumbled. Idia exhaled. "Sounds to me like bullshit... If this insanely powerful thing has to choose... And it choose you... Why don't the people accept it? What do they wanna? The trident to choose some pre-established monarch? Who chose that one? Some bitchy senate? Bullshit." Idia promptly said. Azul perked at that. "We... Don't have a senate like in here... Only a king or queen and the heir."

"Then... Don't let them do it..." Malleus mused. "You hear yourself?! That is my homeland... I... Am indebted to them for my mistake." "Then don't go back. They continue their monarchy in peace, without a trident to choose someone else... And you stay here and don't mingle in their shit." Idia shrugged.

Malleus hummed. "I do have an idea..." He mused, making the 2 to perk their heads at him. "I planned for so long this... But... I want to reclaim my birth right..." He mused, swirling his finger with a sparkle as an illusion of a miniature crown coming to life. "I want to get this... The Draconia crown... And to get this..." he changed the image to a staff stuck in the stone. "I need to staff of darkness." He puffed. "Wasn't it a legend around it? Whoever gets it... Is going to rule the country?" Azul mused. Malleus nodded, making the illusion to dissappear.

"You... Will avoid death... You will have a groundbreaking article... And I will get what is mine." Malleus mused with a smirk. Looking in between them, before at the latter, both Azul and Idia nodded, a smile creeping in as well. "Well... I guess I got tired of being all humble..." "Hah... Let me tell ya... I'll rub it in Hector's face so hard." Idia mused. Malleus hummed, pleased, as he rose up his glass of juice. "For us!" he declared.

Clink!

"For villainy!"

The 3 cheered as they happily finished their dinner with smiles and laughter. Even cleaning up was all happy. By the end, Idia looked at his pin board, exhaling as he took a paper and wrote the date of the royal walk, before sticking it in the middle.

In 2 months from now... They had time...

The next day, Idia had to turn in some articles, so he had to present at the chief's office.

"Yesterday you didn't come here, Shroud... What happened to your perfect streak?" the chief mused. "my boyfriend was a bit sick yesterday... So I had to take care of him." The latter mused. The woman looked at him from top to bottom, clearly hard to believe that excuse. "Anyway... Thorn King is out of trend... Now we need any scoop on the knighting ceremony." She mused. "Pardon?" "Hector brought in these hot news: The royal walk in 2 months is now also a knighting ceremony for the ocean prince. For his selfless acts of heroism and using his powers for the greater good of our country." she said with so much admiration that it made Idia feel sick in the stomach, putting his hands on the desk, knowing that the chief didn't like him fidgeting with them.

He left the office with a bitter taste in his mouth. And as if that wasn't enough, on his way out he saw none other than Hector and the usual employee group gossiping about something, in front of the door.

"Oh! Shroud! You good? You didn't try again for your front page dream yesterday." he teased with a smug smirk. "I... Figured I'll try another approach..." He mused. "Oh? Are you throwing in the towel? You seem like you had an article rejected there." this gained a middle finger from Idia as he got through the door, slamming the door behind him.

Azul hummed as he was waiting down, at the entry of the building. "So?" "That old grandma didn't figure out anything." the ravenette mused as he showed the folder with papers, similar to the one he usually brought his articles in. The latter smiled as they both went on an alleyway, before Azul poked his fingers, returning to his usual super suit. "I'll take it to Malleus..." he mumbled. "Take care... Alright?" Idia mused, receiving a small peck on the lips from the latter, before he became invisible with the folder too.

In Malleus's lair, a green haired guard came in, perking his attention from the throne. "My liege... Your spouse arrived." He bowed down, Malleus giving him a gesture to raise back up. "Good... Let him in... And tell the others that the lunch break is in 10 minutes." He declared.

Azul entered with the folder in his hands. Handing it to the latter, Malleus kissed the white haired boy's forehead, before opening the folder and looking over the papers.

It was the whole royal program for the special day. It was leaked to journalism agencies for the press to mobilise too.

In the evening, Idia returned to Malleus in his apartment, the latter humming a tune as he finished taking the laundry from the drier and folding it with a spell. "Thanks, Mal!" he smiled, kissing the taller's cheek. "Where's Azul?" "Went to get some groceries... He'll be back around now..." The latter replied.

It went like clockwork from there on. People got more excited about the big day. More posters, more rumors and more cloud around the palace.

And with that, the big day was when Idia woke up extremely early, at Malleus's insistences. "come on, dear..." The latter shook awake the firehead. "Mmm... What time is it?" He grumbled, looking at the clock on his nightstand.

4:30

"Too early..." Idia grumbled. Next to him Azul was sleeping like a log, snoring quietly as he snuggled in the flame hair. Malleus frowned, but Idia exhaled as he did get up, thus waking up Azul as well, when the warmness of the flame hair left from the bed.

It was a silent morning. No one said anything, but it was enough for now. It was the big day and every small talk felt like a burden one couldn't put on the other 2.

Around 7, at the palace, a lot of people were paying either for the tour ticket or waited in the front of it, at the big stage.

"1 ticket, please..." A woman with a high pitch voice said. The cashier looked up and down at the wierd dressing, but didn't question it as she put the money and this entering after the tour guide in the palace.

As the woman passed with the group by a restricted aera door, she stopped for a moment to look at the armours.

"Oh! Wait for me!" She called as she left after the group, Azul exhaling as he became visible alongside Idia and Malleus. Opening the restricted aera door, the 3 entered one by one, Idia closing it after them.

"Well... That was tiring..." The now ex-sidekick mused, looking around the cold and dark hall. Only Idia's fire hair holded for some light as Malleus summoned a map of the castle. "The crown has to be still locked in a tower... But we also need the staff..." Malleus grumbled. "They will open the garden if the staff at around 9, due to the crowd... We have, in theory, 2 hours..." Azul exhaled, arranging his black gloves, before fixing his mask as well. Malleus made the map to dissappear as Idia was the one who stepped forward first.

"HEY! What are you doing in a restricted aer-" a guard yelled, but stopped when they realised that the blue light came from a fire that was on a person's head. They didn't even realise when Azul went behind them and whacked their head with an armour piece. Looking at the other 2, the mer shrugged. "If it works, it works." He mumbled.

"You won't remember anything from 10 minutes ago!" Malleus demanded as he placed a spell on the knocked out guard, before following the 2 up on the stairs.

"How many stairs are there?!" Idia wheezed as he was around the 5th floor of the tower. "Way too many... For heaven's sake I'm not meant for stairs..." Azul also breathed out. "But you usually had stamina to fight with me and run around-" "That's another thing, dear!" Azul holded up his finger, with the other arm resting on his bent knees.

"we still have 3 more floors..." "if I'm gonna live in this place, I'll declare no more than 3 floors!" Idia wheezed. Malleus patted his back. "Unfortunately... It is too narrow for me to carry both of you..." The tallest of the 3 mused.

"but you have fricking magic, Mal! Think! Think!" Idia wheezed. "Oh... Great thinking, dear!" Malleus clapped his hands happily as sparkles erupted like small fireworks, lifting both Idia and Azul in the air and carrying them as Malleus climbed the stairs as fast as he could.

Reaching the doors, it seemed like Azul did gain a bit of his stamina back, him stretching a bit. "Well... It's locked... Idia, darling?" He looked at the firehead, who pocketed himself, getting out a set of needles and fiddling with the lock.

Clank!

Throwing the lock on the ground, the firehead hummed as there were a few more. While at that, Malleus looked over the window, at the crowd that gathered. "I suggest we hurry... The ceremony is about to start." he breathed out. "Almost done!" Idia groaned as he let the last lock to hit the floor, pushing the grand doors open with a creak.

The room of the tower was wide, round, decorated with armours and a medieval chandelier hung from the ceiling.

And in the middle, in a special glass case, encapsulated in a metal piedestal, on a puffy pillow, the crown stood. "There it is..." the 3 halted in their steps, looking at the said crown. Idia dragged his voice. "It won't take much..." He mused, pocketing himself for a a small no-number phone and getting closer towards the said crown.

"WHOSE THERE?!" an old, horse, voice yelled. All 3 halted as an old man, barely holding onto his legs with a crane, yelled, back facing them as he ranted about how he's the keeper of the crown and whatnot.

Idia shrugged as he connected the said panel to the phone and started to work on it. "The blind geezer doesn't even know where we are-"

SMACK!

The firehead groaned as he was hit with the crane in the head. "WHO YOU MAKE A GEEZER! I'M JUST 95!" the man had some impressive lungs for as long as he yelled and hit Idia with a crane. "Ack! A little bit of help here?!" the firehead grumbled.

"I would feel bad hitting an elderly man..." Azul exhaled. "I was taught to respect the elderly..." Malleus exhaled.

"Ah! So you aren't alone, brat!" the old geezer pointed his crane towards the other 2, before charging at them, yet Azul and Malleus scooted to the side, letting the man to exit the room as they closed the door and used a lock to keep it shut.

Vrrrrrr

"the crown!" Azul called as the said piedestal descended down faster. Taking a leap, the white haired boy jumped through the hole, landing on the said metal container itself. "Az-" "I'll get the crown... You 2 go to the garden!" The latter called.

Sneaking out of the castle was easier when everyone was so concentrated on the ceremony that they didn't pay mind to someone teleporting on an alley. Taking a deep breath, Idia opened his phone, looking at the news that showed king Henry with his crown, saluting the crowd. "Where's Azul?!" "Most likely it was too crowded to steal it..." Malleus mused. Idia bit his inside cheek. They were close to the gardens.

And there also waited Ocean prince.

Taking a deep breath, Malleus stepped forward, through the back of the gardens. It was errie and empty, which Idia wanted to bring up. "If you wonder, my minions took care to steer away any garden staff or possible guards. All the people standing outside in uniforms work for me." The said supervilain mused with pride.

The garden itself was a big building with a glass roof, over which plants grew around, framing the light in a fairytale like setting. And in the middle of it all, on an elevated space, bordered by stone stairs, stood a big stone, framing a black staff with a green orb in it.

And by it stood the one and only superhero, waiting to be knighted.

"Now what?" Idia grumbled. "We wait..." Malleus whispered with a proud smirk. "are you insane?! It will take us hours!" "We could take the guy out... But... He's currently having the trident... And I fear it might trigger our dear if it gets used." The latter mused.

Still, the carriage arrived at the garden, 'guards' going in a perfect pace and posture as people flooded their designated areas. Trumpets blew as there was even a grand orga playing through the boxes centered strategically so they would be hid by foliage.

"Here he comes... That petty bastard." Malleus grumbled, watching as the king exited the carriage and was walking towards the staff, where the superhero was waiting. Idia took a deep breath as he went towto find the control panel for the music and lights, hacking into it. Now he had to just wait for the signal.

"People! We have gathered here today... To celebrate a noble soul's victory against the wicked Thorn King! Today is a day of jubilation!" the crowd cheered as the king recigot from a pillow a smaller staff, bedazzled with gems and gold ornaments. "We will celebrate the defeat of this villain... And thus... I shall name you si-"

"My defeat is... A bit over-exagerated..."

Gasps were heard as Idia cut off the sound, fixing a light theatrically on Malleus, who was going up the stairs, leaving thorns to sprout and spread on the places he once walked. "Y-y-" the superhero pointed the trident towards him, but Malleus merely smiled. "What? Trying your childish method again?" He laughed. "It worked once, and it will work again! Step back from the king!" the hero said as he charged up the trident.

Except that the crown was took off the king's head, making the crowd to gasp yet again as they saw Azul materialising, the crown in his hands. "I'm afraid... It is too late..." He mused, holding the said object on his finger, with a smile as he came by Malleus's side. "Your crown dear..." He whispered as Malleus gestured towards the back. "Take it to our beloved..." He whispered back, as Azul nodded.

"You... YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!" the hero yelled, their grip on the trident tightening. "Am I? Oh... Then let me dissappear... And take everything back with me." He mused, becoming invisible with the crown too, as the trident disappeared from the hero's hands.

"I will still fight you... No matter what, this country is not yours!" the hero declared, but the said words were nothing but empty promises as Malleus tied with his thorns the 2 and pushed them to the bottom of the stairs. The king was yelling for the guards, but the guards only pointed their spears at them, the crowd kept in place by the same type of staff.

"People! I, Malleus Draconia! Descendant of Queen Maleficia and son of princess Malenoir, hereby demand of my birth-given right-" He boomed, grabbing on the staff with one hand as he pulled it out of the stone, the green orb crackling with energy. "to take on the throne." he finished, leaving a graveyard silence over.

Azul and Idia both came forward, putting the said crown on the latter's head. "That man... Is a fraud... The hero you oh so beloved... Was a liar! Both stole power from the ones who knew less at the time... But I demand that this shall be the end of it! This country will never suffer from a fraud coming to power, ever again!" he boomed, this time the crowd shifting into cheers.

They will have a new king. And Malleus swore that this day could've never been more better.

All week articles spoke about this. National television and even international news spoke only about this. Everyone knew and everyone prepared for the upcoming coronation.

"Oh... Malleus... My boy... Finally on the throne..." Lilia whipped his nose and tears, as Silver and Sebek were helping with the last minute preparations and also giving to the older man some new tissues. "I... Dreamed of this day... But... Never like this..." he smiled weakly as Silver put the black veil over his head. "Your spouses are waiting..." Silver mused with a small smile. "They can wait a few more hours... The throne can't tho!" Sebek boomed.

Malleus exhaled. Yes, it was already perfect.

"Oh, Idia, when you told us that you got us seats at a crowning ceremony, we didn't expect this..." Mr Shroud wiped a bit of sweat off his forehead as Idia awkwardly smiled, his blue flame catching a few tints of pink. "Well... I got on the front cover... So I guess it's a treat..." He shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. Ortho was already all in awe, swinging his little feet excitedly. "Big brother is a prince now?!" He asked. "Not really... I'm a sort of royal fiancé..." he mused with a small smile, before getting a small jab from Azul. "Shh... It's starting!" he whispered at the latter.

The ceremony was silent, the priest making the formal speech and all the vows being given. All was at milimetrical perfection as the crown found its place on Malleus's head yet again, in between the horns, as the people cheered.

And after that, there was the return to the palace, where the people were expecting a speech.

"Malleus? Dear... What's wrong?" Azul asked, seeing how the latter was pacing back and forth. "I... Believe my speech is not good enough..." He breathed out. "Eh... I guess people eat it up anyway... If you block or something just yell very excitedly 'king draconia' and they'll cheer like it's some groundbreaking speech." Idia shrugged, which did crack a giggle out of the latter 2. "Idia's... Mostly right, dear... They will eat anything up... You are their new king... Chosen by the right of birth... Your word is law..." He mused as both him and Idia grabbed Malleus's hands, each giving a soft kiss on their backs. "And you already are the king of our hearts... What's a country anymore?" Idia puffed.

"Will you accompany me to the speech?" the 2 nodded, finally locking hands together properly with the tallest of the 3. "You won, Malleus. You defeated a superhero, got the throne, the title, the palace..." "Idia exhaled. "I got my front page... Azul got his freedom... I guess your plan really was that amazing." He smiled. "Indeed... Only a mind of a villain could make such plan." Azul teased with a smile. Malleus puffed. "then... Let's give it up! For us!" He declared.

"For villainy!" All 3 cheered.

#twisted wonderland #azul x idia x malleus #rarepair week 2024 #superhero au #Tbh I think it's no surprise that I made ANOTHER superhero Au :'3 #I'm not yeeting at u the MLB Aus again this time :'3 #One of my proudest works in this week too!#The one I like the most tho is the day 7 :v

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aceofhearth · 5 months

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Ok, restarted on how I wanted to introduce the world of Dromeda, not what it's called but this name is gonna be very common and it sounds nice so I'm calling this "series" this. Last post I deleted because I actually didn't like the whole 1st person storytelling of the world, at least right now. So until I feel enough information is readily available it will be in 3rd person (for any dnd-ers, this world is free of use if wanted, do feel free to tweak it to fit the vibe you want for any sessions)

Today though will be simple, a bit of geography; Where I will talking about the world, it's continents, and very active points of the world that are nice. Anyway enough of my words, time for the worlds words...

The world of Haie Le'Fora (Hi-Lay-For-Ah)(That Which is shrouded in blood)

A three continental world with vast seas and oceans.

There are landmarks of both danger, wonder, and history:

-The Sol's Torch; the largest mountain in the world, said to hold the sun itself at the top, like that of a torch. This mountain is the Sol Kingdoms', "Psyx Le'Kenem" (Six Lay-Key-Nom)(Kingdom of the Sun/Sol), holy grounds where they worship the land and sky together.

-Iron Belt; While this landmark does indeed exist, it seems to feel like a sailors tale. A belt of ocean, going deep into the world, a trench. Between the connecting continents of Psyxeda and Haimeda, along with the continent across the ocean, Dromeda. This belt is where a lot of storms happen, where hurricanes are common to see. It is called the Iron belt due to the story of so many dying sailing through these waters the trench seems red, with other stories saying the smell of iron is a way to tell if you are there or not.

-Isle of Monarchs; Also known as the continent of Dromeda, the Isle of monarchs is a "peninsula" of country sized islands. On its own it doesn't seem that important but there are so many ancient ruins here in a ancient version of the common language of the world in its current time. Very few people have been able to read this language even with how much of its language is shown to us through these ruins. It is also the richest land and incredibly good for natural resources.

Welp, this should give an idea in your head how the world can be placed for now, I will do some stuff later as writers block is a lot to deal with.

#That which is shrouded in blood #Dromeda

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contractory · 7 months

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[WORSHIPPING ADEPTI] - "Ah, excuse me," I offer the dark-haired stranger, sidestepping him to allow us both to continue our separate perusals of the incense selection. At a glance, the man himself elicits the thought of an amber mirror, elegant brown and gold meeting together in geometric diamonds and angles. His suit exudes the refinement of an aristocratic businessman, but the pauldron-like shoulderpieces speak of a warrior's experience, and a scale pattern accentuates the tails of his coat. His eyes glow with knowledge, and I can't help wondering, what is it that you know?

"You're a native of Liyue, correct?" I ask. "Would you say that making offerings to the adepti are the most effective way to contact them? I understand they live in seclusion around Jueyun Karst but have been debating the merits of actually venturing out to find them." Ah, before he gets the wrong idea, it would be wise of me to introduce myself. "I'm a scholar from Sumeru, here on a research trip. My name is Alhaitham, and I recently became fascinated in the study of the adeptal arts. I've heard the adepti are highly capable engineersーI would like to engage in an exchange of knowledge with them in the hopes that I might improve my own gadgets."

Such an argument wouldn't be enough for the average Liyuen, what with their worship of the illuminated beasts, and without further elaboration my request is bound to be regarded with suspicion. Still, I hestitate before lifting the comforting weight of my earpieces off my head, to better display them to the man, and retrieve my music player from my pouch. "I designed and built these with the technology we have back home. I can use them to listen to music loaded onto the player, but they also block out noise; I've been thinking of upgrading them. In addition, I've been compiling data for the manufacture of a powered tablet, onto which texts and books can be loaded for easy access, and it would be helpful for taking notes as well. These devices are, and will be, for personal useーI have no interest in making money off of them. They're primarily for my convenience."

... I may have... gone a little overboard with my argument, to a man who likely has no idea how to fulfill my request. I suppose I can't help myself when it comes to my projects, and this man emanates so much Geo authority that he apparently seemed the best person with whom to begin my research. Was Morax a bit like him? "You can tell me if you can't assist me, I won't be offended."

As the thin line of smoke rises slowly into the air, Zhongli's eyes, initially following its trail, are drawn off to the side, as a voice calls out and it becomes clear that it is aimed at him.

"Ah. Good day. That I am," he confirms, before pondering at the question. Its origins puzzle him, initially, but the man is swift to explain and elaborate, and it soon begins to make a lot more sense.

"It is an honor to meet you sir. I am Zhongli, a consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. As someone who handles a variety of rites, I know a thing or two about the Adepti as well." That said, he must, of course, weigh carefully how much he lets go of.

Alhaitham takes the intriguing device off his head to allow Zhongli to better see it, and he indeed examines it with the utmost attention, as he always does when presented with a new piece of information meant specifically for him. The technology is fascinating; reminiscent of Guizhong and Cloud Retainer's works, and yet so very different, as befitting of the inventions brought from another country.

... Speaking of.

"The devices in your possessions are most interesting indeed, and I know tales of a particular Adeptus, known for being well-versed in mechanical arts. She is known as the Cloud Retainer, and her abode is located at Jueyun Karst. I have heard stories of travelers and believers making offerings of food for her by the entrance to her home, and in some cases, she has chosen to reveal herself. So you may have a chance."

He thinks further... He would hate to set the man up for disappointment.

"With that said, I have heard that she has been busy with some travels, recently, so one cannot be certain of her presence at her abode. Rumors and legends say that she even visits Liyue Harbor every once in a while, taking on a human appearance to blend into the crowd. Perhaps she is indeed among us, enjoying the Lantern Rite with the people she protected by Rex Lapis' side."

Hm. This should be good enough.

"I apologize for being unable to provide you with a certain answer." The apology is sincere on his part - alas, he must respect his friendships and his contracts. "But I hope I was able to give you some leads."

#inscryptions #✧ ic.#✧ ask meme.#GHLanternRite2024 #✧ interaction | alhaitham.#Peace Talisman +1 #((whew this got long but I got inspired. Thank you!))

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sweaterkittensahoy · 8 months

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Me: Ah, let us enjoy a solid couple of hours of youtube shorts as I work on this crochet project at its boring time.

Youtube: Here's an hour of content you dig.

Me: Yay!

Youtube: Here's an anti-queer video.

Me: BLOCK.

Youtube: Here's a no-name country singer who thinks he's gonna get cancelled for writing a positive song about a cop.

Me: Does he want some milk with his toast?

Me: Also, block.

Me: Also, also, no more shorts tonight. Literally have no clue why you keep showing me the shit I block every time you show it to me.

#youtube #youtube shorts #there are times i can fuck about all night and never hit conservative horseshit #and then other nights #is it a weekend thing #are all the conservatives getting drunk and searching out the forbidden youtube?#by which i mean the things they call forbidden youtube #because they could also just not loudly yell everything they look up on the internet

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majortomyourcurcuitsdead · 9 months

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ask game :D sun, parchment, 1975

Heey and so sorry that this has taken this long; okay so this was for this ask game!

Sun - favourite season: Ah well I honestly like different stuff in every one of them, but I’d say just because mild weather that inclines more to a warm one just makes me feel most relaxed, I’d go for mid/late spring, and also softer early autumn. The kind of weather which allows you to wear just shirts/jackets/maybe coat WITHOUT feeling apprehensive all the time about accidentally getting too cold

Parchment - favourite book: Uggh tough one tbh, I don’t think I can name just one to be honest…. Or rather, I think almost every one I read was valuable in its own way. But I’d say Good Omens for fiction, and The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin (this one helped me to get through some minor creative blocks/challenges)

1975 - If you could travel to any time period, what would it be and why?

UGH that’s the toughest honestly; okay I am fascinating by ancient Egypt? I just liked the vibe of specifically that culture since I was a kid. Same with Maya civilisation. Also I’d say nearly any central/western European country in 1890-1910’s, mostly for some art movements during that time (Art Nouveau especially)

Thank you for these!!

#me #asks #personal

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endermahn · 1 year

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SMALL BOXING AU WENCLAIR.

Oh my god writers block for fhe IFHY series is beating my ass rn bc i lost my reference.

(Still expect a new chapter, just expect if sunday night or monday early early morning like 1am or something my time/my country time.)

So have a little Wednesday Boxer Au where shes selective mute 👍

Idk how to start it…

TRIGGER WARNINGS: none really, some violence but its VERY minor, just like “She knocks them out!” Stuff like that, saving all my detail for the series. Oo theres some mention of blood though. VERY BREIF mention of needle?

This is unchecked over, like all my other work.

No specific music, dont stop believing started playing though, so maybe its a sign?

——————

Wednesday stepped into the changing room and got dressed quite quickly.

Her match was up in 3 others.

She was used to the weighted feeling in her stomach, the feeling that tingled up her spine and left through her arms, sometimes creeping up her neck to give her an involuntary twitch to be rid of it.

The ravenette quite enjoyed it, though. The horrible feeling it gave quite euphoric, making her feel even more weightless than usual.

Untouchable.

She heard the first match end, with that the feeling grew, attempting to escape out of her mouth.

The soft, droning chatter kept her grounded, the talk of who was next, people trying to see their opponent early or just having general conversations as if they weren’t about to knock each other out a moment later.

Thing tapped softly on her thigh, and with that she looked down.

Her eyebrows questioned his actions and he signed to her

“I found your opponent.”

And with that the second match was over, cheering, clanking and over all screaming could be heard from practically miles away.

She signed back

“Where are they?”

“Follow me.”

Wednesday got up, leaving the space with her bag and water bottle behind.

After quite the short walk, she spots the character thing was describing on the way over.

Blonde, the bottoms being dyed opposing colours.

Fangs being exposed while she was laughing, intimidatingly needle like.

“This her?” Wednesday’s hand started signing, making quite klunky sounds on the table next to her.

However, she didn’t get to finish as her opponent noticed her.

She turned around and happily skipped toward.

Wednesday’s eyes were glued to her, skeptically eyeing her and checking her out to see how she could beat her.

“Hey!” She shouted out “Are you my opponent? My friends pointed you out to me a second ago!” The blonde chuckled, huffing out air. “Im Enid, pleasure to meet you. And to fight you, of course.”

The raven like girl backed up a bit, slightly frowning at such a bubbly girl.

Her hand didn’t hesitate or leave a beat to pass as she signed:

“Yes, I am your opponent. My name is Wednesday. It is a pleasure to fight you. Thing told me about you.” She struggled a bit with the last parts, not being sure how it were to translate properly.

“Ohh” Enid’s eyes were struck with realisation. “Okay I get you, Its really nice to meet you, Wednesday! And hello, thing” Her eyes calmed a bit as she said the other girl’s name, her shoulders slightly relaxing.

Thing waved to Enid happily.

“It really is nice to meet you, sometimes I go into the ring not knowing the opponent and the look in their eye kinda scares me” The taller girl huffs put happily now.

Wednesday signed quickly, now more knowing of Enid’s abilities of reading sign. “Personally I find their look of pure murder relaxing, it makes me become much more relaxed when I see that break down as they run out of stamina.”

“Ah, well its a selective likeness, I suppo-“ The bell rings out and another floor of cheering fills the gaps in the air.

“We’re on.”

“We are. Well it was nice speaking to you, and just so you aren’t disappointed, be aware my flame definitely isnt going to be put out.” Enid smiled at this, giving the other girl a wink, then she walks out and to her side.

Thing signs on the remaining girl’s shoulder.

“I like her”

Nothing could tear Wednesday’s eyes from Enid Sinclair.

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ahaura · 1 year

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yellowjackets s2e3 lb

THAT'S A GREAT OPENING SHOT I LOVE ME A SKELETON HAND!

omg a glimpse into coach ben's life pre-crash <3

the juxtaposition between the soup and the cannibalism happening outside the cabin... fun

"what kind of asshole puts cumin in clam chowder' comedy time <3

WAIT SO THEY DONT REALIZE WHAT THEY DID... THE FOREST PUT THEM IN A TRANCE/HAZE?

oh it's just tai? poor tai

"taissa! we ate her" i love this show <3

no wonder taissa is in the state she's in in present time like the others seem to recall the ritualistic cannibalism but she completely blocked it out she's dealing with it like she deals with everything else which is shutting down but then having it shoved in her face like that... she succumbed to the forest like the others but she's dragging her feet and kicking the whole way...

"tai... you ate her face" LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

i love how there is something seriously wrong w everyone in this show its so good <3

"at least if you bury her out there it will look like she died with the rest of them" FIRST OF all way to single yourself up for next on the buffet table coach! secondly though... 1) i am pretty sure they would be able to tell that she was eaten, whether by humans or animals i dont know but i think they can tell that even in the 90s and 2) i think given the extreme circumstances and the fact that jackie wasnt like, murdered, it's not something that would be like. held against them? like as a crime i mean. socially of course cannibalism is one of the most taboo of taboos but like. theyre starving in the woods after every possible attempt to escape gone wrong. their friend died of semi-natural causes (stubbornness and the forest's influence, one or the other or both?). so.

lottie helping her cult members w their stuff while suffocating her true self under layers of bullshit while nat hangs out outside scowling... love it

THE ANTLER'S ABOVE LOTTIE'S DOORSTEP... LET'S FUCKING GO I LOVE SOME GOOD IMAGERY

"emotions run high" says the cult member maintaining eye contact while cutting off a chicken's head, to natalie who survived 15 excruciating months trapped in the wilderness and embroiled in cultlike and fairytale-eque dynamics while contending with cannibalism. hilarious. i think it'd be funny if nat PRETENDED to stab her again for a laff

OH SIMONE :( my question is... how much more will taissa go on before the acknowledges it? opens up? peels back the layers and years and releases her control and gives into the fear and unknown and the dark calling her name? the man with no eyes who trails after her? her own ghost? and what will it cost her? and what will it do to her once she's done it? or will she never do it? so many questions <3

(i dont want these answers now btw im just enjoying the ride)

SHE SUBCONSCIOUSLY DREW THE SYMBOL ON HER WIFE'S HAND...

IS IT WEIRDO BESTIE TEAMUP TIME? LET'S GO LET'S GO LET'S GO

i want them to be partners in crime so bad like committed bestie crime team SO bad i NEED it

"you never know when you might need to leave the country sans passport" LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WALTER LET'S GO

i completely forgot about shauna and jeff i wont lie

"i think the stuff is for bisexuals and goths" BISEXUALS MENTION!

SHAUNA SAID YOURE NO FUN TO JEFF LET'S GOOOOOO

"i could've gone strawberry i almost did" this is so fdjksfjdkfshdahdsjf

we all get boring in adulthood i guess even girlies who partake in ritualistic cannibalism of their best friend/current husband's high school girlfriend while stranded in the remote wilderness. ah well.

SHAUNA TOOK A CAR THIEF OUT AND THEN JEFF INTERRUPTED HER BOOOOOOO JEFF BOOOOOOOOO

SHAUNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA IM SCREECHING

bees? beehives? "the first thing a new queen does is sting other queens to death" fun <3 eye see it <3

"otherwise they starve. we all do" LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"it's what she would have wanted. maybe not for the rest of us, but for you. for the baby" [HIGH PITCHED SCREECHING]

LOTTIE KNOWS ITS A BOY?

the girls all being excited for a baby shower <3 a shred of something to cling to <3 cant wait for the forest to fuck it up <3

"HIT HIM. HIT HIM RIGHT NOW" MISTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY [snickering]

IM SAJFKJKFSDJFKJFKSF THEYRE SO FUCKING FUNNY <3

"i'd do anything to see [her nephew] again, you'know?" like cannibalism? :)

"that's not the first time ive eaten a person" HUH??????

THE TWIN THING? FJDKFJSFKJAKFJDKSJSDK

coach is mclosing it huh.

"they need me" "and i dont?" FHAFJKHKSDJKDASJDKASJKJ I LAUGHED IM SORRY

"but i do get to decide to be with someone who's ready to live this life with me. all of it" :( im. ok. im :( im. yeah.

this show is crazy because it's a comedy meanwhile it throws very serious situations and implications your way. funnily enough the cannibalism is not the most serious aspect of the show. to me at least. like thinking about how things were just 20-30 years ago etc etc :/ and what it means for both ben and paul :/ yeah i got it

nat telling jackie's eaten corpse that she's lucky <3 once again <3 comedy <3

"way to make everyone jealous one last time" NATALIEEEEEEEE

A MOOSE!

MY MOM TOLD ME ABOUT MOOSE! SHE SAID THAT MOOSE CAN AND WILL KILL PEOPLE ESPECIALLY MAMA MOOSE AND IF YOU END UP STARING DOWN A MOOSE BACK AWAY SLOWLY AND PICK ANOTHER PATH! IF A MOOSE STOPS YOU IN TRAFFIC YOU WAIT FOR THE MOOSE - moose trivia provided by my mother who says alaskan moose are the BIGGEST and DANGEROUS moose <3

(i like that trivia sorry)

WHERE DID THE MOOSE GO

WALTER AND MISTY THE DREAM TEAAAAAAAAAAM

TAISAAAAAAAAAAA ITS HAPPENING LETS FUCKING GO

"only when she lets me" "who is she?" "taissa" "then who are you?" [silence]

IM SCREECHING I THINK THAt they could have held that a few seconds long for effect bec thats SOOOOOOOOO crreepy and cool like its either taissa's subconscious/the suprressed taissa OR it's something trying to get her to open her eyes and herself I LOVE IT ITS SO FUCKING COOL

kevin in the backwards hat tho. sorry. but he. sorry. OSRRY.

"you have terrible intel" your daughter SNITCHED and you're making you and shauna look WORSE it's so funny

"people are so sweaty when you kill them" LET'S GO SHAUNA LET'S GOOOOOOOOO

that was fucking AWESOME that was LEGENDARY LETS GOOOOOOOOOOO

THE SHAUNA UNDERNEATH THE GIRL WE GLIMPSED WHEN SHE KILLED ADAM SHAUNA FROM THE WOODS LETS GOOOOOOOOOOO

coach hallucinating.... :(

i wont lie i love crystal and misty so much :')

OH MY GOD HER REFLECTION

SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME

"oh she's not my mother" THEY'RE MEANT TO BE BESTIES LET THEM BE BESTIES IN CRIME LET THEM COMMIT CRIMES TOGETHER LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOO I WANT CHAOS AND FUN

"maybe i'm just a bored moriarty looking for his sherlock"

[CHOKING SOUNDS]

[SPUTTERING]

[SCREECHING]

technnically wouldn't SHE be moriarty because she commits crimes and stuff? oh well <3 its still fun <3

unless theyre BOTH moriarty? idk i cant remember jackshit about those characters anymore

let's go angry girls let's goooooo

HURT NATALIE BACK?

nosebleed leads to mass bird death...?

the forest is coming for lottie i think... i wonder if she isnt working in tandem off of it but proffiting off it it? or using it without delving down into the True Meat of it? and it killed her bees for it? idk idk idk but rip the bees

il veut de sang = he wants blood btw

(i looked it up)

so she HAS been denying it? or running from it? or??????

IT WAS A VISION? NICE!

fun episode all around<3

#📺 lb

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20k-leagues-speedrun · 2 years

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CHAPTER IV THE RED SEA

In the course of the day of the 29th of January, the island of Ceylon disappeared under the horizon, and the Nautilus, at a speed of twenty miles an hour, slid into the labyrinth of canals which separate the Maldives from the Laccadives. It coasted even the Island of Kiltan, a land originally coraline, discovered by Vasco da Gama in 1499, and one of the nineteen principal islands of the Laccadive Archipelago, situated between 10° and 14° 30′ N. lat., and 69° 50′ 72″ E. long.

We had made 16,220 miles, or 7,500 (French) leagues from our starting-point in the Japanese Seas.

The next day (30th January), when the Nautilus went to the surface of the ocean there was no land in sight. Its course was N.N.E., in the direction of the Sea of Oman, between Arabia and the Indian Peninsula, which serves as an outlet to the Persian Gulf. It was evidently a block without any possible egress. Where was Captain Nemo taking us to? I could not say. This, however, did not satisfy the Canadian, who that day came to me asking where we were going.

“We are going where our Captain’s fancy takes us, Master Ned.”

“His fancy cannot take us far, then,” said the Canadian. “The Persian Gulf has no outlet: and, if we do go in, it will not be long before we are out again.”

“Very well, then, we will come out again, Master Land; and if, after the Persian Gulf, the Nautilus would like to visit the Red Sea, the Straits of Bab-el-mandeb are there to give us entrance.”

“I need not tell you, sir,” said Ned Land, “that the Red Sea is as much closed as the Gulf, as the Isthmus of Suez is not yet cut; and, if it was, a boat as mysterious as ours would not risk itself in a canal cut with sluices. And again, the Red Sea is not the road to take us back to Europe.”

“But I never said we were going back to Europe.”

“What do you suppose, then?”

“I suppose that, after visiting the curious coasts of Arabia and Egypt, the Nautilus will go down the Indian Ocean again, perhaps cross the Channel of Mozambique, perhaps off the Mascarenhas, so as to gain the Cape of Good Hope.”

“And once at the Cape of Good Hope?” asked the Canadian, with peculiar emphasis.

“Well, we shall penetrate into that Atlantic which we do not yet know. Ah! friend Ned, you are getting tired of this journey under the sea; you are surfeited with the incessantly varying spectacle of submarine wonders. For my part, I shall be sorry to see the end of a voyage which it is given to so few men to make.”

For four days, till the 3rd of February, the Nautilus scoured the Sea of Oman, at various speeds and at various depths. It seemed to go at random, as if hesitating as to which road it should follow, but we never passed the Tropic of Cancer.

In quitting this sea we sighted Muscat for an instant, one of the most important towns of the country of Oman. I admired its strange aspect, surrounded by black rocks upon which its white houses and forts stood in relief. I saw the rounded domes of its mosques, the elegant points of its minarets, its fresh and verdant terraces. But it was only a vision! The Nautilus soon sank under the waves of that part of the sea.

We passed along the Arabian coast of Mahrah and Hadramaut, for a distance of six miles, its undulating line of mountains being occasionally relieved by some ancient ruin. The 5th of February we at last entered the Gulf of Aden, a perfect funnel introduced into the neck of Bab-el-mandeb, through which the Indian waters entered the Red Sea.

The 6th of February, the Nautilus floated in sight of Aden, perched upon a promontory which a narrow isthmus joins to the mainland, a kind of inaccessible Gibraltar, the fortifications of which were rebuilt by the English after taking possession in 1839. I caught a glimpse of the octagon minarets of this town, which was at one time the richest commercial magazine on the coast.

I certainly thought that Captain Nemo, arrived at this point, would back out again; but I was mistaken, for he did no such thing, much to my surprise.

The next day, the 7th of February, we entered the Straits of Bab-el-mandeb, the name of which, in the Arab tongue, means The Gate of Tears.

To twenty miles in breadth, it is only thirty-two in length. And for the Nautilus, starting at full speed, the crossing was scarcely the work of an hour. But I saw nothing, not even the Island of Perim, with which the British Government has fortified the position of Aden. There were too many English or French steamers of the line of Suez to Bombay, Calcutta to Melbourne, and from Bourbon to the Mauritius, furrowing this narrow passage, for the Nautilus to venture to show itself. So it remained prudently below. At last about noon, we were in the waters of the Red Sea.

I would not even seek to understand the caprice which had decided Captain Nemo upon entering the gulf. But I quite approved of the Nautilus entering it. Its speed was lessened: sometimes it kept on the surface, sometimes it dived to avoid a vessel, and thus I was able to observe the upper and lower parts of this curious sea.

The 8th of February, from the first dawn of day, Mocha came in sight, now a ruined town, whose walls would fall at a gunshot, yet which shelters here and there some verdant date-trees; once an important city, containing six public markets, and twenty-six mosques, and whose walls, defended by fourteen forts, formed a girdle of two miles in circumference.

The Nautilus then approached the African shore, where the depth of the sea was greater. There, between two waters clear as crystal, through the open panels we were allowed to contemplate the beautiful bushes of brilliant coral and large blocks of rock clothed with a splendid fur of green variety of sites and landscapes along these sandbanks and algæ and fuci. What an indescribable spectacle, and what variety of sites and landscapes along these sandbanks and volcanic islands which bound the Libyan coast! But where these shrubs appeared in all their beauty was on the eastern coast, which the Nautilus soon gained. It was on the coast of Tehama, for there not only did this display of zoophytes flourish beneath the level of the sea, but they also formed picturesque interlacings which unfolded themselves about sixty feet above the surface, more capricious but less highly coloured than those whose freshness was kept up by the vital power of the waters.

What charming hours I passed thus at the window of the saloon! What new specimens of submarine flora and fauna did I admire under the brightness of our electric lantern!

The 9th of February the Nautilus floated in the broadest part of the Red Sea, which is comprised between Souakin, on the west coast, and Komfidah, on the east coast, with a diameter of ninety miles.

That day at noon, after the bearings were taken, Captain Nemo mounted the platform, where I happened to be, and I was determined not to let him go down again without at least pressing him regarding his ulterior projects. As soon as he saw me he approached and graciously offered me a cigar.

“Well, sir, does this Red Sea please you? Have you sufficiently observed the wonders it covers, its fishes, its zoophytes, its parterres of sponges, and its forests of coral? Did you catch a glimpse of the towns on its borders?”

“Yes, Captain Nemo,” I replied; “and the Nautilus is wonderfully fitted for such a study. Ah! it is an intelligent boat!”

“Yes, sir, intelligent and invulnerable. It fears neither the terrible tempests of the Red Sea, nor its currents, nor its sandbanks.”

“Certainly,” said I, “this sea is quoted as one of the worst, and in the time of the ancients, if I am not mistaken, its reputation was detestable.”

“Detestable, M. Aronnax. The Greek and Latin historians do not speak favourably of it, and Strabo says it is very dangerous during the Etesian winds and in the rainy season. The Arabian Edrisi portrays it under the name of the Gulf of Colzoum, and relates that vessels perished there in great numbers on the sandbanks and that no one would risk sailing in the night. It is, he pretends, a sea subject to fearful hurricanes, strewn with inhospitable islands, and ‘which offers nothing good either on its surface or in its depths.’”

“One may see,” I replied, “that these historians never sailed on board the Nautilus.”

“Just so,” replied the Captain, smiling; “and in that respect moderns are not more advanced than the ancients. It required many ages to find out the mechanical power of steam. Who knows if, in another hundred years, we may not see a second Nautilus? Progress is slow, M. Aronnax.”

“It is true,” I answered; “your boat is at least a century before its time, perhaps an era. What a misfortune that the secret of such an invention should die with its inventor!”

Captain Nemo did not reply. After some minutes’ silence he continued:

“You were speaking of the opinions of ancient historians upon the dangerous navigation of the Red Sea.”

“It is true,” said I; “but were not their fears exaggerated?”

“Yes and no, M. Aronnax,” replied Captain Nemo, who seemed to know the Red Sea by heart. “That which is no longer dangerous for a modern vessel, well rigged, strongly built, and master of its own course, thanks to obedient steam, offered all sorts of perils to the ships of the ancients. Picture to yourself those first navigators venturing in ships made of planks sewn with the cords of the palmtree, saturated with the grease of the seadog, and covered with powdered resin! They had not even instruments wherewith to take their bearings, and they went by guess amongst currents of which they scarcely knew anything. Under such conditions shipwrecks were, and must have been, numerous. But in our time, steamers running between Suez and the South Seas have nothing more to fear from the fury of this gulf, in spite of contrary trade-winds. The captain and passengers do not prepare for their departure by offering propitiatory sacrifices; and, on their return, they no longer go ornamented with wreaths and gilt fillets to thank the gods in the neighbouring temple.”

“I agree with you,” said I; “and steam seems to have killed all gratitude in the hearts of sailors. But, Captain, since you seem to have especially studied this sea, can you tell me the origin of its name?”

“There exist several explanations on the subject, M. Aronnax. Would you like to know the opinion of a chronicler of the fourteenth century?”

“Willingly.”

“This fanciful writer pretends that its name was given to it after the passage of the Israelites, when Pharaoh perished in the waves which closed at the voice of Moses.”

“A poet’s explanation, Captain Nemo,” I replied; “but I cannot content myself with that. I ask you for your personal opinion.”

“Here it is, M. Aronnax. According to my idea, we must see in this appellation of the Red Sea a translation of the Hebrew word ‘Edom’; and if the ancients gave it that name, it was on account of the particular colour of its waters.”

“But up to this time I have seen nothing but transparent waves and without any particular colour.”

“Very likely; but as we advance to the bottom of the gulf, you will see this singular appearance. I remember seeing the Bay of Tor entirely red, like a sea of blood.”

“And you attribute this colour to the presence of a microscopic seaweed?”

“Yes.”

“So, Captain Nemo, it is not the first time you have overrun the Red Sea on board the Nautilus?”

“No, sir.”

“As you spoke a while ago of the passage of the Israelites and of the catastrophe to the Egyptians, I will ask whether you have met with the traces under the water of this great historical fact?”

“No, sir; and for a good reason.”

“What is it?”

“It is that the spot where Moses and his people passed is now so blocked up with sand that the camels can barely bathe their legs there. You can well understand that there would not be water enough for my Nautilus.”

“And the spot?” I asked.

“The spot is situated a little above the Isthmus of Suez, in the arm which formerly made a deep estuary, when the Red Sea extended to the Salt Lakes. Now, whether this passage were miraculous or not, the Israelites, nevertheless, crossed there to reach the Promised Land, and Pharaoh’s army perished precisely on that spot; and I think that excavations made in the middle of the sand would bring to light a large number of arms and instruments of Egyptian origin.”

“That is evident,” I replied; “and for the sake of archaeologists let us hope that these excavations will be made sooner or later, when new towns are established on the isthmus, after the construction of the Suez Canal; a canal, however, very useless to a vessel like the Nautilus.”

“Very likely; but useful to the whole world,” said Captain Nemo. “The ancients well understood the utility of a communication between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean for their commercial affairs: but they did not think of digging a canal direct, and took the Nile as an intermediate. Very probably the canal which united the Nile to the Red Sea was begun by Sesostris, if we may believe tradition. One thing is certain, that in the year 615 before Jesus Christ, Necos undertook the works of an alimentary canal to the waters of the Nile across the plain of Egypt, looking towards Arabia. It took four days to go up this canal, and it was so wide that two triremes could go abreast. It was carried on by Darius, the son of Hystaspes, and probably finished by Ptolemy II. Strabo saw it navigated: but its decline from the point of departure, near Bubastes, to the Red Sea was so slight that it was only navigable for a few months in the year. This canal answered all commercial purposes to the age of Antonius, when it was abandoned and blocked up with sand. Restored by order of the Caliph Omar, it was definitely destroyed in 761 or 762 by Caliph Al-Mansor, who wished to prevent the arrival of provisions to Mohammed-ben-Abdallah, who had revolted against him. During the expedition into Egypt, your General Bonaparte discovered traces of the works in the Desert of Suez; and, surprised by the tide, he nearly perished before regaining Hadjaroth, at the very place where Moses had encamped three thousand years before him.”

“Well, Captain, what the ancients dared not undertake, this junction between the two seas, which will shorten the road from Cadiz to India, M. Lesseps has succeeded in doing; and before long he will have changed Africa into an immense island.”

“Yes, M. Aronnax; you have the right to be proud of your countryman. Such a man brings more honour to a nation than great captains. He began, like so many others, with disgust and rebuffs; but he has triumphed, for he has the genius of will. And it is sad to think that a work like that, which ought to have been an international work and which would have sufficed to make a reign illustrious, should have succeeded by the energy of one man. All honour to M. Lesseps!”

“Yes! honour to the great citizen,” I replied, surprised by the manner in which Captain Nemo had just spoken.

“Unfortunately,” he continued, “I cannot take you through the Suez Canal; but you will be able to see the long jetty of Port Said after to-morrow, when we shall be in the Mediterranean.”

“The Mediterranean!” I exclaimed.

“Yes, sir; does that astonish you?”

“What astonishes me is to think that we shall be there the day after to-morrow.”

“Indeed?”

“Yes, Captain, although by this time I ought to have accustomed myself to be surprised at nothing since I have been on board your boat.”

“But the cause of this surprise?”

“Well! it is the fearful speed you will have to put on the Nautilus, if the day after to-morrow she is to be in the Mediterranean, having made the round of Africa, and doubled the Cape of Good Hope!”

“Who told you that she would make the round of Africa and double the Cape of Good Hope, sir?”

“Well, unless the Nautilus sails on dry land, and passes above the isthmus——”

“Or beneath it, M. Aronnax.”

“Beneath it?”

“Certainly,” replied Captain Nemo quietly. “A long time ago Nature made under this tongue of land what man has this day made on its surface.”

“What! such a passage exists?”

“Yes; a subterranean passage, which I have named the Arabian Tunnel. It takes us beneath Suez and opens into the Gulf of Pelusium.”

“But this isthmus is composed of nothing but quick sands?”

“To a certain depth. But at fifty-five yards only there is a solid layer of rock.”

“Did you discover this passage by chance?” I asked more and more surprised.

“Chance and reasoning, sir; and by reasoning even more than by chance. Not only does this passage exist, but I have profited by it several times. Without that I should not have ventured this day into the impassable Red Sea. I noticed that in the Red Sea and in the Mediterranean there existed a certain number of fishes of a kind perfectly identical. Certain of the fact, I asked myself was it possible that there was no communication between the two seas? If there was, the subterranean current must necessarily run from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, from the sole cause of difference of level. I caught a large number of fishes in the neighbourhood of Suez. I passed a copper ring through their tails, and threw them back into the sea. Some months later, on the coast of Syria, I caught some of my fish ornamented with the ring. Thus the communication between the two was proved. I then sought for it with my Nautilus; I discovered it, ventured into it, and before long, sir, you too will have passed through my Arabian tunnel!”

#20k leagues speedrun #20000 leagues under the sea #part 2 chapter 4

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wil-is-done · 2 years

Text

Occupational Hazard

Summary: She made a stupid move and got herself cornered. The monster opened its maw. She tried to summon something, anything, but her gauntlet was on the fritz. A voice called out her name. A shape jumped out in front of her. The monster fired. Everything went dark.

Word Count: 1.184

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a repost.

The day started out so great.

HinoCon was in full swing. For once, Miko and Five got the long end of the stick. All they had to do was moderate a few panels throughout the day, but besides that, they had free reign on the entire convention floor. The biggest gaming convention in the country, and not only were they attending it for free, they were getting paid to be there. Best day ever.

But some Category-5 glitch just had to bring the entire bestiary from Beast Hunter World to life. Shit hit the fan real fast after that. The entire city block turned into a warzone. Glitch Techs from other branches had to be flown in. The event made national news. But Miko couldn’t give less of a damn about that. She lost track of Five in the chaos. And this angry Magmasioth jumped out at her out of goddamn nowhere.

That’s when shit hits a second fan. She made a stupid move and got herself cornered. The Magmasioth opened its maw to fire. She tried to summon something, anything, but her gauntlet was on the fritz. A voice called out her name. A shape jumped out in front of her. The Magmasioth fired. Everything went dark.

When she came to, the Magmasioth was gone, everything was scorched black, and lying in a crumpled heap a few paces from her was the unmoving body of her partner.

“Five!”

Her sides screamed in pain as she forced herself to move, but her sides can shove it. Her best friend needed her.

She was by his side in seconds, despite the pain. Her heart sank as she took in the extent of the damage. It took everything in her to not look away. He’s covered head to toe in cuts and bruises. His right arm was covered in grotesque burns, his gauntlet reduced to burnt pieces of scrap. His armor didn’t even have time to despawn properly. And he’s very, very still. Is… is he…?

Five wheezed. He sucked in air greedily, coughing, clawing back to consciousness.

“Ah… nerds…”

Miko finally remembered to breathe. He’s alive. He’s alive and that’s all that mattered.

“Oh. Hey,” he said, as if he didn’t nearly die. He took in his burnt surroundings, his burnt arm, and what was left of his gauntlet. “I pulled out the crappy shield again, didn’t I?”

It was not funny, but Miko felt herself laugh anyway. “Kept telling you to chuck it. Now look where it got ya.”

A roar echoed, from somewhere not far enough. They had to get out of the open.

Miko quickly spotted a possible haven. It was once a coffee shop, it looked like, with the entrance half-collapsed. Good cover should anything attack from the front. It’ll do.

She really, really wanted to be gentler dragging Five inside, but time wouldn’t let her. She definitely worsened his condition; she just hoped her mistake wasn’t fatal. At least her gauntlet decided to stop being an ass. She’s pretty sure she bought a healing potion a while ago.

“Don’t ever pull a move like that ever again,” she scolded, as she scrolled through her inventory. “Crap shield or not.”

“It’s part of the job, right?” He tried to smile, even now, while he’s teetering on the brink. For her. It infuriated her.

“No! It’s not part of the job to cover my ass if I do something stupid!”

Five heaved, and wheezed, and never let his smile leave his lips. “Then it’s… part of being a friend…”

Miko said nothing. The potion materialized in her hand, and she helped Five drink the concoction, all in silence. The effects were near-instantaneous. Some of the cuts closed up and the bruises vanished. But his arm remained horribly burnt. That healed him, but it’s still not enough.

Miko opened her inventory again. There has to be some spare bandages she stuffed in there.

From the distance, a roar. Screams. A tremor shook the dust from the rafters. Miko paused for only a split second before she focused herself on her inventory once more.

“Miko,” Five said, through hisses and gritted teeth, “there’s still glitches that needs fighting and people that needs saving. Go out there and be a hero. Don’t worry about me.”

“How could you say that?! I’m not leaving you!” Any other time, Miko would’ve slapped him for even suggesting such a thing. He’s lucky he’s severely injured right now. “I will never leave you!”

His dumb ass thought this was a good time to flash some teeth. “That’s not what you said when I wouldn’t shut up about the new Hitman’s Oath last week.”

Miko bit down her tongue. Her fist struck the floor right beside Five’s head. It was all she could do short of actually hitting him. They stared eye to eye now, deeper than before. She saw his surprise and compassion. He saw the anger, the frustration, the gnawing guilt.

“Stop! Making! Jokes!” Her eyes grew hotter with each word. “Dammit, Five! You almost died! What part of that don’t you understand?!”

“Sorry… just didn’t want you to worry.”

Miko sighed, sitting back. “I should be. I’m the reason you’re like this.”

“Miko…” His voice was so gentle. He felt bad, she knew it. She almost got him killed and he’s the one feeling bad. “You would’ve done the same for me.”

“But I won’t have to. You don’t make dumb mistakes like I do.” Miko couldn’t meet his eyes. She didn’t deserve to.

“Miko, that doesn’t matter to-”

“Of course it does! You could’ve died because of me! I can’t lose you, Five!”

She couldn’t hold it back any longer. Tears spilled forth, streaking past her cracked visor, staining her cheeks, slowly pooling on the floor.

“No, Miko, don’t- why are you crying?”

“Because…! Because I…!”

Miko didn’t think. Didn’t plan. She lunged, and planted her lips against his.

It was dry. Rough. Bitter. But she didn’t care. She almost lost him. Almost lost the chance. They parted, after a split second and an eternity. She stayed there, burying her face against his neck.

“I… I love you, Hector.”

She felt a soft hand weakly caressing her back, pulling her closer to an embrace. A sigh left her, melting at the touch.

“Love… you… too…”

Miko gasped. Her heart soared. And immediately plummeted as she felt the hand on her back go slack.

She pulled back. Five’s eyes were closed. His lips left slight parted. His entire body had gone limp. No. No. She pressed an ear against his chest.

A heartbeat. Slow, faint, but steady. Miko nearly collapsed in relief. A sign of life was better than none at all.

The ground shook. A growl, much, much closer than before.

Her face twisted into a hateful scowl. Miko shot to her feet and spun, the gauntlet whirring to full power. She felt no fear as she stared down the hungry, glowing eye peeking through the entrance. She came too close to losing Five today. It will never happen again.

“Over my dead body, you glitch.”

This fic was commissioned by @/crazedupfrutloop, who wanted Miko and Five patching each other up after a really bad glitch fight, ending with a confession and a kiss. I might’ve fudged up the order of it a bit, but I hope everyone is still able to enjoy it.

Season 2 hype, y’all!

#glitch techs #miko kubota #hector nieves

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itsohh · 2 years

Note

I can’t judge, I straight up orphaned one of my works when it was halfway done cause my ADHD got so bad I couldn’t write so I feel ya there! I love your works so much, maybe one day I won’t be super shy and will come chat with you (I’d love to hear more on Kali if you want to share?). I was very briefly in a discord with the main author for a while and they did chat about how they hated their first characterisation of Ash so I know for a fact we’ll see some changes with her. If you read some of thier other fics that Ash is in she’s completely different so I’m hoping we’ll get a serious by the book upgrade to her. Either way I’m just happy to share the siege love and buzzed that you liked it. I think the author is on tumblr but I could never find them, probs a good thing 🤣 Keep up the good work, can’t wait to read what you come up with next ❤️

Oh sweet, I'd love to see how Ash is for them now cause yeah Ash is very much a more secluded trust issues sorta person, I wonder if their role will be given to someone more outgoing. #ADHD buddies, I have uh like two big fic's I was working on, one for ffxiv and the other for RE8 that I just... haven't updated. The RE8 one cause I got block and then the FFXIV one cause I forgot what I had and hadn't put in and couldn't be bother rereading my writing to edit properly XD.

Ah I feel you about being shy tho, I've joined discords for writing before and spent like 1 day there cause I'm too shy to talk lmao which is pretty funny cause I'm the Overshare Master 3000™ in rl.

But you see now you have me talking about Kali. So Kali is such a grey character. Because unlike someone like Ash or Mira she's not super black and white in terms of her actions and views. We see in her psych report that it's unknown how she feels about her country, especially with her born wealth. She's someone that's always gotten what shes wanted so to be refused to be deployed because that fact shes a woman, I imagine it would have been very frustrating and pissed the fuck outta of her. That being said I can't think imagine its the first time shes experienced sexism of course that leads to her in Nighthaven.

There must be some level of morality inside of her, to stay as a PMC rather than fully going underground- the fact she even applied for the military must mean something. I don't think it was out of the kindness of her heart though, shes not like that. Perhaps it's because of her love of combat. Shes careful to stay within the laws, adapting her PSC to become a PMC, she's known to be amazing at negotiating which is why it's so almost odd that they would be so easily caught in what's currently going. It just doesn't seem like them, for Nighthaven to take in Rainbow Operators then directly work out in the open with criminals, it doesn't quite add up.

Sure she's one for money and ultimately Nighthaven is a business but I can't imagine her putting it at such a high risk without proper motivation. Kali gets a lot from her deals as written in her biography right? So something this big such as putting everything shes built up on the line must have a high reward if she's doing criminal activity.

Kali is cocky, shes arrogant but shes not dumb, the fact that she planned out everything and got almost everyone she wanted recruited shows her talent for her leadership, shows her skill. But shes also still human, her support for Osa isn't something driven from manipulation, they wouldn't be so close if it was. In Osa's bio we know that Kali supported her through her transition and the pair of them are pretty much like sisters at this point. I imagine she has sympthay for Osa's struggles, Kali sure has been given a lot of things but shes certainly had to fight for a lot aswell. So shes not cold-hearted, she does care about someone else.

Now, shes a bitch. It's obvious, she taunts Ash, there's no need for it, but it makes me wonder if the same situation would have happened under Kali's command. Shes an advocate for doing anything it takes to get the job and for risks such as friendly fire so long as its non-lethal. In her interviews as her as captain she does mention that she doesn't want people to die, least her team. The entire situation is interesting because she went rogue when she used Ash as bait so I wonder if it was more in her control, would she have communicated to her team what she was doing? There was a disconnect in trust in a team that was designed to fail. In Nighthaven how does she lead? In such a situation you have to trust your leader, what does Kali do to keep that trust when she's an advocate for well shooting your team in the back (lowkey) Kali doesn't have the charisma, shes far too arrogant, perhaps it's her knowledge, she knows the battlefield well and her risks are calculated. Kali knows her skill level, shes good and knows it. So far we haven't seen her overstep that boundary unlike Grim (get dunked on idiot)

Anyway, Kali also has this one line in game when u kill (headshot?) someone which is 'bow before me' and every time my gay ass brain restarts. Waman pretty hot.

#anonymous #ask #itsohh rambles

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apocryphalfiles · 2 months

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It's just for tonight - Part 1

As the last of its visitors after close left the Ishi-Kai Sampo bar, the middle-aged man lying face-down on the floor of the back room's fingers twitched a few times before falling still again. This had been happening every few minutes. On and off. It was his eye, or else his left hand, or else his foot. Every time his body spasmed, the flash of light in his view inevitably gave away to the blackness of sleep or half-conscious, waking dreams of delirium, colorful floaters twisting and undulating across his retina. Sometimes, he thought he could hear something like talking in the back of his ears, but he could never make out enough words in a row to discern any meaning from it. White foam continued to sizzle from the corners of his mouth. The puddle of drool had already dripped far enough down his chin that it had stained the only suit he owned, a well-worn outfit he only used as a work uniform. If he had a formal event to attend, then he'd rent a suit from a tailor. The fingers on his right hand twitched this time, then his wrist, and finally, regaining some meaningful amount of movement in his extremities, he threw his right hand in front of himself, then his left. Repeating this motion which took such an extraordinary amount of effort to perform even once, he again willed his right hand to move, digging his fingernails into the crevices in the tile and clawing his body an inch at a time across the floor. His arms felt like they'd been rowing a canoe across the rapids for hours. Just this much, crawling like an infant, was enough to exhaust him to the point that his body felt like it would run out of fuel every time he moved. At the point where his arms had just managed to cross the threshold between the employee room and the back of the bar, his body finally gave out on him again, and the intensity of the fire in his stuff arms began to subside as the sputtering engine he was running on ran out of gas, and unconsciousness took him for the seventh time that night.

Sana The helpful bartender led Altera through the streets of Shinjuku, quickly enough to be making good time but not so quickly that they would attract unwanted attention. He wondered briefly if Altera would really be found even if she stayed at a hotel. Did Kana have that ability? Did the electronic reservation in Japan have that ability, even when counting hole-in-the-wall motels, capsule hotels, and manga cafes? Ah, well. He'd offered an even easier solution, so that was that.

Sana led Altera to room 308 in a completely average apartment complex in Shinjuku only a block away from his bar. Opening the door, he invited Altera into a one-bedroom apartment and showed her around, pointing out the bathroom and the sofa and inviting her to take any snacks from his kitchen if she got hungry. He had promised her a change of clothes earlier, so he brought her a T-shirt with the "Coca-Cola" logo on it and a pair of cotton pajama shorts with an elastic waistband and teddy bears printed on the fabric. He pulled a spare comforter and pillow out of his closet and set them up on the sofa. I let friends here sleep sometimes, too, so don't let it bother you. I open my home up to just about anyone. Some people say I'm a little too trusting, but Japan is a safe country, isn't it? he reassured her that he'd done this before.

After helping Altera get settled in, Sana left her alone in his apartment, stepping out to buy groceries for the night from the local convenience store. It would be absurd for him to worry that the princess would steal an ordinary man's wares, so he had no insecurities about trusting his place to Altera for a few minutes as he ran his nightly errands.

Altera She'd been dressed in her Yukata for the past few hours, and it was already wet from being in the rain earlier, and the bottom was dirty with mud, so it really was uncomfortable for her to stay like this. She got showered and changed into the pajamas the bartender provided in the bathroom at the first opportunity. By the time she was finished, she felt much better even though she was walking out into a complete stranger's apartment and not Keita's- her own.

youtube

As she sat down on the couch that her host had made into a little bed for her, she thought that she felt just a little homesick. She'd felt homesick for her family for a long time now, but for the first time, she actually wanted to go home to that apartment with Keita and Melia and all their friends living next door. Even if it was a place full of orphans that didn't have much, it ended up being pretty cozy, hadn't it?

Instead, she was here, taking advantage of another stranger's kindness. That part of the bartender reminded her of Keita. He'd seen someone in trouble and decided to help them without a second thought. Maybe that was why she found it so easy to relax around him? You could say that Keita was family, but maybe the conservative and nationalistic people of Japan were also partial to helping people of her status... she couldn't deny that might have played a role in it. Then again, he'd treated Melia right away. He hadn't seemed especially more interested in her, not more than he'd been in Melia, who was a complete stranger to him. Come to think of it, she still hadn't asked the bartender's name. She decided to do that before she left tomorrow, at least.

...Would things really be resolved by tomorrow? She wasn't so sure. Would Takumi and Kana give up by tomorrow and go back to being hands-off and keeping their distance from her? Would she just go back to Keita's place like nothing happened? Her father had kept repeating "only for tonight," that she only had to come home for a few hours. And yet, even that tiny compromise, if he meant it, would be breaking her convictions.

Altera regretted what had happened. She regretted the festival that got ruined. She regretted that she couldn't attend Kana's concert, even though it meant so much to her. She regretted that her elder sister had decided to ruin her life after meeting her. She regretted that Melia had gotten hurt and ended up caught up in the middle of everything. She regretted that both her friends and family had to worry about her. And yet, if she gave up and her will finally broke, then would she really be herself anymore...? This was what made her her. This was the immutable quality about her that made her suitable to withstand the crushing weight of a universe on her shoulders.

But Altera Kano was a human. She was a human, so she was tired from every exhausting misadventure of tonight, and as she laid on top of the covers on a stranger's couch, her heavy eyes shut, and her breathing slowed as she drifted off to sleep.

Susanoo He had completely abandoned Kushinada to her fate. He had much more important things to be worrying about right now. Kohaku had completely fucked off and so it was up to Terumi to try and salvage things, to try to make omelets from all these cracked eggs.

He returned to a diminutive form, a shadow dancing beneath the woman's heels. Shen would be useful for that if nothing else. The patrols were likely out in force as everyone scrambled to find Altera. Yet, for all their efforts, Susanoo felt assured that he had Altera all to himself. He had her right where he wanted her.

It was all thanks to Sana. Yes, there was at least one capable member of the World Enders, someone he could rely on to apply subtle pressure as opposed to the blunt instrument that was his own involvement. Yet it was time for him to wrecking ball his way back into Altera's life and leave her as broken and confused as the last time they met.

The moment she closed her eyes, the precise moment she let down her guard, there he was. His voice sounded, familiar, yet different. Bestial. Savage. Snarling and growling rather than the sneering veneer she'd become accustomed to. As she opened her eyes, she would find herself dwarfed by the imposing image of the freakishly tall spirit who stood over 7 feet tall.

"Don't breathe that sweet sigh of relief just yet, party's just getting started!"

His snout sneered and snarled, jagged teeth sticking out at irregular angles as he bellowed, his voice deep and booming. He projected a raw, primal power, chest swelling, the pride of a God of War on full display.

"Ya got something to say?" He barked down at her, imposing over her with a suffocating presence. It was entirely different than the sensation that Takumi elicited. This wasn't being smothered, it was like being strangled. His voice was harsh and grating to the ears, listening to him could talk alone could induce nausea and headaches.

That was before he put Ouroboros to work-- all he needed to do was pin her down. To that end, he raised his hands, various chains, many more than he had demonstrated while splitting his focus previously appeared, trying to bind Altera up tightly and sink in their fangs.

Normally Susanoo would relent a bit in order to spare his enemy's suffering, but Altera was a doll that couldn't be broken no matter how forcefully he smashed it. He channeled all the malice, all the rage and frustration he felt from a night filled with setbacks, and let it consume him, empowering him to ensnare this irritating woman.

If he could bind her body, then Salem could do nothing to interfere. He would not get anywhere unless he could prevent Salem from taking action, and so restraining Altera was his top priority. Once he got her right where he wanted her, he could tear her down to size.

"Come on, make some noise! I wanna hear you SCREAM!"

Altera It seemed like something out of a nightmare, so she thought she must be dreaming- but she'd only closed her eyes for a second, and she was still inside the bartender's mundane apartment except her field of vision was half-obscured by the hulking armored figure glowing green in front of her eyes.

What... was THAT?

Before she was even aware of what was going on, she was bound up in metal. A chain slunk around her right arm first, bending it painfully behind her back, another tied her right wrist in a similar manner, so that if it strained any harder it would break her hand. Her left arm was tied with a single chain flat against her bed, the same way her legs were bound by the serpents that wound around them and squeezed. Another chain wrapped around her waist and bit into her hip; another wound around her collar, just shy of her throat, and the snake-head at the end of that chain weapon bobbed just to the side of her face as if to size up its prey, grazing her cheek.

She didn't know. She didn't have a single clue who he was or what this was about. "S-something to say? Nngh-" She winced in pain as the chains constricted around her body, only making the suffocating feeling of being in the center of this aura more uncomfortable. "W-what's going on?" It was all she could do to complain about how confused she was right now. Her head was throbbing with a pressure headache and her airways felt tight and her stomach was cramping. With all these chains binding her in a lying-down position to the couch where she'd been resting just moments before, she couldn't move her arms or legs at all.

As soon as the snake-headed chains drew blood, her blood-red katana automatically materialized in her right hand, cutting through the couch and comforter she'd been lying on top of, but as she couldn't move her arms, she couldn't make proper use of the weapon.

Susanoo He smirked in gloating fashion as the blade appeared at her side. Such a beautiful and deadly weapon, rendered completely useless. Well, that was the nature of defense. Even the most sophisticated defense mechanism would always have some fatal flaw or unavoidable consequence of their design that could not be accounted for. A shield was no use to the man being stabbed in the back.

"What does it look like, bitch? I tied you up so I could make you my PUNCHING BAG!" He roared as he delivered a brutal fist into her gut. For as offensive as it was to his ego that he was not immediately remembered, Susanoo decided instead to relish the opportunity to take his sweet time reminding her who she was dealing with.

"You really thought you could kiss and make up with daddy dearest? NOT ON MY WATCH!" His gravelly, abrasive voice was ringing in her ears as she was likely still reeling from the attack. "Give that fucker an inch and he'll take a mile! You let him talk circles around you, even though you know that he lies as easy as he breathes! You're the same as that FOOL Kohaku."

Not satisfied with how verbal and indirect his abuse had become, Susanoo drove his elbow down into her stomach with crushing force. Despite the incredible pain she was being subjected to, Susanoo's words would still cut right through her nausea and delirium.

Altera

She didn't know this monster. Person...? No, the suit of armor attacking her didn't seem to be a person, even though it could speak. Or maybe it was something like KIT, though KIT was much more chivalrous than this. If there was a good KIT, then maybe there could be a bad KIT like this, too. Then, this monster or person attacking her must have been... KIT's evil twin.

The fist connected with her gut, and blood spewed out of her mouth as though her body was a squeezy toy that spat out blood and not water when you squished it there too hard. All she could feel was pain and the suffocation of this monster's presence.

"You're wrong, KIT! I never gave him any ground at all! I never made up with him! Even after everything, I held my ground...!"

She believed in Mira's guard too much to think he'd gone evil. Even when he had been pleading with her to be less difficult about their investigation, he was perfectly courteous and compassionate. If there was a shadow to KIT's light, then it was the evil green dog who felt nothing but malice for Altera, who wore the skin of his master. So, this was KIT's malice held over from the old world...

Susanoo Kit? Susanoo was surprised, to say the least! To think he had been confused for that big tin can that served as their bodyguard. Susanoo fought the urge to immediately mock her for her misunderstanding, instead, he decided to roll with it.

"LIAR!" He continued to wail her with his fists, landing crushing blow after crushing blow against the defenseless Altera. "YOU LET HIM DO AS HE PLEASES! HUMOR HIM AT EVERY TURN! If you were truly sorry you'd REJECT the FOOLISH notion you were ever that man's daughter! What gives YOU the right to REPLACE HER?"

"All the time he spends chasing you around-- AND FOR WHAT? So he can neglect his REAL daughter? So WHAT if you're both here? Doesn't change that you've taken what's rightfully HERS!"

Altera She remembered something. The day she learned that her father had faked his death, he admitted to her with crazed desperation that between her and Mira, the one he loved most was her...

The emotions she felt in that moment were too complex to easily be described.

But still- still-

"It DOES change it!" Even as she was being wailed on, feeling the sharp pain of her ribs breaking for the second time in her life, she still argued back. She had the strength, the wherewithal to speak for herself, even while being beaten, even though her words were interrupted by gasps and sputtering up more blood and the soft walloping of fists against her stomach and the sickening crunch of bones being cracked.

It was true that she hadn't seen Mira once since coming to this world. Even so, everything she had heard from every person who mentioned her name pointed to the suggestion that she was alive. Even KIT had just acknowledged it himself- "so what if you're both here?" Because of that, and because of her implicit trust in Takumi that they'd been on the same page, she believed that Mira Kano was alive and well, even without seeing it with her own two eyes.

"Mira Kano was saved! Father loves her- I know that for sure! You mentioned Kohaku, right?! Back there, even back there, he mentioned Mira, that he'd never give her up either, that he loves both of us! I haven't taken him from her! It's true that I couldn't have her boyfriend, and I was right to stay away from him for all time! You can't have more than one lover! But a father... can have more than one daughter! Mira and I are BOTH his daughters! He loves both of us!"

Susanoo "Can you even imagine what it must feel like? To live side by side with your replacement? The person who stole everything that should have been yours! How nice it must be to be Daddy's favorite!"

He wanted to inflict as much trauma and grief onto this poor soul as he could manage. To create a fresh set of scars that she would carry with her long after regenerating body would wash all the evidence away.

"And you think yourself deserving of love? YOU? Who led everyone who ever placed their faith in you to their ruin! LOOK AT THEM NOW! The people who fought for you, who DIED for you, look at them now! Desecrated and dehumanized! By your SO-CALLED "FATHER", NO LESS!"

Altera truly had a strong will, to resist being beaten down time and time again, to hold on to these feelings even as he did everything in his power to mercilessly tear down all that Takumi had built from the ashes of the old world.

"No matter how hard you try to turn your eyes away from the truth, you'll never change that fact! Your past is littered with the bodies of those who sacrificed everything for your sake. Only to be sold out and forgotten once it was no longer convenient!"

Altera "I... I don't know... how she feels." She admitted. She'd never met Mira Kano, after all. Whether she hated or or whether she could forgive her... she thought that Mira would forgive her if she granted her greatest wish, if she saved her. But... she wasn't the one who saved her, was she? It was Takumi. She'd wanted to be the one to save Mira with her own hands, but she failed. So she had no idea how Mira felt after that.

"...I never forgot. I never forgot about any of that. I've never turned my eyes away from that truth." She didn't recant. Even though she knew it would cause her family pain, she still ran away during the commotion. Even though she knew it was rejecting the wonderful gift of life her father gave to her, she still slit her throat five minutes after being born. "Yes... that's right. I've been completely faithful to you all. I've never stopped carrying these burdens, not for a second."

Susanoo It seemed that once Altera finally relented, once she finally reaffirmed her commitment to these self destructive habits undertaken in the hopes of atoning for her many sins, Susanoo finally relented, finally stopped beating her to a bloody pulp. He took a step back, admiring his handiwork. The couch she'd been laying down on had become a gory mess, bathed with an amount of blood that would have surely killed anyone other than the immortal who had the misfortune of being his victim.

"Faithful to us all, huh?" He lingered like this just long enough for Altera to wonder if her beating would continue, before driving his fist brutally into her jaw. "Don't FUCK with me! Every moment you spent with that loathsome father of yours is spitting in the faces of everyone who gave their lives for your cause! You KNOW THAT, you always have, AND YET, you still meet him half way!"

Altera She only vaguely realized how much blood there was. The pajamas she got from the bartender were already filthy in it. She hoped he didn't come back while KIT was here. She didn't want him to be made into collateral damage.

It hurt, it really did. She was in so much pain. This feeling reminded her of the night of May 16th. She felt like she was suffocating, she choked on each word she said, but that didn't stop her from speaking. That was, until the monster attacking her broke her jaw with a sickening crunch, and she was forcefully shut up.

Ahhhh... she wanted to say that he was still wrong, that she had never met her father halfway... after all, she didn't agree to meet with him... that was all his doing, wasn't it? Yes- maybe it looked bad from the outside. When had she been watched? Why was she always being watched? Privacy was another right she wasn't allowed to have, right? But she never agreed to meet her father, did she? She rejected him every time. He just came after her anyway. When he tried to take her home, she argued even though he'd just been attacked and they were all tired from the festival. When Erina was attacking Sigurd, she'd taken advantage of the commotion to escape instead of sticking around and surrendering herself. What more could she even be expected to do?! Did she deserve to be punished even if she had no say in any of that?

"..." She couldn't... speak anymore. She couldn't move her jaw. It was a mass of splintered, crooked bone and flesh and blood and pain.

Susanoo "Gyahahahahaha! What happened to all that spunk? Guess you're not so mouthy now, are ya?" This was neither a debate nor a discussion. Susanoo was not the least bit interested in what she had to say. He only wanted to hear her scream.

He lifted his leg, driving his foot down and stomping on her body, driving his leg down with a crushing power and a savage fury.

It seemed that no matter how many times he tried to break this girl, she would not bow. Her dignity could survive being brought beneath his heel. That pissed him off to no end.

Susanoo put so much force into his stomps, the weight of his entire body behind each blow, to brutalize the poor woman that could no longer defend herself.

He drove his leg down again and again, as if trying to break her will to resist through sheer force alone.

After some time, her body grew still, less a factor of submission than the sheer injury that had been inflicted on her poor body. Only then, did Susanoo let up. Only then, did he relent.

Susanoo raised his heel, admiring his handiwork.

"Not so fucking cute now are ya, cheeky brat!" He practically spat these words of insult. "Everything you ever worked towards, all your struggles, all of em'-- They're all worthless. You're a goddamn loser!"

He stepped forward, kneeling down so he could crouch over her, leaning forwards, leering at her, mean-mugging her, flashing those razor sharp teeth and piercing green eyes.

"The least you could do is lay down and die with some dignity, but you can't even do that right. Since ending your own life is off the table, why not wallow in misery? The only way you can apologize for failing everyone when they needed you most is to hang your head in shame for the rest of your days! So quit acting so damn PROUD"

Susanoo suddenly stepped back, pulling over a nearby chair, it scraaaaped horribly across the floor deliberately as he took a seat, waiting for her regeneration to kick in and for her to be capable of speech, awaiting to see what this bitch had to say for herself.

Altera As she lay bound by the snake-headed chains, her wrist twitching as the piece of her father's soul he put in her struggled desperately against the bindings holding it back from protecting her, she watched the ceiling and waited for her assailant's rage to subside. She bit her tongue to stop herself from screaming out and alerting the neighbors. Maybe KIT was making enough noise on his own that it was inevitable that the cops would be called, but she didn't want anyone walking in on this gruesome scene and becoming collateral damage to this wrathful spirit. She remembered that her father went through this kind of thing many times over to give her this life. She'd seen him broken, cut into pieces, and destroyed over and over again, and he still didn't give up in pursuit of his goal. She...

...Didn't have a goal. All she had was her pride. In her power struggle against her family, she gained nothing if she won. She just couldn't hate her father, no matter what, and if she couldn't even be allowed the privilege of a moment of privacy, then her feelings would show on her face and incite the anger of their enemies all over again. That was what this was about, wasn't it? No matter how she thought she was doing her best, she was still showing her traitorous heart. If she remained steadfast and faithful to the people who hated her, then all she'd receive in return was vitriol. Broken bones. Punctured lungs. Pulverized guts. Agony and disdain. Despite that.

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She knew what she was getting into when she swore to become God, didn't she? Before she was offered that sweet salvation, the chance to turn her existence from a curse to a blessing, she had nothing and no hope. She'd received hope and offered people hope in return for supporting her.

Mira's best friend, who believed in a loving God who had never existed.

An artificial man who sought the completion of his existence and his second half.

Her brother, God's chosen one, and his lover, a little girl her father had torn off the streets and tried to raise into his heartless sword.

...There were so many others. She made promises to so many people. She convinced them that she could never lose, and that she could do anything, that by supporting her, she would save the world and give them back the uncertain future.

They all believed in her. She made them believe in her. She promised them salvation, and in exchange, they should put their faith in her.

But she failed.

Back then, her heart got in the way. They were right to be mad about that. They were right to blame her.

The blood would drench her clothes and the couch. It wouldn't go away, but the cracks in her bones would be repaired, and her organs would reform into the proper shapes and start working again. Even her heart had already stopped. She didn't know how many minutes it took before it started beating again, but it did. At one point, unconsciousness had spared her from her pain, but it was a reprieve that was too short to provide any lasting relief. Blinking blearily, she opened her eyes to the same ceiling she'd been looking at while enduring that miserable tirade, and to the sight of the monster sitting only a few meters away from her, watching her with gleeful malevolence.

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Altera couldn't sit up, not with the chains binding her limbs. But she could turn her head to face the evil suit of armor that had followed her just to leer at her, spit on her, and stone her. And, forcing a smile, she asked him:

"Do you feel better now, KIT?"

Just like she promised her father in the bedroom where she'd spent the last month of her life as Mira Kano's clone... she may have lost, she may have been beaten and subjected to his loving mercy as a consequence of her defeat, but she would never admit that she was wrong. Her only happy ending was the one where she took everything she was and had ever been and fashioned it into the loving God that could save even her battered and broken world. She was the only person suitable to be that God because her will would never bend. To be that perfect God, her will could only be infallible. She had to have a resolve forged of such unbreakable material that she was capable of punishing those she loved and being crucified by those she hated without raising her hand against them, or else she couldn't say that everything wouldn't have turned out the same way it had before one day in the far-flung future after their Happy Ending. If she were to be worthy of serving a universe, then she could never say that she was wrong.

Terumi God.

Fucking.

Dammit.

How he HATED that self righteous attitude of hers. As the loathsome wretch with nothing left, he looked on with envy who held her head high and did not shy away from confronting what she believed to be the incarnation of her guardian spirit's resentment.

He was more resentful than anyone, the man whose Formation shattered the fragile illusion that was this world and it's so-called "History". The man who stepped outside the cave would never see the world the same way again.

He had no intention of suffering all by his lonesome. He'd drag as many people as he could down with him. Drag them kicking and screaming if he had to.

What was most important to him? That Takumi and his family suffer. Suffer for what they've done. He and this girl, were like oil and water. Two sides of the same coin. Reflecting one another, but never the two shall meet.

"As a matter of fact, I do." He snarled, leering down at her as he stood over her imposingly. His broad chest swelled with each breath. "What do you think? Have I made myself clear?" He was a truly intimidating presence, if nothing else. At once the unstoppable force and the immovable object. A God of War.

"Next time, I won't be so merciful." These words, with regards for what he'd just done to her, were like a cruel joke.

AlteraNext time, he wouldn't be so merciful? She didn't understand... what those words meant. She didn't understand what else he would do, more than this. Hadn't that excruciating pain and breaking her body over and over again already been violent enough?

But that didn't matter. Right now, all she needed to do was fake a smile and play the part of the brave leader of the losing side. A thankless job. A miserable job. The worst kind of position you could ask for. The leader of the opposing forces in a war like this really was meant to die, you know. She'd tried to enforce that order, but she wasn't allowed. After all, her opponent loved her more than anyone.

"I'm already on your side. I always have been. If I slipped up this time by letting my father find me, I'm sorry. I'll do my best to stay away from my family in the future."

Susanoo He snorted dismissively, and yet, such unequivocal surrender, at least on the face of it, was probably the only thing that could get Susanoo to back down. Even the slightest sign of rebellion would be met with a disproportionate amount of force. To crush even the slightest resistance. There was little she could do but swallow her pride and don the fake smile.

It was only once he was assured of this from Altera's own mouth that Susanoo finally relented, the chains of Ouroboros that bound her to the sofa retracted its serpentine fangs. He remained right where he was, as though daring her to make good on her newfound freedom and try to swing at him. Any attempt at retribution would be met in kind.

It was as though he was almost looking forward to putting her in her place should she raise up arms against him. That's because he was. He liked hurting this girl, seeing her suffer and squirm. Anything to wipe that proud look off her face. In the event that she stayed her hand, Susanoo would take a step back, keeping his eyes on her all the while.

"Keep your end of bargain and I won't pay you another visit. Otherwise? You'll be hearing from me sooner than you think." Of course, Susanoo had no intention of leaving this girl alone, not in the slightest, but he would refrain from using this form unless she breached this devil's contract. He came here tonight to vent his frustrations, to blow off some steam, and he had certainly succeeded in that, if nothing else.

#nsfw: violence #Apocryphal Files: Takamagahara #Character: Altera Kano #Character: Sana #Character: Susano'o #Youtube #Author: Tora #Author: Me

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hellsitesonlybookclub · 1 year

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20k Leagues under the Sea, Jules Verne

Part 2, chapter 4