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tenderwatches · 3 months ago

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Ch. 19 of Lies We Tell Ourselves is up!

𐡸.:𐫱:.𐡷

chapter teaser

𐡸.:𐫱:.𐡷

chapter excerpt

Chapter 19: I, Heliotrope (in turning)

In contemplating death, Viktor wants to feel he’s greeting an old friend: someone who has watched him from on high, a grim guardian over the phases of his life. From his childhood in the Undercity to his young adulthood, trying desperately to assimilate to Piltover’s standards and society, to his years at Hextech, letting himself bleed everything he had into a project that was at once labour, love, and sacrifice.

Scientifically, there’s nothing to fear in death.

Your body returns to the elements whence evolution created it, the chemical reactions that powered your movements dissipating as heat on the winds. Your last breath travels against particles in the air, its velocity endlessly approaching zero. Lights in your brain, firing for all the years you’ve been alive, slowly begin to wink out. Life ceases.

Spiritually—well, Viktor has never been a spiritual person.

Gods are simply beings who have ascended from mortality. Their power knows no boundary; their age, no end. But nothing else likens them to godhood—they are neither benevolent nor evil. Their influence, relative to their power, has no more sway over the timeline of Runeterra than that of anyone else.

But there are other ways to raise one’s influence and power—he’s learnt that watching people manoeuvre through both the Lanes and the gilded streets of the Upper City. You can braid together wealth, connections, and lies, weaving a ladder upon which you climb until your will dominates those on the rungs below you.

Spirituality is yet another form of society’s moral caterwauling. And so, in spirituality also, death offers nothing to fear. It is only the inevitable return home.

Emotionally, however—therein lies his problem with death.

Humanity is so deeply tied to emotion—greed and corruption, love and empathy. One can trace all the forces acting upon life back to desire: an emotion that fuels fires of anger and passion alike. Desire—wanting, aching, yearning—each pitching their weight into one’s motivations, driving both action and reaction.

Viktor wants to live.

He realises this as he’s gazing up at the tall, fan-like leaves of a plant stretching towards the sunlight streaming in from greenhouse panes above. Deep fuchsia ribs colour its stalk and form veins stretching out to its serrated leaf edges. Even as some leaves wither away, tiny new ones break the surface of the soil, some beginning to unfurl from their tight curls as they mature.

After three relentless weeks in the lab, endless trials yielding nothing but mediocre results, Jayce had been adamant that a ‘change of scenery’ will do them good. Sky proposed relocating their free-form ideation session to Piltover’s expansive two-acre botanical collection; they’ve only explored the first few gardens on account of Viktor’s condition, but their discussions have grown lively.

“We were right about the way the plants are being affected.” Sky’s voice draws Viktor from his reverie as she bends down, pausing to add fresh observations to the weeks of data in her journal. She uses the end of her pen to indicate where the lower leaves are beginning to yellow as a natural sign of decay. “It’s not about rejection or toxicity; look here—this is normal senescence. The plant redirects nutrients from older leaves to support new growth—totally normal.” She jabs in the air with excitement and has to push her glasses back up the bridge of her nose from where they slide down. “It’s just happening too rapidly in our samples.”

From his seat on the nearest metal bench, Viktor nods. “It’s an excellent observation, Miss Young.”

They must have exhausted every merchant of plants between their lab and the furthest reaches of the Mid Town markets. They’ve been trialling plants in cycles of accelerated repair and various stages of growth, and though their initial attempts showed promise, most of the trials had collapsed into refuse in a matter of minutes. Only a few outlying cases in which a tweak to the runic patterns seemed to allow the subject to live for a few hours, but those, too, eventually died. The sharpness of hope trying to break ground inside of him is beginning to ache, despite his greatest attempts to push it down where it couldn’t see the light of day.

“So, the—you know—” Thomas whispers after glancing around to ensure none are too close to their conversation, “isn’t killing them directly?” He has grown less flighty in their time together; Viktor’s episode in the hospital has seemingly reminded him that Viktor is human, just another citizen of their divided city, like him.

“No,” Sky’s passion for biology overrides her usual hesitation. Viktor is pleased to see her confidence. “What we’re seeing indicates natural ageing. See how the deterioration starts from the bottom up? If it were rejection or toxicity, we’d see spotting, certain portions dying off, or localised discolouration. This natural process—” She traces the progression up the leafy stalks, “is what we’re seeing—just accelerated.”

Thomas nods along with matched enthusiasm, but frustration begins to shadow his expression. “That corroborates what we’ve seen with adjustments to the precision rune, but even when we tune up resolve to compensate, we still see cellular breakdown.”

Jayce paces in front of him on the walk, hand held up to his chin in thought. “Right,” he agrees, beginning now to tap one fist against the palm of his other hand as he thinks aloud. “Maybe the issue is we’re taking the process too far? We’re not able to stop it from executing the full life cycle.”

“What if we could store any excess beyond what we want?” Thomas questions from the ground. He’s sat on the edge of the flowerbed, now twirling an errant leaf between his fingers. “Like a capacitor? Something to store and release energy at a controlled rate.” He doesn’t even seem to mind—or maybe, notice—his coattails in the mulch. They have really begun to shirk all sense of decorum. He supposes that working on an illicit research project of potentially ground-shaking implications can do that to a group.

Sky shakes her head. “No, they’re burning up their resources too fast—it’s not just that the whole thing happens, the plants also don’t have enough nutrients to sustain the growth.”

Viktor watches the interplay of light and shadow across the leaves as clouds pass overhead. Jayce snaps his fingers several times in a row in the way he does that means ‘you might be on to something!’, and Viktor feels the corners of his lips drawn slightly upwards, just a breath away from a smile. His colleagues discuss with a lively brightness, which he appreciates all the more because they've undertaken this project on his behalf. Viktor has always been a figure of the periphery, forever watching, getting the chance to support, if he’s lucky. Even with Hextech, Viktor never felt comfortable taking up any of the spotlight no matter how many times Jayce called him a partner. It just never felt like his, something he could attribute to his name.

(Read the rest on AO3!) (Or start from the beginning!)

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megashadowdragon · 1 year ago

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sanjis promise to kuma

Back in chapter 485, Sanji interrupted Zoro and Kuma as they were about to make a deal in exchange for letting Luffy go free. In this moment, Sanji swore that one day, he would be the one to cause the most trouble for the Navy and the World Government.

Ever since Bonney commented on Vegapunk turning Kuma in to a cyborg in chapter 1062, I have been wondering if this promise will come full circle in this arc. Oda has been slowly building on the parallels between Sanji and Kuma. But why?

Chapter 485 was titled for Zoro, and it led to the 'nothing happened' moment. Given how iconic and significant that has become, don't you think it's also significant that it's here that Sanji stepped in?

Could it be that Oda is preparing to give Sanji a moment that will parallel Zoro's 'nothing happened'? Is this how Sanji will fulfil the promise that he made to Kuma at Thriller Bark? Will his words to Zoro from Wano come around again?

Sanji has often before gone on solo missions and risked his own life in order to sabotage the enemy's plans. In Little Garden and Alabasta, he tricked Crocodile; and at Enies Lobby, he stole the cuff keys from Jabra, and sabotaged the Buster Call.

Now that Kuma has arrived at Egghead, and another Buster Call as been initiated, it seems like the perfect time for Sanji's promise from Thriller Bark to come full circle. But what role will he play? And how will it explain his parallels to Kuma?

Speaking of the parallels between Sanji and Kuma, this is a good time to mention 'the power of love.' What does Oda mean by this? And how does it connect to Kuma being able to maintain a fragment of his humanity?

This may explain why Kuma's instinct to protect his daughter was able to override or delay the process of his humanity being erased. I believe it also explains the significance of Sanji's parallels to Kuma, and how he will fulfil his promise from Thriller Bark.

The significance of the parallels between Sanji may be leading toward Sanji taking the risk of losing his humanity again. But how will we get to that? Before we get that far, how will Oda set it up?

When I was planning this thread, I wondered what moments from the past that Oda might parallel here. To start with, I believe Sanji will steal Kizaru's, just as he stole the keys from Jabra back at Enies Lobby.

Once Sanji has stolen Kizaru's intercept Transponder Snail, he will be able to listen in on and discover the enemy's plans. Sanji could even speak directly with the other Gorosei. Just as he did with Crocodile in Little Garden and Alabasta.

niji and the other vinsmokes had the ability to mimic other people's voices ( shown in wci) so sanji could mimic kizaru or saint saturns voice to obtain this info like how he pretended to be mr3

Just as Sanji sabotaged Enel's Ark Maxim in Skypiea, Sanji may also sabotage and destroy the Mother Flame power station. The parallels would even extend to Sanji addressed "God," and the theme of "a light."

Could Oda be building up to Sanji putting himself in front of a blast from the Mother Flame in oder to destroy it manually and prevent it from being fired again? It would continue the parallel of Sanji taking a direct hit from Enel after sabotaging the Ark Maxim.

How could Sanji survive such a thing? This would be where his genetic augmentations and altered Lineage Factors come back in to it. The enhanced durability and regeneration in particular would be relevant here. 'A step into the realm of Godhood.'

It's worth remembering that it was the discovery of Lineage Factors that led the World Government to arresting Vegapunk in the first place. They felt threatened by it. We've surely not yet seen the maximum potential of the Lineage Factor augmentations.

Speaking of the full potential of Sanji's power, I have spoken before about how I believe this progression and the attack names will be themed around the life cycle of a star.

I believe that this is how Sanji will fulfil his promise to Kuma from Thriller Bark, and become the one who causes the most trouble for the World Government. Sanji will risk his life and his humanity to destroy the Mother Flame power station, and sabotage the "Great Cleasing."

The key to Sanji's survival will likely be his genetic augmentations, but the key to him not losing his humanity in the effort is in the "Primal Desires." and the "Undying power of love."

#one piece #op theory #sanji theory #bartolomeo kuma #bartholomew kuma #black leg sanji #blackleg sanji #kuroashi sanji #sanji kuroashi #sanji blackleg #sanji black leg #vinsmoke sanji #sanji vinsmoke #one piece theories #op theories #one piece theory

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dragon-communion · 10 months ago

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Alright HEAR ME OUT. Crack ship incoming.

Elden Ring revolves around the very Arthurian motif of a beautiful princess (gender neutral) requiring a knight to murder everything between her and her goals. The Empyrean is the White Queen, the stationary and nurturing feminine counterpart to the Elden Lord as Red King, mobile and proactive.

I mean the queen also kills things with hammers, so don't take that divine feminine thing the wrong way, but I digress.

St. Trina qualifies as a damsel in distress, both because she's been mysteriously missing for a few hundred years and also the additional information we get in the DLC. She is BLEEDING and asks us to KILL for her. Textbook Arthurian princess. So who can we get to save her?

While Melina is potentially another Empyrean, what's more relevant to my interests is her status as a wandering pilgrim or perhaps an outright rōnin. She is burned and bodiless and can likely interact with the physical world only in limited ways, but nonetheless she is on a Quest, she does a little Stabbing, and she is arguably essential to Saving The World. We might technically be taking her on an escort mission, but she's far from helpless. She's just got memory issues.

Most relevantly: not only does she have memory issues, but she's a bodiless spirit. Miquella/Trina has some skill with memory manipulation, particularly if we take the Tonic of Forgetfulness as Miquella's work, and in addition to the Land of Shadow being a spirit-world it is arguable that Trina did most of her active participation in world events through dreams. Singing to the merchants, telling the albinaurics about the Haligtree, etc. People seek Trina in their dreams, which is a distinctly spiritual form of quest.

I think it is possible that both Trina and Melina have had dealings with the Fell God, too. Dreams are symbolically associated with mist, swamps, and water lilies, so it is intriguing and alarming that St. Trina's Torch uses fire of all things, and depicts her with a cyclops eye. Melina's connection to fire is obvious and repeated multiple times, though I do wonder if the first time she burned was blackflame.

Melina also has her connection to Destined Death, and if her eye does indeed mean she's the Gloam-Eyed Queen, that means she's got some sort of connection to night and sleep. Rogier compares death to falling into a sleep he'll never wake from, and to my understanding the DLC continues that metaphor. Sleep is oblivion, and also yet another form of death, linking Trina's affinity to the other various death-curses of Marika's children.

All of this is to say that Melina definitely has the means to find and assist Trina. As for motive? Melina wants the Erdtree to burn, and from the ashes something new to bloom. Trina is well aware that godhood is a living hell, and also wants the world to live in peace.

I am not sure if Melina would be at all opposed or even care about Miquella's goals. A new god is a new god, and the old order will burn the same. But I think Trina could genuinely understand her on a personal level, and have real compassion that other characters like Ranni and Marika fundamentally lack.

Melina does not want to be saved. Trina does not ask to be saved, either. But I think they would be better for knowing eachother, and that's important, even if they're both doomed.

#elden ring #st trina of the cradlesong #melina the kindling maiden

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some-random-art-kid · 4 days ago

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I’ve talked about the multi fandom dnd campaign I’m in, which sadly is nearing its final arc and we expect to be finished by the end of summer, but guess what?

I’m making a sequel. Several thousand years in the future. The over-world has changed drastically.

The old gods decided to fuck off into the multiverse to do whatever, Leaving Sylvia in charge. Y’know, the person who isn’t even from this world and has already had far too much responsibility placed on them from a very young age. So now my silly little fairy princess is in charge of the entire realm, against her will. Since all of the gods left she basically has to make an entire new pantheon. So she makes several other gods, but she also grants godhood to some of her loved ones. Notably, her best friend, Risktaker, and her wives. By the way, Sylvia’s polyamorous. I’ve only posted her and Prehnite together because in the campaign she hasn’t met the other two yet. But anyway, here’s all the wives, as gods.

Sylvia is now the ruler of the pantheon

Prehnite is the god of devotion

Cinder is the sun

And Opal is one of the moons. There’s three.

not pictured here are Risktaker, my boy, who becomes the god of knowledge, and Chisk/The Director, last of the old pantheon.

it’s also worth noting, Sylvia is also the empress of Nevada. She inherited the throne from Paradox.

idk if Nevada is gonna be the primary setting, but it’s for sure important.

Now, the original campaign is multi fandom, so how does that look thousands of years later?

Well the fandoms involved in the original are Madness Combat, Minecraft, Henry Stickmin, Wings of Fire, and Among us. So that gives us these species to work with: Grunts, humans, Stickmen, various dragons, Crewmates and Imposters. In regards to the imposters there are also two subspecies aside from the normal ones, spiders, which are just, well, imposters but spiders, and Tricksers, which are Imposters but they’re aquatic and have siren powers (Paradox is part trickster and used her siren powers to get Phobos to marry her)

The grunts live in Nevada, which is its own entire continent in this universe. The crewmates, imposters and stickmen live on a continent called Ethris. The amongi (crewmates and imposters) live on the eastern part of the continent. The stickmen live on the west side, mostly closer to the north. Between them there’s a whole bunch of forest. The dragons live on the same continents they do in Wings of Fire, so Pyria and Pantala (idk if that’s how they’re spelled)

in the main campaign some seawings have joined the Trickster’s kingdom so in the sequel the two species interact a lot and hybrids are common.

similarly because the leafwings, if I remember correctly, got fucking genocided, the stickmen have allowed them to live on some of the islands and the two species interact heavily, so hybrids between them are also common in the future.

The grunts used to trade with the stickmen before the events of the main campaign, but then Phobos ruined everything. After his death and Sylvia being adopted by Paradox and hired by the Stickmen’s government relations are slowly being re-established. In the sequel Ethris and Nevada have a decent relationship, and also, while Sylvia was trying to introduce some fucking biodiversity to the gray hellscape of Nevada, the leafwings helped with that, so grunts stickman and leafwing hybrids are all pretty common in the sequel. But also, because it’s been thousands of years, species have changed and evolved over time, so leafwings in Ethris are pretty different from the ones in Nevada.

Last time we saw the amongi in the campaign they were trying to negotiate an alliance. Unfortunately the ambassadors did get attacked and one died, but they were trying to make connections, so in the sequel they are allies and, say it with me, hybrids are common.

now, back to Nevada again. Sylvia becomes the new ruler eventually, and is a hybrid between a changeling and a drow, as well as a descendant of the god both of those species worshipped in my universe. Sylvia’s grandmother, the goddess Umbra, fell in love with a changeling and had kids, the other gods got mad and killed her and punished her followers. Realms overlap occasionally. It’s also already been established that the fae have interacted with the realm of the campaign, so, some changelings and Drow end up in this realm, and see that the hybrid descendant of their god is one of the rulers, so, they go tell their friends “hey, I know a place we can probably go where the gods won’t try to kill us for worshipping umbra in the past” so Changelings and Drow are here now, as well as a few members of some other fae species. And they also start having hybrid offspring with the species that live in Nevada.

and also Nevada actually has plants and shit now instead of just being hundreds of miles of gray.

The humans and dragons are… attempting to get along. Things are better than in the current campaign, but this might take a while. Although there’s a kingdom called Creativity, founded by Alex and Steve, where things are going great!

this is all a work in progress.

doing the world building alongside @chiskthecreature as this is just their world from the current campaign but in the future.

soon my friend, it will be my turn to torment you by hurting your favorite characters! How the tables have turned!

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

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kate-embershield · 1 year ago

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Warm Hands, Silver Tongues

AKA ah FUCK i had a terrible idea and got invested.

Alternate title - The MC (Kate in this instance) said Fuck It and embraces godhood.

Sabine suffers, Garnok's an ass, Kate finds out she can make deals, Khaan's about to have a very rude awakening.

Also chock full of Headcannons

13K Words of Sabine regretting everything under the cut + A little explanation

This was originally spurred on by the idea of how Weirded Out the Dark Riders would be if/when they find out the MC is connected to Aideen, and then it took off into this.

I love writing characters who fully embrace their powers and just go apeshit, and i think the MC would be a really fun character for this, especially with the way we're able to interact with the Dark Riders. I know personally i play like i'll offend them if i say something rude, so whenever i'm given the choice, ill always try to go the 'Talk it Out' route, which, in the context of this little fic, translated to Kate being terrible at Godhood. She's simply too nice and if i ever expand on this, it'll be fun to see how the rest of the Dark Riders interact with her.

Please come scream at me about your thoughts and headcannons! I have so many stupid little scenes that branch off this idea that i've already written

⚞☼⚟

“Sabine”, the General relaxed under the fingers running over her shoulders as Kate softly pushed the ebony hair out of the way. “I found the problem”, her voice betrayed her calm demeanour, strained and shaky.

“What is it?”, she turned to the Druid, scared lip scowling as the blond focused on the magic coursing through the Dark Riders body.

It was quiet for a moment, Kate intent on rooting out the problem before Sabine’s patience ran out. “There’s a tether between you and Garnok”, she started, and the General raised a brow. “Every time your magic grows-”, brilliant white light pulsed through her veins, and Sabine stiffened under the warmth, so different from the fire coursing through her body, but similar all the same, “-every time you use your power, Garnok eats away a piece of you”

“What are you saying?”

“Garnok is killing you to survive”, Blue met Amber, and Kate froze at the horrified look in the woman's eyes, “Pandoria won’t hold him for long”

“We’re dying?”, Her voice was quiet, far away, eyes unfocused as she stared at nothing.

“Garnok’s using you, and the other Dark Riders, to sustain himself while he's trapped”, the light pulling at her veins pulsed brighter, filling the room with a soft glow. “He’s killing you all just to keep himself alive”

“I guess that's why no Generals survive for long”, the Rider hummed darkly.

The air was heavy, as the two sat, stagnant silence between them. Sabine stared at her boots as Kate shifted behind her. “I might be able to help”

“How?”, her voice was low, arms resting on her knees as she leant back. “We made a pact with a God. I don't think there's any coming back from that one”, her eyes were closed, lips pulled into a thin line.

“I’m-”, Kate started, but the words caught in her throat. “The Keepers and the Druids really wish I wasn't, I know Avalon hates it especially”, She shifted, stretching her legs out along the couch, muscles strained from the uncomfortable way she had sat. “Sometimes I wish I had stayed away too, but then I guess I wouldn't have had this much fun”

“Spit it out”, Sabine growled, arm thrown over her eyes.

“I’m Aideen”, Kate draped herself over the arm of the couch as Sabine turned to her with the speed of a whip.

“What!”, she roared, bent over the Druid, amber eyes bright and fiery.

“Well technically I'm her reincarnation, but-”, Kate stammered, lips twisting into an awkward smile as she shuffled back. “-I can use a lot of her abilities, her light. I'm kind of like a boost for the other circles-”

“Your Aideen!?”

“Aideen’s Reincarnation, yes-”

“Your a god!”

“Not officially!”, She managed to squirrel her way out of the Rider’s shadow, “But if Garnok can make deals, maybe I can too”

“Your-”, Sabine eyed her warily, but a faint sparkle of hope burned in her eyes. “You want me to make a deal with you?”

“Yes”, the Druid leapt to her feet, staring up at Sabine with hope. “I'll be honest, I don't really know how it works, But I’m like 76% sure I can make deals too”

“That-”, Sabine turned away for a moment, arms crossed and foot tapping, “-Doesn't fill me with confidence”

Kate leant over the couch, resting her chin on her arms as the Dark Rider paced. “If it doesn't work, then it doesn't work, but if it does…”

“If it works, what happens to Khaan?”, Kate turned to the wide window, and the barn sitting quiet, warm glow spilling from between the slats. “He’s bonded with General Malumi, not…me”

“He might be corrupted, but he’s still a Starbreed, both of you are still bonded, I can tell”, Sabine had stopped pacing, arms still crossed, but she followed the Druid’s gaze to the barn, face neutral, but eyes betraying the sadness she felt at the thought of her loyal beast in pain. “Besides, I’m Aideen, if I can help you, I can help him”

“I thought you were just her reincarnation”

“Potato Tomato”, Kate smiled up at the woman, hand outstretched and smiling wide. “What do you say? Care to make a deal with God?”

Sabine eyed the hand warily, “What do you want in return?”

“Oh, uhh”, The offered hand lowered, arm hanging limp as she hummed. It was quiet for a moment, and then Kate turned to her with a hard-set look in her eyes. “You and I know that the Keepers will destroy Jorvik if it means killing Garnok”, the resourceful diplomat had returned, and Sabine wondered just how frightening this woman could be when she was determined. “They’ll justify it as a necessary sin, they don't care what happens to the people as long as Garnok is eradicated”, for a woman laying limply over the back of a couch, Sabine was amazed at how frightening she could look. “I won’t let them, I can’t. Not when the people of this island have no say in it. I’ve made my life here, and I’ve grown attached, and I won’t let Dark Core or the Keepers destroy the world just so the other doesn’t get their way”, Sabine eyed her curiously, starting to piece together what Kate would ask. “Help me stop Garnok, and whatever power he’s given you, whatever he's taken from you, I promise it's all yours”, Sabine eyed the woman, something curious shining in her eyes. “And I'll help Khaan. Those are my terms”

“You would have helped Khaan regardless”, The Dark Rider raised a brow, and Kate smiled.

“I would have. Mortifa and Acerbus and Jay and Katja too, if they'll let me. But now it's written in stone”, She held out her hand again, veins burning white hot as she smiled a deceptively sweet smile, as if she wasn't a God about to tie herself to her enemies most trusted General, as if Sabine wasn't about to gamble her own life for the second time.

The General took the God's hand, and the world exploded in white hot stars. It burned, like flames eating at her skin, her bone. Fire had never bothered Sabine, not when she was its master, but this, it felt like dying. A bone deep pain that ripped through everything she was, flaying her very nerves and sending blinding bolts of light through her. The point where her calloused palms met Kate’s, that hurt the most, like pure electricity racing between their palms.

Sabine screamed. Agony was barely enough to describe what she was feeling. If this was dying, she didn’t want it.

And then it stopped. Just as quick as it had started. The pain simply vanished and Sabine was left kneeling on the floor, wood biting into her palms and jaw locked shut as she struggled to breath. Faintly, she could hear someone calling her name.

“Sabine!”, the Druid was kneeling next to her, deft fingers running down her spine as the woman shook. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t know it would hurt!”

The General turned to her weakly, head resting on the floor as static danced between the two. “I’m fine”, she knew the Druid didn’t believe her, if she focused enough on the little silvery thread coiled between them, she could tell that Kate was frowning, eyebrows pinched as Sabine lay still. But she couldn’t look at her, simply because she wasn’t corporal. She was hazy around the edges, eyes glowing and veins burning white, and if Sabine looked too hard, a headache would slowly start breaking her skull in two.

Briefly, as she rolled onto her back, she remembered the pain that laced through her for weeks after she had sold her soul to Garnok. There was none of that stabbing agony here, not when the fire burning through her had died down to a warm ember. It was nice, she thought, and for the first time since Garnok, Sabine found that the wildfire that lived in her veins had calmed. It didn't eat at her skin anymore, it just…burned, like a campfire content to its bed of warm coals.

She could hear the Druid calling her name, but ignored it in favor of the sleep that came easily now.

#13k words #sso #star stable #star stable online #sso sabine #sso mc #sso writing #I feel SO SORRY for Sabine #Imagine making a deal with the weird chick after finding out she's GOD #Kate panicking: WHERE'S MY HELMET! I LOST MY FUCKING HELMET!#Sabine in tears because this is the woman who owns her soul: It's on your HEAD

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birbycakes · 1 month ago

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I have thoughts about my Tarnished sonas story againnnn also other bs as I try to understand the lore and probably get many things wrong because I haven’t even finished the game and have a fairly basic understanding of it. ANYWAYS!

So I’m gonna go with Warrior as her background. Here is my plot synopsis-

She started to have strange, seemingly prophetic dreams of the erdtree burning in deep red flames, with an evil looking serpent coiling around it. Eventually, she has one final dream of this, and she wakes up in agony as her eyes are set ablaze in a red fire. While her eyes are still in tact once the fire clears on its own, she is left blind and disfigured by burn scars on her upper face. She is turned away and ostracized for her “inauspicious prophecies” as well as her disfigurement, being looked at with disgust. She wanders aimlessly, blind and rambling, seeming like she has gone mad. That is when she comes across the wandering blind swordsman from legend- the one whose lore connects to the Warrior background. He teaches her how to wield a blade and helps her find a new purpose/life, and to not let her disabilities hold her back from her destiny. He also gives her vague advice that her dreams may not be implying an ill omen, but a path to a better future. She will only know the truth when the time comes, and he will help her prepare so that she may meet her destiny head on. So once they part, she becomes a wandering nomadic blind swordswoman, just like her master. When grace showed itself to her, it was like a light in the darkness, the only thing she could see. So she no longer covered her eyes, allowing Grace to guide her forward, leading her to the Lands Between.

And spoilers I Guess for my fanfic rewrite plot idea… So my Tarnished’s goal becomes to find a way to burn the Erdtree (aka fulfill Melina’s goal) without her dying. But also without using Frenzied Flame because… obvious reasons, really. So What If, in her quest to save her friend, it eventually leads her to Messmer. Now, as far as I understand it, the reason we have to kill Messmer to use his kindling is because ofc he isn’t gonna open the path for Miquella to replace Marika willingly. But What If, we can convince him to do so as allies to help Melina. There is an implied direct connection to him and Melina being siblings. Messmer’s loyalty and dedication may extend to his little sister, even to the point of defying Marika. Because if she is going to do it with or without his help, then he may as well help in order to save his little sister’s life- even if that also means helping a Tarnished. So we finally help him return to the Lands Between (and everyone else with him) and put an end to the war in the Lands of Shadow as a result. And he uses his kindling to burn the erdtree, sparing both him and Melina in the process. And then him and Melina can confront Radagon and Marika directly… or what’s left of Marika. I’m still not fully convinced she’s even alive anymore.

Also maybeee Tarnished can have the option to become Messmer or Melina’s consort and then they can replace Marika. Like, this is if I decide to make Messmer an empyrean. I know some people say only women can be, and the only reason Miquella is an empyrean is because he has a twin sister or because of St. Trina or some bs. But the lore is vague and therefore I say it’s flexible! Also if we wanna go with the “because twins” idea, well maybe Messmer is the older twin of Melina so it can work okay!!!!

ANYWAYS, considering the widely accepted headcanon that Melina is the gloam eyed queen… well, yeah. This scenario should be doable and still sort of fit with the lore. Also it just occurred to me, maybe in all the non-Ranni and frenzied flame endings we already become Melina’s consort. I mean, GEQ’s whole thing was destined death right? Maybe by dying Melina rose to godhood in her own way and we, by restoring destined death, enact her will which makes her the new Goddess. Idk just spitballing here. Gives a new meaning to the frenzied flame ending I think, cuz then you basically denied her Godhood because you thought you were “saving” her. Also maybe connects to Marika giving Melina her purpose, like with that speech where she tells her demigod children to make something of themselves or become sacrifices. Melina isn’t sacrificing herself- she’s fulfilling her purpose by becoming a Goddess of death or… something like that. AKA Melina knows what she’s doing don’t ask questions Tarnished just follow along and be a good useful idiot for Melina’s goals.

To add onto this though. I still think it makes sense if Melina is the GEQ to sacrifice herself and truly die to make a path forward for the Tarnished. Because even if she is a sacrifice, it is to further her main goal- to restore destined death. So she gets the last laugh on Marika in the end. Becoming both a sacrifice and enacting her will on the Lands Between.

…In spite of that ramble I still think my idea works. I don’t think she would HAVE to die for this, just that is how it worked out if you don’t, say, take Messmer into consideration. Persnaps maybe both my Tarnished and Messmer’s goal can become to see Melina rise to Godhood. Her protective big bro and her dedicated bestie team up to form the Melina Protection Squad uwu and then we can all stand up to Marika and give her what’s for for all the bs she’s put us through (I mean it’s her fault the Tarnished is stuck in this endless cycle of dying and resurrecting, even if they choose to follow the guidance of grace it’s pretty messed up!) but ofc Messmer and Melina mainly get the catharsis of standing up to Marika and taking her place. Again… if she’s even alive enough to be aware of it. lol… lmao even…

I probably already said this but- to tie all this back to my Tarnished specifically- her prophetic dreams of Messmer’s fire burning the erdtree come full circle. But like her master said, in the end, the dreams weren’t an ill omen, but a glimpse of tge tearing down of the oppressive golden order, making way for a new era, guided by her own hands, and those of the friends she made along the way…

#sorry for spelling errors I’m typing this on my phone and I am extra prone to spelling mistakes on the phone lol…

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the-delta-project · 10 months ago

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Fukase & Flower extended information:

Fukase

—————-

Full Name: Fukase Uta (Deep River Sound)

A 33.000 (33) year old trans male. He works in a freak show time to time, mainly as a sword swallower or a Jester. Goes by He/lt

Height: 7’9 (As a Human) 12-15ft (As a Beast)

He is mostly made of metal, due to various injuries, 80/20 to estimate.

- Left side of his body, Right side around his back and stomach, & Right/ Left Leg are completely mechanical.

- Right Arm, Face, and Chest, top of his head are still human, but most things that would be there, like bone, have been modified to fit with his mechanical parts.

Other Injuries & Extras: Missing two fingers on his right hand, and some scarring on his upper right arm and chest. Scattered burn marks on the right side of his face

Has a lower jaw on his neck; it's pretty useless. After connecting with his animal side he sprouted two extra fingers & eventually added two extra to his prosthetic. Deaf, does speak; however not often.

Status & Power: Fully aware of being a God, Has the power of Plasma vomit(as in one of the fundamental states of Matter), it works like the acid breath of a DeathGripper from HTTYD 3

Relationships: Brother to Yohioloid & Oliver. Raised from age 14 by Ann & Al. Friends with Rin, Len, & Gumi

Hooks up with Piko and/or Flower every so often, it's not serious in the slightest.

Has an actual interest in Teto. Takes care of Hime, Mikoto, Una, & Gachapoid. Friends with Rin & Len.

Hobbies: aside from his Freak Show job, He finds enjoyment in working with animatronics, metal prosthetics, and weaponry. This mainly was to do with himself due to being mostly robotic; a cyborg.

Likes / Dislikes :

+ Coconut Ice Cream

+ Hime, Mikoto, Una, & Gachapoid

- Entitled People, Mortals as a general + The Overlook & The moon pools

- Medical Facilities

- Orphanages

+ Night Clubs

+ Hidden pocket worlds

- Moke

Extras: His hat is sentient! He doesn't wear it as it usually just grows legs and walks itself, He calls it Mr. Hat. Point is a large, also sentient creature. She likes running off in the woods to be with her army, but always returns home at night.

———-

VFlower:

——————-

Full Name: Flower (Hana) Gaku (flower music)

A 45.000 (45) year old, Masc, Agender person. Works as a gothic florist. Specializing in the darker side of flowers and how they are put together.

Uses Its/it

Height: 9’1 (As a Human), the same as Big Al; 12 ft (as a beast)

Injuries & Extra: small scar across its snout, some of its scales on its neck and back have pieces missing or are completely missing (although they shed off, so the placement can change). Various scars out its shoulders and near its tail. Some larger scars down the stomach and back legs

Has a large, Henna tattoo on it’s neck and chest, it looks like kelp, with intricate swirls and lines.

Hyperdontia: has extra teeth in its mouth, some grow out the top of the gums and poke out of it’s mouth

Status & Power: A Sub-God- a certain god that is so disconnected from their immortality and powers that they are considered mortal, usually they fail to ever connect to their godhood or animal form, however Flower has managed to connect with its animal side though still hasn’t connected with its godhood

Relationships: Lives with its sisters (who are her other banks, so V3, Talk, & whatever the a

Last one is, I forgot ::/). In an Open, long distance relationship with dill (an Utau) & hooks up with Fukase here and there, but not often.

Friends with Piko & WALTT (another Utau)

Hobbies: Aside from its job, Flower enjoys going to the open field in the middle of the forest, usually to start large bonfires for itself. Enjoys woodworking too. Carved the logs around the fire and collects insects that it pins and hangs up

Likes/ dislikes:

It’s not entirely sure what it likes, it keeps to itself and is good at hiding its joy, although it’s believed to like

+ Large Fires

+ Carnivorous Flowers

+ Insects, particularly Dragonflies & Weevils

———

- Crowds

- Visitors

- The inner City

Extras: Has a Pet Cat, A Lykoi named Wolf. Where’s a lot of bracelets and chokers, usually with spikes or flowers

————————

// I will get around to side characters, but for now I’m just putting down the main focus point of this blog. I’m also working on full bodies and I’ll attach them here when they are finished

#art #digital art #doodle #artists on tumblr #vocaloid #fukase #vocaloid fukase #ask blog #asks open #ask me anything #vflower #vocaloid ask blog #birdofthemarket #recoiler #BOTM Information

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bam-monsterhospital · 2 months ago

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listening to a video explaining the lore of 'the Towers', and as much as i like being reminded of all the nonsense involved with it (wordplay, imagery-fucking, philosophizing out the wazoo), no one ever just cuts to the really simple chase of it.

wtf are "Towers" in elder scrolls?

the idea that a smattering of landmarks across the world of the games hold up reality. if they were all gone, reality would be completely different.

that's it. there ya go. that's the simple basic core of it all. buncha buildings/mountains/tall big things, magic keeping existence running like it is. bam. done. no need to beat around the bush.

(that's the gist of it. more detailed explanation under the cut)

i'm not gonna explain all there is connected to "Towers", but i wanted to point attention to the word choices in the simple explanation above.

it's an idea of how the world works in the games. keep in mind that every piece of 'lore' in every single elderscrolls game is in-universe biased/unreliable. there is no actual set final answer to cosmic systems and all that shit. you'll hear a lot of people talk about the stars and sun being holes in the sky some gods escaped the mortal world out through back to theirs? yeah, that's a story. that's an in-universe explanation cooked up by people trying to understand their fantasy world. is it true? sure, it could be, but keep in mind the sun and stars could also be giant distant space balls of fire and heat and light. could be both at the same time: that's just how these games role and it's not a dismissal. everything's pretty wishy washy.

even beyond that, everything is implied. no concrete anything. the core of the lore implies that the 'Towers' keep reality anchored, 'held up': but what does that mean? Don't worry about it, we don't actually know. Just like it's implied getting rid of all the towers would... what, break reality? unravel the world's making? separate mortality from the world? enh. hence why i said 'reality would be completely different', because it's implied it'd be bad news bears, but we don't know if it'd just poof.

why do people make a big fuss over 'Towers' and their lore in elderscrolls? Well, other than all of this info being "obscure" and up in the air... other than the implication that the random city building/cursed volcano/buncha trees/etc lurking in the distance we've all been ignoring is supposedly way more important than assumed... delving into 'Tower' lore opens you up to some wacky parts of the elderscrolls world:

Like a gigantic mecha that breaks time and reality whenever it's powered on.

or how wood elves' existence is tied to the concept of possibility.

the hist.

philosophizing that plays with and incorporates "House of Leaves" style imagery/wordplay/shape/theme shenaniganery. you'll see the words "Tower" (capitalized because it's referring to reality-breaking shit, rather than just any old pointy building), "wheel", and "I" a lot. What's a physical wheel (think basic carriage style, with spokes) look like when you lay it on its side: the letter "I" capitalized, aka a tower. Stuff like that. it's an interesting mess.

but yeah the top lil indented thing is all you need to know, if y'know you need to know anything about some hinted-at lore that's barely canon. honestly i think a lot of people like it just because it eventually delves into the idea of monotheistic godhood. but who knows.

#elderscrolls #elder scrolls #the elder scrolls #the only part i care about/find interesting #is the structures themselves #because i love me some big eldritch tall landmarks #so if you're in a rush or impatient like me: this is your simple answer #now go have fun looking up the weird stuff

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augment-techs · 7 months ago

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Choose 4 rangers and make them into gods as if PR was your own pantheon. Preferably two are benevolent while the others are malevolent

What would they be gods of? Their aesthetic? Powers? Who they'd be in love with etc it's up to you have fun!

I can abide by giving up four characters as gods, and I can list what they would do, because gods are easy. But Benevolent and Malevolent is a little bit too...humanistic. No matter what part of the world you're in and what pantheon you look into, you might have nice gods, you might even have marginally mellow gods, but that is entirely different from being what humans would conceive as "good."

But with that in mind, I can at least split the baby and follow the themes of being malignant, benign, ambivalent, and something like "the other" or "necessary."

First up would be Purple Solar Ranger "Ari" Ellarian. She would probably represent survivor's guilt, inner turmoil, earthquakes, sterility, orphans, banditry, pirates, potatoes, snow storms, wild animal cultivation, artistic inspiration, goats, precious crystals, locked doors, and sapphic longing. Her primary realm would be the sky and the home hearth. Her powers include animal understanding and cooperation, creating animals from pure light and shadow, becoming starlight to disperse and reassemble when in danger, and imbuing godhood to those she deems worthy of the Power and who have earned her favor.

Second would be Blue Omega Ranger Kiya Kyatyl. Oceans and icy tundra's are most definitely her home grounds, but that follows along very well with her representation of FEMININE RAGE, betrayal, grief, imprisonment, lightning, siblinghood, violent war, burial rites, aggressive cults, moonlight, alcohol, the marketplace, competition, and glass making. Most of her followers are women or femme presenting, giving that while she's not exactly the kindest of gods, she's slightly less likely to show displeasure towards them. As opposed to with men, who she goes out of her way to curse and humiliate as much as possible. She has the ability to turn into a massive bear or kind of feral cat, but she doesn't care much for being subtle; so she's more prone to smite with lightning bolts.

Third would be Tommy Oliver, any age, any Color, any team he was a part of, given that he has no specific location and environment to stick to or around. His application of godly duties is split between his Colors of Green, White, Red, and Black with a small increase and decrease depending what skin he's residing in when he changes into a dragon, tiger, pillar of black smoke, or falcon. When he's in his human body he largely amuses himself between being a teenager, in his mid-thirties, or late forties to mess with people. He is the known as a god of flight, physical fights, heroes, underworld connections, trauma, PTSD, hidden knowledge, time travel, stupidity, hubris, wrath, breaker of chains, teachers, and virality. Also he can turn into a giant monster if he really wants to, be he doesn't that much.

Last but not least would be God of Death, fertility, humility, secrecy, exhaustion, childbirth, harvest, full moons, new moons, hares, abandonment, insomnia, wolves, cannon fodder, sex workers, pitilessness, foot soldiers, coyotes, divine aid, absolute friendship, music, poetry, shelter, foxes, transformation, sensuality, divine grace, hearth fires, volcanoes, cooking, and outcasts; Eugene Skullovitch of ORANGE. His territory is largely based in dense forests and low-population cities and his powers are...limited to animal transformation, comforting the dead, and directing heroes, villains, and other more appreciated gods in either the direction they need to go or AWAY with a few words.

#boom! comics power rangers #ask fill #prompt fill #Ellarian | Ari #Kiya Kyatyl #Tommy Oliver #Eugene Skullovitch #web weaving #aesthetics #questioning them being gods is not unlike questioning them being rangers #so it works out

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bluegekk0 · 9 months ago

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After reading your worldanvil page on the gods of your AU I wondered what other types of gods there might be out there in the world or maybe even some additional gods that that could be part of the hollownest pantheon. Not trying to have you go into every single detail obviously cause Ik this kind of stuff is pretty out of the scope of the current status of the AU and honestly takes a lot of brainstorming better used elsewhere :>

In that regard, would grimm been close with the other gods within and outside of the pantheon during his godhood and how would he have initially reacted towards all the other gods shunning him as a result of his banishment?

I think I'll first have to get at least a rough idea of what the world/continent map would look like. Since the gods are divided into pantheons which are specific to regions, it means that I'd have to come up with those regions first before designing new gods. For Hallownest specifically, I want to design one, maybe two more gods that would somehow tie into the biome and climate of the region. It's a cold, mountainous place, so perhaps a god who's located deep inside the mountain, maybe one similar to Hephaestus? We'll see.

But to come back to other pantheons, I'd love to make a region that's full-on snowy, further north from Hallownest, and I think there could be some fun ideas for higher beings who originate from there. Perhaps there could be some ice-like essence which has a god connected to it, or a full on fire-based higher being that the settlements living there turn to for protection from the cold, something like that. On the opposite end, I want there to be a desert region, not a cold desert like Vyrm's homeland; that one would be still very cold and experience snow periodically, so it's a whole different beast, though I do think there was some higher being there connected to soul and left those tablets Vyrm ended up studying). I mean a hot desert, with large sand dunes and such. I'd love to experiment with some sand-like essence that can be found there, and of course, a god (or gods) connected to it. A sea region would also exist, with its own set of sea-based gods. There are many possibilities, and I don't doubt some of them would be inspired by existing mythologies, since I already draw some elements from them.

And to answer the second part of the question, I do like the idea of Grimm being on good terms with Unn, when talking about the Pantheon of Hallownest. Obviously he's not fond of The Radiance, The Shade Lord is unique in that it's not a proper member of the pantheon, and The White Lady doesn't really like him. Unn, on the other hand, seems very peaceful and I think she would be one of the very few who wouldn't shun or pity him after his banishment.

Outside of his pantheon, though? I imagine he interacted with some gods when he was still in Godhome, in one way or another if you catch my drift, but I don't think he had any close friends there. The banishment only made things worse, as they assumed by default that he's done something to deserve it. And in those cases where they learned what happened, they just ended up feeling sorry for him, which in his eyes is even worse. So after losing his place in Godhome, he started avoiding other higher beings as he found those interactions way too humiliating. Things haven't changed since then, and they likely won't. The only known way to reverse his banishment died with his sister, so he has no hopes of ever being let back in. And at this point he doesn't even want to, he has a life now, a loving family and friends, there is nothing there he'd be interested in, except maybe not having to constantly replace his physical body. But he's already used to it, he doesn't mourn his limitless source of power. So if you asked him now if he wants to go back, he'd tell you that Godhome can burn down to ash for all he cares. I think that speaks for itself.

#ask stuff #feral pk au #save #grimm #fpk au: godhome #fpk au: worldbuilding

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tenderwatches · 4 days ago

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He’s spent so much of his time in Piltover, and even in the Undercity before, trying to allocate his precious few resources into being palatable. That sense of not too much, but just enough. Not a threat. Not a nuisance. Contorting himself into this near contradiction elicits a deep fatigue he’s not truly looked at. Now, it’s staring him in the face. Can you adapt to this? It seems to taunt him, dogging his every laboured step, until he twists away from it. “Shimmer,” he says quietly, and Jayce stops in his pacing to turn and look at him. “We need shimmer.”

Chapter 19: I, Heliotrope (In Turning)

Scientifically, there’s nothing to fear in death.

Your body returns to the elements from whence evolution created it, the chemical reactions that powered your movements dissipating as heat on the winds. Your last breath travels against particles in the air, its velocity endlessly approaching zero. Lights in your brain, firing for all the years you’ve been alive, slowly begin to wink out. Life ceases.

Spiritually—well, Viktor has never been a spiritual person.

Spirituality is yet another form of society’s moral caterwauling. And so, in spirituality also, death offers nothing to fear. It is only the inevitable return home.

Emotionally, however—therein lies his problem with death.

Viktor wants to live.

From his seat on the nearest metal bench, Viktor nods. “It’s an excellent observation, Miss Young.”

Sky shakes her head. “No, they’re burning up their resources too fast—it’s not just that the whole thing happens, the plants also don’t have enough nutrients to sustain the growth.”

You always think you have to be worthy of these things. He hears this thought in Mel Medarda’s voice. It’s an old sentiment he’s always felt, now cast in new light from their conversation outside of the Academy doors.

Viktor has always been proud of his background—not necessarily that he came from the Undercity, but that he had undergone so much strife to get where he is now. He’s overcome obstacles most would shy away from, and he, despite all his disadvantages, always came out on top. But instead of feeling the scars he earned from those efforts as a testament to his willpower, he’s always felt they are signs of damage, indications of his weakness, proof that he was unsuited to the greatness of scientific minds and inventors.

Something about the way Sky describes the redistribution of resources makes him think of shimmer. Not the dangerous drug it has become, but its original purpose—helping bodies endure what should be possible. Slick lavender scales, glistening violet blossoms, heavy and velvet in his hands where he’s gathered them from rocky surfaces, surface in his mind along with the scent of minerals in heavy humidity. Shimmer, though he never knew what the man in that place had truly intended, had seemed a miraculous concept to him then. Something that allowed people to overcome, adapt, and survive.

“Shimmer,” he says quietly, and Jayce stops in his pacing to turn and look at him. “We need shimmer.” The silence is a dam holding back what he’s sure is a barrage of questions, but he holds a hand against their enquiries, clearing his throat with a cough. “Not to stop the acceleration,” he continues, his voice steady in spite of what he’s proposing. “To sustain it, as Miss Young said. Yes, we have tinkered with resolve,” he adds, because he can see Thomas on the edge of his seat, ready to remind Viktor that they have already run tests using the resolve rune to increase the durability. “But we have only been able to account for the arcane energy—we fortify our subjects against the initial shock, but—”

“They need to ride it out!” Jayce turns to him with such velocity that Sky has to lurch backward to avoid being whipped by his tie. He swears, hurriedly stuffing it back under his vest and muttering apologies.

Viktor hums in amusement, nodding. “Yes. ‘Ride it out’,” he repeats as if testing the term out. Jayce always introduces the most interesting colloquialisms to his vocabulary. “Instead of attempting to control the rate of change, we meet it.”

“That’s a lot of energy.” Thomas sounds wary, but there is a hint of excitement in his tone as he works through the implications. They’ve clearly corrupted the young Piltie. “We’d need an environment that can contain the process, or else we could have a pretty big overload on our hands.”

Jayce grasps the ends of his vest and gives them a sharp tug before smoothing his hands over his chest to ensure his garments are properly laying flat. Viktor watches him fiddle with his tie a final time before seeming satisfied that he’s no longer a danger to their lab assistants. “Alright, Thomas—sounds like you’re just the man for it. Can you get back to the lab and start working on some concepts? Sky—”

“We need new subjects,” she interjects as she holds out a hand to assist Thomas in getting up. Viktor notices their hands lingering a brief second before Sky stuffs her journal into her messenger bag.

“Got it,” Thomas confirms, already pulling out his own notes as Sky guides him towards the garden exit with a hand on his back. “We should probably also build in some emergency releases and something to monitor both the initial and residual outputs… ”

Their voices fade into the ambient sounds of the garden as they round the corner, disappearing behind a bulbous plant with nodding orange flowers. Viktor listens for a moment to the water trickling from ornate fountains and the rustle of leaves in the artificial breeze created by a complex overhead air circulation system. He’s grateful for their enthusiasm but already feels the strain of the day’s activities. His chest tightens with the effort of taking a proper breath, and he closes his eyes, making a ginger attempt at coaxing the air a bit deeper without triggering a painful flare.

“Shall we head back as well?” Jayce makes a valiant attempt at sounding innocuous, but his tone holds a familiar apprehension that hints he’s already noticed Viktor’s struggles. He moves a step closer, uncertain in his stance. His face wears the calculations of ‘how close is too close’—it’s a careful equilibrium they’ve been working on since Viktor’s release from the hospital, one in which their pitfalls have already sparked sharp words between them.

This has the potential to be one such moment, but Viktor holds himself back from deflecting. “A moment,” he requests, his concession quiet as he focuses on steadying his breathing. “It’s warmer in the greenhouse. The air is… soothing.”

Jayce settles beside him on the bench, resting a hand on Viktor’s shoulder. In other times, Viktor might have felt crowded by his proximity, but given the amount of time he has left (four to nine months), he can’t bring himself to get worked up over it now.

When Jayce made his complaint nearly two years ago, in all his foolish trust and painful ignorance, he broke something between them. It is not yet healed, but Viktor is learning to compromise. Trusting Jayce, whilst not easy after convincing himself at every turn that his partner had betrayed him, comes more naturally than detesting him. Viktor leans back into the juncture of the other man’s shoulder, feeling the way this shift causes Jayce’s muscles to tense from his chest down the full length of his arm. He regards Jayce out of the corner of his eyes, as if to say, ‘Problem?’, and when Jayce only blinks back at him, Viktor makes himself more comfortable.

A brass butterfly lands on the arm of the metal bench, breaking Jayce out of his dumbfounded state. “You know,” he starts, swallowing and clearing his throat, “for someone who insisted you’d actually be honest about your health, you’re still pretty stubborn about asking us to take breaks.”

Viktor makes a small noise of acknowledgement but still protests. “I was not hiding anything. I simply had not mentioned it yet.” At Jayce’s pointed look, he sighs, adjusting his position yet again. “I’m feeling… not unwell.” It’s true—perhaps they started off this morning a little strong, given how little time it has truly been since his stint in the Piltover hospital, but he felt quite well in the morning. A good night’s rest buoyed him then, enticing him to tackle the day with zeal. “I’m a… six, perhaps.”

“A six?”

“Out of ten, for wellness. Ten being the best day.” Viktor’s lips quirk at the exchange, pleased to use the system they worked out shortly after his discharge. Predictably, they had one too many arguments about Jayce pushing for more information and Viktor’s tendency to underestimate his limits.

Jayce makes a disgruntled sound, but the thumb rubbing back and forth at the peak of Viktor’s shoulder indicates his surrender. “I still think that’s a bad scale, given ‘best day’ means a lot of different things with you.”

“Best day of the last three months,” Viktor reminds him, digging his elbow gently into Jayce’s ribs. “You have been here for all of those.”

“Yes, but—” Jayce starts to argue but falters when he catches the coy look Viktor wears. “Fine, fine.” He gives Viktor’s shoulder a squeeze, letting them relax again into comfortable silence.

A warm breeze stirs the leaves above them. Viktor watches as refractions of light play across Jayce’s features. He perhaps watches a little too long, as he sees Jayce’s expression turn first to puzzlement, then mild uneasiness. He only smiles surreptitiously and lowers his gaze to watch the brass butterfly whir its delicate wings, take flight, and disappear amongst the foliage. He’s grateful for these peaceful moments. The upcoming work will be complicated, and his mind is already working through the variables they’ll need to account for. Taking this moment to catch his breath affords him an opportunity to appreciate how secure yielding his weight to Jayce like this makes him feel.

“You know,” Jayce starts, voice cautious, “what we’re proposing with the shimmer integration—if we can get it to work with the plants—”

“I’m aware of what our next steps are.” Viktor’s answer is firm and patient. Ordinarily, the natural progression from plants is to more complex life forms, but they don’t have the luxury of time or the usual sequencing. He watches a fallen leaf spiral down from the canopy above.

Jayce’s words are strained now, like he’s trying to use just the anchor of Viktor’s frame against his to hold back the torrent of his worries. “One miscalculation, or misalignment—”

“Would likely be fatal, yes.” He studies Jayce’s profile in his peripheral vision. His strong jaw is so tight that a muscle jumps at the corner where it meets his neck. Viktor closes his eyes and tips his head just slightly so the crown of it rests against that point of tension. “Are you having second thoughts?”

Without warning, Jayce pulls back, leaving Viktor feeling that support has just been snatched out from beneath him. His eyes snap open, but the alarm melts away when Jayce fixes him with the full intensity of his warm, honeyed gaze. “Not about saving your life,” he refutes, reaching his free hand to take Viktor’s own. “I know this is the best chance we’ve got. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t terrify me.”

“Something like this should be a bit scary.” He’s teasing Jayce a little, but there’s a deep sincerity to his words. His thumb traces small circles on Jayce’s palm. The touch grounds him as much as it might soothe the other man. “A healthy amount of fear ensures we are exacting. It will keep us honest about what these attempts are.” Viktor turns his eyes up to meet Jayce’s, indulging in the deep concern and unwavering attention there. “Jayce, I have spent too much of my life being afraid.” Jayce looks like he might protest, and though Viktor feels a surge of affection for him, he continues before his friend can cut in. “But I have never let it stop me.” Except in the case of wanting you. He processes how close they are, the intimacy of this moment, hidden from prying eyes by the verdure of a cultivated garden sharing in their secrecy. “I am now more resolved than ever. Fear will not rob me.”

Jayce’s face holds the careful stillness of attempting to maintain his composure. Those warm golden eyes betray him, though, speaking of an intensity and desperation as he tries to project strength and steadiness. It’s as if his heart breaks, even as he gives in to Viktor. “We need to calculate precise ratios for things we’re inventing units for—” The monumental task, the consequences of getting it wrong, bear down upon them, and Viktor watches Jayce attempt to shoulder the bulk of this burden. They have no guarantee that what they learn about the Hexcore from their work with the plants will translate to human physiology, or that the Hexcore won’t just react differently. “And we’d need to create a perfectly calibrated system—the margin for error would be microscopic, or we risk—”

“Accelerated cellular breakdown and tissue death, yes.” Viktor moves his hand from beneath Jayce’s to cover it instead, a tender but protective shell. “I am aware, Jayce,” he repeats, his tone gentling as he hooks his crutch into the crook of his elbow, freeing his hand to settle against Jayce’s chest. The tie Jayce rushed to fix earlier now lies a little flat, and his fingers give it a tug to return some volume before he smooths his fingertips over the hem of Jayce’s vest. “At least we have practice working with unstable elements.”

The dark humour brings a wry smile to his lips, but Jayce remains serious, something flickering behind his eyes that Viktor can’t quite read. He knows Jayce well enough to see it’s some indication of turmoil he’s not found the words for—may not yet even recognise. “Though I suppose that’s another problem we have stumbled into solving. I now do not need to create an adaptive rune matrix for the synthetic crystals from scratch, but—”

“We can’t build another one,” Jayce interrupts with such resolve that Viktor snaps his mouth shut and lets him speak. “Even if we had the resources—not after what it did with your blood. We still don’t fully understand how or why—if we built another one… ” He trails off, leaving the implications as heavy stones between them, threatening to drag them to the bottom of the Pilt.

“It could respond to anything living that comes near it.” Viktor gives a solemn nod, letting his fingers drop down the length of Jayce’s jacket buttons and come to a rest in his own lap. “It seems almost to be… conscious, in a way. Is that ridiculous?” He’s not sure if this is a question meant for Jayce to answer or if he’s voicing his questions to the late afternoon air and plant matter. “It seems to not just adapt, but… learn. Evolve. It speaks to a quality that is… unknowable. Something, perhaps, we are not able to produce.”

“And maybe shouldn’t,” Jayce adds, then immediately looks like he regrets the words. They both know how adamant Viktor can be about the pursuit of these cataclysmic changes, but Viktor just nods.

“A different approach would be more… manageable. We could control the way we introduce new elements.” Viktor pauses, considering, as brass firelights begin to wink to life. Soft, mechanical humming begins to harmonise as the whirring of mechanical wings mingles with the chorus of the garden’s automated systems preparing for the midday cycle. “Perhaps… something more… mechanical. Less autonomous.” His heart beats marginally faster, thoughts already racing ahead. These days, it seems he’s constantly doing battle with his mind to try and adhere to his priorities. Awareness of his numbered days has multiplied his resolve to accomplish something, but he knows the simultaneous pursuit of too many things will lead him to fail them all.

“You alright?”

The question is tentative, but Viktor acquiesces. “Yes. Thank you… but I am ready to return to the lab, now.” This weary admission doesn’t feel like he’s giving any additional ground, as he’s already forfeited some small vulnerability to Jayce this afternoon. “Help me up, if you please.”

Jayce rises with eager compliance to aid him, and Viktor allows himself to lean into his partner’s support as he stands. His muscles don’t quite protest, but there’s a minuscule tremor in them that signals he’s pushed himself far enough for one day.

“Are you sure? Six feels a little generous now,” Jayce teases with a bit of caution, but doesn’t press further when Viktor gives him a mildly reproachful look. There’s a faint amusement in his expression, rendering it caught somewhere between ‘I hear your concern’ and ‘given it’s unsolicited, I am choosing to be slightly difficult about it’.

Thankfully, Jayce accepts this without argument and matches his pace to Viktor’s as they make their way toward the garden exit, past the nodding orange flowers and through the last patches of warm, humid air. As they approach the tall doors framed in ornate metalwork, Viktor pauses, resting his weight against his crutch. “Jayce,” he intones, looking over to his companion.

“Hmm?”

Throughout their partnership, Jayce usually walked either a pace ahead of Viktor or right at his side. Now, if the other man isn’t in lockstep with him, he lags a bit behind, as if he expects that Viktor might fall at any moment and need to be caught. This should irritate him, but he only feels a pang of guilt. “I know the risk.” After giving his next action far more consideration than it warrants, Viktor places his hand on Jayce’s bicep, just below his shoulder. “And I know what I’m asking of you.”

They are going behind the backs of the Council, their patrons, and the Academy to conduct this research. This foray into uncharted waters is one they may not be able to return from, even in the unlikely scenario the academy permit them to. The powers above have already demonstrated disdain for work that shows even a passing curiosity in augmenting human physiology, despite the potential it has to save countless lives—not just in the Undercity, but topside, as well.

Shadows paint Jayce as a visage of growing solicitude, and Viktor imagines that he, too, is contemplating the weight of all they risk. Their present work, the legacy of their prior accomplishments—they stand to have the first destroyed, and the latter irrevocably tainted. “Well,” Jayce professes with a deep inhale, crossing his arms over his broad chest as he fixes Viktor with determination. “It’s worth the risk, Viktor. You’re worth it.”

Viktor has to turn his attention to the dirt at his feet as he works past the catch in his throat, finally managing to clear it with a cough. “Very well, then,” he agrees. Steam hisses as valves adjust, vents shift, and a whisper of mist patters against the broad leaves nearest them. After a brief hesitation, he lifts a hand to indicate he will take Jayce’s arm as they walk. The man offers it with an immediacy that implies he has been waiting for this moment all day, and Viktor lets his hand slide into the space between Jayce’s forearm and ribcage. It settles there as if this place, safely tucked against his partner’s body, is moulded especially for him.

The afternoon sun catches in the glass panels overhead, casting dappled shadows across their path. As they emerge from the massive building of glass and golden metalwork, Viktor spares a look to the meandering streets that lead southwards. The Undercity lies just off the path the sun tracks through the sky as it arcs towards sunset.

Going to the Undercity for shimmer means risking more than merely breaking the law. Enforcers hold no candle to Camille Ferros, and this will mean wandering through the canyons and valleys of her territory.

Progress, in all the ways they need it, demands its price—in blood, in danger, in confronting the truths of the roles they play in their cities’ plights for power. He allows Jayce to take his weight as they make their way towards Bluewind. They make no mention of how Viktor’s breathing grows slightly more laboured partway through their trip, or how his grip on Jayce’s arm tightens incrementally in turn. Jayce merely stands steadier, his support manifesting in body rather than word.

His rumination falls back to Sky and Thomas, framed by greenhouse foliage, to Jayce, pacing the vibrant flowerbeds. What payment will be demanded of them? There is no question Viktor will remunerate—he has already begun. Staving off the twilight of his time demands nothing less than religious dedication. They are grasping at miracles, and this feels worthy of any sacrifice.

But his compatriots? Perhaps they are already indebted, caught in the grind of progression and pursuit that masquerades as innovation; they, like him, have already tendered their first offering.

What have they given? Coming from the Undercity, contorting himself to fit Piltover’s confines of propriety, has inevitably meant that Viktor delivered some part of himself, a sacrifice of soul in the pursuit of greatness. This shame has always lingered on the edges of all his accomplishments. But them? These bright, young scientists with everything Viktor could ever want ahead of them? Worry wears at his joints, whittling away cartilage to make room for contrition and selfishness.

What will be worthy of that cost?

[first chapter | previous chapter | next chapter on AO3] AN: we're way ahead on AO3 !!! posting chapter uhh 37??? tomorrow??? dang

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