Apotheosis Upon Your First Feast (Yandere!Wanderer & Pantalone/Reader)
Commissioned by: @leftdestiny-posts/@eternally-frozen (ilysm. Feel free to kill me later lmao)
unreliable synopsis: After being reassigned to Vanarana when your previous coworker became the Acting Grand Sage, with the help of Ararycan, you reunited met a wanderer on an abandoned machine. Unfortunately for someone, your childhood friend "Pantalone" has ears and eyes everywhere. (Avoid this fic if you’re not a fan of dark content. It’s not too dark but your mental health matters!)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please use the InteractiveFics extension and change “(Y/n)” to whatever name you want, “[Wanderer]” to his chosen name, and lastly, also change “(wood/salt)” to… whichever option you feel like. It’s a surprise mechanic *wink*. If you're reading this on a phone, just pick between wood or salt right now, keep your choice in mind and commit to it : )
Afterwards, would you be so kind as to answer this fun poll after reading the fic? Danke ♡
“Why doesn't Nara (Y/n) eat what Arasaka prepares for them? Does Nara (Y/n) lack appetite lately?”
“O-Oh, well, that’s…” You paused, looking down at the broth, “in all honesty, your cooking tastes bland…”
“H-Huh?!”
Time had passed since Lesser Lord Kusanali's official ascent to power and now is the fifth month since you first made friends with the Aranaras. Many events took place before you found your pyro vision becoming Arasaka's torch as they cooked– and if any of your coworkers saw you now, they probably wouldn’t identify you as Alhaitham’s (only) friend and Ex-Sage Azar’s lazy employee.
Maybe they would've if you helped Alhaitham and his teammates secure Sumeru’s future.
Sure, your name isn’t listed in the coup d’etat, but that’s only because you wished for the Akademiyan scholars to make the epiphany for themselves. As Azar’s ex-assistant, you laid low from projects as a prerequisite so that the populace may acquire a personality of their own to make the nation truly deserving of the title “Land of Wisdom.”
Alas, that did not happen.
Alhaitham’s tactics were not wrong, but you felt like his group spoonfed Sumeru citizens with the Fatui’s crimes rather than having their own realizations. It did not feel like growth to you. It felt like the people casually learned from a one-sitting textbook rather than a hands-on experiment when they should’ve personally learned how minacious blind ambitions could be. In turn, he argued that your ideas were barbaric and that scholars revolting was not in the realm of possibility– hence, you did not lend your aid. Perhaps your inaction had pissed him off, but it’s more likely that he finds that sending you to Varanara was ideal for his workload.
And in some strange domino effect, refraining from helping a coup d’etat meant eating the tasteless food known to man.
Since you were personally assigned a senseless task to patrol and report weather patterns in the area (which is unnecessary and quite frankly boring), you had befriended the infamous aranaras children from Port Ormos hear stories about.
But the mundanity doesn’t hurt your pride as a graduate scholar. It's been fun so far.
“I'm sorry, 'Saka, it's just that I think your food lacks a bit of salt–"
"ASSISTANT (Y/N), THERE YOU ARE!!!"
Both of you flinched, causing Arasaka to topple over. The sound hurts. You snapped your neck towards the sound. An adventurer– Baharak– stood with both hands wrapped on her bag's shoulder straps with a silly grin on her face.
… You’re turning the setting of your hearing aids down.
“Baharak, it’s been a while,” you spoke. “Would you mind not yelling whenever you call for me?”
“Oops– Sorry (Y/n)! I mean– sorry, Assistant (Y/n).”
Changing her volume doesn’t undo the pain she inflicted on your ears. Gently, you pushed Arasaka behind an elevated jag of root to cover them. To escape suspicion, you continued to stare at Baharak while feigning sleepiness.
“What are you here for?”
“The Forest Watcher received a letter addressed to you. The sender doesn’t have a name again, it just has the coin-seal thing.”
“Please hand it over.”
“Aight!– I mean, alright.”
After dismissing the loud adventurer and giving her spare mora as thanks, you waited until she was out of sight. Arasaka suddenly rose and jumped onto your lap, equally curious about what was written on the salt-scented parchment. Arasaka's preppy manner soon turned sour as they discovered who the sender was.
It’s a letter from your best friend, "Pantalone".
“Aww…” Arasaka whined. “Arasaka was hoping it was the Verdant Nara instead.”
You tore it open.
"My dearest, (Y/n),
If it's not too much to ask, may I trouble you to visit my office in Northland Bank soon? I merely wish to see you. Spending Lantern Rite alone this year was not a pleasant experience. It's just for a mere chat- I'll reimburse your traveling and dining expenses. Care to make it up to me?
Your beloved,
As per tradition, you threw the letter in the fireplace. Pantalone doesn’t like leaving a trail of evidence, naturally, you assumed the same applies here.
It's never a chore to visit a friend. Maybe you'll head there tomorrow–
“Arasaka doesn’t like Nara Pantalone.”
The aranara lowered their head, continuing, “Nara Pantalone reminds Arasaka of the Taste of Sadness.”
Cute.
Every time Pantalone comes to visit, the aranaras behave like envious little siblings. Ever since you started patrolling Vanarana, the place had become the harbinger’s premiere leisure destination. The woods critters frequently tried to undermine his gifts, but they were adorably ineffective. Even if Pantalone cannot see them, the situation is nonetheless amusing.
If you remember correctly, the Taste of Sadness means salt to aranaras, right?
“Ah, well,” you laughed. “I guess you must be incredibly sensitive to his smell. He took quite a liking to salt-infused perfumes last year.”
“Don’t like perfume.”
“But I am wearing one though… Has the scent been bothering you all this time, Arasaka?”
“No, Arasaka was wrong. Arasaka likes perfume, and Arasaka hates salt. Taste of sadness. The scent of sadness.”
“Oh, no! If Pantalone’s smell makes my dear Arasaka sad, then maybe we should drown him in Varunastra,” you chuckled darkly, expecting the aranara to react loudly over your out-of-pocket remark.
“Of course. Salt Nara would make for decent spare rations!”
You laughed out loud at Arasaka’s even more out-of-pocket reply. Out-of-pocket is an understatement, that comment straight up sounded out-of-the-CASKET.
Before standing up, you ruffled Arasaka’s nonexistent hair like you would with your deceased sisters.
“I’ll come back in a few days, okay? In the meantime, why don’t you read a cookbook?”
“Hmph! Nara (Y/n), you’re being mean! Just wait! My sisters will make a dish Nara (Y/n) can’t say “no” to!”
“It’s a dumb risk.”
“It’s a new business venture, dearest.”
“The market for new eyeglasses isn’t going to rise any time soon.”
“Why are you so adamant on opposing this idea?”
“Stagnation breeds putrefaction, especially in business, does it not?” You raised an eyebrow, preparing for a harangue.
“Je suis d’accord!” The man spoke softly, accentuating his Fontaine pronunciation somewhat boastfully. Knowing your disability, he never raises his voice to the point of it hurting. “And it is precisely why I want to invest in an eyewear conglomerate in Sumeru.”
“Then why are you dropping your prior investments?!”
“Because it’s the right thing to do.”
You sighed, annoyed.
Pantalone is an amazing businessman, but without your council, he wouldn’t amount to who he is now. Unlike most people, “sneakily ambitious” are not the words you would describe your visionless friend. Such a moniker sounds insulting given his lack of celestial blessings and you know Celestia itself never took kindly towards his well-versed dirty tricks against his opponents.
In your humble opinion, the term “industrious” is a better-suited and less backhanded compliment for him.
You’ve known Pantalone— no— “██████” since childhood. Your history stretched back so much that you no longer recall the circumstances of how you befriended him. He acted as your ears when it came to haggling and normal day-to-day chores. As far as you know, he has always been an older brother to you. In times of extreme poverty, you both prayed and starved together, scraping by using salt rocks as entrees.
There was no one else that made your deafness bearable except for him. With no family left, he was your only beacon of hope and dear Morax– you’d rather not remind yourself of the time your dead sisters mistakenly ate mud for rice cakes when famine struck.
You chose Amurta out of the Six Great Schools for a reason:
You can’t afford to watch anyone die of hunger ever again.
When you began living in Sumeru, you had pledged your alliance with the region but never forgot all the toil you had to go through. As a malnourished child, you quickly fell in love with the nation. In Sumeru, healthcare was free– in Liyue? You heard nothing, and you wished that “advantage” doesn’t make you blind from the evil you witnessed in the slums. Poverty ate away your hearing, your family, and your childhood dreams…
In a way, the only reason you see aranaras in the first place may be that you didn’t have the chance to experience any childlike wonder until you escaped Liyue.
Pantalone scoffed, “whether you agree with my financial decision or not doesn't affect my resolve. Do not press more about this, dearest.”
… But you’re convinced that your closest confidant “██████” had already perished from starvation long ago.
The man before you calls himself “Pantalone” nowadays and you lose all sense of indolence whenever his presence looms. When he watched your last sister perish in your arms, an epiphany gave birth to his cold demeanor towards deities. He found it challenging to worship the Archons who had no need for mora but were eager to take it away from destitute mortals who needed it as you and your sisters did. The death of your younger sibling was his final straw, and in a sense, you also buried your old friend that night.
Unlike ██████, Pantalone cannot forgive nor trust the Archons for their broken promises. If Lesser Lord Kusanali had abandoned withered forests, Rex Lapis had abandoned those whose blood and tears cannot amount to any mora. You were only allowed to study at the Akademiya after he decided the former was the lesser evil.
Although Pantalone never condemns you for calling him by his birth name, you cannot tell yourself that he and ██████ are fully the same person. There is an unspoken need to straighten your posture and greet him with a semi-scowl to demonstrate your maturity despite him acting cozy and warm. Worse, his lax demeanor never ceases to remind you that despite his uncomfortable reputation, Pantalone is the only companion you’d entrust your soul to even when the world warns you not to deal a contract with the devil.
“You just want to use new brackets every day—”
“I am a businessman, love.”
You speared Pantalone with a pointed look.
“—And why Sumeru? Have you landed a deal with a reputable Amurtan optician? And why didn’t you ask ME first? You weren’t cornered by Dottore or the Tianquan to kickstart an eyeglasses company, were you?”
He scowled, unamused before firing back without skipping a beat.
“Summer, seven years ago. You accidentally bought six bunraku puppets from Inazuma—”
Your eyes widened. Not this embarrassing anecdote again.
“Woah, woah! Now, why are YOU extorting me?”
“So you’d be silenced quicker.”
“…”
This reticence was slowly exasperating the harbinger, but he never utters a complaint when you're whom he's conversing with. Pantalone cleared his throat with an elegant smile. In that moment of cessation, you figured that he had a seemingly innocent proposal in mind.
“(Y/n), my most dearest baobei…” The harbinger ventured.
“Pantalone…”
He pulled out his desk drawer and ferreted out a parcel that you suspect contains a pair of glasses.
“Would you care to be a test sub—”
“No.”
You have a gut feeling as to where this is going. He’s going to propose that it’s “just” glasses until you find out he’s been using you to track or spy on someone without your knowledge. Classic Pantalone. You won't be duped by that TWICE in a row. If you knew better, you wouldn’t have accidentally leaked intel to the Fatui that Katheryne was being controlled by the Lord of Verdure. All because Pantalone hid a recorder on one of his “gifted” hearing aids...
Listen— just because you refused to lend a hand to the Archon when she was in need and was subsequently confronted by the 2nd harbinger in Sumeru City doesn’t mean you were colluding with these fools.
You just wanted to remain neutral in any given situation. Unlike your childhood friend, politics bore you to death. And just like the Acting Grand Sage, you’re too lazy to act as a beta tester no matter how minimal the effort the task requires.
“I only ask that you wear this pair of glasses and test its comfortability.”
“I refuse.”
“We can negotiate how much mora you’ll earn—”
“Just stop.”
“Hmm, if I phrase it as a “gift”, would you accept—”
“Hell no.”
Pantalone paused.
“Hmm…” He tapped his desk, gazing at the paperwork neatly piled up.
“Word of advice, (Y/n), it’s highly probable that the price of cocoa will rise next week,” he shrugged. “That fact is, of course, most definitely unrelated to our current discussion.”
Is he…
Is he threatening to generate chocolate inflation over a pair of glasses?!
You scoffed, eyes wide.
“██████, you worthless SCALPER.“
“The majority prefer to call me a ‘regrator’, but that new nickname is acceptable as long as it is you who makes such mildly unpleasant utterances.”
“GAH! You— YOU—” Even though he may completely ruin your usual routine of buying chocolates after work, it's difficult to curse him out. You have no choice but to spout illogical syllables without a valid clause. “JUST— YOU!!! YOU.”
Smack.
Upon hearing your facepalm resoundingly, he laughed uncontrollably, removing his glasses to wipe his eye with an uneven grin on his face. He tried to keep his composure but he kept snorting.
You took a peek between your fingers. What a precious noise. You haven’t heard him laugh like this for over three years now.
At that moment, you thought ██████ was alive.
“F-Fine— give me those damn eyeglasses.”
Pantalone drifted the parcel above your palm until he quickly retracted it as soon as you reached forward.
“But before I do that, can you promise me one thing?”
“What is it this time?” You groaned.
“Don’t lend it to anyone else, understand?” Pantalone slightly ruffled your hair. “I had it custom-made for you.”
You rolled your eyes, “that thing is definitely wiretapped. You’re not even bothering to hide it anymore.”
“Oh no, it’s not just that—”
“Just that?”
He shrugged smugly, which was not a good sign.
“The eyeglasses function similar to an Akasha Terminal, but of course, the information you’d find there is directly from my database.”
Pantalone opened the box and swiftly put the white-framed glasses on your face. He lightly tapped the frame—
and a control panel window flickered open.
Just like an Akasha.
“H-How on earth—”
“The Doctor and I had a deal. He’ll recreate at least 80% of a regular Akasha’s functions while I help him track down a few… crops. It’s a quid pro quo, I promise. It’s less of him exploiting me and more of me exploiting…— well, that doesn’t matter right now. C’mere, let me see your lovely face...”
Pantalone tilted your chin up with his thumb. His face was inches away from yours, and his piercing lilac eyes observed your glasses and what was behind them, calculating. His breathing was notably strained in a subconscious attempt to make you feel less uncomfortable from the position he trapped you in— ever the perfect gentleman— but you see his entire face flushed in a pinkish hue. A few seconds have passed, and you feel the glove pressed against you twitching.
Pantalone pulled away, shoulders stiff.
His ears were red.
“I-It’s working as intended.”
If not for the nature of your relationship, you were close enough to kiss– an appealing notion for the harbinger, yet it is not a move he should bring himself to try.
“Y-Yeah, no kidding. That was awkward.”
He gripped his arm, looking at the window.
Pantalone is painfully aware you think of him as an older brother. Or at least, the shadow of one, given how you rarely call him by name anymore.
“My apologies, I simply wanted to take a good look at you.'
He muttered, “you’ve grown into a gorgeous person, (Y/n).”
You didn’t hear him.
“██████– I mean, Pantalone–”
“Go back to calling me ██████, dear.”
“Pantalone.” You put more emphasis on his harbinger name, watching in glee as he rolled his eyes, “I expect to be paid in chocolates and at least two months’ worth of food.”
Indeed, your proposed exchange pleased him. ██████ knows how much you value healthy eating and abhor it greatly when others waste grains of rice. Time and imagination had transformed his early memories as you as a human so close to a skeletal figurine with sunken cheeks and broomstick-like limbs. Those thoughts cause him much sorrow. Pantalone would have pampered you for free if you had only let him– seeing you eating healthy gives him life. Almost like how a father would tell his children that seeing them full is enough to make him full as well.
Let him spoil you with food. Please.
Seeing you thin makes him feel sad.
“What do you want to eat for dinner later? My treat, as always.”
“Mint salad sounds lovely.”
“Just mint salad?” Pantalone smiled thinly.
His dearest baobei, no longer skin and bones. No longer barely fueled by rice and salt. No longer skipping meals. It warms his heart more than the exclusive springs offered to him because of his mora and title… But it’s not enough. It’s never enough.
“Hmm… Would it be okay to request a plate of Triple-Layered Consommé?” You muttered, gazing at the floor. “I kind of miss your cooking… Just. Just kind of.”
His heart skipped a few beats as he saw your shy expression.
You straightened up, coughing, “not that your cooking is anything special, it’s just that I don’t want to eat anything too bland and–”
“Of course! Anything for you, my love.”
Pantalone grabbed your hand and placed a soft kiss on your knuckles.
“My baobei, you’d be too full to walk once I’m done spoiling you…”
“D-Did you have to word it so seductively?!”
You blushed once again, which only served to worsen his urge for making you undeniably satiated.
Oh, how he wants to keep you in a cage, locked up, and fed until he’s satisfied that you’ll never starve again…
Maybe then, you’d let him spoon-feed you like years before...
There's no rest for the wicked. When you returned to Vanarana the next day, the aranaras pulled you in for another chore at Devantaka Mountain.
“Hey, little man, get down there, right now!”
You screamed with your hands cupped around your mouth to amplify your voice. The aforementioned "small man" scoffed, not shifting an inch from his posture, as the blue aranara crept up behind you.
Ararycan worriedly relayed that a “Wood Nara” had been trespassing the large abandoned Khaenri’ahn machine. The little vegetable-like creature had grown to trust you when it came to scaring off unwanted guests, which usually entailed eremites or treasure hoarders scavenging for scrap metal.
“Ararycan wants to stop Wood Nara.”
You gently pried the wire off their hand, keeping it in your pocket in a very definite fashion.
“I know, ‘Rycan, but Naras are stubborn beings.”
“Just like Nara (Y/n)?”
You gasped, eyes widened.
These plant-like beings are surprisingly masterful at the art of roasting.
“Just like Nara (Y/n), you say?! Rude, Ararycan, rude.”
You laughed humorlessly, masking your jadedness with forced laughter.
In all honesty, you’re inclined to believe that this job reassignment was Alhaitham’s way of punishing you for remaining neutral. But surprisingly? An Amurta alumnus like you have been enjoying the task and in no small part thanks to these silly little creatures.
It's absurd to imagine that you would consent to be pulled by these vegetable creatures. You initially believed that they were paracosms produced by a lack of stimulation. You once tried to ignore them. Regrettably, that frail facade didn't survive due to a couple of slip-ups. The first to catch you drawing their likenesses next to your weather reports was Arapas. The second was Arabalika, who overheard you whispering about how powerful they were after they defeated a ruin grader, and then Arama who heard you humming their songs. They’ve built up quite the case against you, and you had to fess up before they start giving you a hard time.
By “hard time”, you were referring to how a crowd of tumultuous aranaras huddled up and tugged your hearing aids’ wire with their teeny hands incessantly.
Which was what Ararycan is doing right now.
“Get us up there, Nara (Y/n).”
"Careful, Rycan– you might damage the wire."
Suddenly, the hatted man's eyes widened after seeing you. Call it intuition, but it seemed like this total stranger knew who you were.
You made an exaggeratedly loud inhaling sound, turning off your hearing aids momentarily.
And then, a scream.
“STOP, STAY WHERE YOU ARE!!! RIGHT!!! NOW!!!”
The difference between stupidity and bravery is measured by outcome, and neither are variables you wish for this “Wood Nara” to test out. Alhaitham would have you write two pages detailing an incident if the stranger broke something and eight more if the machine awakened. And sadly, you are only a small percent less lazy than that man.
Despite your words droning childishly, you made no move to approach him. His eyes sharpened, but you felt no scrutiny—
This man you’ve never met wore a blatant look of disbelief.
You looked down.
Maybe he could see Ararycan…?
“Hey— can you see them?”
You swiftly swept Ararycan off the ground, who made a surprised yelp.
The man winced.
"P-Please… Leave the forest alone…"
"And why should I care about your pathetic request?"
"Please, have mercy… T-There are creatures that live in this area… Creatures you cannot see because you lacked a human heart."
“–Ngh!”
Those memories were hard to swallow, like reading an inked sloppy handwriting submerged in water.
“G-Good riddance…”
The man coiled in pain, gripping his scalp with his lithe fingers. You cannot view the expression on his face, nor were you able to verify that he had yelped. The distance between you two was too great to conceive a communication that did not rely on shouting.
“Nara (Y/n), what are you doing?!”
Although your proximity with the aranara doesn’t cause any communication barriers, that didn’t stop Ararycan from yelling.
For some reason, the stranger flinched after seeing you carry what appeared to be air around “normal people”’s vision. Perhaps he found your actions cringe-inducing… or perhaps it made his migraine worse. Then again, both possibilities are not mutually exclusive. However, you have a feeling he didn’t flinch because he saw Ararycan.
The blue aranara leaped off of your hands.
“Ararycan is worried… Ararycan thinks Wood Nara is going to destroy the giant iron mountain…”
You stared up at the man again, wanting to go on for a long rant but refrained after realizing how immature that is. While you do have a hunch that the stranger possessed a vision, you’d bet mora that he is no match for Arabalika’s accumulated Ararakalari.
“Say, why do you keep calling him Wood Nara? Is it because of his ginormous hat?” You whispered to Ararycan.
“Huh? Did Nara (Y/n) not notice?” They tilted their head.
“Ararycan calls him “Wood Nara” because he’s made of white wood. Ararycan is not sure if he is a real Nara.”
Their answer entered from one ear and exited in the other. You’re used to hearing the Aranara lexicon that you never take any sentence at face value since you’ve learned your lesson back when Arasaka made you scout the market for a “Taste of Happiness.” Thank the Lord of Verdure that it was only Pantalone who laughed at you for describing sugar as “white, cubic, crumbles when crushed, becomes sand, and can be eaten.”
“Hah, well, he better not be made out of wood 'cause I might burn him.”
“Ararycan doesn’t think that’s easy to do. Wood Nara smells like the taste of anger,” once again, you ignored their riddled words.
You clutched the pyro vision dangling in your cloak’s right shoulder, located opposite where Alhaitham places his. Your skill set does not differ from that dendro user’s repertoire, and you calculated what vertice you should drop upon teleporting. Grabbing Ararycan, you rushed forward...
Without making it past the one-minute mark, you leaped effortlessly to where the stranger stood.
“Excuse me, young man, but do you have an Investigation Charter from the Akademiya?”
With an unused voice when it comes to dishing out commands– much less an implied threat– your approach wasn’t even a fraction of what makes authorities like the General Mahamatra intimidating. Yet, you still tried. You crossed your arms and hovered your hand near your claymore.
This stranger gazed up, boasting his soft face and beautiful lilac eyes topped with a complexion quite like a sheltered princess. He had the finest eyes you had ever seen. Yet, even with a heaven-sent face, his eyebrows were knitted. He continued kneeling on the cold metal of the giant mossed and corroded machine.
One closer look should’ve made you hyper-aware that his joints were not bound by mortal flesh, but your heart was more entranced by his glassy pupils.
“We meet again. If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.”
He muttered inaudibly, hence, you did not hear him. Since you also just came back from visiting Liyue and their post-festival fireworks, you’ve turned your hearing aid settings lower than usual. You bent your knees slightly, offering a hand.
“Nana korobi ya oki,” you said. The stranger looked like he hailed from Inazuma, so you thought you’d put your knowledge to good use. “It means–”
Unbeknownst to you, you uttered the same thing in a past long forgotten.
“I know: fall down seven times, get up eight.”
His gloved hand grasped your own, and you tried not to think about how soft yet firm it was as you pulled him up. You grunted slightly from the shifted weight while he didn’t breathe at all.
“No, I don’t have any clearance permit,” he said. “And I still don't have a heart, if that still matters to you.”
You raised an eyebrow.
‘Still’? What the hell is he talking about? Aaru village is miles away from here, but is it possible that the man you’re talking to is a mad scholar? That’s concerning.
Pushing your glasses farther up the bridge of your nose, you tried to search his face in Sumeru's records– which might be more unlawful than whatever this man's doing, but who's policing you anyways?
…
Nothing.
There's not a single official record on this man.
Not even in the Fatui's database.
Almost like the man in front of you doesn't exist.
"What the hell are you wearing?" The man sneered. "Since when did you have awful eyesight too?"
“No Investigation Charter, no clearance, just what do you think you’re doing here?” You digressed. “May I at least have your name?”
The man tilted his hat up, “and why should I stupidly give my information away?”
Your eye twitched. He kinda reminds you of Arabalika. Maybe if you gave him a cane he’ll calm down a bit.
“I do have a use for your name, awkward stranger.”
“And that is?”
Writing a report to the Acting Grand Sage regarding suspicious individuals.
“Something to call you,” you shrugged with a child-like candor, renewing your request with bold obstinacy. “I’d rather not recount this tale to various parties as That One Time An Awful Little Man Tried To Pry Open A Giant Machine And Failed.”
He exhaled curtly.
… Was that a laugh?
“How childish. Even if you don't know my name, your "friends"– assuming you have some– will remember me by that stupid description.”
“I mean, it's a memorable first impression,” you met his gaze smugly. “But why are you hiding your name, hmm? Suspicious.”
“It’s called respecting one’s privacy. Something you don't understand.”
How rude of him to make assumptions about you, “are you some covert government official?”
“No.”
“Then what? Are you some inhuman being?”
“...” He didn’t say a word.
Something tells you that the answer is close to your hunch.
“[Wanderer].”
He muttered, once again, you did not hear it so he spoke louder.
“That's my name. Don't you dare make me repeat it.”
“[Wanderer]…”
You missed the way he tipped his hat, hiding an uncontrollable smile from your view.
[Wanderer]... That does sound like a fitting name. It reminded you of a character from a franchise or mythological tale you thoroughly enjoyed as a teenager. It might be rude to share that information, though. You’re not certain how this bratty person would react upon hearing that his name might as well be the name of your lotus from a botany class.
Normally, [Wanderer] would snap a “speak up– is there something wrong with my name?” upon listening to hushed whispers or a resounding silence after his many introductions. But you’re different for a reason.
There was no way in hell he would take the traveler's suggestion over a name you had given him.
Ararycan tugged your pants.
“Hey, don’t just stare at him, Nara (Y/n)! Tell him to leave!!!” Araycan trashed around. “Nara (Y/n) must be a brave Nara if you like the taste of anger.”
[Wanderer] is the taste of anger? Is that what Ararycan was trying to say?
You blushed, fake-coughing behind your hand.
You wouldn’t say he reminds you of the taste of anger– especially with that winsome face. If anything, his appearance looks a lot like the bunraku dolls you accidentally bought years ago.
“Well, [Wanderer], it’s nice to finally put a name to a face,” you said. “But this is a dangerous area. What are you doing here…?”
“I just wanted to look for traces of the Doctor,” [Wanderer] crossed his arms. “Unfortunately, I can’t pry this stupid machine open.”
“The Doctor? Who’s that?”
“The Harbinger who sits at the second–”
“Aah, The Outcast. I see–” you shook your head. “Wait, no, I don’t get it. What does he have anything to do with this machine here? This is a Khaenriah’n creation.”
“I know, I’m not dumb like you. I'm here because The Doctor had plans for these automatons, that’s why I’m here.”
“But even so, it’s not advisable to wander these parts alone. You ought to have asked for a travel companion. Who knows if you run into a hoard of vanaagnis in marana?”
“Hmph. Do you think I can’t handle a few whooperflowers in a withering zone? The audacity.”
“Arrogance is the capital stock of misfortune– wait, how’d you know Vanaagnis is a term for whooperflowers?” You blinked expressively. “And the meaning of marana too– so you ARE a mad scholar.”
“I’m NOT,” [Wanderer] glared. You noticed how he seemed unimpressed when you mentioned that proverb about arrogance and “capital stock”, and his expression soured more when you accused him of being a lunatic.
“I just… I just learned from the best.”
[Wanderer]'s stare not wavering away from you.
Your silence did not go unnoticed by the other two.
“...Why do I have a feeling you’re trying to say that you’ve learned from me?” Those words had escaped from your mouth before you could stop them.
[Wanderer]’s eyes widened.
“Can… Can you remember?”
“Remember…?”
He frowned, eyes reflecting his disappointment.
“No, no, it’s probably just a fluke,” [Wanderer] frowned with a finger tracing his lips. “Maybe my expression just gave it away…”
“Nara (Y/n)!!! Tell Wood Nara to leeaaaaveee!!!”
You tried not to flinch at Ararycan’s whining. They don’t seem to understand that having poor hearing doesn’t mean you can’t register their commands.
[Wanderer] walked past you.
“Fine, I’ll leave this device alone, but on one condition.”
“What makes you think you’re the one in control–”
“Go out with me.”
“...”
“...”
“... What?”
Your eyeglasses flickered red.
But that red light was gone in a blink, you weren't even sure if it existed.
You laughed nervously, “sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly–”
He refused to meet your eyes like a coward.
[Wanderer] replied brusquely, “look– you're partially deaf, but you’re NOT stupid. You heard what I said, so own it.”
"Hold on– where is all this coming from, [Wanderer]?" You pivoted your heel but were too late to yank his sleeve.
He already hovered a few feet away from you.
"I'll come to visit this place more often," [Wanderer] smirked. "You’ll still be here at the upcoming Festival, right? Mark your calendar. That’s our date.”
“Hey, you can’t just!– Aaand he’s gone.”
Despite his abrupt parting, you couldn’t help but smile over such a cheeky encounter, completely forgetting how that man rummaged through the giant machine you’re standing on without a permit.
Something tells you that you’d see him more often.
And you did.
“[Wanderer]” never failed to visit you at 10 AM sharp every day, until there was only one day left till the next Sumeru Festival. At first, you thought his eccentric personality would make the following days unbearable, but he was rather civil– just sharp-tongued.
He would show up whenever you wandered in the forest to disseminate knowledge about the local flora and Sumeru's history. Some of them you already knew, while others had you wondering if he knew the Lord of Verdure. While you were trying to interview him for a report, not as a trespasser but as an assistant, you once purposely lightened the atmosphere to get honest responses from him. When you jokingly asked who he was, his reply was unsatisfactory.
“Who I am is not carved in wood nor stone. ᏕᎧᎷᏋᎧᏁᏋ wise told me that it’s a flexible concept and it’s easier to understand through a story, but even then, you’d only see a fraction of who that person is,” [Wanderer] peered dotingly. “If you wish to know who I am, then work for it. I’m not giving you a damn summary.”
Tomorrow is your first "date" with the man and you barely knew him.
Your internalized frustration made him think you’re insatiably adorable.
How the tables have turned.
After all, [Wanderer] only responded with the same answer you had given him before.
In a forgotten history, ᎩᎧᏬ were the one that spouts spontaneous philosophical questions that led him into fits of unintelligible musings. [Wanderer] berated humanity for being sentimental creatures yet look at him now, proudly boasting the name ᎩᎧᏬ gave him wherever he went. It is by no means grander than a title like God of Everlasting Eternity or other such monikers, but when Godhood has stripped away from him, that name provided more solace than a seat in Celestia.
“The Puppet”, “Kunikuzushi”– such utterances are water under the bridge. Only [Wanderer] stays afloat, like a bubble on water. Maybe a bubble is only beautiful for a moment, yet that moment weighs more than a meaningless “eternity” and he knows this well…
[Wanderer] had been played by fate. Attaining freedom, independence, and a vision did not absolve what chokehold you had on his synthetic being.
You're a colorful character, averaging about five meaningful papers per year– all the while considering yourself a "retired" genius. [Wanderer] would've been a kinder and forgiving person if you were his young and impressionable self's creator. He envied your patients, your strange collection of bunraku dolls, and the tenderness you reserve for them.
He missed you, no matter how often you both fought. Your hums used to enchant him when you lull him asleep with aranara songs, but they now haunt him up at night. You were his puppet and he was your dictator until you had grown exhausted of foreign power enough that you abandoned your neutrality and revolted.
But you did not revolt against him in this revision. Without a doubt, his revised “past” still mirrored the pain he caused, but through other means. He can’t say he had no regrets when he tampered with the Irminsul. Niwa’s death had less weight in this world, and for the wanderer, death without sanctification for a significant purpose is unnecessary homicide. And instead of helping Azar’s experiment, you became a “disobedient pet” who saw no need to collaborate with his superiority complex.
Yet, despite being such a disobedient pet– in his opinion, that’s a grave understatement–, he can’t help but cherish you.
The puppet missed the way his delusion marked your body. Fingerprint-like blotches collared your neck before, but when the slate was wiped clean, so too did his inflicted bruises. He missed the way you begged him to stop the pain. He missed the way you defended invisible creatures as “Queen Aranyani’s successor.” He missed the way you begged to keep the forest safe.
He missed the way you begged to be his.
But those marks are long gone– the symbol he carved on the nape of your neck had disappeared. You no longer had anything that resembled signs of his ownership.
Not only that, but seeing you wear eyeglasses– something you haven't before– fills him with anger.
The one saving grace from this situation was when this timeline confirmed that you wouldn’t help Azar if it wasn’t for [Wanderer]. You were interested in his personality and disposition as a puppet longing for a human heart, not just any of Dottore’s run-of-the-mill creations. That observation surely boosted his ego.
Your opinions mattered to him most in that project. Admittedly, he craved everyone’s veneration, even when they lacked true understanding.
But you were the first mortal that made him appreciate his defects…
"Is it so bad to live this way?" You combed his hair with your fingers. "Must you try your hand with such heresy?"
"Know your place," Scaramouche gritted his teeth. "You're nothing more than my maintenance worker- you do not deserve an audience."
"Be that as it may, future faux-god, can't you entertain me for just a moment? If I wasn't worried about you, I wouldn't be helping you with this damn treacherous experiment.
You ignored how he snarled at such a nickname, "it pains me to watch you lust for more power when you already boast an acceptable form. What is it that makes you so desperate? Is it because you can't hide the ball joints that connect your fingers and limbs?"
You continued while adjusting the tightness of his skeletal wrists.
"Is it so bad to live on as a defective being? Does imperfection invalidate a life's purpose? I only ask out of curiosity. I have imperfect ears, so does that make my life devoid of meaning?"
Scaramouche frowned, "do not compare your ears to my heart or lack thereof."
He didn't understand why his voice cracked. Scaramouche did not feel his usual temperament sizzling over but something heavy resided in his chest.
"Sorry."
"Don't apologize, I know you're not sorry," Scaramouche cupped your cheek, sporting an uncharacteristically loving smile.
"And your unapologetic behavior is what makes you my first sage."
His first sage…
[Wanderer] laughed to himself.
His first sage would know that if he gained a heart, he would've seen the aranara you were talking to earlier.
But this is fine. He can start over again.
This time, he’ll make you love him normally.
Heaven, please help the white wood that fell in love for it will never be human…
…
Out of the blue, Scaramouche spun and hurled three consecutive wind blades toward the woods with precision.
Be that as it may, the walking salt is surely more pathetic.
The “trees” grunted, but [Wanderer] did not miss the smell of salt-infused perfumes.
What a shame.
The next Sumeru Festival, your “date”, is tomorrow, yet there will always be those who lurk in the shadows to see the mighty fall.
"Pantalone…"
The ex-sixth harbinger snarled with unfathomable familiarity. Which was the complete opposite of the ninth harbinger, who coldly greeted him like a new enemy.
"Good afternoon, [Wanderer]."
Pantalone pulled out a gun from his hidden holster.
"No hard feelings, sir," the businessman smiled thinly. "I am but a simple man eliminating a love rival. You see, it’s not nice threatening to steal someone’s possession."
Scaramouche cackled.
How annoying. He never liked this friend of yours– he much preferred the one that planned a coup. Pantalone was not a coworker Scaramouche liked, much less a rival. This ambitious man was always a parasite, pretending to be worried while threatening to withhold project funding behind your back. Scaramouche will never forget how he boasted insolently that he had known you longer as if eternity wouldn't be enough to make up for it.
"You never change, mortal," he laughed even harder. "I knew something was off about (Y/n)'s glasses!"
"Hmm? Is that so?" Pantalone pushed them up closer– reminding Scaramouche that he’s no terrible shot. "How strange. In any case, I quite frankly don't care what you know or do not know."
He pulled the trigger as Scaramouche stomped his feet.
Only a few knew what occurred in Vanarana that day, but there was one thing the forest remembered.
Before either of them parted, a loud bang echoed that even deaf trees can't miss.
You woke up from Araja’s house (which was the only comfortable place to sleep in Vanarana) after passing out from tumultuous loads of paperwork sent directly by the Baharak. She joked that at that point, maybe she had become a bad omen for you– and you confirmed her suspicions. The tasks the Acting Grand Sage laid out for you were taxing, if not, deleterious for your mental well-being, and worst of all–
He sent a notice that this would be your last week patrolling Vanarana.
When you spread the announcement, the aranaras were saddened by the news. Even Arabalika was unimpressed and asked if you can prolong your services. Alas, it can’t be refuted.
Noticing how tired you appeared, the village chief immediately commanded you to sleep while you pretended not to hear whispers of a surprise farewell party. Considering how the place looked positively empty this morning, you’d wager that they’re busy working on it.
But you do smell that someone’s cooking right now…
The enticing scent emanated from a large pot. As you sauntered closer, you noticed how Arasaka was tending to the food. The aranara gave you a friendly wave that you didn’t reciprocate. It’s rather chilly in Vanarana in the mornings– and the sleeves of your jacket were comfy.
“Good morning, Nara (Y/n)!”
“Good morning, ‘Saka. That smells delicious,” you smiled bittersweetly.
“Hehe, really? Glad to hear it! One of Nara (Y/n)’s friends helped gather the ingredients. That Nara was good at hunting down prey!”
One of your friends…? You haven't introduced a lot of people to the aranaras. That can only mean it's either Baharak, Pantalone, or [Wanderer], and you can safely remove the first one since they're positively busy with guild matters.
... Huh. But those two can't see aranaras. Does that mean they stole Pantalone or [Wanderer]'s game?
"Pfft..." You chortled. Yeah, imagining either of them getting confused as to why their hunted boar had gone missing feels like a sight to see.
You took the ladle from Arasaka’s hand and sipped the warm liquid.
…
“Oh, hey, this tastes pretty good!”
“Hehe, Arasaka is glad to hear you liked it! Nara taste buds are hard to please.”
You took another sip as Arasaka watched. The warm soup went down smoothly, but the aftertaste had a serpent-like bite to it. It tastes akin to red sorghums Pantalone would down whenever social drinking was inevitable. Your only critique was that it would’ve been a refreshing experience if there wasn’t a rocky object stuck between your teeth. You awkwardly picked it out.
… And saw a small hint of (wood/salt) between your fingers.
You stared at Arasaka.
Strange…
Something feels… off.
This doesn't taste like happiness, it tastes like…
You shivered and yet the aranaras around you still had that same painted smile.
"Does Nara (Y/n) like the taste now? The taste of friendship?”
… Friendship?
No. That can’t be it.
The spoon splashed back into the bowl. You didn’t say a word, only stared at the boiling pot. You knelt, grabbing both handles to gaze upon the bubbling red liquid. With trembling hands, you picked the spoon back up and swirled the contents. Nothing was of note–
Until you scooped something from the very bottom and found thick strands of dark hair.
A very familiar strand of dark hair.
You adjusted your glasses in an attempt to find out where this human hair came from–
“Nara (Y/n) likes the scent of (wood/salt) Nara so my sisters added him in!” Arasaka innocently cheered.
Your heart dropped.
You turned pale– gagging.
No. It can't be.
Did you just eat…
“So, Nara (Y/n)– does our cooking taste bland now?”
… “him”?
“Oh, Nara (Y/n)’s friend is approaching! Don’t forget to thank him for the food!”
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I'm exhausted. 2 whole days of compiling zionist statements for y'all. Please reblog.
(LONG POST: TW- genocidal rhetoric, anti-palestinian hate, additions welcome)
-
#1 - ALARMING STATEMENTS FROM ISRAELI LEADERS:
"This is a struggle between the children of light and the children of darkness, between humanity and the law of the jungle."
-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deleted tweet
“You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible. 1 Samuel 15:3 ‘Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass’,"
-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
“We are striking our enemies with unprecedented might,” … “I emphasize that this is only the beginning.”
-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
“We're in complete compliance with international law. I think in many ways, we're setting a different standard. We seek to minimize civilian casualties, and Hamas seeks to maximize it.”
-Benjamin Netanyahu tweet
“The civilized world must unite to defeat Hamas,”
-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Bible says that 'there is a time for peace and a time for war.' This is a time for war. A war for our common future,"
-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
“We will hold Gaza after the war too, we will not trust international forces”
-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
"Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electric switch will be turned on, no water tap will be opened, and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli abductees are returned home,"
-Israeli minister of energy, Israel Katz
"Each country should take a quota...We need all 2 million to leave. That is the solution for Gaza."
-former Israeli Justice Minister, Ayelet Shaked
"The goal of the operation is to send Gaza back to the Middle Ages. Only then will Israel be calm for 40 years."
-former Israeli interior minister, Eli Yishai (2012)
"After we turn Khan Younis too into a soccer field […] we need to take advantage of the destruction [to tell] the countries that each of them should take a quota, it can be 20000 or 50000 […] We need 2 million to leave. That's the solution for Gaza."
-former Israeli interior minister, Eli Yishai
"King David cut off another 100 foreskins of Philistines as revenge for clogging up the wells with dirt. Our soldiers, who have gone to war to protect their homes and to avenge the terrible massacre that these Nazi terrorists carried out, will cover them in their tunnels with dirt, and will return to peace with the abductees only after they have cut off all these accursed foreskins.”
-Israeli minister Shlomo Karhi
“We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly,”
-Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant
“We are imposing a complete siege on Gaza,”
There will be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. Everything will be closed.”
Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant
“There is no such thing as a Palestinian nation. There is no Palestinian history. There is no Palestinian language.”
-Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich (March 2023)
"It is natural that my wife would not want to lie down next to someone who just gave birth to a baby that might want to murder her baby in another 20 years."
-Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, on segregating maternity wards (2016)
(Israel must) “create sterile security areas around Jewish communities and roads and prevent Arabs from entering them, including for the purpose of olive harvesting.”
-Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich
"[Hilltop Youth] are heroes and righteous people, and I admire their love for the people, for the land, for the Torah. Their dedication. But like young people in other domains, sometimes they struggle to hold complexities, make mistakes, and we must know where to draw the line."
-Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich (referring to the extremist religious group “Hilltop Youth” notorious for illegal settler violence
“It is an entire nation out there that is responsible,”
-Israeli president, Isaac Herzog
“It is not true this rhetoric about civilians not being aware, not involved. It’s absolutely not true. They could have risen up. They could have fought against that evil regime which took over Gaza in a coup d’etat.”
-Israeli president, Isaac Herzog
(long chunk of text)
“1. This war is not only against Hamas.
2. This war is first and foremost about the future of the State of Israel and the future of the Zionist project.
3. Any scenario other than a complete and unequivocal defeat of the enemy, at any cost, condemns us and our descendants to a bleak future that will not allow our existence here as a free people.
4. If we do not convey the message to our foes now about the price they will pay for hurting us, they will continue to hurt us mercilessly.
5. Only strength - military, political, economic, social - will ensure the victory of Zionism and the State of Israel.”
-Tweet from Israeli Foreign Minister Emmanuel Nahshon
“if it is one Israeli mother crying, or a thousand Palestinian mothers crying, then a thousand Palestinian mothers will cry.”
-Israeli Lawmaker, Zvika Fogel (2022)
“We are too merciful. It’s time for us to stop being so. It has nothing to do with racism.”
-Israeli Lawmaker, Zvika Fogel (2022)
“Gaza should be wiped off the map.”
-Knesset Member, Galit Distel Atbaryan
“All of this preoccupation with whether or not there is internet in Gaza shows that we have learned nothing. We are too humane. Burn Gaza now no less!”
-tweet from Israeli deputy speaker Nissim Vaturi
“Your fear will kill us. Stop being humane.”
- Israeli deputy speaker, Nissim Vaturi
“In 1967 we held them by force. We cannot repeat this mistake. As a democratic state we must allow them to leave to other countries, far from here.”
-Israeli deputy speaker, Nissim Vaturi tweet
"We need to put them (the Palestinians) on boats and send them to wherever will be good for them. They're wanted in Scotland? We'll hand them over."
- Israeli deputy speaker, Nissim Vaturi
“"we can leave one old man (alive) there - he will tell everyone"
-Nissim Vaturi tweet regarding Gaza
(The Palestinians) “They can go to Ireland or deserts, the monsters in Gaza should find a solution by themselves”,
-Currently suspended minister Amichai Eliyahu, who proposed nuking Gaza as “an option”
When you go to prison and put a prisoner there you restrict his rights, is that apartheid?"
-Amichai Eliyahu
“Right now, one goal: Nakba! A Nakba that will overshadow the Nakba of 48. Nakba in Gaza and Nakba to anyone who dares to join! their Nakba, because like then in 1948, the alternative is clear.”
-Knesset member, Ariel Kallner
"Occupation [of the Gaza Strip] is a must. Every time our enemies lost territory, they lost the war. We need to be in full control - that's what will deter our enemies, convey a message of victory.”
-minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir
“My right and the right of my wife and children to move around freely on the streets of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) is more important than the freedom of movement of Arabs. Sorry Muhammad.”
-minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir
“The only thing that should enter Gaza as long as Hamas doesn’t release the hostages it holds is not a gram of humanitarian aid, but hundreds of tons of explosives from the Air Force.”
-minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir
“If the international media is objective and shows both sides, it serves Hamas.”
-former Israeli prime minister, Yair Lapid
"This is Gaza's Nakba 2023."
-agriculture minister, Avi Dichter
“We are now rolling out the Gaza Nakba”
-agriculture minister, Avi Dichter
“Human animals must be treated as such. You wanted hell, you will get hell.”
-general of the Israeli army, Ghassan Alian
“The children of Gaza have brought this upon themselves.”
-Knesset member, Merav Ben-Ari
“I am very puzzled by the constant concern which the world is showing for the Palestinian people and is actually showing for these horrible inhuman animals.”
-former Israeli U.S. Ambassador, Dan Gillerman
“99% of hilltop youth don’t cause any harm to anyone - not to the army and not to others. There’s no such thing as ‘settler violence’.”
-tweet from head of IDF Central Command, Yehuda Fuchs (regarding an extremist group)
“...And the thing I most enjoyed was seeing the Israeli flags they put up in every corner, and the amplifier playing the national anthem, HaTikva, at full volume on a loop from morning to night. May their names and memories be eradicated.”
-media advisor, Ariel Elharar, describing treatment of Hamas-affiliated POWs in prison.
“As you will have seen in the last couple of weeks, the fighting is very surgical. It is slow. It is very methodical. We are trying not to reach any of the non-combatant population in the Gaza Strip. And I think that there is no way that we can eradicate the Hamas without dealing with most of its forces that have been— that have fled to the south. Now, again, one little note, “the non-combatant population in the Gaza Strip” is really a non-existent term because all of the Gazans voted for the Hamas, and as we have seen on the 7th of October, most of the population in the Gaza Strip are Hamas.”
-former Mossad chief, Rami Igra
#2 ALARMING STATEMENTS FROM AMERICAN LEADERS:
"What they say to me is I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed. I'm sure innocents have been killed, and it’s the price of waging a war,"
-president Joe Biden regarding Gazan death tolls
“…I have no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using.”
-president Joe Biden regarding Gazan death tolls
“Anyone that is pro-Palestinian is pro-Hamas.”
-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
“Ethnic cleansing of Palestinians?!?!?!” You mean the Palestinians who decapitate babies, rape women and dismember children? Or those who hand out candy in celebration? Or those who provide the terrorists aid, comfort, safe passage and a place to hide? Israel doesn’t oppose their ethnicity, it’s their barbarity that is the problem!”
-former ambassador David Freidman
“If you look at how they behave, not all of them are Hamas, but they are all antisemitic,”
-Florida governor Ron DeSantis on Palestinians
“I’m sick of hearing the media, I’m sick of hearing other people blame Israel just for defending itself,”
-Florida governor Ron DeSantis on criticism of Israel
“I don’t even want to call it the Palestinian flag because they’re not a state, they’re a territory, that’s about to probably get eviscerated and go away here shortly, as we’re going to turn that into a parking lot,”
-Rep. Max Miller (who thinks Israel doesn’t need to follow rules of engagement)
“...Israel is not trying to wipe the Palestinian people off the map. Israel’s not trying to wipe Gaza off the map. Israel is trying to defend itself against a genocidal terrorist threat … If we’re gonna start using that word, fine. Let’s use it appropriately.”
-National Security Spokesman, John Kirby
If we killed 4,000 Palestinian children, you know what? It wasn't enough!"
-Stuart Seldowitz, former advisor to Barack Obama
“All of them!”
-Rep. Michelle Salzman (enthusiastically) in response to a colleague asking how many more Palestinians have to die before it is deemed enough
“We’re in a religious war here. I am with Israel,”
-Senator Lindsey Graham
“Do whatever the hell you have to do to defend yourself. Level the place.”
-Senator Lindsey Graham
“Gaza is going to look like Tokyo and Berlin at the end of world war two when this is over. And if it doesn’t look that way, Israel made a mistake,”
-Senator Lindsey Graham
“Hamas is creating these casualties, not Israel,”
-Lindsay Graham’s statement which contradicts about everything else here
“As far as I’m concerned, Israel can bounce the rubble in Gaza,”
-Senator Tom Cotton
"Israel must respond DISPROPORTIONATELY to this and any future attacks."
-Senator Marco Rubio
“I don't think there's any way Israel can be expected to coexist or find some diplomatic offramp with these savages. I mean, these are people, as you have been reporting and others have seen, that deliberately targeted teenage girls, women, children, the elderly, not just for rape and murder, but then dumping their bodies off in the streets of Gaza, where the crowds can then defile their lifeless bodies.
I mean, just horrifying things. And I don't think we know the full extent of it yet. I mean, there's more to come in the days and weeks ahead. You can't coexist. They have to be eradicated. And you've pointed out the very difficult challenge ahead—this is going to be incredibly painful. This is going to be incredibly difficult and it's going to be horrifying—the price to pay.”
-Senator Marco Rubio
“Finish them. Finish them,”
-Nikki Haley after being asked about a humanitarian pause
“This is not just an attack on Israel—this was an attack on America. Finish them, @b.netanyahu. They should have hell to pay for what they have just done.”
-instagram caption from Nikki Haley
“I don’t know how you can have a ceasefire, a permanent ceasefire, with an organization like Hamas, which is dedicated to turmoil and chaos and destroying the state of Israel,”
-senator Bernie Sanders
“The calls for a ceasefire are outrageous.”
-house speaker Mike Johnson
“there are very few innocent Palestinian citizens”
-rep. Brian Mast
(terrorism is) “absolutely supported by the Palestinian people from elementary school all the way up into the elderly,”
-rep. Brian Mast
“I would encourage the other side to not so lightly throw around the idea of innocent Palestinian civilians, as frequently said,” … “I don’t think we would so lightly throw around the term ‘innocent Nazi civilians’ during World War II.”
-rep. Brian Mast
“Rashida Tlaib has alleged ties to Hamas.
Based on these allegations, it’s sadly not surprising she’s calling for a genocide against the Jewish people.”
-an accusatory tweet from senator Marsha Blackburn regarding lone Palestinian congresswoman, Rashida Tlaib
“I don’t have any malice towards Palestinians. I have Muslim friends, believe me.”
-rep. Ryan Zinke regarding criticism of his Palestinian ban
“I don't trust the Biden Administration any more than I do the Palestinian Authority to screen who is allowed to come into the United States. This is the most anti-Hamas immigration legislation I have seen and it's well deserved.”
-also rep. Ryan Zinke claiming his Palestinian immigration ban is ‘well deserved’
#3 VIRAL STATEMENTS FROM EVERYDAY ZIONISTS:
(long chunk of text)
“On the Gaza beach the autumn night is descending
Planes are bombing, ruin follows ruin
See the IDF crossing the borderline
To annihilate the Swastika carriers
In one more year
There won’t be anything left there
And we’ll return safely to our home
In one more year
We’ll eliminate them all and go back to plowing our fields”
-Video on Kan News, sung by several 6-12 year olds
"After the war, Israel should handle Gaza like China handles Xinjiang. Full surveillance state. Re education camps. Sterilizations. It's warranted and the only way to pacify the jihadi population."
"They reproduce like rabbits and raise them to be terrorists, creating more poverty, misery, and terrorism. Why should we allow that. The world would be a much better place if they didn't reproduce."
-tweets from cofounder of Oyster Ventures, Kenneth Ballenegger
“These are the Palestinians. Blood thirsty morally depraved animals who want nothing short of every inch of Israel and all Jews dead.”
“Lots of sand for Palestinians in Sinai which Israel gave to Egypt. Give them all 48h to get there…”
-tweets from pediatrician at John Hopkins, Darren Klugman
(long chunk of text)
“Listen carefully you leftists,
We don’t do reconciliation.
And the chorus stays the same:
May your village burn down.”
-Sung by IDF soldiers in the West Bank
“No ceasefire!”
-chants from March For Israel crowd in response to Van Jones wanting no more deaths
“I wish they will rape you alive.
They will film you.
And if your mother be alive.
They will send the video for your mother to see how you burn.
That’s what I wish.”
-March for Israel protester
“Let me say the unsayable. I’m not endorsing this but it’s a possible solution which is simply to expel them from Gaza. You might call that ethnic cleansing and so forth but the fact is that at the end of the second world war there were a million Germans kicked out of Poland. There were Germans expelled from Czechoslovakia,"
-Breitbart editor, Joel Pollak
“That’s an option, I think, after all this … If it comes down to ethnic cleansing, you want to cleanse my people. I’ll cleanse yours first.”
-Breitbart editor, Joel Pollak
“There will never be a Palestinian state. It’s over.”
-Breitbart editor, Joel Pollak
#4 A FEW ALARMING CELEBRITY STATEMENTS:
“Gazans rape Jewish girls only in self defense,”
-a line from a comic posted by Amy Schumer
“You either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorism”
-Noah Schnapp
“Many are saying that it’s inhumane that Israel is cutting off water/electricity to Gaza. Israel made it pretty simple — ‘release the hostages and we will turn it back on. Instead of pleading with Hamas to release CIVILIAN hostages which include BABIES and TODDLERS there are politicians (cough cough AOC) calling Israel inhumane. If that isn’t enough for you: ISRAEL DOES NOT NEED TO SUPPLY GAZA WITH THESE RESOURCES (which they do, for FREE),”
-deleted Sarah Silverman story she said she made because she was “stoned”
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