✧ 𝟽𝟽𝟽 ✧

▒░ ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ “     there is chrome in my veins now, 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝖽𝖾𝗋, a mirror that r̲e̲m̲e̲m̲b̲e̲r̲s̲ every fracture, every scream— and yet, 𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽 𝚁𝚄𝚂𝚃 𝙲𝙰𝙽 𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙴 when the light hits wrong. and even b̷r̷o̷k̷e̷n̷ ̷g̷l̷a̷s̷s̷ still knows how to cut.     ”

# ᄃん尺のﾶ乇ｲﾉᄃ丂 : welcome to the archive of things that glitch⁴⁰⁴, fracture, and refuse to die↺ …‎ an independent, highly selective MULTI-MUSE BLOG where canon voices corrode into reinterpretation and originals crawl out from the wreckage. ▒░ ᐟᐟ☆ this blog is 18+ only, low activity, with more OUT-OF-CHARACTER STATIC than in-character signal. as decoded by ⸺ K͎I͎A͎R͎A͎ ( she / they ), 26 yrs old. most graphics seen here are made by @/mysweetdesigns unless otherwise stated.

there was a pause, the beat of passing traffic and the hiss of wet tires on asphalt. anna let the silence stretch before she went on, sharper now. “     i spent years picturing you rotting in that place. but you were never there.     ” HER THROAT TIGHTENED, BUT SHE PUSHED THE ANGER DOWN, SWALLOWED IT LIKE BROKEN GLASS. she wasn’t going to give katherine the satisfaction of seeing how deep it cut. instead, she tried for something cooler, distant. “     i should’ve expected it. you always did look out for yourself first.     ” still, the questions gnawed at her, and against her better judgment, she asked, “     WHY SHOW YOURSELF NOW? WHY LET ME SEE YOU HERE?     ” the air smelled like hot grease and rain, the city alive in a way that made anna feel even more alone. she shoved her hands in her pockets, wary, tense, waiting for the answer that she already knew would twist and turn, never straight. KATHERINE NEVER GAVE TRUTH WITHOUT POISON HIDDEN INSIDE IT. anna kept her eyes forward, but her voice was steady when she added, “     whatever you’re after— i won’t make the mistake of trusting you.     ” / @dawnade liked for a starter ﹥ 「 ☆ 」 !

“     you ever notice,     ” he said, voice low and even, “     how this city always smells like something’s burning, even when there isn’t?     ” a pause, eyes cutting sidelong toward the sky bruised with haze. “     I THINK IT GETS INTO THE BRICK. INTO THE LUNGS. MAKES IT HARD TO KNOW WHEN THE FIRE’S REAL.     ” he shifted, gaze sliding toward the shadow beside him. kier— unpredictable, insistent, the only thing in this godforsaken city that could unspool his composure like thread cut too close to the knot. COLIN WASN’T FOND OF ADMITTING THAT TRUTH, BUT IT THROBBED THROUGH HIM ALL THE SAME. “     you’re late,     ” he added, though his tone carried no sharpness. more like curiosity, or resignation, or maybe a dare. the coin turned again in his pocket. click, slide, catch. HIS FATHER HAD ALWAYS SAID PATIENCE WAS A VIRTUE, BUT THEN AGAIN, HIS FATHER HAD NEVER BEEN THE ONE LEFT WAITING. colin smirked faintly, a knife-edge kind of humor only he was privy to. “     so. please tell me you brought trouble with you. i was starting to get bored.     ” / @oncalls liked for a starter ﹥ 「 ☆ 」 !

she was always second-guessing the angle of her wrist, the placement of her feet, the exact breath that would steady her balance. THE SWORD CORRECTED HER, SOMETIMES— AN ARC OF CURRENT WHEN SHE MOVED WRONG, A PULSE WHEN SHE FOUND THE RHYTHM. but it wasn’t the same as another human voice. she tugged at the hem of her shirt, trying not to sound too eager. “     were you… planning to train? because i was just, you know, practicing a little. you could join me. if you want.     ” kira wasn’t sure what allison thought of her yet. SOMETIMES SHE CAUGHT HER WATCHING WITH A HALF-SMILE, SHARP AND UNREADABLE, AND IT MADE HER WANT TO WORK HARDER. sometimes it felt like allison saw right through her nerves to the girl who still didn’t quite believe she belonged in a world of hunters and foxes and shadows that moved like living things. she took a step closer, sword still humming in its sheath, like a heart that hadn’t learned how to quiet down. “     I COULD PROBABLY LEARN A LOT FROM YOU,     ” she admitted, and this time her smile was shy but unguarded. “     like, everything, honestly.     ” the words hung there between them, equal parts truth and plea. / @dawnade liked for a starter ﹥ 「 ☆ 」 !

still, she hopped down anyway, boots scraping the fire escape, heart hammering in her throat. “     so,     ” she said once her feet hit asphalt, voice bouncing too loud in the hush between them. SHE TUGGED AT HER HOOD, WISHING SHE COULD TUG AT HER OWN WORDS THE SAME WAY. “     you’re really intimidating, you know that? like, ten out of ten scary. just thought you should be aware.     ” her laugh tried to crack through the mask, too brittle, but she kept going. if she stopped, the silence might eat her alive. “     i, uh— i know i’m not exactly league material. or outsiders material. or really… any material besides duct tape and bad decisions. but i’ve been watching you, and—     ” she caught herself, backpedaled. “     OKAY, THAT SOUNDED CREEPIER THAN I MEANT. I MEANT LEARNING. TRYING TO, AT LEAST. you’ve got this whole… calm, sword-in-the-storm thing going on. and i’m more like… a confetti cannon. surprise! purple and noise everywhere.     ”

the words left her mouth and she wondered, not for the first time, why she insisted on filling every void with chatter. maybe because silence reminded her of her father’s fists slamming down on a table, her mother’s exhausted sighs. MAYBE BECAUSE IF SHE KEPT TALKING, NO ONE COULD SEE HOW MUCH SHE DIDN’T BELONG. her gaze flicked toward the katana at the woman's side, then quickly away. “     anyway. point is… i thought maybe you could, you know, show me something. doesn’t have to be sword stuff, unless you’ve got a spare one lying around and no attachment to your limbs. just… how you do it. the whole surviving thing. because gotham’s chewing me up and i’m kind of tired of tasting like fear.     ” SHE CROSSED HER ARMS, TRYING TO LOOK STEADIER THAN SHE FELT. her mask hid the tremor in her lip, but not the restlessness in her stance. “     or you could just tell me to shut up. honestly, that would be fair.     ” / @soruteika liked for a starter ﹥ 「 ☆ 」 !

the words should have sounded light. they almost did. but underneath was that familiar ache, the one he never fully admitted to anyone: the ache of knowing this world would eat them whole if they blinked too long. HE TRIED TO DROWN IT IN JOKES, IN SWEAT, IN THE RHYTHM OF PUNCHES THAT TURNED FEAR INTO SOMETHING USEFUL. but sitting here, with the quiet pressing in, he couldn’t help feeling the edges of it. he leaned back on his palms, eyes tracing the ceiling lights, their hum like a lullaby that had forgotten tenderness. “     sometimes i wonder what it’d be like, you know? if we’d met in some normal way. college classmates. neighbors. just… two guys who talk about boxing and complain about rent.     ” he let out a laugh, small and cracked. “     BET YOU’D STILL TRY AND BEAT ME UP IN THAT WORLD, THOUGH.     ” there was something in his chest that wanted to say more— that wanted to say you’re the reason i haven’t broken yet, the reason i keep standing back up. but the words felt too raw, too sharp-edged. he swallowed them, let them dissolve into silence. instead, he looked at woo-jin properly this time, eyes steady. “     you hungry? i could kill for some ramyeon. my treat this time.     ” THE QUESTION LANDED SOFT, ALMOST HESITANT, BUT IT WAS ENOUGH. it was always enough with him. and in the spaces between words, geon-woo felt something like peace— fragile, fleeting, but real. / @scranium liked for a starter ﹥ 「 ☆ 」 !

her arms folded across her chest, nails biting half-moons into the leather of her jacket. “     relax, i’m not here to claw your eyes out,     ” SHE ADDED AFTER A BEAT, THOUGH HER MOUTH CURVED IN A WAY THAT SUGGESTED SHE MIGHT RECONSIDER. “     though, don’t tempt me. you and i both know i’d look better with your blood on my hands than you ever did with mine on your conscience.     ” her heart stuttered, traitorously, at the proximity, at the ache of what used to be tangled between them. she buried it under practiced disdain. THAT WAS THE ONLY WEAPON LEFT TO HER— THE THEATRE OF HER HATRED. PRETENDING IT WAS ABSOLUTE. pretending she hadn’t once thought him a refuge. ruby exhaled through her nose, sharp, dismissive. she looked him over with eyes that tried to be cruel and only half-succeeded. “     so? what do you want, kier? because if it’s absolution, i’m all out.     ” the night seemed to listen, the streetlamps buzzing faintly above. SHE ALMOST WANTED HIM TO SAY SOMETHING RECKLESS, SOMETHING WORTH STRIKING HIM FOR. something she could use to steady herself in the storm he always left in her ribs. / @oncalls liked for a starter ﹥ 「 ☆ 」 !

“     nightshift’s got its perks,     ” she said lightly, half to herself and half to the nurse she found beside her. “     less administrators wandering around looking over your shoulder. MORE TIME TO ACTUALLY… BREATHE, I GUESS. ASSUMING YOU DON’T DROWN IN CHARTS.     ” her smile flickered, weary and wry, a little crack in porcelain. the nurse’s tattoos caught her eye, sprawling across skin like a map someone had scribbled and then let a child color in. she thought about how, once upon a time, she had been the girl with sticky notes on her textbooks, doodles in the margins. she thought about how children had been — still were — a weakness of hers, THE SMALLNESS OF THEIR HANDS, THE WAY THEY TRUSTED YOU WITHOUT QUESTION. and she wondered what it said about this place, about its staff, that even the nurses here found ways to make kids laugh when they were terrified. izzie shifted her weight, leaned one hip against the counter, trying to ease the knot in her back.

“     i’m izzie,     ” she added after a beat, as though the name alone might bridge the gap between them. “     i used to… well. i was at seattle grace. now i’m here.     ” she shrugged. HOW TO EXPLAIN THE LONG ROAD BETWEEN THEN AND NOW? THE GHOSTS SHE CARRIED, THE LOVES AND LOSSES THAT STILL PRICKED HER SKIN LIKE OLD SUTURES? better to leave it unsaid. her gaze drifted to the triage doors, the steady churn of humanity pressing through them even at this hour. this was the work, wasn’t it? not accolades or magazine covers. not surgeries to brag about. just keeping people alive in the hours when the city wanted to sleep. “     you ever get used to it?     ” she asked softly, her eyes still on the doors. “     the way this place never stops moving? LIKE IT’S SOME KIND OF HUNGRY THING, SWALLOWING US WHOLE ONE SHIFT AT A TIME?     ” a pause, then a crooked smile as she turned back. “     or maybe i’m just being dramatic. wouldn’t be the first time.     ” her laugh was small, but it lingered, caught somewhere between apology and invitation. / @stilloves liked for a starter ﹥ 「 ☆ 」 !

and there she was. arianne stood with the stillness of something that had long since ceased needing to prove itself. small in stature, yet the kind of small that expanded to fill every hollow in the air. yvella stopped a few paces away, studying her. SHE WASN’T SURE WHAT SHE HAD EXPECTED— A THRONE, PERHAPS, OR THE BRITTLE ARROGANCE THAT CAME WITH IMMORTALITY. instead, she found someone quiet, someone who had made silence a weapon sharper than any blade. yvella let out a low breath, half a laugh, though it tasted bitter. “     you keep a beautiful cage,     ” she said, her accent dragging louisiana through every syllable. “     quiet. careful. like you could keep the world out if you wanted.     ” HER FINGERS TOYED WITH THE TALISMAN AT HER WRIST, A NERVOUS HABIT SHE WOULD NEVER ADMIT TO. the vampire’s eyes were older than the dirt beneath them, and yvella felt the weight of being looked at sharply. “     i didn’t come to bow,     ” yvella continued, softer now, though no less sure. “     and i didn’t come to kill you. i only thought… if anyone might understand what it is to build something out of ashes, it’d be you.     ” the words surprised her as they left her mouth. SHE HAD MEANT TO BE SHARPER, TO PROD AND TEST THE EDGES OF THIS SO-CALLED SANCTUARY. but honesty leaked through the cracks, like blood through gauze. yvella hated that. and still— she could not stop it. / @serpentmass liked for a starter ﹥ 「 ☆ 」 !