Stephen Strange was a doctor, a good one at that– a great one. He and Death had never been on good terms. She took his family from him, so he took his patients’ lives back from Her. He always stood outside of Death’s door, guarding it, keeping it locked away from others as best as he could. But Death comes for everyone, in the end.
He should be dead. By all means, that wreck was supposed to have killed him. As he hung there suspended by nothing but seat belts, with blood rushing to his head and the cold-water biting into his skin, he knew he would close his eyes and never open them again. And yet, he did. If it wasn’t the wreck that killed him, then surely it would be the sight of his mangled hands. Why is he here? Surely Death would’ve taken him when She had the chance. Years he’d spent, cheating Death out of lives She had worked hard for. Well, he wouldn’t be able to cheat Her anymore, not with this new life, anyway. Maybe he had died, after all. Isn’t having nothing to live for just as good as being dead?
Stephen Strange was a sorcerer– definitely not the best, or even close to it, but he was decent. He’d found peace at Kamar-Taj. He found peace in the ancient books he couldn’t yet read and the sound of rain in the courtyard. He could heal his hands here, start his life anew and save people again. Then came Kaecilius and Dormammu.
It was hard to remember his oath to do no harm while staring at a dead man. A man that was dead because of him, no less. Stephen offered up this man to the claws of Death so that his own might be spared another day. Soon followed The Ancient One, accepting Death’s invitation after centuries of denying it. Sometimes he’d wonder why she looked almost relieved.
Stephen Strange was the wielder of the Time Stone. He locked himself in a loop to save the Earth, and all the lives he’d reversed in the process. Life and Death had a certain balance, and he was sure to keep to it. That old man on the street making stir fry? Stephen took a spear through the gut. The woman watching funny cat videos on her phone? Stephen was blasted into atoms. His life, over and over, in exchange for theirs.
During one loop, as Stephen was choking on his own blood, taking his final breaths, he thought he heard Death speaking to him. You don’t have to do this, you know? I could end this. You could end this.
Stephen Strange was a human man– and a human man shouldn’t have been able to experience fourteen million different lives and still be able to function. With each life came a death, then the cycle repeated. Despite what your kind thinks, I’m not cruel. Some see me as a bringer of peace. I could give you that. No, he wasn’t allowed to die. Not yet. The brain is an organ, too. It can kill you just as easily as any other if not properly cared for.
Fourteen million times now he’d robbed Death of his soul. He stood at the door and waited. Taunting, never coming inside, never even indicating that he’d wanted to. Occasionally he’d end up giving Death a few sacrifices, such as the likes of Tony Stark or Natasha Romanoff. Giving up such sacrifices took a toll on Stephen, much more so than he probably even realized himself.
Stephen Strange was a Master of the Mystic Arts, a good one at that– a great one. He and Death had grown closer over the years. She’d cut things short when the pain became too much to bear in the loop with Dormammu. She’d save him the agony of having Thanos shred his soul with the Soul Stone. He often dreamt of Her, and all the ways he’d finally get to be taken into Her arms forever. He’d spent years ripping people away from Her embrace. Now he understood why they’d be so upset once they came back.
In the process of trying to save America Chavez, he’d have to visit an old friend. To dreamwalk into his dead variant’s body, he’d first have to do something. He knocked on Death’s door. She answered with a smile and held out Her hand. He took it.
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genuine question but is there any fandom where a character is well written by the majority. im thinking about fandom culture and the spread of frustration when people dont write characters well but. honestly in all the fandoms ive been in there's only like, a Select number of authors who i trust to write Well, let alone write Well AND In Character. character analysis and writing and getting inside characters' heads are all separate skills (all of which are trained by roleplaying fyi can CONFIRM playing pretend with your friends is good for you). there's been more than once where I've disagreed with an interpretation that others agreed with, and then I turned out wrong. or i turned out right. like it doesnt matter WHO is right it just matters that differences in character analysis exist, so even if you DO write well AND write in character, your in character is still going to be someone else's out of character
there's this sort of. vibe. that to play in the sandbox you Need to be able to make a castle, and if you can't make a castle then you shouldn't bother, and it completely dismisses the idea that youre in that sandbox to PLAY in the first place. there's this Weight of disappointing someone if you can't build something that they like, but that forgets that you aren't there to build them a castle. like, be KIND. if you disagree with someone then please make an effort to do so kindly. i dont give a shit about fandom discourse but there is a reason kids get removed from sandboxes if they keep throwing sand in people's eyes. but if they don't like your misshapen sand pile, then youre not obligated to change it. even if you yourself end up hating that same sand pile later- youre not building a legacy. youre playing. and sometimes the result of that play is out of character drivel. theres a reason there are so many authors and so few who i like to consistently read and thats because everyone is Fucking Around in their hobby space.
hash tag brag or whatever but i can build castles. ive built several that im v proud of. ive also dug holes in the sand for fun and then tripped on them when trying to get up. I often dug a hole and then got up and fucking- whoops, its a castle now, and i didn't realize i'd made something to be proud of until after the fact. the whole time while creating shit i was Convinced it was bullshit that didn't make sense. and then other times i was Convinced it was bullshit and then i was Right and i can look back and go. huh. ew. but it doesn't matter what the end result was, because i had fun playing in the sandbox
this wasn't meant to turn into a ramble but i have Feelings about bad art and art that's badly perceived and how public perception can screw with your head and how making art youre proud of is fucking. it's so difficult!!! it's hard!! it's really fun, which is why i try to make it, but i promise you it is Okay to not tryhard creativity. even if you CAN, it's okay not to do it all the time. or ever, even. fuck around find out have fun etc
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ok but i actually have sm to say about qi rong's relationship with anger. i could honestly just link a fic i wrote about it here bc i think i worded it better there than i ever can again but my ao3 links to my main twt and i prefer to keep rp stuff separate from my personal stuff for reasons sooooo lemme try to write it differently
cw for mentions of domestic violence bc holy shit like 99% of his character traces back to that in some way
the key thing is, of course, that anger is a trauma response for qi rong. he has every reason to be fucking pissed at like, all times, but fundamentally, his anger is not rational. rage and violence are all he knows! his earliest childhood memories are of being abused and seeing his mother be abused! even when he got out of that, he and his mother were bullied and ostracized, and his mother was eventually murdered. violence and cruelty shape his early childhood and in turn shape who he is today (enabled in large part by the queen's reluctance to properly discipline him when he began exhibiting cruel behavior himself).
in many cases, it's about revenge--getting "even", though he usually takes it much farther than the original offense. his father was abusive? he'll delight in warring against people from the same town as him. the yong'an rebellion tore away the one good thing he had in his life--his royal status? he'll crush their entire royal & noble classes in a single night. xie lian fell off the pedestal he held him on, "failed" and "abandoned" him? unforgivable.
very often, it's simply lashing out. the world has been cruel to him, so he'll be cruel too.
mostly, though, his anger just keeps him going. if he doesn't have his anger, then what does he have? sadness, loneliness, despair, heartbreak, misery.
being a ghost adds another angle to it, too--he can't let go of his anger, even if he wants to. well, he could, but then he'd disappear, and he doesn't want that. not yet. it's his source of life. it's also his source of power! and it's easy to forget with how often the rest of the cast and the narrative itself dunks on him, but he has a lot of power. #4 in the entire ghost realm! a near-supreme, one successful furnace trip away from becoming a full-fledged ghost king!
just--imagine, for a moment, being him. an abused kid--powerless--who suddenly learns that he's actually a prince--powerful!--and then, before even reaching adulthood, his kingdom crumbles, and he eventually dies just as powerless as he started. and then all that resentment causes him to come back even more powerful than before. it's no wonder he leans into it.
idk this is getting long-winded but i guess what i'm trying to say is--his anger is both justified and overblown, it is both understandable and irrational, it is something he needs to hold onto no matter how much it hurts him. he is his anger.
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K I R A - OC
[ Category: The Promised Land ]
" Lord of the Deceitful / Lord of Deceit "
Notice: I have loads of OCs but there are also sub categories.. Like OCs with "Important roles" and "side OCs" which are not entirely my "Main OCs" but still very much matter to the worlds I've created with them... This is //cough// In association with the Promised Land and the Frostclaw.
| AKA. This mischievous one has many names; " Master of Disguises ", " Lord of Mischief ", " a Cold blooded King ", " Kira, Lord of the Deceitful ". His little hideout/fortress is located where a secluded village used to reside, now built entirely of blood, anger and envy for the land that rumoured to have "wronged him" some time ago.. Referring to the Promised Land and it's inhabitants to clarify, however for whatever reason for his vile and treacherous actions is still a mystery as to what he means by being wronged by the world.
Anyways, this is Kira, the one who has ruined many lives, families and so on; Caligo of course being one of his victims of not only almost being executed and their blood used for his dark rituals, but also being driven out by their one and only home before Asim took them in.. The Deceit, previously known as the Secluded tribe before he took over, were very alone and as obviously mentioned, secluded from the rest of the Promised Land.. Kira made himself and the devastation of the Nocturnal Elves very well known when he took over and killed/enslaved many of his own kind before branching off his minions far and wide to spread fear into the hearts of many.. Nocturnal Elves can also be born with a rare genetic; This genetic creates a slight mutation within the blood, mainly of women or female presenting, this rate genetic is known as "Witch blood" where it not only changes the blood from the usual red to an almost luminous green, but also seemingly taps into their "inner third eye" and unlocks stronger abilities than what Nocturnal Elves are capable of.
Extra Info
Nocturnal Elves are magic bearers, their magic consists of manipulation either via the mind or visual; They have always been seen as the mischievous lot within the Promised Land, even way before Kira took over as a tyrant
Despite almost all Nocturnal Elves being able to use magic, it is mostly ever common within women and female presenting people of the civilization; Kira was one of the "unfortunate ones" to not have that ability , however he has found ways, with the aid of those who bear and follow the same mindset as his, to not only be able to obtain powerful magics of the rare "witches" blood, he willingly drained rare blood of those who had the same blood genetic. Caligo's mother being a victim of those rituals and eventually getting sick and succumbing to both the illness and the effects of the ritual, but Kira almost successfully putting Caligo through the same fate
Nocturnal Elves are commonly born with slit mesmerizing green eyes that almost glow during the night, hence how they ended up being called "Nocturnal Elves" by the other inhabitants of the Promised Land. It's also rumoured that their eyes also contain hypnotising-like abilities themselves
Kira was but a feeble homeless child before his dark upbringing into power by his own hands (along with the persuasion and manipulative ways), he has done many horrible things to both the people and leaders of the land; Threatening the King of Gold and attempted several times to steal his child, trying to pit kingdoms and regions against each other with a few occasions where he succeeded, and even sending out his minions to trouble specific provinces of every region to disrupt the peace between the majority of the kingdoms
Although he seems more like a menace on the outside, he's actually been planning a huge takeover of the Promised Land for years, even as to making himself almost immortal with said blood rituals and sacrifices to get what he desires. What makes it worse is that he's cunning, he knows exactly what he's doing and what he wants
Nobody knows his face, nobody knows anything about what he looks like except for his one singular eye he smugly and mischievously glares at his victims/enemies with
However unable to be proven, it is rumoured that he and Caligo could've had chemistry in the past, or at last Kira assumed they did; His obsession to hunt and look for Caligo, even going as far as to send out bounty hunters and assassins of all kinds just so they could get to them and return them to him, makes it seem how true such a rumour could have been
Whether or not his motives are reasonable or not, whether he is right with the motives he has and for the unbearable hatred he has for the provinces within the Promised Land, specifically for the Golden Palace that seems to burn bright within him; He harasses, taunts, hurts and brings misery wherever he goes with no remorse, there is nothing or no one for him to care for but himself, not even his own loyal followers who willingly do whatever he wants or says.. No doubt he sees whoever but himself as replaceable or disposable as long as he gets what he has been working for his life..
.. Either way, he's causing chaos wherever he goes and cackling like a mad man while doing so
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
... This may seem very messed up and non-sensical with my words,,, Idk how to word and never have tbh so like... Idk... But either way, just like another guy I posted- King of the Golden Palace, Aurelius, who also had some overall basic info about him and everything and even vaguely mentioned about Kira on there along with a bunch of other posts that have to do with the Promised Land...
Anyways- Kira, Lord of the Deceitful. Although not an "official" leader of any kingdom or region as he just made an empire from the get-go or so much anger, mischief, manipulation and just overall having a way with words to get those on his side, he still has quite the place here that he... Well, surely made for himself of course!!
He's what you could call the "villain" of this land and is in fact a pretty big bad... Also kinda big mad cuz even though he may seem, snide, calm and cocky, he does in fact have a side of him that he will bring out when he snaps... Not everyone can keep their cool for potential losses can they................... But yeah.... Also just like Aurelius, I also have a slightly older design of Kira that I drew along with the other leaders that did somewhat change slightly in design... Although not really by that much, I just drew a design, updates it and actually made it look somewhat decent in my eyes..
.. Ngl it very much looks almost the same as his new design I drew for him, just extra limbs that are actually forbidden magic and his anatomy is kinda a turn on for me lmao- It's just funny how originally this character was actually going to be like a rival clan with the Yiga clan from BotW/AoC/TotK who was deeply obsessed with Kohga and would actively kidnap him on multiple occasions while trying to kill him and take over Hyrule for himself...
.... Which doesn't entirely seem so farfetched now since the Promised Land there are literally technologies from all realms and realities, along with being able to dimension hop with SAID scavenged technologies and so on-
Almost like Kohga was a disguise for Caligo to hide from Kira so they couldn't be found and drained of their blood by him lmao
... I love the idea and very much it's practically canon as they all used to be related to such, but I don't wanna officialise that concept cuz technically they are their own thing.. Anyways...
That's enough out of me...
I have so much more to do and I'm nowhere near done yet-... And yeah, again- Sorry about the non-sensical bullshit, I'm not good at writing and overall when I'm tired or overwhelmed I literally cannot words for the life of me..
. Kira, Art © Me . DON’T RE-POST .
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