The Smart One

[vio-not-vitriol]

why work harder when you can work smarter?

( @the-evil-librarian )

this blog is run by @smolbeansgobonkers for the evil linked universe roleplay :)

i'll add more here as i go

[vio-not-vitriol]

it's coming

[vio-not-vitriol]

Another update lol

Red is dead and also not dead at the same time! Isn't that fun? Can't wait for you to come back and see both of them ^^

*he clenches his fists with the urge to strangle someone, the air around him crackling with magical potential*

*he forces himself calm, though. he can't reveal his plan too early*

*and they're lying anyways. probably*

[vio-not-vitriol]

so uhm.

opinion on the knight and the mage?

they can both get fucked

*...is of course, what he would say, if he weren't gagged and bound currently. for now he glares up at you.*

*there's a slight glow around his body with the amount of magic he is slowly amassing*

[vio-not-vitriol]

update from the outside!!!1! (>w<) soooo, red kindaaa has this fun sitch where he may or may not!!! or not!!! be dead!!!!! which is really cute of him!!! he’ll prolly get better tho!!! so don’t worry ( ◠‿◠ )!!! but that’s not all(*'▽'*) because there’s two whole blue links now!!!!! exciting right???? two of them??!!! awesome!!!! one of them is reaaaallly angry though cause he’s a bit younger, and the older blue might be having this fun thing going on where he’s been blinded!!!! (^｡^) i know, awful!!! one of his eyes has been gouged out!!!! he won’t be getting better. （＾∇＾）aaaaaanyway!!1!!!! green is actually kind of okay!, still missing an arm and things but really the only thing bad is being stressed out of his mind!!!!! yayyyyyyy!!!1!!!!! and that’s been your update from the outside!!!!!!! don’t get tortured too hard!!!!! teehee!!!!!(^з^)-☆☆

...

*he just assumes this is some fresh torture method they cooked up for him and ignores it. there's-- there's no way red could be dead, or blue blind... no. they're lying to him*

*he continues to feed on the power flowing through this place, regenerating his magic before he tries anything else*

*he's resolved in this, at least: that the next time he uses his magic will be to get shadow out of this shit hole. and not a moment sooner*

*that just... will require a lot of magic*

*and vio doesn't believe he'll be able to send himself with shadow*

[vio-not-vitriol]

...................just checking in to make sure you aren't...dead.....or anything. cuz that'd be really bad

*he slowly signs* 'not dead. restoring my magic. waiting until i have enough to kill this magic drenched guy'

[vio-not-vitriol]

This place, it takes a toll,

So let me play my role

And tell you what unfolds,

Outside the cage they hold

Have you heard of the Hero of Time?

A tale of past in the future,

With fairy wings, rules he did defy

And split up a sacred and holy line

Youth, death, adulthood

Lunar, absent, drowned

So did Red find one small timeline

And was cursed into something profound

He searches for a cure

In a cycle of three

So far, he’s endured,

He fights on for thee

Blue is helping where he can,

My words he cannot understand

He moves forward, even with no plan,

When he arrives, the knights are damned

Green’s voice is strong, his soul is not

His smile doesn’t reach his eyes

Still, he moves on, deep in thought

On how to rescue, and stay alive

They all could be better, they all could be worse

If you’d like more letters, I can send a verse

I know how this place can damage and curse

But your flesh and your soul will always come first

~📜

*he weakly looks up at the letter, slowly reading it, ignoring the blood dribbling from his mouth, through his gag. the shadow magic was taking a toll on him, without shadow there to help*

*the others were okay. that's good. he's glad. he is not present enough to comprehend the rest of that*

*he forces his head up, slowly, trying to manipulate the shadows on the wall of his shadow's enclosure*

*he slowly makes them sign 'green, red, blue...' but the shadows taper off and fade as he passes out from the attempt.*

*he was out of magic, and it was seriously draining him*

( @this-shadow-lives )

[vio-not-vitriol]

There are two men, one carries a boulder,

The other has broader shoulders

"Let me carry your load," he says

And lifts the boulder high above his head

The first man is grateful, but sore

He collapses, unable to soar

The second man feels bad- he frowns,

And adds more to the boulder weighing him down

Over time, the boulder gets harder to lift

The first man is still asleep

The second man is tired, but still he persists

Even as his bones begin to creak

The first man wakes up after days,

Confused, lost and afraid

He looks over to the man who helped him,

Nothing but blood and cracked bones remain

~📜

*vio slowly blinks, staring through blurry vision at the poem*

*how do you keep getting these in here?*

*he sighs. at least the meaning of this one was obvious. wasn't the last poem the one to suggest supporting shadow in the first place?*

*whatever. he didn't really have enough magic to do that again anyways. he'll rest for a bit, so he can be around to support shadow when it's necessary*

[vio-not-vitriol]

*vio slowly blinks himself awake, groaning around the gag before pulling himself up. everything around him was blurry, and moving his wrists sent shocks of pain up his arms-- he could hardly remember why he was here, and his arm hurt so fucking bad--*

*then he looked up, spotting the chained up form of shadow through the one-way mirror, and everything slotted into place again. shadow's arm was still cut up and he was injured in numerous other places, the most obvious being the brand on his neck...*

*on the wall next to @this-shadow-lives, the shadows began to take the shape of hands again-- though they were faulty and light, as vio did not have much to power them with. regardless, they signed a small 'hi, love'*

[this-shadow-lives]

*He hasn't rested, he hasn't slept. How could he, with the knowledge that Vio was so close, and most likely in pain? Vio had healed him, but he knows how Dark and Shadow magic works. Obviously.*

*His hair is still dripping wet. The only sound he can hear is the sound of water hitting the floor. If he is being honest with himself, the sound--despite how repetitive it is--comforts him. It reminds him of the rain.*

*When the shadows nearby take shape again, he speaks. His voice is quiet. It is rough and scratchy, from disuse and the lack of water*

"...Please don't- Don't strain yourself."

*To continue being honest with himself, he still isn't certain that he's not hallucinating. He knows how imaginative the mind can be when it's being broken.*

[vio-not-vitriol]

*'same to you' the hands responded, before deforming and reforming closer to you, a more solid hand brushing your hair back for you*

[this-shadow-lives]

*He leans into the hands almost subconsciously. The positive touch is...nice, after however long it's been.*

[vio-not-vitriol]

*vio sighs, watching you. he's glad he's able to give you at least this much.*

*the hands falter, the last of vio's magic faltering with them, but before he can run out, he puppets the hands to take your forearm, running over it and taking the rest of the pain away*

*vio gives a choked cry, but it doesn't make it past the gag as the hands fade, shadow's injuries only making the pain near his wrist worse- but he doesn't care. he just wants shadow to be happy. that's all he wants*

[vio-not-vitriol]

*vio slowly blinks himself awake, groaning around the gag before pulling himself up. everything around him was blurry, and moving his wrists sent shocks of pain up his arms-- he could hardly remember why he was here, and his arm hurt so fucking bad--*

*then he looked up, spotting the chained up form of shadow through the one-way mirror, and everything slotted into place again. shadow's arm was still cut up and he was injured in numerous other places, the most obvious being the brand on his neck...*

*on the wall next to @this-shadow-lives, the shadows began to take the shape of hands again-- though they were faulty and light, as vio did not have much to power them with. regardless, they signed a small 'hi, love'*

[this-shadow-lives]

*He hasn't rested, he hasn't slept. How could he, with the knowledge that Vio was so close, and most likely in pain? Vio had healed him, but he knows how Dark and Shadow magic works. Obviously.*

*His hair is still dripping wet. The only sound he can hear is the sound of water hitting the floor. If he is being honest with himself, the sound--despite how repetitive it is--comforts him. It reminds him of the rain.*

*When the shadows nearby take shape again, he speaks. His voice is quiet. It is rough and scratchy, from disuse and the lack of water*

"...Please don't- Don't strain yourself."

*To continue being honest with himself, he still isn't certain that he's not hallucinating. He knows how imaginative the mind can be when it's being broken.*

[vio-not-vitriol]

*'same to you' the hands responded, before deforming and reforming closer to you, a more solid hand brushing your hair back for you*

[vio-not-vitriol]

*vio slowly blinks himself awake, groaning around the gag before pulling himself up. everything around him was blurry, and moving his wrists sent shocks of pain up his arms-- he could hardly remember why he was here, and his arm hurt so fucking bad--*

*then he looked up, spotting the chained up form of shadow through the one-way mirror, and everything slotted into place again. shadow's arm was still cut up and he was injured in numerous other places, the most obvious being the brand on his neck...*

*on the wall next to @this-shadow-lives, the shadows began to take the shape of hands again-- though they were faulty and light, as vio did not have much to power them with. regardless, they signed a small 'hi, love'*

[this-shadow-lives]

*after a while of staring into space, waiting for the knight to return, something catches your eye*

*the shadows. on the wall. they're waving at you*

*as soon as you look at them, they shift, fingerspelling V-I-O and pointing to the mirror on the opposite wall*

( @vio-not-vitriol )

*He- He’s pretty sure he’s hallucinating when he sees the shadows move. He’s been bleeding long enough it’d make sense for the hallucinations to start.*

*When the shadows start to spell Vio’s name, he closes his eyes. No. No, he’s definitely hallucinating. Yes- Yes he taught Vio some Shadow Magic, but there’s- There’s no way Vio is here. He’s just hallucinating.*

[vio-not-vitriol]

*Vio frowns as you close your eyes, dropping the spell to conserve his energy until you open your eyes again*

*Once you do open your eyes, the hand reforms, signing 'love-you' and then calling you a pancake-- one of vio's silly pet names for you*

[this-shadow-lives]

*He stays standing there with his eyes shut for…A while. He’s let his head drop.*

*When he raises his head again, he stares at the shadows with wide eyes. That- No…No- Why is Vio here? He shouldn’t be here.*

*He can’t bring himself to say anything, but you can see that he- He’s crying now. The tears mix with the water dripping from his hair, making it difficult to realize at first.*

*He’s- Vio probably isn’t here, right? He’s probably hallucinating still. It…It is a nice hallucination though*

[vio-not-vitriol]

*the hands wave quickly, worriedly, signing 'don't-cry', 'sorry', 'here-for-you'*

*vio, on the other side, si sitting upright, as close to the window as he can get. he barely has the magical capacity for this, but like hell is he gonna let that stop him. he just-- he just wants to support his lover*

[this-shadow-lives]

*He can't bring himself to say anything. He wants to speak, to ask questions. To ask how Vio's here...To ask why he came for him. That- He can't trust this. Not completely. If-If it was actually Vio, why hasn't he said anything? Why is he- Is he unable to or- Or is it the knight, playing tricks on him?*

[vio-not-vitriol]

*Vio sighs, seeing the disbelief on shadow's face. He wants to do more for shadow-- so much more-- but he just doesn't have the capacity right now. The hands dissipate, and vio observes shadow for a moment, squinting. He was never good at healing magic, admittedly, but... well, he may be able to...

*The shadow hand returns, this time just below you, and solidifies a little, tracing over the shoulder-to-elbow of your injured arm. The pain there goes away, the top part healing before the shadow disappears again*

*On the other side, Vio doubles over, eyes pricking with tears as shadow's wounds reappear on his own arm, cutting deep and mangled. He wasn't able to get all of it, but... hopefully this'll help, a little..*

[this-shadow-lives]

*He startles as the shadows touch him. He hadn't- That...Ah.*

*As the wound heals, his breath stutters. Oh. Oh. That- Vio was here. He- Then he- Oh...No, no no nononono-*

[vio-not-vitriol]

*Vio gathers just enough energy to make the shadows sign 'love-you' before he slumps over and passes out from pain and exhaustion*

[this-shadow-lives]

*after a while of staring into space, waiting for the knight to return, something catches your eye*

*the shadows. on the wall. they're waving at you*

*as soon as you look at them, they shift, fingerspelling V-I-O and pointing to the mirror on the opposite wall*

( @vio-not-vitriol )

*He- He’s pretty sure he’s hallucinating when he sees the shadows move. He’s been bleeding long enough it’d make sense for the hallucinations to start.*

*When the shadows start to spell Vio’s name, he closes his eyes. No. No, he’s definitely hallucinating. Yes- Yes he taught Vio some Shadow Magic, but there’s- There’s no way Vio is here. He’s just hallucinating.*

[vio-not-vitriol]

*Vio frowns as you close your eyes, dropping the spell to conserve his energy until you open your eyes again*

*Once you do open your eyes, the hand reforms, signing 'love-you' and then calling you a pancake-- one of vio's silly pet names for you*

[this-shadow-lives]

*He stays standing there with his eyes shut for…A while. He’s let his head drop.*

*When he raises his head again, he stares at the shadows with wide eyes. That- No…No- Why is Vio here? He shouldn’t be here.*

*He can’t bring himself to say anything, but you can see that he- He’s crying now. The tears mix with the water dripping from his hair, making it difficult to realize at first.*

*He’s- Vio probably isn’t here, right? He’s probably hallucinating still. It…It is a nice hallucination though*

[vio-not-vitriol]

*the hands wave quickly, worriedly, signing 'don't-cry', 'sorry', 'here-for-you'*

*vio, on the other side, si sitting upright, as close to the window as he can get. he barely has the magical capacity for this, but like hell is he gonna let that stop him. he just-- he just wants to support his lover*

[this-shadow-lives]

*He can't bring himself to say anything. He wants to speak, to ask questions. To ask how Vio's here...To ask why he came for him. That- He can't trust this. Not completely. If-If it was actually Vio, why hasn't he said anything? Why is he- Is he unable to or- Or is it the knight, playing tricks on him?*

[vio-not-vitriol]

*Vio sighs, seeing the disbelief on shadow's face. He wants to do more for shadow-- so much more-- but he just doesn't have the capacity right now. The hands dissipate, and vio observes shadow for a moment, squinting. He was never good at healing magic, admittedly, but... well, he may be able to...

*The shadow hand returns, this time just below you, and solidifies a little, tracing over the shoulder-to-elbow of your injured arm. The pain there goes away, the top part healing before the shadow disappears again*

*On the other side, Vio doubles over, eyes pricking with tears as shadow's wounds reappear on his own arm, cutting deep and mangled. He wasn't able to get all of it, but... hopefully this'll help, a little..*

[this-shadow-lives]

*after a while of staring into space, waiting for the knight to return, something catches your eye*

*the shadows. on the wall. they're waving at you*

*as soon as you look at them, they shift, fingerspelling V-I-O and pointing to the mirror on the opposite wall*

( @vio-not-vitriol )

*He- He’s pretty sure he’s hallucinating when he sees the shadows move. He’s been bleeding long enough it’d make sense for the hallucinations to start.*

*When the shadows start to spell Vio’s name, he closes his eyes. No. No, he’s definitely hallucinating. Yes- Yes he taught Vio some Shadow Magic, but there’s- There’s no way Vio is here. He’s just hallucinating.*

[vio-not-vitriol]

*Vio frowns as you close your eyes, dropping the spell to conserve his energy until you open your eyes again*

*Once you do open your eyes, the hand reforms, signing 'love-you' and then calling you a pancake-- one of vio's silly pet names for you*

[this-shadow-lives]

*He stays standing there with his eyes shut for…A while. He’s let his head drop.*

*When he raises his head again, he stares at the shadows with wide eyes. That- No…No- Why is Vio here? He shouldn’t be here.*

*He can’t bring himself to say anything, but you can see that he- He’s crying now. The tears mix with the water dripping from his hair, making it difficult to realize at first.*

*He’s- Vio probably isn’t here, right? He’s probably hallucinating still. It…It is a nice hallucination though*

[vio-not-vitriol]

*the hands wave quickly, worriedly, signing 'don't-cry', 'sorry', 'here-for-you'*

*vio, on the other side, si sitting upright, as close to the window as he can get. he barely has the magical capacity for this, but like hell is he gonna let that stop him. he just-- he just wants to support his lover*

[this-shadow-lives]

*after a while of staring into space, waiting for the knight to return, something catches your eye*

*the shadows. on the wall. they're waving at you*

*as soon as you look at them, they shift, fingerspelling V-I-O and pointing to the mirror on the opposite wall*

( @vio-not-vitriol )

*He- He’s pretty sure he’s hallucinating when he sees the shadows move. He’s been bleeding long enough it’d make sense for the hallucinations to start.*

*When the shadows start to spell Vio’s name, he closes his eyes. No. No, he’s definitely hallucinating. Yes- Yes he taught Vio some Shadow Magic, but there’s- There’s no way Vio is here. He’s just hallucinating.*

[vio-not-vitriol]

*Vio frowns as you close your eyes, dropping the spell to conserve his energy until you open your eyes again*

*Once you do open your eyes, the hand reforms, signing 'love-you' and then calling you a pancake-- one of vio's silly pet names for you*

[vio-not-vitriol]

*Vio's been despondent since he saw the letter, but after a while, he looked up, beginning to realize something*

...

*he pours some magic into his hands, shadow magic, magic he'd learned from his beloved*

*...hopefully this works...*

[vio-not-vitriol]

Black and white blend into grey,

I warned you, still, you went astray

But worry not, for I feel no rage

Your brothers continue on their crusade

While you are here, among the dark

Support the one who holds your heart

His strength dwindles, his eyes dim

The thread he clings to grows thin

A word, a wave, a tearful blink

Anything to make his pain shrink

Do what you can, do what you must

Soon there will be floods, flames and gusts

~📜

*his breath hitches as he sees the paper in front of him from where he's kneeling. how did you even get that here?*

*he reads it over, his eyes still blurry with tears*

*he knows-- he knows he has to support shadow, and he wants to. he wants to so badly, but between this fucking gag and the cuffs encrusted in blood around his wrists he can't get to him*

*he pulls on his wrists once again, but the pain spikes through his dislocated thumb, and the crusted blood pulls against his raw skin, the pain causing him to slump to the side, sobbing once more*