I'LL COME RUNNING.

" Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength. "

[petxlsoflife-a]

She frowned as he dropped the coat, stamping out the flames that tried to consume it and his fake rose. Her gut twisted. The flames hadn’t consumed him. Why hadn’t he been burned? When she’d burned Mary’s portrait, it had been instantaneous. The glass had shattered, the painting had gone up in flames, and Mary had been turned to ash. So why had it only burned the coat? He was a painting. He had to be. He wasn’t real she hadn’t just attacked a real person she’d attacked a painting so why wasn’t he burning.

She took a step towards him, frown morphing into a scowl and eyes squinting up at him. Something had gone wrong. Her flame hadn’t been enough, that’s what it was. The twisting in her stomach wouldn’t go away, but she could squish down her anxiety with that thought. A larger flame, getting it closer to his arm or torso, then he’d burn just like any other painting. She got ready to dart forward again and-

-The world stopped around her.

She watched as a blue petal drifted from Garry’s rose and to the ground, as a gash opened near his collarbone. No no no no no. A painting’s rose couldn’t do that. A painting wouldn’t lose a petal. A painting wouldn’t be hurt because a petal had fallen. The previous energy she’d had drained out of her, leaving her feeling worse than she had when first waking up. Her body throbbed with pain, but that was nothing compared to the pain of realization.

He was Garry.

He was Garry.

She’d attacked Garry.

She could feel bile pressing against her throat and the twisting in her stomach grew. She felt sick and light-headed and it was like the world was spinning around her. Her hands began to shake and the lighter slipped past her fingers, clinking against the ground. Her rose went next. She blindly tried to catch it before it fell, unable to look away from Garry, but missed. It quietly fell to the ground, small and fragile. Just like the girl who looked down at the burnt coat and then up to the purple-haired man, shaking her head in disbelief.

She’d attacked him. She’d tried burning him. He’d been trying to help and all she’d done was lash out. She’d tried burning him. 

She couldn’t breath. She gasped for air, chest raising and falling but no matter how she tried she couldn’t get anything in. It stopped right at her collarbone, leaving her gasping for more with no relief. And the world was still spinning, tilting on its axis and leaving her dizzy, disoriented, confused and lost. He’d taken care of her, he’d sacrificed his own rose to get hers back, and she’d attacked him.

Hot tears ran down her cheeks even as she continued to shake her head, stumbling backwards a few steps. Mary, Phoenix, Garry. She’d hurt them all. She’d attacked without thinking; she’d tried killing them. She looked up at Garry, opening and closing her mouth in an attempt to say something, but all that came out was a strangled cry.

And then everything shut down.

There’s only so much a child can take. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her body slumped over, slamming against the ground. A red petal wavered before falling off her rose and she shuddered. Even in her unconscious state, that rose still dictated everything.

[loveshernot]

SOMETHING WAS WRONG-- horribly, horribly wrong. Eyes widened as the girl began to gasp violently, as tears started from her eyes. Lips parted to call out her name, but his voice died in his throat, cut short by the sight of Ib collapsing to the ground. At once, a ghostly hand seized his heart by the arteries. As if someone had plunked an ice cube into his stomach, the man’s gut twisted. “ Ib......? ” He managed no more than a hoarse croak. Fingers dug so deeply into the stem of his rose that the thorns dug sharply into the palms of his hands, drawing the faintest drops of blood forth from his flesh.

Then, all at once, time marched forward once again-- jarred from his frozen state, the man darted forward to the girl’s side, throwing himself to the knees. “ I-Ib!! No... no, no...! ” Hands trembled uncontrollably as he moved to put a hand beneath her head, pressing the other to her heart. Panic surged through his veins; the man could not immediately feel a heartbeat beneath his palm, and so moved to pick up her small wrist. Never before in his life had he checked a pulse. Feverishly scrambling to feel something, anything, the man murmured: “ P-please... please, Ib... ”

Only in his thoughts did he dare finish the sentence: ( Please, Ib... i-if... if I caused you to die... I would never forgive myself!! )

Yet even the sensation of a pulse, even after laying eyes on her discarded rose with but a single petal left clinging to its stem, any relief he felt was barely tangible. Scurrying to grab his jacket, he scooped the other up as carefully as he could in his arms whilst holding both roses in one bleeding hand. No time to lose, he started out of the alley and into the streets-- looking down both directions of the sidewalk to find the closest pedestrian. Eyes met a young woman; running after her, he called out: “ W-wait!! ”

The woman turned. Watching the other approach, it seemed it took a moment for the girl in his arms to register in her mind. Hand rose to cover her mouth as Garry came to a halt in front of her. Breathless, he dared not give this woman time to ask questions. “ T-this girl... I... I need to know where the nearest hospital is...!! Or a clinic, a doctor... anything! P-please, you must help her...! ”

And how thankful he was that he’d ran into exactly the right person for such a predicament. Of course the woman had her questions-- ‘what’s wrong with her?’ being at the top of the list. But she’d the sense to ask them along the way, as she led the man and the girl in his arms through a tangle of streets to a building marked with a distinct red cross above the doors. Heart pounded into his ribcage, each beat a sharp ache. Only after the girl was settled in a hospital bed, surrounded by medical staff, did the ache grow a little less intense-- replaced instead with a pang of melancholy every time he stared into her unconscious face, knowing that he was the one responsible for this.

Staring down the girl’s rose, still clutched firmly in his hand after all this time, he knew he could not be here when she finally woke. But first, he would take a plastic cup from beside a water cooler laid out for visitors. Pouring water into the cup, he set it on the table beside the girl’s bed, then slid her rose inside hoping that it would do something, even return a single petal to its wilted frame.

And then, casting the girl one last heartbroken glance, he would slip from her room, telling the overly-concerned woman he’d met on the streets to pass along a message to Ib upon her awakening.

( Tell her that I... I-I’m so terribly sorry. I should have listened when I was told to go away... it was never my intention to upset or startle her so badly.. I’m... absolutely ashamed of myself... and I want only the best for Ib. Also... please, be sure to tell her... that I promise I won’t bother her ever again. )

A difficult promise to make, but one he vowed to keep so long as it meant the girl and her rose were safe. 

That, after all, was all that mattered.

[magiteking]

     With a simple nod the teen quickly follows after the male, taking note of his skipping. It’s funny; never before had she seen someone with such enthusiasm back home… Though then again, the esperkin supposes that’s a given, especially after the Light of Judgement incident. Regardless, there’s something about his excitement that she finds somewhat contagious although, Terra isn’t entirely sure why.

     ❝ Fairy tales… ❞ she repeats his words as she follows behind him, azure hues glancing around for a moment at the animals they pass by. ❝ I don’t think I’ve ever heard any… I never really had anyone read or tell stories to me before. ❞ she admits, eyes widening as the petting zoo begins to come into view.

     And soon enough the girl bolts ahead of the man just as he finishes his next sentence, immediately entering the petting zoo area. Excitement and enthusiasm is, surprisingly, apparent on her expression, her sapphire optics wide with a childlike glimmer. It had been so long since the teen has been able to spend time with animals peacefully… Perhaps this is just what she needed in order to settle down her anxiety and panic from being thrown into the strange city.

     ❝ You’ve never seen these animals before? ❞ she muses with a smile, looking back at the taller male as she crouches down next to a few barnyard animals.

     ❝ Well, this is a duck and that’s a goat and… Oh! This one’s a rabbit, ❞ picking up on of the lop-eared bunnies, she shows it to the other, looking almost proud of herself for knowing such ordinary facts.

[loveshernot]

EYES SOFTEN AS THE GIRL DARTS AHEAD OF HIM. Never heard any fairy tales before? What sort of childhood was that? Still-- he doesn’t have much time to dwell on the comment. Picking up his pace to catch up with her, he slides in through the gates to the petting zoo and comes to a halt just behind the girl as she eagerly drops down to get even closer to a handful of normal barn animals.

“ W-well--! ” He starts to correct her, but there’s no room in his heart to tell her that these little things weren’t exactly what he had in mind by magical creatures. “ 'Rabbit’, you say... never heard of that before... it’s quite the name for such a cute little thing! ” Dropping to a squat, careful not to get dirt on the knees of his pants, he extends a hand for the little bunny in her hands to sniff. “ Hah... it tickles! ”

A smile spreads across his face. Small, but completely genuine. Maybe this city isn’t so bad after all, he thinks-- aside from the freaks and the beasts in the zoo, this quiet little petting area feels almost normal, with children play-yelling in the near distance and the bleat of a goat approaching them. Garry slides his hand out from beneath the rabbit’s nose and runs it along the creature’s back, brushing the hand Terra is holding it with.

Hands return to his lap. Looking at the rest of the animals, he scratches at his chin in faux naiveté, then looks to Terra and asks, “ N-now... which did you say was the ‘duck’, again? ”

[loveshernot]

Feels a strange sense of pride from afar, as if a certain Ib has accomplished something worth being proud over.

[marginal-effect]

the garry

[loveshernot]

hive city: BRING IT ON!!! garry: no people... let’s be smart and bring it off

[onceuponamusing]

           i’ve nothing to give, except myself.

                    —is that enough?

[petxlsoflife-a]

It wasn’t baffling to Ib; this situation made perfect sense for her. She’d just been in the main part of the Gallery, struggling to find a way out when she’d fallen asleep on the bed. Now she was here with a Garry impostor. It was just the Gallery tricking her. It was always the Gallery trying to trick her. She grinded her teeth at the question, wishing that the painting would drop this act. She didn’t like it, didn’t like seeing Garry’s face and hearing his voice when it wasn’t him.

Her entire body tensed at his apology. For a moment, all she could see was Garry slumped against the wall, unmoving. She wished he’d wake up, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen. He’d promised to come running if she was in danger and how many dangerous situations had she thrown herself into in the hopes that he’d arrive to save her? Every night she’d gone to the dangerous of districts and sectors, walking through them on her own and hoping for a monster to attack her. Because he was supposed to be there to save her, only he never had been. Nearly five months and he’d never been there to protect her. Now, she was in no danger and he was here and she couldn’t accept that.

“…Stop,” she ground out from between clenched teeth, fingers curling tightly around both the lighter and her rose. Her knuckles turned white and she glared at him, anger and hurt shining in her eyes. The painting didn’t have any right to pretend to be Garry. She just wanted him to stop. Her bottom lip trembled and she could feel the tears pricking at her eyes, but she did her best to blink them away. She wasn’t going to cry.

She pressed her back against the wall as he stood, a frenzied look entering her eyes. She was at the disadvantage her. Two petals left on her rose and if she tried running around the man, he’d have no problem grabbing her. He’d have no issue taking her rose from her and tearing it to pieces. She’d promised Garry that she’d keep it safe. She wasn’t going to let it be taken from her.

She couldn’t go around him; he’d be faster than her. Which left her with one option. She wished he’d just left her alone. She didn’t want to do this, even to a Garry impostor. Her chest ached even as her expression became steely, cold. She tried to ignore the pain that caused small tremors to run through her body, though it was harder to ignore how hard it was to breath. There was a voice telling her not to do this, she’d already hurt Phoenix and what if this was the same mistake. But a louder voice told her that this couldn’t be Garry and she had to protect herself somehow. She listened to the louder one. 

She took a deep breath and then pushed off the wall, running straight at Garry. As she reached him, she lifted up the lighter towards his arms, letting the flames lick at his sleeves.

[loveshernot]

STOP, she’d muttered. The word alone felt like a knife driven between his ribs; the feral look in the girl’s eyes, all but confirming that there was no monster lurking in the shadows except him, was only the icing on the cake. “ I... ” The words in his mouth dried up on his tongue. ( Very well. Ib... please, if you won’t trust me... wait here. I’ll find someone else to help you... I won’t force you to come with me if you don’t want to. ) Words that should have been so easy to speak. It was the most rational thing to do, after all. She needed help, but wouldn’t let him help her, even after all they’d been through... after all their struggles, after trusting each other with their lives time and time again...

He blinked. 

There was no time to be hurt about this; Ib’s injuries were far more concerning than his emotions on the matter. But just when the words were finally about to be coaxed forth, the girl charged forward. Eyes widening, it took him half a moment to truly realize what she was doing. Of course it was easy to dodge an injured child; sidestepping out of her way, she missed her intended target. The coat he’d shed to carry her with, however, draped across his exposed arm, caught the lighter’s flame instead.

Whirling around to face the girl whilst distancing himself from her, it took him a second to notice in his feverish frenzy to get back. “ Oh no.. no no no!! ” Came his distressed cry as he dropped the coat at once-- the rose in his other hand was far too precious to come anywhere close to those tiny flames. Instinctively, he stamped his foot down on the fire to extinguish it... once, then twice, before remembering Ib’s presence.

Looking up to her, he scampered backwards away from the coat, blue rose cradled protectively in both hands. “ I-Ib... ” he stammered, near breathlessly, “ What... what has gotten into you...?! ” How delightful the irony; both feared another, yet the same thought coursed through their panicked minds to one degree or another: PROTECT THE ROSE. Chest heaving with ragged breath, heart throbbing a mile a minute within his chest, the man watched the other with vigilance-- waiting for the next move, the next burst of energy. But there was something else, too... still, that mixture of hurt and concern, wishing for nothing more than the girl’s wellbeing.

Between the adrenaline in his veins and the worry pulsing through his skull, he did not notice that a single blue petal had fluttered to the dirt by his feet. That in turn, the smallest of gashes had opened up by his collarbone.

Rose pressed to his chest, one hand now pressed against the brick wall of the alley for support, Garry watched her a moment more. He would not flee. Not without one last try. “ What do I need to do to prove that I won’t hurt you, Ib? Please, whatever it is... ” Quiet voice trembled with desperation. “ W-whatever it is, I’ll do it!! ”

[floatyquirk-deactivated20160522]

★ – “Ah! Well, that just means the people that put it together did a good job! I wasn’t in charge of the materials or anything, I just drew a sketch of the general aesthetic and included notes about the kinds of thing I needed feature wise.” There were quite a few in the end, since her Quirk was good at complicating her physical condition. “It’s not a costume based off of any hero, though. It’s for me! For my Quirk! Ochako Uraraka, student in the hero program at Yuuei Academy, at your service!” She pumped a fist into the air. “Or you could use my hero name, Uravity!” Name not yet official.

[loveshernot]

“ U-Uravity... ”

All traces of excitement vanish from his face. ( S-so it’s no costume... isn’t anyone in this place normal?!) He thinks, though he tries desperately to act as if nothing is wrong. “ You’re... a hero, then? With your own superhero suit and everything... ” How he tries to fake his former enthusiasm. How he tries. “ What... what is it you do, then? I... I mean, do you... help people, like a real superhero.......? ”

[magiteking]

     The blonde’s brows furrow together for a moment, nostalgia brimming within her mind as she thinks about what Garry has said. ‘Bring us together on the same day’… That… Sounds like something Edgar would say to the women around the castle and honestly, the half-human doesn’t doubt that he had in the past.

     So… Does that mean Garry’s trying to (what’s the word?)… ‘Hit on her’? Given his expression and how he’s currently talking, that doesn’t seem to be the case but then again, Terra’s not exactly skilled in reading social cues just yet.

     ❝ … Someone normal… ❞ she mumbles the man’s words to herself, somewhat incredulously. That’s right; in this place, no one is really aware of who and what Terra is. In a way, she finds that to be a blessing… Perhaps for once, she can be ‘normal’… At least, for a little while.

     ❝ … Oh! No, no, I don’t really have anything else to do… I was just planning on staying here for a while since it’s quiet, ❞ she finally answers, snapping back to reality once more. ❝ Appearances can be deceiving, though; even the most frightening of creatures can be kind, ❞ is this about herself or what he just said? Honestly, Terra herself isn’t sure.

     ❝ But… I think that should be fine. Us walking around together, I mean. I think there’s a petting zoo here, too… So we can pet some animals while we’re here…! ❞ she adds, excitement apparent in her tone.

[loveshernot]

RELIEF FLASHES ACROSS HIS FACE at once. As if she’d pressed a button, the pleasant smile returns to the man’s face, and he can’t help but exclaim: “ Ah...! That’s good! I was worried for a moment I was being a nuisance. ” Garry pauses only long enough to breathe before he points in a certain direction with utmost enthusiasm, “ Here... let’s go this way! If I recall correctly, there were a couple of cute looking animals down there. ” His gait starts with a spring as he heads off, though it quickly tapers down into a normal walk. 

Eyes wander as they walk, drinking in all the strange and exotic creatures he never could have fathomed until now. Noticeably, he drifts closer to the young woman when they pass the bigger beasts, the stranger ones that lumber around in their cages. And when they near the pens holding the more normal animals, or ones that appear harmless, he drifts further away to get a better look.

“ I must admit... ” Garry muses aloud as they travel, “ ...this city really does bring me back to my youth. I was talking to a man about fairy tales the other day, and now petting zoos... ” Ahead, he watches the sign marked ‘PETTING ZOO’ grow closer and closer. Lifting his head to the sky, his smile widens. “ I can’t say I dislike it, though. There are quite a few things you forget as you get older that are really quite enjoyable... ” He exhales. “ Not to mention, seeing all these creatures I’ve never seen before is... almost magical. If that’s not too cheesy to say! ”

[magiteking]

     Staring at the other as he speaks, the blonde’s eyebrows raise for a moment in confusion. RV…? Now that’s certainly a word she’s never heard before nor can she even assume as to what it may be. Due to the context of which Garry used it in, the esperkin can only make a guess that it’s something used for travel…

     ❝ We went to many places before the Light of Judgement… Like Narshe, Figaro, Zozo, Vector… ❞ she pauses now, her gaze going from the ground back to the other.

     ❝ … Everyone here comes from other places entirely though, it seems… So you haven’t even heard of the places I mentioned, have you? ❞

[loveshernot]

BROW FURROWS IN slight confusion. Indeed, he’s never heard of any of those places, but is that really such a surprise? “ No... ” he starts, confused look turning into a small smile, “ I’m afraid I haven’t. They sound lovely enough by the names, though... I wouldn’t mind living in a place called Narshe. It has a nice ring to it! ”

He laughs, quiet and demure. “ I would tell you a few of the places I’ve been to, but they aren’t very exciting, unfortunately. Cities that all look the same... except this one, of course. I’ll give this place some credit in that it’s... very unique. ” Garry pauses, words teetering nervously on the tip of his tongue. Expression growing abruptly serious, he averts his gaze from the woman as he indulges his curiosity: “ Mm... say, you mentioned that you travelled for... reasons that weren’t nice. If... if you don’t mind me asking... ”

[haruhi-akira]

Drew the first ending I got when I played the game because why not?

[anotherrpmemeblog]

❤ Dating Sim Tropes ❤

[loveshernot]

❤ Dating Sim Tropes ❤

Reblog and fill in with details about your muse as if they were a character in a Dating Sim. (Inspired by Huniepop)

Name: Garry Their Profession: Unemployed. Where they can be found (e.g. park, café, gym etc): at the library/book stores, occasionally perusing fashion outlets, in small cafes. Favourite food type (breakfast, junk food, veggies, etc): Sweets. Favourite alcoholic drink: Wine. Or tea when it comes to non-alcoholic drinks. Favourite trait (romance, passion, sexuality, talent, flirtation, sentiment, joy): Sentiment. Where they would go on a date: Parks, restaurants... anywhere except for art galleries. Ideal gift: Clothes, but he’ll appreciate any gift so long as it isn’t a doll or artwork. How many dates until they go to bed: well

[loveshernot]

Choose between Ib and Garry. Maybe choose who dies.

MAKE ME CHOOSE BETWEEN | ACCEPTING.

“ Between Ib and myself...? ” What an awful question, he thinks, looking silently at the ground. “ I... I should hope it never comes down to a choice like that. ” Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out his rose. Slowly he twirls it around by the stem. Ten glittering petals, each and every one tied to his life...

His hand goes still, but he watches the rose as he speaks: “ There’s nothing to debate... of course, I would choose Ib in a heartbeat. She’s her whole life ahead of her... ” And only a monster would leave a child to die to save themselves.

He stares at the rose a heartbeat longer. Then, something seems to stir within him-- hurriedly stowing the flower back into his pocket, he adjusts his coat and glances off to the side. “ N-now, if you’ll excuse me... I’d rather not think of such morbid things. ”

[loveshernot]

Make Me Choose Between ______ & ______ ?

Note: Can be characters, ships, movies, places. Anything your little hearts can think of!

[headmastering]

“It was, and it’s Ozpin, Professor Ozpin. May I have yours?”

[loveshernot]

“ Professor Ozpin. ” He repeats, then brightly replies, “ My name is Garry. Again, good evening! Have a safe walk back to wherever you’re headed. ”

And with that, he turns on his heel-- waving goodbye before he starts off in the direction he’d been heading before he’d been stopped to tell his story.

[lunastriker]

Push for Meme

[loveshernot]

[headmastering]

“Fairy tales can teach us much if we only look closer.. and I do agree about their soothing qualities… if they are the carefree kind. I know ones of both.”

“But I still encourage you to look back into them; and perhaps find new ones to read and love as well.”

[loveshernot]

“ Yes, you make a very good point! ” He nods. “ I’ll be sure to leaf through some new fairy tales next time I stop by the library... w-when I find the library, that is. ”

“ Hopefully my story was enough to satisfy your curiosity... in any case, have a good rest of your evening, mister...... ah... er, I don’t believe I asked for your name... ”