#𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒

[witchcraftandburialdirt]

of all the people robin has come across in his work as a healer , is there any particular npc that sticks out in his memory ?

✧ ─ 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 ─ ✧

── Robin's time as a healer was unfortunately during the darkest times in his life the first being his initial introduction into the underbelly of Zaun where his healing was used as a way to keep interrogation victums in tact, and secondly when he was present in Ionia during the Noxian invasion. With the amount of people he healed in Zaun and the issues he was facing emotionally at the time - there was no real room to bond or know any of them; they were all victims of the same torture methods Robin had seen a thousand times over. When he had met them there was practically nothing left - once all of the trivial bits were flayed away and all that remained was a shell of the person who resided infront of him. It was a job. He would heal them, get paid, and subsequently move onto the next poor ripped apart soul - they were simply fodder to him. He does have occassional pangs of guilt over this time, but he realizes now that what's done is done and he paid his price - it is time to move on from those sins.

Ionia is a different story entirely - wartime injuries are never meticulous - sure the battle plans are but the actual casualties that follow can never truly be planned. Robin saw things during the war that led him into joining alongside the Yanlei and denouncing his belief in Ionian leadership. At this point Robin had nothing left - he did it by choice and the people he was healing were exactly that to him: people. They weren't hardened criminals from Zaun, they were innocent farmers and fishermen - people who never would have wanted conflict - people who never deserved conflict. During the occupation Robin met various different poeple but the idea that has stuck with me the most is him meeting a young woman. He's pushed most of the memory out of his head - she had been blinded by gas, and she'd lost her leg; made only worse by the heavy bump of her stomach.

By the time he'd arrived she was already lost - he knew that; but he still tried to give her some semblance of peace. He asked about her life, her husband, what she was going to name their son when he was born: Taga after the first Fist of Shadow from their beloved Kinkou. Robin lied to her; promising that she would make it, that she would be able to see the cherry blossoms bloom in spring with her husband - that he was going to save her. He felt her body grow heavier with each passing moment - until there was no resistance left; and then he had to make an even more gruesome decision. He could desecrate the corpse in an attempt to save the child, or leave it be ... He left with his arms from fingertip to elbow drenched in blood, and a crying infant in them - once again damning himself as people watched this strange beast trek across the carrion and dead. And for the first time since his death; he wept. He wept as he brought the child to the nearest Kinkou affiliated temple and watched from beyond its sacred grounds as the various priests and monks swaddled and took the child away.

He didn't leave a note of the child's given name - not with the boiling pit of hatred in his stomach telling him to burn the temple to the ground. Where had they been? Dozens of healers, monks, warriors all hiding behind their high walls while the general populace choked on gas and were chopped into pieces - lacerated like animals. It was that day that he decided to hate them all, and it was that day when Robin mentally joined the Yanlei's beliefs - eventually leading him to meet Zed and swear fealty to him.

[witchcraftandburialdirt]

What are Haru's favorite things to do around the apartment? Is it just things he does with Tarhos or is it something much more simple? Do the little things make him soft or is it quiet words spoken that no one else is meant to hear?

✧ ─ 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 ─ ✧ MODERN VERSE

With his appearance it could be really easy to put Haru into a box that assigns him to do weird edgy stuff in his spare time, but he's actually just a really normal person with good fashion sense. He explored all of his crazy adventures in his early 20s and has since retired to a much more relaxed lifestyle with the occassional crazy action sprinkled in here and there. His standard things to do are sketch, watch documentaries, hang out with Bonnie and cook - he also knows how to play the guitar but is kind of embarrassed by it because he learned during his teenager cringe era. He'd play if Tar asked though.

Granted, I think he can do all of the above with or without Tarhos, but he especially likes watching movies, cuddles and grooming. Haru takes extremely good care of his hair and part of his love is extending that care to Tarhos; its a very domestic action that reminds him of home, and he wants Tarhos to feel that too. Frankly he loves all of the little actions Tar does as well as when he actually speaks his feelings - he knows each one have their different reasons for making him feel good though. Tarhos suffers from a lot of trauma regarding touch due to his upbringing, so him closing that bridge and brushing Haru's lower back when he's cooking or pinching his butt really makes Haru feel special because he knows Tarhos trusts him enough. He also knows his boyfriend struggles with speaking his feelings because he's never deemed them important enough; Haruko helping Tar not feel like a burden is something massive to their relationship. Its a soft reminder that he's healing - and Haru loves it.

Off topic but because you have me thinking about it I often imagine what Haruko and Tarhos' mornings look like? I don't care how badly I'm going to derail this question but anyways; I'll paint the picture. Tarhos 100% wakes up earlier than Haru and just watches him sleep in his bonnet for a little bit; its the one time he can without having to worry about accidentally flustering himself. Haru wakes up a little later and instinctually pulls off his bonnet while he sits up to stretch, smiling down to Tarhos for them to meet halfway in a good morning kiss. Haru's the first to get out of bed, scratching his head and wandering to the bathroom to wash his face and Bonnie lays in his spot and gives Tarhos big baby eyes until he pets her. Depending on if they have work or not, they both get dressed with a few pinches here and there because they can't stop - or stay in their pajamas and take it really slow and easy. If they've work, they both get on the subway deeper into the city or take Tarhos' car/Haru's bike (if its warm enough), and usually have a quick breakfast at the cafe by Haru's shop. Haru usually falls asleep unless he's driving.

If they have off however, they stay in their pajamas and crawl back in bed for a good 20-30 minute cuddle session with lazy kisses scattered throughout - could be sexual could not be, depends on the day. Breakfast is made by the both of them in the kitchen where they hold eachother and I know Haru is constantly pressed against Tarhos because he's cold when he wakes up. If the weather is warm, they'll sit out on the porch and eat breakfast while reading the paper and being super pressed close. But if its cold they definitely just eat breakfast under all of their covers before turning on a lazy movie or documentary and continuing to cuddle. Its just a very domestic morning for them and I do not care you can pry this idea from my cold dead hands -

[witchcraftandburialdirt]

WHAT IF THERE WERE LIKE TWO DARKIN AND THEN ALSO ROBIBI AND THEN ALSO THEY WERE IN LOVE?

✧ ─ 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 ─ ✧ LEAGUE VERSE

Well that vastly depends on the Darkin and at what point in Robin's timeline they meet. I'm sure there is some deep profound thing to be said about two individuals denied death and forced to walk the earth in bodies they do not want. All of the Darkin are pretty unhinged though, so I'm not sure which ones would work best or which two you're referring to.

Despite it all, I couldn't see Robin getting along with someone like Aatrox, per say, but maybe Varus or Rhaast? It just is all very dependent.

[witchcraftandburialdirt]

I really love how even though Robin is messed up in the fog that he still reads as a sympathetic character. Could you tell us what happened to him or why he has issues remembering anything? Does he want to leave the fog?

✧ ━━ 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 : 𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐍 𝐀. 𝐁𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝙳𝙴𝙰𝙳 𝙱𝚈 𝙳𝙰𝚈𝙻𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙴

Thank you anon! I wasn't expecting such a sweet message in my inbox, and I would be delighted to delve deeper into the details of Robin's experiences - unfortunately I cannot spoil the lore I just finished ( it'll be posted soon! ) I'm glad however that despite all of his habits and uncomfortable mannerisms, that he still reads as a sad figure moreso than a purely terrifying one. He's lost a lot in life, and I want that to always be present; he will never be without his grief. No matter how much he tries to get rid of it. I can definitely go over the basics and explain his feelings towards Fog! Frankly that is long enough on its own since, despite the worlds that leave his mouth, Robin's feelings towards the Fog are pretty complicated and a bit all over the place.

A good chunk of this is because Robin truly, to his deepest core, does not remember what the world was like when he was in it. He cannot remember what food tastes like, what rain sounds like, and a lot of the things most people take for granted just don't exist in his mind anymore. Music, singing, the sweet smell of flowers in spring and the tweeting of birds nestling in the hazel thicket ... its all gone. That being said, he is very aware of the "lost" bit of him, and tries to hide his concern for the growing holes in his memory - but it really isn't working. It's part of the reason he instinctually is always seen wandering about the fields and forests, part of him still primally yearns for all of those things; but he's lost the words or reasonings to really explain it. If he did it would be like trying to describe the tones of a color that doesn't exist. I think he might honestly cry if he reintroduced to music or had someone show him that the organ in his church can actually play still!

Fun Fact: Robin never got to see the ocean, but he always wanted to.

He's been stuck in the Fog for over 150 years and each day that ticks on takes more out of him, and its forcing him to conform ever more to what the Entity wishes for him to be. The problem with that is given Robin is an actual human being, he can't be an unconscious tool for her use - but She can at least peel and strip away the parts that make him less than cooperative. The Entity gained that ownership of him once it resurrected him from his boggy death and forced him into the scorching light of the sun where every part of him that could not serve Her was burnt away to ash and blown off with the winter wind. Then he did what earned his entrance into the Fog.

But that's a tale for another day.

Within his lore, those tiny joys through nature were one of the only ways he could find any sort of solace as he had a relatively difficult life, granted it wasn't without its pure arresting moments of wonder ━ but a lot of it was riddled with grief and tragedy due to his bloodline. For this explanation I'll be focusing on the subject as its seen within Europe and more specifically the UK as that is where Robin is from, however there are other mentions of it within histories around the globe from various cultures. You see eating sins was an actual occupation, and a very much hated one at that; but it was a necessary evil in the eyes of many even if the church did not approve - and was practiced within the multitude of rural communities within the UK from the late 16th century to the earliest years of the 20th century.

I won't go into too much detail regarding the profession, but in short they were summoned into town when a death occurred. For anyone who had died without confessing their sins, a sin-eater would take on the sins of the deceased by eating a loaf of bread ususally placed on the corpse's breast overnight and drinking ale out of a wooden bowl passed over the coffin/body ━ practices varied throughout different communities but you understand the idea.

Abhorred by the superstitious villagers as a thing unclean, the sin-eater cut himself off from all social intercourse with his fellow creatures by reason of the life he had chosen; he lived as a rule in a remote place by himself, and those who chanced to meet him avoided him as they would a leper. This unfortunate was held to be the associate of evil spirits, and given to witchcraft, incantations and unholy practices; only when a death took place did they seek him out, and when his purpose was accomplished they burned the wooden bowl and platter from which he had eaten the food handed across, or placed on the corpse for his consumption. ( Funeral Customs by Bertram S. Puckle ; 1926 )

With the Entity taking away the comforting moments of his time alive; what does he really have to gain by trying to get away from the Fog? All he knows for certain is that the world he came from was cruel and he feels it is undeserving of any mercy that could be granted to it; how could he when all he remembers is the suffering he went through? He's deep in Her manipulations and genuinely believes the Entity is God coming to bring about the Fourth Seal and he's been chosen to participate. It's the only way his brain can make sense of anything that's happening to him, and he's really let it take complete hold of him. Any sort of compassion or sympathy or humanly bond is too late in its arrival, he is lost and he can never go home, both in the material world and in the plane of his mind. Or at least that is what he believes, but humans often overestimate their capabilities and their eagerness to be alone, and in comes a rather unexpected problem to his "I'll simply fade away into nothing and become what God needs me to be, and that is my purpose in this life" outlook.

In steps the biggest wrench in his plans.

No no, it is unfortunate for Robin but @mxlevolence is clinging to his blood soaked hand while he hangs over the edge of his doom ━ urging him to not let go, and for some reason Robin is listening to them. Their relationship is pretty complicated but GF so intensely affects Robin's view of the Fog that it's impossible for me to not talk about it. Vicious at one point mentioned that "poems cannot even begin to describe their relationship" and I think that still stands true. Especially for Robin, who struggles to really understand what friendship and love are because he is relearning what those emotions mean and what it's like to not be completely alone. They've found a kindred nature within eachother, and few and between are the days that these two don't interact, even if its just one of them approaching the other like "and another thing!"

━ And Robin hates it.

Well, more specifically Robin's human brain is really satisfied and happy by the social interaction its getting, and he is genuinely enjoying the time he has with Ghostface as well. That said he knows he isn't supposed to, and it is wrecking his viewpoint; what was once so clear of a destiny for him now seems blurrier and blurrier the more the Grave Walker opens their mouth. He gets the concept. He does! But ... The sadder angle of the entire thing is how easy it would be for Robin to just grab onto the bond that he's made and find strength within it, he is so close to being pulled back from the end of himself, but he's terrified of the consequences that might not even exist.

There is also the very high possibility that somewhere deep within Robin he does feel an immeasureable weight for the acts he's committed, and that maybe he doesn't think he deserves to be saved or the kindness that comes along with it. And maybe he's right. Robin has done atrocious things in the name of his God, and has shown basically no remorse about them; but that's the thing about love and mercy; it cares little for how worthy someone is of it. Whether or not Robin feels remorse for his actions seems to mean little to GF so long as they get to be free together, it doesn't matter what he did. All that matters is who he is, and who he shouldn't let go of.

Vicious kind of broke my brain when they referenced beloved Tolkien and I haven't been able to get the thought or the comparisons out of my head???? help???

There is something very curious about these two accidentally finding the humanity in each other that they're both desperately trying to erase from themselves ━ yet they're both like "NO NO NO" at the other doing it. How ironic that in order to save someone in the same situation as yourself that you have to take your own advice. Becoming a human being and accepting the weaknesses that comes along with it all to save a singular person is like ... idk man a massive fucking deal when you're talking about these two. It's almost desperate in a way. SO desperate in fact that Robin has found himself being a bit more honest and genuine then a Devil should be, and Danny has peeled off the Ghostface mask; things that they absolutely do not want to ever do. And yet! It's happening, and seemingly getting worse every thread.

I always find it really funny because Vicious and I were like "you ok if they die" "yes" "cool" and then we just let these two take the reins of the threads and tbh its been such a cool experience seeing them just ... exist and thrive! Well, ok maybe thrive isn't the right word, but steer the wriring? I suppose.

And there is the acknowledgement from Robin as well about his predicament, he knows whats happening to him, and what will. However at this rate, he's been so beaten down and sanded away that there's little left in him that can cling to any notion of hope, and instead clings to the glory of duty. It is an honor to serve such a reverent God etc etc. The delusion is very strong and Robin is happy to cling to it just as hard. Fate is unavoidable. They are to be given over to the jaws of fate one way or another, and he'd prefer the easier descent into the Entity's maw ━ and he wants that for Ghostface too. It would be a mercy compared to what could unfold if the Entity should grow to dislike them, and he does not want to face those possibilities.

Ahhh but you see, the cyclical issue of then "is he wanting Ghostface to just obey so his own horrors will be easier or is he worried about what the Entity will do to his dear friend should they continue to agitate it?"

From a narrative standpoint its relatively easy to see what part of that he thinks is true, and which is actually true. Robin will always be a man no matter what the Entity does to him or what he tells himself to be or what his village told him he was. And it is a very frightening experience to have that tossed back in his face and to reminded of how small he actually is within the grand scheme of things. His pain doesn't equal to any sort of cosmic destiny and the suffering he experienced was just the cruel indifference of the universe. It gets ever more unpleasant with the understanding that if Robin does remember what it was to be alive he will be standing face to face with the terrifying reality he's put himself in. Worse still is he's now being forced to confront it all because someone in this cold life cares enough for him to try and save him ... because as much as he will deny it and bite back, he wants to save them too.

[witchcraftandburialdirt]

Because I know we talked about it but also because I know it's smthn u enjoy thinking about: How much has Tarhos corrupted Haru and how much of it is just the darkin is a God, corrupted as he may be, that actually answered his prayers unlike the others?

✧ ── 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 LEAGUE VERSE

Something that makes Haruo and Tarhos' relationship unique is, at least to me, their joined mindspace - while Rhaast and Kayn can communicate telepathically and can read eachother it is still two separate beings bickering with one another. For Haruko and Tarhos the line is much more blurred; they experience eachother's feelings and desires, hear each single thought and even have shared dreams. They are less "two people in one body" and much more "one person in two bodies" in terms of how they can communicate with eachother, I mean technically if we wanted to get really into it we could debate about how there is no true unified "self" but rather a fractaling recursion of self-repeating selves - think about how your conscience talks to you in your own voice or how you ask yourself questions and you answer them - that. Its incredibly complicated to try to explain in a tumblr post but that is how, for myself at least, Haru and Tarhos operate. Tarhos and Haru can hear the other one talking and know its not them doing it but it still feels like their own thought. I hope that makes sense because it's only going to get worse from here -

While that isn't necessarily the question I do think its an important thing to distinct when speaking about them; before Tarhos found a vessel they basically acted as a singular unit anyway - I doubt that mindset would change much once he took over the dragon in Ionia. So, beginning with that I'm going to continue on and say that I don't think Haru was "corrupted" so much as he was validated. Before the Noxian invasion Haruko was most likely living peacefully in Bahrl with his village and family, there was tension between Vastayans and Humans as always but he didn't go out comitting murder for fun. He just simply did not interact with them or care enough to - and I really don't think he cared about or even knew about Noxus. Based on that alone we can see a distinct difference from the past to present, and I do think that has a large chunk to do with Tarhos. Darkin are PTSD ridden forgotten Gods whose last moments feeling sunlight were surrounded by the rise of the Void, and the fall of Azir along with the Empire of Shurima - and when Haruko first found Tarhos, the blade was eager for bloodshed and violence.

Upon first contact their minds partially merged, Haru's strength of spirit was able to dominate and shackle back Tarhos' possession of him for the most part, but not completely. The battle was fought and Haruko fled having lost practically everything within a single day by an unknown force that brutalized without mercy - which I'm sure is an event Tarhos can understand way too well. This is where the validation and mind-merging come into play; even if Tarhos did not actively say anything to Haru at that time, Haru can still feel what Tarhos is and vice versa. Within Tarhos' own bloodlust and hatred towards the Void Haru felt validated and correct in his anger and immediate dehumanization of Noxians; seeing them as a plague to Ionia much like the Void is a plague to Shurima. Once the mind has decided to dehumanize it is very easy for people to fall into acts of violence without any reprise or guilt over them; its happened many a time throughout history and is still happening today. And that is very hard to change once its cemented, particularly through a place of deeply rooted trauma which resulted in a cultural and territorial genocide. One of which the very land has still not healed from.

Haru does view Tarhos as a God too - he is one - and to have those views validated and reaffirmed by something so universally larger than him screams to him that he is correct. Tarhos didn't have any bit of a healthy mindset when they originally met, they were both spiteful and livid at the world around them - and violence always breeds violence, anger breeds anger etc. With Tarhos healing though it does leave an actively larger question regarding that original validation; does it still hold as much as it should? Haru hates Noxians so much and frankly would be fine if they were eradicated, but that seems a very sharp shift for a creature thats lived in relative peace for 300+ years. Anger is often a mask we wear to hide things we're not ready to face yet, its the brain defending itself from whatever ugly can of worms needs to be opened but will really really hurt when it eventually does.

In short, Haru has found comfort, validation, and solace in a bloodthirsty God which reaffirms his fury and approves of it - he isn't getting any help for the legitimate reasons he's like this - and until he does there won't be any end to it. I don't think he was corrupted, I think Tarhos' just helped pour gasoline ontop of a small fire and both of them let it explode without really thinking about the consequences afterwards or why the fire was there to begin with.

[witchcraftandburialdirt]

I saw that you mentioned that Haru has other timelines, what are some details of the relationships he has with other characters in these timelines?!

── 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 ──

Yeah! Haruko is an older OC of mine that I made in college, and he was originally part of a JJBA roleplay for part 4. Some time passed and he morphed into something without any affiliations, and throughout a lot, and I mean alot, of roleplays with my best friend @magicshadowkitten - he ended up being a part of her universe. Thankfully he isn't too involved in the main plot line so I don't have to worry about too much crazy shit happening to him; but he does meet and know plenty of her characters. And since I know she's going to read this ( hi!! mwah ) I'll go over a few of the more meaningful ones and how Haru feels about the people he interacts with, not in too much detail though because these muses have been interacting for ... 8 years.

MIN-JIN YOON ── Fuck if Haru doesn't hate this dude. In some of my threads with Haru it's referenced that he survived a murder attempt in his past; well this is who done did it. Min-Jin was introduced to Haruko's little sister, Hinata, and the two of them started dating when he transferred from South Korea for school. Granted they didn't date because Min was in love with her, he's a serial killer who turned the women he dated into statues that he'd present as art. Haruko had a bad feeling about him from the beginning, and Min decided that he could take care of both of them. Long story short he cut Haru's hands off to keep as a prize and tried to kill him - but he didn't, and ended up leaving the country before anything could really be done about him. Thankfully they were able to reattach Haru's hands and they retain much of the same function as before, he's had to adjust his tattooing technique obviously. But yeah no words cannot describe the amount of hate and fear Haru holds for this person, he still has nightmares.

ROY G. BIV ── Another person he really does not like; and he doesn't even know the full extent of the abuse this dude inflicted on his adopted children. Point is, he hurt alot of the people Haru is very close to and he actually thinks he's disgusting; he'd key his car if Haru could afford the possible legal fees. Haruko already has pretty deep dadyd issues so they bleed into this hatred too, and refuses to really give him the time of day. They've only really briefly met, for good reason; the people who he loves do NOT let them interact, it just isn't a good idea for anyone involved. He's an asshole, Haru hates him, and he isn't afraid to talk about how much of a fucker he thinks Roy is. Literally wishes nothing but bad upon him actually.

ROSEMARY MURATA ── She is his childhood best friend and neighbor, she went to the same elementary school as him, grew up down the street, and has known Haruko and Hinata since they were very small. She's always been a bit of a firecracker which mixes well with Haruko's own wild behavior, but she's very protective of him and his sister. She's still in his hometown and he visits often, usually taking the train to visit his mother for a few days, he always makes sure to call Rosemary beforehand so she can get off and they can catch up. She was present when Bonnie was adopted, and is a sister to Haruko. She is part of the ideal blunt rotation, and is invited to every event she can make. She's always been extremely encouraging of Haru, and was by his side during the entire Min-Jin incident, because she also smelled some fuckery a foot. These two are the kind of people you don't want to piss off; especially not hurting Hina.

JASPER BIV ── I actually have drawn him; I'll put it under this paragraph! But That being said, Jasper and Haru met under less than ideal circumstances; Haruko being drunk at a bar and Jasper being the bartender who ended up taking care of him and making sure he was ok. They ended up meeting more, eventually becoming friends and going to the same gym together. Granted Jasper is a bit ... well, he isn't all he seems to be. TDLR; Jasper is 1/3 of a broken God trying to make it within the world and live a standard, relaxed existence ( it was not relaxed, he's got a very cool backstory but I wouldn't want to accidentally butcher it so I won't go into detail here, but he's a cool af character ). He keeps this a secret from Haru, even once they start dating, but eventually he breaks and can't keep it up anymore and tells him. Yeah to say Haru laughed at him was an understatement, but he comes around eventually and he wonders how all of this weird stuff constantly happens within his life. They live in the city together in their little high rise apartment ( Jasper's old asf and has money ok he was ready for this life ), and have a pretty normal existence despite everything. We actually joked that if her writing ever became like a dating game, that the player would meet Haru once or twice in town before seeing him leaving his apartment. Obviously part of the ideal blunt rotation, these two really give off like ... well meaning bro dudes vibes. Guys being dudes.

LIAM J. ALLEN ── You know how there are those people in life who are just pure and good and who you want to protect? Yeah, that's how Haru feels about Liam. The man is Jasper's boss and owner of the restaurant he works at, and Haruko has pretty much become part of that family too. Liam is a really good, well meaning man who takes care of Jasper and is so fond of Haru that he'll change Jas' schedule around so they can have time together. Haru is always welcome in the restaurant and he stays after hours since he knows everyone in that place. Liam is 100% part of Haru's ideal blunt rotation, and he's invited to every public outing, barbecue, party, etc ; and Haru would happily be his wingman ( asked or not ). These two have a pretty close brotherly friendship, and may honestly be the only person Haru would let date his sister without throwing a fit over it. He trusts him and knows he's a good man, and he's very grateful that he's part of his life. He can babysit Bonnie.

AIRI BIV ── Oh he likes her. She's Jasper's sister, from another broken God, and has a pretty resentful, bitter personality when you get on her bad side; and Haru fucking loves it in a "Oh, she sounds absolutely demented, let's tell her everything" way. He loves how brutal and icy she is, and he really respects her for it - and he likes getting to hang out with her when she comes around. She also helps at Liam's restaurant, so he sees her pretty often, and she's invited to pretty much every event that they have, its easy to make fun of Jasper with his sister - she knows all of his embarrassing stories and given they are both extremely old, they never run out of shit to laugh at Jasper for. He trusts her with babysitting Bonnie, and absolutely love love loves talking shit about Roy with her since they're both bitchy bitter people.

[witchcraftandburialdirt]

── 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 ── ✧ ━━ @bells-of-black-sunday asked: ":𝚛𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚞𝚗: 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚞 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚐. 𝙸𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕? 𝙳𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚃𝚊𝚛𝚑𝚘𝚜 𝚘𝚛 𝚐𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚙 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍? 𝙰𝚗𝚢 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕? 𝙸𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚏𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎? 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚞𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚔𝚒𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚏? (𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚢𝚜𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜, 𝙼𝚊𝚜𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚎, 𝙱𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝙱𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑, 𝚎𝚝𝚌.)"

So my butter fingers slipped and I accidentally posted this with no context because of my formatting order ( I also had no idea that theres a shift + enter shortcut to post? Learn something knew everyday ) ━ Anyways. Amazing questions as usual ━ thank you for this!!! It was a delight to let my Haru worms out.

𝐈𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥? ── The one good thing about the Fog is that Haruko was able to forge bonds with other survivors in his time there, and that the people he is around are a constant. I think he'd get along really well with someone like Dwight to be honest; their eager and sheer determination to survive as well as their kindness. Being around Vit has also helped him relax; they are now on equal footing - their lives and Vit's privileges before the Fog no longer matter; they're all in the same shit sandwich. Haru also, within the time that Tarhos was away, did gain more confidence around people since he was constantly around an adoring gaggle of maidens and learned to stand his ground in Tarhos' absence. It was a very difficult task to keep this part of him steadfast after Tarhos' arrival home considering the entity had already begun to eat away at him but he was able to do it. He's no longer afraid of people that can bleed just like him; and will do what he needs to in order to survive.

𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝? ━━ Oh absolutely, Haru was a chatterbox before the Fog ━ and that part of him hasn't much changed. He's a very friendly person despite his reservations; and it's very easy for him to talk to people. I imagine he does not go a day without chattering about everything with Vit considering their past together and shared hardship. Even beyond that when he's with Tarhos ( and the faithful three ) he practically never shuts up ━ even if he has a low, relaxing voice ━ he'll just keep gossiping and prattling on with Tarhos until his next trial starts.

𝐀𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥? ━━ Yes! I think he'd very much get along with Dwight, Vit, and even Sable too. I could also see him really admiring and appreciating Sidney's will to survive and all of thr tribulations she's been through. He respects grit, but even more he respects a good heart.

𝐈𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞? ━━ I think at first, given everything that happened in Italy, Haru was very happy to be in the Fog; mostly because he had no idea what it actually is. Haruko was just happy to be, seemingly, away from the hellscape that Tarhos and the Faithful Three had ignited in Vit's lands, and I'm sure he was even more glad to have found Vit within this place with him. They had been freed. Now he knows that they'd just been moved to a new place, and his beloved husband was barely existing when he began to ruin everything. He misses the blue of the sky and the sound of crickets, all of the small beauties of the world and life. What else is there in the Fog but death and pain? While these things existed in his old life at least there were other things worth living for, and he isn't quiet about his desire to leave.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟? ━━ Frankly I am of the Xayah/Rakan mindset that Haruko has to match Tarhos all of the time always; Chrysalis, Blood Moon, Deep Rift, Wasteland Collection, Masquerade and the Halloween event! I think he'd also fit perfectly into the Dungeons and Dragons collection and the Midnight Grove.

[witchcraftandburialdirt]

Is maiden Haru weary of men or is it just people in general? Is there any type of person he's extremely nervous around like people taller or stronger than him or is it just a general wariness that comes from his past?

✧ ─ 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 ─ ✧ MEDIEVAL VERSE

When Haruko first arrived at the camp and was tossed into Tarhos' tent, it would be pretty easy to assume that he might get along with the other women of the camp - but he doesn't get along with them either. Haru is an aggressive dog that sees the worst in everyone around him immediately, he's been beat, assaulted, violated and torn apart for his "beauty" - and the fear of what others can do to him has almost consumed him to a point to mar his own face in order to escape. Everyone who is capable of touching him is someone he is afraid of, anyone with hands, anyone with eyes - anyone who could percieve him and drink in his body without his permission.

He is so afraid. So so afraid of everyone - its why he's bitey and argumentative when he first meets Tarhos, he wants to be left alone - for once in the decade he's been enslaved does he demand to be alone and ... For the first time since then, someone lets him. Tarhos is an exception to the rule because of this one reason: he gives Haruko agency and autonomy. He gives him the right to say "no", to anything, which is something neither of them could ever have had - they were never treated like thinking, important creatures - just livestock to kill and bed. Initally Haruko doesn't even trust that, surely its just a ploy for Tarhos to get him to lower his guard and hurt him - force him to do something, remind him of how easily all of that could be stripped away. It's what he expects him to do but ... He doesn't.

No one is like that, no one has ever done that for him before. Only once he's sure that it is safe for him does he truly begin to let that fear begin to wane, Tarhos gives him a space that he can weep, be vulnerable and explore his problems without any sort of expectation or compensation. Tarhos is safety to Haru, and that is the one thing he will never fear.

[witchcraftandburialdirt]

On the flip side, what are the few little things that help maiden Haru ground himself around camp and make him feel more comfortable? Is it the simple repetitions like laundry or sewing? Is it doing things with the people he's close to or something far more self contained?

✧ ─ 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 ─ ✧ MEDIEVAL VERSE

Haru finds a lot of joy alone in the camp frankly, once its settled and most of the people are gone for the day he just works outside of the tent with Bonnie by his side. With how he was treated beforehand he very rarely got to be outside at all, let alone on his own - its a quiet act of rebellion to everything he's known since the day of his enslavement. That being said, he finds a lot of comfort in being alone and just being able to focus on himself and do something for HIM, he sews himself little things, read books Tarhos took for him, and he draws. He draws Bonnie, his homeland, Tarhos, and what he thinks he might look like - mirrors then were mostly polished metal - and he never looks quite right. Whether it is because of the distortions or his feelings about himself one cannot say - this is a hint that Tarhos should totally get someone to paint Maiden Haru in some verse because he has such a warped view of himself.

If he isn't doing that, something he takes a great amount of pride in is his hair. He'll spend hours oiling it, combing it and braiding it in various ways - its one of the few things that hasn't been taken from him, and the action of grooming pulls away his feelings of filth. It also reminds him of home and the way his mother used to do his hair when he was younger, before he was taken, when life was peaceful.