#life doesn't discriminate between the sinners and the saints. → main

[linkemon]

Life doesn't discriminate (Ash Lynx x Reader)

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"ɪᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʟɪꜰᴇ ɪ ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ ʀᴇɢʀᴇᴛᴛᴇᴅ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ. ɪ ʀᴇɢʀᴇᴛᴛᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ [ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ] ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴅ." ɴᴏᴛᴇꜱ: ᴀᴅᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: 1. ᴏɴᴇꜱʜᴏᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴ�� ꜱᴘᴏɪʟᴇʀꜱ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴇᴘɪꜱᴏᴅᴇ 2.

"Life doesn't discriminate Between the sinners and the saints It takes and it takes and it takes" Wait for it, Hamilton musical

People at the hospital definitely have too much time to think. I should probably call you now.

I remember this day half a year ago. It was so hot that everyone on the streets of New York was practically melting. In fact, come to think of it, that was one of the main reasons I didn't move that day even though damn Dino called me. Mafia bosses don't like to be kept waiting but that's me. Anyway, as it turned out, it was good that I stayed.

— Have you ignored him again?! — Skipper shouted as he stepped through the doorway and then threw himself onto my bed with the force of a tornado.

He handed me a new newspaper. We're getting famous.

— This old man won't tell me what to do — I muttered. — Something new?

— You could say that. I think you should talk to [Reader].

— If she wants something, she can come to me. — I got up and went to the window.

— The problem is that she doesn't want to talk. I came to her place to watch the series...

— You know very well that I don't care — I interrupted.

I knew exactly what it smelled like. [Reader] had a ritual with Skip where they got together every week to watch a hopelessly typical sitcom. They invited me once and, to my delight, it was the first and the last. Apparently I'm too surly, I spoil their fun and ask too many questions. Since then, I've avoided Friday nights at the apartment, which isn't that hard. At least I don't have to listen to all the shouting from the floor above me.

— You don't understand — he insisted. — I came but she didn't let me in. She said she was tired and we should catch up in a week.

— And what's so strange about it? — I jumped on the windowsill.

— She never did that, even when she was tired. Plus, her eyes were swollen. She was 100% crying but when I asked her she started laughing. She won't tell me anything. You need to talk to her.

— You're being dramatic. She probably watched some romantic comedy again and is now roaring. And even if she didn't, why would she tell me if she ignored you?

— Because I'm not you. She really likes you, Ash. I don't know if you don't see it or don't want to see it. Anyway, it doesn't matter, just do it for me and talk to her, okay? — He got ready to leave.

— Fine. — I sighed. — I don't promise when but I'll try.

I was worried about her, although at that moment I probably didn't want to admit it to myself, much less to Skipper. Besides, I had the impression that something more was beginning to emerge between us and I had no intention of developing it. Anyone who found out would use it against me. I was afraid of what this might entail in the current situation.

The Machiavellian plan was precisely that I went upstairs at an ungodly hour, hoping that [Reader] wouldn't open and I'd get it over with. It sounded good, after all, she wasn't likely to be up at two in the morning. It's a pity that all my life plans (except those related to the gang) suck.

— Why the hell are you calling at this hour? — Her voice was hoarse.

She was still wearing the clothes she wore to work. Her hair, always tied in a ponytail, was messy. There was also a bad look on his face. She was rubbing her eyes as if she was sleep-deprived but it seemed like she was trying to hide the fact that she was crying.

— I came to talk — I said bluntly.

— Ash, maybe you'd kindly wait until tomorrow? — She started to close the door but I managed to wedge my foot between it, wedging it shut.

— No I can't. Let's get to the point. What's actually happening to you?

I entered the apartment practically by force and headed to the living room. As I expected, I saw a pile of tissues on the floor and a crumpled blanket on the couch.

I reached for the unfinished ice cream. Strawberry — tasted pretty good.

— Skipper told you? I knew that once I gave up on this marathon, he would go to you. — She sighed. — Nothing happened, I just had a hard day at work. Dealing with customers is not that easy.

— Great. Now I want the real version.

She looked at me reproachfully. Still, I felt I had the right to know what was going on. Since I'm already sharing with her this part of my life that I never confess to anyone else, she should be honest with me too. After she runs away from her father and lives on her own, she no longer recognizes practically anyone from the family apart from her cousin. Let alone confide in anyone.

— Someone stepped on your toes? Some girl went back to that guy who was hitting on you or something? Your cousin called you again and wanted to apologize for your father?

The only way to get an answer.

— They fired me! All right?

The anger was so visible in her eyes. Only for it to be replaced in a moment by something like regret.

— There was this guy coming last week. He started with inappropriate comments. Boss told me to serve him because it was his friend and he got angry when coworker came over instead of me. There has been nothing more until today. — Her voice cracked. — But when he tried... — A short breath. — I just instinctively punched him in the guts, just like you taught me.

Bitter laughter from her lips. I've never heard it before.

— I can lend you the money, you know that.

— And you know very well what I think about it. We're not going back to the topic.

It was grayish area. [Reader] shunned the money the first time I offered it to her. She wanted nothing to do with the gang in any form. I should have been included there too but apparently I was an exception.

— What will you do with it now?

— I'll try to find something. — She shrugged. — I have no other choice. I'm just begging you, Ash, don't get involved in this. Promise me.

I nodded.

What else could I do when she looked at me with those big doe eyes?

She snuggled into me as if I was the last person on Earth. Maybe that's exactly what it was like back then in her little world.

I kept my word and didn't interfere — Shorter arranged everything. I don't consider it cheating. Besides, my moral code has long since become distorted.

We got the job done quietly and naturally. Although "natural" in my sense of the word looked a little different than one might imagine. I poured in where needed, banknotes flowed, some blood flowed, and [Reader] got a normal job interview, a sufficient salary and flexible hours just right for the university. I also had a guarantee that no one would link it to me. The safer for all of us.

When she announced that she would leave us, I acted surprised.

She looked suspiciously in my direction but before I left I reminded her that I had promised.

Even before she left for university, I knew it wouldn't work out. I expected to end what hadn't actually started yet but I didn't anticipate how much it would hurt.

It was killing me to know that she would have a life in which I would no longer play the first fiddle.

I knew she deserved someone better.

Not a person who will never quite put himself back together.

Not a man whore trying to get out of this whole lousy world.

Not someone who has been taking the lives of others for over a dozen years.

Then, on the day she left, I promised her something one last time.

— You'll take care of Skipper, right?

— I won't babysit him.

— Pffft… — She let out something like a laugh mixed with a snort. — You know he takes better care of himself than you do. — Just keep an eye on him.

— Fine.

— I'll see you in six months — she said, walking towards the car.

Now I'm holding this phone and dialing her number. Someone has to do it. No police officer would be suitable for this. I know I'm the only one who should call. But that doesn't make it any easier.

It was the only time in my life when I actually regretted something.

I regretted it because [Reader] up until that point [Reader] thought I always keep my word.

I regretted it because up to that point it seemed to me that [Reader]...

—  Please leave a message after the tone...

[yazzydream]

JJK Playlists: Geto | Toji | Gojo

It's Me, I'm the Problem (Geto Suguru Playlist)

Playlist for Geto. Gotta admit, he gets the gears in my brain running. Main themes are about Geto's descent, follows life as a genocidal cult leader, to the end of his life. Manga SPOILERS ahead.

-> [Spotify Link]

1. Paradiso - Pia-no-jac An instrumental chosen by Akutami Gege. Unfortunately, not available on Spotify.

2. Enemy (feat. JID) - Imagine Dragons

Tell you, you're the greatest But once you turn, they hate us (ha)

3. The Wall - PatrickReza When Geto starts questioning his life and philosophy.

Banging my head against the wall Nothing makes sense, no sense at all Nothing can numb me from what I've seen Pull me down, demons, yeah, try me

4. Cradles - Sub Urban Lots of imagery about eating and disassociation.

I love everything Fire's spreading all around my room My world's so bright It's hard to breathe, but that's alright Hush! Shh Tape my eyes open to force reality (oh, no, no) Why can't you just let me eat my weight in glee? I live inside my own world of make-believe Kids screaming in their cradles, profanities Somedays, I feel skinnier than all the other days Sometimes, I can't tell if my body belongs to me

5. Savages - MARINA Covers how the lowly non-sorcerers are monkey--I mean, savages.

One man can build a bomb, another run a race To save somebody's life and have it blow up in his face I'm not the only one who finds it hard to understand I'm not afraid of God, I am afraid of man

///

Underneath it all, we're just savages Hidden behind shirts, ties and marriages How could we expect anything at all? We're just animals still learning how to crawl

6. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen If there's any JJK character who suits Bohemian Rhapsody, it's Geto. The line about being a poor boy made me think of how he's from a non-sorcerer family.

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy Because I'm easy come, easy go, little high, little low Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me Mama, just killed a man Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead Mama, life had just begun But now I've gone and thrown it all away Mama, ooh, didn't mean to make you cry If I'm not back again this time tomorrow Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters

7. Wait For It - Hamilton: An American Musical The lines "Death doesn't discriminate between the sinners and the saints" popped into my head after watching s2e4. But when I went back to listen to it to add to this playlist I was blown away by how Burr's (Geto's) thoughts about Hamilton (Gojo) were so suitable. Also, it wasn't always intentional but there's so much religious imagery (and a few mentions of parents...) in this playlist that I'm loving.

Death doesn't discriminate Between the sinners and the saints, it takes and it takes and it takes and we keep living anyway. We rise and we fall and we break and we make our mistakes. And if there's a reason I'm still alive when everyone who loves me has died I'm willing to wait for it. I'm willing to wait for it.

///

I am the one thing in life I can control I am inimitable I am an original I'm not falling behind or running late I'm not standing still, I am lying in wait Hamilton faces an endless uphill climb He has something to prove He has nothing to lose Hamilton's pace is relentless he wastes no time What is it like in his shoes? Hamilton doesn't hesitate. He exhibits no restraint. He takes and he takes and he takes and he keeps winning anyway. He changes the game. He plays and he raises the stakes. And if there's a reason he seems to thrive when so few survive, then God dammit I'm willing to wait for it. I'm willing to wait for it.

8. Time of my Life - UPSAHL As Nanami would later say, being a jujutsushi is shit. No wonder Nanami's response was he doesn't blame Geto. Geto suffered from compassion fatigue; he was all burnt up.

I cleaned my room I paid my dues I did all of the things that they all told me to I filled my head With common sense I did all of the things that everybody said So how come all the worst days Are in the time of my life

9. Burning Pile - Mother Mother The turning point. Geto changes his aim.

It goes, all my troubles on a burning pile All lit up and I start to smile If I catch fire then I change my aim Throw my troubles at the pearly gates

10. Bang - AJR Geto certainly left legitimate jujutsu society behind with a bang.

So put your best face on everybody Pretend you know this song Everybody come hang (come hang) Let's go out with a bang Bang! Bang! Bang! I'm way too young to lie here forever I'm way too old to try so whatever come hang (come hang) Let's go out with a bang Bang! Bang! Bang!

11. The Other Side of Paradise - Glass Animals Reflecting on how Gojo (his strength) just went to a place Geto could no longer reach. So, Geto leaves too.

Bye-bye, baby blue I wish you could see the wicked truth Caught up in a rush, it's killing you Screaming at the sun you blow into Curled up in a grip when we were us Fingers in a fist like you might run I settle for a ghost I never knew Super paradise I held on to But I settle for a ghost

///

My thunder shook him down My thunder came and shook him down

12. Come Back Home - Two Door Cinema Club I usually prefer sandwiching my playlists with Akutami's music choices, but in this case it felt like it made more sense narratively to place this here. Lol. Sounds like a heartfelt plea from Gojo telling Geto to come back home honestly.

So now you're on your own Won't you come back home? To see you're not that kind And find the strength To find the strength, to find another way

13. East Jesus Nowhere - Green Day Yeah! Classic Green Day, this song popped into my head while thinking about Geto. Geto embraces his religious persona.

A fire burns today Of blasphemy and genocide The sirens of decay Will infiltrate the faith fanatics Oh, bless me Lord for I have sinned It's been a lifetime since I last confessed I threw my crutches in the river of a shadow of doubt And I'll be dressed up in my Sunday best Say a prayer for the family Drop a coin for humanity Ain't this uniform so flattering? I never asked you a goddamn thing

14. cult leader - KiNG MALA

I might be the villain in somebody else's story, but that's fine My methods are controversial, but at least it keeps 'em all in line In line I don't need your roses, I like men on their knees Praying up to their god, seein' visions of me I'm a cult leader, mind reader, heart eater Fear feeder, say I'm your favorite preacher If I wasn't a narcissist, I wouldn't like me either

15. Mental Funeral - EHLE From those devotees.

You're a criminal cute and creepy Dangerous for me When you're all alone, love me, dearly Psychopath

16. Godly Behaviour - ELIO "Monkeys have their roles. Money collecting monkeys and curse collecting monkeys."

Nothing comes for free, there's a fee for my time I'm so heavenly, hard to reach, gotta climb, 'cause I got godly behaviour And I'm not doing any favours I'll be in your dreams tonight, but I'm not an angel 'Cause it's confirmed, I got godly behaviour

17. Do It All The Time - IDKHOW He seemed pretty nonchalant about the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.

We're taking over the world A little victim-less crime And when I'm taking your innocence I'll be corrupting your mind

///

Now we're so young But we're probably gonna die And it's so fun We're so good at selling lies We look so good And we never even try I don't wanna do it, but I do it 'Cause I do it all the time

18. Freak (feat. REI AMI) by Sub Urban Geto's family of curse users.

Welcome to our freak show, come meet my monsters Oh, such a fine collection of stranger things

19. Family - Mother Mother More found family music. Affectionate.

They is my family, they is my family They might be crazy, but they is my family You can't get to them unless you get through me You fuck with them, you fuck with me

20. cutlery collector - Sion POV: Geto when Kenjaku takes over his body.

Cutting me open and switching my insides Make me an avatar girl, just let me die And they all say that I have changed But oh, nobody knew why 'Cause you're a cutlery collector You cut open my mind

21. House of Memories - Panic! At the Disco Lots of melancholic death songs.

Baby, we built this house On memories Take my picture now Shake it 'til you see it And when your fantasies Become your legacy Promise me a place In your house of memories

22. Goodbye - Bo Burnham

So long, goodbye I'll see you when I see you You can pick the street I'll meet you on the other side

///

Am I going crazy? Would I even know? Am I right back where I started fourteen years ago? Wanna guess the ending, if it ever does I swear to God that all I've ever wanted was A little bit of everything all of the time A bit of everything all of the time Apathy's a tragedy and boredom is a crime I'm finished playing and I'm staying inside

23. Akari - Soushi Sakiyama The third ED best describes Geto I think.

Before my goodwill crumbles away I should have told you everything In a life descending and dissolving into the night Fuzzy emotions, a flickering light If accepting it as inevitable Means it's all over, even though I know It somehow doesn't feel worth it, there's No meaning to it

[rulesearth]

’ Did you ever kill anyone? ’

“ tell me, laxus-dono, do you remember jacob force? ”

it was an innocent enough question, just not in this context. anyone who had ever paid attention to mages in fiore in the last ten years or so knew who the man had been. lamia scale member, fire mage, even part of the advanced corps. talented and handsome enough, he had been on the weekly sorcerer’s ridiculous lists more than once. and then, he had died on a quest that should have been easy for someone with his skill. he had died, not because he had been outclassed, but because he had broken the guild rules and departed for a quest without having been cleared by a doctor. and then, in a fight, a wound suffered on the previous mission had reopened and sealed his fate.

lamia scale had reacted the way they always did when something like this happened — there had been a few days of grief, the statue in front of the building had been covered by a dark cloth and flowers had been put down, while on the inside, rules had been adjusted, all to make sure something like this would not happen again. and jura had, in all honesty, considered the rush to change things unnecessary. 

as tragic as force’s death had been for his friends and family, no one could say it had been a surprise. it had been merely the last act in the life of a man who had always chased after adrenaline and who had never followed the rules. jura had not mourned the man. he had felt sorry for those who had loved him, but he had not been particularly affected by his death. it was one of his weaker choices as a human being, granted, but he had felt no sadness. if he had felt anything, it had been relief.

and maybe traces of guilt because he had been the last serpent to see the man before he had departed on his last quest. he could have stopped him, maybe should have asked him where he was going, but he had not because jura had never been too fond of the man and had avoided conversations with him as much as humanly possible. so no, it had not been his fault that the fire user had died. jura had never been his caretaker and he had not been responsible for the man’s choices.

shrugging slowly as he looked at laxus, the earth mage sighed deeply. “ i did not kill him, but i could have stopped him from dying. and i did not, ” he said dryly. “ i didn’t have to let him leave. and this is the closest i have come to killing someone. ”

[storyblcd]

tag drop ! 

[rulesearth]

tag drop.

[rulesearth]

🐍 // LUCY ( @clavesstella ) continued from here

of all the members of the magic council (take… whatever version they were on this time, maybe three since she had first joined fairy tail?), lucy had to say he felt most comfortable around jura. perhaps it was just the way he seemed to exude a calming influence, a skill he had possessed even back when they had first met back when they were hunting the oración seis. and so, when the chance to go speak to him for a story came up, she had jumped at it.

“a journalist, mainly, if you don’t mind?” her notepad and recorder was in her bag, ready to be pulled out when necessary. “although the story i’m looking into here does interest me as a mage as well? i’ve heard rumor that it could be easier soon to find work as an independent mage, outside of the guild system?”

something that she just knew that the readers of sorcerer’s weekly would like to know. there had to be other mages out there that didn’t want to be forced into a guild just to make a solid living. sure, lucy had loved her time in fairy tail, but the disbandment had hit her hard and she didn’t want others to have to go through the same thing.

but that was work, and jura had been a good ally, so the blonde was perfectly happy to let business wait. “but first, how have you been? asking as a former ally, not as a reporter.” a smile was given, hands resting gently in her lap. “it must be crazy here, with all the drama from other guilds. or is it calmer without natsu and fairy tail making a mess all the time?”

if there was one thing jura had underestimated before he had come to era, it had been how fast news travelled. when he had lived in zinnia, information had been contained easily --- his guild had never been one known to cooperate with the press; too many serpents were working on sensitive projects, on new trademark spells they guarded carefully.  in era, things were different. multiple newspapers had reporters stationed permanently near the council buildings, waiting for the first hints of new developments so they could run the story before anyone else could.

it was so unfamiliar, sometimes. it was also nothing that made it easy for him to form the kind of bonds he had had back in zinnia where he had trusted the people around him; in this town, information meant power and he could not hand it out lightly in good conscience. especially when he was working tirelessly on a reform that did not have only supporters.

“ i have no reason to complain. i hope you have been well, too? ” he responded calmly as he dismissed his assistant with a wave. “ and things have been ... tumultuos, lately, though i fear if you are after a story about ... drama, you should have gone to zinnia. ”

while jura had known for years that he would never be guild master, having never wanted this position, the same could not be said for all of his fellow serpents. many of them had expected him to lead them after ooba-sama retired and to them, it had come as a shock and this had not happened. while things had been smoothed over now, lamia had been in a state of chaos for a week or so after the announcement had been first made, though ultimately, it had been obvious that the protest would be short-lived; it was not their way to question choices made by the leader without good cause. and there had been no good cause.

“ off the record ... since i do trust you not to run the story before anything is set in stone ... yes, i do plan to improve the situation for mages without guilds. there should be more freedom in choice --- currently, the options are mostly guild or council. ”

[rulesearth]

“ this town is wasted and alone. “

jura had been warned. sherry had told him what she had seen, had described it to him in such vivid detail that he had wished that he could attribute her ability to talk about death and destruction to something other than the violent end of her childhood. and yet, even with sherry's quiet words resounding in his ears, jura had had to see for himself. and now, he wished he had listened to lamia's newly ascended guild master instead of stubbornly demanding that he  needed  to see before he did what he had to do.

because he had been wrong. he had not wanted to see this, not when his dreams were still haunted by too similar sights.

clearing his throat, he looked towards the mage he had come across when he had first approached, stepping into the hazard zone the council had created when they had first heard about what had happened. “ nothing will ever grow here again, ” he said quietly, trying not to think of the little village near the bosconian capital that had turned hostile to all life, nearly thirty years ago. this disease had been even more aggressive than the one that had killed his parents, but jura did not want to think about it. not when he had to do what had to be done. looking at minerva, he inhaled deeply before he breathed out --- trying to silence his rebelling thoughts. “ nothing can be left where it is now, minerva-dono. if this ghost town is not to become a scar, it has to be erased completely. ”

had such a proposition been made in regards to his hometown, he would have protested. but he had been a boy then and he was no longer as blue-eyed and desperate to keep reminders of his parents in his lives nowadays, having learned that their home had been just a house and that the  true  evidence that they had been there and that they had loved him was something no one could ever take from him. and there were no survivors from this town who could protest what he had come to do.

sometimes, a wizard saint's work was anything but glorious.

[rulesearth]

"Ah, excuse me, Jura-sama... since the Master is at another guild meeting, could I ask you to give the okay for this mission?"

“ i��m not sure if i  can  do this, ami-dono, ” jura said slowly as he looked at the water mage. despite his standing in the guild, he was not the guild master. he had never wanted to be the guild master either, dreaded the idea that he might be put on an even higher pedestal one day. then — he did not think that ooba-sama would be this cruel. there were others who would be better choices, who would make better leaders than him.

to be a leader, to be a  good  leader, one had to connect to the ones who were led. and jura, for all his efforts, struggled to connect to others. few in the guild had known him long enough to treat him as a friend, most saw his title, his prestige. it was sad, but this was the price one paid for great strength.

smiling faintly at the other serpent, he folded his hands in front of him. “ unless i am asked to fill in for ooba-sama, i  legally  cannot sign off quests. if something were to happen, i’d be to blame, ” he added, though this was hardly why he refused to overstep his boundaries. no, he was rather certain that the master would be alright with him letting mages leave, but — jura was no guild master. he had no ambition to ever become guild master either. this, he would not do the guild master’s job unless having been asked first. “ i think ooba-sama left someone else in charge, but i was gone when she left. so you should probably ask someone else who is filling in for the master. ”

[rulesearth]

’ you could never back down. ’

“ this is where you are wrong, laxus-dono. ”

for a moment, the wizard saint had to stop to avoid  chuckling.  was this really what people thought? people who barely knew him, at that? did they really think that they had ever caught a glimpse of what it was like when he was truly determined, when he was willing to go all out and not care about the consequences? it was sad and amusing to him at the same time.

restraint was something he had learned early on, something he had mastered already before he had started to live with the monks and train with them. restraint was something his mother had taught him, her voice warm and cheerful like a spring in the mountains. and jura, always a good student, had been a good son, too, one that had taken his mother’s words to heart.

she had worried for him, had worried that if he would be too great too soon, he would burn out quickly. she had always encouraged him to take his time, to take every single step of the way instead of skipping some to get to the top faster. his father, too, had felt the same way, had not wanted jura to become a cautionary tale. there were stories in bosco about brilliant young men and women who sealed their own fate because they did not find the right balance.

his mother — a legend in bosco, famous for her strength and her kindness — had had it right, jura often thought. as everyone around her had flickered and burned out at a young age, she had continued her path. before the disease had spread through the country and claimed her life, she had been bosco’s most powerful earth mage, famous for her steady rise to the top.

“ i have been taking things one day at a time. there is no reason for me to rush myself, is there? ” jura asked, wondering if people thought that his age was worrying him. and true, he may have been faster in his youth, but he had grown stronger with every passing day. now, he did no longer have to be as fast as he had once been. and even so — if anything, it was beneficial for a mage to grow older. experience was the most valuable currency in their trade and jura was curious about what was still ahead of him. “ though … of course, if you mean my determination to restructure the council and ensure fairness for  all  mages … hm … i truly do not plan to back down there. those who oppose me there will crumble soon enough. ”

[rulesearth]

🐍 // @shcklesofsin

❛ given your --- current status, i wouldn't have expected you to be this close to era,  siegrain-dono.  ❜

[rulesearth]

"I was a fool."

🐍 // DEATH OF A BACHELOR

if the man had  been someone else, jura might have tried to find kinder words, but the wizard saint’s first thought was that the other was not just a fool, that he was also a  hypocrite  because — wasn’t his magic all about setting  rules  and enforcing them? and yet, he had been a  silent accomplice  to rules being broken. jura understood loyalty to one’s guild  (  his  guild’s insignia was still on his skin, after all ),  but he also knew that sometimes, blindly supporting a guild could be the wrong way. sometimes, the best way to keep the guild  strong  was by standing up and acting against its wishes.

❛ admitting this will hardly undo the damage that was done, ❜ jura said dryly as he stared down at the other man. because even now, he could still feel the ripples of a bad choice made by a man who should have retired a long time ago. there was a reason why lamia scale had not participated in the last grand magic games, a reason easily summarised by the master saying they had better things to do than to be part of a  farce  and slamming the door shut. he had not been given the chance to ask, but he suspected that it was similar for other guilds, too, though some of them were dealing with the aftermath of losing mages to the dragons’ rampage as well.

( lamia had been lucky; they had had injured mages, but no one had died, although sherry and yuuka had seemed particularly shaken when they had rejoined the guild formation. )

❛ trust was lost, that year, and everyone knows what they say about lost trust. ❜

[rulesearth]

‘ they’re playing a dangerous game. ‘

🐍 // HAMILTON

❛ eventually, they won’t be able to hide from the consequences, ❜ jura said slowly as dark eyes rested on the letter in front of him. once, he had been angry. he had respected  their  guild master as a fellow wizard saint, had respected the strength of  their  mages, too. but that had been before the blindfold had been torn away and he had seen just how deep  corruption  ran within the council.

frankly — it made jura  shudder  to think that the future of their country’s mages had been in the hands of people who let themselves be swayed by personal attachments and who refused to see reason for so long. and jura could admit that he held personal attachments, too, but he had been raised with the belief that no one benefitted when friends refused to stand up and call out misdeeds. that this was not being a friend but rather being an enabler.

he sighed, something he  did often when he spoke of the guild located in magnolia. ❛ there’s no point in rules when people think they are above them and no one enforces them  properly, ❜ he added, fully aware that — mistakes had been made, in the past. mistakes that had made the council look weak, mistakes that had cost them their authority. and a council that lacked in authority was obsolete. 

❛ but fear not, minerva-dono — there will be consequences, even for  them.  you aren’t the only one who — wishes for more fairness. ❜

[rulesearth]

“I put it out of my mind.”

❛ freed-dono, i  recommend  you do remember this, ❜ the wizard saint said grimly, dark eyes focusing on the younger man. it was baffling how easily people had forgotten that it had been jura’s compassion that had saved all their necks, and while he was not planning to hold it over their heads forever, he would prefer if they remembered that just because it had been glossed over, the crime had still been committed.

but jura had not  cornered the green-haired man to call in what most would call a debt. it would be a sad day before he would remind the man’s guild that he knew well what they had done. no, jura had a message for the guild master, a message he was sending out of the respect he had once had for makarov — before the man had acted in a manner that lacked direly in respect and honour.

❛ tell makarov to decide what he wants, ❜ jura said, his voice solemn as his gaze lingered on the crowded yard beneath him. for him, the current situation was nothing less than a complete mess; everyone who kept an eye on lamia scale knew that ooba was on her way out, that there would be a new guild master before long.

but only jura knew  the names that were on the rather short list of potential successors as he was the one his old guild master had trusted with this sensitive information, just in case that she would not be able to oversee this transition herself. and for he knew the people on the list, knew that whoever would follow the old lady into office would not have grown mellow with age. gods, some of the names belonged to people who would never grow mellow.

grasping his staff and  looking at the shorter man, he sighed. ❛ tell makarov that there will be a new master in zinnia, soon, and that it might be a good time to reconsider if treating allies the way he did during the games is the right way, ❜ he finished, his voice not as insistent as it could have been. in the end, he had decided, it was makarov’s choice and if the old man decided to treat lamia the way he had done it in the past, conflict between the guilds was the logical consequence. the only reason why jura was even addressing this matter was that he knew exactly that the new master would be blamed for any conflict — they would be young and still struggling for wide acceptance.

then, there were other  guilds for jura’s old one to connect their fate to. and as far as he was concerned, the time for new alliances might have come now. and while for a very long time, magnolia had had an ally in zinnia, times might be changing as ooba’s successor would definitely have no personal friendship with makarov that had sometimes smoothed things out a little.

[rulesearth]

🐍 // @stormborndivinity

❛ orga-dono. ❜ the wizard saint halted as he spotted the other man at the train station, nodding shortly before a slight frown crossed his face. ❛ are you travelling as well? ❜

[rulesearth]

tag drop.

i know her like i know my own mind. → jura & sherry

a mind at work. → thoughts

more than just somebody's puppet. → sherry

i rebuild when i break down. → isms

we will call this place our home. → lamia scale

who i am and who i was. → about

no mountain dare stand in my way. → jura

the song stuck in my head. → music

life doesn't discriminate between the sinners and the saints. → main

the echoes of heartbeats‚ resounding in the ground beneath my feet. → main: interactions

[rulesearth]

❝ history repeats itself. ❞

sometimes, jura wondered if people expected him to react surprised, though he doubted it at this point. his yearlong friendship with sherry had perhaps never been public knowledge, though at least his colleagues should know by now, given how much time the puppeteer spent in era, especially since her excuses and explanations had long become paper thin at best. and anyone who knew sherry knew that she said what she thought, that there was very little that could keep her from speaking the truth, as painful as the truth could sometimes be.

and no one who had listened to her as long as jura had, having known her since she had been a kid and he had been a teenager, could make it out without adapting a similarly grim worldview.

“ colour me  not  surprised, levy-san. ” he still sighed before he lowered the document he had been reading. “ still … please tell me what happened now again so proper measures can be taken. ”