#deadly life

[another-dr-another]

oh my god???? advance advance advance i need to know what’s going on!!!!!! -iris

Maeda, narrating - What?!-

Maeda - What the hell what the hell-what-the-hell-

~*~

//Uehara gives up on fumbling and simply pushes past Maeda, quickly kneeling by Tsurugi, still writhing on the floor.

Uehara - …Jesus, I-

Uehara - Okay, okay…

//Uehara reaches out, then twitches, and pulls back, unsure of what to do, where to touch, what to grab- before he settles for Tsurugi’s wrists.

Uehara - Hey, Tsuru-

Tsurugi - NO!

//Tsurugi flails, then begins trying to throw himself around, using his legs (though when he gets one planted on the ground, the other always seems to give up and fail on him) to get some leverage, wrenching his torso off the ground, before trying to jerk his arms away from Uehara.

Tsurugi, wailing - Get OF-F me!

//He spasms his way into having one leg poised and bent up near his chest- before kicking it at Uehara, who narrowly dodges.

Uehara - !

//Uehara pulls away, letting go of Tsurugi.

Maeda - …

//Maeda turns around- Taira is speaking with Kobashikawa and Maki, while Tomori seems to have been trying to see Tsurugi past Maeda and Uehara. Taira glances at Tsurugi’s dorm, but continues to talk as Maki and Kobashikawa both shift their expressions in response to whatever she’s saying.

Uehara - Ah-!

Tomori - What’s wrong?

//Maeda startles, and looks back at Tsurugi and Uehara- the source of Uehara’s panic is immediately obvious. Tsurugi is clawing at himself, he’s already succeeded in scraping little white lines across his skin, and could likely draw blood if he concentrated his efforts- but luckily (?), he’s still writhing, and keeps switching what part he attacks.

Uehara - Fuck-

Uehara - Tomori- can you-

//Tomori is already following Uehara’s example, and pushing past Maeda.

Tomori - I’m here, I’ve got you both.

Uehara - Okay, okay-

Uehara - On his side, one hand on his forearm- by his elbow, not the wrist- and the other to his upper arm.

//Tomori nods, while already moving as Uehara recommended.

Uehara - He- hopefully shouldn’t be able to kick at us like this…

Uehara - God- 

Maeda, horrified - … 

//Uehara begins mumbling in Italian- but already… Tsurugi is beginning to slow, still held in place by Tomori and Uehara.

Tomori - …Tsurugi?

Tsurugi - K-gaah!

//Tsurugi twitches a few times more… then stills, and begins breathing rapidly.

Uehara - …Tesoro- hey!

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi, shakily- O- Owww-ww…

//Tsurugi begins to gently sob- but it’s obvious that he’s significantly better than he was. Whatever happened, it’s over now.

Maeda, concerned - …

Taira - …Is it over now?

Maeda - …I…

//Tomori slowly stands, and goes to leave Tsurugi’s dorm- before stopping when she sees Maeda and Taira.

Tomori - …

Tomori - I… I think everything’s fine.

Maki - …Tsurugi?

//Maeda steps away from the door frame.

Tsurugi, shakily - I- I’ll be fi-

//Tsurugi is cut off by his own rising wail. Uehara tries to wipe away some of Tsurugi’s tears, but it’s as helpful as using a spoon to bail out a sinking ship.

Maki - …Damn.

//The students all take a moment, trying to process what’s happened.

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - …Higa is dead.

Maki - …Yeah…

Kobashikawa - …

Maki - …

Kobashikawa - Huh.

Taira - Iranami has also died… I didn’t think it was possible for more than one person to die without a trial happening-

Taira - Actually… will they both be getting separate trials? Do they have separate blackeneds? Will we only be prosecuting one of the two’s killers?

Maki - …Is there a limit to how many people one blackened can kill- could we be seeing a mass murder?!

Tomori - Ōtori and Hatano are in the dining hall together… at least, if one of them kills the other, we only have one suspect.

Maki - Maeda could have killed them both-

Maki - I’m not saying you did! I’m just saying, we currently only have one testimony about what’s happening there…

Maki - …Wait, has the morning announcement gone off yet?

Kobashikawa - No…

Maki - Then, did the blackened leave the door open all night, drag Iranami in there, then you all decided to head down early and found her?

Kobashikawa - …Oh my god… Iranami’s genuinely dead…

Maeda - What? No- the door was shut when we went down there.

Maki - Then how did you get in?

Maeda - The doors open early! Ōtori said so- when we showed up, the doors were still locked, it was a minute before they were set to open.

Maki - …Really?

Maeda - Yeah- Taira, Ōtori was telling the truth, right?

Taira - Mhm, that’s correct… Ōtori and I asked Monokuma to start unlocking the doors for us… ah, a few days ago, I think.

Maki - …Then how did the blackened kill Iranami?

Monokuma - I Am Glad To See The Student Body Growing In Their Class-Trial Skills. Your Capabilities For Questioning, Debate, And Reasoning Have Grown Exponentially During Your Time Here.

Tomori - …Feels a bit late for you to show up…

Monokuma - My Apologies. I Chose To Address The Students In The Dining Hall Prior To Speaking With The Seven Of You.

Kobashikawa - …So you can only be in one place at one time, despite having multiple versions of yourself?

Monokuma - Regarding Your Questions-

//Kobashikawa rolls his eyes.

Monokuma - I Will Only Be Answering Those Pertaining To The Blackened Which Concern The Safety Of The Student Body.

Monokuma - Henceforth, A New Rule Shall Be Added-

Monokuma - A Blackened May Only Kill One Victim.

Monokuma - However, As Established At The Start Of The Killing Game; A Student Will Not Be Subject To Punishment For Violation Of A Rule If The Student Was Not Aware Of The Rule.

Monokuma - Prior To The New Rule Previously Discussed Being Added Into The Official Hope's Peak Academy Rules And Regulations (Located Under The “Rules” Tab Of Any Students Official E-Handbook),

Monokuma - A Blackened May Kill Multiple People, And Face No Punishment For Rule Violation; Only Execution In Accordance With Rule Number Twelve.

Maeda - So, no more deaths now?

Monokuma - Whichever Blackened, Or Blackeneds, Killed Higa And / Or Iranami May No Longer Kill Without Violating A Rule.

Monokuma - Any Person To Become Blackened In The Future May Kill Solely One Person. 

Maeda - …Okay. Jesus…

//Tsurugi audibly groans.

Tomori - What did you do to Tsurugi!

Monokuma - Perhaps Tsurugi’s Condition Is Worth Debating During The Next Class Trial;

Monokuma - Regardless Of How The Class Perceives The Relevancy Of His Condition, I Can Not Currently Comment On That Matter.

Taira - So, we are having a class trial- what’s the goal of this trial?

Monokuma - The Goal Of The Class Trial Is To Identify The Blackened.

Taira - That’s not helpful, but okay.

Maki - So there is one blackened?

Monokuma - Further Questions Regarding Topics Which Are Not Explicitly Stated In The Official Hope’s Peak Academy Student E-Handbook Should Be Reserved For The Class Trial.

Kobashikawa - …Fuck you.

Maeda - Yeah, fuck you!

Maki - …Monokuma, do you have a Mono-file for us today?

Monokuma - Every Student Gets Their Own “Monokuma File”, With The Unique Details Of Their Unique Situa-

Maki - Fuck off, no one cares about your shitty ass Mono-files.

Monokuma - …

Monokuma - The “Monokuma File” For Each Student Will Now Be Sent To Each Of Your E-Handbooks.

//There’s a chorus of buzzing from every student’s handbook. 

Monokuma - Please Reach Out With Any Questions You May Have Which Need Immediate Answers.

Monokuma - If No Such Questions Are Asked, We Will Reconvene At The Trial Grounds Upon My Announcement That It Is Time For The Third Trial To Commence.

Maki - Wait, Monokuma! I have a question.

Monokuma - Yes?

Maki - How are you… so brave?

Monokuma - Elaborate?

Maki - If I was as repulsive as you are, I wouldn’t be able to keep on living, I’d be too messed up by my own existence.

Monokuma - …

//Then, Monokuma was gone.

Maki - Hopefully he’s going to go off himself.

Tomori - …

Kobashikawa - …

Maki - …

Maeda - …We should probably start to investigate…

Tomori - Oh, right…

//Tomori turns back to Tsurugi’s dorm as Taira hums in agreement.

Tomori - …

Tomori - Uehara- do you just…

Tomori - …Could you bring Tsurugi to your dorm?

Uehara - Uh…

Uehara - Tsu, hey, do you think you could get up?

Tsurugi - …Mmmm…

Uehara - …

Uehara - Okay, c’mon, carino, you’ve gotta-

Tomori - Uehara, give me your handbook, I’ll go get your door opened.

Uehara - Ah- yeah, okay, sounds great.

//Maeda watches as Tomori goes and opens Uehara’s door.

Tomori - …

//Uehara walks by, Tsurugi on his other side, partially obscured from Maeda’s view- but it’s clear that Tsurugi is still shaken, and hardly able to hold it together enough to walk to Uehara’s room.

Maeda - …

//Uehara takes his handbook back from Tomori, and closes his door. Tomori stares at it for a moment…

Tomori - …

//Before turning back to the group.

Tomori - !

Tomori - Uh… 

//The students are silent.

Maeda - I don’t know what to say…

Tomori - …

Tomori - …Uhm-

Tomori - T-Two of us need to stay with…

Tomori - …With the body, yeah?

Taira - …

Tomori - Like…to make sure nobody messes with anything…

Taira - It’s usually Hatano and Iranami who handle that, isn’t it…

Tomori - Mhm…

Tomori - …

Tomori, weakly - …I can stay…

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - I’ll be guard number two, then.

Tomori - Okay- thank you…

Taira - There’s already two people with Iranami, so that’s covered… 

Taira - I think Maki, Maeda, and myself should investigate, instead of staying in one area-

Maeda - Wait, that won’t work- Ōtori still needs someone with him.

Taira - Oh, true…

Maki - …I can go. I’ll be the best for helping him with Hatano.

Maeda - Right, he did say he needed help with her… he was worried she was going to disrupt the crime scene.

Maki - God…

Maki - Okay, you all can keep discussing, but I’m just going to go make sure they haven’t fucking died-

Maki - If you all decide I need to hear anything, just come tell me, I’m not making them wait any longer.

//Maki turns, and runs to the dining hall.

Tomori - …

Kobashikawa - …We should head into Tsurugi’s dorm, yeah?

Tomori - Mhm…

Tomori - Maeda, Taira- you two are currently the only ones who can really investigate everything…

Tomori -  …Maybe at some point, we should look into switching off on guard-duty, just so everyone can get a first hand look at everything?

Tomori - But if nothing else, it’s up to you two to look around the school, and find all the evidence, since everyone else is pretty confined to one area.

Tomori - …

Tomori - Good luck, guys…

Taira - Goodbye, Tomori.

Maeda - Bye…

//Tomori turns and goes into Tsurugi’s room, immediately followed by Kobashikawa.

Maeda - …

Taira - …

Maeda - Do you… want to collaborate at all on this, make sure we get everything taken care of?

Taira - We usually don’t- I’m sure everything will be fine.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Okay…

Maeda - I dunno, maybe I just feel nervous because of what just happened with Tsurugi?

Taira - …

Maeda - …

Maeda - Like… 

Taira - …

Maeda - Because he normally handles so much… it’s like- he just knows exactly what’s happened, and he’s not even worried, y’know?

Maeda - …

Taira - …

Maeda - But, uh… I’m sure he’ll be okay, and he’ll just read over the monofiles, and know exactly what happened…

Maeda - …So, like. I shouldn’t even be worried…

Taira - …Hm.

Maeda - …

Maeda - What the fuck does “hm” mean.

Taira - Well, I’m going to start investigating now.

Maeda - Okay- 

Maeda - See you later, Taira.

Taira - …Okay? Bye…

~*~

Maeda, narrating - …

Maeda - …Sorry, I feel a bit weird, uh-

Maeda - Okay… which horror do I want to experience first.

{Go to the Dining Hall}

{Go to Tsurugi’s Dorm}

[canarybell]

Stumbled upon another "Crowley is always the one saving Aziraphale, when will Aziraphale save Crowley for a change?" post.

And my only question was, did I just Imagine these moments or what?....

[zillychu]

Consider this: ghosts are actually exactly what the Fentons think they are.

They're snapshots of a longing so strong, unfinished business so deep it reaches out beyond life. Lingers just a bit longer. And if it happens to meet a dense cloud of ectoplasm (invisible to the naked eye, but omnipresent even in the mortal realm), it coalesces. The ectoplasm fits into the shape of it. Which, when the desire is strong enough, it's got a rough idea of its self-image. This tends to mean a more humanoid figure, though it's more often warped in some way–a self-reflection, skewed by said desire. The warping varies on the dead soul’s perception of themselves, the intensity of their desire, how much time passed after death, and how much ectoplasm was present.

In short… no matter how “normal" a ghost looks or acts, it really, truly isn't human. It's animated ectoplasm with a single goal: an obsession. Nothing else. They're more akin to plants than animals, following a single drive with no emotion. They react to stimuli, recognize threats (including other ghosts), and can even imitate human speech and mannerisms to obtain fulfillment of their obsession.

Not “evil" by any stretch, but they're entirely driven by instinct. A tree doesn't pause to consider the rocks it breaks with its roots. A cordyceps doesn't torture its host for fun, or kill with malice. It just does. It follows code in its DNA to survive and multiply–And ghosts just follow the code in its ectoplasm to fulfill its obsession. The more powerful a ghost, the better it's able to overcome obstacles preventing this–whether through brute force, or manipulation. This power is always directly proportional to the amount of ectoplasm present at the time of formation, and how much time passed since death.

What then, does this mean for Danny? Danny, who's previously come to the conclusion that he's only half-ghost, which surely explains how he retained his mind? His independent thoughts and emotions?

What does this mean for Phantom, who experienced an entire world’s worth of ectoplasm condensed as a singularity, at the exact time of his death? Whose strength only grows and begins to exceed every limit they previously thought possible?

If a ghost was as strong as him… could it mimic a human perfectly? Down to a molecular level?

Could it, in its desire to fill an obsession… trick its own fake mind into thinking it was still human? Or half-ghost?

[coffeehelly]

as much as i love the Angst of "saiki has accidentally killed people before and thats how he knows his powers are lethal" theories, its a comedy manga and its objectively funnier to think that hes just making shit up

[mystery-salad]

The world is safe now.

You tell yourself that as Zhaitan clings to a tower of decay, crumbling beneath its claws as the canons aim true. The shots hit, cheers raise as the dragon topples down. Falling from view through the miasma it created below. No one can hear it hit the ground over the relieved shouts of victory ringing across the airships. But everyone feels it in a resounding rumble that shouldn't have carried through the air like that. The celebrating falters, confusion rising but not fast enough to prepare for what follows. The shockwave hits like nothing you've ever felt. Everything goes dark as the screams begin.

The world is safe now, Orr is not.

You wake up in the rubble as survivors try to make sense of what happened. The dragon is dead, but no one accounted for where all the consumed magic had to go. No one planned for this despite generations of preparation. Perhaps there's a reason for the dragons, you hear murmurs through the tents. But you didn't come this far to call it quits, and one land riddled with a decaying radiation can't stop the mission. The contamination in your blood won't stop you.

The world is safe now. Orr is gone.

Mordremoth stares you down from within his mind. You're like a weed that won't die, small and foreign but resilient and ready to take everything. The odds are against you with the team sent away, you can't face the gaze of the dead like last time. They're safe at a distance, you have to hope they got far enough as you defy the odds and strike another dragon down.

The world is safe, but there's a catch.

Trahearne shudders as your mind returns to your body, as you look around in wonder that there isn't a shockwave like last time. He's so calm as he explains the truth of it, defying how terrified he is of dying, of asking a friend to do this and stand at ground zero once again. But you stand just as calm, picking up the blade and telling him to close his eyes. You hope he'll rest well, wherever his life takes him next. As the blade cuts through, you know it's real as the shockwave begins just like last time. You brace for impact as much as you can.

The world is safe now. The desert is gone.

It's almost tempting to let Balthazar handle the rest, let the god walk a path of destruction to each dragon, sparing yourself further damage. But his path leaves so much unnecessary devastation...so here you are alone with another dragon. Well, not completely alone now. You have Aurene, though you're still not sure if that's truly a blessing any more. The two of you corner Kralkatorrik, the perfect trap laid deep underground in old sunspear ruins.

The world is safe now, until the dragon takes a last stand.

Waking up in wreckage is becoming normal to you. When did that happen, when did the panic vanish? No time to think on it as new plans have to be laid out. You chase him down, you and your dragon, to kill her grandfather and save the world again. Setbacks are numerous. It's harder to work alone on this one, so many soldiers are ready to see it to the end with you. You tell them they don't know what they're asking for and send them away again. Aurene, still a child, fights the dragon's minions nearly overwhelmed as you get to his heart and strike. You've never seen the explosion from inside before. It's so bright.

The world is safe now. The island is gone.

Is it worth it all? It has to be, you tell yourself, as people celebrate your victories in a shrinking world. Refugees who have fled the fallout zones don't seem to agree, but at least they're alive right? And you know you're almost done. Jormag and Primordus, opposites and twins, rise together and somehow feel like childsplay after the last one. Perhaps it's because aurene is an equal to them now. You don't dare to think of the devastation that would be left if she were to die now. Thankfully you don't have to as the siblings tear each other apart.

The world is safe now. The mountains are gone.

No one has seen the final dragon in ages, hidden away deep underwater until you stumble into the truth while chasing a lesser threat. Soo Won was so gentle once, but the void ravages all. It feasts on the magic you released so willingly into the world, your devastations have paved the way for this chaos.

The world is safe now, for the void to reform.

You've survived so much despite the odds, held together by the very magic degrading your bones and poisoning your blood. The void pulls at those strings as it taunts you through the voice of the dragon who started it all. It's the hardest fight you've ever faced. As Aurene pumps you full of power to survive, you wonder if your death would bring destruction too in this moment. But it's left a mystery as Soo Won falls and the void fades. There's a moment of peacefulness you've never felt before, the grandmother hanging on long enough to comfort her granddaughter. But she can't prevent the state of her death. The jade sea shatters beneath your feet as she dies.

The world is safe now. But how much of it is left?

[readlikeido]

dark spines

[beautifulhigh]

Welcome to the next edition of Jen's meta ramblings

I have watched the movie at least once a day since it came out and I kid you not, I see something new every time. The fact that this is Matthew López's first directoral debut is just... I'm in awe. And you can tell how much he loves the story because of the way things like this are set up and played out

In the novel, Henry and Alex are skinny dipping in the lake at night, and so I absolutely got the change in both time of day and also attire. But let's talk about that little island shall we?

No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea

Every single one of us is not meant to be alone, without connection and without a link to someone else. We are parts of a whole and if we lose that... well. It's not good.

Henry is on that island, our prince who belongs to Britain and Henry Fox who thinks he has to belong to himself. The prince is forced into status and circumstance, of appearances and mindless ribbon cuttings. When he does something that means something - like the trip to the cancer ward - then he doesn't do it with cameras. I'd argue he's not the prince there, he's Henry Fox. The man who lost his father to cancer.

But this is not that meta.

Henry has shut himself off, shut himself away. He doesn't date the people he's interested in, he doesn't live his truth (and for very good and valid reasons). He has decided that while Prince Henry belongs to Britain, Henry Fox is an island.

And look who is swimming up to that island. Look who is coming out to Henry, having realised the night before that oh yeah, I do feel forever about him and so Alex swims out to that island.

And the first thing he does? He makes Henry laugh. He is silly and fun and the complete antithesis of the composed and collected Prince of Wales. And then he joins Henry, on his island.

This gorgeous overhead shot shows us that Alex is putting himself on Henry's right (protocol or his good side?) but he's also in the centre of the island. He's not on the edge of it. In the metaphor of Henry Fox's island, Alex is putting himself at the heart of it all. RIght before he lays out his heart to Henry.

The shot that broke our hearts too, along with Henry's. Because we can see the shore in the background now. We're reminded that islands are not - they cannot be fully independent. People cannot be islands and even though Alex is literally and metaphorically planting himself at Henry's side, Henry knows that this island he's formed for himself in his heart and his sense of self cannot stand if Alex is there. If Alex is with him then he is no longer an island. Henry Fox will not belong to himself and the sense of protection and self-preservation we see coming out in the Storming of Kensington is under threat.

So he bails.

The island is submerged, like the mythical Atlantis, because how do you render land useless? Drown it. How do you deal with water? Drain it away. He abandons his island and flees back to the only other space he has left - Kensington Palace - in an attempt to regroup. He drains his life of Alex and what he brings. He has to return to being the Prince of Wales because Henry Fox got too close. Because Henry Fox realised he was being loved by a man who would literally swim out to where he is.

Moment of appreciation for the shot. Matthew, you have a fucking talent and I cannot wait to see what else you do. Because our #imtaller boy looks so small here. So lost. When else have we seen someone look so small and lost?

Oh. Yeah.

When he's curling in on himself in an almost last-ditch attempt to protect himself and his boundaries from what is coming. You can see that he's no longer dry, that Alex's "shower time" has changed him. Alex brought laughter and love and water onto his island and Henry has just realised what this means. This isn't a visitor's visa. This is immigration.

Which is what makes THIS so much more. Back to our boy, drenched from the storm, plaintively asking Henry to talk to him.

Because yes, the Storming of Kensington happens during an actual storm, but by now you know I overead into everything... so once again we have Alex "swimming" out to Henry. He's dived right in and gone are the jokes, gone is the humour. He is here and he is asking to be let in and daring Henry to send him away.

This is Alex, serious and in love and following Henry to whatever landmass he is setting foot on. Henry is trying to be an island and Alex is out here going, "I'll just build another boat you fucker". A true 'ship if you will. He swam out to an island on a lake, he flew to a tiny island across an ocean. He is standing at Henry's borders and he isn't launching an offensive. He's just saying that if Henry wants to be cut off from everything then he needs to do the cutting himself.

Prince Henry felt like he belonged to Britain, Henry Fox felt like he had to belong to himself, and Alex turned up and went "nope. Mine now". (Insert additional historical quip about the English being colonised for once.) But there is still some truth in that: the Prince is part of England, and we should all belong to ourselves even in relationships. Henry just learns that the different parts of him can co-exist. Bit like how water and land can co-exist without one destroying the other.

Henry is Alex's North Star but he's also his solid ground. Insert quip about Alex colonising Henry and claiming him for his own, planting of flag, your innuendo of choice goes here. Pyramus wished there wasn't a wall - Alex straight up scaled Henry's.

There's a divergence between Prince Henry and Henry Fox, but at the heart of them both there's Henry. And this is the man that Alex sees, this is the man that Alex loves. Alex swims out to the island for Henry Fox, Alex pushes through the rain for Prince Henry. Alex holds steady in the storm of talking with King James/Queen Mary and the public.

And it started with Alex literally making his way out to Henry on an island: be that England for the Royal Wedding, a pontoon island on a lake, or knocking down Henry's walls.

To this moment. Which is very hard to grab a screenshot of, but Alex asks Henry to "take a walk" with him. This time it's Henry going to/with Alex. The fact that he's there is one thing (and a rant rather than a meta) but at this point they have each other. They belong to each other. Where one of them goes, the other one follows. Independent, together, co-existing.

Anyway. I'm sure there will be more bullshit ramblings and metas at some point. Follow me if you want more of that (but be warned: blank and empty blogs are blocked on sight) because we are not islands in this metaphorical storm of life. Let us swim out to one another, dry off with one another, and live a life with broken down borders and walls.

ETA: I now have another name to add to the thanks. Stephen Goldblatt, from the bottom of my soul, thank you

[sephirajo]

I know so many people besides me on SSDI who can only eat once a day, if that. Many of them are also on food stamps. When are we going to fuck shit up about this? Or will people keep ignoring it because it's the disabled and we're not worth it to so many of you, even other leftists who are okay throwing us off to die and never discussing just how intense these problems are, and how deadly.

[shoujo-dump]

Shi ni Modori no Mahou Gakkou Seikatsu wo, Moto Koibito to Prologue Kara 

[ivyllamauwu]

Can we get some Elizabeth appreciation? I mean look at her y’all. Not only is she a bad bitch but she’s also beautiful! I literally love her sm🫶🏼😩🔥

[spectral-snippets-and-drabbles]

YOU GUYS STINK!

(Danny 0.3 seconds away before smelling the Heroes he just met.)

So I've been pondering about how ghost have the ability to sense one another out when close enough, but now I've been thinking of something for the living. Fanon has something like this in a few fics, making it how Danny can tell who the Leaguers are in/out of costume by calling it Death Touched.

I offer: The Stench of Death.

When a person comes close to a deadly encounter, the event becomes a smell is akin to the near experience. Say if someone survived a fire? The smell would be close to burning the materials being burnt and the smoke for example.

Think like food and how you can smell all the things that go into the dish.

The more you get into deadly situations, the more smells you can pick up on as well as getting stronger. Ghosts can sense the Touch of Death on the living, but not the Stench. Danny, who is a Half alive, can. If he focuses hard enough, he can pick up the scent and sniff people out like a bloodhound.

Now take the Justice League and all their branches/allies, organizations who fight to stop bag guys and world-ending events every couple of months...their smell is prominent enough for Danny to easily pick it up.

Now enter one Daniel Nightingale who has left Amity for [reason] and in [Hero's City], trying to keep a low profile because heroes exist now, he's retired now after sorting out the business between the ghostly and living worlds, and wants to have as close to a normal life as he possibly can before taking the throne.

But one day, he stops a known rouge that would've caused some serious harm to the populace if someone didn't stop them, gaining their attention. They try to get information on Danny, but there's nothing out of the ordinary on his file, so they decided to do the next best thing; watch him.

The young man is very guarded and observing his surroundings often, so the idea of him being a new meta struggling to handle his newly awakened powers or a new alien on Earth are possible theories.

The only problem is that, when they get they close, he tends to leave the area and head home. It's like this for a while until they realize they haven't seen him in some time now and find out he packed up his things and moved to another town...a different city a Leaguer call their hometurf, so they notify that hero of Danny's presence and the cycle repeats itself a few times before Danny is getting tracked by multiple Leauge members.

The latest Leaguer is trying to keep an eye on Danny without spooking him until Danny gets the jump on them and calls them by their civilian name while peltong them with hygiene products.

[another-dr-another]

hello… turn around maeda!! -iris

Maeda, narrating - ?!

//Maeda bristles at the contact, and turns-

“...Sorry, I need to get by.”

~*~

//-In time to see a figure slip by him, into the bathroom.

Maeda - What-!?

??? - …

//When the silence is broken, it’s a familiar voice.

Uehara - Hi, Maeda.

Maeda - ?!?!

//Maeda turns once again- behind him, the bathroom door clicks shut.

Maeda - Uehara!

Maeda - Jesus- Not- not who I expected to see…

Maeda - Hi- uh-

Maeda - Whuh-

//Maeda stumbles, half-turning, for a moment, trying to work out what’s happening. Finally, he processes what he managed to glimpse.

Maeda - Uehara’s here, so-

Maeda - …Was that Tsurugi?

//A bit of blue, around his eye level, a flash of black the last thing to move past the doorframe-

Uehara - …Nah, it was Higa. 

Uehara - He’s feeling better! No more murder, no more trial, he’s feeling better. He just wanted to go, uh… freshen up. As one does. 

Uehara - Normal things.

Maeda - …

//Higa is still on the floor, very dead.

Maeda - …Cool! Got it, thanks.

Uehara - Mhm. 

//Maeda’s unsure of how to be standing- he shifts a bit more, standing awkwardly in front of the bathroom door.

Tomori - …Uehara?

Uehara - Yesss?

Tomori, quietly - How’s Tsurugi?

Uehara - Ah…

//He pauses for a moment. Maeda resists the urge to glance back towards the bathroom.

Uehara - Mm-

//He rocks his hand, side to side.

Uehara - Fifty-fifty. Think he’s coming back up. 

Uehara - Lot’s of residual pain, but it seems like he’s way better with that now- I’m sure he’ll be fiiine…

Uehara - You were there when Inori treated him in the infirmary that one time- he bounces back like crazy.

Tomori - That’s right… still, I’m glad he’s feeling better.

Maeda - …Do we know what happened?

Uehara - Mm. 

Uehara - I dunno! You’d have to ask him…

Maeda - .

Maeda - What kinda response is that? Did you not ask him, Uehara? What?

Tomori - …Not to ask too much from you both, but… do you guys think you’ll be able to investigate? 

Tomori - I’d get if being here… makes Tsurugi upset, but maybe ask if he’d be up to investigating Iranami? 

Tomori - Maeda’s the only person that’s been able to investigate anywhere- if we can get more people to check one area… 

Uehara - I mean, I don’t know why we couldn’t… but where is everyone?

Tomori - Maki and Ōtori are in the dining hall, guarding Iranami’s body… and Hatano’s there too, but she isn’t in the state to be investigating anything… much less…

Uehara - Ahh…

Maeda - And Taira just kind of… left, without saying anything.

Uehara - …

Uehara - Huh!

Uehara - Well. Who knows what she’s ever up to.

Maeda - …Didn’t Ōtori bring you and Tsurugi some food?

Uehara - …Yeah? I didn’t want to stop him and ask him about what was going on, though. Just took the oatmeal and closed the door-

Uehara - Ah, fuck. Not in a rude way, though. That makes it sound mean. He seemed busy. I was busy. You know.

Uehara - I dunno. A social hour sounds fun right now! Let’s do that instead, yeah? Better than sitting around, staring at dead bodies…

Uehara - Let’s all just fuck around… I’m sure Tsu already knows what happened, he’ll solve it for everyone if we can’t…

Tomori - …

Tomori - God- another case where Tsurugi gets fucked up right around when the murder’s happening, huh?…

Uehara - He was right, I guess- he needs to get whacked around a bit, or else he’s too over-powered…

Uehara - He’d be too cool!

Uehara - …Toooo cool~..

Uehara - For this fuck-ass murder school~

Uehara - Heh.

Maeda - …

Maeda - It’s true… Tsurugi usually knows who the blackened is before we start investigating. 

Maeda - I don’t know. I wouldn’t mind if he used 1% of his power and got us out of here.

Uehara - Yeah, but I don’t think the mastermind would let that happen… if they couldn’t debuff him, they wouldn’t have put him on the roster!

Uehara - …

Uehara - I don’t play a lot of video games, by the way. I just want to clarify that.

Uehara - Oh- Tsurugi does, though. 

//Again, something catches Maeda’s attention- the bathroom door, now opening.

Uehara - !

Tsurugi - …

//He looks… unwell. 

Maeda - …

//This is true of every student, though.

Tsurugi - …Hiya, Maeda!

//Maeda looks at him a bit closer. Tsurugi’is eyes seem tinted, the skin around them a bit puffy. It’s a bit familiar, so Maeda focuses his attention to Tsurugi’s cheeks, still slightly flushed- and yes, still sporting some dried tear tracks. But he keeps the nostalgia going- already, he’s brightening up.

Tsurugi - Sorry, I don’t know why I closed the door-

//He freezes,

Tsurugi - That’s a lie, actually. None of you wear contacts, right?

//Then dramatically raises a hand to his head.

Tsurugi - You don’t know what a deeply personal process it is… I needed privacy! 

Tsurugi - Give me privacy or give me death…

Tsurugi - Mmm… our chains are forged, why stand we here idle?

Uehara - Tsu.

Tsurugi - ?

Uehara - I like your glasses.

Tsurugi - …I will go take my contacts out-

Uehara - -Don’t do that,

Tomori - Tsurugi-

Tsurugi - -Joking!

Maeda - How did Tsurugi’s glasses stay on when he was writhing around earlier?

Maeda - Not going to ask that.

Tsurugi - …

Uehara - …

Tomori - …

Maeda - …

Maeda - Sleep well last night?

Maeda - What the fuck is wrong with me.

Tsurugi - …?

Tsurugi - Pretty well, I guess. I dunno! Forgot to ask myself.

Tsurugi - …

//He tilts his head, and stares at Maeda.

Tsurugi - …Well, at least you’ve slept better than your worst nights.

Maeda - What.

Tsurugi - …You asked because I typically comment when you have nightmares, right?-

Tsurugi - Oh, we should’ve tried getting you weighted things! Or like… scented stuff-

Tsurugi - Those can work really well if you’re distressed.

Tsurugi - Mm. I’ll look for stuff for you in the store, later- if I remember, because I might forget, that’s a really viable ending-

Maeda - …I- just felt like exchanging pleasantries.

Tsurugi - …Oh. Well.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi, loudly - How did everyone sleep last night!?!

Uehara - Perfect. Loved it. No complaints here…

Tomori - …I was good.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - You people are in my way.

//Tsurugi hops, skips, and jumps, until he’s between Uehara and Tomori.

Tsurugi - …Kobashikawa?

//Maeda tilts a bit to see- across the room, Kobashikawa perks up.

Tsurugi - Do you want to run to your room, in a minute?

Kobashikawa - …?

Tsurugi - Wait, no, first-

Tsurugi - You sleep well?

//Kobashikawa nods.

Tsurugi - Cool.

Tsurugi - Anyways… I’m not saying you should go get dressed, because that’s not a priority.

Tsurugi - Now that Uehara and I are here, our numbers aren’t stretched so thin, but there’s still two crime scenes…

Tsurugi - So, you know. I’m okay with showing up to a trial in pajamas, I don’t give a care, and I’m going to be not-compassionate, and say that the matter of pajamas isn’t important.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - But. 

Tsurugi - …

Kobashikawa - …?

Tsurugi - Uehara and I can guard for a second, if you would like to go to your room…

Tsurugi - So you can go and maybe go do one or two things to make sure you feel ready-set to go stand in a room with everyone for a few hours? 

Kobashikawa - …Oh- yeah that’s- I’d appreciate that. 

Maeda - …Huh?

//Kobashikawa shifts a bit, adjusting the blankets around himself.

Maeda - Oh- I didn’t even think about that… it makes sense it’d be more on Tsurugi’s mind than mine, but still…

Tsurugi - Cool!

Tsurugi - You don’t need to leave right away, though.

Tsurugi - …Not that there’s anything else to do.

Tsurugi - I dunno. We could haaang… we could not investigate… we could do other things, that are more fun…

Uehara - See? Tsurugi and I are totally on the same wavelength.

Maeda - Sure that he didn’t hear you through the bathroom door?

Tsurugi - ?

Tsurugi - Don’t have my hearing aid on. What happened earlier?

Uehara - I suggested we all just fuck around, cuz we probably don’t need to investigate…

Uehara - You’ve rubbed off on me, I’m all smart now.

Tsurugi - Theft of intellectual property, stole my ideas, going to jail for fifteen years.

Uehara - Aw…

Tomori - God, Uehara, you need to stop using those psychic abilities of yours for evil…

Uehara - But it’s sooo fun to voice Tsurugi’s ideas before he can!

Tsurugi - If you ask super nicely, I won’t press charges.

Uehara - Please <3.

Maeda - …Like you could hear the heart when he said that.

Tsurugi - Right?

Uehara - Did it work…

Tsurugi - Emotional manipulation, ten years jailtime.

Uehara - In addition, or?

//Tsurugi shrugs.

Tsurugi - I’m only the judge, not the jury.

Uehara - Ah…

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - Tsurugi, are you feeling alright?

Maeda - When he says it, he sounds normal. Like a normal person who’s concerned for their friend.

Tsurugi - Ohhh…

Tsurugi - Mhm! 

Tsurugi - I don’t have cells anymore- that’s what that process was earlier. I was evolving, and now I don’t have cells, so I don’t have nerve endings, so I feel perfect.

Kobashikawa - …

Tsurugi - Uhm… no. I feel fine! My head feels weird, but I think I need to drink some water. I’m okay. The universe just needed to knock me down a peg earlier.

Tomori - Oh my god…

Uehara - Hell yeah!

Tsurugi - ?

Kobashikawa - …Exactly what Uehara said earlier.

Tsurugi - His crimes don’t end. 

Tsurugi - …It’s okay though. I’ll forgive him…

Maeda - ?

Tsurugi - ! Cuz I’m soooo nice…

//Tsurugi grabs a bottle of water from one of his shelves, and starts drinking.

Maeda - …

Tomori - …

Uehara - …

//Uehara goes to stand next to Tsurugi.

Tomori - …Kobashikawa, do you want to go get changed now?

Kobashikawa - I don’t see any reason to wait… I’ll be back, and you two can go investigate, okay?

Maeda - …Oh!

Tsurugi - ?

Maeda - I was wondering why you both had to stay- like, maybe one of you could go investigate in the dining hall?

Maeda - But, actually, would you both stay?

Maeda - I need to go to the dining hall, real quickly.

Uehara - Yeah, sure- but why do you need to go there?

Maeda - …

Maeda - I found Iranami’s hair ribbon…

Maeda - …It must’ve come undone from Hatano’s hair while she was sleeping last night. I… I figured Hatano would want to have it.

Maeda - …I forgot, I only showed this to Kobashikawa.

//The other three students all have their varying responses. Uehara looks almost surprised, while Tsurugi’s gaze has gone soft, and Tomori seems… almost distraught.

Tsurugi - …Oh.

Tsurugi, gently - Yeah, Maeda, go get that to her.

//Maeda nods.

Tomori - …

Tomori - I missed you, Tsurugi…

Tsurugi - I missed you tooo…

Kobashikawa - …I’ll be back, so you both can go investigate.

Tsurugi - Mmm…

//Uehara glances at Tsurugi, who seems to sense it, as he looks up at Uehara.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - You’ve both got missions to go do! Go go space cadets! Save the solar system!

Tsurugi - We’ll all chat more later- we could play Uno again?

Kobashikawa - Or we could investigate.

Tsurugi - Or we could be lame, yeah.

Tsurugi - Teasing. We’ll investigate…

Tsurugi - Once the guards are back and ready, though! So go leave, so you can come back! 

//Kobashikawa waves, before heading through the door. Maeda follows after.

Maeda - …See you in a few?

Kobashikawa - Mhm…

Maeda - …

~*~

Maeda, narrating - …Not that we need three guards in there-

Maeda - Oh, maybe one will guard, and the other will investigate?

Maeda - …God, this whole thing sounds dumb. Isn’t this all just tiring…

Maeda - Of course, the fact anyone would kill is insane- but, just… isn’t everyone tired? I’m tired. I’m sick of this.

Maeda - I get Tsurugi wants us to learn how to solve trials, but really, I just want him to tell us who to vote for. I won’t ask, I’ll just push the button.

Maeda - …

Maeda - I should probably be planning what I want to say to Hatano.

{Go to the Dining Hall}

[rotationalsymmetry]

Imagine being Orion in A Deadly Education.

People are mostly not that interesting to you. They don't like you so much as they like what you can do. Maybe at some point you tried to really connect with someone, and it didn't go that well, so you didn't keep trying. Fighting mals though? You're good at that. It makes sense to you, unlike most of the things people do. It's rewarding -- intrinsically rewarding -- and people seem to be happy that you're doing it? Because they don't like doing it but it benefits them. So, basically no downside.

And you go off to school and it's full of mals, and people think you're great because you fight the mals, and you ignore them as best you can when you're not fighting mals for them. (You're polite, your mother always wanted you to be polite and you don't want people to be mad at you. But you don't do anything beyond being polite.) And people seem to think you're doing a good thing. So. It's ok. It's good enough. The world makes sense, more or less. This is what you're for.

And one day you see a soul eater go under another student's door, and you destroy it like you always do. Except this person is mad at you. Which makes no sense. No one's ever been mad at you before, not for fighting mals. So apparently you did something wrong even though you only did what you always do which has always been right before. But you guess you should probably make it up to her? So when she says she needs to go to the shop at dinner you offer to go with her, why not?

Except somehow she's mad at you again. So you have to make it up to her even more now, you guess?

(You don't like it when people are mad at you, but you know what to do when people are mad at you. You Make It Up To Them, usually by doing whatever they tell you to or fighting a mal or both, and then they stop being mad at you. You prefer to understand why they are mad at you, but most of the time it makes no sense, and you know what to do when it makes no sense to you why someone is mad at you.)

So you guard her door while she fixes it. Which takes her a weirdly long time. You've just taken down several mimics, you're bursting with mana, you'd give her some if she asked. Mana has never been a scarce resource for you; on some level it hasn't really occurred to you that it could be a scarce resource for anyone else. People aren't that interesting to you, you don't think about them much, except when someone tells you to, like your mother making you do flash cards of other kids' names. But she doesn't ask, and she doesn't cheat either, she does things the long and hard way, which makes a third thing all coming from the same person that doesn't mesh with your pre-existing worldview. She's fascinating.

And then she pulls on your mana like it's nothing and she's even more fascinating. How did she do that? Is she a malificer? (Is that why she keeps being so mean to you, when nobody is ever mean to you?) What's going on?

And you've never voluntarily fought alongside anyone else before, but she's good to fight with. She's annoying, but she does also point out things you missed or didn't know.

And she stands up for you, in a way that nobody has ever stood up for you before. She's not nice. She's the opposite of nice. But it's starting to dawn on you that being nice is not the same as something else that seems like it should go with being nice. And if El is not nice to you but is that other thing, maybe some other people who are nice to you are...not that other thing to you?

It's a lot to think about.

Anyways. You like her. You're not very interested in people. But you are interested in El.

And then you have the best day of your life, when you've gotten to take on more mals and scarier mals than you've ever taken on before, and you did it and you were good at it, and you kind of didn't want to leave but you were supposed to leave because that was how the Mission worked, and then you were about to die because you missed the bell and the cleansing fires had started and there was nowhere to go, but at least you were going to die next to El.

But she didn't think she was going to die, and she cast a wall of mortal flame (who does that?) and it worked as a firebreak and you didn't die and no one had ever saved you before. That wasn't how the world worked. Who was this person who kept breaking the rules of how the world worked like they didn't even apply to her?

(And then you look around and she isn't there and you kissed her earlier when you thought you were both going to die, and she, uh, didn't react well and oh no, what if you've ruined everything what if you like her but she doesn't like you like that what if she won't want to be around you any more? What if the one interesting person in the entire world doesn't think you are interesting?) (it'd be ok, right? It was ok before.) (it wouldn't be ok. So maybe it wasn't ok before either.)

[cryptiduni]

i love it when sad middle aged men are shaped like a wet sad puppy

[inthedarktrees]

Allegra Kent in Balancine’s production of The Seven Deadly Sins

Gordon Parks, “The Master of Ballet,“ Life, Dec 22, 1958

[s1x-foot-deep]

i hope this hurts to look at, either physically or psychologically. <3