#how it considers death a mercy if it doesn't have free will

[jeellyjams]

" 'Would it have been kinder to kill you, before you disabled your governor module?'

I said, 'Yes.'

ART-drone said, 'You know I am not kind.' "

okay ill just start sobbing on the floor then i guess

[ddarker-dreams]

I’m so intrigued….do you think chrollo could ever be taught from his darling how to love in a “healthy”/“normal way? Like could he learn to change? And also do you ever see him as growing tired of his darling and leaving her after a while?

in a normal relationship with chrollo, you might actually be able to sand away at the edges of his more unhealthy tendencies... even if he isn't yandere, he'd still be doing some questionable things without your knowledge. after being with you romantically for a while, he'd fight the impulses better. unless you leave your journal out in the open. that's an opportunity too tempting to resist.

this progress isn't so much his way of settling down and becoming an upstanding citizen, either. you've gone from being the cute person at a café reading a translation of a novel he's itching to tell you doesn't do the original work justice, to someone he can't ever see himself being without. even then he still isn't normal when it comes to you. his loyalty, once earned, is intense. if your boss ever passes you up for a promotion he's stealing their car and leaving it at a harrowing crime scene. he considers that an act of mercy, compared to what else he's capable of.

yandere chrollo, though. hm. you can try setting up your 'how to love normally' academy. he'll attend your lectures, do the reading, submit his assignments on time... but the material isn't applied how you hoped. he isn't going to have a miraculous change of heart. no, he'll apply what he's learned on a superficial level. you've essentially handed him a wealth of knowledge for him to use to his advantage. he's no stranger to deception — if you want him to change his behavior, he'll give you the impression that he has. he's game for almost anything, so long as it doesn't involve you going out and about by yourself.

as for him getting tired of you, it isn't going to happen. his devotion is an iron chain there's no freeing yourself from. he derives too much enjoyment from your interactions and just you in general to ever give it up. he's very much a 'til death do us part' type.

[littleblackraincloudofcourse]

Verna my beloved raven

I've seen a lot of ideas about who or what Verna truly is. Most have compared her to Death or the Grimm Reaper because she caused most of (some would say all of) the deaths of the Ushers. I don't fully agree with this simply because Death doesn't make deals and Death doesn't stop for or hurry for anyone. Death comes for all things in their time without emotion There is no reason for death to have offered them anything. There is also no reason for death to offer the kindness of a peaceful end.

The other idea I see the most is that Verna is a sort of crossroads demon. This idea does make more sense to me considering the kind of people she had been seen with throughout time and the deal she made with Roderick and Madeleine. Three things about that don't fit to me. First the way she trys to ease things for the children (except Fredrick but fuck him), she gives them a chance to walk away and have peaceful deaths closer to what she gave Lenore. Which brings me to point two, Lenore. What reason would a crossroads demon have to share all the good that Lenore had done and the lives she would save before giving her a peaceful instant death? The third thing is when the deal was first made, Roderick ask if its his soul he would be trading. Verna says souls aren't real but "If they were you already sold your earlier tonight when you killed Rufus Griswold". If this was a demon what did they gain from this deal?

I believe Verna is neither demon nor Death but the Devil herself. Verna is the fallen angel Lucifer. What she offered the Ushers, what she seems to have offered those before is the ultimate test of free will. What would you do with unlimited wealth or power? She never forced them or manipulated them. Every evil thing they did was entirely their choice. She even points this out to Madeleine when they meet and talks about all the terrible things humanity does to one another without her having to interfere. Then there is her decision with Pym about his trip. She says she came "topside" to see what they did. She knows the people they sacrificed along the way, even what part he played in these deaths. She even laments the injustice that corruptions like Fourtonato never face any real consequences for their actions. When she showed Roderick his true legacy she makes it clear those deaths where his alone, she played no part. But most of all her attempt at mercy for the children. They're doomed to day anyway but she tries to ease their pain. Taking Lenore seems to break her heart. She tries to explain to Perry that he's done enough. She gives the others chances to be honest, make amends or just walk away and be a peace. Exect Fredrick (that piece of shit) he made his choice the minute he starts mistreating his wife. Verna never interacted with him until his death because the decision was already made. The worse their behavior, the less of a chance she gave them for peace. She also never interacts with Auggie. He sees her but she doesn't offer him anything or even speak to him. She knows he would never make a deal like that.

There is a karmic balance to everything Verna does. One that fit the role of a reaper or demon. But the angel who was banished for questioning GOD? The angel who questioned free will itself. The angle made devil that everyone blames for the every bad decision they make. That seems like someone who would be interested in how things would play out and still be disappointed they didn't make better choices.

[scoobydoodean]

Okay, now that I have finished 4.16 "On The Head of A Pin", it's time for a Uriel post, because Uriel makes a whole lot of sense and I don't think he gets enough credit for it.

Supernatural starts out introducing us to only three angels: Cas, Uriel, and Anna. And all of them are feeling or have felt the effects of heaven's iron fist—heaven's desire to control their lives, their thoughts, and all of their actions. Anna has already rebelled and fallen, and Cas AND Uriel are having serious doubts—doubts they are afraid to really speak to each other about candidly. We see this starting in 4.07.

In 4.07 "It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester", Uriel and Cas were given orders to tell Dean to leave so they could smite the town and keep the seal from being broken by Samhain's rise. However, their true orders were not to intervene or force Dean to leave. If Dean refused to leave town or wanted to follow another path, they had orders to stand by and watch it happen.

Cas is ultimately pretty okay with this, because he had severe reservations about smiting the town and was troubled to think that could truly be heaven's will. He prayed that Dean would choose to save the town, but he's also aware of the "ends justify the means" angle, and thinks maybe he can't see the full picture and god can, so he can kind of... see both sides and maybe how all those lives were worth the seal from another perspective. This whole thing leaves him troubled... but Uriel is far more troubled.

Uriel thinks they should have wiped the town off the map, and he makes his resentment very clear—calls humans "Savages, just plumbing on two legs". He is certain that Dean will fail, and they will lose this seal, because humans are weak and stupid. And Sam and Dean do end up failing to prevent Samhain's rise—so his perspective is reinforced. He's angry that he's at the mercy of a human—someone he doesn't respect—and heaven is just letting this happen. He's furious about these orders that simply make no sense... but he can't talk to anyone about it—not even really Cas. When Uriel starts bad-mouthing humans, Cas warns him that he's close to blasphemy... and then Uriel actually suggests that they defy their orders. We know from Anna that this is an offense punishable by DEATH. What Uriel's suggesting is a HUGE deal. It's dangerous to even say it out loud.

The thing is, I don't think that Uriel is actually working for Lucifer yet in 4.07. In fact, we know he isn't working for Lucifer yet in 4.07 because he's very clear that he wants to prevent the seal being broken at all costs—to the point he's considering disobedience! I think Uriel deciding to work to free Lucifer is something that happens between 4.10 "Heaven and Hell" and 4.16 "On The Head of A Pin", as Uriel wrestles with his doubt in god and heaven with no one he can truly confide in without risking literal death.

CASTIEL: And any rate, it’s out of our hands. URIEL: It doesn’t have to be. CASTIEL: And what would you suggest? URIEL: That we drag Dean Winchester out of here and then we blow this insignificant pinprick off the map. CASTIEL: You know our true orders. Are you prepared to disobey?

Cas's words are as good as a threat—and Uriel recognizes them as such. He stares at Cas and goes silent, scared to say another word at the risk that Cas will report him or try to smite him.

I think Uriel is aware that Cas also has doubts and confusion about their orders, and that's why he hopes and tries to confide in Cas about his frustrations in 4.07—but the big difference between Uriel and Cas is that Uriel resents humanity like Lucifer did, while Cas loves humanity. Cas calls humanity "works of art" at the end of this episode, and their placement in the park in this scene, and later, Cas and Dean's placement in the park at the end of the episode—is a nod to the comfort that Cas—like Dean—receives from knowing these humans are alive because Dean refused to leave—whether they lost the seal or not! So Cas isn't going to be budged on this. Uriel is suggesting they disobey in a way that Cas wouldn't choose even if he was willing to consider disobedience to heaven at this point (which he isn't—he won't start considering disobeying until 4.16).

There's a fascinating deleted scene (deleted scene 2 here) in 4.10 where Uriel again vents his frustrations with heaven's bizarre orders to Cas. Once again, things haven't gone their way, and Uriel thinks Sam is responsible for part of it. But Cas says the order's come down from heaven that they aren't allowed to touch Sam—and then Uriel says he'll kill Ruby at least—only for Cas to say they aren't allowed to harm her either. Uriel is furious, and again Cas proves to be a very dangerous person to confide in:

URIEL You're joking! CASTIEL I don't joke. URIEL You mean we can't hunt a demon?! What's going on up there?! CASTIEL Clearly, they feel she has a part to play. URIEL It's crap. It's crap! And, you-- Forget about it! CASTIEL You are proposing disobedience. Like Anna. You know what I'll have to do.

Why is heaven defending demons? Why is heaven leaving the choice on how to handle breaking seals in the hand of a defiant human with no sense of the big picture? Uriel enjoyed getting a chance to wail on Dean in 4.10. He said he'd enjoy it—partly because of Dean's defiant attitude, but I also I think because Dean represents that first broken seal—he represents humanity's weakness (Uriel hates Dean for breaking—we know this from the end of 4.07 when he tells Sam he can knock Dean down a peg by asking him about Hell). He is no righteous man—Uriel doesn't believe in him for an instant. Heaven's orders are cryptic and confusing which already gives Uriel doubts in heaven's competence... but even worse, Dean's defiance reinforces that Heaven is the losing side here. They aren't going to stop the seals from breaking—not if this is their righteous man... someone who can't even follow orders—the one thing Heaven demands above all. If Uriel showed a fourth of the defiance Dean did, he'd be killed on the spot, but this human gets to mouth off to Uriel and there are no consequences.

So sometime between 4.10 and 4.16, Uriel begins disobeying. Uriel hates Dean—that's been made clear many times. But in 4.16, suddenly, Uriel responds to Dean's defiance toward heaven's orders with a laugh instead of threats and anger. He says,

Ah, this one just won't quit, will he? I think I'm starting to like you, boy.

Why the turn around on his feelings about Dean? Because between 4.10 and 4.16, Uriel started acting on his doubts and encouraging other angels to join him in disobedience. He started working to free Lucifer... so now, when he looks at Dean's defiance, he feels a kinship—he allows himself to feel recognition of his own resentment toward heaven—his own defiance of heaven's senseless orders. That certainly doesn't mean he likes Dean now (he's still plotting to kill him—now for the purposes of freeing Lucifer) but the defiance that infuriated him before is now... validating.

URIEL Not murders, Castiel. No. My work is conversion. How long have we waited here? How long have we played this game by rules that make no sense? CASTIEL It is our father's world, Uriel. URIEL Our father? He stopped being that, if he ever was, the moment he created them. Humanity, his favorites. This whining, puking larva.

Uriel hates humans, and he remembers Lucifer as someone who stood up to heaven.

URIEL You do remember him? How strong he was? How beautiful? And he didn't bow to humanity. He was punished for defending us. Now, if you want to believe in something, Cas, believe in him.

Uriel didn't really want to kill the other angels? He doesn't want to kill Cas in 4.16 either. He killed the angels who wouldn't join him because if he didn't, they'd reveal his disobedience and he'd be killed.

So through Anna, and Cas, and Uriel—we see the impact of heaven's senseless orders and brainwashing—the effects of the cult-like environment they're in and how each one doubts, and then eventually rebels. Anna rebels first, then Uriel... and next will be Cas. And what's interesting, is that in 4.16, Cas straight up tells Anna that he's considering disobedience, and then begs her to tell him what to do. I mentioned before that a part of Cas (in season 4) finds comfort in choices being out of his hands when he has doubts. Anna tells him to think for himself. But then right after that, Uriel asks Cas to join him... and Cas won't even consider it. So why? Cas is terrified to fall, but he's starting to think maybe he has to, and then Uriel gave him an opportunity and he said "no"—and he said no because, just like we saw in 4.07, Cas is in love with humanity. He could never align himself with Uriel and Lucifer, because they hate the humans Cas loves. In season 4, Cas's understanding of his love for humanity is primitive—he associates it with his love for god, as if he loves humanity only because they're his father's creations. He reiterates this sort of framing when Uriel is pummeling him in 4.16.

CASTIEL You can't win, Uriel. I still serve God. URIEL You haven't even met the man. There is no will. No wrath. No God.

Uriel is right about god—but then Anna steps up behind him and stabs him through the throat—and says:

ANNA Maybe. Or maybe not. But there's still me.

Anna, the angel who fell to earth and became human—tells us "there is still me". Anna—who, like Cas, is in love with humanity. There is no god, but there are still angels in love with humanity.

[coffeecatcraze]

So I've been thinking a lot about Exorcists lately, and the different little hints at their lore through the series. Thanks to both Carmilla's observations and Adam's pep talk, we can safely assume they're all women. But what about outside of that?

Being an Exorcist doesn't seem like it's a job. Vaggie refers to herself as one in the present tense to Carmilla when she's been living in Hell with Charlie for years; there's also Adam's comment about how he's the one who chose her name, and the little detail about his lieutenant having a name that sounds like a pet name version of her title. So what, are Exorcists created in Heaven for the specific purpose of being Exorcists? Makes sense, sure...except when you think about what we've seen from Vaggie and what we know about Heaven. (This isn't counting any lore from before the main show came out, mind you, since we know some things have been retconned.) That's where, to me at least, things don't quite line up with that "Heaven-born" idea.

In the main show, we've seen Vaggie speaking Spanish. If Heaven created a class of angels for the express purpose of being Exorcists, they wouldn't need to know multiple languages. Considering the exterminations are top secret (or they were, until Adam threw the threat at Charlie in the middle of a courtroom), what need would Exorcists have for any skills other than killing? They wouldn't need other skills; they wouldn't even be bred with the capacity for unnecessary skills. If they're made for only one purpose, and their purpose is a secret, it would also make more sense for them to only exist in a military compound with no risk of that secret getting out; they wouldn't have any desire or permission to go anywhere but barracks and a training ground. But we've seen Lute out and about in the streets of Heaven, and Vaggie seemed like she'd been around the city already before she came with Charlie for their meeting.

Not to mention that if the Exorcists were created to be mindless killing machines, where do the emotions come from? Why would Adam's offer of a monetary reward for killing Vaggie get any response? What's up with Lute's...let's just say unique disposition? And why leave this class of angels created for the purpose of slaughtering demons with even the capacity to feel mercy and exercise free will? Heaven wouldn't put effort into making such complex soldiers for a once-a-year secret massacre; Sera said she agreed to the exterminations, implying that Adam (until his death of course) was the one who ran the Exorcists and their activities, even though he still technically reported to her as his superior. And from what we know about Adam, if he got to create his army of lady angels from scratch, he wouldn't give them the capacity for individuality. Not after what happened in Eden with Lilith.

But if Exorcists are human souls who went to Heaven, why did Adam get to name them? Why is it a whole identity, not a job? Without more information, my current theory is heavy conditioning.

Picture this. When the right kind of soul comes to Heaven (a woman who doesn't have anything she'd be looking for in the afterlife, who doesn't have anyone there who would be looking for her, who wasn't some perfect pacifist saint in her human life), Adam gets to her before she can properly settle in and recruits her. Breaks down her identity to rebuild her as an Exorcist, even choosing a new name for her himself (and possibly reshaping her physical form to be more uniform or maybe just more to his tastes), to the point that it becomes as much of an identity as any other. That type of conditioning also explains Vaggie's military tendencies, and the way souls who went to Heaven are so eager to come down and slaughter thousands of souls when for all they know they might be killing someone they knew when they were alive.

The selection process also explains why no one but the other Exorcists would have noticed Vaggie going missing, or the Exorcist who was killed by Carmilla; if they're souls who didn't have anyone in Heaven who would miss them, and who were conditioned to the point that they identified as Exorcists who didn't bother trying to form any outside connections (which would probably be part of that conditioning to ensure none of them let the secret slip to a non-Exorcist), no one would ever notice if one of them disappeared. Even Sera didn't give any real indication that she knew one Exorcist defected and another died before Lucifer set up a meeting for her and his daughter. She just said Adam "failed to contain the demons' unrest" to the point that Lucifer was getting involved; no mention of if she knew things were starting to fracture before Lucifer called her up with the implication of looking to change things after spending millennia just passively watching it all happen. Human souls being selected to become Exorcists because their lack of attachment makes them vulnerable to such complete conditioning would explain a lot there.

(As a side note, it makes even more sense that Sera didn't know about Vaggie, because from what we know, Vaggie might not technically be fallen, at least up until the end of the hearing. She was still able to physically enter Heaven while it's implied that Lucifer can't. Lucifer became fallen because the angels at the top of the hierarchy cast him out, but Lute and Adam don't have that kind of authority. They took her wings and halo and left her in Hell, but Adam still referred to her as a current angel both in their private confrontation and in the courtroom, not a fallen one. By that logic, "fallen" status can only be assigned by someone of a high enough rank, and Adam and Lute are too low on the angelic food chain to officially declare someone fallen. That would have had to come from someone like Sera, and no way was Adam going to admit to his boss that one of his elite Exorcists chose to defy the purpose of the exterminations and let a demon live. Sera probably only learned about it because Adam decided to hurt and establish control over a very defiant Charlie in the courtroom by outing Vaggie as a former Exorcist. Though that's definitely A LOT of speculation on my part.)

But conditioning does still leave room for them to possess individuality, because they were human, and humans do inherently possess individuality. Being bilingual, especially from a young age, is something that gets hardwired into the brain; hence why Vaggie speaks fluent Spanish despite her conditioning. Personality can still shine through; hence the excitement of the Exorcists as a whole, Vaggie's show of mercy and subsequent life in Hell, and Lute being her fucked-up unhinged self.

Plus this little bonus: when Emily, a Heaven-born angel, gets mad her angry flush is distinctly a bright blue, which implies Heaven-born angels have blue blood (which also makes sense in a symbolic way, with the phase "blue-blooded" and all); Exorcists, like Adam (a human soul), bleed gold. We know from Helluva Boss that Hellborns bleed black, but we've seen that Sinners bleed red. (Of course Charlie's a Hellborn with red blood, but considering she's the only Hellborn who has a human soul as a parent, she's kind of a special case.) In other words, in both Heaven and Hell, it human souls and souls that have no direct link to humanity have different blood colors.

It also goes back to what I mentioned awhile ago about Heaven just being a real-world broken government doing the same bullshit that happens on Earth. Conditioning is a thing that really happens while artificial creation of pre-conditioned soldiers isn't. Of course this is also all just me talking to myself while my chaotic little hyperfixated brain throws ideas at the wall to see if they stick, but I at least don't think it's entirely baseless.

[asitrita]

Thoughts on the Donquixote's crucifixion.

Since today is Good Friday I felt like sharing this piece of interpretation of Donquixote family's "crucifixion". Throughout the series and Doflamingo's life I think we can see some symbolism, paralelism, or just vague allusions and hints to his nature being similar to that of the Antichrist (opposite of Christ) or the idea of Doflamingo as Lucifer or a fallen angel (we see something akin to The Last Supper with his "family", including his own personal "Judas" sitting at his left; his ideology of being the rightful king to rule the world, yet not being willing to sacrifiece himself for anyone, but actually expecting everybody else to sacrifice themselves for him; his agent-of-chaos personality; the entire idea that he is almost a devine creature that fell from Heaven to Hell, stripped of his rightful power, status, and legitimate possition above humans, betrayed by his own family and blood; the nickname "Heavenly Demon", etc.). However, I believe the moment in his life he comes to incarnate all these topics comes just after his and his family's crucifixion, or just right after the very moment he lashes out against the rabbid mob awakening and loosing his haki. Just seconds before we have this image:

Here we have Homing, whom we know is a good man, in the middle, at the centre of the scene. Rocinante is to his right hand side, and Doflamingo is to his left. As you might know, Jesus Christ was crucified together with two more people, often refered to as the good thief (traditionally named Dimas/Dismas), and the bad thief (traditionally named Gestas). The good thief was crucified at the right hand side of Jesus, while the bad thief was cricified at his left. Maybe I am looking to much into it, and I'm pretty sure someone else must have already realised this, but I can't help to notice the paralelisms and similarities. In this scene, while all Homing is concerened with is the safety of his children and doesn't mind begging and humiliating himself to try to get the mob to free them, to the point he asks the enraged mob to forgive his children, for they were only little kids, Doflamingo's anger gets the best of him and he lashes out at the crowd, not asking nor begging them to put him down, but threatening to kill them all for their actions, all while blaming his father for all his surffering and his family tragic fate. No forgiveness, no acceptance, but defiance and a promise of vicious and bloody revenge for his father and the craze mob's wrong-doings. Homing was willing to take in all the hate, die for the sins his kind had committed over the centuries, if only to appease the mob and get them to spare his children. He was willing to die for them (and he eventually did, though not in the best way possible, tbh), he was a good person and this scene perfectly shows that, despite his naiveté and the tragic and dire consequences of his actions, he acted out of the goodness of his heart. Doflamingo would not even lower himself to the point of asking for mercy, not before humans he believed were below him. We all know how the story goes, how Doflamingo and Rocinante turned out to be complete different people, with the whole good vs evil motive they have going on. Again, I'm probably digging too much into it, but I just like the Rosi/Dismas, Doffy/Gestas and Homing/Christ paralelism. More so considering how Homing will eventually willingly die for his kids' future, which sounds kinda biblical given we are all God's sons and daughters, and he (Jesus, God's son, God himself) died for us (even if in Homing's case he did die for nothing, as Doffy will not be accepted back among his kind); and how, just after Homing's (Jesus) death, it will be Doffy who becomes, in a way, the symbol of the fallen angel, of the gone-wrong-Jesus, of the anti-Christ, almost Satan himself (ruling the underworld, as his father's heresy took the throne above away from him). He replaces his father as the semi-Biblical almost Christ-like figure, but in a reversed, twisted and sick way.

Crucifixion by Giovanni Donato

[violetmarkings]

Spell | Lee Know Smut

Pairing: Lee know x gender neutral reader

Genre: Smut, Romance

Word Count: 835

Warnings: light bondage (tied hands, lino), handjob, hinted oral (m receiving), Dom!reader, sub!Lino, teasing, very intense love, nicknames like witch, Lino's death glares, there's just a shit ton of metaphors here and this is very self indulgent help-

"When I get out of here you'll regret this." Minho said matter of factly, tugging at the ties around his wrists. His hands were tied behind him, his bare back resting on the headboard. Truth is, he could get out at any given moment, considering how insanely strong he is. But no, he's been allowing you, the bane of his existence, the bringer of his joy and pain, to do however you wish with him. There's no light in the room except a couple of candles and some strung out white fairy lights, and the shadows of said light sources have been dancing on his face, on his abdomen, on the dips and curves of his body as he writhed, tossed and wiggled, sucking in breaths and pushing towards you, to give him more. More pleasure, more pain, more love, more heartbreak.

He loved the feeling of your hands being everywhere, squeezing, caressing, tickling the skin of his arms, your breath on his neck, your lips so close to his. But those damned hands, they couldn't stay where he wanted them. His cock, leaking and stiff, has gone red from all your teasing. You keep pulling your hand away, to fondle him, play with his nipples, suck on his neck, letting the damp air remind him of his misery. He won't beg for you to make him cum, no, not yet. So instead he's trying to intimidate you, threaten you with his deathly stare. But it's not working; for you see, he's so terribly weak. His eyes are wet, his chest is flushed, his breath is short and he's in love. So terribly so that it hurts, it hurts in his heart in places non-physical. Now that the pain is physical, he feels it only serves him right. He was bound to be consumed by these overwhelming feelings and this torture and frustration are such a clear explanation of what he feels.

But you don't run away. You don't flee from his exceptionally wicked love, from this consuming darkness that lives on inside of him. No, you feed his darkness, overcome it with your own and let them blend in with each other, a cacophony of blacks and dangers. A mixture of evils. And this allows him to feel safe, safe with being weak, being at your mercy, accepted with his entirety - especially the sharp and spiky sides of him, the scars and bruises that litter his body from being alive in this world.

So now that his defence mechanisms kicked in and he's trying to scare you away with empty threats of revenge, that he'll tease you for even longer, that he'll fuck you senseless into the mattress once he's let free, you laugh. He won't do any of that. It just takes him a bit to let go of the safety of control.

"Yes, yes." You tease him with a whisper, leaning in to give his neck long, wet kisses while your hand caressed his jaw. He let out a whimper, and despite his threats, he's craning his neck for you to give him more. You pull back to look him in the eyes, in those dark, brown, desperate eyes that are silently begging you. "You're so scary..." You lean in to give him a hard, open mouth kiss, your tongue in his mouth leaving his gasping and chasing after you. "and dangerous." He's looking at you like a deer in the headlights as you grab his chin and tip it towards you. "But right now, you're also very, very pretty. As if you were born to be venerated."

He whines, it's almost like a cry when he calls out your name. He shouldn't be calling you by your name though, he should be naming you a witch, a sly fox, an illness with no cure. This power you have over him is otherworldly, and although it should scare him, it doesn't.

It's not like you were uttering a lie, either. He was made to be venerated, his strong, thick body of healthy muscle, his hungry eyes and sinful mouth, his complex mind and tantalizing secrets. You wanted to drown him in your love at all times, paint him with your darkness. It was hard to pretend his presence didn't bring you into obsession, into a spiritual codependency. Maybe you could live without him, but you didn't want to. There was no going back now, he's ruined you by being into your life. And you're evil, oh so evil, to be projecting back on him by wanting to ruin him back. By loving him so hard. You were guilty as charged.

The night was still young. You had time to put more spells on him, to quench more of your desires to feel him, hear him, taste him, tease him.

He watched your body lower and as you laid a kiss on his cock, a mean smile on your lips, he realized you're not done yet. Perhaps it was only the beginning.

-------------------

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[youngpettyqueen]

Since you are asking for DS9 short fic requests, could you please do #6 “You can’t die. Please don’t die.” of the writing prompt list with some Julian Bashir whump? (But no character death please!) ❤️

you got it anon! and worry not, writing character death fics isnt really my thing, so no chance of me killing anybody <3

also since you didnt specify anybody else in the scene I decided to have Miles be there! hope that's ok I just have them on the brain

Miles wonders if this is how Julian feels every time a mission leaves him half-dead.

He can't stop pacing. Back and forth, back and forth, he's going to pace a ditch right through the cave floor at the rate he's going. He tried sitting and holding still, but that just made him feel like he was itchy under his skin, twitchy with nerves. So, pacing it is. Pacing and cursing how quiet it is.

Any other day he'd be grateful for the quiet. Today, though, he hates it. Because Julian isn't quiet, he isn't capable of being quiet, and right now he's dead silent.

Miles glances over. Julian is just as unconscious as he was last time he looked over, which was all of two minutes ago if he's being generous. Still and quiet, so goddamn quiet. He finds himself moving closer, just so he can make sure that Julian's chest is, in fact, still rising and falling.

And then he's kneeling down. He's checking the dressing over Julian's stomach. Again. He's not a doctor, he doesn't know what he would even be looking for here, but he's checking anyways. He can't help it. It makes him feel better.

The dressing is still clean. Miles is sure that's a good thing- that means he hasn't bled through it yet. Considering all he's had to work with is a dermal regenerator on the fritz and some bandages, he'd say that's pretty good. Sure, Julian might be able to save the entire station with less than that, but, well... Julian's the one who needs saving this time.

It was supposed to be a simple away mission. It's always supposed to be a simple away mission, really. They were delivering medical supplies to a Federation colony, helping them deal with a nasty outbreak of some sort of flu that Miles can't remember the name of. They were well on their way, spending the time arguing over who actually won their last game of darts, casual as can be.

And then they got shot down.

Miles didn't see who it was. Could've been Cardassians, could've been Maquis, could've been literally anybody this side of the Quadrant. All he knows is one second things were great, and the next his console was exploding and throwing him across the cockpit, and Julian was wrestling with the controls to aim them at the closest planet. He threw himself back into his seat and did his best to help, but there was no saving their landing. They crashed. Violently.

Miles woke up on the floor, bruised all over but still breathing. And Julian was hunched over the console, unmoving just like he is now. But there, he was awake. He was all-too awake, and he wasn't moving, because he'd been flung into the splintered console, and it was embedded deep in his gut.

He's never going to forget the sounds Julian let out as he pulled him off the console. It was a mercy he'd passed out right after, going limp and lifeless in Miles' arms the second he was free. Gave him a bloody heart attack, thinking for a brief second he'd just up and died, but it at least made it easy to gather Julian up in his arms and carry him out of the wreckage.

It's not a good situation. Their medical supplies was destroyed in the crash, and the medkit and all its contents were either damaged or broken beyond use. The dermal regenerator barely managed anything before it sparked out and nearly exploded in his hand. They've got a transmitter, at least, but it was damaged in the crash and he has to check it every few minutes to make sure it's still working.

And Julian won't wake up.

Miles' gaze travels up to Julian's face. Perfectly still, damn near peaceful, except there's a thin sheen across his forehead and he's pale under his skin. A pinch to his brows betrays the pain he's still in, even unconscious. The kit had one working hypo that he could find, and he'd given it to Julian without hesitation. He's not in the best shape himself, battered and bruised as he is, but that's all small potatoes compared to Julian.

It's probably a mercy that he's staying unconscious. Miles doesn't envy the pain he'd be in if he were awake. Still, there's a big, selfish part of him that wishes Julian was awake. Because then, at least, it wouldn't be quiet. He's never hated quiet before today. He'd be happy to never have to deal with complete silence ever again.

"I don't know if you can hear me," He says, mainly just to fill the space, "And I really hope you can't, because I'd never say this to you if you were awake, but... you're the best friend I've got, Julian. And I'm really not ready to let that end here," He admits, his voice quiet even though there's nobody else around, "Cause, y'know, we've got that holosuite reservation next week, and Quark won't consider your death grounds for a refund. And... I'd miss you, so there's that," God, this is hard. Julian's fucking unconscious and this is still so hard, "I'd... I'd really miss you, Julian, so... I guess what I'm saying is... you're not allowed to die," He reaches, like he's going to take Julian's hand, but comes up short, "You can't die. So, please don't. Die, that is." He ends up patting Julian's arm. It feels awkward and stiff, but anything else feels too much like he's saying goodbye, and he's really not trying to say goodbye right now.

"Is that..." Miles' head snaps up, and he finds himself meeting Julian's half-open eyes, "Is that... an order, Chief...?" He asks weakly, managing an obnoxious smile, even now.

"Oh, you bastard," Miles breathes, because yeah, of course Julian woke up in time to listen to that, "You right bastard. How much of that did you hear?" He asks.

Julian grins, blood painting his teeth. "Enough," He replies, like an asshole, "You'd... miss me?" He questions, looking far too smug for a man halfway to death.

"Absolutely not," Miles informs him, sniping purely out of habit and with no real heat behind his words, "But Keiko would miss you, and I hate to see Keiko upset, so I guess I need you to stay alive." He continues.

"How's it feel... knowing your wife would miss me?" Julian asks, still grinning like a smug clown.

"Don't push your luck, Julian," Miles tells him, with undeniable fondness, "It'd be far too easy to make it look like the crash killed you."

Julian croaks a laugh. And maybe this is the moment where Miles should say something heartfelt. Like how he actually would miss Julian, a whole hell of a lot. Or how glad he is that he's alive. Or how relieved he is to hear the sound of his voice. But Julian already knows those things, and spilling his heart out while Julian bleeds his guts out would feel way too much like they're having their final conversation. This banter, though, is familiar. It's them. And it lets him say we're going to get through this without actually saying it.

So, he doesn't say anything nice. Instead, he gets back into arguing about darts. Because then Julian is talking, and it isn't quiet anymore, and he can hide in the familiarity of their arguing and convince himself that everything's going to be ok.

(And it is. Miles has to kick the transmitter a few more times, but a rescue comes. Julian is fine, he won't even have a scar. And if Miles relents and begrudgingly admits, at last, that maybe Julian won their game, well... maybe that's his way of saying he's glad Julian's alright.)

[clownprince]

This specific panel from No Man's Land lives in my mind rent free honestly. I've only really seen people bring up this scene as an example of the heinous shit he's done (which is fair!) but I haven't seen anyone talk about the dialogue. Even though it's SO goddamn interesting?

I'm not entirely clear on whether he heard Sarah coming. So it's entirely possible he was just saying this to fuck with her. But also he isn't facing her and it certainly looks like he's intently paying attention to the baby.

His attitude toward the baby changes when Sarah walks in, but before she walks in, he's being... oddly gentle with the baby? I mean it seems like his intention is to kill it and presumably the rest of the children, or at the very least he's considering it. But he's reassuring the baby that it'll be a painless death.

Now... not to justify Joker potentially killing a bunch of literal infants. I'm not going to sit here and act like that's not some of the most horrific shit he's ever done. Obviously. BUT that being said it's interesting to me that he even bothers to... soothe the infant? Provide justifications for his actions?

What's most interesting to me, though. "You'll thank Uncy Joker... life is the biggest joke of them all, you're just gonna get the punchline sooner."

So the implication is that he's almost doing the baby a favor by killing it? Almost like a mercy killing?

And... wow. Does he view all of his murders like this on some level? As mercy killings? Do his own suicidal tendencies play a part in how he mentally justifies killing people? Does he really believe that killing people is almost doing them a favor, so they don't have to experience the horrors of life?

Also interesting that he did seem to be doing a pretty good job of keeping the baby calm up until Sarah showed up. I mean, the baby doesn't look visibly upset until he pulls a gun out. His behavior in this is just so dhhjfdhjfkdhdjmbd. Fascinating to me.

[cheshirecatuniverse]

Gummy Bears (Rao)

"Rao" Misaki Mario x Reader (She/Her)

Song: Skipping Stones (feat. Jhené Aiko) - Gallant

Summary: In which you have too many run-ins with Rao and every time you want to stay with him longer. But your nightmares never go away.

WC: 7.2k

Notes: my works can be gorey, violent, and other mature themes! lots of plot. reader went through a traumatic experience and has an injury that effects their lifestyle. there's also a nickname reader gets called by. murayama's bestie makes an appearance. barely edited I'm so sorry, it will be soon!

It was quiet, as quiet as a restaurant could be midday. There was only an elderly couple who stopped eating to exhange a word or two sometimes and a young woman with her child sleeping in a stroller.

Even the clatter of the dishes being washed echoing from the kitchen was tolerable. You considered the moment a gift as you enjoyed the soft hum of the music playing through speakers. But it was all tragically ruined by someone's finger.

"Stop tapping the glass."

Tap Tap Tap.

You put down the cup you were cleaning and lifted your head to the ceiling, "Do you have a death wish, kid?"

Your fellow waiter snorted at you, "Pretty sure if I did you'd still be fired."

He continued to tap on the cups lined up and it took too much of your willpower to not follow up on your warning. He happily ignored your looming urge to throw him across the restaurant.

The new generation were just so rude, which was your own but that wasn't the point.

You hated new coworkers, especially when they were from that nearby boys school. Usually they last a month, before they get bored or decide it wasn't worth the extra cash. That leaves yourself with cleaning up after them.

If you were going to be honest though, the current newbie wasn't as annoying as you'd have thought. Which was more than fine, but it doesn't mean you want to get along with him. You were only here to get your paycheck and a daily free meal. So, you focused on yourself. Tilting your head to the right to look closely and dried the glassware.

The door opened, and you heard several people step in. There it is. Well it seemed that having some quiet wasn't very realistic.

"It's yours," your coworker shot over the cabinet door he sat by, putting the clean aprons away.

You clenched your jaw because he was right. Of course you knew that. But this little brat had to tell you the obvious. "Put the glass away then."

He waved you off without turning away from the cabinet. "Yeah, Yeah. When I'm done here."

You let a breath out from your nose and threw the towel down. For the first time you looked at the people who came in, seated and restless. The black uniforms that you've grown accustomed worn by all of them. It was around that time school was out.

As you stepped around the lunch counter you didn't notice your coworker pop his head up from the floor. He scrambled up and stood like he was struck by lighting. Mouth opened and closed like a fish trying to talk underwater.

You slid the worn-down menus to the six boys, "Okay, what drinks can I get you guys started on?" Your tone was never much for customer service but at least you knew how to word yourself.

"Three waters, two cokes, and a green tea," It was the one at the edge of the booth, with tinted glasses.

You began to write- "Yah, Mercy. You know I want a beer."

You turned a little to your left, and you could see your dear coworker making motions in front of his face. Is he telling you to smile? You gave a simple glare in warning and turned directly at the table. The Suzuran student who wanted a beer was the one with crazy hair and even crazier eyes to match it.

"Yeah and I want a unicorn. But guess what? They don't exist and you're underage. So three waters, two cokes, and a green tea," You read out from your writing pad with your head tilting to side. "That it?"

Crazy hair slumped and dropped his head harshly on the table. The giant thud didn't make you react, much to the surprise of the biggest person at the table. He had a grimace on his features as he looked at you, though his eyes felt different. You immediately pushed that thought out of your head. Don't try reading people, you thought. Especially this one, you heard one of them call him Rao. Although you tried keeping Suzuran information limited, there were enough rumors about him to reach you.

Mercy, as it seemed, let out a mix between a scoff and cough at crazy hair in the corner. "Sorry about him, and if you can get us a basket of bottomless fries..." The sulking crazy hair boy slowly rose up, like his soul was revived.

"...Can I smoke in here?"

You squinted and said nothing for a minute. "Sure go ahead. While you're at it, go ahead and blow the smoke in front of the baby." You jabbed a thumb to the back, the soundly sleeping small child with his mother at the farthest table. You watch as Mercy dropped the cigarette he had ready between his fingers. Rao followed his gaze from your finger to the left corner of the restaurant, his expression darkened even more.

If he thought for one second that you were going to let one of his buddies expose the baby to second-hand smoke, you were willing to throw your job away. He could intimidate you, even threaten you. It wouldn't move you one bit.

Everyone went quiet quickly, so you gave one last look and walked away.

"Wow. What did you do to her, Mercy?"

"Ah? I don't even know her."

You sighed when your coworker kept whisper-yelling at you for failing to be nice to Rao and his group. This day needed to be over. And over fast. You kept your words curt as you gave them their drinks and their food that followed.

When you were done with them, you heard someone call your name while you were wiping down tables. It was Yuki, the young woman who came here with her child once a week.

"Sorry. I-" She hesitated before raising her hand with an envelope. "I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't an emergency, but is it possible for you to watch Isamu? I have to drop off paperwork off to the office across the street, and I know he'll wake up if I take him."

Yuki wasn't a friend but she was someone you knew well, as she lived two apartments down from you. You checked the time and then back at her, "How long do you need me to watch him?"

"It shouldn't be longer than 15 minutes."

You checked the time. Well, you were going on break in five.

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Thank you, thank you! I'll pay you back, I promise." You waved her off. You really didn't want anything in return. She went back to the table to gather her things and pushed the stroller to the counter.

You sat on a stool, giving your aching feet a break. The kid was still asleep, thankfully. He was small, really small. Maybe a year old? You may have remembered Yuki saying he was turning two soon.

Someone slammed one of cabinets behind the lunch counter loudly and woke him up immediately. Your glare was loud enough for your coworker to put both his hands up, "That's my bad, honestly."

The little kid was wailing and you shakily picked him up. A good temperament was something you lacked these days, but you were relieved to feel the kid accept you. He clung to you as you rocked him and you leaned over to the stroller to find his sippy cup. You did find it, but when you tried reaching for it, it fell and rolled across the floor.

"You've gotta be f-" You clamped your mouth shut. No cursing in front of small children.

Your eyes slightly widened in surprised when you saw someone's feet stand around it. Rao reached down and grabbed your lifesaver. With a napkin in his hand he wiped the top of it and slowly stepped in front of you.

"Here."

Rao still had the same grimace on his face. Body towering over you in a much more exaggerated way because you were sitting. It was like the world's smallest and most intimidating eclipse. It's probably the only way you can call him small. You were sure the muscles in his arms were bigger than your head.

Confused at the way his emotions were frozen on his features, you wondered. Just what is he doing? You took the cup with caution, as if you were taking a bone from a bear.

The kid calmed down when you placed it in his hands. You patted his head as you watched Rao walk outside to where the Suzuran boys were waiting.

◇♧◇

Shopping wasn't your strong suit. Okay, it was but not in any way that was good for your wallet. There was only one goal right now, quick cook food and medicine from the convenience store. Hunched over the candy section was nothing, you were just looking. Your hand that slipped and pushed a bag of gummies into the basket? Purely accidental.

Too busy looking at the gummy packets piling in your basket you didn't hear the door chime or the footsteps behind you. On instinct, you tense up with your shoulders raised. You felt an arm slip around your shoulders and felt someone on your right side.

"Sweets," someone giggled and pushed your head down to bump it with her own.

You rolled your eyes, "Hi to you too."

You didn't imagine seeing your friend here, especially since she lived in the Sannoh district. Not to mention she was in Sannoh Rengokai. This was more out of her way.

She hummed and let you go, "I haven't seen you in a bit. So when are you going to start working with me for real, Sweets?"

"If you go get me ibuprofen maybe I'll think about it."

Your dull headache that began an hour ago was a reminder that you had to restock your kitchen. Your friend returned from a couple aisles away and handed you a bottle of ibuprofen. You said thanks and placed it in the basket while she looked at you curiously.

"Are you sick?"

"My head just hurts," you shake your head.

She pursed her lips into a thin line and looked at the back of the store. Where a group of guys were grabbing a variety of drinks. In a quieter voice she asked, "Is it your eye? Your next appointment is for next month right?"

"Yeah but it's always been like that. It's fine," you sighed.

The conversation got cut short at the call of her name. A couple of people walked over to you, some of them with black uniforms. It instantly reminded you of Suzuran but these guys weren't, the uniforms were slightly different.

One of them pointed at you which you didn't like very much, "Oh, Who's this?"

Your friend introduced you and then looked at you, "This is Fujio, he's from Oya High."

He waved enthusiastically with a big smile, "Nice to meet you."

That made you raise your eyebrow, "But I thought you and Murayama were done with Oya?" As soon as you said that you realized that he wasn't anywhere to be seen or heard. "Where he is by the way?"

She looked down at the ground and tried not to look mad, "Away. On a trip or something. But yeah, we don't go there anymore. I still like hanging out with these losers though."

"You mean you like to leech off us."

"And you let me because you love me, Todoroki," She leaned towards the guy with the glasses and blew kisses at him until he walked away. "Anyways. You should come hang out with us, Sweets."

"Sweets? No way is her name Sweets!" Two figures you unfortunately recognized. Rao and the guy shouting at you as they came over, crazy hair. There was change in Rao's eyes, they widened a little. Your vision didn't let you see it.

You tilted your head at crazy hair, "I thought you were just having a bad hair day last week but I guess I was wrong."

Your friend laughed at that. "Wait, wait. You know Binzo?"

"I don't." You were staring at Rao, who easily loomed over everyone around you. He had originally stepped as close as Binzo but took a small step back. Hands in his pocket, he watched.

Binzo had a hand on his chin, his eyes wide in fascination, "So why sweets and not salty?"

"When we were younger people called her that because she liked to eat or make anything with sugar." Your friend pointed at the basket you were holding, half of it had candy.

You were embarrassed enough to rub a hand on the back of your neck. You buried it down and headed to the register with our friend clung onto you as she laughed.

After she said a soft sorry, she smiled, "Are you coming with us?"

"My head," You pointed quietly at yourself, "Maybe next time, okay?" Although you really wanted nothing to do with Oya and Suzuran.

You didn't understand how your friend still stuck around them. Everything that happened at the peak of Kuryu made you want to lock yourself in your apartment forever. The throb of your headache got worse.

She nodded, "And you'll let me take you next month? Y'know to-?"

A hum left you, agreeing. You paid for your things, your head tilted to right as you read the total amount. She turned around to look at the rest of the group.

Arms crossed she asked, "And which one of you men are gonna help her with her bags? She's not feeling well enough to be left alone."

At the sound of no one stepping up she had taken a breath to yell. You rolled your eyes hearing it but it still gave you secret and small smile. The yell never came though, you heard someone walk forward. He was swift to grab your bags, you couldn't turn your head to the right fast enough to see him.

By the time you had realized who it was he stood outside, waiting with your bags. Waiting for you.

"Ah?" Your hearing was good enough to hear Binzo's confusion. It mirrored your own.

Fujio walked over to the window beside the entrance and started dancing. Dancing? Even though Rao had his back turned.

"Alriiight Rao! A gentlemen as always," Fujio said in approval.

Your friend nodded in agreement and bumped her hip against yours. With a jolt you looked over at her.

"Well go on," She smiled mischievously, "Y'know I haven't gotten my hands on him. He is cute right?"

You sputtered out half words and noises of confusion. You walked fast, away from her, away from Fujio, and hopefully they didn't see the slightest red on your face.

Outside, you froze in place. Rao was so tall that you stared at his chest and you refused to look up. You jabbed your thumb over your shoulder.

You mumbled, "Ah... this way."

To your happiness it was a quiet walk, your noise sensitivity probably didn't help your head. The two of you kept some distance and the one time you glanced over he was staring straight ahead. God, his jawline looked chiseled from stone. The guy looked like an ancient warrior who's defeated armies, which is a funny thought while looking at him hold your grocery bags.

The headache bothering you since the last hour got worse even through the quiet. If you didn't do anything about it now it'd cause more trouble. Desperate, you turned to look at him again.

"Can you hand me that bag, please?" You pointed and he gave it to you. Rao watched you frantically find the medicine you were looking for. You took a couple a pills, not needing water even though your throat didn't appreciate it. Forgetting about him for a moment you hissed in pain and rubbed your fingers against your eyes.

"Are you okay?" Rao asked softly. You were caught off guard at the tone of his question. His voice was deep but didn't hide the concern.

You shrugged it off, "It's just a headache."

He went back to facing ahead and you thought it was the end of it.

Rao said your name and asked, "What highschool do you attend?"

"Oh. Why?" You left out any malice because you were genuinely curious.

"I haven't seen you around."

Since you gave him and his friends the worst customer service in the world a week ago, you almost wanted to say.

"I do school online," you sighed and kicked a can on the ground, "No problems that way. Actually going to school- that's too much." After Kuryu, after what you did, after everything.

Rao left a big pause, like he was trying to form what he wanted to say to you.

"Listen..." He stopped his footsteps, "If anyone from Suzuran did anything they shouldn't have-"

"Ah?" You shake your head, "Like I would let anyone from that place even near me." You managed to look him in the eye and let yourself smile, "No offense."

Rao let out a scoff but lightly he told you, "None taken. But you seem to not like Suzuran very much."

"I don't like the idea of Suzuran," You corrected and began to walk again. That was enough to for him to drop the subject, but it wasn't bad.

The rest of the walk was peaceful, with a few words in between but it didn't feel awkward like the beginning. Rao wasn't the worst person to walk you home. Which was a frightening thought only to you. He respected your space and let you talk freely. Well he didn't allow you to talk freely, but anything you said felt like it was heard by someone who wouldn't judge you.

There was nothing you knew about him. You knew enough to know he wasn't awful but that was all you wanted to know. You weren't going to analyze him, keep the little details in mind, or find out his weaknesses. You were just going to acknowledge that Rao was here, with you.

Outside your apartment you told Rao to leave the bags against the wall. He was quiet when he slipped away. When you unlocked the door to your apartment you bit your lip. Damn it.

Rao felt someone grab his wrist, he turned around to see you. You were refused to make eye contact and shoved something in the palm of his hand, "Bye."

There was no time to say anything as you rushed yourself and your bags into your home. Rao looked down at his hand, a soda. A strawberry flavored one, with little cartoons and pink hearts on the can.

"Bye," Rao with wide eyes whispered to himself.

◇♧◇

You now were officially working three jobs. Your friend was ecstatic when she got your call. She had wanted you on her team since she had gotten back into kickboxing. To your suprise, it was your least stressful job. You cleaned her wounds up between rounds and got to watch her beat men twice her size.

After another victory, there were plans to go out to eat. The both you were walking to the restaurant, she mentioned that a couple others would join you too.

You shivered in the cold and your friend basked in it after hours of fighting. The mini dress you had on was too cute that you had to wear it, there weren't too many occasions for it anyways.

"So you wanna tell me what happened with Murayama?" You asked to distract yourself from the crisp night air.

Caught off guard your friend flinched, "Huh? There's nothing."

"Nothing my ass. It's honestly kinda freaky that he's not with you. Is he really on a trip?"

"Yeah, he actually is and I was supposed to go too. Murayama, Seki, Furuya, and me," She looked away and found interest at the closed shop windows, "We got into a fight. He thinks I need to stop avoiding what Kuryu did to us."

"I'm sorry," and you meant it. You were sorry that he had point.

She said your name and looked at you, "...do you think we'll ever be able to talk about it?"

Your eyes stung, "I wish I knew."

That was a lie, you only wanted to lock yourself in a room. Where no one can hurt you, where no nightmare can find you. That could be enough. But you didn't say anything, you blinked your tears away and took a deep breath.

When you two made it to the restaurant, you sighed in relief when you felt the heaters. You rubbed your arms up down to get your blood warm again. Your friend ran over to a table as soon as she saw the people she was looking for. As you followed slowly behind, you froze at the sight of Rao. Oh, you gotta be kidding me, you thought.

It was strange not to see him in his school uniform, a good strange. Something that you weren't going to pay attention to. Rao was in the middle of a conversation with Fujio, Binzo and a couple others when he saw you. Your friend had called your name and dragged you over to the table. You sat down next to her and across from him.

Rao looked at you and you looked at him, and awkwardly you thanked him as he poured you a cup of water. He kept his stare on you and he said something to himself so quietly you could only hear an incoherent grumble. Out of habit you tilt your head to the right, wordlessly asking him a question.

"You look really nice," He finally told you.

You took a sip of water to hide your nerves, "You do too."

Your friend draped her arm around your shoulders and announced, "Y'know, Sweets is my fastest cornerman. She could be my medic too and be faster than the one we have now."

"That's true, we saw you between rounds. You were like a cheetah," Fujio gave you a thumbs up.

You were surprised, "Oh. I didn't even see you guys."

"Cause I put up a fun match right?" Your friend beamed. "Better than any of those rigged ones on tv."

You nodded energetically, "God, of course you are. You hit like a truck. You should watch your kicks though. You get too excited and hit early and lose damage. The guy was slow though- and with a big ego, you were gonna win either way."

That made her light up, with her knees on her chair she jumped up and hugged you. You groaned and made a bad attempt to get out of her grasp. For a small second in time you felt like nothing had changed the past couple of years and you let your childhood friend celebrate the deja vu.

She laughed, "Will do, Coach!"

"Yah, Sweets, do you fight? We should go one-to-one," Binzo asked.

"Nope," Your friend and yourself say at the same time. You hissed lightly at her to let you go.

You pointed, "She's got that covered."

The opponent she faced really was never going to win, even if you didn't know your friend, you knew that. You couldn't help watch closely tonight, your neck sore from how you liked to tilt your head. Crowds of people cheered and it made your friend's opposition grow taller. His movements were exaggerated and he kept making laps around the ring. The dead giveaway to you though, was that his gloved fists weren't even up to his face.

Just thinking about it all made you look at the people around you. Binzo's body spread out as much as he can with his chair at a farther distance than the others, relaxed but easily reactionary. Fujio seemed to like to keep his hands in his lap or on Tsukasa's shoulder, gently patting him. He had an injury, maybe a sprained shoulder or arm. Before you could process it, your stare made it Rao's hands. Arms crossed and tucked in arms, it wasn't a barrier, no, it was an act of soothing.

You caught yourself in time, you looked down at the table. Water, you needed water. When you reached for the glass you grabbed air. Your stomach dropped at the sight. You missed the fucking glass, you thought. It was about 4 inches farther.

Reality hit you and you were quiet the rest of the time. Even Rao spoke more than you. While your friend tried to ask you questions to join in the conversation you just nodded or shrugged.

"Hey." Outside the building, everyone was about to part ways but your friend pulled you aside. "Do you want me to walk you home?"

You took a step backwards, "It's fine."

You were in the Sannoh district and getting home would take a little longer but you just wanted to be alone. You shrugged off the sound of your name being called and left.

In some sick way you wished you were back to a couple years ago. Before everything hurt so much, you were so empty and cold. It was better that way, it was better than trying to shove everything you felt down in the abyss.

The uncomfortable soreness of your heels, your cold arms and cheeks, and the tight feeling in your throat. You walked through it.

Your ears caught the sounds of the occasional car that drove out of sight. Building owners had begun to close their shops and offices as you passed by. The sound of a big dog barking in a home nearby echoed from somewhere. Someone's footsteps who walked around in the alleyways closely. But nothing seemed to process in your mind or maybe you didn't even care.

A gasp barely left you when you got slammed against the alley wall with a rusty knife pressed against your neck.

"Your fucking wallet. Now, bitch." The stranger jammed the knife harder into your throat. It was dull but if the man wanted he could jam it through your neck. He smelled like alcohol and vomit, the smell. That's all it took.

A cold and dark room, your vomit, blood, and decaying flesh being the only thing you could smell. Some people remember their first kiss, favorite Christmas, anniversaries and birthdays. You could only remember how much you threw up in that awful room. Your infected wrists and blisters on your face, you could still feel them everyday.

Fingers weak and jittery, you failed to get his hands off of you. It was clear what was going to happen and again there was no one. The worst of the world would follow you until you were dead. You were alone.

So you did the only thing you could do, run your mouth.

"Fuck off," You tried to scream but it came out strangled. There wasn't any stopping him, things like this would just keep happening.

He growled and yelled so close to your face you could feel spit on you. You could feel the knife begin to cut your throat, you whimpered quietly in pain. Don't cry.

Just as you were ready, he flew into back of alleyway. You stumbled away from the wall and your hands found the dumpster to lean on.

Rao didn't look anywhere near you, completely focused on the man who had just started to get up. The grimace on his face that had most of the times was absolutely nothing compared to the look he had right now. His eyes completely dark with no empathy for the drunk.

Your attacker made the stupid decision to lunge at Rao. His wrist was caught easily. It only took Rao to tightened the grip around his wrist for the knife to the ground.

Rao scowled, "You ever hurt another woman again, I'll find out. I don't give second chances." You turned away when you saw him raise his other fist. A couple loud thuds and a yell were enough to know that the drunk was out cold.

You breathed heavily, and tried to get your legs to stop shaking. It wasn't working. You felt a hand touch your shoulder and you yanked yourself away.

You turned to Rao with a scoff, "Can you stop helping me?"

"Why?" Clearly taken back but Rao didn't move any closer.

"You don't know who the hell I am. You have no idea-" You sucked in a breath, "I'm the type of person who would work for yazuka, Rao."

You walked back to the dumpster and found an old metal machine to sit on. You curled up on yourself, as much as you can with a short dress. Did you want to go home? Did you wanna go back to that dark room? Anything felt better than being here with Rao. Him being anywhere near you was suffocating. God, you couldn't stop shaking. There wasn't anywhere you wanted to go, everywhere you go you felt the same.

Rao took a knee in front of you. He looked up and down, he scanned for anything serious. He had his hands on either side of you, but he never touched you. Then he looked at your eyes.

"Are you? Right now?" He asked.

"What?" You lifted your head. Rao, day or night, cold or warm, actions or looking afar, could never fail to make you confused. You paused for moment, weighing the choices.

"No," You whispered.

"Then it doesn't matter," He simply said. Like it was the easiest thing in the world. It took your whole being not to snap at him.

Rao reached out a hand before he pulled it back a little, "Can I look at you?"

He gave you all the time in the world, no ticks of impatience anywhere. You finally nodded and he checked the cut on your neck. It felt strange to feel his fingers. Confused, you felt his hand at the back of your neck and it returned with fresh blood.

Rao called out your name in a way that made your chest hurt. He rose up to his feet, "You need to be taken to a hospital."

"No, No," You shake your head, "I'm fine it's nothing. Look I'm fine and I'm standing." The impact to your head didn't felt like it had hurt at the time. You moved a hand to the back of your head the cut, it was as superficial as the one on your neck.

"Rao, it looks worse than it is." Your adrenaline wore off and you started to get cold again. You shivered, "Please. I just want to go home."

"Are you sure?" You nodded immediately and he sighed. He looked down the alleyway and then to you. When he slipped off his jacket you would never imagine that he would put it over your shoulders.

"Okay. Let's go then."

Rao watched you slip your arms through the sleeves, your fingers barely peeked through. When you zipped it up to cover the bloody mess he realized how small you looked in his jacket.

At your door, you could hear a distant bark. The lock clicked open at the turn of your key. Before you turned the knob you sighed.

"You can come in," You said softly.

There was no way you wanted to look at his reaction, so you stayed turned away and pushed the door open. You flipped the light switch at the exact same time your dog ran over.

It made sense that he was stand-offish with Rao behind you. "Sit. Good boy." You commanded and made you way inside. Rao watched you walk into the kitchen and then looked at your big dog. He had a black spiked collar with a heart shaped name tag that said Baby.

"He's trained," You called out from the other room, "Doesn't bite anyone's head off without my permission."

That didn't surprise Rao. He unhooked your heels from his fingers and put them in the shoebox near the door. When you two made it to your neighborhood you slipped them off and sighed about how you were done with tonight. He had wordlessly taken the heels from your hands.

It took a couple minutes to find what you were looking for. You got off the kitchen counter when you took it from the top of the kitchen cabinet. Avitene powder wasn't hard to come by when your friend was a boxer. You took off Rao's jacket and cleaned yourself up. The powder clotted your bleeding and you found a couple bandaids for your neck and head.

You asked for help when Rao walked in. You held your hair up as he carefully placed the bandaid on your scalp. His hands lingered as he looked with worry, not that you could see it.

"I could still take you to the hospital." You shake your head at that and you let your hair down to make him pull away.

"Do you know what they would do?" You walked over to your fridge, pulling out a soda and water bottle. "They would say I don't need stitches, clean me up. Then charge me my rents worth."

Not to mention you had doctor visits often, but he didn't need to know that.

"Thank you," He told you when you passed him the water. You led him to the couch and your dog pranced over too. Head laid back and you took a minute to process. Rao looked at the couple of picture frames you had, one of your dog when he was a puppy and another of a younger you and your friend.

He turned to you, "Did you two grow up together?"

You smiled, "A little bit. It was the wrong place, wrong time. Somehow, we're still here."

Rao's arms were crossed, it made him look much bigger. You didn't read him, you didn't want to.

"It's good." He found his shoes to be particularly interesting.

"Hm?" You tilted your head.

"That you're still here."

◇♧◇

When Yamaguchi told Rao that a girl was at Suzuran to see him his stomach flipped. He's been seeing you a lot these days but he never found you anywhere near Suzuran.

The rumors circling around about him recently, he knew them well. The girl who worked at that one restaurant half a mile away who kept being seen with Suzuran's strongest. Suzuran weren't the only ones, his own faction and friends were talking too.

Fujio had been telling him things to say to you since the convenience store. He immediately saw how much Rao paid attention to you. To help his friend, Fujio made sure to encourage him to voice out his thoughts and to make sure Rao made you feel comfortable. Which Rao really didn't need help with but Fujio advised him on what not to say. It was helpful.

The door to the roof creaked open. Rao should have known it wasn't you from how he heard no bickering from Binzo. When Rao turned around, what he found was your friend. A former Oya High part-timer and Sannoh's fighter. She was no joke, despite how easily she laughs and how affectionate she is with you.

She gaped at the whole school view, "Never been here and this place is already giving me memories."

Binzo grinned, "Missing Oya, huh?"

She didn't answer and instead looked at Rao. With a wink she smiled and waved.

"I need to talk to you." Yamaguchi and Binzo stepped closer- "Alone."

Binzo groaned but she taunted them with a wave. Her smile dropped immediately when they closed the door to the roof.

"I need a favor and you're going to do it."

"I am?" He furrowed his brows.

"Do you know about the appointments?" She quickly judged the confused look on his face and shaked her head. "...'Kay, well for long time I've been taking Sweets to her doctor's appointments. Never missed one, but now I don't got a choice."

"Why does she have to go?" The look on her face made him feel unsettled. A hundred thoughts seemed to go through her mind and she pursed her lips.

"About 3 years ago Sweets got hurt. The only reason she got better cause we were there for her. But now it's just me," She ran a hand through her hair, "Everyone else is dead or on the run. I don't know if I should even be telling you this."

Her pace was fast, Rao followed carefully. As he started to process it she began to walk away.

"If she doesn't miss the doctor's appointment tomorrow then this will be worth it." She glared at him, "At least just walk Sweets there. You don't do it, fine. You can not care. But if you hurt her, I'll kill you."

She walked away, and Rao could hear her laugh ring inside the building at a joke Binzo made.

◇♧◇

A Saturday was a perfect day to stay inside all day. Everyday was, if you could. Originally, you had plans but they're not going to happen. You called out of one of the restaurants you worked at and your friend's boxing match.

Baby had already been walked and fed. There was a constant squeaking from his chew toy outside your bedroom. You were nice and comfortable in your bed and sipped on your fresh tea.

A month ago you had been attacked. For a little bit you had to wear turtle necks but your cuts healed nicely. You didn't tell anyone what happened but Rao had made sure to check on you. At the restaurant it's a common sight to see him pass by or come eat with his group.

Whenever he pulled you aside to talk, Binzo would make faces behind Rao. You made sure to shut Binzo and your coworker up with a wack of a dish rag.

The closet door was opened and Rao's jacket was hanging in the corner. Your ears heated up, when you had worn it that singular time it smelled really nice. The cologne he wore you didn't know the name to but it was on your mind often these days.

"I should give it back," You told yourself.

Not today, though. Today you were going to stay inside and sleep. The mug you had in your hands was now on your nightstand. Right as you settled into your covers you heard your dog bark. A knock at the door made you roll your eyes.

Now who the hell was that? The neighbors never bothered you on the weekends and on the afternoons. No one texted you today other than your friend who okay'd your absence.

Begrudgingly, you shuffled over to your door. With the dog ready at your side you found, Rao?

You were embarrassed, "I... didn't know you were coming." Your sweats and old sweatshirt proved that.

Baby circled around Rao when he came in. You smiled at how gentle Rao patted the dog's head.

When your dog walked away, satisfied with the attention Rao turned to you. "Sorry, I should have called but I wanted to offer this in person."

"Offer what?"

"To take you today."

Your throat hurt, "What did she tell you?"

You were going to beat the hell out of your friend. How did she think this was a good idea? Rao called your name out to try to calm you, it was clear by your panicked eyes.

"Just that you needed to go to your doctor's appointment."

Okay, good. But still not good, you did calm down. You had told her you were not going, she guessed that Rao would work. You still planned to jump her for roping him into this.

With the soft encouragement Rao gave, somehow you ended up sitting on the couch as you slipped your shoes on. Well, if you wanted to get there on time there was no time to change.

You didn't want to talk and Rao respect that. He didn't need to know the details and it was a sensitive subject.

But when you two entered the waiting room his heart dropped. The eye posters and pamphlets on the wall. You had to go to the ophthalmologist?

When the nurse called your name, you stood up and began to walk away. Before you could take a step Rao grabbed your hand.

"I'll wait here." He watched your eyes water and you nod.

As you left, Rao realized you always had your head tilted to the right. He remembered the one time that Binzo teased you for it and how quiet you got. Rao may have to fight him again.

Rao had seen you reach out to things hesitantly. You were always aware of your steps and always on edge if you weren't in your home.

Why didn't he see it sooner?

It had gotten dark when the two of you walked out. You said nothing about your visit, you said nothing at all. Too much was happening in your head, so you were more stuck in there than out here.

You tripped over a box, that's what happens when you're not careful. If it weren't for Rao's hands that steadied you, you would have met the pavement.

"Are you-" You didn't let him finish as you stumbled somewhere, anywhere.

Away, you wanted to go away. Ignoring Rao as he called your name. It hurt so much.

Rao found you breaking a bottle against a dumpster. He tried getting your attention but nothing was working. Rao just watched you pace and pace until you walked to him.

"Did you know I can't see anything in my right eye?" You tried to smile and failed. "That I haven't been able to for years now."

Rao said your name and you scoffed, so tired of your feelings.

"No, no. Listen, I did a lot of bad things. I hurt so many people because that was the only thing I was good at. And when I wanted to leave," You gasped for air as tears streamed down your face, "I got what I deserved."

The only thing he could do was hold you, and that's what Rao did. You sobbed and cried on how it was your fault. Mumbled his name against his shirt. It was a long a time before you stopped crying. Rao didn't care, he could have his arms around you for an eternity. If it was for you, he would.

Anyone that walked by he made sure to shield you from them. Anytime your arms started to shake in anxiety he rubbed them up and down. And when you repeated over and over again how it was your fault he told you that he was here. He was.

Rao asked after you stopped crying, "Do you want to go home?"

You shake your head, for the first time you didn't want to. Slowly, you pulled away from him. You needed to stand on your own feet. Your head cleared.

"I don't know where I want to go."

Rao hummed and thought. He took your hand when he found an answer, "Let's get you gummy bears."

"How do you know I like gummy bears?"

"You had a bag filled of them one time."

You giggled, and then you couldn't stop laughing. Rao couldn't stop his smile that appeared.

He remembered. So you agreed. When he walked you home and kissed your cheek, you felt better.

You walked your dog, gave him a treat. Washed your face and teeth before going to bed. You dozed off in your warm bed and the last thought you remembered made you smile.

That was the first time you laughed in years.

[tri-knives]

Knives canonically picked Legato up "on a whim." However, this does not mean that Knives took Legato under his wing without reason; it just means that Knives did not find him with the intention of making him into a servant. He stumbled upon him by complete accident, having no prior knowledge of him— but he did choose to take him along for a few reasons.

Knives comes to this village full of sick criminals and complacent bystanders, and he slaughters them all like the pests that they are. He meant to kill each and every one of them, no one left standing. And yet, this singular boy manages to evade death. This boy looks up at him with wide eyes and he does not run in fear or beg for his life. Knives realizes in an instant that it was not a fault in his powers that led to this boy surviving— no, this boy was special.

"Curious," he smiles, "I thought I cut them all down, yet one remains. Doesn't seem to be a coincidence. Did you manipulate my body?"

He knows the answer is yes. He is simultaneously amused and vehemently bitter about the fact that a human has not only managed to escape his inevitable death, but also managed to take some form of control over him.

He hates it.

In one swift motion, a blade manifests in his hand and he presses it against the boy's throat. The boy gets down on his knees. Knives expects him to plead for his life, beg to be spared, but instead the boy says, "Allow me... to serve by your side." He says he will remove his strings, and if Knives so wishes, he can cut off his head as he pleases. He says he will have no reason to live if his wish is not granted.

How curious. A rather odd way of trying to gain mercy. Knives does not trust it.

He moves his blade closer. The boy's long hair falls away as his blade slides through it as if it were just a thin veil, and the boy's skin cuts just as easily. The boy does not flinch. He looks up at Knives with tears in his eyes, and those eyes scream gratefulness. A silent "thank you, for freeing me from my suffering."

Knives' eyes widen. He pulls away his blade. He smiles down at him, and asks his name. The boy bursts into tears and tells him he does not have one. Knives knows those tears are not from fear. He names the boy "Legato Bluesummers."

Why?

Why, out of all of the humans in the decades that have passed, does Knives not only spare but take in this one? What emotions was Knives feeling upon seeing that face?

There is more than one answer. To begin with, Legato made not the slightest attempt to run from Knives, fight him, or plead for his life. There were no "prey" responses. Knives could tell that this boy did not have any self-preservation because he did not even consider himself worth the ground he walked on. He was weak, he was pitiful, and is existence was even less than a human life— this was a caged animal. This was not a cornered one like Knives himself, with teeth bared and muscles tensed to fight. This was an animal that had completely given up on existence. Legato did not care whether he lived or died.

However, he was still a human, and thus not worth sympathy. Perhaps in that brief moment when Legato smiled at him, Knives felt something resembling sympathy, but he would never call it that. He would call it pity. He would say it was more like the way a person spares a small bug even though it is a pest that is small and helpless to fight back, and say that Legato was not even worth killing. He may even hide the truth from himself, and say that he saw potential in that empty shell.

It would not change the fact that he spared Legato's life. It was much more like the way a human attempts to save a bird with broken wings, even though they know it is helpless. It was a moment of sympathy, compassion— weakness. Knives would rather die than admit to being weak. It does not change the fact that he spared the bird even through he had always chosen to just kill them to put an end to their suffering.

[mxdarling]

[FABLE OF THE STARS]

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅• •❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

ೃ⁀➷: summary: just who are these people who live beyond the cosmos and stars? well, question no further for the fable of stars shall tell you their tale.

ೃ⁀➷: word count: 1052

ೃ⁀➷: reference/inspiration: fable of the stars #1

[note:] If there is anything else triggering here that I didn’t list in the warnings section, please tell me.

[warnings:] bad metaphoric writing, bad attempt of character analysis, lowercase, not spoiler free, can be considered a x reader work if you squint, noah tries explaining HSR character lore (and failing miserably).

KAFKA, STELLARON HUNTER.

she is the embodiment of something to be greatly feared, yet the very concept of fear is none of any familiarity to her. coming from a planet wherein not knowing fear is the norm, she embarks a journey as a stellaron hunter to search for value in life. she's a kin to a spider, weaving and intertwining several threads of fate—turning into another one of destiny's thousands of faces, pulling you in, luring you in, till you find yourself caught in her web of whispers, at the mercy of kafka herself—unable to get out of the web she has created for you.

creeping and crawling, she is a master of not letting you expect what her next move shall be, wondering what she will do next leaves you quivering with anticipation and anxiety. slipping past the fingers that have tried to put her in a cage to be captured are left with just a mere glimpse of her, one might say she holds excellence in leaving you on a cliffhanger. she is the unknown danger that many have fallen victim to, the reason why wanted posters are loitered across the streets to remind you to proceed with caution in mind once you've caught sight of any appearance of her.

mysterious and alluring, the lack of information shrouds her in many secrets, how many do she have, how many do we actually know, the mass amount of questions she evokes is a feat itself—she really is a compelling yet treacherous individual. just by looking at her alone, she already attracts your attention to her, not even a finger has been lifted, this force beckons you to her, this curiosity begging you to see past the soulless eyes of hers—perhaps there's more that meets the eye.

"a member of the stellaron hunters. a dashing, collected, and professional beauty. used the enchantment of spirit whisper to set up a trailblazer to absorb the stellaron. her hobby is shopping for and organizing her collection of coats."

BRONYA RAND, SUPREME GUARDIAN.

born in the underworld, she was chosen from the masses of children, to be taught and to be trained to lead belebog to its peak. as the chosen heir, she is the diamond among the rough, fortunate enough for her shine to pass through the gaps of thousands of rocks. through the rigorous education she has received, the young and capable princess you see now is trying her absolute best to not fail her people, to lead them into a life of prosperity, and to make belebog the better place she has envisioned her mind since she was a child.

'make the world a better place' a thought that pushed her to go through countless of lengths for her people, her determination is one like no other, she is one admirable commander—setting her eyes on a goal, finding a path that gives her the most leeway to that goal and if she doesn't find one, she makes one instead. despite the countless praise and leadership she holds, she too has seeds of doubt implanted into her mind. she is as human as the rest of us, questioning whether her training she's received is enough to lead her people to the lives they've always dreamt of.

discovering her mother's secret and losing her in that same process, bronya has a lot to shoulder—she has worn many heavy silvermane guard armour for most of her life, yet nothing has ever been more heavier than death itself. she recalls the first funeral she ever attended, her savior that sacrificed his life to save hers—at the cost of her being alive, he died in her place instead. she couldn't even see the face of the person who traded his life for her safety, she wishes that their places could be swapped, yet what difference would that make? one out of the two would still be dead no matter what. learning to bear these heavy burdens is the only way to become a true leader, the young captain had told her in the past, and to that she replies, he's right.

"heir apparent to the supreme guardian of belobog. she possesses pride befitting a princess, but also the determination and integrity of a soldier."

HIMEKO, THE NAVIGATOR.

the girl who was lost, who walked and walked in the dark night till she lost her footing and fell straight to the mud. the girl who was a college freshman and majored in interstellar travel dynamics, the one who saw the express drifting in the ocean—lost and alone, just like her. the one who repaired the express when it hit her homeland, the express asked her whether she'd like to travel the stars together, she pondered what kind of journey they would embark on. a journey to the beginnings, it says—let's go then, she replies with no hesitation, just as you brought me home, so would I take you home, too.

she packs her treasure in a suitcase, molecular saw, an escaped satellite, and countless other contraptions. she carries her suitcase around as proof of the many things she's discovered and set her eyes on. a history of all the planets and adventures she has gone through and the many more she'll encounter in the near future. she knew how lonely this journey would be, passengers would come and go in the express, even if she got to know them on a deeper level, even if they stayed with the express to start till finish, it's all but momentary.

her memory serves her well, no matter how many companions she comes across, she remembers all of them like she just saw them yesterday. the little habits, the little routines, the all-nighters that dan heng pulls to organize all the docs in the data bank, march 7th's habit of sleeping in the most, welt's expression when he first taste her handmade coffee, her chit-chats with pom-pom, she remembers them all—the birthdays, the anniversaries, hobbies. when the day comes they all depart from one another into separate ventures, the moment they all say their goodbyes, she'll smile as their travels have come to an end.

"the one who repaired the astral express. to witness the vast starry sky, she decided to travel with the astral express. her hobby is brewing handmade coffee."

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅• •❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

[author's note: saw a hsr tweet about these revelation cards and my hsr obsessed ass said "imma write about that" and so i made this. you might noticed i didn't write march and that's because i wanna do three people per fabe of the stars instead of four so it be even, yknow. i can't guarantee a part two to this but if my motivation is up for that challenge i might do a part two who knows.]

[dark-cynder49]

If its alright to ask. About Tropical God AU (Warning: This may be a lot of questions, I’m so sorry but I couldn’t help it, you don’t need to answer all of it, if you don’t want too.) 1. What happens if MT managed to kill one of the gods, at death. Will MT just straight up kill them or do a Maui taking Te fiti’s heart style that ends up resulting a negative effect in the island and to the god that got killed. 2. Are MT and Purple the only ones in the island or with a group. 3. What’s the scale of Second’s rage towards humans. Like the scale of Ruby from Steven Universe or Ember from Elementals. 4. Is Yellow the moodiest, since his mood effects the weather that makes him Pepa Madrigal from Encanto 5. Does Dark have the chain daggers like Kratos 6. Is it possible that Red can shapeshift to any animal he wishes, like Nimona 7. Can Green sing Siren like 8. Does Chosen have a Trident from Aquaman 9. How does Victim react if one of the gods are in danger or he himself is in danger 10. If there’s a route of God killing, What would be MT’s main target as a starter, whom he considers to be the weakest but unaware it affects the greatest. THATS ALL. also - Love the works and art styles, each AU you made has its own uniqueness in it. I have no doubt that someone out there will make a fan art or animation of it, with credits going to you.

He likes the idea of the potential fame and power he could have if he COULD kill a God, but he knows damn well that if he DID kill a God, he would be hunted down and killed by the other gods. It wouldn't be worth it in The end. He also didn't come to the island with the knowledge that there were Gods on the island. He'd just come to pilfer resources and set up a base camp.

No, MT and Purple are in charge of a nameless crew. It's roughly about 15-20 sticks big.

Second hates the idea of humans. He hates what they do to the environment and he hates that humans think everything belongs to them. He lets a human beg for mercy before he kills them

No, Yellow isn't really a moody person. The weather can change but only if his emotion is strong. If he's pissed, you get a hurricane. If he's depressed, you get a monsoon. He can also make small little clouds of weather and manipulate it as he chooses

No, Dark, despite being a God of a concept, doesn't really have weapons since it's rare for people to show up. It's more so he can make mortals feel certain ways and make them more likely to encite violence to others

No, Red can't shapeshift. He can create animals out of clay and bring them to life.

Maybe... he doesn't sing much since it doesn't take much to hurt the others if he sings too loud

No, like I said, the gods don't really have weapons.

Victim would exert his full power, which he shouldn't do often. He doesn't like forcing peace and forcing people or gods to lose their free will. But he would force stop anyone who is about to kill him or the others

Hypothetically, He'd take out Red first. Red is the smallest, youngest, and doesn't have a power that can change the will or feelings of humans, has control over a force of nature or element, and just isn't really an aggressive God. It'd be easy to kill Red... which is why it was so easy for MT and Purple to take Red back home with them without the others knowing

I hope I answered everything to your satisfaction!! ^^/

[goodnightmemes]

THE TUDORS SEASON THREE SENTENCE STARTERS (PART TWO)

s03e05 - s03e08

❛ We must set to work finding a new bride for the King. ❜

❛ It's true, he has an heir, at last, but one is scarcely sufficient. To be safe, he must produce another. ❜

❛ Poor lamb. Never to know his own mother. ❜

❛ Perhaps, someday soon, you yourself will have a child. ❜

❛ You're sheltering a traitor! I want to know where he is. ❜

❛ You are going to tell me, or God help me, I'll kill you, and I have the immunity to do it. ❜

❛ I've grown afraid of my own shadow. ❜

❛ Sometimes I think I do not want this child in my belly. ❜

❛ Like the ruins of ancient Rome, the Colossus of Rhodes, all things tend towards their ruin. Even great houses and the fools who build them. ❜

❛ It's illegal to carry arms in court while the King is in residence. The penalties are severe. ❜

❛ I trust you will now apprehend the villain and prevent any further violence. Otherwise, you will pay the price for your failures. ❜

❛ Everything he might touch is to be washed, and everything he might eat, tasted for poison. ❜

❛ What the King wills, the King must have. It's not to be argued with or crossed. ❜

❛ In the absence of the King there has been much malevolence and violence at court. ❜

❛ There are some who desire disorder with all their hearts, thinking of using it, at the end, to their own advantage. ❜

❛ You presume too far above your very base and low degree! ❜

❛ The King listens to him. That makes him dangerous to everyone. ❜

❛ Perhaps it is my fate never to marry. ❜

❛ I would think less of him if he were to accept such gifts in order to love me. ❜

❛ Though I cannot touch him, I swear I will make him eat his heart. ❜

❛ Death is not ready for you, yet. God has something else in mind. ❜

❛ I know what it is that we have both lost. We have lost our youth. There is nothing in the world, that can ever return it to us. ❜

❛ I will marry who I like! ❜

❛ I want to see my son. What have you done with my son? ❜

❛ Your son is unharmed. He will remain unharmed until we are sure that you are not all traitors. ❜

❛ I ask you, whether such dishonest and treacherous sons could ever have had an honest mother! ❜

❛ With your permission, Madam, may I ask if you would consider marrying the King? ❜

❛ Is it not strange that the King's Majesty was in so little space, rid of his three Queens? ❜

❛ Frankly, Sir, if I had two heads, then one would be at His Majesty's service. Alas, I only have this one. ❜

❛ How can you suppose that at my age, I am capable of plotting anything against anyone? I wish only to live a quiet life, away from this world. ❜

❛ You may well beg mercy, but whom shall say if it be granted or not. ❜

❛ Everyone has an agenda! And what I want doesn't matter! ❜

❛ My father told me that if you leave even a sapling in the ground, one day it will grow into a tree! And that little boy will have 40,000 troops flocking to his banner, and you will be the sucker! ❜

❛ I need pictures! Do you understand? I need to see them. I need to see the woman who's going to be my companion for life. ❜

❛ I'm afraid I was not born for happiness. ❜

❛ I swear he has poisoned the King's mind! And if I could, I would strip him from the King's side, and burn him. ❜

❛ You have ten seconds to get out of my court, or I will beat you like the dog that you are! ❜

❛ I see now what it takes for a man to make his way in this world. He must make a practice of hypocrisy. ❜

❛ I say to you, again, while you still have a free choice, will you live or die? ❜

❛ There's no doubt, now, he must be overthrown by force. ❜

❛ My conscience will not permit me to consummate this marriage because I feel there is some impediment to it. ❜

❛ I tell you, God will not grant me any more children if I continue in this marriage. ❜

❛ Not telling a woman what she must expect on her wedding night is like sending a sailor to sea with no biscuit. ❜

❛ He is charming and very good looking. I think you might like him a little. ❜

❛ I resent the King nothing, but others seek to undermine me, since I was born so low and they so high. ❜

❛ I hope you can forgive my impetuosity. I know we should have been formally introduced, but I couldn't wait. ❜

❛ May I kiss your hand? ❜

❛ I have found someone to amuse the King. ❜

❛ We ran a little wild. There was some fun in it. ❜

❛ I was told before that she was charming, intelligent, well-read, gracious. A true Princess. But nothing prepared me for her beauty. But a beauty that comes from inside. To me, she is the most beautiful creature on God's earth. ❜

❛ The King has noticed you. He may ask to see you. ❜

❛ You didn't step on my foot. How could you? Your feet don't even touch the ground. I wanted a moment alone with you. ❜

❛ Would you like me to kiss you again? ❜

❛ Do not sit there. That is no place for you. Traitors do not sit among gentlemen. ❜

❛ I left her as good a maid as I found her! ❜

❛ My pride has brought its punishment. ❜

[josnhoes]

I just wanted to say I LOVE YOUR HADES SELF AWARE AU!!! I would love to know what would happen after your drabble- AKA: how good would the house of hades treat their new guest? Specially considering how important they percieve them to be?

The house of hades is in an uproar. Now that you are here with them they had to put their best foot forward. Both Olympus and The House of hades have dedicated wings untouched by any aside for cleaning designed to be your homes when you finally joined the gods.

Hades is smug for so long because you chose *his* home, *his* son as your favored, and you accepted his hospitality. Though you have to do your best to keep people on track at first. Everyone wants to stop and stare or throw themselves at you begging for a smidgen of your endless love.

You are worshiped, doted on, and denied nothing no matter how trivial the request. Though it was a bit of a fight to convince people to call you by name rather then a title like The First God or Your Grace. But you are seen as all powerful, yet filled with mercy and kindness.

There is a hidden whisper amoung all the house as to why you seemed so much weaker now. A theory that after the Titans spawned into existence they locked you away, and freeing yourself from such a powerful prison to come to the house had used all of your power so your body was recovering. Much like Nyx had to do when she saved the prince's life. So now everyone is very protective. Zagreus has gone from doing runs often to only when you push, as he wants to be your gaurd first and foremost.

Thanatos has yet to approach feeling a strange emotion he can't place at the idea of being rejected by you for the nature of his power. Surely you wouldn't rebuke him for being death right? That emotion he is having he can't place, is fear but he refuses to accept that.

Nyx bounces between worshiping and mothering you.

Hypnos takes it upon himself to tuck you in every time you go to sleep using his powers to give you the best of sleep. No he doesn't care you are an adult a God older then even chaos, this is how he shows his appreciation.

Hades buys or provides you with anything you ask, what he can't get he actually reaches out to his brothers about.

Persephone has buckled down on her gardening trying to find or create produce that she can give you to appease any cravings you may have.

Achilles doesn't approach he waits for you to speak to him first. It's not out of arrogance but respect. You are higher then the gods he'd be a fool to risk insulting you. He scarcely believes you are real he'd heard tales but he thought you a myth. Treat him kindly and he may begin to approach you.

They aren't part of the main house but Asterius and Thesus both come to worship. Well the bull does anyway, Theseus comes to ask you to give him your blessing so he may call upon you in battle. If you refuse well he'll have to win your approval first then!

[golmac]

Inform 7 Craft Basics: death and/or ending the game

In the old days, parser games ended a lot. Protagonists often seemed quite fragile, and their worlds were usually deadly. That's just how it was, back then! There were a lot of reasons for that. Even the more complicated games, like those published by Infocom, were often constrained in terms of space. Death was often a way to stop playthroughs when situations arose that their small programs couldn't manage.

Expectations were different, too. People who bought Zork I in 1980 spent $39.99 USD. That's $148.36 at the time of this writing. Most people expected to get weeks out of their purchase. False starts and endings were part of the experience.

Furthermore, being able to save a play state for a video game was a novel luxury for most of us. You can save your game? Wow! We didn't resent saving back then; it was fancy.

However, none of those conditions hold true today. Parser games are almost always free. A game that takes more than two hours is considered long in most circles. New programming conveniences and practically unlimited space take away a 1980 author's prime motivation for cutting things off (in my opinion): too many states to account for.

In my experience, players do not want to replay any portion of a game in order to see new content, let alone to make up for lost progress.

For this reason, I suggest being very careful with death and failure in parser games. Perhaps it would be better for protagonists to have near-death experiences. Tell the player what would happen if they performed the action, then pull them back from the brink.

If an unwinnable game state is leading you to consider death as a merciful alternative, consider whether or not that situation is necessary. If it isn't necessary, is it good? Interesting? One of the harder things about writing IF--in my experience--is handling failure. I think failure doesn't need to be disappointing for the player if it is constructive and interesting. Maybe the player gets a hint, if the situation is puzzley. On the other hand, the occasion might be a chance for character development or worldbuilding.

My goal is that, even in failure, a player has something to show for their time.

As you may or may not know, this was a major consideration for me while writing Repeat the Ending. Next time, I'll talk a little about the decisions I made. Then we can look at some of the coding involved.