i was not made for gentle things.

my body is my enemy ⎛ . . . ⎠ a terrorist holding a dead man's switch!

[anamnaesis]

tyrias the destroyer of granblue fantasy. by percival (30+, he/him)

affiliated with @isolaradiale.

ranked ⎛ . . . ⎠ luminous dwarf ❲ 7/24/25 ❳ housed ⎛ . . . ⎠ apartment 301

app. stats. threads. worldbuilding.

in the wise words of tumblr user coolchulain "robomi z is an event about teaching an angry stray cat that girls are cute"

tyrias is not nicholas but everyone seems to think so because they lack critical thinking

died for love, came back for love, died for love again

but also what are emotions???

created literally to destroy things but he didn't even do that properly. you know. because girls are cute

like superman, but if superman didn't understand emotions and was sorta dead inside and an antihero

to eat is to love but like in the bio organic manipulation sort of way

hi its me percival, again, and sometimes granblue gives me characters and i am unhinged about them. i write with indies but group members take priority. a better rules section will be here soon.

[radiantblk]

          'if that is what you are', this guy says, and marshall feels himself shrugging vaguely in answer. he wasn't... not human, but the radiant had done some weird things to him, so it felt odd to answer in such a straightforward way. after all, most humans didn't get an alien language downloaded directly into their brain, or found themselves able to hurl trains with just a heave of their arms. but it wasn't exactly a thought marshall liked to linger on, so a vague shrug it was.

     ❝ I know a little bit about the distant stars, and that's kind of an understatement, but look. The me that... that whatever this is conjured, he doesn't. He's just... ❞ marshall's expression twisted, mouth working as he struggled to speak for a second. ❝ He's just a guy, okay? No special powers, no weird experiences. I mean, fuck, he probably still works at the DVD store. Okay? If you're as intimidating as you look, it'll be easy. Promise. ❞ the thought of what he was ensuring, that killing him would be easy, made marshall sick. but what the fuck else was he supposed to do here?

     and then the stranger was conjuring his own armor, and making... an unfortunately rather good point. right. right. his face. there wasn't exactly a way around that, was there? fuck. this was just getting better and better.

     ❝ Yeah. Okay. You're right. Just don't like... tell anyone. Or whatever. Secret identity and all that. Though I'm not actually sure how much it even matters here at this point. ❞ and then marshall was taking a deep breath, and the dark glass of his helmet dissolved, exposing the anxious tightness in his face and the twist of his mouth.

     ❝ Right, cool, this is me. So let's just... ❞ marshall's form glowed as his feet lifted from the ground, body turning for a moment before he glanced back. ❝ Oh, uh, can you fly? Or do you need help? ❞

[anamnaesis]

❝ secret ... identity? ❞ somehow, everything this young man said had managed to throw tyrias completely off. what sort of humans needed to hide their identities? ❝

❝ do humans often hurt each other when they know something like that? ❞ it is rather sad to think about. the people of the skies were not so violent- not the ones that tyrias had seen. but that was why he knew the strength of an everyday person. for this young man, it seemed like maybe things were different.

and then he looks at his companion's face.

it isn't a case of an everyday person. he's being asked to kill someone who is just a kid. ❝ you are ... so young. ❞ but tyrias promised he would do this. the young man mentions his regular counterpart working at some sort of ... ❝ and what is a DVD? ❞

no, these are questions for later. if they meet again and he can find it in him to forgive tyrias. it's hard, isn't it? to forgive someone for causing a death. even those who lived... back in the skies, had airi ever forgiven him for what he did?

can you fly, asks his companion, and tyrias black armor seems to glow. a strange circuitry of alien machinery- ❝ i can resist the force of gravity here, for a time. this armor would allow me to survive in the expanse of space if needed. it is not just to augment pre-existing abilities. we should ... find this other you. so you can have your own body back, right? ❞

[everwaas]

"Ah, so you're...not...human? If it's not rude, you look quite like one -- you must have done much work to blend in well."

The other's speech is stilted: a hallmark of a second-language speaker, though not in a way that's hard for him to understand. Reuben turns over the orange in his hand, placing it into his companion's wide, open palm instead of into his own paper bag, carefully making sure the produce stand's seller is paid for the additional fruit.

"You'll want to get the peel off before you eat -- the peels only taste good if they're candied, after all. Ah, there's some benches over there...we can sit and eat, and I can start my explanation from the things in my bag."

He folds the bag into his arms, happily: while he still has to remind himself that nonhumans are quite normal on this island, it's still somewhat amazing to him that they even exist at all (as superstitious as his mother was, with her beliefs in field-spirits and hyperlocalized deities, these things never really showed up for him).

"I purchased carrots, tomatoes, apples, red onions, leeks...some types of cabbage I'm unfamiliar with, but wanted to try."

[anamnaesis]

so you're not human, says the merchant, and tyrias nods. it isn't the first time he's been mistaken for one, though. he remembers when he first encountered the skydwellers. how nicholas' mate(?)- was that how skydwellers saw it?- threw her arms around him before she realized that he wasn't the person she thought he was. yes, tyrias had been able to take a form that mimicked humans to an extent, but he had not intended to model the body off of those specific bipedal creatures. ❝ there are beings back in the galaxy that i call my home who also resemble humans, i suppose. i took this form using theirs as a basis- ❞

tyrias was taller, stronger, more durable than a human could ever dream of being- at least one without any otherworldly abilities. but he looked close enough to them, didn't he? enough that he was deemed rather attractive. at least, airi told him that he was handsome. she told him that if he focused more on learning to live with the people of the skies and less on destroying them, he could be rather popular. back then, he knew that she was trying to deter him so that he would spare her father-

now, he wondered if she would've returned his feelings if he had listened. ❝ i, much like the others of my species, am capable of adapting as needed to the planets i travel to. but, this form has proven ... ❞

❝ pleasing. or at least i have been told. ❞

tyrias stares at the orange placed in his hand, and if not for reuben's warning, he's certain he would've bitten into the fruit without much fanfare. to eat was to learn ⎛ and to love ⎠.

reuben leads him to a bench to sit, and tyrias manages to peel the orange- clumsily, but he knows that he can't expect himself to be perfect at something he's never really done before- before pulling apart the slices and putting one in his mouth. he finds it pleasant in a way he's yet to be able to describe. ❝ your knowledge of food will help me adapt to this place more efficiently. and this is quite good! there is nothing like it where i come from. ❞

[radiantblk]

           ugh. okay. leave it to marshall's luck to stumble upon someone who unironically uses the word "remedy". and, seriously? a "your kind" line? what kind of b-list movie villain was this? maybe he should have done some recon before asking this guy for help, fucked-up mindset or not. but too late for that, he guessed. marshall was getting this over with as quickly as possible, weird emo ( that's still what it was called, right? ) guys be damned. he'd just have to wing it and hope it all went okay. probably. hopefully.

     ❝ Okay, cool, so glad we're on the same page here. But listen— ❞

     and then marshall was frowning, face scrunching up underneath his helmet because sorry? rip? tear? a groan just barely escaped from his mouth as he raised a hand to press to the glass of his helmet, head ducking as he took a deep, fortifying breath. because that? that did not sound good. how had that even come up? couldn't a guy ask another guy to kill him ( sort of ) without talking about fucking... ripping and tearing? was nothing sacred anymore?

     okay. maybe he should wind this back a little.

     ❝ Okay, look, with all due respect— ❞ which may be none, it wasn't quite clear to him yet, ❝ —you need to calm the fuck down. I'm talking about a normal guy here. ❞ and what a shock that still was, seeing a version of himself that had never touched the radiant. any radiant. how had that even happened? ❝ You can just... stab him, or something. There's literally no reason for, ❞ marshall waved his hand at the other man vaguely, a noise of frustration bursting from him, ❝ all that. Okay? Got it? We got a deal, or what? ❞

[anamnaesis]

tyrias blinks. his strange companion tells him to 'just stab him'- and that's the tamest thing he's ever been asked to do. at least when it comes to destroying. ❝ perhaps i will never understand humans- ❞ he says, soft and rather thoughtful. ❝ if that is what you are. ❞

❝ i am from the distant stars. perhaps that is why ... our methods may differ. but if there is something that i have learned, a 'regular guy' may still fight back for his life. ❞ this human in the black suit was, as far as tyiras could tell, rather frustrated. the last thing he needed was an unknown human becoming hostile. and if he was honest, he was rather tired of death.

as the voyager, he had experienced the wonders of life. he had seen and learned of the value of the lives of the people. and then he was separated from the voyager and the memories ended there ... but he had enough to know that this ... it would be tragic no matter what.

❝ very well, i will trust you when you say that it will not take much to eliminate this other self of yours, ❞ he says, his own black armor manifesting over his body, blade appearing in his hand. ❝ i will do my best to make it quick. you wear a mask. if your double looks like you, i will need to see your face. ❞ a pause then- ❝ although i do wish we could have met under other circumstances ... ❞

[anamnaesis]

⎛ late post ⎠ luminous status, 7/24/25

enhanced strength, but barely enough to lift a car › enhanced strength

[radiantblk]

@anamnaesis time to... die?

          this sucked. this sucked, this sucked, this absolutely fucking sucked. it was all marshall could think as he streaked across the sky, his breaths loud in his ears within the confines of the helmet. he couldn't get the image out of his head—himself, eyes wide and scared as radiant black ( he ) had hovered in front of him. no recognition, no nothing. as if he didn't even know who was under the helmet, didn't know that the face underneath was also his. and marshall had raised his fist, the instructions from the voice that had echoed over the land loud in the back of his head, ready to... what? end it?

     but he couldn't. he couldn't. couldn't even try, couldn't test the theory that he wouldn't be able to touch this twisted version of himself anyway. but even the thought fucking sucked. reminded marshall too much of the him from that splintered timeline, the one who'd managed to destroy his whole world. marshall hated it. so he'd run, whipping around and rocketing away.

     so it was with perhaps not the clearest head that he crashed down in front of the first person he saw, landing a little rough but still managing to keep his feet. he just wanted this done. over with. by whoever needed to do it.

     ❝ Hey so, you don't know me. I don't know you. Funny how things work like that! But listen dude, I'm guessing you heard that too. ❞ a hand waved vaguely up at the sky, referencing the instructions from before. ❝ So how about it? You want to kill me, or whatever? ❞

[anamnaesis]

yes, tyrias had heard the voices from the stars telling him to destroy, to be destroyed. and so he had done so- devoured, coaxed another to devour the self that had split. when the deed was done, he had fed. consumed the body and regained his other flesh. and now? he had learned from it, too.

emotion was overwhelming, wasn't it? but it was something airi wanted him to learn. would she smile at him if she knew, now?

but he could not dwell on such things- not yet. certainly later, when the city returned to normal. if it ever did, at least. and he couldn't ignore the person who had landed in front of him. clad in a black suit not so unlike the armor he favored- a young man from the sound of it.

he asked tyrias to kill his other self. ❝ your kind will never cease to surprise me, ❞ comes the weapon's voice ⎛ because he is a weapon from a distant galaxy. he is a weapon, but he is still ... does he deserve personhood? ⎠ , low, measured.

❝ but you are unable to remedy this on your own. i see. ❞ tyrias had learned this, too- that he could not simply devour his other self. the bright eyed alien voyager who chose to coexist instead of destroy. someone else solved that problem for him. and this man needed the very same. ❝ it is an odd request. i have seen the people of the skies fight to their last breath for the chance to live. i did not understand before ... but the other me ... he understood. and now, i, too - ❞

he is a weapon. he is tyrias, destroyer of worlds. this will not be the first time he has killed. it will not be the last. but he knows that he can no longer do so in the same cold way as before. there is less distance now that he knows emotion.

❝ i do not know how to be gentle. it will hurt. i will rip and tear until your body can no longer fight back. and when you regain your body, you will remember that pain. ❞ there's a sadness in those words. a guilt that he knows will weigh heavily on him when it is over. ❝ if you wish it, i will do so. i am a weapon still. ❞

[anamnaesis]

no longer defenseless, thank the stars. truly.

[everwaas]

"Well, in terms of crops and vegetable sales, I know my way around...my family's trade was based in that."

He carefully omits being someone of status: he can ignore that pressure here, and focus on local plants (similar and different ones, the idea of maybe looking into a job around it again)...nothing to worry about but socializing. Reuben can handle socializing about crops, though. That's his whole wheelhouse.

He holds up the fruit in his hands -- an orange; something not particularly common in the area he lived, usually imported for holidays or for nobility. (He'd planned to buy a few for himself as snacks...but, well, he can give this guy one.)

"Would you like me to buy you an orange? I was purchasing a few fruits and vegetables anyways... I, um, I can do my best to explain things about the food around here...and about plants in general."

[anamnaesis]

this young man seems kind. as much as tyiras knows about kindness, at least. and he is grateful. he knows what that feeling is, because there were some that airi taught him. there were many that he still could not name, but felt so deeply. so very deeply- so at the offer, he smiles. ❝ a merchant. i am fortunate to meet you, then. ❞

❝ where i come from, my people are warriors. from the distant stars, we survive by battle. but, i like it here- this soft place. ❞ and it's true. he does like it. ⎛ and of course, he leaves out the part where he and his kin tried to destroy a world, terraform it to their own needs- that's not the person he wants to be anymore. that's not the person airi would want. and it all comes back to her, doesn't it. always ⎠

then, the man offers to buy him food. an orange. a fruit. he offers to teach tyrias about plant life. ❝ yes, that would be lovely, ❞ the orange does look rather tasty, and he's certain he's seen those before. back in the skies, there was plenty to eat- but not in the way he was used to. he watched airi make meals. sometimes she let him try them. it was different. not bad, but different. he told her how his people existed to devour.

to protect her, he turned on his kin. or perhaps he showed them how much he loved them. he added their bodies to his own, their memories to his own ... but it was different, now. not bad, but different. ❝ i do not know much about plants. perhaps i do not know much about most things that humans know. but i would like to learn, always. so i will accept anything you wish to offer. ❞

[anamnaesis]

SUBTERFUGE : THE VOYAGER

yeah of course i used the name of a thing launched into space why wouldn't i.

instead of being sent with a mission to destroy, tyrias is sent beyond the familiar stars of his galaxy to simply find out if there is anything else beyond. and to the excitement of the creatures he called his kin, the answer is yes.

crash-landing in the skydoms, tyrias learns and reports back to his kin, and finds a deep love for the skies and their people. especially a young woman named airi, who he owes a great deal of his knowledge to.

but he knows he has to move on one day. he found one planet with life beyond his galaxy, but he's supposed to find more. it hurts when he says goodbye, but he promises her that he'll come back and he'll make her smile again. he's pretty sure that she loves him- is it the way he desires? maybe, but her love of any sort is enough to keep him warm when he returns to his journey through the unfamiliar stars.

notes

it's tyrias. he's soft. think voyager from fgo but now make him an adult or something.

starry eyed and far more aware of emotions. let's hope that transfers over when things go back to normal.

no, he's never tried to just demolish the life-forms he's come across, and no, he hasn't yet found anything outside of the skies. but his galaxy is full of life, so why wouldn't another be?

he still follows the same principle as his kin- to eat is to gain knowledge. he retains the same abilities as he would have otherwise. that dark armor? yeah it protects him from disease on unfamiliar planets- this isn't war of the worlds, he knows what to look out for.

[anamnaesis]

@everwaas ⎛ sc. ⎠

like any other being, and perhaps even more than most, tyrias required food. his people had learned through consumption- to eat was to love and to learn, and while he'd met some knowledgeable people ⎛ a poet comes to mind, and a few people he'd found at ... cafes? ⎠ , he was never one to say no to more. this time, he chose a marketplace to search. and to eat. mostly to eat.

there, he spots someone talking to another merchant about...

❝ is that something that the people of this city eat? ❞ once again, nothing in the city resembles anything familiar- except maybe that one space station, and even then. back beyond the stars, they had advancements far beyond anything he'd seen in this galaxy. ⎛ the term was homesick. tyrias was homesick, and he needed something- anything- to get his mind off of it ⎠ ❝ i ... have yet to understand enough about the beings here and their habits. ❞

by the standards of the skydwellers, tyrias is aware of how stupid he sounds. he remembers airi's laughter when he'd ask about the simplest of things. simple to her kind, but not to his. his kind had chosen lives of warriors and conquerors. they learned what was necessary to do that. and then, they would learn more by devouring the entities they conquered.

that sort of behavior definitely seemed like it wouldn't go over well in the city. and without his greatest abilites, tyrias had no way to defend himself if things got messy. ❝ you... look knowledgeable. about this- food, yes? ❞

[anamnaesis]

whispers here is a little starter call for tyrias i am not fast and i cant say castmates only bc im my own castmates ⎛ yikes ⎠

[allhesaid-deactivated20250918]

will perks up a little when tyrias takes the quill. it's subtle, but there's definitely a twitch at the corner of his mouth like he's this close to clapping or doing a celebratory dance. instead, he lets the moment breathe, gives the other man a beat of quiet to adjust to the weight of something so soft.

" poetry's funny like that, " he says eventually, voice lower, like he's suddenly aware this might not be the time for theatrical flourishes. " doesn't always sit right with me, makes me frustrated, but it feels less like talkin' at walls, you know? sometimes it feels like words shouldn't reach that far, but then they do. they sneak past time and distance and logic, and they get there anyway. "

he rests his chin in his palm, studying tyrias with something gentler than his usual bravado. " and yeah. i write about someone. "

there's a half-smile, but it's tired at the edges. not from lack of sleep, more like wear. like the feeling's been carried around too long.

" he's not around anymore. not in the way i want him to be. " he shifts, brushing invisible dust off his sleeve just to give his hands something to do. " but when i write 'bout him, it feels a little less like i'm just talking to the walls. maybe he rolls his eyes, wherever he is. he did that a lot, like you wouldn't believe. "

his grin returns, faint and crooked. he nods at the quill in tyrias' hand. " less 'bout me now. take that, spill whatever you've got. don't worry about making it perfect, your first poem is never as good as you want it to be. or your second. or your third - "

his eyes catch tyrias', a quick challenge there, like daring him to try. " no matter. let's see what you've got. "

[anamnaesis]

tyrias becomes acutely aware of the fact that he does not write in any language known to most. his companion smiles at him- encourages him to write more, and he finds that he wants to- although there's that strange feeling again ⎛ but not exactly sadness ⎠ - will he be able to read it? ❝ i ... do not know how to write in your language. ❞

❝ my people have their own- ❞ he writes anyway. to tyrias, it makes sense, because this is the script that he's known for longer than he's known the skies. when he still lived among distant stars ... but he imagines it looks almost like art to the people of the skies. and to the people of this city. perhaps it was the one beautiful thing that his kind would be able to bring to the skies.

all they'd done otherwise was bring destruction in the form of their great warships from the stars, and in him. a weapon who ... loved. that's what this poet said it was. and he was pretty sure that if he asked nicholas, the inventor would say something similar.

there was something cathartic about writing. something that released the pressure that he felt in his body. as if by putting his thoughts onto paper lightened a burden on his heart. for a time, at least- he wasn't foolish enough to think that this would last forever. he's not sure how much time he spends writing. he's not sure what humans consider poetry. he thinks that if this man could read what he wrote ... maybe it would be beautiful.

but it's also smudged here and there. tyrias realizes that he's been crying. and it's not so bad, is it? ❝ ... it does ... feel less heavy. even if you can't tell me what you think of the writing ... you have shown me something that has lessened the ache. are there other things that you know that you could teach me? ❞

[allhesaid-deactivated20250918]

" is that .. a threat of some kind? " he's unsure what to make of the stranger's comment speaking of his confidence. hand raising to scratch the back of his own neck, will gives him a questioning look, though not without being paired with his usual grin. " don't worry, i'm joking. that's true, i guess. many fake it until they make it - i've never had to myself, 'cause i am all that, but y'know. your observation is not entirely wrong. "

or incorrect at all, in that case, but will cannot confirm that fully for him. after all, no matter how genuinely interested someone seems to be in him, he cannot afford to appear weak for a sole moment. this could be a brand new tactic by paparazzi and admirers alike to dig into his insecurities for the sake of a hot scoop of goss - so what if it's highly unlikely? precaution has never hurt anyone before. so, under this thought, he begins measuring his words, afraid to give too much away.

" well, there is plenty of time for you to learn poetry, darling. hell, you learn poetry by writing whenever you can. even if it's just for a couple minutes everyday, that's better than nothing. " his hand clenches into a fist, hits his chest with its side in a gesture of pride. " i'll teach you. i'm the best writer in town, so y'know, i'd totally take my help if i were youuuuu .. "

playfully, he hits the other's arm with an elbow - trust me. " well, sounds like you were in love, darlin'. being away from someone who's bewitched your soul is hard, makes you feel all sorts of funny things .. like you said, it may make you feel empty, and that's alright. "

his fingers snap, " and it's a great starting point for your poetry! why don't you try writing about how much you miss her? it's great material and maybe will distract you from your sadness. maybe. that's not a sprunghart guarantee. well, c'mon, what are you waiting for? "

a quill and an empty page are brought from the inside of his jacket. " start by just putting down what you think about the fact she's away, and you can't see her for now. i'll give you a couple pointers here and there, and then you can turn it into poetry. "

[anamnaesis]

❝ poetry? ❞ there's something so soft and sweet about such an idea- and tyrias is wholly unfamiliar with that. he's never been one to create, after all ⎛ because he was made to destroy. to devour ⎠ , but wasn't part of evolution learning? ❝ if i write to her ... ❞

❝ i wonder if those words will reach her, even across the universe ... ❞ maybe, maybe. after all, nothing is impossible. tyrias knows that much is true. hadn't he died for her? hadn't he lived for her? hadn't he fought for her until he could fight no longer? ⎛ sometimes he dreamed that she was smiling back at him, and it warmed his heart ⎠so he takes the offered quill and page, simply examining them for a moment.

what delicate things they were. if he's not careful, he knows he may break them. not on purpose, of course. he must learn to be gentle.

the other man, sprunghart? ⎛ it sounded like a human surname. he'd take that at face value ⎠ tells him that writing about airi might make the sadness go away. so, that was the heaviness in his chest? it was knowledge he'd file away for later. for when he felt it again. inevitably, he knew he would, because it always felt heavy when he thought about how much he missed airi.

❝ you are a writer. do you also write about someone you love? ❞ it's a sound conclusion to make, with an offer to help. maybe there were still things that this man was hiding from him. tyrias knew better than to pry. in time ... perhaps he'd learn in time.

[anamnaesis]

heres a starter call capped at 3 castmates exempt ...

[allhesaid-deactivated20250918]

" you're bloody right it does! you need confidence to guide other people! would you rather be led by someone who isn't sure in their own actions, or a strong, handsome brunette? " his hip leans out, the opposite arm to it raising and flexing. on leaving its position, will mutters out a ' oh, yeah! ' and brushes his hair back, before finally dropping his arm.

god, i'm so frickin' cool.

" you're right on that, but superficial feelin' is .. just means i'm not as emotional as you think i am, big guy. that doesn't mean i don't understand them, though. i'm a writer, you see. understanding emotions is a requirement with the job, so i can totally explain that to you. "

his fingers snap, as if the sound would cut the subject of his emotions off before it continues. he doubts this strategy's efficiency until the other begins his retelling of his backstory, both unexpected and welcomed. getting to know other people's business and he didn't even have to ask? why, you shouldn't have!

" so you .. changed in such a way you could hardly recognise the person you were before? replaced all you were previously in a manner that'd resemble a murder? " will blinks once, twice, coughs. " not ringing any bells, buddy. sorry, looks like i don't understand it, yeah. how would you, um .. how would you say that makes you feel? anythin' come to mind? i'll help you identify the feeling. "

[anamnaesis]

tyrias isn't sure what to think of this man. for a human who he's certain he could crush with ease, he's so very confident. tyrias knows that confidence can be used as a buffer against less than favorable states of mind. a way to protect the self from further harm. it is less likely that someone who appears confident will be the target of an attack. predators go for the weak links first.

❝ your confidence is something that your kind has used to survive. i have seen it time and time again. i wonder if it runs as deep as it seems- but that sort of trait may not be tested until you become prey. ❞

tyrias is an apex predator, and everything around him was prey- something he could devour. the people of the skies found that no weapon could harm him. he walked through gunfire and killed their strongest warriors until those fascinating minds of theirs came up with a plan to build a giant automaton powered by ... something tyrias still didn't understand.

he was told that it was his kin's lack of love that doomed them. that they sought only cold survival. he hadn't seen a problem with that. ⎛ airi saw a problem with it, but when he sat with her wrapped in his arms, she didn't complain. ⎠ ❝ replaced all that i am ... in a manner that resembles a murder? ❞

❝ a writer ... you are poetic. humans enjoy the arts as a method of entertainment. it is a way to express affection. i ... had often wished that there was more time for me to learn of it, too. ❞ then, he considers the other man's question. what had he felt when he'd made his choice to abandon his kin? when he chose to protect airi? when he could've taken out the people of the skies and instead chose to tear himself apart? ❝ there is someone back in the skies ... when she smiled, i felt warm. it was between letting her continue to smile or never being able to see that again ... i do not regret my choice ... but ... ❞

he misses airi. he knows that much. and if what he felt for her was the same sort of thing he felt when he devoured, then it meant that he loved her. but humans showed it differently. he knows he frightened her. ❝ she is far away, now ... she is alive. and i have simply been wandering. i do not know where to head or what to do with myself. there is an emptiness left behind. ❞

[allhesaid-deactivated20250918]

" so you don't need a super awesome, super charismatic guide to help you with that? " uncertainty remains in his tone, betrays the casualness of his otherwise characteristically confident words. " alright, then. if you ever need anything .. "

will judges the conversation is to end there, but that's when the taller of the two continues with his request. the answer is nearly no - although he's a world famous playwright, emotions are the hardest concept he can currently think of to describe, and certainly not so flippantly while heading to the beach. there's a reason he studies other people's behavior and reactions to certain events so closely - even to a human, it's difficult to fully understand emotions or where they might stem from. people feel things differently, is what he means, and it sounds like too much of a hassle to try and produce a satisfactory albeit short answer in not enough time.

then, he ponders the prospect of it further. he'd been approached politely and asked a question spilling with curiosity - the interest in the future answer is transparent enough that will feels somewhat cruel denying him the pleasure of knowledge. he thinks back to when he had first arrived in spirale, all of those that had helped him then, and decides to repeat the same here. besides, it's a nice challenge.

" sure, i can help you with that. do you .. have any specific questions about it, or? do you just wanna know different emotions? "

.. then, the other implies will feels deeply, and he adopts the face of having bit into a lemon. that act alone is proof of the words said, but he detests a possible reality where, with a single look, it's obvious he's emotional. he craves to be cool, nonchalant, seen as confident. the poet straightens his face out, clears his throat.

" that's not necessarily true. i feel things quite superficially, actually, and i deal well with my emotions. so. " ha, take that, i guess.

[anamnaesis]

❝ does charisma have anything to do with one's ability to guide another? ❞ it's a genuine question- almost childish, sheltered. for all that he was, tyrias maintained some form of sad innocence. because a weapon didn't need to learn all of those things. his purpose had been to destroy the skydwellers. to make way for his kin.

when he thought of it in the way of skyfarers, he and his kin were a dying breed. some unwanted abominations that others chose to hunt and kill ⎛ they sent their automatons to do the dirty work, didn't they? and that was the first time tyrias learned what it meant to be afraid. ⎠ ❝ ... even superficial feeling is feeling- ❞ plus, tyrias has the impression that this man is lying. there's the way his face twitches. he's seen airi's do that too- when she wanted to hide things from him. when he asked her to act like marie so he knew what it would be like to be nicholas ⎛ and that didn't work at all, because they were separate people. he didn't need to make them into nicholas and marie. tyrias and airi were fine- ⎠ ❝ and dealing well with them ... ❞

❝ it means understanding, right? ❞ why did he want to know so badly anyway? he had no one to reach out to. no one to fight for- ⎛ not yet, comes the mechanic's voice in his head. but you will meet people. and you know, airi will be fine. she'll keep smiling. this better not be goodbye forever- ⎠ ❝ i come from distant stars- forged as a weapon against the enemies of my kin, there was no need for me to know emotions. but, when i crossed paths with those who lived in the skies ... maybe it was that lack of understanding that made things change. i think i changed, more than i thought i could. ❞

tyrias' kin were known for their ability to manipulate their own bio-organic matter. the skydwellers had taken samples from the bodies of others to learn of it, and they'd been rather fascinated. a species that could change at a whim, but only on the outside. a species that could do anything, they said, except bond and love. ❝ i do not expect you to understand ... i doubt i even understand it myself ... ❞

[allhesaid-deactivated20250918]

stranger encounters have been had, though many not so terrifying.

in the broad daylight, with sunglasses on and a shirt too short, will is trying to navigate the crowd and find his way to the beach - sure, springtime is a month or so away from breaking, but he's got the craving for the sun on his skin and the sand beneath his heels. when the warmth of soon-to-come summertime calls, you answer. tell him why, then, on one of the times he stops to re-assess the map displayed on his device, the natural light of day is replaced by a shadow directly behind him that veils him, forms a colossal yet sharp silhouette on the floor.

that precise you cuts into him with knife-like accuracy, the poet turning slowly in h is place to face the source of the voice.

" uh .. " the speed of molasses, his phone is placed back into the pocket of his pants, as if too quick a movement would startle the stranger that has made himself will's company. " yeah, i'm a human, i think. "

a mental facepalm - i think? you are human! good lord!

" no yeah, i'm human and i'm really, really smart. i can .. transmit the information .. you seek. probably. " his hip leans out, unsure in how casual he should be acting here. " so, what's up? you need directions? "

[anamnaesis]

❝ you think ... ❞ tyrias tilts his head to the side, listening to the man talk, and it's such a curious thing. humans often fumbled, they were driven by feelings that tyrias and his kin were not used to. that was why he had failed to destroy the skies long ago. that was why he was able to save them. but learning that he loved a person was far from enough for him to understand all emotions, so he picked the most emotional species he knew of.

well, he could've picked draphs or harvins or erunes, but he hadn't run into any of those. not here, not yet.

❝ i am new to this city, yes, but in time i will learn to navigate it. ❞

❝ i ask for a human because your kind is filled with emotion. i have learned that not all humans are able to be in tune with what they feel, but surely they are moreso than myself and my kin- ❞ he pauses then, assessing the man's posture. is he afraid that tyrias will hurt him? is he trying to act casual because he's naturally at ease? tyrias does his best to match the man's demeanor ⎛ and it must look rather endearing in its own way, humans often thought of such things as cute. would airi ever think that of him? ⎠ ❝ i wish to understand that. how to know emotions. you ... seem like a human who feels deeply. ❞