❛ ⊹ ━ of strength.

[kyliesblacksister]

[velvetiiin-a]

yo takaya tho

          His bones miss the earth.

            They wish to return to the soil from which they sprung, to continue the particulate recycling of the universe, to become dust, to become flower, to become vapor, to become nothing. He does not fear the dark bosom of the earth in which dead men are buried, nor the cloying advance of death like an old flame, ashen fingers creeping over sickened features. 

            Shoulders, ribcage, throat. The jut of his emaciated hips rising like architecture beneath his wasted flesh. 

            It is not in his nature to cling to life with bloody fingers.  He imagines, if it is his time, he will be taken; if he is being tested, he will persevere.

            There was a time in which he did not exist. Whether by frost or fire, by slow wasting or quick defeat, he will return inevitably unto that time again. And like a homecoming hero, peaceful in the fall, he will open his arms to embrace the inescapable end. He will become a thing so nebulous, so diaphanous as to be breathed in the air. He will become the stuff of his own last breaths – breaths, rising now in cooling, vaporous clouds.

            Yet he reminds himself that he must not be so eager, so undisciplined as to rush.  Death is a number that ticks down steadily, unchangeable; it will reach him eventually.  And there is much to be done in the lingering days and hours. He is Her prophet, after all, and for Her he is willing to wait.  When he remembers this, the loss of blood becomes a frustration. His knees give out. The chill seeps in through his chest. His lips pull into a feeble, irritated grin.  It seems cruel, now, that the world rush him towards death before Her coming. 

            But the world is full of cruelty.  

[velvetiiin-a]

Alright, folks! I’m back! Please pardon my rather extended absence. My best friend was in town, and my determination to spend every waking moment with her when I wasn’t at work delayed my activity quite a bit. I have work today and all day tomorrow, so activity may be a bit spotty until Sunday, but I’m back now and getting to replies and starters.

Thanks for sticking around!

[velvetiiin-a]

OKAY OKAY OKAY! CAPPING THE STARTER CALL! NO MORE REQUESTS FOR THE NIGHT! THANK YOU EVERYONE. 

[velvetiiin-a]

STARTER CALL.

[byebyedonewitheverythingbye]

MEMENTO MORI (updated version in 540px)

[velvetiiin-a]

THANK YOU TAMPERMONKEY I LOVE YOU.

[velvetiiin-a]

To those wondering why people are upset by the update, or suggesting that the only people bothered are those who tend to over-embellish their formatting, I think the issue is less about whether or not posts will still look nice (after all, ultimately all the same formatting functions are still available to us and can still be replicated) than it is about the fact that the actual process of formatting them -- however much you do or do not choose to format -- is now significantly clunkier.

Changes that make things less facile and user-friendly are irksome on any site or program, even if seemingly minor. The addition of another hoop to jump through -- even simply having to go through a copying, pasting, and deleting process in order to simply trim posts -- is understandably frustrating, especially when there doesn’t appear to have been a perceptible need for change, nor much of a significant benefit.

Ultimately, of course we’ll all adapt eventually -- we always do -- but this seems to be an understandable source of annoyance for most in the RP community. 

Anyway, just my two cents on the issue. Good luck with the new update, everyone!

[chalceum-deactivated20160625]

                          “muscle milk?” in HIS day and age, there was no such thing as milk that gave you muscles. but he said nothing of it. “i have no use for this ‘muscle milk’ so i would not know.”

[velvetiiin-a]

          “Ah, how unfortunate... I was looking forward to seeing the results of this miraculous substance with my own eyes. I suppose that means your physique was not ‘milk’-induced.” 

          His disappointment was palpable, but poise was his persuasion, and this he fought to maintain -- despite the demoralizing lack of protein shakes. “Well. I suppose there is just as much to be said of more traditional, less expedient methods... Perhaps the value of one’s strength is defined by the lengths one goes to achieve it.”

            And to what lengths, Theodore mused, affixing to the stranger an analytical gaze, must a man go, to earn such jackals’ eyes? 

[berubeto]

            “To be upfront with you, dear little brother.” It was enough to know simply by the look in the eldest sister’s eyes that there would be little compassion for the youngest sibling’s foolishness. It was actually his fault this time as well, not simply the exploitation of his sisters.

          “This is your own mess, Theodore. You know the master will settle for no less than a heartfelt apology, not cowering behind your siblings.”

[velvetiiin-a]

          Theodore knew Margaret to be possessing of many graces and admirable qualities -- leniency, not amongst them.  “But sister... I did apologize, immediately!” (and amidst much fumbling and stammering) “It was he who requested that I remove myself from his presence momentarily, in order that he might gather his thoughts in peace.” 

            With head hung in shame, Theodore knitted his brows. “I... I suppose he was still somewhat perturbed about my earlier request to install a ‘pin-ball machine’ in the Velvet Room. It was never my intention to irritate him.”

[velvetiiin-a]

        ☾: ❝  ── ofmasters .

        “Forgive me if this question is too forward -- I admit, my curiosity occasionally overpowers my tact, or so I was once told. But I cannot help but wonder ...”

          “Having sustained such injuries... why is it that you continue to fight?”

[velvetiiin-a]

your theo is my fav theo -- the BEST theo ever

hgjkhdhfgkh -- You’re so sweet! Thank you! Tapping into Theodore’s bizarre mixture of ‘ethereal mystery man’ and ‘hapless man child’ can be a bit of challenge sometimes, but I’m doing my best to hold it together. Sometimes, just asking myself “what would a martian do?” solves the problem. 

[vengiier-deactivated20170711]

             ❛  ugh… why the heck is it              so hot out…? is the ac              broken or something, i’m              roasting…  ❜

[velvetiiin-a]

          “It is due primarily to the slanted axial tilt of the Earth, which causes the rays of the sun to strike it with varying degrees of intensity, depending upon the planet’s position. At certain orbital positions, the angle at which sunlight reaches the Earth is quite steep and concentrated, leading to higher temperatures. In short, this is the phenomenon known as ‘summer.’  

            As for the condition of the AC ...”

          “Erm... remind me of the definition of ‘AC’... ?”

[velvetiiin-a]

pssst.... hey kid. that big sis of yours bothering you? for the right price, me and my buddies here could, ah... 'take care of her' for you...

          “’Take care…?’ Ah, please do not be misled by my sister’s dainty appearance. I assure you that she, of all beings, is quite capable of caring for herself. Indeed, I never worry for her safety, even when she ventures out unaccompanied.”

          “I must thank you for your consideration, however. It is truly comforting to know that there are those who would go out of their way to attend to my sister’s well-being, should the situation necessitate it.”

[velvetiiin-a]

eliza-death​:

     Elizabeth quelled the giggle forming in that mysterious place in your abdomen from which laughter bubbles up into your throat. A sly hand cut through the air silently, reaching up and pushing Theodore’s hat forward.

     “Perhaps it was a phantom?”

          The room went abruptly dark.  With less than professional composure, Theodore jumped like a flipped coin, and fumbled to push his hat back into place. “S-sister! Must you...? You know very well that the last time you snuck up on me, I cried out, and startled Margaret from her thoughts.” Just the recollection made him droop. “... She was so cross, she made me stack one hundred houses of cards.”

             “... And it certainly was not a phantom.” Phantoms were much less frightening.

[velvetiiin-a]

bad beat. ─

[strecido-blog]

    “ – be careful, wouldja? that’s the only deck we’ve got. ”

  the irate tone and pursed lips might suggest that he grows tired of his   current company, but make no mistake —- he is more than happy to   entertain this particular guest, as enthusiastic and as clueless as he   appears to be. it wasn’t every day that men like theodore walked into   such an establishment without coercion, if at all. that was to say, men   that dressed and walked with a regal air about them, pretty of face and   courteous in demeanor. and if their purse seemed to hold a limitless   amount of coin, well, all the better.

  no such man would look twice at the run-down “shack” that tyki and his   company frequented ( a pub just a few paces from the train station, tho-   ugh one would not guess it from the decrepit exterior ), much less dare    to step through the front door. and yet, here he was. slightly disoriented   but far too curious for his own good, it wasn’t at all difficult to get him to   stay awhile, take a seat, and soon enough, join in on the game. one ha-   nd turned into two, two turned into three, three to four, and so on. he’d   lost every single round, being an easy read ( and unfamiliar with the ru-   les of the game, at best ), but had no qualms with paying his dues. the    jangling of his coin purse on payout was music to tyki’s ears.

  and the declaration of “one more hand”, the encore that came after. if he   had seemed annoyed before, there were no traces of it now. he’s giddy,   rather, beaming bright and laughing heartily. 

    “ you’re twice the player you were when you came in, i can       tell you that much – ‘course, that’s got more to do with my expert       direction than it does much else, hah! —- but if it’s another round       you want, it’s another round you’ll get. right, boys? ”

  as though on cue, his company nods and grunts agreement, grinning in   a fashion similar to tyki’s. a trio of wolves staring down their prey.

    “ —- y’ might even win this time around. i can practically feel it. ”

  once again, he gathers up the cards and begins to shuffle, jovial as ever   ( and sly enough to manage to slip certain cards back up his sleeve as    he does so —- this was ‘his only deck’? try ‘one of three’ ). he only falt-   ers upon hearing theodore’s final question. behind his spectacles, obsc-   ured from sight, he cannot help but to roll his eyes.

    “ ‘ante up’. it’s a phrase, not a … … —— where’d you say you       came from again, ‘kid’? i don’t know a man in this city that asks the     kinds of questions that you do. ”

[velvetiiin-a]

            The three men offered him a collective leer.   One, straddling his seatback like a cellist, hung his wrists off the back of his chair and passed a snicker over his pointed teeth.  Theodore smiled serenely into their rapacity.

           “You certainly flatter me.  And for your guidance and mentorship, you have my most profound gratitude. However… to ‘feel’ my triumph so imminently… Don’t you think that runs somewhat counter to the nature of the game?  That is, premonitions of victory seem in opposition to a player’s reliance upon ‘luck’ and ‘chance’…” He smiled thoughtfully. “Though… I suppose a seasoned gambler such as yourself can’t help but develop a strong intuition. Do you find it interferes with your enjoyment of the game?”

           The man in the whirlpool glasses shuffled and dealt.  Theodore watched him, noting with quiet curiosity the dark crescents of dirt beneath his nails, the faint yellowed stain on his shirt-front, the few unraveling threads and thinning sleeves -- his harlequin smile.   Theodore pondered. Were he accustomed, as humans were, to toiling so endlessly against the tides of fate, perhaps he too would relish the chance to chase the unpredictable skirts of ‘luck’ and ‘chance,’ to woo the random with card and coin, to persuade oneself that the sway of the universe lay in the changeable and fickle palm of odds and chances, rather than the intractable grip of destiny.

           But he knew better.

           The cards coasted smoothly across the table. Theodore tapped each with a gloved fingertip.  “O - oh. Of course.  A saying. That... stands to reason, I suppose.” He cleared his throat. “Ah… far.  We use a different sort of deck, where I reside.”

           He knew better -- fate ticked like a constant metronome, inexorable – but he yearned to indulge.

             “... I ... suppose this ‘saying’ has nothing to do with insects, either?”

[gooselullaby]

                                                 ♪ Hey look, you smiled!                                                                       It’s very easy to smile. ♪

🌸 Single Para/Multi Para/One Liner 🌸 Multiverse 🌸 Semi-Active 🌸 Selective

                                    ♪ I remember the place where that day came.                                                                 What do we sing? ♪

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