#story: scorpion grass

[curiosity-killed]

breath of life

[ALT ID: A digital painting of two people sinking in water with forget-me-not flowers drifting around them.]

[moonluringfrost]

You don’t believe in ghosts. You aren’t particularly opposed to the possibility, but you’ve never seen one and you tend to not believe what you can’t see for yourself.

She comes to your office. Late, you’re always working too late. Burning the midnight oil on both ends as you light up cigarette after cigarette. A knock at the door is unexpected, but not unwelcome.

Her complexion is ashen, the hollows of her eyes as deep as the night itself. She doesn’t say anything at first, but you let her in anyway. Sometimes people that come looking for you need a minute or two to collect themselves. People don’t need private detectives for simple, happy matters.

You offer her coffee, and she accepts. You turn away to get her a mug. When you turn back she is gone. You did not hear the door open or close, unusual considering you haven’t gotten around to fixing the creaky hinges. But stranger things have happened. She must have changed her mind about whatever what troubling her. Perhaps she will come back another time.

You do not suspect her of being a ghost. You have no reason to. Yet.

Next

[scorpiongrassaudio]

-> take stock of yourself

-> inspect the field

-> leave the field

text

[atlasofthestaars]

[MK X READER] New Era - Chapter .001

Note: Will use events from Mk9-11 + Aftermath. I am changing canon for some characters to fit the story. Changing canon in general for MK1, so at some point I will add in scenes not in the main story and probably will diverge from it in the end. Some character personality changes, not major, but enough to add depth. Slight character dynamic changes (Mostly Lin Kuei, so the trio feel slightly closer as a whole)

Also excuse the small exposition dump that happens through the chapter, it was needed to set up plot points in the future, so in the future we can get to those juicy character interactions easier!

LOVE INTERESTS: Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Raiden, Johnny Cage, Kenshi, Reptile, Scorpion (Kuai Liang), Sub Zero (Bi-Han), Smoke, Shang Tsung, Mileena, Kitana, Ashrah, Havik, Rain

Also on AO3: NEW ERA

part two

FROM THE EYES OF ONE WHO DOESN'T REMEMBER

Memories are fickle things. 

Awakening in the middle of a field, you heard the buzzing of bugs, and the grass beside you moved as a creature scurried past. Your head hurt, and a fog settled in your mind as if it were blocking something. You sat up slowly, noting the moonlight shining down on the area around you.

You looked down at your hands. It was odd, it felt like you were familiar with it, yet at the same time it felt all too foreign to you. You wiggled your toes, feeling the grass brush against them to remind you that they existed. 

Where were you?

Swallowing any dread you felt building up, you stood up wearily. Your body swayed as you got up, almost stumbling into the grass once more. The area around felt devoid of humans, undisturbed nature spreading far. It was beautiful and breathtaking, but it only soothed you for a moment before panic began to seep back in again.

Where were you?

In the distance was a soft light. A flame? Perhaps. You dragged your feet as you walked towards it. You’d rather go discover whatever that was then stick around being lost wherever you had woken up. 

Why were you there in the first place? 

Fear was crawling down your back at the inability to answer the nagging questions within your head. Shaking it off, you continued on. The closer you got, the better you could identify where the flame was from. 

A temple of sorts?

It had a dragon motif from what you could see, and it was constructed mainly from wood and stone. Red shingles, or at least you assumed it was…it was hard to see in the moonlight, lined the rooftops of the temple ahead. The tree leaves even seemed to be red. There were multiple buildings, one being a tall tower, and a few smaller buildings. The flame, which was quite large from what you could see, was lit in a pavilion of sorts.

Your mind throbbed as a vague memory of a temple floating in the sky appeared in your mind. But this wasn’t that same temple. Not at all. Why were you thinking of that?

Soon enough, you found yourself at the entrance of the area, marveling at the architecture and the beauty of the area up close. How wonderful. Eventually, you spotted two figures walking towards you. 

The first thing you noticed was their glowing blue eyes.

Not knowing what to do, you stood there. Although you felt a pit of dread build up in your stomach as they approached, you stood unwavering. You grimaced, not at the sight of them, but at how the figures coming closer seemed to intensify a dull throb that had been building up in the back of your head.

Silly as it was, were they the cause of your headache? Of the fog in your head that seemed to block out any memories you tried to pry from your mind? 

You watched as the two figures, that you could now identify as men, approached. You could read a vague sense of concern on one of their faces, and the other held a sense of shock on his. They walked over a bridge, stopping at the top as if to create a sense of height. You looked up at them, your will not wavering despite the dread that was building in your stomach.

Your headache, why was it hurting so much?

You watched as one of them held out his hands, forming one a fist connecting to his palm. He smiled at you. It felt warm. The other nodded his head in acknowledgement, but you could see the small smile he had as well. You stumbled as your headache turned into a sharp pain, as if someone had just stabbed your head. Gasping, you stumbled forward. 

The man who had been presenting his hands grabbed you to steady you, and you noted the strange sense of familiarity as he did so. His wrapped hands were firm as he helped you right yourself. You looked up into his eyes, and without thinking, a name popped into your head.

“Liu Kang?”

The dread you felt in your stomach turned into fear as the man’s eyes widened, and the vague shock that had been on his face before was now on full display. He glanced over to his companion who held the same look of shock before they both looked down at you, almost accusingly.

“How did you know that?”

That was years ago.

Shortly after the shock had worn off, you had been escorted into the fire temple. They gave you a place to rest for the night, but you could hear the whispers of Liu Kang and Geras as they walked away. What they were discussing, you weren’t certain.

You could hear the concerned tone in their voice loud and clear despite that.

The next morning in what was perhaps the politest interrogation ever, it was revealed that you had a lack of memories.

Kind of.

You had memories, or at least you thought so, but they were all jumbled up in your head. They felt wrong, and foreign and they didn’t match up with what you were seeing. After all, your mind was telling you the man who was interrogating you was Liu Kang…but it was not the same mortal man that popped into your mind. 

You also eventually recognized Geras, which seemed to alarm the two even more, even if they were subtle about it. Eventually, after long deliberation with each other, Liu Kang eventually came up to you and offered you a place to stay at the fire temple due to your lack of memory and residence.

You were relieved to have a place to rest and stay, even if you had a nagging feeling that the offer was a disguised excuse to keep a close eye on you.

You supposed that was fair.

Eventually, the memories you had came back slowly over the years, and you confided in Liu Kang about them. This led to an eventual friendship with the god as you unraveled the strange situation that you were in. The man, though cordial, had been wary at first of you. You thought that was reasonable. A random stranger showing up in rags and recognizing you without introduction?

That was suspicious for certain, you could not blame the fire god for his caution. Especially since he proclaimed himself to be the Protector of Earthrealm, you could have easily been a threat.

Thankfully, you were not. Or at least, he seemed to deem that you were not. Although you had a jumbled mess of mismatching memories, the two of you had concluded that the memories you did have were visions of sorts, of other realities, and that the memories you used to have were gone. 

Visions of other worlds traded for the memories of your past. That’s what he told you, anyways. You had a sinking feeling that wasn’t quite true, and that was the biggest secret you held from Liu Kang. After all, the more memories you regained, the less it felt that they were random visions. 

They felt like a past life…and maybe they were. You weren’t certain yet. You had a nagging feeling there were many memories left to unlock.

The guilt of hiding this doubt, this secret, was immense at first. Ignoring the fact that you were lying to a god, you were concealing doubts from a man who had offered you shelter and food.

Eventually the guilt died down into near nothingness, but there was still a twinge of guilt every time you lied about it.

Aside from that, you rediscovered abilities that you had not realized you had. 

Shapeshifting into animals. You could transform your whole body into creatures, or parts of them. It was a helpful power, you found. You also seemed to have some sort of muscle memory of fighting skills. Lord Liu Kang had once offered to train you, and to both of your surprise, you were quite skilled.

Rusty at first, but it was obvious your body knew how to fight. It was nothing that years, or in all honesty, months could not fix.

Another ability you realized after a few years was how your body did not seem to age. Or at least, not in the same way humans did. At first, the monks seemed to chalk it up to good genetics, complimenting on how you seemed to keep your youth. However, as more years passed, whispers of magic arose.

Concerned with the strange state of your body, you confided in the fire god. Liu Kang suggested that your body was one that lived longer, perhaps of one that was not native to Earth, or Earthrealm as he called it…an edenian, perhaps? He explained the realm of Outworld, and the existence of the realms in general. He had once explained it much before, along with some monks, but not to the historical extent he had given you at that time.

Through these explanations, you remembered Outworld much more clearly, but the memories of Outworld were once again inconsistent with the world he described.

The Outworld you knew had been run by a tyrant before it was passed to an heir that had been overthrown. It was war hungry, and not at all pretty as he described. Liu Kang offered that, perhaps, when the Mortal Kombat tournament rolled around in a few years, you could join him and the champions he would bring to Outworld.

You agreed, of course. Maybe that realm was key to unlocking more memories, and more explanations. Even though you cherished the Fire Temple, a place you had learned to call home, you now had a purpose going forward.

Go to Outworld to seek the rest of your memories.

And now, you were here, enjoying another peaceful morning in the Fire Temple.

Staring out from the pavilion, you inhaled deeply as you took in the sunrise. You could never tire of the beautiful view. Your ears picked up the soft sound of someone walking towards you, and you turned around, already familiar with who it was. 

“Hello, Liu Kang.” You greeted, a smile on your face as you nodded towards the fire god. The fire god sent you a soft smile in return as he walked up to be by your side. Due to your memories of a younger, mortal Liu Kang that had popped up so often at first, you had taken up a nasty habit of addressing him casually. You tried to fix this, but he had permitted you to address him casually in private.

It felt like a strange honor.

He greeted you, your name rolling off his tongue in a familiar way as his hands settled on the railing much like yours were. It was common for the two of you to meet up here at sunrise, to indulge in the simple yet breathtaking view. It was a tradition from years ago.

“Beautiful morning, isn’t it?” Liu Kang inquired, much like he did nearly every morning. He gazed at the horizon with a sense of serenity and peace before his glowing eyes landed on you. With a chuckle you turned your gaze to the horizon he had been staring at previously.

“It is, just like it is every morning.” You mused, watching as the sky lightened, the darkness making way for the pretty light blue hues as a pink and orange color settled over the horizon. Your fingers tapped the wood as you hummed, remembering that something special was happening today. “Today we’re going to the village of Fengjian, correct?” You inquired, a surge of excitement buzzing through you.

You had been around the world here and there over the years to accompany Liu Kang and sometimes even the Lin Kuei, but it had been a while since your last venture. 

“Correct, Madam Bo said two of her trainees were ready for the exam scenario, and today we're going to observe.” Liu Kang said, nodding as he confirmed the plans he had told you about two weeks ago. You noted how he kept his gaze intent on you, as if analyzing your reaction. You could not hold back the smile on your lips.

“Excellent, it’s been forever since I’ve had Madam Bo’s cooking.” You commented, remembering just how delicious the older woman’s cooking was. You were nearly drooling at the thought of it. Not only that, but Madam Bo was someone you valued as well.

Whenever you saw her, you were reminded of a fatherly figure who you hazily remembered who drunk a lot of alcohol. It was odd, but she too must have sensed the connection, as she took you in as if you were a child of her own ever since she met you. You wished you could go out to see her more.

You opened your mouth to speak, but you heard the faintest of footsteps. Reflexively, you transformed your ears into those of bats and craned them around to hone in on the sound. You tilted your head as you focused before you turned to look at Liu Kang, ears turning back to normal.

“I thought the Lin Kuei were to come later?” You inquired, revealing that you were now aware of their presence. You heard some muttering before the three assassins revealed themselves. Sub Zero, Scorpion, and Smoke. Three of the Lin Kuei you had grown closest to during your association with Liu Kang.

“That was the plan, but we decided to meet up earlier to discuss the plan as we shall leave earlier to get in position to observe.” Liu Kang explained. The two of you turned around to face the three. You smiled at the three. Smoke and Scorpion both bowed to the two of you. Sub Zero, notably, did not, but you did notice the slight nod of acknowledgement sent your way.

“Perceptive as always, and I thought we could finally sneak up on you.” Smoke greeted, addressing you as he spoke your name, a light playful tone to his voice. Smoke was always the friendliest of the three, it was a delight to talk to him. He was the most casual. You noted the slightly irritated glare from Sub Zero sent his way.

You surmised that Smoke had managed to convince the two others to also sneak in. You could not tell whether the irritation was from having to partake in such a silly endeavor, or if it was due to the fact that he blamed Smoke for giving the three of them away.

“Maybe another time, Tomas.” You chuckled, covering your mouth as you did so. Despite your words, you were competitive, and you weren’t planning on giving up in the ongoing game that you had both been playing for a while now. “Regardless, it is good to see you all, it’s been a while.” With that, you nodded towards Liu Kang, letting him go over the plan with the trio.

You observed silently as excitement coursed through your veins.

You had a feeling that tonight was going to be something special.

part two

[sippin-on-bichlorine]

percy jackson show’s changes from the book that… could have been done better

• not completing the quest in time. what was the point of having an expiration date if in the end zeus was like ‘ok nvm’??

• four pearls instead of three only to make grover lose his…..so now….we’re back at three again

• whatever happened in the lotus casino

• or at waterland

• and at crusty’s😭😭 i remember that being one of my favourite scenes in the book when i read it as a child and it lasted not even three minutes

• generally the way these three kids seem to know everything? like, medusa i get - it’s one of the more famous myths. the lotus casino? eh, it’s a stretch. but procustes? c’mon! they remove the suspence and the wonder of discovery in favour of a bland out-of-context explanation and it really takes away from the story (and i get that annabeth and grover might know more about the greek myths and i even get that in the show it’s very clear that sally prepared percy for all of it, but they’re not omniscient ffs)

• also the complete absence of luck and chance. everything seems to happen for a reason, everything is tied to the prophecy. no pink poodle, no random excursions on st louis arch because annabeth’s a massive nerd, nothing

• percy accusing luke immediately. in the book it takes a venomous scorpion for percy to realise something might be off, but in the show he’s accusing luke straight away???? this kid’s fatal flaw is loyalty he would tear his limbs off before even thinking that someone he called a friend might have betrayed him

• apparently now backbiter can open portals even inside camp so there goes the whole plot of the fourth book i guess??

• gabe turning himself into stone by mistake. now there are two things that bug me: 1) in the show gabe isn’t abusive, and petryfing someone for being a bit of an arse doesn’t seem like adequate punishment 2) it takes away from sally’s character development outside of being percy’s mum (= being able to free herself of an abusive relationship and in doing so getting the money to go back to school)

• this is very nit-picky but the thrones!!!!! where is my weird assortment of different thrones that showcase the powers and personality of each god??? where’s poseidon’s fisherman chair??? where’s demeter’s grass throne??? why does everything need to be so stale and gray????

[mylahrins]

forget-me-nots, 04.

dear sugawara,

hi! i look forward to seeing you again. i would absolutely love to continue exchanging letters with you! my older cousin is into woodworking, maybe i’ll ask him to build us a mailbox? he’s actually a carpenter, so if anything it’s more of a job than a hobby. when we were younger, he liked to build bird houses for our grandma. she used to hang them around the house even though she didn’t need so many. i’m sure he wouldn’t mind making one, i’ll contact him soon.

i’m really sorry to hear that sugawara, the club doors will always open to you. if you ever want to talk about anything, don’t hesitate to come by. i’ll be happy to listen. also, that reminds me! hopefully you receive this letter before then, but i’ll be going to the inter-high tournament. my friend invited me to watch her game, so if the times don’t collide i’ll watch yours too. good luck again! i’ll be cheering you on.

your question is a difficult one, but thank you for asking! i don’t get asked about flowers too often. if i had to choose a favorite, i think i’d have to say scorpion grasses—also known as forget-me-nots! honestly, there’s nothing really special about the flowers, but they remind me of my childhood. i used to pick them from my grandma’s backyard, she has a lot of them! next time i visit i’ll take a picture to show you.

if you want to learn more about flowers i can lend you my flower dictionary. the book has information about flower history, the meanings behind them, etc. though, it doesn’t explain much about gardening them. if you want, i can teach you some of the basics, but i might have to charge you since you’re not a club member! just kidding. i’d be happy to help you learn.

sending you smiles, y/n

about the flowers!

➤ scorpion grass/forget-me-nots: forget me nots come in a couple different shades like pink, purple, or white but are most commonly found blue! the flowers symbolize things like true love, respect, devotion, remembrance, and reminiscence. all that jazz. there are a few different stories about the origin of the flower's name, but the one that stuck out (and that i saw the most) was a story about a knight and his lady. a knight saw the flowers near a river and decided to pick some for his lover, but while doing so, he accidentally fell into the water. with his last breath, he threw the homemade bouquet back onto land and yelled, "forget me not!" it's a sad but sweet story.

masterlist | next | back

a/n: and so it begins... mwuahaha!! i mussst say that as the story progresses, the flowers mentioned are kind of a hint to where things are heading hehe anddd also! just because flowers are mentioned once, doesn't mean they wont be mentioned again!!! everything that i've ever written in this fic, everything in eeeevery letter y/n and suga exchange have intention!!! im too excited to show you guys more of what i have planned >:))

taglist: @yenonnoff @softpia @ryeyeyer @shoyosh @wqnsho @wyrcan @hisfuture @guitarstringed-scars @froyaoya @fiannee @softpia @02shuuu @miyamoratsumuu

taglist form

[bonefall]

Does BB!Silverstream have a design? Also, what cats would be at her trial? I can’t get the idea of an animation of her trial set to We Both Reached For The Gun out of my head

Before I hop off I quickly went and made a quick BB!Silverstream

Consider these chibis I've been doing as like, "beta" designs. I plan to come back to them later for full summary art, really play up the shapes and make them more unique and cartoonish

Since we're all kinda likening Silverstream to Roxy Hart, I went ahead and made her look a bit "foxy."

THE EYESHADOW IS IMPORTANT. It's the Applekin Family trait. It looks like a fish, but it's actually a very abstract depiction of an apple leaf.

Silverstream is about as "sleek" as a RiverClan cat gets; they're always thick and usually longer than they are tall, like otters. Silvs only gets THIS thin because she's 25% WindClan.

Her lawyer is technically her uncle Oakheart; but in reality, Lizardstripe is the one actually planning everything out.

Aaand here's another headshot of Lizi because I still need to make her full art, along with the other Forget-Me-Nots

Very round tufts. The roundness shows up in Runningnose and Tangleburr.

Her ears are cut in the same place on both sides. There is a sad story behind it that she won't tell, she says she "liked how it looked."

She has one stripe. It starts above one eye, runs down her back, curls over her hip, and runs back up the other side symmetrically.

CLEFT LIP. It is split just below her nose and naturally exposes her top teeth.

Lizi and Oakheart usually wear Forget-Me-Nots in their fur. Specifically, Lizi is represented by Changing Forget-Me-Nots and Oakheart is represented by Water Forget-Me-Nots (also called scorpion grass).

Other cats who could be at Silvs' trial;

Mother, Willowbreeze

Ancestor, Reedshine

Sunfish, suckler and friend of Crookedstar (died to Thistleclaw)

I'm not sure if she's keeping those siblings who die, or at the very least there might be one less, because I may want to use them at some point.

Anyway go nuts lmao

[punch-love]

😂😊🤔(family)

😂 A fic that made you laugh out loud

I know I've rec'd this one before but it really is the funniest thing I've read recently.

Two Men And An Intake Bot by My_Good_Omens_Hackverse

It really feels like a lost filler episode of the show (to me). The dialogue and underlying dynamic are fantastic and the shenanigans are so stupid and fun. I love that there's a lot of utilization of the side cast in this one too, it's just very very funny (to me). I think I've read it like three times now just because i know it'll make me laugh.

😊 A fic that made you smile on a bad day

Scorpion Grass by Avonne

I was not expecting to enjoy this beach AU where Loki is vacationing and Mobius is the lifeguard that's only a few years older than him. It really got to me, though. I was having a bad day when I read it, and it's truly such a novel in its own right that it just sucked me right into the world and the romance. It's a bittersweet story (which is probably why it hit so perfectly on a bad day) but genuinely very beautiful. I think about it sometimes in quiet moments. I also just loved the ending because it really did feel like the closing out of a novel and you the reader got to imagine what happened to them. I'm saving a re-read of it for another rainy day.

🤔 The first fic you think of when I say [insert word here]

I actaully avoid family/kid fic whenever possible so I wasn't sure how to answer this one until I remembered my stockpile of Leverage fic.

like a map of a place you've never been bydaybreak

It's a fake dating heist where one half of the couple has to pretend to date the loner part of their undefined and unofficial throuple. (while the other part of the couple enthusiastically watches from afar) It's a really fun premise, but the standout flavor of this one is just how alienated Eliot feels from being part of "them" even though they consider him family and a necessary part of their relationship. The whole work is just them just coaxing him slowly into the realization that they love him and want him to belong to and with them. The thing I like about Leverage is that it combines found family with a slow burn, entangled throuple that can be read as romantic or familial depending on what you want from it and this fic really combines that idea well.

[avonne-writes]

𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬!

Thank you for the tag @swifty-fox 🥰

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

56

2. What's your total ao3 word count?

443,378 ✨️

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Only Masters of the Air at the moment! Previously, HOTD, Heartstopper, Drarry, Marvel, BoB (on my old account).

4. Top five fics by kudos

Cascade (Drarry) - 5,658 kudos

Once and Never Again (Drarry) - 4,523 kudos

Desire Lines (Heartstopper) - 4,255 kudos

Reminisce (Heartstopper) - 3,778 kudos

Baby News (Drarry) - 2,858 kudos

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to respond to every comment. I really appreciate all of them, they mean the world to me ❤️ I wasn't able to keep responding to everything on some of my old stories in huge fandoms. 😔

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I usually write happy endings, but I have two fics where the main couple ends up separated by distance. They swear to keep the relationship alive, but who knows. The saddest of the two is probably Scorpion Grass (Loki/Mobius fic).

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Reverie 🥰✨️ The war is over, they reconnect in body and soul, they love each other and are planning a future together. The ending they deserved!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Usually not, but the HOTD fandom was astonishingly toxic and almost killed my love for writing. They left hate on almost everyone’s fics. Sometimes I consider deleting my HOTD fics because they don’t bring me good feelings anymore because of this.

9. Do you write smut?

Do I! Writing it as we speak 😉 When it comes to smut, I usually write porn with feelings.

10. Craziest crossover?

I wrote a crossover between HOTD and The Last Kindom: A Red Dawn Rises

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes, in the HOTD fandom. But managed to sort it out with the other person.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, 4 so far! 😊 Thank you so much to the lovely people who translated them.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not yet, but @hogans-heroes and I have a fic idea that we might do one day.

14. All time favorite ship?

Hard to choose, but I'll say Clegan. They're a beautiful pairing, a balm to my soul.

15. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

None at the moment. There’s one on my old account (a Speirton post-war fic) that I wish I finished but I don't even remember what I wanted to write there.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Setting descriptions, sensuality and hurt/comfort 😊

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Period-typical dialogue, not enough focus on side characters

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

If our POV character isn't supposed to understand it, I like it when the translation is at the bottom, otherwise I prefer the translation right after the line or the entire dialogue in English, but stating that they used another language.

19. First fandom you wrote in?

I think it was Harry Potter with my brother 😂 We didn’t even know what fanfic was, just wanted Marauders stories.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Reverie! ❤️ I'm very happy with it and can clearly see the improvement compared to my older stories. I also love Cascade (Drarry fic).

This was a fun way to reflect on my writing, I don't do this often. I'm tagging @hogans-heroes @stereobone and @nicijones if they want to do it 😊

[downwiththeficness]

The Usurper-Chapter Fourteen

Summary: Lilah McNamara stole things for a living. It was tedious work and often dangerous, which made it just exciting enough to keep her interested. After botching a routine job, Lilah finds herself standing amid monsters. Wholly unprepared for the horror of living under Amaru’s reign, Lilah decides to use her well honed skills to thwart the queen’s plans and prevent the end of the world.

Word Count: ~3,400

Disclaimer: I do not consent to this work being copied or posted to other sites of blogs.

Start at the Beginning Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Read on AO3 Masterlist

“Amaru was not always so powerful. She lived with her kin in a valley of flowers that fed on scorpions and other crawling things. I knew of her only because of the way she fought off others for the right to remain in the valley. The ridges were dotted with the heads of Xibalbans who wandered too close. Even then, she was a vicious, brutal thing.

Amaru lay down beside me during a particularly good day for basking and she started talking. She talked about the rays of sunlight pouring down over the world. She talked about how powerful the sun was, how much the world depended on it. And then, she began to describe how terrible it would be if the sun stopped shining.”

Lilah listened to Brasa’s story quietly. His voice was low, with an undercurrent of tension that revealed just how much he regretted what happened. He wasn’t looking at her, choosing instead to stare across the room and the expression on his face was almost wistful. Lilah didn’t know how she was supposed to react. What he was saying sounded like it was going to end in tragedy, but the way he was talking about it rang with nostalgia.

“I stopped basking to look around at Xibalba. It was a harsh place, but it was home. Golden grasses that met riverbeds running with crimson. Creatures of all kinds living and dying in the blink of an eye. So much life, so much energy, pulsing through every inch of the dimension. It was heartbreaking to think that it could all end.” Brasa’s eyes met Lilah’s, “I wanted to protect it. Amaru said she knew how and I...trusted her.”

Brasa’s words stalled. Afraid of what she might hear, Lilah nonetheless prompted, “What happened?”

He looked away again, “It was an obscure ritual she stole. I don’t know how she got it out of the library and I was too determined to protect the land to ask. I went along with it willingly. In the darkness, I called on the sun. I drew it down from the sky and I consumed it entirely.

The pain was more than I’d ever felt before, more than I have ever felt since. I thought I would burn from the inside until nothing existed except a pile of ash. I think I passed out a few minutes in. When I came to, Xibalba was dark and Amaru was standing over me. I remember chanting and more pain, then...nothing.

“When I woke for the second time I was hungry. I’d never felt hunger before, never needed to eat. My throat burned all the way down to my belly. I had a new set of teeth that pushed out of swollen gums. They were sharp enough to cut my own tongue. My first taste of blood was my own and it only made me want more. I tried to move—more pain. I was delirious with it, screaming and screaming and screaming...

“Amaru waited until I was too exhausted to move before she decided to explain. I was the keeper of the sun, now. All of its power lived inside me. I could protect Xibalba from anything. There were, unfortunately, some side effects. The power was too much for a single body to hold and it had to be controlled. While I was unconscious, Amaru bound us together in blood. She said it was to keep me from exploding, but I know now it was to harness my power for her own use. It was the only way to begin creating her first culebra.

“Is that why...” Lilah hedged, “why you can’t hurt her?”

Brasa nodded, “I found the ritual later, among her things in the valley. There was nothing about blood binding. Just how to pull down the sun. It was only after Amaru took control of Xibalba, after she did away with her competitors, that I could sneak down to the library. This was before Amaru had the entire collection burned. Blood binding is difficult and requires a cataclysm of power to complete. It is also permanent. Amaru would have to die in order to break the bond. Until that day, I can’t hurt her and I can’t disobey her.” His smile was brittle, “I’ve gotten very good at finding ways around her orders, but even that has its limits.”

Lilah ran her hand over her face, “Do you have it? The ritual?”

He shook his head, “No.”

“How did she bind you to her?” Lilah tried to recall everything she knew from her research. If she could work through it, she might be able to find a loophole.

Brasa pointed to his chest, “She put a piece of her heart… in me.”

“She did what, now?”

“You heard me.”

“Can’t you just cut it out?”

“You don’t think I’ve tried?”

“Right,” Lilah said. “I assume you’ve also had Javier try.”

One side of his mouth lifted, “You assume correctly.”

“So, how does it come out?” she asked to no one in particular. Every ritual had an undo button. Xibalban rituals couldn’t be much different.

“I told you,” he answered, “Amaru has to die and the chunk of heart will die with her.”

She scoffed, “There has to be another way.”

“There is no other way,” Brasa replied in a voice that said he’d had this conversation many times before. “I have looked for centuries for a way to reverse it, read every scroll, every tablet, every book. And, there was nothing.” His voice was tight when he said, “If there was an answer to all of this, Amaru made sure to destroy it.”

Lilah scrubbed at her eyes while her brain worked to put the pieces together, “So, Amaru uses some kind of ritual to grab the sun out of the sky and tacks on a binding spell so that you can’t retaliate. Then, she uses the darkness to grow an army of blood drinking creatures that can only live in the dark so that she can overthrow the ruling class and take their place on the throne. Am I getting that right?”

Brasa blinked, “That is a remarkably succinct way of describing what happened.”

“Thank you,” Lilah quipped, feeling her lips spread into an unwilling smile. She stared at him, taking in the hopelessness of his expression and feeling a pang of sympathy. If she were in Brasa’s place, Lilah didn’t think she would have lasted. She would have walked right off the edge of a cliff before she gave Amaru the satisfaction of holding power over her. “Now what?”

He shrugged, “We go on as we have been. I’ll try to keep Amaru from merging the dimensions and you will stay out of her way.”

Lilah’s eyes narrowed, “No, I’m not going to do that.”

“You said, yourself, that you’re no match for her,” Brasa countered. His brows drew together, already anticipating her argument. “She would kill you, even if it meant killing me, too.”

“See, that will only happen if I confront her directly,” Lilah could feel the adrenaline of a fight rise up in her chest. It was a nice change from her anger, a new kind of fuel. “Javier says she only thinks of me as food. She can keep thinking that.”

Brasa leaned forward and there was an urgency in his voice as he said, “Its a mistake to underestimate her. I did, and look what happened.”

She nodded, agreeing, “I’ll be careful. Remember, I’m discreet.”

He shook his head, “You’re no match for her strength.”

Lilah noticed that he hadn’t said, ‘she’s too smart’ or ‘she’ll catch you’. It was her strength that he was concerned about. If that was the only problem, Lilah knew there was an answer for it. She might not necessarily like the answer, but there was an answer. Her initial reaction was to reject it, entirely. The idea of being further tied to Brasa scared her. She didn’t know him and she wasn’t sure that she could trust him.

Looking at him, at the openness of his face and the way he seemed so concerned for her safety, Lilah couldn’t help but to feel a strange kind of affection for him. He was perfectly willing to continue to exist in utter servitude as long as she didn’t get hurt. It confused her as much as it warmed her heart. A small, hesitant part of her realized that she would have to make a compromise. She didn’t want to compromise, but even Lilah knew when to accept a little help.

“We can fix that, though,” Lilah began, “Right? I can get stronger.”

His body tightened, all that muscle drawing up to protect himself, “Yes.”

She hesitated, “Can I get stronger than she is?”

“I...don’t know.”

Lilah disliked the lack of certainty. If she wanted to get the upper hand, she needed to know. “You said she was a lower being. Does that mean lower than you?” When he confirmed it, she kept going, “Then, you absorbed the power of the sun, which had to make you stronger. If Amaru wasn’t holding you back, you could be unstoppable, right?”

“Theoretically,” Brasa drawled in a way that she knew he was wondering where she was going with her line of questioning.

She crawled across the bed towards him as she geared up for her final conclusion, “So, I might not be a match for her, but you are. We can funnel your power through me to take the bitch down.”

When had she decided that she was actually going to make an attempt at assassinating Amaru? When had she reversed a decision that had taken three days to make? Hadn’t she been adamantly against it an hour or two ago? Brasa looked as if he was thinking the same thing. He was kind of staring at her with his mouth open and his eyes flicking across her face. Lilah was willing to let him wallow in confusion, as long as he eventually agreed with her.

“It would take a lot of blood to do this,” he said lowly.

“I think I’m okay with that.”

Brasa stood in a flash of movement. He ran his hands over his hair while he paced the room, “Is this a trap? Some game you’re playing to get back at me?”

Lilah frowned, “No. Why would you think that?”

“Because,” he blurted, “you set things on fire the last time you thought you drank my blood.”

“That’s because you hid it in my fucking wine, you asshole,” she shot back.

His eyes narrowed, “You have resisted this every step of the way. You stole Javier’s car and wrecked it in your need to escape. I find it hard to believe that you’ve suddenly changed your mind after three days on the bathroom floor.”

Lilah shoved from the bed and stomped up to him, “First of all, he gave me the car. I keep telling you that. Second of all, I only spent three days on the bathroom floor because you fucking lied to me.”

Brasa’s expression was thunderous, “I lied to you because you try to run every time I tell you the truth.”

“Well, maybe if the truth wasn’t something out of a horror movie, I might be more willing to stick around!”

A low, angry sound came from his throat, “I can’t tell you the truth. I can’t lie to you. What am I supposed to do, Lilah? Tell me, what is the right thing to do? I am at a loss. You seem to hate everything that I am.”

Lilah didn’t have an answer for his questions. She didn’t know what he should have done, only how it made her feel when he made the choices he made. “I don’t hate what you are.”

“Now, who’s lying?” Brasa bit out.

Lilah sighed and walked backwards until she dropped heavily onto the bed, “I don’t know enough about what you are to hate you for it. What I do know is that you’ve taken me from my entire life and put me in a situation where I could be killed for a single mistake. You could have let me go when I asked, but you didn’t. And, you’ve been dosing me with something that literally changes the chemical make up of my body. Changing me so slowly that I didn’t notice. If I hated you for anything, it would be that.”

Brasa’s shoulders slumped and he shifted uncomfortably on his feet, “I’m sorry.” When she didn’t reply, he added, “I was afraid.”

“I can see that.”

His chest rose and fell with a breath, “Where do we go from here? Tell me what to do.”

She started to say that she didn’t know, that there might not be anywhere for them to go or anything for them to do. It wasn’t true and Lilah had, had enough of lies. “I think that we need to start working together. I think, for this to work, we have to be partners. Equals. We share the burden of our situation and we should try to help each other get through it.”

Brasa moved slowly, one step in front of the other, until he bent to kneel at her feet, “I cannot ask you to stand against her.”

“You’re not asking me to stand against her,” Lilah replied. She reached out and brushed her fingers against his cheek, “I’m telling you that I am tired of living like this and I am going to start making changes. This isn’t your choice. Its mine.”

He leaned into her touch, “Its a choice I shouldn’t ask you to make.”

Lilah smiled softly, “I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for me. I can’t live like this. I won’t.”

Brasa’s hand rested gently over hers, pressing Lilah’s palm into his cheek, “If she thinks for even a second…”

“I know,” she said, unable to reassure him. “Whatever happens, happens.”

The softness in his expression sharpened with something that looked like determination, “You want to go through with this?”

It really wasn’t a matter of want. Lilah had to do it. She had to get stronger while she plotted in secret. She had to use the weakness Javier pointed out to her so eloquently. If she didn’t, Lilah would end up dead. Whether by Amaru’s hand or the slow decay of years spent waiting for the killing blow, Lilah would not survive.

Pulling back her shoulders, Lilah made her voice sound at firm as possible, “I do.”

His chin tilted up and down in a single nod, “Prove it.”

“What?”

Brasa’s eyes stared hard into hers, “I said, prove it. If this is your plan—to get stronger than Amaru and ambush her—then, prove it.”

She was used to having her bluffs called, but that didn’t keep her heart from tumbling down into her stomach, “How do I do that?”

“Easy,” he replied, “take my blood. Right now.”

Lilah knew this was coming. It was her suggestion, after all. Hearing it from his mouth shouldn’t have surprised her. Yet, Lilah felt the heart that was still in her stomach thudding with fear. He might have given her wine-soaked offerings of his blood in the last few weeks and that blood might have already irrevocably changed her, but this...this was a willful choice.

She pulled her hand away and tucked it against her chest, “I don’t know how.”

Brasa almost smiled, “I will show you.”

Broad shoulders shrugged off his coat and he flung it to the side. He thumbed open the button on the cuff of his shirt and made quick work of rolling it up. From his pocket, he produced a knife. It flicked open with a snap of metal. Brasa looked up at her, “Yes?”

Lilah forced the word, ‘yes’, through her teeth. If he thought she was going to back down, he was dead wrong. Lilah made her decision and she was going to see it through. Brasa took her at her word and looked down long enough to dig the blade deep into the skin of his arm. Blood welled up from the wound, deep red and thick. Lilah swallowed around a dry throat while she steadied her will.

“Quickly,” Brasa commanded, “before it closes.”

She let him guide her until her mouth met the wet, sticky skin of his arm. Mouth open and trembling, Lilah tried to work her jaw so that she could swallow. The muscles refused the directives of her brain. Her body refused to move, even to pull away.

“Drink,” came a soft whisper. Brasa’s face was very close to hers. His free hand slipped over the back of her neck in support. She felt his thumb rubbing slow circles at the base of her skull.

Breathing through her nose, Lilah cupped her tongue and drew the first sip into her mouth. Immediately, she wished she hadn’t. Lilah barely remembered the last time she did this. Laid out on the asphalt with a broken body, she wasn’t exactly focused on her taste buds. Now, with nothing to dull her sense, Lilah had to acknowledge that she liked the taste of Brasa. He tasted like spun sugar. Light and airy in a way that shouldn’t be possible with how heavy and thick his blood was. Lilah took another mouth full. It was coming easier than the first. Yes, he was sweet. Almost too sweet. It put an ache in her jaw.

“More, Lilah,” Brasa urged, an undercurrent of heat in his voice.

God help her, but she obeyed. Lilah took swallow after swallow, drinking as if it were nothing more than water. Her eyes fluttered closed and a low sound rolled out of her throat. Around her, Brasa’s body thrummed with an answering groan. Heat poured from his skin. It built in wave after wave, scalding her lips and the back of her neck. Sweat formed at her brow and between her breasts. Lilah was dizzy with it, but she kept drinking.

“Alright,” Brasa rasped. “that’s enough.”

She felt him pull back to dislodge her from his arm. Lilah let go with a wet sound and a sharp inhale. Her eyes opened to blurred vision while her heart pounded against her ribs. Lilah blinked rapidly and tried to catch her breath. Brasa was all around her. His scent filled her nose. Coffee and caramel. His arms were holding her upright and his chest was pressed against her knees. She could hear him speaking in her ear.

“Lilah,” he was saying, “Look at me. Are you alright?”

Was she alright? Lilah took stock of her body. She certainly felt alright, if overwhelmed. There was an electric pulse going through her veins, running a race against the beat of her heart. The hair on her arms and neck was raised and her skin was prickling with excitement. She felt like she could run a thousand miles. Like she could take on a god.

“I’m good,” Lilah breathed around a smile, “I’m good.”

Brasa’s hands held her shoulders. He didn’t look convinced. Lilah ignored him. He was too much of a worrywart. She was perfectly fine on the carousel ride that was his blood. A part of her wondered how long it would last. Another part of her didn’t care. This was the first bit of fun she’d had in ages and Lilah was determined to enjoy it. She flopped back on the bed and shimmied into the comforter.

From below, Brasa laughed. He rose and grasped her hips, pushing her higher onto the bed. Lilah’s head lolled to the side so she could watch him climb in beside her. He rested his head on his palm and observed her with a bewildered smile. Lilah rolled her eyes at him, but couldn’t suppress a little laugh.

“That’s certainly a new experience for me.”

“Is it?” Brasa asked, “I’m glad.”

Her brows drew together, “You’re glad?”

He hummed in confirmation, “I want to give you new experiences.”

“You do?”

Brasa looked as if he were surprised by the omission. To his credit, he stuck to his guns, “I do.”

“Well,” she swallowed around the word, “I think you’re going to more than accomplish your goal.”

He stared at her, concern all over his face, “You really think you can defeat her?”

Lilah nodded. It had to happen. There wasn’t another option for her. Lilah would either destroy Amaru or she would die in the attempt. What had Javier said? Pride would be her downfall? Lilah knew all about pride...and she definitely knew how it could lead to disaster.

[cyberkiss2uu]

ok ill keep the brainrotting to a minimum but someone pleaaaase ask me ab these guys im so normal ab themm ahahahhahaa

theyre twins the boy is Xueshe and the girl is Puzui… they r Liyue characters :3 specifically illuminated beasts!

they r so tragic i think ive talked ab them a bit before but buddy ive written a like 4000+ word Ongoing masterdoc of their lore and design analysis. with several playlists. im not fucking around with these guys

basically they were. mitosis’d by Cloud Retainer and fought in the archon war and the cataclysm and ended up being Khaenri’ah sympathizers so Celestia astrally projected them into the Abyss for 500 years until they both nearly went insane and the Puzui DID go insane and lose all her memories and they break free during the upcomimg lantern rite so 😜 cant wait to see 4.4 play out and alter their lives

Xueshe’s design is waaay less thought out than Puzuis tbh i dont feel that he looks like a genshin character and i know i could do more to achieve that but. ykw xiao can have all the visual complexity in their relationship idc. um he kinda maybe has a hanfu shirt. his shirt could be tied up like hes doing archery but hes. a sword character. also hes supposed to have the same glove that Xiao does to hold their visions because i loove when matching/swapping/sharing items is used as a visual representation of a relationship idk. and he has a little fox friend named Nezha because hes a protection deity

Puzui’s has a lot of choices based on forget me nots (also called scorpion grass which influenced her hair) and me genuinely referencing hanfu and qipao.. altho ive come to the conclusion her qipao looks way more like an ao dai with the pants LOL um also her Huadian (forehead makeup) is supposed to be a forget me not and the dots on her brow and dimples are called Huadian or MianYe :3

the pibo (the silk behind Puzui) and the lingzhi (Xueshe’s headpiece) are used in folklore art and opera respectively but i thought that they would be a really interesting way to call back on how theyre like from a diff time period yk. even tho just their outfits do that but WTVRRR also the lingzhi is used for good looking generals in opera and ykw. he IS a good looking general.

theyre also classing pyro and cryo siblings yaaay overall theyre just designed to be opposites yet very similar you know how it is. when your sibling is your narrative foil when you and your sibling are doomed by the narrative

um their illuminated beast forms were also deisgned with chinese mythological creatures in mind… Puzui’s is loosely based on the Fuzhu and Xueshe’s is even more loosely based on the Tianma.. i just wanted a clydesdale ill be honest

YEAA thats def not their entire story ill circle back when 4.4 drops im just queuing a bunch of stuff rn in december. hi future people waoww

[moonluringfrost]

Writeblr Battle Royale - Mary vs Ametrine (Ametrine's POV)

Hello, everyone! I'm taking part in a very cool event arranged by @your-absent-father. I've been paired up with the cool and very talented @myancientmars to write about two of our characters fighting to the death :D You can read Mary's point of view for this fight here. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Ametrine is the antagonist of my choose your own adventure Scorpion Grass. You can check out the rest of the tournament at @writeblrbattleroyale. (you should everyone's stories are so cool!)

Without further ado, here's Ametine's point of view: (warnings for violence, blood, and death)

You wake up. 

You aren’t supposed to be waking up. 

You’re supposed to be hunting down a ghost and saving someone’s life. 

Something is wrong here. 

You note that you’re still wearing your dress and sunglasses. The shade might be playing tricks on you, again. 

You won’t let it stay you from your task. 

Standing, you see this is not the bedroom you were last in. 

It’s an alcove of some sort. Gray walls, ceiling, floor. Nothing familiar. 

There is a door there on the far wall. 

Through it you can hear… something. It’s indistinct, despite its volume. 

You turn the handle and open it into an expanse of white, bright even through tinted lenses. 

The sound is clearer now. The roar of an expectant crowd. 

You step out into the light, ready to face whatever may come next. 

The floor is firm under your boots, like stone. Smooth, but not slippery. 

Far off into the distance ahead of you there appears to be a person. Or, perhaps a ghost. It’s impossible to tell at this range. 

A voice booms out like thunder, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere. 

“Welcome to the battle, my dear audience,” the voice says. The walla of the crowd shutters to a hush. 

“Welcome to the bloodshed. I am M, your humble game master. In front of me are our contenders. Their weapons are in front of them. Their enemy on their opposite. Their only way out is either killing their opponent or dying. These two are a very interesting duo. I just can’t wait for the show,” the game master explains. 

“I’m sorry, what the fuck do you mean, ‘killing or dying’?”, your apparent opponent cries out. As if it isn't simple.

You’re already moving towards her. You don’t plan on dying now, there’s too much at stake. 

So killing will have to be your path for the time being. 

The woman seems confused, unsure of what she’s doing there. 

You are quite sure of what you’re doing, however. You’re getting this over with so you can return to your calling. 

As you draw closer, you see that the woman is all in black. She is wearing sunglasses just as you are.

The woman doesn’t attack when you come within striking distance. She looks as though she might be about to speak, but you’re already trying to sweep her legs from under her.

The woman appears to be a fighter, though she lacks initiative, and manages to dodge the blow. 

You try again, circling around. Your opponent is frustratingly agile, managing to evade you for at least a minute. 

Finally, you manage to catch her by the shoulders and bring the heel of your boot down on her ankle. 

She stays standing. 

You don’t have time to play around like this. 

Allowing the woman to push you away, you call upon the cleansing flames. 

If she’s alive, they’ll not harm her, but may distract her. If she’s dead, well. The fight will be over very soon. 

“Holy shit,” the woman says, unburned. 

Not a ghost then. That’s a shame. You prefer to avoid killing the living. 

“Are you also a Bane, do you know how we got here?” the woman asks. 

You aren’t sure what a Bane is. It sounds ghostly… but you’re quite sure you know all the kinds of ghosts there are. 

Ah, you shouldn’t let yourself get distracted by thinking. 

The woman has removed her knife from its holster on her thigh. 

The clock is ever ticking, you are always running out of time. 

You spring back into action, attacking the woman with renewed vigor. The knife complicates things, but you have bigger fears than death to face. 

She manages to knick you once, twice, three times in the scuffle. You briefly wonder if you’ll have a scar on your cheek to match Patience’s. 

Then you elbow the woman in the face, catching her nose and sending her sunglasses flying. 

The woman’s eyes are as white as the ‘room’ you are in. Endless, vast. 

“If you’re not a Bane, how are you doing that?” the woman asks, voice pinched as she tries to staunch her bleeding nose. The blood has a grayish tinge to it. 

Shadows form into moths and swarm towards you. They aren’t shades of any sort, nor tricks of the light. They sting at your skin wherever they land. 

You’re certain this is your opponent’s doing. 

“What… are you?” you can’t help but ask. 

The woman swipes at her nose with the back of her hand. “That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out about you… since you’re not a bane like me.” 

“I’m an exorcist,” you say. It’s easy enough to figure out once it’s been said, you’re sure. “What’s a bane?” 

The woman seems thoroughly stumped by your question, gaping like a fish for a moment. “I genuinely don’t think I have enough time to explain that to you,” she finally says. 

“Not a ghost, then?” You confirm. Well then… “Hm, I agree, we shouldn’t waste time,”  you say, cutting your sharpest grin. 

This time the woman catches you mid-attack, taking your wrists in her hands. She drops her dagger on the floor in the process. 

She uses her sharp fingernails just as easily as she did the knife, so it doesn’t make much difference. Not at first. 

Your opponent is getting tired. Her breathing is a little harsher. Her movements a little less precise. 

You are used to fighting long fights. The possessed rarely go down easy, even with the cleansing flame. 

Shadows warp and weave, attempting to cover your opponent. But there’s not quite enough of them. Whatever the goal was, it is not achieved, and your opponent struggles. 

While she’s distracted, you bend to pick up the dropped dagger. It’s a beautiful weapon, made of white stone. It’s heavy in your grasp. 

The woman seems to finally accept that whatever she was attempting was futile. 

Just in time for her to have her own knife buried in her neck. 

You catch the woman as she falls, the fight leaving her alongside her blood. 

You lower her to the ground gently. 

“I’m sorry, this had to be done,” you apologize. “May you find peace.” You hope she won’t come back to haunt. 

Though you are the victor of the battle, your own oblivion in the form of blindingly bright light consumes you. You return to unconsciousness. For now.

[nadiajustbe]

A little peace from a fic I don't know If I will ever translate, but really want to show because I love them so much.

(...)

"These constellations are considered to be among the few that can be seen clearly when you look closely enough," Howl began, lowering his hand. "The others look like spiders scattered in their webs. And as you know, I have a certain respect for spiders!"

If it was a subtle hint that she should stop cleaning the cobwebs above his bed the following weekend, it didn't work. Sophie put her hands under her head, slowly understanding the reason why the people of Wales wore such strange, revealing clothes: this dress was not the best choice for stargazing. The fabric binded her arms, making it difficult to sit comfortably in the desired position. Not that Sophie was going to show it in any way: she would rather go around as an old lady for another day than wear one of those strange blue trousers that Howl had once given to Michael.

"I thought we were talking about constellations," she reminded him, "not your strange connection to spiders."

Howl shifted on the grass, clearly aware of the consequences of his mistakes — or at least Sophie would like to think he was aware of them at least sometimes.

"Of course, of course! "What do you take me for, you horrible woman?" he retorted, visibly indignant, and terribly theatrical, "As I said, there are still constellations that are harder to see. Such as Gemini, Leo, or Scorpius. Many people believe that the stars you were born under determine your fate and character for the rest of your life."

For some reason, Sophie felt a little offended. She took her arms out from under her head, freeing herself from the captivity of the thin sleeves, and folded them across her chest: a gesture that looked rather awkward when lying down, but Sophie had long since learned not to worry about such trifles.

"So, first you let some sparkles in the sky can decide your fate," she said, looking strictly at Howl, "and then later you tell me I was doing something wrong when I thought I was just the oldest of the three? Isn't that the same thing?"

It was only after saying this that Sophie realised that it probably didn't sound very convincing: all the fairy tale settings at the end of the story had turned out to be lies, and as she remembered how much her sisters wanted to see the light of the shooting stars, she realised that Ingary had also allowed the stars to control other people's lives. However, in a completely different way. She was not going to give up her Sophie because of this: it was still terribly unfair, with or without traditions!

"Not really," Howl clarified, now also speaking to her. "I, obviously, never believed in such nonsense, but some of the stellar predictions have been surprisingly accurate. For example, I was born under the constellation Aquarius."

Sophie could hardly imagine that somewhere in the sky in Wales, a full-grown man was imprisoned to pour water on them. It was even harder to comprehend how he had apparently been put right next to the Lions and Scorpions — but she had lost the logic of this country after the Dipper family, so she didn't ask too much.

"And what do your fortune tellers say about the Aquarius people?" Sophie asked, trying to find something in the sky that faintly resembled a figure with spilled water. She had her own reasons for believing that she could do it, even if Howl had said it was impossible, she knew for a fact that he was just refusing to do anything until the end.

"Many wonderful, incredible things, dear Sophie..." he pulled, his hair finally turning into disheveled curls as he shook his head back and forth, "They are very sensible, intelligent, respectful, have beautiful, silky hair and an incredible singing voice, can always find a way out of a situation, always follow their hearts, are incredibly successful in sports..."

"..and they're also terribly cowardly, wasteful, overly dramatic, loud, clumsy, slither out of every possible situation, and prefer to do the most stupid things so they never have to clean their own house," Sophie finished, mocking to herself.

Howl sighed, one of those heavy, long breaths that made it hard to tell if there was something that was really bothering him or if he was just trying to add some emotion to the scene.

"The worst and best thing about Aquarius," he said, "is that they are lucky enough to have as their greatest taste formidable red-haired witches who love to sully their names and stick their incredibly long noses in the dirt of other people's rooms."

Sophie found that despite the expression on his visibly pouty, offended face, he didn't look truly displeased or pitiful. Perhaps even the opposite. She turned to the side opposite from Howl with a fierce certainty that he wanted to see her own face: Sophie did not want to give him that kind of pleasure. She didn't know what constellation she was born under and, frankly, she didn't think it was that important. Whatever that sign was, it certainly included love for the stupidest, most worthless men in two of the possible universes. Sophie didn't need a fortune-teller to know that.

"It doesn't matter," she thought rather suddenly, "when you don't really want to complain about it."

[sailormanrahh]

oh no oh god oh noooo noooooo arrrrrghhh :((((

i have a comic planned. most of the art i make is of two particular characters from it. both of them have too much info to just dump all at once and expect people to comprehend at all. i will try to keep this as short and concise as possible for your convenience.

(this will most likely be long winded anyways. i have a lot to catch this page up on)

so. here i go.

this is tsuru. shes my first oc. shes been here for a good long while. shes also the protagonist of my comic, and probably the biggest mess of character lore i have. its always an uphill battle trying to put her lore in particular into words with my terrible grasp of the english language. i will try my darndest.

shes chill. been on earth for 17 grueling years, but had to age mentally tenfold to stay safe in her situation. a bit of a mess, but shes not alone in that. lives by herself in a very low-income part of town actively being strangled to death by the mayor, but manages to scrape together the materials to keep herself afloat. big hardworker with a skeptical but loyal heart.

shes immortal, she can only die if her heart is ripped out by another immortal being. if she gets hurt, flowers that bud from her heart stitch the wound back to its original state. the flowers are scorpion grasses. her immortality brings her great grief.

she also has an entirely separate power. she produces a strongly acidic blue acid in her wrists and mouth. with that acid, she can burn into peoples skulls and access and mess with their memories. she is intended to consume any memories she takes, and her immune system is made to detect and make her vomit out any regular food she consumes, however, her power is "deformed" and her immune system confuses memories for regular food, causing her to vomit them out. that makes her incredibly skinny as a result, and unable to properly consume food. she still does anyway though, she loves food.

her deformities tend to get in the way of regular life. she's supposed to be able to control the amount of acid she produces, but is unable to, therefore struggling to eat with regular cutlery, brush her teeth and share food or beverages, among other problems. she manages to adapt, and has special-made dinnerware and cutlery that is resistant to her saliva. she also brushes her teeth with her finger.

the immune system deformity would have killed her immediately if it werent for her immortality. shes thankful about it, but also a bit sad about basically being a hair away from death at all times.

most other information is unnecessary at this point in time. i will add a fun(?) fact though: she cant read or write. she never learned how :(

next:

this is yuzuru. shes fun to draw, mostly because of the hair. shes part of the main cast. i feel like her character is just a huge amalgamation of things i find awesome in a funny way. awesome sauce, even. really brings out the inner skateboarding dinosaur in me.

shes also 17 but woefully brain old. she has like 5 different huge jobs and commands a huge army of lackeys. (unwillingly, ill get into that.) shes sweet but oh, oh so very stressed. a little spicy at times. maybe a bit drastic. little unstable even, but very kind and understanding to her friends.

she doesnt remember anything about her past, but was supposedly whisked away as a little kid to have her potential exploited and made into a multi-purpose killing machine by a cult that occupies her part of town. her time during her hay-day in the cult was spent hexed by a control spell cast on her by the leader during her initiation. the hex brought out a new, violent personality that overpowered her base personality and occupied her body for most of her life.

long story short: the hex was partly dispelled by a traumatic event that slapped her mental ass so hard her old self came out for the first time in years. the semi-dispel was enough for her to communicate her concerns to a witch doctor who gave her the instructions to almost completely dispel it. even mostly dispelled, the violent persona still occupies her head and causes her great discomfort in her day-to-day life.

sorry for the terribly angsty backstory. it is how it is.

powers not too interesting, she has syringe nails. she can retract needles from her nails and suck or inject liquids like a regular syringe. liquids are stored in specialized glands in her palms. shes also immune to regular human dosages, she needs 3x the amount of a regular dosage for whatever chemical to have any effect on her.

thats relevant to the main (non-murder) job she performs at the cult. shes a doctor and is in charge of the medical department. shes also a medical researcher on the side. has tons of diaries dedicated to documenting research. thats a topic for another time.

she also rides a chopper motorcycle and cleans up corpses left out on the street. also has a massive collection of motorcycles. this is one of the childishly awesome parts i was talking about. shes so bad to the bone badass skeleton image.

i think thats enough blabbering. ive done it, the thing ive been dreading. at least now that ive aired out these two angsty goobers i have finally thrown out any shame i had that was keeping me from screaming oc stuff into the tumblr void.

i am so sorry for making you endure this. i swear its all better in my head.

heres a good image to heal the cringe wounds

[ambisun]

A Little Rain - Forget Me Not

Forget-me-nots are sprawling wildflowers that can be found in bunches of powder blue petals, each dotted with a yellow centre. The plant can quickly grow wherever it finds itself, and sustain itself just as well. Sometimes it’s also referred to as scorpion grass, given the shape the flower clusters grow in, but don’t let the nickname deceive you — this is a card of sentimentality, and there are no barbs here.

According to Greek mythology, the flower gets its distinct name from an old story. The Greek god, Zeus, was naming each flower one by one. He’d thought he’d finished the job until these beautiful blue flowers proclaimed, “Forget me not!” Zeus, who was ready to be done, accepted the cry and dubbed them thusly.

[greatwyrmgold]

So, ever since I read Worm and got it irreparably jammed inside my skull, there's been part of me that tries to smash it together with any other media I get fixated on. I used to crank out a chapter or two based on the first idea that came to mind, then abandon it just as quickly when I ran out of ideas. So now I put more thought into that sort of thing, even if it means I never end up writing anything at all.

Anyways, this post is about a Chainsaw Man crossover.

I have two broad kinds of ideas about what a CSM/Worm crossover would look like. First are devils that would exist in Earth Bet; second are ways that parahumanity would react to the existence of devils.

Parahuman Devils

For Wormblrinas who don't know the second thing about Chainsaw Man, devils are basically embodiments of fear. Each one is associated with a scary thing, and grows in power as more people fear its name. So the Gun Devil is connected to guns, it gets stronger as fear of guns increases, and it also gets stronger if the Gun Devil specifically is feared.

So there is, presumably, a devil for everything that is feared. There are a lot of things like that in Earth Bet.

First, the Parahuman Devil, a devil embodying humanity's fear of parahumanity. It would probably be an upper-mid-tier devil, comparable to the Future Devil or Snake Devil or something. I imagine it would specifically have the power to give out parahuman abilities, or devilish approximations thereof. In theory, it could do this without inflicting the trauma of a trigger event on the contractee; in practice, its contracts demand extremely personal sacrifices to the same end.

(Unless Cauldron or a certain devil successfully binds it to their service, an idea I've kicked around without coming up with any idea except a crummy shadow war.)

Second, the Endbringer Devil. This would be a doozy; people are legitimately concerned that the Endbringers are going to...you know...bring an end to the world. The Endbringer Devil would be comparable in power to an actual Endbringer; basically nothing short of a top cape or devil would be able to tell the difference. It would attack regularly, spacing its attacks between actual Endbringer attacks.

I'm torn on the question of what it looks like and can do. Either it has weaker versions of the other Endbringers' powers—some of Simurgh's telekinesis and foresight, some of Leviathan's hydrokinesis and speed, some of Behemoth's firebolt and lightning—or it's basically a fourth Endbringer, filling a niche they leave absent, probably with a satanic design. (The Endbringers' eschatological motif plus "devil", natch.) The latter feels less plausible; the former feels lazier.

Third, and most promising for an actual story: Devils of specific fearsome parahumans. I imagine these would be pretty weak; lots of people in Brockton Bay are afraid of Lung, but it's a very localized fear. Cape devils might exceed the power of, say, the Tomato Devil or the Sea Cucumber Devil, but only the strongest would reach the level of the Fly Devil or Scorpion Devil. (And possibly also the Skitter Devil, if it can control the Fly and Scorpion Devils.)

Infamous teams might generate enough fear to create devils. I imagine the Slaughterhouse Nine would be one of them, and that the Slaughterhouse Nine Devil would readily accept an invitation. After all, he gets stronger as the Slaughterhouse Nine is more feared! This devil probably takes a support role comparable to Bonesaw's, with devil contracts instead of surgery.

Mostly, though, villain devils will just add a little texture to professional devil hunters' lives. One day they're fighting an evil cheeseburger with human teeth in its bun, next day a diluted caricature of a local supervillain, then a humanoid bundle of grass.

Speaking of devil hunters...

Deviled Parahumans

Devils have, as far as we know, been around at least as long as humans have known fear. Presumably, devil hunters have existed as long as humans have divided themselves into distinct professions, with the devil hunters we see in CSM just being what that profession looks like in the socioeconomic climate of 90's-era Japan.

Presumably, a bedeviled world where some people got non-devil-derived superpowers would put those superpowers to work fighting devils. It's even possible that capes as a distinct institution wouldn't exist in this world; parahumans might be incorporated into devil hunter leagues alongside fiends and people with devil contracts, parahuman criminals might be treated the same way as devils and their contractees.

That's not to say these institutions wouldn't change. Excluding outliers like Eidolon, Lung, Denji, and Kobeni, the average parahuman is probably stronger than the average devil hunter. Also, parahumans can make contracts with devils; they could probably even get more/better contracts, by giving up some of what their parahuman ability gave them (directly or otherwise). Ha, imagine Leet and Uber empowered by the Video Game Devil...

Look, point is, parahumans would be in a position to unduly influence extant institutions, both directly and indirectly (via those institutions changing to recruit more parahumans). The yakuza we see in CSM would be displaced by parahuman-lead groups as Earth Bet's crime syndicates were, and devil hunter groups would twist around the needs of (and imposed by) parahumans. Both would be further distorted by a need to respond to the Endbringers (including the Endbringer Devil). They probably wouldn't look like Earth Bet's capes, though.

One particular wrinkle I think might be interesting: You know how the yakuza employed young Denji as a devil hunter? I imagine "villain" groups would do the same in this world. They could position themselves as local heroes, black-hat devil hunters, defending their territory against the scourge of devils (while profiting off black-market sales of devil parts, among other things).

Outlines of a Plot

First off: In many of the Worm/anime crossovers I outline but never write, I make a note that Brockton Bay has a significant Japanese diaspora community, to justify why so many Japanese characters are running around.

Anyways, this Brockton Bay is mostly like canon, but with devils around. There are three major devil hunter leagues: The local branch of the Protectorate (or whatever I rename Cauldron's devil hunter league to), the Brockton Bay Brigade, and Serpent's Coil—a private devil hunter group run by a man with impressive intuition and possibly a Snake Devil contract. (Possibly a fourth or fifth, depending on how I decide to fit Faultline and the Control Devil into this Brockton.)

Coil's plan is a lot like canon!Coil's, except that he's trying to take over the hero-equivalents via capitalism instead of bureaucracy. He's still funding local political candidates, still organizing crime behind the scenes, still working with Cauldron.

Denji is a lot like canon!Denji, too. His dad was in debt to the ABB (or one of its predecessor organizations) instead of the yakuza, but he still works as a devil hunter/manual laborer/organ donor to pay it off, still with his chainsaw dog backing him up.

I'm not sure how to get to the next part. It feels like a big fight involving Lung and Denji would be the right way to do it, since it's a natural intersection of the two series' inciting incidents...but Worm's fight in response to Lung apparently being about to kill kids doesn't mesh with Denji "will be a chair for $1/minute" Hayakawa and Lung seems too control-freak-y to accept the Zombie Devil's contract. (The white supremacists might stumble into it, though.) WIP

Anyways, the Undersiders see Denji, and Lisa decides to adopt him like a lost puppy with a chainsaw in its face. They adopt him like Pochita. This is distinct from their recruitment of Taylor in Worm canon because Denji is way less suspicious than Taylor is and has no ulterior motives. He also gets along with Rachel immediately, because she figuratively has a dog's heart and he literally does. And because they're semi-feral children with abusive substitute parents. Also, she'd probably let him touch her chest without luring him into a deathtrap first.

(Though it would be pretty funny if the Bat Devil dognapped one of Rachel's dogs, and that chapter was set up exactly like the Bat Devil arc, down to Rachel mentioning a deal they made...only for Rachel to punch the devil in the schnozz and grab the dog, because she's pissed at him. She's blunt, not stupid.)

Anyways, I bet Denji would get along well with Alec, too. They're both teenaged guys who enjoy simple pleasures, need to learn the value of emotional intimacy, and were traumatized by their abusive dads. And Lisa would get along with Denji by whatever means necessary; he's not as pathetic or martyr-ey as Taylor, but he doesn't put that much value on his life, and he's considerably less antisocial than Taylor.

Brian, though? He's a lot like Aki, but with less trauma and more machismo. (Not that Brian didn't have trauma or Aki didn't engage in machismo, just...different ratios.) Their first proper meeting would almost certainly end with someone getting kicked in the nuts.

Similar plot structure to early Worm, without the triple life; Denji integrates into the Undersiders as they navigate the Brockton underworld. The Brockton underworld, and particularly the machinations driving it all, are just very different. And of course, the antagonist of CSM's Public Safety Arc would take action.

You might well wonder what Taylor's doing. And to be fair, I'm not sure either! Point 1, for those who've read CSM's Academy Arc, is whether to make her an Asa or a Yuko. Point 2 is whether she triggers before that, after, or not at all. But either way, she's going full vigilante, like she was planning to before she ran into Lung (except with more devils).