Not even gods

  If the world abandons us, then I'll keep moving forward. If the world wants to fight, then I'll fight. No one-not this city, the government, the king-not even gods are going to take our lives from us! [Avatar and header credit: feeshyfeesh.tumblr.com] [Affiliated with Citta Alveare]

[turnleft-blog]

The situation practically wrote itself.

The girl weaved in and out of stories like they were water. It reminded him, distantly, of the women who would come see him before a match. You have to let him win, they’d say, and they’d always have a threat laced beneath their words: their brother was dangerous, their boyfriend owed a debt, their cousin just wanted to win. And when he said no, they’d snap –

– start walking fingers up his arm, giggle and ask him about his Selections. What are you all shy for? Let’s go get dinner.

Weird comparison, but a strong one. It made him suck in a breath, kept him from answer for the longest moment. The look on the girl’s face was pitiful, but there was a monster behind her gaze. Say no, and she’d probably go back to boxing him. Say no, and nothing stopped her from yelling at him.

So. Didn’t have much of a choice, did he.

‘I got it,’ he said finally, tone flat but not dismissive. ‘You had me at monster.’

And what he wouldn’t give for some Sea Monster right about now.

　　　　　‘– hope you like wraps, kid.’

His feet found new traction against the burning asphalt.

[nahlum]

“Huh? What’s a wr-hey! Wait up!”

It was a quiet little joint. Kind of quaint, really more of Nahlum’s pace. She didn’t like the busy streets of the big city, it just didn’t suit her. There was too much going on at once, and she liked to set the pace, not have to keep up with it.

Despite her loud, energetic and bustling personality... she was still raised a village girl in the quiet location of the middle of nowhere.

Her teeth sank into flatbread, meat and lettuce, gnawing and chewing and gnashing at it with little regard for the bits that fell on the plate or on the table or on the floor. In little under thirty seconds, she had already devoured the first one, and looked pleadingly at the strange man, expecting more while she picked up the pieces that had fallen on the table and not so discretely scooped them into her mouth.

“You sure are a lot nicer than the usual guys I talk to, mister,” her tone sounded genuine, but the grin she was wearing almost made it seem like she was conning him...

“Hey, speaking of which, what’s your name?”

[nahlum]

More Tree Shenanigans | | Closed

[notyetassassin]

Whenever he wasn’t feeling well, he took to the trees. It was relaxing somehow, to feel the grooves of the wood and to feel the air rush around him. He was reminded of his village, even if he was in Boston or the Homestead or… this city. It was a bittersweet sort of comfort, but it was something. Now more than ever he felt drawn to the trees, drawn to the one bit of familiarity his new surroundings had granted him. 

It was also a good way to think things through, mulling over solutions and such as he jumped from branch to branch. Unfortunately that meant he let himself get distracted at times, relying on his instincts to keep him safe. Usually that worked. Usually there was no one else in the trees. Usually.

After running into the girl, he fell, just barely hanging onto the branch he had meant to land upon. Quickly he pulled himself up and offered his hand to her, knowing she couldn’t stay like that forever. Hopefully this branch would support the two of them, at least for a little while. 

“I am sorry…?” He offered awkwardly.

“I am not used to seeing others, um, here. In the trees. Like this.”

[nahlum]

She looked at him, then looked at the hand. Looked back at him. Frowned. Dug her nails deeply into the trees bark, scrambled and shouted and grumbled and cursed, trying with all her might to get from the awkward position back onto the branch, but there was simply not enough leverage, not any space to put her hands to be able to pull herself back up...

When she slipped and let out a yelp, she finally decided it was better to just accept the hand. It wasn’t like she was just giving up... it just wasn’t important enough to fall and maybe break something.

If this was a cactus tree she would have made it up, she decided. These weird trees with their... green stuff and their flaky bark, they just weren’t as suitable to climbing.

That was it.

She grabbed a hold of his hand, digging her fingers once more into the bark as she kicked off the tree with one foot back towards the branch. Their combined weight was heavier than expected, and when both were back on the tree, it moaned and creaked under the pressure, and sloped downwards as if it would snap in two.

“What’d’ya mean ‘not used to seeing others in the trees’, people know how to climb a tree, don’t they?! How else are you supposed to gather fruit or-”

Oh. Right. She wasn’t home anymore. 

She scratched her cheek, looking away and grumbling. Then she turned back, sizing the guy up.

He wasn’t wearing the usual attire of those citizens... well, if they had a usual attire, this wasn’t it. Thick animal furs... they looked really stuffy, there’s no way he’d last long in the desert.

“So, like, what are you?

“... I mean, you don’t look like them, so are you, um, not from here either?”

[nahlum]

egyptiandeity

The library. She had heard that the possibility to find books that dealt with... particular supernatural abilities and powers had resided there. She... really didn’t know what to think, honestly. She had seen libraries in her travels, and they had always intimidated her. What use would one even be to someone like her? The words always ended up jumbled, and she couldn’t understand any of it... 

Tas had been the one who would read to her. Tell her things she didn’t know or understand, and help impart knowledge onto her for her spellcrafting that could be useful for training. Tas wasn’t even here... what could she do alone...?

She gingerly picked up a book and flipped through the pages, pretending to read. She felt out of place and self-conscious before she even stepped in the building, and, now, that feeling had grown even worse. What was she even doing here? She skimmed the pages, tracing the print with her fingers, it all looking like scrawled gibberish to her. Occasionally she saw something she thought she recognized, “the”, “spell”, “hair”, but in the end... none of the words could be strung along with the ones beside them to make something comprehensible.

She frowned and furrowed her brow. It really was useless. Why did she even come?

She slammed the book shut with a sense of finality, making a show of seeming to find what she was looking for, smirking to herself as if she understood, then gruffly shoving the book back on the shelf where it belonged. Or, where she thought it belonged.

At that point, it felt more like a challenge. She had already come, so why not stay? The judgments of others wasn’t something she cared about in the slightest, and, to prove that, she went to the nearest table, with the nearest living thing she could communicate with, and started talking at him.

“Hey, so, this is a library, right? And... you can get books here? Are there books on how to get out of this stinkin’ place?”

[turnleft-blog]

So that wasn’t called for.

The challenge. It snaked through him the same way her presence did, a satellite in his world as soon as she touched his arm. It was a slow-burning thing, just enough to get him to stop and turn his head, disengage from the path and the crowd forming it to regard the girl at his side.

You don’t look so tough, she said, and he met her arrogance with muted scepticism. Wasn’t called for, but her face alone said she believed it.

Not even the guys in Cloudbank picked fights like this.

‘Yeah?’ he began, in the same way he might usually say hi, caught between doubt and politeness. He didn’t shift to look at her, not even when meeting her gaze reminded him of the crick in his neck. Some people would use any excuse to go on the offensive. ‘… okay.’

The chatter of the crowd, the honking horns and yelling, it was almost enough to drown out his voice. He rubbed at the back of his neck, watched her.

If he noticed her scars, he said nothing.

‘I’m not… gonna fight you, if that’s what you’re thinking.’

Some people.

[nahlum]

“Come on! You’re like, the toughest guy here! You gotta fight me! There’s no way I’m not gonna fight while I’m stuck in this stupid city!”

Nahlum stomped her foot and growled in frustration.

“What, are you scared?! Afraid to fight a little girl? Afraid I’ll break a rib or two? Huh? I bet that’s it, huh? Huh? Huh?!”

She ducked behind him and popped up on his other side, tapping his other arm and began shadow boxing. Her stance was unusual, and the way her arms twisted and hands weaved in and out wasn’t like that of any orthodox technique. It was obvious she had some skill, but could she really do any damage like that...?

“I’ve taken out guys waaay bigger than you. Ten feet. No, twelve. Actually, I think the biggest was... thirteen? He was made of sand so it’s kind of hard to remember. Also, y’know, the whole trying to kill me part made it hard to ask for measurements. I bet you haven’t killed anyone. Huh, Mr. Bandage Hands, huh?”

She could have easily went on, but that’s when her stomach decided to intervene again, and remind her of how long it had been since she last had eaten...

She groaned and lost a little speed in her step, falling back a bit, but not letting her voice waver.

“I’m so hungry... you can feed me, right, mister...? I haven’t eaten in three days...

“If you let a little girl die on the streets they’ll never forgive you. I’ll curse you with my dying breath. Everyone will know what a monster Mr. Bandage Hands is. They’ll show up with rocks and break your windows every night...”

It was amazing how fast a child’s tone could change.

[nahlum]

More Tree Shenanigans | | Closed

It was an unconventional meeting.

She had been sitting in a tree, legs dangling and stomach rumbling, wondering what, exactly, was happening, and how to get back home. She spent the good portion of the afternoon just... wandering, without really understanding much about this place or the weirdos in it.

Everyone seemed so used to it. They couldn’t have all been taken, right? That was just, just impossible! What kind of magic could they have used to ensnare each and every single one of them, and how could they maintain a spell of that magnitude...? It didn’t make sense!

But, more importantly...

No, that guy looked poor as dirt... that one was paying too much attention... ugh, that one had a sword as long as she was. Seriously, who carries around something like that?

Almost every last one of them... looked too dangerous or too aware to pickpocket... and she was so hungry... ...

She groaned in frustration and punched the tree with her fist. Who around here was clueless enough to be her meal ticket?!

He swung in almost on cue, and the branch rattled with both of their weights, sending them both off balance. She quickly grabbed a hold of the tree, digging her nails into it like a cat, barely hanging onto the thing without really understanding what was going on.

“W-watch where you’re goin’, asshole!” She blurted out, reflexively. 

She didn’t even know if he had managed to stay on the branch.

notyetassassin

[mememaniamastermind]

My muse is sick but refuses to admit it. Inbox me with what your muse does about this

[nahlum]

She saw him first.

He didn’t really stand out in a crowd, in spite of how big he was. Something about his face, maybe, added to that enigmatic appearance. Maybe it was his ambiguous expression. Maybe it was the way he flowed through the crowd, allowing it to take him wherever it needed to. It was hard to say, but she had taken interest.

It was the way he was built, mostly. His hands, the way they were carefully bandaged-his arms and face, the visual signs that wounds had appeared there-small cuts and bruises, healed over time and time again only to be damaged again. 

He fought. He used his fists, and she could tell because she was the same. She approached, wearing her tattered old clothes. A cheeky grin appearing across her face as she walked beside him at a steady pace and sized him up, as if laughing to herself, then tapping him on the arm, as if to initiate a challenge.

“You don’t look so tough,” she sneered, brushing back her hair, unintentionally revealing the wide scar across her forehead. “I bet I could take you!”

Even out in the street, surrounded by people, honking horns,  and yelling, and being nearly half his size... Nahlum was pretty loud. It was like her voice cut through all the excess chatter, and made itself known despite everything going on around them.

turnleft

[ikeatrice-blog]

death in the clouds : open

Who was it that woke in tears, startled, breathing as if they’d run a marathon? Whose body shook and heaved with pain of death for nearly an hour before clawing its way out of bed? Was it Shannon who collapsed, crying, on the floor of the shower? Was it Kanon who couldn’t find the strength even to eat a scrap of toast, a bite of cereal? 

When was the last time Beatrice had felt so lost?

It had hurt. Of course it had hurt. But it hadn’t all hurt, and that, they thought, was worst of all–holding hands, kissing, dancing, sharing their warmth, sharing their sweetness–all of it gone. You always knew it would be gone, someday. Of course they couldn’t really love someone like you. Of course–

That dark head shook, back and forth, back and forth, as if the pain could clear itself out. As if. 

There were other things, too; a head that had been golden, instead of dark (she fitted the wig carefully, no small scraps of hair peeking out anywhere). A name, right? Not your name, although it could be yours, now, if you wanted it. And her face… that hadn’t quite belonged to Beatrice, either. (Tracing pink circles around blue eyes, glancing absently at the stranger in the glass.) Look, look: if you smile and float away, and ignore the holes gaping luridly at your temples, you can still be pretty.

So: when she left the apartment, she was pretty.

All blonde hair and meticulous suit, as if it could hide the way you flinch when the light hits your eyes. 

When she woke again on the sidewalk outside of a bus (a bus she had been riding, a bus she had stepped off, or started to, at least), she wasn’t quite so pretty. Her blonde hair was mussed; there was the start of a bruise on her cheek, and another on her shoulder, where she had fallen. 

Fainted. How long has it been since you fainted?

Good morning, Golden Witch.

She blinked, blinked, sat up. Squinted at her would-be savior. “Thank you,” she said, and it came out slurred, which seemed to her the most frustrating thing about the entire episode. “You were waiting. Right? For how long? I’m sure I’ve made you late, for… wherever it is that you…”

And there, of course, her voice faded again. Was it the light? She had collapsed while walking off the bus, and into the sun–was she that weak?

[nahlum]

“You alright, lady? That looked like a nasty fall...” despite her usual rough personality, Nahlum had gingerly reached out to wipe away some loose strands of hair and examine the poor woman’s cheek.

“Not like I’d ever faint but you know, it’s whatever!” She lied through her teeth. “There’s no embarrassment in falling down every once in a while. Just gotta get up again, y’know!”

It was a really pretty dress.

She reminded Nahlum of nobility. They always wore beautiful dresses... but mostly to cover up their ugly faces and personalities. Witches with hideous scowls and upturned noses, that’s what they were. 

But they did have full wallets that were easy to misplace.

“I really didn’t have anything better to do. Seriously, I’m totally lost. If you were gonna die here on the sidewalk I wouldn’t even be able to help, I don’t know where a hospital is.” Nahlum scratched her face. “But you woke up pretty quick, so I guess you’re gonna live to see another day. And we can get you home, a nice meal and a good rest will probably perk you up!”

When was the last time Nahlum had eaten? She didn’t remember. But if this beautiful lady had beautiful food to match her beautiful clothes, then Nahlum would follow her wherever she went.

[nahlum]

Switcheroo!

Jessica came from the powerful Ushiromiya noble family of Lon Aberus. Known as the family built upon a mountain of gold, with the flag of the one winged eagle flying high above their house, the Ushiromiya were well established for generations long before Jessica was born. They were also a family that illicitly practiced magic.

In fact, some say that Kinzo, the head of the Ushiromiya house, had dragged the noble family back from the brink of collapse using his profound alchemist powers, creating gold from nothing and establishing an empire on it.

... But these are all just rumors, of course.

Jessica herself was fairly adept with magic. Wanting to take the title of head for herself, she knew that it might be a bloody affair when it came to the power hungry players of the Ushiromiya house. Lon Aberus nobility was never merciful when it came to an opportunity to seize power, and even Kinzo’s long and bloody rise to conquest was well known, magic or not.

But that’s exactly what drove Jessica to want to seize that power for herself. She wanted to change the political struggles and social structure of Systus. The abhorrent treatment of the lower classes was never something that she enjoyed. Despite this, she partially understood she had to be ruthless, cunning and relentless when it came to her claim of power, and the best way to utilize that was through magic.

Having an affinity for fire based magic and being fairly dept at fist fighting, Jessica utilizes fire-based punches in order to take down her enemies. Her punches are said to be hot enough and strong enough to punch a hole through a steel wall. Anyone who is caught on the other end of this better be careful.

[nahlum]

4, 9!

4. How do you know when you’re in love? (romantic or platonic)

Nahlum looked completely red, going wide eyed and quickly turning the other way to save face.

“Wh-wh-wh-what the hell!? What kinda question is that I don’t even know what you’re talking about! Get outta here, you asshole! Ask somebody else your weird questions!

“... L-Like I know anything about love!”

9. If you committed a crime, would you accept punishment willingly?

“Pft, hahaha! No way! I ain’t even gonna admit to doin’ it! I’m a magus, we’re born outlaws from the very beginning! Nobody ever wanted me, so I don’t follow anybody’s rules! ... Plus, I probably had a good reason for doing it anyway.”

[nahlum]

Have you ever done anything that you feel to be very morally wrong?

“Ha, morally wrong? Yeah, right! If anything, I feel like I haven’t caused enough trouble! Tas can worry about those things like ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, and I’m just gonna keep moving forward. How do you expect me to make tough decisions if I worry over small stuff like that?!”

[nahlum]

Switcheroo!

Nessus was a forest spirit, made up of the collective conscious of each animal in the forest and fueled by the rumors and mythology surrounding the spirits that dwell within the wild. He lived in a forest close to the sea, and frequently would go out to the neighboring port town and steal food, cause mischief, and generally be a nuisance before returning home to feed the animals of the forest food and fulfill his role as a guardian over them.

His role as a guardian and spirit of the forest fills him with the emotions, positive and negative, of the inhabitants of the forest. He is always hyper aware of their situation, and has little autonomy for himself as a being manufactured to look over, serve and protect them.

Then one day a member of a secret society had stumbled upon Nessus, and began experimentation on him and the animals of the forest. Their purpose was further understanding of the inner-workings of a guardian spirit, and many animals suffered as a direct result of understanding Nessus’ reaction to it.

When they were finished, Nessus felt disconnected, as if he had been a marionette cut from his strings. His ability to sense the feelings of the forest had become muddled, and it was as if the place had become alien to him. Before, staying outside the forest always came with the risk of dematerializing, as his will was purely manifested and maintained by the land, but now it felt like he could go anywhere without consequence. All of a sudden, it was like he was without purpose.

[nahlum]

20

Difficult Questions for Muses

20. What would you like to achieve before you die?

“Uh… I never really thought about it. Usually I’m just tryin’ not to die, I guess. Hrm… well, I wanted to get stronger, but that’s to stop the, y’know, not dying thing. I guess… I’d really want for Tas to be happy. So long as I know she’s safe and nobody’s gonna come after her should I die, I could rest easy.”

[nahlum]

"Switcheroo!"

She was considered a legend. A magus that had actually achieved the status that was as close to the fallen angels of old as possible. From a young age, it was said that she was apart of one of history’s most bloodiest purges that claimed the lives of thousands of magi, and on that battlefield it is rumored she saw Neron, the patron god of death, and looked into the gates of the Dead God’s stomach itself.

After that, something inside her had awoken. There was a great eruption, an earthquake that could be felt from miles away and a light, more intense than any lightning strike, that flashed throughout the sky for the briefest of instants before the entire battlefield was silent.

No one survived that day.

It’s said that she has managed to evade Neron since then, having seen a great many unknowable truths and being granted powers of life and death that few could actually wield. She is known as a terrifying magus, one that had deemed herself Empress of the entire wasteland that became the site of her first encounter with Neron, building her home over the many corpses that littered the battlefield.

It’s said that both the Systus empire and the organization for preventing the unraveling of space and time have tried to eliminate her. All attempts ended with many lives lost. She takes her home somewhere on the border of Systus and the Alzdian desert, close to the ocean. All plants had stopped growing and all life had stopped living for miles surrounding her home, becoming nothing but barren rock, and to try and trespass on those lands would be a venture in peril. Not much is known about how her time is spent there, but after what’s rumored to be centuries she has yet to actively attack any nations or peoples that border her home. The only thing that can really be done is to continue to hope her wrath never comes down on the humans that live near her.

[professionaldreamjester-deactiv]

Send me "Switcheroo!" and I'll redesign your muse as if they were from my muse's universe

Alternatively, send me “Switcheroo Reversed” and I’ll redesign my muse for your muse’s universe.

[nahlum]

5, 8, 15

Difficult Questions for Muses

5. Would you or have you ever killed? What would drive you to kill?

“... A lot of people want to capture me and have killed a lot of people to get to me. I... haven’t killed yet, but I can’t let them live if I ever get the chance. They’re way stronger than me, and more experienced, and willing to kill anyone in order to get to me. How can I let people like that go?

“Tas says I shouldn’t, but she’s way too idealistic about the situation. There’s no way we’re gonna be able to make it out of this while they are still alive.”

8. Should all people be treated as equal, and have the same rights?

“Nah. I mean, the way that those stuck up magi work... and those nobles... they don’t even view us as human. They think anyone outside of their great big city or too poor to afford basic housing is worth stepping on. I don’t think they deserve rights. They’re not my equal, they’re just scum.”

15. Would you always be loyal to your loved ones even if they wronged you?

“... I don’t care about anything else. If they betrayed me I-I don’t think I’d have anything left... but they wouldn’t betray me! We’ve been through too much for that! I need her as much as she needs me!”

[plasticdynasty]

Difficult Questions for Muses

(Please remember to use trigger warnings as and when necessary)

Do you think that you’re a good person?

Do others like you? Do you want others to like you?

What do you think others like or admire about you?

How do you know when you’re in love? (romantic or platonic)

Would you or have you ever killed? What would drive you to kill? 

Do you think that killing is ever justified?

Have you ever done anything that you feel to be very morally wrong?

Should all people be treated as equal, and have the same rights?

If you committed a crime, would you accept punishment willingly?

Is suicide ever the right choice?

Is euthanasia ever the right choice?

Is it right to have an intimate relationship with somebody you don’t love?

What could make you break your own moral code? 

Have you ever doubted your own beliefs? (Spiritual, philosophical)

Would you always be loyal to your loved ones even if they wronged you?

What would you consider a fate worse than death?

Why do you love the person or people you love? (romantic or platonic)

Do you agree with capital punishment?

Could you ever forgive your worst enemy?

What would you like to achieve before you die?