An Odd Aura...

I am the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth, so help me God. Header by @russetmoth Ask blog for Maat the Reshiram. Read Rules before interacting. Asks: 3/10 (follows/likes/replies from @foxy-drampa)

[ask-maat]

Something is happening soon...

[ask-maat]

[continued from here]

“Call it what you want, it’s only natural. After all, you are also separated from your other half.” She snorted. “Shameful.”

Her fires burned, steaming the surface of the water so the room began to sag with humidity. She was being irrational, but alas, it was hard to look the embodiment of idealism in the face and not instantly want to kill it.

No matter how impossible it was. It would never be satisfying. This wasn’t Anubis. This wasn’t her Zekrom.

“If I didn’t personify everything that you lack, I’d call you a liar,” Maat said, shifting on her foot. “Zekrom don’t usually build things outside of minuscule unstable societies, and empires that eventually crumble under the slightest bit of pressure. War is so like you. Did you build toys for your little city? How cute.”

[@chrisandtheuniverse]

[ask-maat]

The Maractus bristled at Maat’s callousness. How dare she! She’s the one that did this. How fucking dare she even try to– Wait… His visible anger withdrew. He looked kind of dumbstruck. They shook slightly. He hated the gods. Hated them, hated them. Hated them. But he had to. His pride wasn’t what was important here. It wasn’t. It never would be.

What was importnat was that he needed to put himself behind The Doctor. An ailing creature. An ailing teacher. An ailing…. friend.Yes. The Doctor was their friend. They had to do what’s best for their friend, and the closest they got to a real doctor– the closer they got to Jericho…. 

This was a better option than trudging through the desert. 

Still, there was one problem. 

“You’re going to give me and them a ride?” Celosia asked, slowly, carefully… somewhat deliberately. “What about this dog? He’s better traveling with us where we can see him–”

The Ravener stared up at Maat. She could see a simple, primitive mind whirring. Thinking about his next meal and nothing else. He also carried a dagger in his maw, black as the void. Almost blending in with the night sky.

“We can’t just leave him unchecked.”

[ @ask-maat ]

Celosia’s hate was akin to a lit matchstick in a vat of gasoline, though once the fuel was used up, that hate evaporated. Maat didn’t respond to the unfiltered loathing, though she felt it, almost pleased that the aspect she embodied was still potent even after all this time.

“I will bring you, the Doctor, and your pet,” Maat replied. “Your other companions must face the desert on their own for better or for worse.”

Maat looked the Ravener over, eyes critical. This was the menace that the Doctor was worked up about. This was what they chose to focus on. A simple creature with a simple mind and a simple purpose. So be it...

“It’s not so much him you need to worry about, but I suppose you’ll learn that in due time.” Maat blinked slowly, letting her fires burn just a little hotter as she prepared to expend energy. She tipped her wing down so Celosia could get situated. “Make haste. If the dog bites me, I will kill you all.”

Perhaps that was a little too blunt.

[@deathbycelosia]

[ask-maat]

[continued from here]

“Your anger is misguided,” Maat replied calmly. “This isolated moment is not about you. Nor will it ever be.”

She blinked slowly, assessing the Doctor’s ruined form. This was not solely her doing. It was an over exertion on their part. For shame, but now was not the time to worry about such trivial matters. The Doctor, indeed, appeared to be dying, though Maat didn’t seem outwardly concerned.

Obviously, this seemed to be not caring, as Celosia so eloquently put it. Well, there was more profanity, but Maat was indifferent to the scorn. Aren’t you a god?

Yes, surely Celosia of all beings would be a more just and unbiased conveyor of Truth. The one more capable of embodying all Truths both kind and malicious and organizing and maintaining order even when those who curry favor are direct collateral.

It felt silly, even though Maat was certain that they got what they wanted...for better or for worse.

“Feel free to trade places with me if you feel you would be a better fit,” Maat continued, voice still level and monotone. “Otherwise, keep both your ignorant mouths shut.”

Her attention was on the Doctor. They really did look like they had been chewed up and spit out, mumbling words that sounded like bubbles coming out of their mouth. It was pitiful to witness, but very necessary.

“If they need specific care, you are wasting time carrying these stragglers across the sand.” She paused briefly, eyeing them all carefully, almost as if to determine if she would even bother speaking to any of them. “Call it whatever you want, but they most certainly will die in your arms if you maintain your current pace. If you prefer that fate, then I will leave you to your devices. If you would prefer a swifter method, I will offer that to you by merit of your association with them.”

It was probably better to not say she would do it anyway, at least not so bluntly.

[@deathbycelosia]

[ask-maat]

[continued from here]

The fires of judgement welled within Maat’s chest, though, perhaps, there was an element of fear there as well. This poor mortal that she’d torn asunder with mere words. The lack of control on Rosie’s part felt very much like the standard for them.

Of course, how could she blame Rosie for being closed off - though not completely.

“The fallacy of not confronting what you know to be one of your deepest concerns only feeds into this chaotic reaction,” Maat said, taking great care to allow Rosie the space she needed. “Your panic is blind, but you know that if you do not deal with it now, there will be blood on your hands. If you are not careful, Honey will be the first of many allies you will consume.”

Maat schooled herself into a stony silence. She could see it so clearly, it almost pained her to imagine it. Rosie lashing out. Rosie regretting it when she finally came back around. Rosie in anguish and slipping backwards. That was no way to live one’s life, even if it was prescribed by merit of being Victini’s Patron.

“Roselind,” Maat whispered, lowering her head until she was eye level with Rosie. “What you need above all else, is control. Even a little will take you to where you need to go. If you must lash out, I am here tot take the brunt of your panic, lest you tear yourself apart in your own anguish.”

As if to illustrate concern, Maat took a deep breath. Four seconds in, a long hold, and four seconds out. This was what helped her stay in control of herself. This was how she didn’t rip worlds apart in times of blind panic. Hopefully, it would help Rosie as well.

@askbookwormflareon

[tortricidae]

BIG POLLO AND BIG KITE

[deathbycelosia]

look it’s people the doctor actually thinks is worth their time. 

ft. @oceanicmaestro‘s Grey, @askiceboundlopunny‘s Tsubayuki and @ask-maat‘s Maat

[tortricidae]

          ;;Happy Pride!

Anonymously requested for a Pride prompt!

[ask-maat]

[previous]

“Yes, interesting how that seems to be a common theme among you.” Maat’s expression hadn’t changed. She was unreadable and that was how she preferred it. Giving any indication of forethought to a manifestation of filth was never a positive thing.

Don’t name it...

“Contrary to your projections, I am not an immovable object incapable of logic and reasoning. My power is available to all. Very rarely do I withhold the power of Truth from those who seek it. It matters little who uses it. It only matters how it is used in the end. If you intend to bend it to your will instead of exposing and correcting the injustices against you, it will prove useless and inert.” She snorted, clearly a joke as abrasive and dead as it sounded. “I just don’t like you or what you represent. That is hardly your fault specifically.”

You’re giving it too much credit.

Maat steadied herself. She had to begin preparing to give The Judge what it sought when it came knocking on her door in the future, no doubt with many many hands outstretched. Of course it would comply. There was little reason not to and Maat felt a keen sense of sloppiness from The Judge. Giratina, she had noticed, were like this in a lot of ways. Including her own.

“I will take my leave to prepare for your arrival once more. Do not disappoint me. You really cannot afford to.”

She cloaked herself in her wings and burned with radiant energy before disappearing in a warping of space. All the was left behind were a handful of stray glowing hairs and a single gold feather.

[Maat seems more tired than usual.]

[ask-maat]

[previous]

“I’m always tired,” Maat replied. It was a dismissive sound. Almost to admonish this wriggling shadow for thinking (the audacity) that it was the reason she cycled through madness so readily. “Don’t flatter yourself so much.”

Upon The Judge’s bargain, Maat very nearly shrieked with laughter. If only that had been accessible to her. A being with no leverage, precious little power to begin with bartering as though it had something worthwhile to offer. The sheer insanity of it all normally would have brought out a chuckle. Would it have?

She shifted in feigned interest. Oh, yes, she thought, I’m listening intently for certain.

“How bold of you to put such a distasteful spin on something you want.” Oddly enough, she did not immediately shoot it down. Perhaps she was interested, in the most cyclical way possible. “I don’t care if you actually choose to spend your days tinkering with things. You want to trade something worthless for something equally worthless. How vague.”

She wanted nothing from it. There wasn’t a single thing The Judge could do that could be worth a nugget of her energy, no matter how small. Her own manifestation of filth--

DON’T NAME IT...

Had employed a similar bargain to gain the favor of a distracted matriarch. Maat was not so quick to jump into the same mess, though, if applied correctly, The Judge had its uses in the grand scheme of things. An investment that could be reclaimed. An investment that could contribute to the future.

“You want a nugget of my power in exchange for you looking for something to do.” Maat spoke slowly. “Absolutely not. However, I will give you what you want only after you have secured yourself a hobby lest you ‘task’ yourself with finding something for the rest of your days and run amok with power you know nothing about.” A pause.

“My patience wears thin for your presence. You haven’t much time to decide.”

[ask-maat]

[previous]

You talk too much.

Maat’s eyes glassed over. The arrogance was a palpable condensation on the surface of her contempt. It was more a nuisance than a refreshing reminder that things still worked the way they were supposed to. It was dripping all over the ground as she mentally shook it off.

“You can doubt whatever you want. Most mortals do in order to preserve their happiness. They want to believe that they are exempt. It won’t happen to them if they choose to defy my word. It matters not in the long run. They will all die eventually. Whether I enjoy that coming silence rarely matters.”

K̨̥̱͇̝̮̥̰̕ͅi̢̩͉͔̤l͙̭̕̕l̢̪͍̝̝͔͔̫ ͈͕̣̝̖͎̺i̵̲̗͓͕̳͈͇̭t̥̖̫.̴̴͏̖̰ ͏͖͖̗̝Ḵ̴̭̳͖͎͔̙̪͘i͖͓͜͜l̸̯̬̖͕̳̺̯̪͘͜l̞̦͙̱̞͇̕͝ͅͅ ͏̺i̛͚̻̭̺̭͢ͅt͙͙.̭̝̟͓̫̟̹͞ ̷̬̮̣̭́̕K̵̢͍͎͈͚̫̳̘̲̀í̶̫̺̯͠ļ̪̮̗̬͚ļ͉̱͢ ̻̘̖͚̦̳̭͈̤͢i̞̬͉͍̬ț̻̖̬.̷̩̙̫̞̳̝̺ ͘҉̻͙̬͇K͍͚͈̬̪̪̳̪í̱̬̠l̥̕l͏̺̝̘ ̮̹͠i̙͓͈̗̝̝̥̪͟͡ͅt̨̢̮̣̖.̠̝̱̘̦͚̬̖̲͟

She deliberately ignored the humility laced in The Judge’s body language. Humility in the face of her known presence meant nothing when the rest of this thing’s paltry existence was steeped in lies and deceit. Humility had no place here. The only thing that mattered was that it respected its position before her. That of filth, it was certain, but the way The Judge described itself raised flags deep within Maat’s innermost contemplation. Far far buried under her polished veneer. She showed nothing.

“Like I said, you contemptuous maggot,” she flashed her teeth more. This was a conversation ending statement if responded to incorrectly. “Get a hobby and shut your filthy mouth. Nothing in the universe cares about your existence or your death. Those who claim they do are lying to curry favor from something they perceive to have power.”

Her body stiffened. Why did her chest hurt so much now?

Kill it. Do it. Now.

Once more, she pushed the invasive thoughts away, though this time, she huffed and jet of steam scorched the ground by her feet. She’d get back to that later.

“Your silence is revolting because you are revolting. If you had any form of real purpose, it wouldn’t hurt so much.”

Lying.

Again, she revealed nothing, but that made her chest hurt just a bit more.

[ask-maat]

[previous]

It’s watching you falter.

Maat gathered her temper, and soothed the flames within her heart until they were nothing but dull embers chewing at her psyche. At the very least, when within the confines of a distorted trash heap, the voices of mortals wouldn’t reach her ear or nibble at her soul desperately for the things she could no longer give them. Decay had an odd habit to staving off the healthy.

If she had been more patient, more understanding, more normal, she might have sighed in relief despite being in the presence of a creature most foul.

She would have resigned to mutter that it wasn’t its fault - Giratina’s fault - that it was the bowels of reality meant only to rule over the broken and fractured. She would have been able to provide comfort in the truth, as opposed to this throbbing and gnawing anguish that filled her with vitriol. Not anguish. Pure, unfiltered, and unchecked rage. The violence that prevented her from so much.

This burden thrust upon her because Truth bears all burdens.

“There is nothing for you and your kind. There isn’t even a void. There is just nothing.” The words were biting, harsh, though not barbed and laced with poison. “You won’t see it coming. You won’t need their voices. They will be stripped away long before you. Long before others like you. You will lose your sentience and you will be nothing. Not present, not passive. No longer able to prattle on for eons about what it means to be you or a god or whatever you decide to call yourself then.”

Was she even talking to The Judge anymore? It was hard to tell.

K͇̬̩̩͉̗̕͝i̴̛͍̼͖l̸̼̤̪͟l͚̥͢͡ ͏̱̼̬̰͠i̮ţ҉̖̯̙̗̠̣.͉̥̫̞̹͇̲̀ ҉̵̯̬̙K̢̭̦̝̜̱͍i̶̷҉͙̻̻̺͇l͉̺̙̮̘̭̞̣̩͞l̷̰͢ ̢̪̪͈̩̀i̜̗̯͚̖͙͓͟t̼̹͢͠ ̰͉̬̟̤̱̯͚ͅņ̨̳̜͉͔̜̪͙͠o̹̩͘͢͡w̟͎̝͡ͅ.̲͔̙̝͙̀͜

Maat took a long and deep breath. Her teeth glinted in her own luxurious light despite being surrounded by marbled darkness. The air tensed once more. The Serpent’s experience was not lost on her: it was contemplating someone specific. Another bastard, though perhaps a more active one.

“Another’s interpretation of me is the reason why my counterpart - Zekrom, the mortals call it - exists. I am always here. Even in the end of time, I will be here. Even at the end of existence, I will be here. I will be here forever. When you die, when Arceus dies, when reality dies. I will change, but I will be here. I don’t need acknowledgment. The truth doesn’t need acknowledgement. It just is. I am never wrong, this is true.”

But you want to be.

Maat shoved the intrusive thoughts away with such fervor that her fires flared once more and her eyes narrowed with veiled madness. Every single fiber of her being, both corporeal and otherwise, begged her to lash out and scrape as much of the reality away as she could before she exploded in a flaming pyre of death and abandoned physical form once again to slumber in relative peace. If one could call it that.

She envisioned tearing the creature before her apart and spreading a delicately painted warning to all who encountered it. Smearing her knowledge across the stars for all to see, as plain as the god’s language. Rewriting the universe so this wouldn’t happen. So she wouldn’t happen.

Dismissed in a flash of impulse control. Her madness was gone for now.

“If you want mortals to fear and revere you, that’s your business. You should get a hobby like the rest of your manifestations. The one I know best collects garbage and builds machines.”

[ask-maat]

[previous]

“Just as entitled as the rest of them it seems.”

Oh, how she burned to sear these manifestations away. It would have been almost euphoric to scar the lands with fire just to erase this one instance of an individual that reminded her of a much larger problem brewing elsewhere. Even the void in her chest ached with excitement, with longing. Perhaps this once, she would be justified in carving out the abscess herself.

Maybe that would dissuade others into stifled silence until she could cut them down too.

“My feelings hardly matter here. I am already aware of other instances. Reshiram, the mortals call them. Yours have a name, too, but they shouldn’t. They manifest without rhyme or reason. I suppose echoes are sometimes necessary to keep parts of reality pinned down.”

But it didn’t matter. None of it did. Not anymore. If anything were powerful enough to strike her down from the heavens, she would welcome the snuffing of her light. That empty void wriggled again, spreading through her threateningly. 

“You’re sentimental. Figures that that would be the commonality between you all.” A flare of annoyance? “The devout don’t understand how little they mean. Mortals search for that same sentimentality in the world around them because they cannot comprehend anything greater than that. Let them wither away in blind faith. I don’t care about their sentimentality, their loyalty, their offerings, or their fears.

“Let a foolish mortal try to take my position if they covet my power so greatly. They wouldn’t be the first to do so.”

The air became stifling. Something much more intense than the average Turboblaze.

@serpentine-judge

[ask-maat]

deathbycelosiarp:

[ @ask-maat | continued from here ] 

In typical Doctor fashion, despite all this display of power. The Doctor remained stoic, but internally, they were met with confusion– perhaps surprise? Disoriented…. However, as Maat had told them, their thoughts were not to wander. It would be harmful to the both of them if The Doctor allowed themself to think of anything else.

“Thank you, Goddess,” The raven said, after it was all over. 

Celosia ran towards The Doctor, horrified, mortified? His expression was not something The Doctor quite cared about. 

“What was– what was that about–? I -I mean– no Disrespect, Goddess, but uh…” Celosia grasped onto The Doctor’s free hand with stomach-tongue and began to pull them away from Maat. The cactus was clearly freaked out.

“This is very unsanitary. You may get sick,” The Doctor mused, poking Celosia’s tongue– which caused them to cringe. 

“Doctor, come on, we uh– we gotta go catch The Ravener!” 

The Doctor knew what Celosia truly wanted to say, but whether it was because of Maat’s gift was unknown. 

We need to get away from that lady. She did something weird to you and I’m scared of her, was what they meant to say.

Yes, Celosia, let the fear drive you.

Maat remains silent as Celosia and the Doctor hurry away. Her head throbs as she gathers her resolve to put those buffers up against the voices that call for her desperately. The voices dull to static. Then, without making a sound, she disappears.

The Good Doctor has been granted a blessing. Maat is receptive to future encounters.

[ask-maat]

deathbycelosiarp:

[ @ask-maat | continued from here ] 

The Doctor listened carefully, deliberating. Would this be something they wanted? To hear these truths momentarily? Everything? Every beck and call? Every ‘I wish my boyfriend would stop lying to me’? This was truly something to consider. Could this distract them? Would the chatter compared to their world of silence distract them from what was truly important?

Would… Celosia distract them from what was going on…? No, no. Celosia is a pest, but they wouldn’t be disruptive, right? They couldn’t possibly–

A deep breath. 

“The only thing that could distract me is suspicions I may have. Predisposed ones. I am a creature of logic, of course, but I am flawed just like anything with sentience is. I will do my best. I accept your gift, Goddess.” 

The god’s language. A creation beyond mortal understanding lost to all confined by The Good Child’s laws. Inherently understood, however, on the most primal level. The closest thing any creature, sentient or not, could get to Arceus herself.

She lands in the sand from her low hover, spreading her wings wide and curling her lips back to expose all her teeth. She looms over The Doctor and the air shimmers with intense heat. A glass spiderweb spreads from beneath her and around The Doctor, darkness cloaks itself around the two of them and Maat begins to shift.

Her physical form was made to be palatable to the common mortal. To gaze upon her Elder form struck fear where it was not meant to be. It was easier to hide if mortals weren’t terrified of reality.

Her golden rings expand and eyes open, swirling into existence amid dozens of wings, limbs, and maws lined with golden teeth. She is all encompassing, blinding all who dare to spy upon her without permission. A subtle warning to close your eyes if you have not been invited permeates the air silently.

Take heed.

She almost speaks as though The Doctor has disappeared, but all she sees is their secrets. When she finally speaks, her voice is deceptively soft, almost a whisper in the night.

Yoú ha҉v͠e҉ ͞c͜h́ośe҉n̵ ̸t͜h̶e͞ ҉pa̢t̨h ͢o̧f ͡s̶had͝ows. Des͏p͟it҉e͘ fa̷c̛ing ̛the͟ bli͡nd̨ing a̷ur͜ą ͡of̛ ̧d̸ece͢it, ̸Y̸ou ̨wil͟l̢ un͘co͘v͞e̷r a͡l͏l tha͢ţ ͏th́e͡ w̢orld ҉h̸as ̷to sho͡w ҉y҉ou. Fe͠ar ͞no͜t̀, fo̡r̴ ͏moment҉s ͘shall̶ p͏as̸s͝ and it w̛il̡l b̵e over̡.̵ ̷B̷e ̛s͏t̡i̛l͘l ̕įf the͜ ͠f̛i͟r̢eş e͘ngu͟lf̸ yo̕u̴.͟ I͘ im̸p͘r͜ess u҉p̷òn͝ yo̸u͟ t͡he҉ po̢we͢r҉ o͟f ͡T̢ŕue̵ Sìght̸. ҉T̢h͢e gr͜eat͘es͘t ͢g͢i̡ft I ẃi̴el͘d. ̨I̕f͜ ҉yo̵u fa̷ll..̡. M̨a͡y͝ ̧Am̛mi̕t sw̛a͢l͝low t͟hi̸s͏ worl͝d͢ b͝ef͝ore̛ your̵ ̶pr͢işon̕ sh͏r̀e̛ds ̨y͠ǫu҉.͜

The winds swirl and The Doctor is briefly encased in glass as Maat’s fires burn harsher and envelope them in the blast. And just like that, it is over. The glass, the fire, the wings and horrors. All evaporated in less than the blink of an eye.

She rubs the bridge of her nose. In that moment of brief energy transfer, her buffer fell. All the voices wormed their way into her mind and they haven’t stopped talking.

“We are psychically connected until you have used the sight.” She returns to a low hover and the sands swirl in the updraft. “Stay focused.”

[ask-maat]

“Do not speak of that filth in my presence. You should have never named it.”

“...”

[ask-maat]

[ @ask-maat ]

Already, the Doctor was already thinking of hundreds of different alternatives to a simple interrogation. One involved the probing of the mind, another involved sifting through memories, another was concocting a truth serum… but they realized they had no assets to do anything but a truth serum– but Maat’s reasoning towards forcing the truth out of someone contradicted that idea.

They took a deep breath and collected their thoughts. Celosia was staying far away from Maat, but kept up with them at a reasonable pace. It was unwise to disturb two such as Maat and The Doctor while at work.

“I feel that we should put down this dog, if anything, but perhaps I am simply irritated,” they mused thoughtfully. “Distraction is certainly not my strongest suit, but it is a card in my hand right now.”

A look towards Celosia told everything.

“You will have a much better frame of reference to work with when you stare this creature down. If it gives up nothing in my presence, the energy I give you will be useless. However.”

She is silent for an exceptionally long time. She follows The Doctor’s gaze to Celosia, but says nothing. Distractions are dangerous, but these ones might prove to be the least of The Doctor’s worries. For now.

“I can grant you access to my True Sight while I am not present. It requires a small psychic link. For the time that it is active for you, you will be able to hear all the truths of this world.” She narrows her eyes slightly. “All of them.”

The voices. The visions. The secrets, the lies, the histories. The begging, the requests. All muddled together in a huge wave of noise and images and smells and tastes. Easily overwhelming .

“It would last for mere moments if you chose to accept it. But I could not physically be there or you would surely descend into complete madness. You just need to ask The Ravener the right questions. You are capable.”