#oracle shrimp answers

[strangleduo-fanblog]

Are they kinda giving you vibe of not romantic yaoi just two weird ass men?

i mean i think its less vibes and more youve nailed down, in exact terms, just what they are. like yeah those are their nouns n adjectives youve got it

[copaline]

MY FELLOW DEGENERATES IT'S WEDNESDAY!

@man--eater (You just posted a fic chapter but here I am demanding more!)

@sunsetofdoom (your writing has an amount of white gloves that is found nowhere else)

@i-prefer-base-twelve (*pokes hoping something falls out*)

@punedrr (I choose to believe you are sitting on a pile of gold now gimme!)

@ancharan (This is what happens when you expose me to shrimp colors)

@tempusedax-rerum (WELCOME TO THE FANDOM! You are now tagged!)

No pressure to share but I'd love to see what you have! And as always, if you see this and want to join in, please do! Consider yourself tagged by me! The banner is free to use!

This is a clip of the spinoff of Horror Vacui called The Dealer and the Oracle!

It's a fix it fic that answers the question "what if someone had rescued a young 1982 Model Ford as he was being tortured by Bill?". Here's a little snippet of the upcoming Chapter:

The 1980s were a shit decade. Leaf knew it. Jheselbraum knew it. Bill knew it. Everyone knew it. The music was tinny and insipid, the tech was clunky, the people were painfully backwards but thought themselves advanced, and that was before anyone took into account what passed for fashion. The 80s lacked the innovation of the 70s, the dynamism of the 60s, and the reverberating Potential of the 50s. The 80s weren’t experienced so much as they were inflicted upon a population that had no other choice but to exist in linear time. Case in point: The Rio Bar.  This faux Brazilian monstrosity was meant to look and feel exotic but only managed to embarrass itself. With its ever-present tobacco smoke and the reverb-heavy music, Leaf supposed it was a place where the uninspired could get a little taste of something safely foreign yet familiar. The bartender approached her in a ridiculous bleach-blond pompadour and what passed for a tropical shirt. “What can I getcha?” he asked cheerfully. Leaf locked eyes with him and scrutinized his saccharine smile before leaning in closer. “Tell the Grand Wormwood I’m here about her tab.” There was a crackle of static in the fringes of reality as the seams wrinkled and yielded to the words. The bartender’s face became dazed as his eyes glazed over and shifted from brown to a vivid lime green. He then blinked and looked around in confusion. “Hello Absinthe,” Leaf smiled. “Wisp? Where the hell did you drag me off to…” he trailed off as he looked positively disgusted. “I already helped you put the squeeze on Rico, I kept my end of the deal!” The Grand Wormwood, Absinthe the Green, otherwise known as the patron fae of that specific sort of regret that comes after you had far too good a time the night before. The Green Fairy’s domain lay behind the bar with the bottles of spirits, in theory she could manifest anywhere you could find a bartender, but even she had standards and this place certainly fell short of them. She was not pleased and was looking at Leaf as though she had dragged her to some back-alley slum to be murdered. “What? You don’t like banana leaves, bad music, and neon colors?” Leaf teased and it earned her a green-eyed glare. “You’re not funny.” “Well as long as you’re here, can I get a Blackberry Bramble?” It was amusing to see Absinthe puff up and glower while inhabiting a man a full head taller than Leaf. Eventually, the fae relented and manifested blackberries in a tumbler. “This was not part of the contract, Wisp.” “Oh no worries, I’ll pay for the drink.” “That wasn’t what I meant,” the bartender hissed, “you said I just had to help you find him. You never said I had to help you break him out.” “I also didn’t say you needed to kill Rico or his men,” she pointed out. “I only killed half.” “The other half were committed to the local insane asylum.” “And this is how you repay my restraint.” “My Lady Green, sulking is most unbecoming of you. You agreed to my deal. Last I checked, you still have half of your tab outstanding,” Leaf corrected as she caught the drink Absinthe slid across to her and took a sip, “mmm… bit sour.” “It’s February. Blackberries will be out of season for another twenty Februaries until global warming ramps up,” the fairy huffed. “Shame,” Leaf sighed as she pretended to be fascinated by the drink. “Is that it? You dragged me here to make you an anachronistic drink that won’t be invented for another year and a half?” “Misery loves company,” Leaf’s pointed reply was softened by the amusement in her eyes. “You know… you never said what Stan was doing in a place like this.”

[jq37]

.....fuck. Ok, so the simple answer is Cassandra's going Nightmare King. But that "she's at my side once more" thing gives me hope that this is something else and not entirely Kristens fault. Could be the Elf side of Galacaea reacting badly to the Wolf side gaining prominence and she's trying to grab for any piece of her old self to gain a controlling foothold. On the lighter side of things, Kristen believing she's a full-on actual political candidate and trying to give a speech to steel-workers was gut-bustingly hilarious. Less light-hearted, Adaine needs to stop attacking her financial woes as a teenager and start attacking it as a wizard adventurer. And lose the crap job, a 40% discount is not worth those 8 hours she's losing every shift. She can get a lot more done with that time. But she's a kid who's trying to solve this on her own instead of the common sense move of reaching out to adults who know more. Siobhan commits to the bit, I'll give her that. Bizarely, Gorgugs 400% course load is actually is the most solvable problem. Get Digby and Wilma to tutor him and help him speedrun through the Freshman and Sophomore material and then play catch-up on the Junior year material. He might have drop the Owl Bears, he needs those hours. Fig is killing it so hard in all her classes, it would be fucking hilarious if she's the Bad Kid who graduates as valedictorian. This one ran long, sorry about that.

OK, my quick thoughts on everything before I sit down to write this recap tomorrow (I finished my notes today--geez these JY eps are LONG):

Kristen: Wild that the thing Kristen has chosen to go all in on is her high school bid for class president and not *gestures vaguely* literally anything else. Funny, but wild. My best guess until we have more info is that this is an "As above so below" thing because the wizards getting ripped and aggressive is super random except for the fact that the main things that Kristen has been doing in the past few months is getting ripped and being aggressive to Cass. But we're working with incomplete info so we'll see.

Adaine: Girl, take Aelwyn's chest of rubies and sell it for cash and buy stuff with that! Or better yet, use your Oracle/general divination powers to figure out the lotto numbers/stock futures and exploit that! Honestly, even killing your mom is a better plan that working at Fantasy Auntie Anne's!

Gorgug: :( Hang in there buddy. It's wild when everyone else is dealing with kind fantasy problems--even Adaine's thing is tinged with Fantasy what with the absurdity of the items she needs to get--and Gorgug is just dealing with…a completely regular school problem. That's rough man. I personally feel like I'd try to join a club or something to show off my skills rather than doing it on the books if this requires a 400% course load but I hope he can make it work. Though, it would also be interesting for them to do a, "There's no shame in trying and failing," storyline because man that's just so much work and that's an important thing to learn.

Fabian: If you want Adaine to be at your party then give her some of your massive pile of gold so she doesn't have to work a crappy mall job. The girl is filtering gold flecks out of discounted booze and you know that because you're the one who gave her permission to do it. Either help her or don't be sulky when she can't make your shrimp party!

Fig: Fig as surprise valedictorian has the same energy as Annie realizing she and Shirley are neck in neck for the position even though Annie is the type A control freak (this is a Community ref for anyone who's like whomst?). That would be so funny. But also, it wouldn't be crazy! Fig was super preppy before she decided to be punk. I wouldn't be surprised if her grades were always good and she's also passionate about everything she does. If she wasn't set on sticking it to the man, she'd be so so so solid.

Riz: You didn't mention him but I wanted to give him a section anyway. Hi Riz :)

OK, that's it for now. Can't wait for next ep! (And no worries about this ask being long. I like getting long D20 Asks!)

[random-conspiracy]

The Extraordinary Oracle

Oh, well. Here's the actualized (5 minutes ago) list of cards. Remember, the deck has NO names but I need to keep track of them in some way so here we are :]

Consultant 1

Consultant 2 (the partner in couple readings, optional)

Young person 1

Young person 2

Adult 1

Adult 2

Old person (age, pass of time, wisdom, grandparents)

Baby (innocence, begginings, novelty, children)

House (comfort, privacy, family [found one or blood one])

Field house (optional for extended family)

Heart

Happiness

Fidelity

Hope

Dandelions in concrete (constance, stability over everything, grow)

Tenderness

Peace (reconciliation, rest, tranquility)

Kindness

Medal (fame, improvement, high honours)

Pride

Friendship

Delight

Desires (dreams, ambitions, ilusions)

4 leaf clover (small luck, odds at your favor, some money, good omen)

Money

Party (celebration, fun)

Bouquet (gift)

Doctor (educated person, who brings you help and advice)

Fortune (Big luck. Sudden success)

Date (flirting, meeting)

Energy (enthusiasm, motivation)

Conversation

Fire (passion, horniness, out of control)

Crossroads (decisions, possibilities, taking different paths)

Bootlicker (SIMP [I doon't like the term but you understand])

Waiting

Garden (an awful lot of people, town, city, social circles)

Ring (compromise, romantic couple, formal bound)

Butterfly (lightness, inconstancy, short duration)

Travel

Work (occupation, effort)

What's coming (news, visits, novelty, someone in the way)

What goes away (someone running away, lost things)

Curiosity (desire to know, meddling, spy)

Clown (ridicule, clown of the class, 🤡)

Change

I don't see, I don't hear, I don't talk (wisdom, negation)

Wall (obstacles, boundaries)

Judgment (legal or social)

Justice

Boredom (disinterest)

Shrimp (time's running out, laziness, lack of attention)

Surprise

A long road

Brave

Intellectual

Private room

Mesage (phone, computer, letters, documents, texts)

Thoughts

Lunatics (dellusions, madness, being very high)

Autorithy (someone in power, institution, order, building)

Key (solution, answer, "get free of jail" card)

Repentant (guilt, one who seeks forgiveness)

Drama

Plant pot (conformism, limited grow, superficiality)

Rat (thief, parasite)

Fear (doubts, anxiety, uncertany)

Rage (anger, fights)

Disgust

Misery

Siren (seduction, tramp, under someone else's control)

Dark clouds (small bad luck, odds against you, bad mood, bad omen)

Mask (false appearances, lies, deceit)

Sadness

Sickness

Sighs (nostalgia, miss something)

Misfortune (big bad luck, disaster)

Gelosy

Prision (loneliness, chained, no options)

Snake (hate, enemy, bad intentions, rotten environment)

Death (ends, funerals)

Thin ice (danger, tension)

Broken heart (treason, disappointment, pain)

Cop (oppression, authority abuse, orders)

"That person" (third wheel, ex, the other woman/man)

Handshake (teamwork, what changes hands)

The weight of the world (a lot of stuff going on, unespected complexity, stress, speed)

Past (memories, ghosts talking)

Alley (what is done in secret or under the table)

Broom (putting things in order, domestic duties)

Shield (protection, strenght)

Artist (hobbies and projects, creations, sensibility)

FLYING PIG (the extraordinary, miracle, anomaly, what shouldn't be but is)

I'm not sure if 93 (and counting) cards are a good idea but who cares hashasa. If you wish to prove this I'll let this here. Ask a question, pick 3 "cards"

[floralprintsharks]

Prompt fill #12 for @dimension20alphabet:

Music / (Library)

Even though Fig‘s friends keep telling her that she’s wearing her heart on her sleeve she knows that she has problems talking about feelings that actually matter. She’s gotten better at it, but the best way for her—the easiest way, the most profound way she knows—is expressing herself through her music.

 After writing a whole album worth of songs about Ayda, she sits down to finally, finally put her love for the other people in her life down on paper and into music. It’s hard to work on songs when almost everyone she loves lives in the same house, because she doesn’t want them to hear her first tries, her stumbling over notes and her mumbling of lyrics who don’t seem to fit yet.

 Ayda helps her out and shows Fig her secret friendship section in the library—which seems highly appropriate for the songs she’s working on.

 “You collected all of these?”, Fig asks as she turns around in the enormous dome filled with rows upon rows of books.

 “Yes, I have collected them over many lifetimes. Is that weird?”, Ayda says.

 Fig gives her a kiss on the cheek.

 “No. It’s pretty wonderful. Thanks, babe.”

 “Every time you call me that I get a very warm feeling in my chest”, Ayda says and Fig laughs.

 “Well, I guess I should call you that more often then.”

 “Do you want me to leave you to your creative process?”

 “Nah. You can hang around if you want. If you don’t mind my occasional fits of frustration”, Fig answers and looks around for a good place to sit down to work on her songs.

 “This is a pirate library, I am accustomed to swearing men threatening me with weapons”, Ayda says and gives her a kiss before starting to browse through her own collection while Fig settles down on comfortable looking hammock and rummages around in her bag to pull out all the different sheets of paper she has already filled with ideas, different lines and notes as well as doodles—which she always starts making while humming to herself to try and find the right melody.

 She watches Ayda for a while, who flies around and collects different books from her own shelves to read in while she keeps Fig company. Then Fig turns her eyes onto the notes she’s already written so far with the corresponding titles she decided on until now.

 Tinflower Field (soft metal. electrical cello??? ask zelda!)

Kings And Queens Of The Shrimp Empire (KEYBOARD. BACKGROUND)

Pinky Promise

Saints, Oracles, Archdevils (girlpower fuck yeah)

I Believe In You (SPRING BREAK!!!)

Angel With A Shotgun (little angel??? sounds weird. angel in a backpack? angel with a briefcase?)

It Means We’re Family

Open Doors

Furious Fist

Keep Going

Moon Haven (flutes?? does tracker like ballads????? ask kristen)

Check It Out

Magic Is Real (and so is her frog. frog instruments?)

To Hell And Back Again

 She reads the parts of the lyrics she’s come up with so far and makes a mental note to write at least one song for her parents for the next album. But this one is for friendship. For her found family. She briefly wonders if Kristen will find the song Pinky Promise just as funny as Fig does when she thinks about it. She wonders if Riz will find it weird to be called an angel in a song. She wonders if Ragh likes upbeat pop music—she never tried writing any, but when she thinks of Ragh that’s what comes up in her head.

 She hums the melody for I Believe In You under her breath and makes some notes and adjustments on the lyrics when Ayda flutters down next to her and sits beside her.

 “How is it going, my love?”

 Fig looks up and smiles at her.

 “You know, I get a warm feeling in my chest whenever you call me that, babe.”

 “Yet again an incredible feedback loop of positive feelings. You are truly astonishing”, Ayda says with a soft look in her eyes.

 “I think it’s going well, do you want to hear my first draft of the title song?”

 “I would love to.”

 And what better place would there be to sing about friendship than the secret friendship section in the Compass Points Library.

[hesperocyon-lesbian]

I decide to post some of that story I mentioned before. It’s not exactly at a good stopping point but it’s just where I am. I’m very open to critique. I’m new to writing this genre and I know that there’s a lot I could improve.

The salt burned in the lacerations around my wrists. I’d been bound the the rock since Astraios had coursed the sky, and Eos now marched toward the horizon with grim determination. She marked the hour of my doom. Soon I would be part of this world no longer, but instead a shade in the world below. And what had I done to merit such a demise? Nothing. I simply existed. It was the jealousy of some god that caused my plight. One could count one a single hand the number of problems for which the gods are blameless. My punishment was a case of misinterpreted hyperbole. It all happened one night at a feast. We were loose on unmixed wine. Upon our table there lay injera, with spreads of lentils, beans and chicken. Our guests of honor were Pharaoh Ramesses II of Upper and Lower Egypt and King Piyama-radu of the Hattian Kingdom of Wilusa. My father, Cepheus, had invited them to our court on the coast of Ethiopia in order to secure peace between their nations.

“My dear Cepheus,” Ramesses proclaimed in a swaggering boom of a voice, “not even my own beloved Nefertari can compare to your daughter’s beauty! The way her tightly curled locks are deftly bound behind her head puts all the women of Kemet and Kush to shame!” Declarations like this were in vogue in dimplomatic speech at the time, though very few scribes bothered to write this kind of exchange down. It was simple procedural flattery, and no one needed to see this kind of filler on a peace treaty etched in bronze.

Piyama-Radu chimed in with, “She must get it from you Cassiopeia!” though his words were interrupted by hiccups, “Truly she is more lovely than the Sun Goddess of Arinna herself.”

My mother responded to their praise in jest, “Oh without a doubt, she even outstrips the Nereids!” A chorus of laughter came up from around the table, though I laughed nervously. I’d never relished in the way men praised me. Their eyes would wander and their lips would curl into a smirk that revealed the crude thoughts dancing behind their eyes. Still, it was my role to accept the praise that was afforded to me. My name had practically anticipated the constant adoration. “Andromeda,” they had named me. Protector of men. Such a name imposed expectations upon its owner.

None of us expected what came of my mother’s boast. The gods do not always consider nuance. They are far more likely to fly into a rage at the slightest provocation. That’s what happened to practically every “lover” of Zeus. They leave a trail of bodies in their debaucherous wake. I suppose my mother should have known better than to compare me to Poseidon’s beloved Nereids. Whether or not he even considered them beautiful was irrelevant to him, for they were his possessions, and nothing mortal was permitted to surpass that which he owned. Thus he threw his tantrum. He called upon his creature, Cetus, to raze our coastline. Every day villagers came to us, begging for a way to put an end to the destruction. We had no answer. Yet my father knew. Even when the oracle told him that the only solution was my sacrifice, his face did not move. He knew but must be done but he would not accept it until the gods held the knife to his throat.Yet still for him it was just another dipomatic formality. Instead of a treaty between kings it was a treaty between a mortal and a god. Instead of sealing it with a marriage, he sealed it with a sacrifice. The two were hardly different to him.

So, there I lay, fixed upon the rock. The ropes dug into my wrists and ankles, drawing blood, and the breakers crashed barely a ten yards ahead of me, spraying salt water upon my exposed form. I had pulled my mind out of my body, as much from the humiliation as the fear. I lay bare and helpless as our kingdom watched. A sudden thud snapped me back into the moment. I could feel the vibrations through my body as another blow shook the earth. Minutes passed in that manner, feeling Cetus’ approach but never seeing it. Then finally it crested the horizon. First all I could see was its writhing mass of eyes. Some stood on short stalks like those of a crab, soulless eyes with no color to them. Some oozed on longer tendrils, like those of a snail. Finally, there were those that stood fixed in place, immense compound eyes, like those of a shrimp. All of them fixed their gaze upon me. As it grew closer I saw its mandibles. I would say there were twenty sets, but one could not tell from the way they chittered and interlocked in anticipation. It had a crab’s carapace for its body, but a slimy squid’s mantle hung limply out of the back. It walked upon what looked like crab’s legs, but they were strange and wrong. They didn’t stay stiff when they came down, but bent like cooked asparagus, causing it to bob in seemingly random directions. It had one enormous pincer on its right but a tentacle on its left, with two claws fixed to the end. It stood as tall as a mountain, yet it moved three times as fast as a ship. As it grew even nearer, some of the rocks around me began to shake to pieces, yet sadly mine held. I thought I heard my mother weep, but I must have imagined it, for the stomping drowned out all sound. When it grew so close that I could feel its slaver strike my face, I closed my eyes and prepared myself for my fate.

I expected to be whisked down to the Underworld. I wasn’t sure how it was supposed to feel, but I knew it felt like something. Yet I felt nothing. Not even its spit flying at my face. I opened my eyes. Cetus stood there, still. Too still. Its color was different, its texture smoother. Its shell glistered in the morning sun. It was stone. Its eyes were no longer fixed upon me, but rather upon a point above its head. I tracked up and saw her. The Protector. My protector. A woman, riding a winged horse. She wore a hoplite’s armor, but no helmet sat upon her head. Instead her hair blew free. Yet it did not blow. Rather, it writhed. Dozens of asps hissed and squirmed on her head. She whispered to them and they calmed, pulling back to form a slicked back look. Then she gently clicked, and the horse began to descend in circles. I knew who she was now. The Gorgon. We had heard tales of her, even as far as we lay from the Achaeans. She turned men to stone and despised all life. I shuddered as she came closer. Yet when she pulled out her knife, she used it not to slit my throat but to sever the ropes that held me.

“Im so sorry for what they’ve done to you,” she said in a comforting tone, “I can return you to them if you’d like. I know how some people love their families no matter what. I shook my head. Words stuck in my throat. “Okay, I can help you if you’ll accept. You can come with me and I’ll protect you.” Protect. It was in her name. Medusa, the Protector. From the same word as my name. I nodded. “Alright, first things first let’s get you some clothes.” She pulled a cloak from her riding pack and wrapped it gently around me. I pulled it tight and felt its soft silk embrace me. “Climb on.” She offered me her hand and I accepted, clambering onto her horse. She clicked her tongue again and he took off,beating his wings until we reached the clouds, and then gliding softly. I didn’t look back at the shores of Ethiopia.

We didn’t talk for the rest of our journey through the sky. She knew I wasn’t ready to and she didn’t mind. She understood. Whenever she looked back to check on me I could see in her eyes that she’d endured something far worse. Even if I could have asked, I wouldn’t have. By the time we landed it was nearly nightfall.We alit upon a rocky hill with a cave opening on its side. I hadn’t felt my hunger until that moment, and I began to ask, but before I even had time to speak she said, “I’ll get a fire going and make us some food. I’m sure you’re starving.” I nodded again.

I sat in the cave watching her, her face lit by the fire as she cooked a stew of beans and vegetables with goat’s milk. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen a face like hers before. It was soft in some of the ways I’d seen in women’s faces before, yet also rough and solid. I could see a good part of the fear behind her name. Even without her gaze of stone, her face still projected control and betrayed no emotion. Yet I could feel the pain she had suffered. This changed when she brought a bowl over to me with a crust of bread to dip in it. I grinned as I began to slurp my soup and pick up the beans using the bread. It wasn’t until I’d finished eating that I looked up and saw that her expression had changed. Now she had a tender smile from cheek to cheek.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t stare,” she said, looking away.

“Please,” I said, “don’t worry. You’ve done so much for me, I don’t mind.” She looked back at my and smiled again, shyly this time. Her cheeks flushed and she looked away once more.

I laughed, “So you’re Medusa? I always heard that you were more monster than woman. So why am I sharing a meal with you instead of frozen in stone?”

“Oh that?” she laughed as well, “that only works on men. I guess the rumors spread because they’re afraid of a woman who can defend herself.” I laughed again, but more so because it was true than because of any humor. It was the same fear of a bold woman that had annihilated so many other women before her. Zeus feared Metis and so he devoured her, as if it weren’t enough that men like him are so often wont to leech a women’s life forces. Kreon executed Antigone because she defied him. It gave me comfort to know that at least Medusa had the power to fend off attackers.

“It’s a gift from Athena,” she continued, “She’s my patron goddess, she’s always looked out for me, and I’ve always honored her.”

“So why did she-”

“I don’t talk about it,” she snapped. Her face turned cold and she turned away, her snakes hissing as she did. I had never seen a woman as powerful as her before, so what could be too much for her? I didn’t really want to know. I wanted to ease her pain, but it was too dangerous, and if it was a subject she’d rather not touch, I’d respect her wishes. She sat off in the back of the cave, stroking her snakes back into place and looking down into her lap. They resisted at first but eventually calmed while I lay myself down upon the floor.

As the fire died down and I closed my eyes, I tried to fall asleep. But every time my eyes shut, an image of Poseidon’s beast flashed before and I jolted. Even with my eyes open, I couldn’t help but shiver. There was a cold breeze flowing into the cave, and my thoughts still dwelled on the helplessness I’d felt just that morning. I was so wrapped up in these thoughts that I didn’t hear her tread gently over to me. I didn’t notice anyhting until she draped over my body the linen blanket she had been carrying. I felt warmed inside, but still I jolted and shivered. She must have seen that I did so, because she began to sing to me. It was a simple verse that I’d heard Achaean merchants sing down at the docks, but never in a voice like hers. The way she spoke was rough and guarded, but now as she sang, her voiced poured out like a nightengale.

“While you live, be radient!

 Don’t worry your sweet soul

 For life is short for all of us

 And time requests its toll.”

The theme was harsh, yet somehow comforting. I may have had a brush with death today, but so must everyone eventually. While I could live I should live to my fullest and be thankful that I was alive. I don’t know when I drifted off, but when I woke up, Medusa was cooking a dish of rabbit and egg, seasoned with herbs she’d found outside. She boiled four eggs, two for each of us, and lay out the poached rabbit meat in strips on the wicker plates. As she cooked she fed a whole raw egg to one of her snakes. It unhinged its jaw and swallowed it whole, hitching its mouth along, inch by inch, until it had gone down its throat.

“Do they need to eat separately from you?” I asked.

“Good morning to you too,” she retorted, not taking her eyes off the iron pot. I supposed I had been a bit rude to lead with that but I couldn’t really help my curiosity. “And no, they don’t need to eat, I just find it helps calm them. Sometimes they seem to forget they’re a part of me.

“So they have minds of their own?”

“Honestly even after all this time I’m not quite sure. They seem to respond to my emotions but I can never control them when I’m keen to.” She fished the eggs out of the pot with a wooden spoon and brought the two plates over, handing me mine and sitting down to eat hers. It was a plain meal but the rabbit was tender, the eggs were just soft enough and everything was enhanced by her presence. She wore a light tan colored man’s chiton and a chlamys cloak over that. Her smoothed her snakes back again and I stared at her longer than I should have. I still couldn’t get over it. I’d never seen a woman like her before. The way she wore men’s clothes, the way she did up her short hair--albeit hair made of snakes. She presented herself like a man, but she was not like any man I had ever seen either. Even men who dressed exactly the same didn’t have the same influence that she had on me now. I was sure it must be her enchantment. That must factor into it somehow.

[higharollakockamamie]

Soft on the Outside, Tough on the Inside Girls by Kirai Yuu

Expression

Text box: Royal Tomb

Prompto: “What does it feel like, getting the Royal Arms?” (Little text: “Does it hurt?”) Noctis: “Well, it’s like...”

Noctis: “It’s all BOOOOM and then it goes nnnnggg and then it’s like whssh whssh, and at the end there’s this spreading-out shwaah feeling.” 

Prompto: “Kickass!”  Ignis: “I shall have to increase his vocabulary studies.” Gladio: “Yep.” 

Right comic Camouflage 

Prompto: “Chocochicks are so cuuute. I wanna take one with us!” Noctis: “We definitely can’t do that.” (Scribbly text: “Who’d take care of it?”)

Noctis: “All right, we heading out?” 

Noctis: “I SAID NO.” Prompto: “Tch, busted.” 

Left comic Growing Up

Gathering LV1 Prompto: “Ahh, wait up!”

Gathering LV3 Prompto: “Made it somehow...”

Gathering LV5

Gathering LV8

Right comic A Reserved Man

Prompto: “Having the Marshal here makes me all nervous.” Noctis: “It does?” 

Noctis: “All right, all enemies down!” Prompto: “Bum bum bum baaah dah bum bah dadaaah!”

Prompto: Oh shit. Force of habit. 

Prompto: “...I presume.”  Cor: “I see.”  Bros’ thought bubble: He’s getting formal. Little bubble marked “The Usual”: “...like, right!?”

Left comic Greed

Gladio: “I gave it some thought and went for egg, but really I want to eat every kind.” 

Ignis: “Thus, I’ve tried my hand at making one for you with every topping.” Label: “Egg, meat, and shrimp deluxe”  Prompto: “Woah, trendy!” 

Gladio: “Something’s...off.” Ignis: “What.” 

Gladio: “Here we go!”  Prompto: “Jeez, you can’t even see the noodles anymore.” Noctis: “’s good.” Ignis: “But...the noodles will get soggy!” 

[Note: Please appreciate happy meat Gladio.]

Right comic Transformation

Gladio: “Been a while, huh.”  “Gladio.”  Label: Exineris Power Plant

Noctis: “Hm? There’s something different about you.” Prompto: “Yeah, there is.”  Gladio: “So you noticed.” 

Noctis: “You got a tan.” Prompto: “Your eyelashes are longer!”  Gladio: “That’s not it.”

Ignis: “You’ve gained a little weight, haven’t you?” Ignis: “That’s what happens when you eat Cup Noodles every day.” Gladio: “Are you my mom?”

Left comic: Umbra Master

Noctis: “Umbra, shake!”  Gentiana: He has called him out to no purpose again...

Noctis: “Other paw!” 

Noctis: “Lie down!” 

Gentiana: Where has he been finding the time to teach these tricks... Little text: Is Umbra all right with this...

Right comic Peanut Gallery (1)

Noctis: “Now, what kinda response should I write.”

Ignis: “Noct, that word is misspelled.” Gladio: “Oy, oy, write something with some more passion in it.”  Prompto: “Wanna put in a picture of you?” 

Noctis: “Gaaah! If you’re not gonna shut up, you can’t look!” Noctis: “’Got it.’ Here! Umbra, that’s my answer.” Prompto: “Man, that’s cold.” 

Gentiana: “...and that is what took place.”  Luna: “Ahh.”

Left comic Peanut Gallery (2)

Luna: “I must respond to Noctis.” 

Gentiana: “Ah, would not such a formal response cause the prince concern? Perhaps try adding a U+2764 at the end?”

Ravus: “These words lack even a shred of intellect. Behave as befits the Oracle.” 

Text box: “...trying to say, ‘and that's what happened.’” Noctis: “What’s wrong, Umbra?” 

Right comic Black Empire

Noctis: “So you quit the Imperial Army? Can you just do that?”  Aranea: “It’s fine, it’s fine.” 

Aranea: “The morning meetings were a pain in the ass.” Label with arrows: Not listening Aranea: (Yeah yeah, I wanna go home.) Ardyn: (What shall I do next?) Ravus: (I wonder how things are going for my little sister.) Offscreen guy, presumably the Emperor: “Is the ring not yet ours?”

Aranea: “And besides Biggs and Wedge, none of my subordinates were real sociable.”  Aranea: “Yo, you wanna go out for a drink later?” Sound effect: *silence* 

Aranea: “Plus there was the weekend work and split shifts. I’m glad I’m outta there.” “That sounds terrible...” 

Left comic The Gap

Noctis: “*Sigh...*” Ignis: “Are you all right, Noct?”

Noctis: “I get tired just from moving around a little. Maybe it’s because I haven’t moved in ten years?”

“Huh, whatddya mean?” 

Prompto: “It’s your age.”  Gladio: “Once you hit thirty it all goes downhill.” Ignis: “You must act appropriately for your years.”  Noctis: “Shut up! My body’s thirty but I’m 20 on the inside!” 

[ghibliseul]

tagged by: @cruisersdva

rules : answer 30 questions and tag 20 people you want to get to know better

nicknames: mino, mani, antoinette, and ninja are a couple

gender: female

star sign: cancer *sigh*

height: 5′6

time: 10:15

birthday: july 5

favourite bands: florence + the machine, paramore, gorillaz, and destiny’s child (even though they aren’t a band anymore.)

favourite solo artist: solange, sia, mariah carey, beyonce, and john legend

song stuck in my head: you can be a sweet dreammmm or a beautiful nightmare! either the way i don’t wanna wake up from you (turn the lights on) 

and lauren aquilina-king 

last show i watched: the get down

last thing i googled: “what is the temperature of liquid nitrogen?”

do you have other blogs: nope

do you get asks: no not really, excluding that 1 ask that asked my why nyx/anyone was wrong

why did you choose your url: i love gentiana like a lot and thinks that she should’ve been oracle

following: 528

followers:  300

favourite colours: gray, light blue, and purple

average hours of sleep: 4-6 

lucky number: 7

instruments: none, but i really want to play violin i love it so much

what am i wearing: large white shirt and tights

how many blankets do i sleep with: 2

dream job: psychiatrist or fashion designer

dream trip: italy or paris

favourite food: shrimp alfredo 

nationality: american 

favourite song right now: with me theres no such thing as 1 favorite song

pets: none, sadly

favourite ice cream flavour: cookies & cream

what’s in my bag: art supplies

i tag anyone who wants to do it because my laptop is being a pain and probably will crash after i post this

[strangleduo-fanblog]

omgee u think my eyes are pretty.... bats my eyelashes at you cutely... haaiiiiii shrimppppp :3

blushes.. ofc you have beautiful eyes ^_^ very lovely eyes... eyes to get lost in <3

[biofunmy]

Voyage to the Center of the World

The peaks of Mount Parnassus shimmered on a warm spring afternoon above the temples of ancient Delphi. In a verdant valley below, silver-tipped olive trees stretched to the sea. The sun traced a golden arc in the azure sky. On a flat plateau surrounded by this natural theater, I looked up to find myself standing at the center of the world.

At least, the center of all things as the ancient Greeks knew it. In front of me was a black ovoid stone, known as the omphalos, set on the spot in Greek mythology where two eagles loosed by Zeus crossed paths at the earth’s nexus. It marked Delphi as one of the greatest enigmas of the ancient universe.

I had come for what was supposed to be an afternoon visit during a recent trip to Athens. Delphi is best known as the home of the famous Oracle — a powerful priestess who saw the future of kings and nations — and I wanted at least a glimpse of the mystery before pressing ahead with my travels.

But as I stood on the archaic plateau, I was riveted. The broken columns of once-mighty altars rose like spirits in the pure air. A timeworn stadium and a prodigious stone amphitheater reigned silently over the mountain. The Temple of Apollo, where the Oracle dispensed her cryptic prophecies, was ringed with paths trod by truth-seekers who had labored up the steep valley from the Corinthian Gulf.

Clearly, taking in this soul-stirring experience would need time — as much time as I could afford to give.

While most travelers tend to use Athens as their base for seeing Greece’s classical highlights, reversing those roles, and choosing Delphi as an exploratory hub for a multiday tour, can bring unexpected rewards. After all, for ancient visitors, Delphi was the trip of a lifetime.

A Unesco World Heritage site, Delphi alone merits a full day to wander the extensive marble ruins and the fine Archaeological Museum of Delphi showcasing sublime sculptures, delicate friezes and other excavated gems. A second day can be spent touring mythological caves and springs during a birdsong-filled hike in Delphi’s lush forests.

The town of Delphi, with terraced hotels, rustic tavernas and sunning cats, is a charming and convenient base. It has uninterrupted views over the immense valley of ancient olive trees, the largest grove in all of Greece, to the azure waters of the Corinthian Gulf.

You can get to the gulf in less than half an hour by car. But that drive should be turned into a third full day of discovery, visiting scenic villages that antiquity’s travelers would have passed on their way to Delphi from the gulf. In springtime, the villages bolt to life with Carnival festivals celebrating pagan customs.

Ancient Delphi is a short bus ride or a pleasant walk from town. A wide road hemmed in by pines, laurels and cypresses leads to the entrance and up toward the Sacred Way — the path taken by King Oedipus, Alexander the Great, the Roman Emperor Nero and countless ordinary men and women determined to hear the Oracle’s pronouncements.

With Apollo’s priestess as the main attraction, Delphi’s renown grew as Greece’s wealthy city states, and powerful conquerors, built sumptuous treasuries filled with rich offerings to encourage the sun god to favor them in war and politics. Many paid tribute to victories gained through the Oracle’s guidance — and Apollo’s help — with grandiose sculptures, including a giant silver bull and a replica of the Trojan Horse.

Despite the ancient bling, Delphi’s supremacy as a sacred power center was epitomized by the simple stone omphalos that had riveted me during my visit — what the Greeks called the “navel of the world.” While the temples have crumbled, seeing the omphalos gave me goose bumps, and left me awe-struck over Delphi’s sublime place in history.

At the top of the Sacred Way, the Temple of Apollo, now razed to its foundations, greeted visitors with these wise words: “Know Yourself,” and “Nothing in Excess.” Inside, the Oracle, a woman older than 50, would sit entranced over a crack in the earth answering questions. A centuries-old debate still rages over whether her divine inspiration came from an ether-like vapor formed by an ancient water source, the nearby Castilian Spring.

Whatever the truth, visitors can explore the remains of the spring in a rocky crag near the Delphi museum, an archaeological time capsule whose centerpiece is an exquisite, life-size bronze statue from 475 BC known as the Charioteer. With flowing robes, gems for eyes and regal poise, this masterpiece by an unknown artist embodies the mystery of Delphic lore.

The next day should be spent visiting the Corycian Cave, an obligatory stop for ancient supplicants after encountering the Oracle. A three and a half-hour trek (each way) from the ruins, this sanctuary for the nature god Pan dates to the neolithic era. The hike starts above Delphi’s marble amphitheater and winds through lovely pine forests. At each turn, there are outstanding views over the ancient site. In hot summer months, those preferring not to sweat it out can also drive.

After a long day, it’s essential to refuel at a traditional Delphi taverna. To Patriko Mas, with a stunning position overlooking the valley, is a lively gathering spot offering charcoal-grilled meat and fish, as well as roast peppers, stuffed mushrooms and other vegetarian fare.

Head out the following day to explore the path that ancient visitors took to get to the Sacred Way. This should be done in reverse order, starting in Delphi and ending with dinner at Galaxidi, a charming fishing village on the Corinthian Gulf.

I left Delphi by car and headed down the mountain to Chrisso, a once-powerful city-state that dates to the 12th century B.C. Now a small stone village, Chrisso sparkles with tiny churches and water gurgling through granite gutters from a spring sourced in Mount Parnassos. Locals divert the water to their gardens to grow a local treat — baby vegetables, which are candied in sugared syrup. These should be sampled with a strong Greek coffee at one of the tavernas in the central square.

I continued toward the cliffside town of Amfissa, a prominent citadel in Delphic times. Named for Apollo’s lover, it had its own Acropolis and a stretch of Cyclopean walls. Today, old ladies wearing kerchiefs and crocheted skirts navigate the road with canes and a slow step.

A castle was built atop the ancient wall during Ottoman rule, with a view of the valley. When I visited, the almond trees were in bloom. Slow-moving honey bees filled the air with a low hum and the sweet perfume of nectar. Nearby, an old tannery is said to be protected by the spirit of a youth whose quest for love ended in tragedy. In spring, the villagers put on a raucous nighttime carnival in his honor, dressed as ghosts and fairies with elaborate masks and animal bells.

Pause to sample local wines, cheeses and olives at Megalo Kafeneio 1929, a converted theater house with a dusty 1930s décor in Amfissa’s main square. Then continue, as I did, toward Itea, a modern port located next to the ancient harbor of Kirra, where far-flung travelers disembarked to start their journey to see the Oracle.

Today international cruise ships disgorge crowds onto tour buses that make a beeline for Delphi. At a clutch of tavernas on the waterfront, locals nibble freshly caught shrimp and anchovies with a shot of raki in the Corinthian Gulf’s briny air.

Hug the gulf to continue to picturesque Galaxidi, with stout stone mansions, swaying palm trees and a snug harbor. An important center for sailing ships until steam engines came along, ancient Galaxidi was believed to have housed a temple to Apollo. The church of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors, now sits in its place, adorned with a rare solar calendar that tracks the zodiac cycle. A nautical museum holds a unique collection of ship paintings and priceless artifacts, including prehistoric obsidian tools and a 4,000-year-old curvaceous urn called an amphora pulled from an ancient shipwreck.

For dinner, head to To Barko tis Maritsas taverna, a converted coffeehouse decorated with nautical flair. Don’t miss the delicate pearl-pink taramosalata, with a tangy edge of garlic, or the marinated sea bass, cut paper thin and studded with peppercorns.

After dinner, I strolled along the waterfront and looked back across the gulf to catch the sunset. There, as the sky faded to a golden pink, the peaks of Mount Parnassus towered in the distance over the town of Delphi, where gray stone houses clung under orange tiled roofs to the cliffs.

Rising above it, ancient Delphi glimmered from the mountainside like a polished gem — as smooth and simple as the stone at its very heart that once marked the center of the world.

Liz Alderman is the Paris-based chief European business correspondent for The New York Times.

Sahred From Source link Fashion and Style

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[elliotthezubat]

DEATH CITY DAYS GAIDEN; FIFTEEN

 -in a plane-

man: ….. *he seems uneasy*

*tap tap*

man: ?!?! *looks at the window*

*on the wing of the plane is a teenage boy*

Chuuya: *smirks*

man: !!! t-the king of the sheep!

Chuuya: *kicks the window, shattering it*

man: !!!! *trying to get away*

*the broken window disrupts air pressure...giving Chuuya enough time to get in and kick the Man in the back*

man: GRK- p-please! h-have mercy!

Chuuya: "Mercy? Was it mercy you showed to the Sheep?"

man: p-please! w-we had no choice!

Chuuya: "Just following orders, right? I get that..." *steps on the Man's back* "I also understand mercy. That's why I already eliminated your colleagues."

man: !!!!

*it feels like the man's body is held down by more than just this foot...*

man: GRK-

Chuuya: "I'm impressed: you're held down, but you haven't given up. Tell me something: why did you do it?"

man: w-we were attacked! our storage facility- I-it was destroyed!

Chuuya: "And who attacked you? The Mafia?"

man: a-a demon....a-arahabaki!!

Chuuya: "..."

man: *reaching for his pistol*

Chuuya: *presses gravity down harder* "No."

man: RRK-

Chuuya: *applies more pressure on the man's ribcage*

man: *screaming out in pain*

Chuuya: "Thank you for this information..." *floats upward...*

-elsewhere-

elise: *coloring and humming*

Mori: *staring at ledgers*

dazai: ….

Mori: "How troubling...This may be too much for a simple mob boss, eh, Dazai?"

dazai: …..

Mori: "Dazai? Are you listening?"

dazai: *fiddling with a pill bottle*

Mori: "Dazai, I'm trying to explain how serious things are for the Mafia's operations--...Are you mixing medicines?"

dazai: …..maybe.

Mori: "Damn it, Dazai--they aren't lethal."

dazai: *groans* but I wanna diiiiiie…. it's not fair! I just want to stop breathing!

Mori: *sighs* "If you act like a good boy, I'll teach you how to make a lethal medicine."

dazai: liar....

Mori: "Oh, why can't you be a more well-behaved young man?"

dazai: maybe i'll run away and join an enemy organization.....

Mori: "Come now--you know joining the enemy will prevent your death from being painless."

dazai: *sighs and stares at the ceiling* so boring.....

Mori: *staring down at paperwork* "Indeed it is."

dazai:......is this not what you expected?

Mori: "..." *tries to keep working...*

dazai: Even though you made an excellent choice in having a patient who attempted suicide as your partner in crime. But even after a year, I’m still alive. Because of this, the seeds of unease have not disappeared.

Mori: *deathly quiet* "...I wonder what you mean."

dazai: you know exactly what I mean.....

Mori: *finally looks up* "It's all as I expected. It was perfect, wasn't it? Not that I would want to confront such a difficult situation any time soon."

dazai:......what makes you so certain all involved parties will keep their mouths shut?

Mori: *stares intently, studying Dazai's expression*

dazai:...…..just kidding.

Mori: "..." *puts on a false calm smile* "Hmm...That's interesting. Reminds me of another young man..."

dazai: hm?

elise: you mean the sheep's lapdog?

Mori: *returns to his work* "Not now, Elise--I'm sure we're all busy."

dazai: …...

Mori: "...Actually, Dazai, I should write that medicine's formula out for you."

dazai: really? you promise?

Mori: *removes a quill, writes something down* "I'll need you to handle a task."

dazai: and that is?

Mori: "Something only you can handle--to find someone around Cone Street."  *holds up a Silver Oracle document*

dazai: and this someone would be...?

Mori: "Guess."

dazai:.....does it have to do with those rumors I've been hearing about the old boss?

Mori: *nods* "Someone who must never rise from the grave again."

dazai: someone who must never rise from the grave, huh....?

Mori: *presses his fingertips together* "Exactly. Someone for whom a funeral was already held."

dazai:....alright. i'll do it. and remember, you promised me about that medicine.

Mori: *smiles, nods* *holds out his hands* "Welcome to the Port Mafia."

dazai:....by the way....the person who I remind you of, who is it really?

Mori: *smiles* "Me."

dazai:...….

Mori: *returns to his work--then stops* "Oh, Dazai, something else...Why _do_ you want to die?"

dazai: answer me this; is there really value in anything like living? *exits*

elise:.....

Mori: "..." *returns to work* "Elise, when I'm finished, would you like to go out?"

elise:.....I wish you were lying, rintarou, about being similar to him....

Mori: *smiles* "Yes...That's true."

-at cone street-

dazai: so, mr.…?

???: "Hirotsu."

dazai: right. so where do we start looking? checking in with those scouts you recruited? the sheep, right?

Hirotsu: "Yes, the Sheep. Please follow me--I'll lead you along the safest route."

-soon, they arrive at a building-

kid: *chewing gum outside the door*

Hirotsu: "Good day."

kid: hmm? oh, hey gramps. who's the bandage guy?

Hirotsu: *ahem* "A very important person."

kid: oh? well, the others are inside. but im warnin' you, it's game night.

Hirotsu: "I see..." *reaches into his pocket* "I think I can persuade them to take me seriously..."

kid: ??

Hirotsu: *holds up a pack of trading cards* "Will this get me in?"

kid: hot diggity damn! go right on in, gramps and bandage boy.

Hirotsu: "Thank you." *gestures to Dazai*

dazai: *nods and enters- but gets thrown back into a wall* o-ow....

kid: COR BLIMEY!

Chuuya: *glaring from across the room* "What is he doing here?"

dazai: ugh, if you want to kill me, then kill me.

Chuuya: "Like hell--I was hoping you'd cry."

dazai: ….oh right, you're that brat that hangs around at the courtesans, right?

Chuuya: "..." *marches over--and pushes Dazai down, stomping his foot onto his hand* "Watch your mouth."

dazai: you seem stressed.

Chuuya: "What're you even doing here, you masochistic brat? Looking for Arahabaki?"

dazai: arahabaki, eh?

Chuuya: "Yeah. What do you know?"

dazai: first I've heard about it...

Chuuya: "Oh, another lie? Typical." *increases gravity*

dazai: GRK-

Hirotsu: "Boys, stop this. Dazai, I know you have the Silver Oracle, but this is not befitting of someone possessing that document. Chuuya, stand down--we have bigger concerns, and you can battle Dazai later."

dazai:.....

Chuuya: "...Tch." *lets go of Dazai, steps back* "Why are you here?"

dazai: investigating...…..also, you should drink more milk.

*KICK* *SLAM*

Chuuya: >_<# "I'M ONLY 15, SO I STILL HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO GROW!"

dazai: what a coincidence. i'm also 15, yet im taller than you.

may: same old chuuya.

dazai:....you know, I was actually invited to join the sheep once.

Chuuya: "Lucky you...You'd have been dead in 5 minutes by my hand."

dazai: not if I assassinated you first.

may: girls, girls, you're both pretty, now let's calm down, ok?

-rumble rumble-

Hirotsu: "???!"

*black smoke is entering the room*

may: ?!?!?

*no...not just smoke...flames...with a figure hidden in them*

dazai: *eyes widen in shock*

may: EVERYONE, WE NEED TO GO, NOW!

-and so-

???: so that's what happened, lad?

Chuuya: *restrained*

shizuka: mr randou, was restraining him really necessary?

Chuuya: *muffled screaming*

randou: it's his own fault for going berserk back then...

Chuuya: "You demented withered turd!"

dazai: wow, how temperamental.

Chuuya: "SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LET ME OUT OF HERE!!!"

dazai: how do I know you wont try and hit me again, shorty?

randou: -_- my head...

shizuka: please, don't fight.

Mori: *enters* "Now, now--you all need to behave. Randou, are you cold?"

randou: freezing.

Mori: "Take five and go warm up."

randou: *grunts and pulls his hat over his eyes before exiting*

Mori: *clicks his tongue* "Chuuya...What are we going to do with you?"

Chuuya: *shakes in his containment cell* "You son of a bitch..."

shizuka: mr mori, please go easy on him, he's still a child...

Mori: ^^ "You're right--they do need guidance, don't they? Yes, Dazai?"

dazai: ….why did you bring him here instead of having him go to the safe house with the other sheep?

Mori: "Because I had to keep the flock away from him as inducement."

dazai: oh?

Chuuya: "What are you talking about--!!! What did you do to them?!"

Mori: "They're fine...for now."

Chuuya: "...What do you want from me?"

dazai:...this arahabaki. what is it exactly?

Mori: "Hmm...An old god."

Chuuya: "That's the story the Sheep have passed around."

dazai: is that right?

Mori: "Unbelievable, I know. But you know the stories children tell. Shizuka, could you pull up the video?"

shizuka: of course, mr mori. *plays the video*

*the video shows a Mafia armory...and someone is floating in it...*

*the floating person stares at the camera, approaching it...*

Chuuya: "What the hell is he?"

Mori: "That's what you're going to find out--both of you."

Chuuya + dazai:...…… WHAAAAAT?!

Chuuya: "Fuck no! I'm not working with this mummified brat!"

dazai: no way! I don't want to work with a shrimp with an attitude problem!

Chuuya: "SAY THAT AGAIN--AFTER I LAUNCH YOU INTO THE MOON!"

dazai: can you even reach me?

Mori: "Boys, please. Shizuka, the files..."

shizuka: *hands them over*

Mori: "I need this investigation to be handled discreetly--so I figured, why not have people with only the most tangential association with the Mafia handling it? Dazai of course will keep an eye on you..."

dazai: since when am I his babysitter?

Mori: *looks back and forth, gestures Chuuya and Dazai to get closer* "I have another very good reason to pair you two together on this mission..."

Chuuya: "..." *leans in*

dazai: ??

Mori: *whispers* "It's a secret."

dazai: … -_-

Mori: ^^ "You'll understand when you get older. Now, behave yourselves, as that won't do to have petty squabbling get in the way. I'm ordering you. So behave yourselves or...Well, I'll leave it to your imagination."

dazai: *pouts and grumbles*

Mori: "Now, shake hands."

Chuuya: "..."

-and so-

dazai: this is so unfair.

Chuuya: "Quiet, you annoyance. Where are we going, anyway?"

dazai: there was an explosion a while back, we're gonna chat up the surviv-

-BANG BANG-

dazai: hmm?

Chuuya: "?!" *looks*

-sounds like it's coming from an estate on the hill-

Chuuya: "What are they doing?!"

dazai: looks like they've got mr randou's place surrounded

Chuuya: *rushes forward*

dazai:....*sigh*

???: "Hold it." *blocks Chuuya's path with a gun*

dazai: now would be a good chance to get informa-

Chuuya: *GRAVITRON THROAT PUNCH*

???: X_X *collapses*

dazai:....-tion….

*the other gunmen notice, aiming at Chuuya and Dazai*

dazai: well shit.

Chuuya: *smirks, cracks his knuckles* "Mummy Brat...Drop a beat."

dazai: oh? you want me to sing?

Chuuya: -_-; "I can't afford to go deaf--Just put on some music. Rock. With an edge."

dazai: *takes out his I-pod and plays 'ballroom blitz*

grunt: GET 'EM!

Chuuya: *smiles...as he disappears in a flash*

grunt: where'd 'e go-

Chuuya: *behind the grunt, leaps--kicks them in the head*

grunt: OOF-

Chuuya: *bounces off that grunt, tackles another grunt before jumping off them and kicking another mook in the chest*

grunt: *shoots at him*

Chuuya: "!!!" *stops the bullet--and jams it back into the gun*

grunt: !!

*BOOM*

grunt: *his arm is blown off* GAAAAAH!!!

Chuuya: *turns to face the other grunts*

grunt: *shoots at chuuya*

Chuuya: *reflects the bullet into a tree until it hits--*

grunt: GRK- *the bullet pierced his throat*

dazai:...*crouches next to him* does it hurt?

grunt: *choking and gasping for air*

dazai: i'd give you about five minutes left to live, if I had to say.....if it were me, I couldn't possibly bear it......shall I end your misery?

grunt: g- p-p...ple---ase….

dazai: very well. *shoots the man through the head, and then continues shooting the body up* kukuku..ahaha...ahahaha!

Chuuya: "?!! Idiot!" *kick the gun out of Dazai's hand*

dazai:...….?

Chuuya: "He's dead. Why are you wasting your bullets?"

dazai: …….*dull smile* normal people would thank that, wouldn't they? *walks into the building*

Chuuya: "..." *follows*

randou: oh, hello boys. mind helping an old man patch up his wounds?

Chuuya: "The hell are you doing here?"

randou: this _is_ my mansion.....bloody hell, they messed it up...

dazai: those gunmen...

randou: members of the Gelhart security service, or the GSS. an enemy of the port mafia.

Chuuya: "Gee, another enemy of the Mafia. Imagine that..."

randou: well, being a loyalist to mori, they tried to assassinate me to spark an internal conflict between the mori supporters and predecessor supporters.

Chuuya: "So, that's all they want? To break the Mafia from the inside? Hm. Well, that's rough."

dazai: ….say....would you know about arahabaki?

randou: ?!?! ...yes...I....know of it. I....witnessed it first hand a while back when dealing with some loan sharks near cone street.

Chuuya: "What did it look like?"

randou: in the depths of the black flames, a beast....a terrible beast, with fur as black as the abyss, standing on four legs. a thick tail and fiery eyes that lead to the depths of hell itself.

Chuuya: "...What was it doing?"

randou: its size and its frame, made it look like a human with all limbs on the ground. But, everything else surpassed what humans are. More than anything else, its presence was different. Perhaps I should say it’s a body in which all calamities and slaughter since time began were compressed and condensed. Or, perhaps I should say it’s the form that materialized from the energies of the skies and the heavens, the energy that exists at the core of this universe.  What I can say without error is that there was no ill intent, nor was there wrath. It did not even have the tremors of emotion. It simply is, and so it exists.

dazai:....

randou: I tried to think of a logical explanation for the phenomena, or perhaps it was an ability of the enemy. but the amount of heat produced made this unlikely. I couldn't see any ability users around me. in fact, I couldn't see anything at all.

Chuuya: "That's not enough to go on. This is some monster hunt?"

-randou finishes his explanation-

dazai: hmm....let's go, chuuya

Chuuya: "What, and leave this guy here?"

dazai: *whispers* I know the culprit.

-later-

Chuuya: "Tell me the culprit!" *punching furiously*

dazai: nope. *dodging*

Chuuya: *rushes at Dazai with a hard kick*

dazai: *jumps up and swings down his pipe hard*

Chuuya: "HEY! NO WEAPONS! And I bet you're lying--you don't know anything!"

dazai: I do, unlike a certain elementary schooler~

Chuuya: *PUNCH PUNCH KICK PUNCH* "What's wrong?! Just going to stay on defense, you weakling?!"

dazai: *pressing buttons*

Chuuya: "?!!! WHAT--"

-KO-

dazai: nyohoho~ I win~ know your place now, dog?

Chuuya: "Fuck you! Rematch!"

dazai: *finger waggle* ah-ah-ah~ remember what we said? the loser has to follow the other's orders like a dog. now, what shall I have you do, I wonder...

Chuuya: *clenches his jaw*

dazai: hmm, do you know the culprit as well?

Chuuya: "..." *grunts*

dazai: what's that? I couldn't hear you~

Chuuya: "Yeeeees..."

dazai: then let's have a match of rock paper scissors to determine who gets to announce the culprit. if I win, you get to be my loyal sheepdog forever~

Chuuya: "...You think I'm going to chicken out from that kind of a challenge? Okay, dipshit, I'm game..."

dazai: now that's what I like to hear. *pets his head* who's a good boy? who's a good boooy~?

Chuuya: "Stop that!"

dazai: does chuuchu want a treat?

Chuuya: *shoves his hands in his pockets, glares*

dazai: ...you never once used your hands during that fight. why is that?

Chuuya: "..."

dazai: now that I think about it, you had an interesting reaction to hearing about arahabaki...

Chuuya: *avoiding eye contact*

???: there you are, chuuya!

-a few members of the sheep enter, including a girl with short pigtails and a silver haired boy-

girl: we got really worried when you didn't come back to the base right away!

Chuuya: "...Hey, Chiyo. I got held up."

Shirase: "Hmph. Sucking up to Mafia higher ups now?"

Chuuya: "..."

chiyo: shirase! don't be making assumptions!

Chuuya: "It's fine--forget it."

dazai: ….

Shirase: "Let's get going--no need staying around filth..."

chiyo: ….come back safe soon, chuuya, ok? sheep is family, no matter what, right?

Chuuya: "..." *nods* "Okay."

-later-

randou: *decorating*

Dazai: "You sure this will help?"

randou: just a little festivity to brighten everyone's mood, yes?

Dazai: "Perhaps...I know how to put a smile on my face~"

randou: oh?

Dazai: "Yes--to entice that short brat."

randou: ??

Dazai: "Pipsqueak will be lured to the cake--but in his sugar rush will fail to realize I put a rug over a hole in the floor! He'll drop into the hole, landing in mud! I'll then dump bags of flour on him, so that it lands in his mouth while he curses my name to the heavens!!!"

randou: you certainly are an interesting boy... *sweatdrop*

Dazai: "Just my way to bring peace back between the boy and those Sheep."

randou:....you really do care for him in a way, don't you?

Dazai: "??? I'm simply here to match the buttons--you know, like half-grilled meat.”

randou: half-grilled meat?

Dazai: "Oh! It's something Mori taught me...Okay, imagine three kids getting ready to chow down on grilled meat. But these kids are hungry--and they immediately start eating from where it has been fully grilled. They want to eat more, but they can’t get to the meat. In other words, it’s war. Here, one of them shows sharp insight. He can just take the meat just a little before it’s fully grilled. That way, he’d be able to eat before the other two. So he does so. As expected, he ate as much meat as he wanted and was very satisfied. Now then, the ratio of consumption is disadvantageous to the other two. There’s no meaning in a grilled meat restaurant if they can’t eat meat. Is there a solution? Of course there is. Doing what their opponent is doing……in other words, eating half-grilled meat as well. That’s the only way. Thus, everyone eating the meat before it’s fully grilled becomes the norm, and nobody can reverse it. Even though everyone knows ‘grilled meat is more delicious when it has been thoroughly cooked’. This is ‘the theory of the half-grilled meat’. Half of this world’s misfortunes can be explained with this.”

Randou: in other words……as a result of each individual pursuing the optimum solution, everybody does not get the optimum solution……and the members who created this unfortunate situation no longer have the means to remove the misfortune of the group. is this what's happening within the sheep?

Dazai: "Bingo. It's intriguing to observe the lower people."

Randou: that is true.... Violence and disputes are unnecessary for living. If everybody declares and abides by the rule that ‘we shall stop eating half-grilled meat’……in other words ‘let’s stop fighting and forbid weapons’, then the violence in this world will disappear. But in reality, that most likely will never happen. Somebody will definitely get ahead of others. Because the violence they wield by getting ahead of others will definitely yield them great profits. That being the case, the other people also have no choice but to eat ‘half-grilled meat’……can only hold the violence of retaliation. That can be said to be the essence of the disputes in the dark society.

Dazai: "A veteran like you would know best, sir."

randou: ….have you figured out the culprit yet, lad?

Dazai: "Of course. Why do you think I'm standing with him?"

randou: I-...?!?! t-that's....quite an accusation.

Dazai: "Well, I'm still new to this, but let me try to explain. First, I I figured you'd respond with 'No, that's impossible,' or 'That's an interesting observation.' I was kid of close. Then I would respond, ‘No,I don't think I'm mistaken--you are the culprit.’ And then you'll make some emotional plea--‘No, no, I would never! I would never oppose Mori! Why, why, why would little old me seek to ignite a civil war within the mafia'--You still with me, sir?"

randou: yes, but what am I to say in this sort of scenario?

Dazai: "Say nothing, for all I care--I can predict what you'll do next, based on the evidence."

randou: and what evidence is that? without proper proof, words are just simply that, are they not?

Dazai: "Yes, it's just conjecture--I'll admit that. But am I the kind of person to find fault with a Mafioso without any evidence?”

randou: what kind of basis could you possibly have?

Dazai: "To the point--makes sense. Well, simply put, you made a mistake."

randou: oh?

Dazai: "You mentioned the desert. When you witnessed Arahabaki...”

randou: I did? I must have forgotten...

Dazai: "You said you saw the desert. But the scene was the middle of Cone Street. And Cone Street is a nearly spherical, a valley. So..."

randou:.....

Dazai: "You couldn't have seen it after the Cone Street incident...but maybe _before_..."

randou:....*raises his hands* alright. you got me.

*CRASH*

randou: *turns*

Chuuya: "Randou...I am here for you."

randou:....I take it you know? about arahabaki?

Chuuya: "What? I'm here to kick his ass!"

randou:...

Dazai: "Really? Man, you have a one-track mind--"

Chuuya: "I do not! After I'm done kicking your ass, I'm taking in this Mafia traitor!" *points at Randou*

randou: ….do you even know where arahabaki is?

Chuuya: "...Why do you want to see Arahabaki?"

randou: I just.....I need to know....

Chuuya: "...You think you can handle that?"

randou: please....

Chuuya: *turns around...removes his gloves* "You want to know?"

randou: ...yes....

Chuuya: *trying to control his breathing* "...Me."

randou:...I see....I half suspected as much...

Chuuya: "Yes...The thing is part of me...I can remember its memories..."

Dazai: *steps back*

Chuuya: "I have hazy memories at the beginning...I can remember back only a few years ago. Before that, it was darkness...Blue, black. I was in some facility...I don't know what you were expecting: a god? No. I can't resurrect the dead. I just know someone got me out. That was you, wasn't it?"

randou:.....

Chuuya: "Now it's your turn to tell me...Where did you find me? Why did you pull me out? How did you get Arahabaki to form?"

randou:.....fu...fufufufu…..

Chuuya: "??"

randou: alright....i'll tell you....no....i'll _show_ you.

-suddenly they are all within a hyperspace barrier-

Dazai: "?!!! How did you do this?!"

randou: this is my ability, 'illuminations'. now mr nakahara, prepare to die.

-a figure appears; the old boss!-

Chuuya: "What madness is this?!" *tries to attack--only to flip upside down* "?!!"

randou: I suppose you expect an explanation, yes?

Dazai: *pressed against the barrier* "I think we're owed that much, to satiate our curiosity, sir..."

randou: In the past, I was a Special Ability spy from Europe, chosen to invade enemy countries and bring information back. I infiltrated this city 8 years ago to investigate and recover an entity that the government had discovered.

Dazai: "Now hang on...You're from Europe? You have this rare ability, as powerful as something from the Transcendentals...I think I know who you really are."

randou: yes.....my name is Arthur Rimbaud. I am here for mr nakahara, to take place of the mafia's old boss as the entity within my ability.

Chuuya: "Over my dead body!"

Rimbaud: exactly my plan.

-the old boss' body attacks with a scythe-

Chuuya: "!!!" *picks up Dazai, using him as a shield*

Dazai: "...I am conflicted--"

Rimbaud: oh? well, I may as well kill you too, so you don't say anything. which is a shame, really...

Chuuya: "Not when he nullifies your shitty ability, you crazy old man!"

Rimbaud:.....

Dazai: "Um..."

Chuuya: *screams, rushes at Rimbaud--*

Rimbaud: *dodges* Eight years ago……after pulling you out and trying to escape, I made a mistake and was surrounded by enemies. The corpse I was using at that time could not break through the circle. Then I thought if I bring you in as my Ability, bring the powerful deity Arahabaki in, it would make my ability even stronger. I attacked you and brought you in, but……something unexpected happened. The one brought in was only the seal. In other words you, mr nakahara. As a person with your own personality, you were carved onto Arahabaki and acted like a seal to prevent its rampage. And as a result of trying to absorb it, the failsafe was removed, and Arahabaki was revealed to the outside, and then it was as I talked about in my estate. The complete form of the deity appeared, and decimated everything.

Dazai: "So, you just need Shortie here? I can do that--give me 5 minutes to convince him."

Rimbaud: make it two...

Dazai: *whispers to Chuuya* "I got a plan. Do you trust me?"

Chuuya: *whispers back* "Fuck no. Don't you want to die anyway?"

Dazai: "...Okay. I'll let you in on the real reason...I'm interested in this work, with the mafia."

chuuya: oh?

Dazai: "In real life, death is something we ignore, hide away. But in the Mafia? Death is a way of life, is part of the job.  Living and dying can't be separated--they need to be experienced for understanding existence itself. Do you get me?"

chuuya: so you're saying being surrounded by death has made you want to live?

Dazai: "So to speak, but yeah?"

chuuya: kind of ironic, actually...

Dazai: "No kidding. So, I figured I'd finish this mission, join the Mafia, and you...well..."

chuuya: ??

Dazai: *smirks* "You still have to follow me around, dog."

chuuya: !!… tch-...heh, you really suck. just don't get us killed, or i'll be kicking your ass in the afterlife.

Dazai: "Very good...Let's go."

Chuuya: *rushes towards Randou*

-the predecessor slashes at them-

Dazai: *trying to grab at the scythe...*

Chuuya: "I'll hold him!" *tries to use gravity...*

rimbaud: *kicks at him* do you remember, young nakahara? when you first entered this space? that day, when my partner and I came to this city to find 'that which was not meant to be' and recover it? we found that it was held in an underground facility, but when we captured you and tried to escape, something terrible happened. *punching* still cannot remember what it was……all I remember is that because of it, we were discovered and driven into a corner by the enemy, and I was forced to absorb Arahabaki into my Ability.

Dazai: "Sir...What the hell is Arahabaki? What is Chuuya, really?"

Rimbaud: ...it seems chuuya is a 'seal' for arahabaki of sorts. as for arahabaki itself, I don't know. it was part of our mission to bring it back to study it. the facility that kept him in custody and isolated was destroyed along with the records. at present, there is not a single person who knows the truth. But if I can absorb chuuya, I might be able to re-create the memories. If that’s done I’ll understand everything. As well as what happened to partner on that day.

Chuuya: *gasps, as he is sliced along the palm of his hand*

Dazai: "All of this, just for your partner...Betraying the Mafia, spreading the rumors, even this fight: you did all of this for one friend...That's noble. I get that. But as a story? Not believable."

Rimbaud: you don't get it, do you, boy? Paul Verlaine, my partner, he meant the world to me. I cant remember if he lived or died in that explosion. this is why I need your memories, nakahara. if I can absorb you, I can finally understand what had happened that day and get closure.

Chuuya: "Yeah, he is an idiot...He doesn't know anything about comradery..." *removes his gloves...his ability is enlarging around his hands, trembling the atmosphere...* "Want to know why I don't fight with my hands?" *steps forward--and rocks tremble and rise* "I don't lose fights. I'm barely what can be considered 'human' anymore. I'm just a mass of power, attached to some...thing. I hold onto this personality like a safeguard, something to contain the explosion of this blast furnace..."

*Chuuya starts walking on air, up towards Rimbaud...*

Chuuya: "So not using my hands? Kind of a handicap...Something to keep the fight going, to keep me interesting...So my personality is what is fighting, and not some raw untethered power...Because I am scared for that day--and it will come--when I face losing a fight, and need to unleash this thing inside of me...Because then this, me, Chuuya Nakahara, will no longer exist..."

Rimbaud:...I see...

Chuuya: "Not yet you haven't..." *swings his fist at Rimbaud's face*

Rimbaud: GRK-

Chuuya: *reaches for the scythe...*

Rimbaud: *tries to attack*

Chuuya: *catches the scythe by its handle*

Rimbaud: !!!

Chuuya: "Now we stop this."

Chuuya: *swings the scythe and--*

*SLICE*

Rimbaud: ah-.... that's right....he....betrayed me....at the last minute.....he tried to kill me from behind when I was barely able to dodge.....and then I....paul….

Dazai: "Really? A fight between two Special Ability spies...And when you were surrounded, you tried something as desperate as absorbing Arahabaki?"

Rimbaud: *collapses* chuuya….I have one request of you....

Chuuya: "...What?"

Rimbaud: live......who you are and where you came from....no one can prove it anymore. even if.....you are a seal for great power, you are still you. human beings are no more than the frame of the brain and flesh, and of the material world that surrounds them, no more than a beautiful frame...

Dazai: "..."

Chuuya: "..."

Rimbaud: *chuckles* strange.....I don't....feel cold at all.....*he closes his eyes*...

Dazai: *sighs*

-a month later, at the cemetary…-

Chuuya: *holding flowers* "Even in death, you're a pain in the ass."

-the grave is rather small-

shirase: so this is where you are, chuuya?

Chuuya: "..." *drops the flowers unceremoniously* "...Yep, I'm here."

shirase: got some news for you. sheeps leaving the mafia. the guys at GSS are offering a better deal. better protection....you in or out?

Chuuya: "...What? That's the plan? After what just happened, you want to fight the Mafia?"

shirase: it's getting too dangerous for us...so what do you say?

Chuuya: "Be smart about this: you saw what the Mafia does to people who turn on them."

shirase:...….*sigh* wish it didn't have to come to this....*SHRK*

Chuuya: *looks down at his chest...he's been stabbed* "... ..."

shirase: first chiyo...now you....

Chuuya: "?!!! Wh-What?!"

shirase: *glances* shit. *runs*

Chuuya: *lifting rocks out of the ground* "Get back! I'm not...Not..." *collapses*

???: "Jeez...Another stray to pick up, huh?"

Chuuya: *barely turns his head off the ground to look* "...Goddamn...it..."

Dazai: "Hi. You just going to lie there?"

Chuuya: "I have a knife in my chest, you asshole."

Dazai: "Come on...Let's get you to a nice doctor to take care of that..."

Chuuya: "Stop...The Sheep--"

Dazai: "I know..."

-some time later-

kouyou: come along, chuuya.

Chuuya: *frowns*

kouyou: I promise, the meeting wont take long. and afterwards, i'll give you a present. does that sound good?

Chuuya: “why do I have to go to this meeting anyway, mom?”

kouyou: since you're an official port mafia member now, it's important to know how things work around here, yes?

???: mori, this kid you found....is it a boy? a girl? something else? does it have to be my 'sibling'?

Chuuya: *clenches his jaw*

dazai: hmm? YOU!

Chuuya: "THE FUCK IS HE DOING HERE?!"

dazai: how could you? you promised to be my loyal sheepdog, yet here you are with kouyou!

Chuuya: "THAT GAME MACHINE WAS RIGGED--I CHECKED AFTER! YOU DIRTY CHEATING BASTARD!"

dazai: my my~ such a sore loser~

Chuuya: *grabs Dazai by his shirt* "And why is everyone giving me looks?! What have you been saying?!"

dazai: 7w7 fufufu~

child: teeheehee~ they're funny!

kouyou:....mr mori, is it such a good idea to pair them up?

Mori: "Why not? I think this pairing could prove productive, if prior experience is any example."

-that night-

kouyou: chuuya? may I come in?

Chuuya: "..." *grunts*

kouyou: *opens the door, holding a wrapped box* remember that present I promised to give you? here it is. *she hands him the box*

Chuuya: "...Why are you doing this?"

kouyou: well, it's a tradition for new mafia members to receive a welcoming gift, such as dazai's black coat from mori.

Chuuya: "Ugh, could we not talk about him?"

kouyou: *chuckle* alright, alright.

Chuuya: *unwraps* "???"

-inside is a black hat. the same hat that Rimbaud had...-

Chuuya: "...Oh."

kouyou: I managed to procure it from randou's estate before they torched it. mori had also examined his belongings and found some interesting documents, but im not allowed to talk to you about that. if you were an executive, that'd be a different story. im lucky I was able to get the hat.

Chuuya: "...If I were an executive..."

kouyou: *nods*

Chuuya: "What could I learn about...what I am?"

kouyou: im…..im not sure. i'll see if I can talk to mori tomorrow morning...for now, dinner is almost ready. we're having katsudon tonight.

Chuuya: "..." *puts on the hat*

kouyou: …*smiles* it's quite a becoming look for you, chuuya.

Chuuya: "..." *nods*

[strangleduo-fanblog]

strangle duo as their favorite pokemon. thoughts?

!!!! ITS SO GOOD???? THEM!!!!!!!

[strangleduo-fanblog]

hello. i have a proposition for you regarding the mcyt toxic yaoi/yuri showdown. you are one of the main people campaigning for strangleduo. i (person who runs @banana-and-bread) have been campaigning hard for banana/bread.

would you be open to forming an alliance? i help campaign phil/tibby and get banana bread enjoyers to vote for them, and some strangleduo enjoyers help banana bread? cultural exchange of niche toxic yaoi?

this sounds like a great deal. absolutely

[strangleduo-fanblog]

trangle gudyo

triangle

[strangleduo-fanblog]

already mourning the beautiful child witherstrangleclickbread

we should host a funeral

i could not agree more. their polycule was short-lived but it was iconic. we will go down in toxic mcyt yaoiyuri history probably. or not. either way, they lived a glorious life and died a valiant death and that should be celebrated o7

[strangleduo-fanblog]

shrimp do you float in the air like a magical being or do robin and cc carry you around in some sort of containment device

or a secret third option

depends how im feeling. floating takes a lot of energy yknow i gotta rest sometimes. and robin and cici cant always carry me so when that happens i skitter like a lil bug