[hider=An Emperor's Lament][quote]The son of the great Marcus Aurelius finally shows his face! From this day on, you will be under my tutelage. You have the same eyes as your father, I am expecting great things.[/quote] Stop that. Stop looking at me with those eyes. I've done nothing to earn that gaze. I've done nothing to earn this weight you're placing on me. Simply leave me be. [quote]Your brother has fallen. This is a tragedy, but a curse is also a blessing. You are the heir to the empire.[/quote] I don't need that. Don't you understand? This isn't how it should work. I am not the one who should bear that right. This blood is not something I asked for. [quote]Iron-Hearted Commodus, on this day, you are awarded with the title of Germanicus. Rome thanks you for your service.[/quote] I didn't do anything, I didn't earn anything. This isn't right, none of this is right. [quote]Congratulations, my son. You have been named Imperator. From this day on, we will rule together.[/quote] Father, you don't need to do something like this, I am happy being myself, I am- [quote]The emperor is dead. Long live the emperor. Long live Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus.[/quote] Stop it- [quote]Emperor, we require a renewal of the coinage policy set by your father.[/quote] Stop it- [quote]Emperor, we need you to review the current administration plans for the great city.[/quote] [b]Stop it-[/b] [quote]Emperor.[/quote] I'm not. [quote]Emperor.[/quote] I can't be. [quote]Emperor.[/quote] I don't want to be. [quote]Emperor.[/quote] ...I must be. [quote]Emperor.[/quote] Fine.  You, who desire a ruler, shall have one.  You, who call me a god, shall be granted one.  I will grant your wishes, even if they lead us to ruin. I will be the man you desire me to be. I will be an emperor. I will be a god. I will be a warrior. I will be the pillar of this great Empire. So, in return- [center][i]"Please, let me not be Commodus."[/i][/center] [/hider] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/gR6oFps.png[/img] [h2][b]"Hercules"[/b][/h2] [i]Newly-Unquiet Basement, Western Farms[/i] [@ReallyDumb][/center] A prayer. A plead. A hope. That hope reached out. From the land through a conceptual universe born by a timeless wish. From that universe to a place outside of the world, to the Astral Plane, to a storied library of those men made gods through the prayers of man. Prayers of the very same kind that the one-eyed boy now utters, a 'tool of hope' born by will and wishes. Within that library, the prayer touched "something", and- [i]"...ah, very well. This prayer of yours, I will grant it."[/i] -A piece of a star fell to earth. The world pulsed, an aria calling something that should not exist into being. A fake forged by the Holy Grail's right, bound to the world through chain and contract.  And, before the magus who had obtained a bootleg Italian VHS, something formed. Light coalesced, swirling about madly and stretching out its tendrils as if to applaud the absurd dance it was made to participate in. In the center of this light, a body was fashioned from Ether. A weight settled on the surroundings. A pressure that exceeded mere magical presence. Rather, it was something more mundane and yet more unique. Appealing more to the mind than to the world, that body alone seemed to oppress the environment even as it took shape.  Head, arms, legs, torso- come into being.  It was a figure equally majestic and offensive, horrific and awe-inspiring to the senses. Something scratched in the back of his mind as he took material form, telling him to utter those words: "Are you my Master?".  Those words were crushed under the weight of his will. Instead, he strode forwards, lifting the likely-concussed boy from the ground and hefting him up to eye level with himself. Those eyes glinted with a blue steel edge, even as a smirk curled along the edge of his lips. "...I see." And then, the boy was released, haphazardly thrown to the other side of the basement. It was fine, it probably wouldn't injure him, probably. The man struck a pose. His whole body seemed to lean to one side. His left arm was extended outward. His right hand was flayed and covering most of his face. A laugh echoed throughout the basement. "Ahaha! You are in luck, boy!" His pose shifted. He had straightened up, and both arms were now behind his head. His stance resembled a yoga stretch, but more hot-blooded and fabulous. "For you have already found victory!" Another pose change. "As you have summoned-" Another. "The one and only-" A new pose. Hands raised to the sky, body angled to accept and praise the rays of the sun, despite the fact that he was in a basement. [b]"Hercules!"[/b] Aaaaand pose for applause. [hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/GwRIsVY.png[/img] [h2][b]Jack[/b][/h2] [i]"Beantown" (Workshop), Shinto Town[/i] [@Cu Chulainn][/center] "Here you go, Mr. Tree!" Jack was having a pretty swell day, all things considered. The plants that had told him about this ritual that was overflowing with a Mr. Tree that exceeded the modern age apparently weren't lying, which was nice. Sometimes the plants lied, but usually they were pretty honest about these things. Most of them didn't know how to lie. The pitcher plants were usually the biggest liars. Buncha pricks. Anyway, that was beside the point. The point was that there were no lies this time. Just like he'd heard, all he had to do was get his hands on a nice-looking building, set up a quick line to avoid detection, make a circle, and hope really, [i]really[/i] hard that the magic cup would give him Mr. Tree, and it had! ...now that he thought about it, that was a little weird. Why was a cup so interested in Mr. Tree? How did a cup think? Plants could think, but Jack hadn't heard of anyone talking to cups back when he was in the place with the soft walls, so he didn't think they could. Did someone make a thinking cup? That was pretty weird of them. They must have some weird, cup-based motives.  Well, Mr. Tree was getting watered now, so that was all fine. Apparently other people had their own walking talking Mr. Trees, and the magic cup wanted them to beat up the other ones. A little weird, but given that they were working with a thinking cup, Jack wasn't really expecting normalcy. But it would be such a shame to start beating up people right now. It was a nice day out, and Mr. Tree had just started existing, so he probably wanted some time to relax and talk. Jack was also feeling a little tuckered out from how hard he was praying earlier, so the math did seem to check out. "Oh, right, Mr. Tree, let me introduce you. This is Harry, and this is Johnny, and this is..." Gesturing at the various bean plants that had been placed around the room, the idiot savant began introducing the plant-man to his various plants.  Their partnership was off to a great start.