#im so sorry but it had to be done

[sailor-tri]

Rating:M

Warnings: references to alcoholism/alcohol used as a coping strategy, murder.

Word count: ~1339 words

Memories of Prosecutor Nolle

Chapter 1: Mortem Oppetere

It had been a hard day in court. Another day on the stand, another inevitable death. It had to be done, the guilty could not go unpunished but it still weighed heavily on Hecate.

So heavily that they took to drinking away their sorrows weekly. This night was the seemingly the same as any other-- Hecate got in from work and then started the ritual of drinking until they got sick or passed out, It had been hard to sleep after all. The voices, their pleas, the accusations, the souls of the damned crying out -- it was all too much.

Keys in the key tray. Outer coat and scarf on the wall hooks, boots? Off, near the door. They didn't bother turning on the lights after all, they wouldn't need them where they were headed.

Wordlessly, Hecate made their way into the small kitchen, eyes locking on to the wine rack and fingers busy in their search for the right blend for tonight.

Merlot?

Hmm..

Chardonnay?

Not tonight.

Sherry?

Hell, yeah.

The rack, clinked with commotion as Hecate unloaded one of the bottles. Using the soft illumination of the city lights outside, they were able to read the label.

Williams & Humbert Dry sack medium Sherry

'Oooooo. Marvelous! Perfection.'

The bottle sounded it's signature *Mumpft, POP* as they uncorked the top, savoring the floral aroma wafting up towards them --the familiar sting of the fermentation tinging their nostrils.

Bottoms up.

The burn of old grapes and bitterness always came first, then came warmth. With a hearty swig, they made their way back whence they came, this time heading toward the comfort of the loveseat instead of the loneliness of the entryway.

....

Time slowed, the room rocked side to side feeling more like they were partaking in a boat ride rather than downing bottles of Sherry on the couch. Rather than having the intended numbing affect, it was becoming harder to keep the thoughts at bay.

The screams of the damned- usually muffled with enough drink had broken through, their shrieks blending in to unison into a accusatory chant.

'I'm a... Murderer....'

........

Ugh.

"Needa puke-"

Using wall to brace themselves, Hecate made the short trek to the bathroom to find relief.

Fingers gripped on the door frame as the rest of their body reached out toward the sink for stability. The room's sway intensified and if they weren't careful they'd get lost in the current.

Hunched over the sink, fondling the tap much similar to the undeveloped motor skills of a babe, they were able to get the water flowing and splash some on their face to sober up a little.

The sight they saw however as they rose and peered into the mirror was pure horror.

Urk!

It was like they stared at Grimm himself. Where their face should be, only a darkness remained, wreathed in a cloak. A glint of curved metal attached to a long dusky rod that the figure clutched, caught hecate's eye --a scythe, much like the one they lugged around and swung around in court everyday.

Unintelligible whispers filled their ears as they were confronted with their perception. Real or fake it was clear they couldn't escape being pegged as the angel of death, not even their own psyche would let them.

(..........)

(..........)

...!

The touch of leather is unforgettable -- cold and smooth, but becoming searing hot as the friction and pressure increased on hecate's neck.

"GERK-!"

The thundering thump of their heart beat drummed loudly in their ears as they were pressed towards the edge of the sink that stood before them. The pressure on their neck increased and with it, the warmth and outline of the attackers fingers through their leather gloves digging into their neck. Breathing was becoming harder now, nose and eyes stung with need for cool air and it felt like their head was going to blow.

"Gack, uck! let-"

They clawed feebly at the offending hands wriggling what they could of their fingers in-between the assaulter's hands and their neck. With their left elbow, they swung back horizontally praying that it connected with something to alleviate their suffering. Thwack, thud,oof! By the third blow some slack appeared in the attacker's grip-- using that to their advantage, Hecate used their back to bump the aggressors chest, gaining some distance and the ability to spin around to face them.

Hecate's blood ran cold as their heart accelerated. The attacker donned a long black cloak that shielded their features. Where a face should be, was only the depths of darkness -- much like the reflection they saw prior. The assaulter loomed over Hecate straightening themselves and reengaging in their previous pursuit, lurching forward before Hecate had time to think. Their hands reattached to hecate's neck, like two viper strikes before pressing down again, squeezing so hard their knuckles would be white under the thick leather of the gloves that adorned them.

"Grk- GAHT" they choked.

Hecate struggled against their bonds, trying to seek precious air as they were forced back over the opening of the sink.

What little energy left in their legs, they used to their advantage to kick strategically. The first kick swung towards the assaulter's right leg, connecting with taute flesh that lay underneath the cloak. The next went closer to center with hopes to land a more sensitive place. With all their might they stomped forward and connected with the attackers groin earning a strangled grunt as the attackers grip faltered and went to soothe the offended area. Using that time bought, and the fact that the assaulter was now hunched over, they launched a fierce kick to where they thought the chin of the attacker would be, which drew out a another pained grunt from the offending party, and made their escape through the bathroom's entrance.

'Oh god, oh god what is happening right now. This can't be happening.'

They barreled toward the kitchen in hopes of collecting their phone, but before they could get very far down the hallway, a large hand grabbed their left arm mid stride and yanked it back and upwards towards their right shoulder.

"ACK!"

Pain seared in their arm as the cloaked figure tightened their grip.

"Say your goodbyes, dear prosecutor... for the true angel of death has to come to send you to yours." the figure's clear and low voice whispered in their ear.

"What-"

Time slowed suddenly, a sharp pain increasing in intensity bloomed in their lower spine as a blade has fully sheathed inside of them. Hecate cried out in agony as the burning of the knife lit their body ablaze. It was like all of their cells, muscles, skin-- everything was on fire.

Despite drinking copious amounts of wine that night, nothing could numb this pain. The cloaked figure pressed the knife in further before ripping it free of their body and allowing Hecate to stumble forward, their legs unable to hold their weight and giving them up to collapse into the cold embrace of the wooden floor.

Hecate's eyes grew heavier and heavier every passing second as they lay there in shock, using the last of their lingering energy hoping to see their attacker one last time-- to get something anything to find out who has done this to them.

The attacker--the true angel of death-- had reached into his cloak and pulled out a cloth to clean the blood off the knife.

"Y'know prosecutor Nolle.... It's truly a shame~" he said with a haughty tone. "Our little game brought me so much fun, but it was time for it to come to an end."

And to an end it did. Because with the removal of the blade, blood sprang forth from the wound freely, steadily, coating the ground underneath Hecate as their breaths became slower and shallower. It was a losing fight to blink, each time getting harder and harder to open their eyes as the world shifted into abstract shapes and gaussian blurs.

Prosecutor Nolle.... has been chosen by death.

[Chapter 1] >> Chapter 2

[hinamie]

to moving forward

[improvapocalyps]

You have 90 minutes to complete. (original poem: r.a.)

In participation of the MCYT Recursive Exchange 2024 hosted by @mcytrecursive!

Inspired by know that all my love will be your breath (i will save you when your lights go out)

[text under cut]

1. Have you ever been in love? (Please circle your answer.) a. It's me and him b. Our hearts beat in sync c. Our lives intertwined

2. Do you understand what you’ve done? (Please circle your answer.) a. I couldn't do anything b. I lost my balance c. I doomed us both

3. It's been god knows how long since you felt phantom hands on your neck and there is no one in sight. If you were soul-bound to him and both of you died at the same time then why are you still waiting in the void? Please answer clearly, in full sentences. (Not a correct answer：I just wanted to see him one more time).

4. Define two (2)： Fate | The feeling of his forehead against yours Curse | The moment you realise he isn't linked to you anymore

5. True or False： i. It was your fault. ii. You wish you had met him under different circumstances. iii. You can’t regret a single moment that you had him. iv. You would do it all over again if you could. v. It ended long before either of you said anything.

thumbnails:

sketch cover thing for imgur link:

[stil-lindigo]

scorched earth.

a comic about a princess who died in a fire.

(this is a sequel to bite of winter, a comic about Snow and what became of her after her death.)

--

creative notes:

--

all my other comics

store

[introspectivememories]

was it casual when i sat in your lap in public? was it casual when i said "recently my heart is crying because you're leaving"? was it casual when we decided how your last name would fit with mine? ("yuki tsunoda-gasly" / "no tsunoda, only gasly" / "yuki gasly?") was it casual when we sang adele's "someone like you" together at your going away party? was it casual when i knew it was you just by touching your ass? was it casual when i knew it was you by smell alone? was it casual when "will you miss me?" / "for 2-3 minutes maybe" / "i'll take that. even if it's just 2-3 minutes, i'll take that"? was it casual when that bus was completely empty and we still sat right next to each other, all the way in the back? was it casual when i picked you up multiple times so you could dunk a basketball? was it casual when i begged to come over to your house multiple time and then you finally let me and we cooked fried rice together? was it casual when we played christmas twister together and i said "your big eggplant is touching my ass"? was it casual when we were pressed up against each other on a scooter going two miles per hour? was it casual when-

[medicalunprofessional]

sorry guys they finally showed me peak fiction . Its called “phantom of the paradise”

[800db-cloud]

oohh i haven’t posted in a while… please take this sniperspy doodle dump as an apology

[mewtwoandme]

I was hoping this would all blow over, but since it's continuing to happen, now with people attacking other artists of the commewnity. I'm putting out my two fucking cents! Cause this whole art/character theft and pointing fingers, who stole what from who bullshit it driving me up the fucking wall!!

Long story short, it started with me and one other blog whose name I won't mention publicly. Despite the horrible light they tried to paint me in, I don't want anyone going to this person and ganging up on them. This person had some serious bitterness towards more "popular" artists and claimed that I've made characters similar to theirs and once used a pose they apparently used before (which was a very common pose, considering it was a reference from the game version of mega Y). Since then, they had desperately tried to conjure up evidence, narrowing down to the most miniscule detail how I've been stealing from them when I hadn't even known their blog existed until I was forcefully thrown into that unnecessary drama with the unhinged call-out posts they've made. With this being said, I'd like to point out that they never came to me or addressed this concern with me in the first place. They had every opportunity to privately DM me if they had suspected I was "stealing," but no, simply because they already made up their mind that I was a thief, that was a good enough reason to lack common fucking sense and decency, making what should have been a private issue public, going on to villainize and dehumanize me. And apparently, it hasn't stopped with me either, cause recently I've been seeing other artists in the community having to deal with this where people are being white knights on high horses, pointing fingers on how one artist's mewtwo looks "the same" if not "totally identical" as another artist's mewtwo. I refuse to believe it's a coincidence. But what makes me disgusted is that since TC's post, apparently it's had the opposite effect on some people and they're hopping on this blame bandwagon like it's some damn media trend!!!

This is NOT okay! Nothing about this kind of behavior is funny! It's upsetting to all of us. We dont need you causing problems where there isn't any, thinking you're doing us a favor! The majority of us are adults for gods sake! We are old enough where we don't need other people coming to us being tattle tails saying this person did this and that. That's what little children do! If you suspect any form of theft, I think I speak for ALL creators in this commewnity that we'd prefer you DM us privately saying something like "Hey, I think this person is copying you, might wanna look into it." And if possible, provide a link to the art in question, for which we would kindly thank you for making us aware and we'll handle it ourselves from there. Just a brief, yet SIMPLE interaction...that's all we ask!!! Don't even come at me with "Well, it's scary attempting to talk to an artist that's well known." Or dare I say ~pOpUlAr~ If you claim that taking the first step to send me a quick DM makes you nervous, yet you have no problem making public call outs in posts or asks, belittling and degrading what could actually be innocent artists doing nothing wrong, literally leaving yourself open to all kinds of comments and opinions from all kinds of people....I'm sorry but your anxiety isn't as bad as you say it is then, if being rude and ignorant in a public post/ask is easier for you. If you come to us, shaming someone else who 9/10 probably isn't doing anything wrong, thinking you'll be in our good graces for doing so, sorry, you're not going to be told, "Good job!" with a pat on the back and given a lollipop! You're just being an asshole.

Quick reality check for everyone who's made it this far before I end this train wreck of a rant:

People can have similar ideas that coincide with one another! There's only so much you can do when a whole community is focused around drawing the same character! We mainly draw mewtwos and mews, you're bound to find a plethora of similar colors, patterns, and designs because of it! Creativity only goes so far when trying to stay true to a character and not stray too far. It's not a crime to take inspiration from other artists' characters, we actually encourage this! It makes us feel good that you liked something we've done and you want to incorporate it into your own designs! It makes us happy that we inspired you! The line is crossed when someone does a literal copy/paste of a character down to the exact detail, and they call it their own original creation. That my friends is what stealing actually is!

[fridgrave2-0]

hehe ghost-turbo haunting felix au

turbo is connected to the last piece of his code in the whole arcade - a trophy he gifted to felix in mid 80s as a symbol of him genuinely caring about their relationships on par with being the best racer. felix also gave him one of his medals and both kept their gifts next to other rewards, but when roadblasters and turbotime were unplugged, the medal was gone with everything else

now, after burning in cola-lava turbo is basically dead, but scraps of his code still were intertwined with the trophy (after all, it was his first winner's cup, but felix never knew about it), giving turbo an opportunity to exist as a shadow incapable of interacting with anything and anyone besides felix, who kept the trophy even after the roadblasters incident

also I went crazy in tags, feel free to check them out

[garfield-milk]

when your sisters boyfriends monkey steals YOUR bf so true sokka....

GO READ @ssreeder `s LIAB RIGTH NOW BWEST FIC EVERRR

this is actually a (very very very) late Christmas gift so .... happy Christmas sree, i guess?? hope you like it !!!

[justaz]

merlin (immortal) giving arthur (pendragon) the only blade that could kill him

[hinamie]

i mean he's got all the outfits now might as well show them off

bonus:

jjk atla!au with @philosophiums

[acekindaneat]

Good thing there's espers on board, no car crashes today everyone 👍

[anewp0tat0]

looks like I can draw again!!

Sebastian called him "orphan" for the rest of the week.

[hoshiina]

pairing: hoshina soushirou x gn!reader (no prns)

request: hii ive been superr into kn8 recently and was wondering if i could req a lil hoshina fic/ imagine wherein theyre in an established relationship and like no one knows and reader can be like a capt or vice capt from a diff division who was visiting or like was also assigned to the same mission/ is the back up and if its ok to req that reader’s fighting style is like that of shinobu’s where its more on piercing motions rather than slicing. im a sucker for secret relationships where they just dont say it out loud but theyre not exactly hiding it either. thank uu

notes: you have a horrible ex (gender not mentioned), TYSM FOR THE REQ im so sorry it took so long to get to

wc: 1900

You didn’t have a good prior experience with dating in secret. Or rather, you had an awful experience before so near the beginning of your relationship when you had to decide what to do, it was a rather tough decision to make. You and Hoshina had been close friends since far before this relationship and so he knew all about how your ex had been seeing other people while keeping your relationship “private”. It was a no-brainer for him truly— he had told you that he thought to make it public before you had even mentioned it, but you asked him to wait a little first. While it thrilled you that he wouldn’t even hesitate to make your relationship known, he was the vice-captain of the famous 3rd division at the end of the day, and you were also a vice-captain yourself. If you had disclosed this to even your fellow officers, it would make it out somehow and that would make it a relatively big deal.

That being said, it still frightened you to keep a relationship private even if you knew Hoshina would never do anything horrible, making it a rather difficult decision for you to make.

Yet as time passed, you felt sure that you were okay with it being private. Rather, you almost preferred it that way. You the way Hoshina’s face would light up when you walked into a room and it would have people questioning him, only for him to smile and play it off somehow. Yet, he'd hold eye contact with you from across the room and smile— just at you. He'd very obviously look for excuses to come visit your division when he could get anyone else in the 3rd division to grab some documents— anyone who wasn't the vice-captain with loads and loads of things to do, yet only you would see the look he gave you when he walked into your captain's office. He’d then find time to pop by your office just to say a quick “love you” before he’d hurry back to his division to tackle the mountain of work he’d given himself. It was silly; there was no need for him to do so for a couple more minutes with someone he lived with, but he loved to be with you and you loved to be with him. And he'd do anything to make you happy.

Before you knew it, you were fine. Hoshina had washed away all the remaining hurt you felt from your past relationship, and you felt so safe with him. You were fine now.

“Soushirou, I think we should date secretly,” you said to him one day, and immediately he stopped what he was doing to sit next to you.

“Why?” he asked, eyes wide and tone serious. “I think we should share. If you're concerned about the media, surely it won't get out that quickly.” His voice softened. “Moreover, I'd like to brag about my lovely partner.”

You shook your head. “I'm alright now, Soushirou,” you said, softly but surely. “You make me feel alright.”

The look on his face softened and he looked so full of love it made you fluster. See? You'd be damned to let alone else see such an expression on his face.

“I'm thrilled,” he said, and you laughed a little. “No, I really am. How about we just tell close friends for now? And we can always tell more people later on. I'm serious when I say I want to brag about you a little.”

“That sounds great,” you said, a soft smile on your face. “I have some people I've been dying to share this news with too.”

It had been almost a year since the two of you started dating, and while you were both getting used to dating in secret by now, Hoshina was starting to get comfortable around you in public… almost a little too comfortable.

In the recent turn of events, the entire defense force had been far busier than ever, giving you both more work and less time to spend together. Although both of you loved the work you did, it was needless to say that you missed each other. A lot. This started to lead to quick kisses in an empty hallway or longing stares from across the meeting that lasted a little too long. You'd scold him later at night that people were going to start questioning it, but he truly couldn't care less anymore.

“But baby,” he said, his arms pulling you close. “I miss you.”

Your heart tightened as you leaned into his touch. You were in his room to wish him goodnight and scold him a little before you went to bed. You were calling it a day, but unfortunately, he wasn’t just yet. Your hands cupped his face as you rubbed your thumbs along his exhausted eyes. He didn’t need much sleep to keep him going, so he didn't really get eyebags, but you could tell he was tired.

“I miss you too,” you said and something in your heart broke a little. “If only we were in the same division at least.”

“Oh, if only,” he said.

“Soushirou, will you sleep soon?” you asked.

“I’m not sure…” he said, looking at the mountain of binders on his desk from all the research he was doing.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” you asked. “It’s probably quicker if we do it together.”

“No, go sleep,” he said. “It’s late enough as it is.”

“Then, together?” you asked, hopefully. It had been so long since he was last by your side while you fell asleep. “You look exhausted.”

He smiled softly and closed his laptop.

"Yeah," he said. "It's been a while since I fell asleep with you."

However, yet another week had gone by and there was no end to the work, and you were both utterly frustrated you couldn’t see each other. More of your kisses had been shared in empty offices than at home lately, and dinner was really the only time you had together. So at some point, you stopped caring about keeping your relationship private— if they find out, they find out.

It truly felt like a miracle when it was announced your division would be backing up the 3rd division in another kaiju attack. You had been so sick of watching Hoshina come home horribly beat up all the time ever since the kaiju attacks were often centred around the 3rd division base. You’d finally be of some help and you'd get to work with him.

Like Hoshina, you specialized in neutralizing smaller kaiju, and like Hoshina, you wielded a sword. Your division was only backing up the 3rd division, so you got to watch Hoshina expertly cut down kaiju and neutralize them while you made sure smaller yoju weren’t getting away. You loved watching Hoshina do what he did— there was such beauty in the way he used his blades. To others, it may look like some flashy moves from someone brimming with talent, but any sword user would see the careful foundational work behind every swing he did. It was truly nothing other than stunning to watch.

Yet, as more kaiju came his way and his suit seemed closer and closer to overheating, you couldn’t possibly just watch.

“Permission to backup Vice-Captain Hoshina, please,” you asked your operation room through your earpiece.

“Permission granted, please go ahead,” they immediately replied.

“Thank you,” you said and that was all you needed, you were rushing to his side. Oh, how you missed fighting with him. It was back when you were still a regular officer when Hoshina would often make time to help you with ways to use your sword that would fit you more— it’s been an awful long since then.

Hoshina had managed to slice just enough to expose a glimpse of the core, but that was all you needed. If the core was visible, you’d just pierce it— and you did exactly that. While Hoshina would slice at incredible speeds, you would pierce with your sword at precise gaps or points with impact.

“Oh, your work’s fantastic as always,” he said and you rolled your eyes.

“Says who,” you said.

These kaiju were just perfect for the way you worked together. They had an insanely hard shell so Hoshina would crack it in any way possible, and you'd jam your sword precisely into the cracks until you exposed the core. While it was tough work, you were ecstatic. It had been so long since you had worked with Hoshina and it reminded you of all the nights he had spent working with you. You had come so far— and he had been with you to get you this far.

Before you knew it, it was over— the honju had been neutralized and the yoju were taken care of. Before you knew it, Hoshina would be the grand vice-captain of the 3rd division that you had little connection with again.

“Reminded me of all that practice we would do so many years ago,” he said and that made you smile. He had treasured those moments too.

“I would love to tell you from back then that I’d actually make it somewhere,” you said to him. “That you weren’t merely wasting your time.”

“Not once had I not wished to help you,” he said immediately, almost cutting you off. “You couldn't possibly know just how thrilled I was to see another sword user.”

Your heart swelled— he meant the world to you.

There were a few of his officers nearby so you made sure to keep your voice down.

“How long have you loved me?” you asked, simply curious, but as soon as it left your lips you realized how awkward that sounded. “Sorry—”

“For forever,” he said, without hesitation. “Truly since we’d train all those years ago.”

Your eyes widened. You didn't expect that for some reason.

“Gosh, I’m just stupid, aren’t I?” you said, flabbergasted. If you had just cleared your mind, you wouldn’t have gotten played around by that stupid ex of yours and you would’ve been with him for so much longer.

“No,” he said, breaking eye contact, looking horribly ashamed. “I was just lame as hell. If I wasn’t a coward I wouldn’t have let an asshole take you away.”

You laughed. “I think that one was on me,” you said. “It’s okay, we’ll make up for lost time now.”

“Do you know that I love you?” he asked and that made you chuckle. You did.

“I love you too,” you said.

Your conversation was not loud enough for anyone to hear, and that was okay. It was just for the two of you. However, saying all this didn’t change the original problem of the sheer lack of time you had to spend with each other lately— so when were you going to make up for said lost time?

Simple, you’d use the time you had.

Hand-in-hand, you walked off the site together and neither of you could hide the smiles on your faces.

“Soushirou, when’s the last time we held hands?” you asked, and your question made you let out an appalled chuckle.

“Don’t ask,” he said. “I thought of the same thing just now and a part of me died.”

You’d hear other officers gasp softly or murmur when they saw you, but you’d let them wonder. You’d let them wonder why the Hoshina Soushirou looked so bashful, hand-in-hand with you. You'd let them wonder if he always smiled so lovingly around you.

You’d let them wonder if you were his special someone.

And they’d be right. You were.

[heartorbit]

i'm sending this endless melody to a nameless you