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rubycity_ooc2014-06-13 10:34 pm
untilavalon) wrote in rubycity_ooc2014-06-13 10:34 pm
Entry tags:
Time for something fun!
Need a little pick me up? Or just feel like playing something really stupid? It's time for a meme.
The Magical Swap Meme
or the 'oops, you done fucked up' meme
courtesy of Luc*
Directions
- Post your character with the name/canon in the subject meme. In your comment, put your preferences such as, "I don't want to do prompt #1" or "for the gender swap prompt, [character] will look like [this]" or "for the age swap prompt, my character will be 5 years younger".
- Tag each other and have fun.
- Body Swap: Holy shit. You're looking at yourself like you're looking in a mirror. The only problem is, when you're looking down at your own hands... you're in someone else's body.
- Gender Swap: Well, this is new; you're now no longer in the right body, but it's still yours. Were you always a girl? You sure weren't yesterday. Of course, this is probably another one of the city's tricks; no point in getting all up in arms about it, is there?
- Age Swap: Are you starting to see a pattern here? Now you're younger-- or older-- than you were a little while ago. Who're you going to bug about your height now?
- Canon Swap: Your entire history is different now. Suddenly, you're a homestuck. Or maybe you're an elf. Or perhaps you're not even switching canons with the person you're threading with. What's the damage?
- Power Swap:...Like the one above, but with powers instead of canons.
- Moral Alignment Swap: Suddenly, you're evil as hell. Or maybe you're really good now. Or maybe your moral alignment is "eh /non-commital wiggly hand gesture". I don't make the rules here, bucko.
- Luc, you didn't include this swap I wanted to do!: Well look at you, you have a bigger imagination than I do. What are you waiting for? Swap it. Just swap it. Do it, before it's too late.
You now have four minutes to save the world.**
*If it's a bad meme, it wasn't my idea.
**You do not have four minutes to save the world. In fact, there's really no point in worrying about world saving right now.
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A reminder, however unintended, of what, exactly, Kuromaku's signed himself up for.
It's when Kuzuryuu stops short, speaks quiet, that he turns back to his handler; his hand makes an aborted gesture, as if to reach out to Grayson again (solely to comfort himself), but settles, restrained, back on his knees, fingers curling loosely. ]
Tsumiki is formidable. [ A truth. And an understatement. ] I've seen her all but raise a man from the dead, before. I was planning to go to her after, if you didn't show.
[ But not before. Too much of a risk, to abandon the man for long. And he didn't want to carry Grayson any further through the tunnels. ]
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He lifts his head: It doesn't feel like Shozo and Peko are getting any farther away. They must be collecting Tsumiki. He looks back down at Damian.]
You thought I might not turn up?
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[ He flashes a smirk, brief but wicked. Not only had he assassinated a key political leader, but he'd managed it right under Kuromaku's nose. Almost a taunt, if he had any sense of humor when he's mid-mission. At the time, it had just been the most practical method.
He rolls his shoulders back, though the movement is hitched by the thick bolt embedded above his shoulder blade; he lets himself lean forward in a slouch, to take some of the pressure off, resting his forehead against the crook of his arms as he stares up at Kuzuryuu. ]
Why did you?
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[He's still annoyed about that, by the way. That guy had been a friend of a friend, and having failed...he hates coming up short, especially when it's important. Especially when it hurts good people. But he gave Damian his word--no harm or punishment for crimes past--and he's sticking by it.
He doesn't look at Damian as he answers.]
I put my life on the line every day for the things I believe in. If I couldn't do at least this much, I might as well just fucking quit.
[It should probably sound inspiring, coming from one of the city's sentinels. A speech about hope. But Kuzuryuu says it in a low, contemptuous tone, like there's something more he could be doing to beat himself up.]
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[ He says it just as he might say 'Santa?' or 'taxes?' A complete lack of recognition, no attachment to, or understanding of, the idea that a person would fight for a cause. A reason, beyond being ordered.
He puts his life on the line because he's told to. That's it. All there is to it. ]
Dead men don't believe in much, you know.
[ It doesn't sound like much, casually delivered; but it's chastisement, maybe, coming from him. A deal shortened by death doesn't work out well for him or for Grayson. ]
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[It's a question with no bite to it. All Damian's statement tells him is where the kid's head's at, and Kuromaku, of all people, can't fault the sentiment.]
Some guys I knew...that's all they are anymore. What they stood for.
[Kirigiri. The Ishimaru kid, whatever his stupid superhero name was. Even his father, in his own way.
Kuzuryuu shrugs and leans back against the tunnel wall.]
Besides. Tamahagane was there. There's no way I could've died.
[Because as long as one of them's alive, they'll carry the other.
Living without Peko is an impossibility.]
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No way, of course. Because you're partners.
[ There's no heat or disdain to it, despite the emphasis. Skepticism alone. Just another word he doesn't understand.
Mostly. He's back to looking at his handler, head tilted the other way to hide most of his expression, but his hand has moved up to thread, preoccupied by some thought, through his hair, settling to curl loosely over the nape of his own neck. ]
He broke protocol. [ Abrupt. ] To save me.
[ The man had, in one move, upended Damian's understanding of their relationship. In the past few months spent together, something between them has shifted here, in this city. Something the Demon wasn't aware of until the moment his handler, his brother, had thrown himself over him. ]
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...People break protocol for a lot of things.
[Now he's the one avoiding eye contact. This whole scene hits too close to home, and he knows Kirigiri would tell him to watch himself, but fuck it, he's always known who and what he is, and what he is isn't objective justice. Never was. He's always been too soft.
Instead of touching Damian's shoulder, offering some kind of comfort--and what's comfort from a kind of captor, anyway?--he just crouches against the wall and breathes out.]
I was in the same position, once. Did the same thing.
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[ He's not surprised. Seen it, often enough, with the crime-fighters he's encountered. Taking hits for one another. All Damian has to do to distract them and get them off his tail, most times, is tuck a bomb into a teammate's belt.
Kuzuryuu has his attention, though. Still looking away, but head tilted, listening.
Seems like the kid likes stories, if nothing else. ]
Let me guess - for Tamahagane?
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Aah. That was before she was Tamahagane, though. Before I was Kuromaku.
[There. She's on her way. But Tsumiki is clumsy with all things that aren't lives, and it will take a while for Shozo to lead the girls here.]
And I still wouldn't call us heroes or any of that shit. We just got a debt, is all.
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He'll be hearing that noise a fair amount from here on out, and learning all the different emotions it can express: irritation, pleasure, confidence, derision, satisfaction. ]
Hm. There's never been a before for me.
[ Story time definitely has his interest; one curious, shaded eye peering over at him, squinting in the glare of the flashlight. ]
What was before Kuromaku?
[ He's not dumb enough to assume the answer would be middle school. Both he and Tamahagane are young, for vigilantes, and she especially is skilled. Normal kids don't take up the fight against crime at their age. ]
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It's not usually Kuzuryuu's policy to talk about his past, especially not with people who only know him as Kuromaku. Those people--at least, those people he's likely to converse with--tend to be vigilantes themselves, and some are a lot more...emphatic about their position on crime and punishment. The One-Winged Angel, Sephiroth, comes to mind.
But what the hell. It's not like he's not who he is. And the kid's depending on Kuzuryuu, now, to protect his guardian. He won't get him in trouble.
Maybe it'd help him to know.]
...The yakuza. Me and Peko both. She was a hitman, and I...was gonna succeed my old man as kumicho.
i'm sorry i had to use this icon /MAFIA
Underground. Makes sense.
[ Kuromaku probably would have done well as a mafia leader. And Tamahagane? He'd known her for what she was from the start. Hard not to, when someone fights like that.
For all his professional detachment in the field, the Demon's quickly dropping tells outside of it; curiosity, sass, and an inability to sit still for very long. He rocks on his heels, dropping to sit properly and crossing his legs beneath him, the side of his knee in casual contact with Grayson's leg. ]
But now you're not. Why?
[ He's fiddling with the weapon pinned above his shoulder blade, carefully poking and prodding at the area - but any attempts to wiggle it out only result in the tightening of his lips and a near-silent, pained huff.
Despite his own place in the Underground, Damian doesn't know much about the politics that occur. Doesn't know what happened to the Kuzuryuu family. Even for his targets, he's simply given photos of a face, no name, and pointed in the direction he needs to go. Just an assassin, and nothing else. ]
LI'L MATCHES COME TO YOUR ANIKI'S BOSOM
It's a long story. Che, would you stop picking at that? You're gonna fuck it up worse before Tsumiki gets here. Just leave it alone, dumbass.
[Unlike Damian, Kuzuryuu's just as charming no matter where he is or what name he's using. But his tone, for all its gangster growl, still has no real warning in it. After a short pause, he exhales, long and bitter, and looks away again.]
Enoshima. Enoshima Junko happened.
[He lifts a hand to his face, his eyepatch framed in the space between two fingers.]
We had thirty thousand active members, and it didn't mean shit.
the description of that icon is "swaggety." i am trash
He goes still, however, when Enoshima is spoken; a ripple of non-movement that runs through him from head to toe.
That's a name he knows. ]
Puppetrix.
[ He understands, completely. ]
No it's wonderful
[His hand covers that missing eye, now, like all his past is written there within the empty socket.]
I did exactly the idiot thing Enoshima knew I'd do. But Peko...managed not to kill me. That kind of strength...
[Kuzuryuu trails off, gaze fixed somewhere beyond the far wall of the tunnel. He brings his hand down and shakes his head.]
Anyway, after Enoshima got her kicks out of breaking us and left us for dead, Peko brought me to ex-detective Kirigiri Jin, begged for my life, and--I'll never know what that asshole was thinking, but he took care of us both. [A shrug.] Bet you can figure out the rest on your own.
li'l matches best tiny mafia baby
She's devoted to you.
[ Matter-of-fact, neutral, as he's simply stating a truth. He's perceptive. More perceptive than people, even those on his side, give him credit for. Just because he doesn't empathize with others doesn't mean he doesn't see the relationships that are there, the whys behind someone's actions.
Usually he twists that knowledge against his enemies, but not this time, not with them. Not ever - as he agreed. ]
And your sister?
[ Right for the jugular in conversation, every time. ]
Adopted. So adopted. Li'l Matches can watch Kuzu cry every time he watches The Godfather.
Enoshima's set up a cute little puppet organization under her, with what was left of our people. They're Puppetrix's second string of muscle, after Fenrir.
[And he meets Damian's gaze now, resolute.]
But she's still alive. As long as she's still alive, I got a chance to get her back.
Li'l matches just facepalms
Siblings. ]
And now you have me.
[ The first time he's mentioned it since the deal was made. Being on their side, now. On Kuromaku's leash. ]
It's no longer a chance, but a certainty. I have never failed a mission.
[ Flawless self-confidence in his skills. ]
It's like the story of his childhood okay
Aah, no offense, kid, but aren't you about eight years old or something?
[He hasn't even actually considered...using the Demon like that. He just didn't want the boy running off somewhere, alone, without his handler-brother-commander-whatever. He has no doubt Damian could take care of himself, but he just. That's not an image he likes, the boy living on his own in the city's filthy underbelly.]
it's a really long movie. kiddo tuned out an hour ago.
[ Grayson would know. He was the only one who had even mentioned Damian's age, in passing. But the Demon has sharp ears. ]
Although I don't understand what that has to do with anything. I'm one of the most accomplished assassins in the entire Underground.
[ It's why he needs a handler, in the first place. An asset like himself is hard to control, and dangerous if left to direct himself. Damian could just as easily opt to wipe out an entire compound rather than a single target, simply because he feels it's more practical. ]
If you tell me to retrieve your sister, I will retrieve your sister.
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Kuromaku shifts, uncomfortable as he always is with the concept of a human tool, no matter how finely crafted.]
Look, if you wanna help me, that's fine, but I gotta think about it first. I get your League's in a whole different class, but Enoshima's fucking insane, and any plan's gonna take more than one guy to pull off. We'll talk about it after your brother wakes up, all right? Peko'll be here with Tsumiki any second now.
[He stands, putting his mask back on even though Tsumiki knows who he is.]
And Natsuhi's my problem. Always has been.
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(Kuromaku is his superior, now. And Damian is going to test every limit imaginable to see what kind of superior he is. Even as something as innocuous as his behavior down here, off the field, as small as sitting down. Things his father has strict rules about.) ]
After he wakes up. [ It's a promise. Whatever reservations Kuzuryuu has with using him, the Demon refuses to be sidelined from a fight. He's not happy if he's not in the field. ]
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