Askin Nakk Le Vaar

is a Quincy and a member of the Wandenreich's Sternritter with the designation "D" - "The Deathdealing", as well as one of Yhwach's.

Appearance
Askin has medium length black hair with white streaks, with a strand hanging down in front of his face, reaching his mouth. In addition to his Sternritter uniform, he wears baggy pants with the cuffs tucked in his boots, 3 layers of collared silver armor around his neck, shins, and crotch accented with periwinkle stripes with an indigo jewel in the center, as well as ornamental pink, purple, and red bracers on his left arm. He has lavender eyes, a thin face with pronounced cheekbones and markings running from the ends of his eyebrows to the corners of his eyes.

Personality
Askin can best be described as eccentric and unpredictable, at times offering levity to otherwise serious situations. He is very sarcastic, pointing out how Bazz-B states that he is calm despite preparing to attack Jugram Haschwalth. He is also quite arrogant, questioning the intelligence of the scientists of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. He tries to trick his opponents, wanting 12th Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi to pursue him into a trap. By his own admission, he is not good at dealing with meticulous details, and would rather finish things quickly. Askin is incredibly laid back and relaxed, having a picnic in the middle of a battlefield and using binoculars to watch his fellow Sternritter fight, although he dislikes getting caught in the mess that Gremmy Thoumeaux creates. He also likes café au lait.

Askin firmly believes in killing his opponents "elegantly" with The Deathdealing rather than simply finishing them off physically, even when they are incapacitated and vulnerable to such attacks; he claims that such a method is more suited for women like Yoruichi Shihōin and Bambietta Basterbine, and is visibly angered when others suggest that he employ such tactics. He also defines a woman's value not by superficial attributes such as physical appearance, but instead by her style and presentation.

Askin's actions are often influenced by his curiosity, as he follows Yhwach due to knowing that he would be one of a few people to change the world and wanting to see the kind of world he would create.

The Thousand-Year Blood War arc
Upon receiving the orders of Yhwach, Askin and the other Sternritter gather at the Gate of the Sun before traveling to the Seireitei in order to participate in the conquest of Soul Society.

Following the meeting where Yhwach nominates Uryū Ishida as his successor, Askin, using his Gift Ball, breaks up a confrontation between Jugram Haschwalth and Bazz-B. He states that he helped them by preventing a fight from erupting, stating that Yhwach dislikes fights, and warns them about having onlookers. He says a fight would be bad for their positions, especially for Haschwalth.

During the Wandenreich's second assault on Soul Society, Askin appears within the space where the Shinigami Research and Development Institute used to be and explains to the researchers present how the Quincy had been hiding in the shadows for the past 1000 years. Askin is in turn surprised by the appearance of 12th Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi from within an invisible room. Mayuri states that Askin probably wants to verify their intelligence before leaving.

After analyzing Mayuri's appearance, Askin decides to retreat from battle, claiming that he does not want to spend time trying different ways to kill Mayuri. He states he is not a detail-oriented person and attempts to leave, but asks Mayuri if he isn't going to stop him, prompting Mayuri to say that he wants time to analyze Askin's Reiatsu. When Mayuri hypothesizes that Askin wants him to follow him into his "territory", Askin states that this deduction is scary. After sensing 2nd Division Captain Suì-Fēng dealing a harsh blow to BG9, Askin reveals that Yhwach expected the captains who lost their Bankai to master different ways to fight before confirming Mayuri's suspicions of the Sternritter being prepared for this.

Later, Askin watches Kenpachi Zaraki's battle with Gremmy Thoumeaux through a pair of binoculars while eating and notes how impressive it is for Kenpachi to be fighting on par with Gremmy before stating he does not understand why Yhwach would allow Gremmy onto the battlefield in the first place. When PePe Waccabrada appears and says things would have been better if Yhwach had kept a monster like Gremmy locked up, Askin notes PePe is a monster himself, prompting PePe to state Askin is one as well. Deciding to leave, Askin claims he is not a fan of getting caught up in Gremmy's mess and states he does not want to sound as though he is belittling Gremmy before noting society looks down on those who dream all day without doing anything. However, he states that, after having seen Gremmy do the impossible, it is probably better that dreams do not become reality.

Moments later, a nervous Askin watches as the meteorite which Gremmy summoned hurtles toward the Seireitei and notes Gremmy has gone mad before stating he should have been handled differently. When Ichigo Kurosaki arrives on the battlefield, Askin notes that it is time and wonders if he will be lucky enough to get chosen. Later, in the Soul King Palace when Yhwach summons his Schutzstaffel, Askin is among those who emerge from his shadow and notes that he is the only one of a lower rank that was promoted. When Askin states he should probably not hold back, Gerard Valkyrie promises to cut him down if the former gets in his way. When Kirio Hikifune surrounds the group with a cage of trees, Askin is surprised by what has happened.

After Ōetsu Nimaiya appears, Askin expresses shock when Gerard is abruptly dispatched. He is the last of the four Schutzstaffel to be cut down, but due to comprehending the cutting power of Nimaiya's sword, he manages to avoid a fatal injury by leaping away from Nimaiya's path. As Nimaiya praises Askin for anticipating his maneuver, Askin laments the fact that he still got cut despite his effort before having his neck slashed. However, he surprises Nimaiya by revealing that he is not dead, stating that it is not yet over. Lamenting his ability, Askin states that the reason Yhwach took him in was because he wouldn't die and that in thinking about his power, he feels as though he is always close to dying.

Askin explains how The Deathdealing lets him control the lethal dose of any substance. When Nimaiya collapses, Askin gets up and reveals he has made the blood in Nimaiya's body lethal to him. Askin draws his bow and prepares to finish Nimaiya off, but is surprised when Nimaiya cuts his own throat to let the blood out of his body. When Askin points out how Nimaiya will eventually die by losing too much blood to avoid dying from having too much blood, Nimaiya notes this and has Tenjirō Kirinji replace his blood with his hot spring water before cutting down Askin, who notes this was a lethal strike before collapsing.

Soon afterward, Askin is revived through the power of Yhwach's Auswählen. Later, after Yhwach kills the Soul King and is confronted by Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends, Askin and the other Schutzstaffel arrive to confront them. Afterward, Askin and the other Schutzstaffel sit on couches in the palace. When Lille wonders if they should really be sitting around, Askin reminds him that they likely cannot get near Yhwach without being swallowed up as well.

After Yhwach completely absorbs the Soul King, Haschwalth informs Askin and the others of this, to their surprise, before bringing them to the Soul King's chambers, where they find Yhwach oozing darkness. As Askin wonders what the darkness is, Yhwach turns around to reveal that he has gained several more eyes, shocking him enough to start stepping back, though Haschwalth stops him. Due to Yhwach's immense power, the top of the palace shatters, forcing the Sternritter to move to pieces of rubble for safety. Clinging to a ledge, Askin begs Haschwalth to do something about Yhwach.

Afterwards, Askin is present alongside Haschwalth and the other Sternritter when Yhwach explains the name of his new palace, Wahrwelt, and how it will be the cornerstone of their new world. Soon after, he heads out into the city and prepares to confront Ichigo's group as they are infiltrating the palace grounds, much to his own surprise and dismay. Before he has time to ready, however, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez rushes in and attacks him immediately. As Grimmjow and Ichigo argue over the former's attack, Askin runs away from Grimmjow, who begins pursuing him. After being told that he will die because he is weaker, Askin asks Grimmjow where he came from, and offers to team up with him to kill Ichigo upon learning that Grimmjow is Ichigo's enemy, only to be attacked in response.

Askin manages to escape Grimmjow and rests on a roof, where he watches Ichigo's group split up to search for Grimmjow. However, he is soon confronted again by the Arrancar. He runs from Grimmjow again, but tosses a poisonous ball behind him. The ball poisons Grimmjow, causing him to collapse, and Askin mocks Grimmjow. Soon afterwards, he finds Ichigo and appears right in front of him. He tells Ichigo that he put Grimmjow "to sleep" and introduces himself. As he is about to confront Ichigo, he becomes shocked to see that the area is surrounded in darkness due to the release of Shunsui Kyōraku's Bankai, Katen Kyōkotsu: Karamatsu Shinjū.

Soon afterward, Askin watches Gerard smashing through buildings in the distance while noting that he has probably not noticed Lille's defeat before proceeding to explain the mysterious nature of Gerard and Pernida as parts of the Soul King to Ichigo, who is lying on the ground before him. When Yasutora Sado and Orihime Inoue confront him, Askin dodges Sado's attack and watches as the two fall victim to Gift Bad before explaining the nature of both the technique and The Deathdealing to them. However, Askin is interrupted by Yoruichi Shihōin, who questions why he does not simply attack his enemies while they are incapacitated, prompting an irritated Askin to attack her before stating that he prefers killing his opponents "elegantly" with The Deathdealing instead. After Yoruichi activates her Shunkō, Askin brings out his Heilig Bogen before firing two Heilig Pfeil at her, only for Yoruichi to dodge one while throwing the other into his shoulder. As Askin flies back, Yoruichi activates Shunkō: Raijin Senkei before engulfing Askin in a blast of energy.

After Yūshirō Shihōin arrives, Askin emerges from the smoke with only minor injuries and apologizes for interrupting the family reunion before noting that Yhwach is going to berate him upon noticing that Ichigo and his friends are escaping. When Askin demeans Yoruichi's technique, Yūshirō proclaims that he will incur his wrath by making fun of his sister, prompting Askin to accept his challenge while mistakenly referring to him as a girl. However, Askin is shocked when Yūshirō proceeds to overwhelm him with multiple punches and expresses disbelief at him being so strong before being engulfed in the explosion of Yūshirō's Shunkō: Bakuen Musō. Despite this, Askin manages to survive, albeit with severe burns, and informs Yoruichi and Yūshirō that their Reiatsu will no longer be able to kill him.

Upon noticing Askin's burns disappearing, Yoruichi asks him if all of his wounds have healed, prompting Askin to confirm this and reveal that he has become immune by raising the lethal dose before claiming that Yoruichi will die without even scratching him once if she keeps standing there in shock. When Yūshirō attempts to attack him with another Shunkō technique and fails, Askin fires three Heilig Pfeil through his chest while reminding him that he is immune to Shunkō now. As Yoruichi catches her brother, Askin states that her only just realizing how powerful he is was lethal.

Askin blasts Yoruichi with a Gift Ball containing Reishi, oxygen, and nitrogen, and he lies down on the ground as rubble from Silbern falls around him. He comments to Yoruichi on being unable to die no matter what happens, which she ignores. Askin expresses his surprise that she was still alive despite his attacks, revealing that he was trying his best to kill Yoruichi and was annoyed that she kept putting him down. As Yoruichi looks at Yūshirō, Askin gets right in front of her, saying that she was as good as dead if he could get this close. Kisuke Urahara then arrives, and Askin recognizes the Shinigami, to his surprise. Askin says that he has no interest in acquaintances and only knew Urahara due to him being one of the five battle powers. Suddenly, Yoruichi leaps up into the air, shocking Askin, who realizes that this is why Urahara is one of those powers and why he is constantly being bothered.

As Urahara and Yoruichi talk in midair, Askin fires a Heilig Pfeil at them, but is not surprised when it misses. Yoruichi attacks Askin, but he dodges all her strikes before punching her in the stomach, sending her to her knees. Suddenly, Urahara pulls off a piece of paper which causes Yoruichi to transform, and Askin reacts in shock as he is blown away by the transformation.

Askin stares in shock at Yoruichi's new form, and Urahara names it, making Askin realize that she cannot comprehend their language. Before Askin can react, Yoruichi gets in front of him and slashes him in the shoulder with her Shunkō before blowing him away in a blast of electrical energy. Askin leaps back up, confused as to why his immunity to her Reiatsu was not working. As Yoruichi starts ignoring Askin before attacking him again, Urahara reveals that her Reiatsu changes 48 times per second. Yoruichi then engulfs Askin in an enormous bolt of Reiatsu, sending him crashing into the ground. Urahara goes to look for Askin's body, when he and Yoruichi are engulfed by Askin's Gift Ball Deluxe. Askin then arrives in his Quincy: Vollständig form.

After noting that spending one second in his Quincy: Vollständig would expose him to all 48 different types of Reiatsu, Askin reveals that his Quincy: Vollständig allows him to adapt to changes in the properties of poison and claims that neither Urahara nor Yoruichi will be able to harm him now. Askin asks Urahara if he has any more tricks up his sleeve while erecting a Gift Bereich around his Gift Ball Deluxe, which he claims is impossible to escape. When Urahara points out that he does not appear to be acting purely out of loyalty, Askin admits that he is interested in seeing what Yhwach creates after destroying all three realms and claims Urahara is too, prompting Urahara to attack him while stating that Mayuri would be more intrigued by this, but only if he could shape it himself. Grinning, Askin throws a Gift Ring at Urahara, who loses his right eye to it, and explains how it focuses all of The Deathdealing into one point in order to force an instant death upon that point before claiming that doing this to all of Urahara's internal organs is the only way to kill him. However, Askin is surprised when Urahara activates his Bankai, Kannonbiraki Benihime Aratame.

When Askin admits that he does not have any intel on his Bankai, Urahara states that this is the first time he has used it in front of the Quincies, prompting Askin to wonder what kind of power it possesses. Urahara points out how this is a very personal question before telling Askin that he will be experiencing its power soon enough as Askin's arm is suddenly split open. As Askin leaps back, his arm is sown up, prompting Urahara to praise him for realizing that his Bankai has a range before revealing that its power is to restructure anything it touches as the hands of Kannonbiraki Benihime Aratame repair his eyes. Slashing Askin across the chest, Urahara turns around and crosses blades with him as Askin expresses surprise at Urahara being able to see. Urahara restructures his other hand and grasps his sword before sending Askin flying through several buildings. However, Askin manages to recover and laments how this is turning into a battle of brute force before increasing the power of his Gift Ball Deluxe to incapacitate Urahara. As Askin admits that he does not want to deal with Urahara's Bankai, Urahara notes that he forgot one thing as Askin is impaled by a hand through his chest. Pointing out how Askin never said his Gift Bereich was impenetrable, Urahara reveals that he made a path inside and thanks Grimmjow, who crushes Askin's heart in his hand.

Askin collapses and expresses his shock that Grimmjow is still moving. Kisuke reveals that he healed him in anticipation for the battle, and Askin expresses surprise that the Shinigami would plan so extremely far ahead. Kisuke replies that this was a fight for survival, and Askin begins to understand as Grimmjow suddenly impales him again in order to stop his talking. As he dies, Askin reveals that the Gift Ball Deluxe will increase in potency, but wonders if Kisuke has a plan for this, despite clearly having no strength.

Powers & Abilities

 * Askin can perfectly calculate the "absolute lethal dose" of any substance he consumes - the amount that will cause death without fail - and raise or lower that value as he sees fit, causing a lethal dosage of that substance. In order to facilitate the lethal dose, he needs to consume a great amount of whatever it is he wants to manipulate into his body. For example by consuming blood, he can decrease the lethal dosage of the blood in his opponent's body, thus making it fatal to them.


 * Healing: Raising his own lethal dosage to an attack also grants Askin a healing factor, which allowed him to recover from the severe burns inflicted on him by Yūshirō Shihōin in seconds.


 * Immunity: He develops an immunity to whatever substance or energy-based attack he is attacked with. His immunity acquisition speed is incredibly fast. Upon receiving an attack, he reflexively analyzes their Reiatsu and begins to create his immunity at a terrifying speed. As long as he has one minute he can render virtually any attack ineffective.


 * Askin throws a small, slow moving ball of poison at his opponents. It is potent enough to make Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez collapse immediately after making physical contact with it. He can put multiple different substances in the ball, such as nitrogen, oxygen, and Reishi.


 * Askin creates a darkened area of influence the size of a large circle on the ground; if anyone steps within its radius, Askin can lower their resistance to anything, such as Reishi, causing them to become "poisoned" by high amounts of that substance.

Reishi Manipulation: As a Quincy, Askin primarily absorbs spiritual energy from the atmosphere, and combines it with his own spiritual energy to form weapons. He has an easier time collecting this energy in environments with higher concentrations of Reishi such as in Soul Society or Hueco Mundo.


 * Hirenkyaku Practitioner: Askin possesses some skill in Hirenkyaku, managing to dodge a fatal attack from Ōetsu Nimaiya. He is also fast enough to appear behind Yūshirō, a Shunpo expert, and shoot three Heilig Pfeil though his chest before the latter could even react.

Great Spiritual Power: Askin's Reiryoku is on a level comparable to or greater than that of a captain-level Shinigami.

Hand-to-Hand Combatant: While rarely used, Askin has a degree of unarmed combat skill, as he succeeded in punching Yoruichi in the stomach while she had Shunkō activated (albeit she was still recovering from The Deathdealing). He can channel The Deathdealing in his attacks, as his single punch caused Yoruichi to collapse.

Enhanced Endurance: Askin can survive normally fatal injuries, which he claims is an attribute he possessed prior to being recruited into the Wandenreich. Notably, he briefly remained conscious and continued speaking even after his heart was ripped out of his body.

Enhanced Durability: Despite his reluctance to engage in direct combat, Askin is a fairly durable combatant; he withstood Yoruichi Shihōin's Shunkō: Raijin Senkei with only light wounds, and soon afterward survived the massive explosion created by Yūshirō Shihōin's Shunkō: Bakuen Musō with only moderate burns.

Pharmacology Expertise: He determined Nimaiya's weight and how much blood his body contained by simple observation, and possesses an advanced understanding of pharmacology in relation to the effects of The Deathdealing on others.

Highly Perceptive Combatant: Askin is a considerably perceptive and calculating combatant. When Ōetsu Nimaiya attacked the Schutzstaffel with Sayafushi, Askin was the only one who attempted to outmaneuver him because he had figured out the blade movements of Sayafushi to the point where he could move backward at the same speed as Nimaiya's swing, which Nimaiya himself noted and was impressed by despite seeing through the attempt and successfully attacking him. When facing the restructuring power of Kisuke Urahara's Bankai and having his arm torn open, Askin quickly deduced that the Bankai had a limited range in which it could restructure objects and moved outside of that range to let his arm repair itself, which Urahara himself praised as being a far more cool-headed reaction than others who simply panicked and cut off their arm.

Spirit Weapon

 * Askin wields a long bow that he summons by drawing it out of the cuff of his sleeve. Its handle is composed of several circles joined by light-colored bands, which then taper off into a normal bow. The bow itself sprouts from and is attached to his wrist.


 * Askin can fire moderately long arrows from his bow. The arrows possess four fletches on their ends, and Askin can fire two at once from the areas above and below his wrist. He can also fire arrows from his index finger.

Quincy: Vollständig

 * When Askin activates his Quincy: Vollständig, he gains wings composed of circles connected by beams of Reishi shaped like molecular sequences. The same material surrounds his waist as a belt, and he wears a visor, one bracelet on his right arm, and three on his left arm. Circles hover over his arms and chest, and his Heiligenschein takes the shape of the Quincy Zeichen with circles at each point of the star.

Upon being granted power by Yhwach's Auswählen, Askin's Quincy: Vollständig granted him a set of white, feathery Reishi wings.


 * The Deathdealing (Enhanced): Hasshein automatically adapts to changes in "poison"; as long as the base of the poison remains the same, any surface layer changes will cause Askin's immunity to adjust in turn, rendering the poison ineffective. This prevents him from being harmed by opponents who undergo rapid changes in the nature of their Reiatsu.


 * Askin creates an enormous version of Gift Ball centered around his body. Its power magnifies greatly upon Askin's death.


 * Askin creates dozens of interconnected spheres of light to form a large, spherical barrier, which he claims cannot be escaped from.


 * Askin enlarges the bracelet on his arm and throws it at an opponent, where it shrinks in size before making contact with a particular region of their body, at which point it forces all the potency of The Deathdealing into this focal point, causing an "instant death" of that region of the body.


 * Reishi Staff: When forced to fight at close quarters, Askin can generate a long staff composed of spheres connected by rods with which to combat swordsmen.

The Deathdealing
Quantity Reduction/Element Extraction: If the target can extract the element from their body, that Askin is manipulating, they can lower the concentration until it goes below the lethal dosage.

Full Stomach: If Askin's stomach is already filled with a proficient amount of sustenance, such as lattes, he is unable to consume a great amount of substance. Thus, The Deathdealing can't be activated, in regards of substances such as blood. Though abilities such as Gift Bad and Gift Ball can still be activated, Askin must wait until his stomach settles in order for The Deathdealing to take full effect.

Limited Immunity: Askin can quickly build up immunity to elements, but if that element is changed by even a small amount, he can be affected by it again. However, this weakness is nullified when Askin enters his Quincy: Vollständig.

Deathdealing Vaccine: A drug designed by Kisuke Urahara to counteract Askin's The Deathdealing. By injecting this into the person's skin at the point of contact from Askin's ability, the person will recover from the effects. As Kisuke noted, this formula is still underdeveloped, lasting only about 5 minutes and likewise does not make the person recover completely.

Trivia

 * Following the initial release of Askin's Quincy: Vollständig, the circles connected by beams of Reishi, that surrounds his waist like belt are absent in later chapters.

Quotes

 * (To Bazz-B and Jugram Haschwalth) "I would advise you both to let this matter lie. There is nothing pleasant about such petty fighting. For you in particular, it will be nothing but a poison. Would you not agree, Future Emperor?"


 * (To the members of the SRDI) "Weren't you listening to my explanation? I would have thought a place called the Research and Development Institute would be home to a little more intelligence. I didn't need to 'get inside' at all. I've been in here from the very beginning."


 * (To Mayuri Kurotsuchi) "Nope, no good! Dealing with you is just gonna take way too much time. I'd better not bother. I mean if I was gonna make you die, I reckon I'd have to try out way too many different tactics. Sorry, but I'm just awful with that kind of finicky stuff. I like to get things over with in a flash, y'know?"


 * (To PePe regarding Gremmy Thoumeaux) "Society always looks down on those people who spend all their time dreaming and don't actually achieve anything, but then you look at a guy who can achieve anything he likes just by dreaming, and you think, hey, maybe it's not such a bad thing that most dreams don't come true."


 * (To Ōetsu Nimaiya) "The reason His Majesty took me in was quite simple. It’s because I just wouldn’t die. A bit of a pathetic ability, right...? I hate it, myself. Just thinking about this ability of mine makes me feel so fatally irritated."


 * (To Ōetsu Nimaiya) "You took me lightly, didn't you? The way I speak, the way I act... I seem like a worthless underling, even I know it. But you know, I don't think I really mind. It used to bug me something awful, but lately, I've come around to thinking that it's actually one of my good points. That's what I tell myself, anyway. Think I'm gloomy, do ya? Well, that's just what's so fatal about me."


 * (To Ichigo Kurosaki) "How about we quit talking about things in terms of winners and losers? I'm not good with that kind of thing."


 * (To Yoruichi Shihōin) "Haven't you ever heard of a thing called delicacy? It's about defeating my enemies in my own style. My style of fighting is to rely entirely upon lethal doses. Walking up and strangling people sounds like a job better left to ladies like yourself and Bambi."


 * (To Yoruichi Shihōin) "I won't deny that both you and Bambi are attractive... But a woman's worth isn't in her face... It's in her fashion sense!"


 * (To Yūshirō Shihōin) "Oh? You looking for a fight, little lady? Just to warn you, even if you're unarmed, I'll still use my bow."


 * (To Kisuke Urahara) "Hold it! You're probably thinking you can beat my strategy by making her Reiatsu change itself even further, but that's no use. I wouldn't want you to go to all that trouble for nothing, so I'm gonna be nice and tell you about my Vollständig's ability."


 * (To Kisuke Urahara) "Now look, I'm not a fan of all this shit-talking stuff. Saying harsh things all the time just give the impression you’re not confident, y'know? And I prefer to stay as calm and collected as can be."


 * (To Kisuke Urahara) "It's true that loyalty isn't everything to me. I just have a personal interest in His Majesty. Does that make it sound like I'm looking down on him? That's not my intention, of course. The Human World. Hueco Mundo. Soul Society. The guy's trying to destroy three whole worlds and create something new in their wake. Is there any other man who can claim that? If I were to let His Majesty get away, do you think I'd ever find another man like that again? Kisuke Urahara. You're a knowledgeable guy. You look like you've seen everything this world has to offer. So I ask you: don't you feel it too? Aren't you curious to see what His Majesty is going to create once he's destroyed three entire worlds?"


 * (To Kisuke Urahara and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez while dying) "I'd love to spare you out of respect, but even I can't do anything about this... Neither of you have the strength left to run, do you? I'm real sorry...though I guess, considering who I'm dealing with, you'll probably get out of this somehow, huh? Jeez...wouldn't want to make a fool of myself... So just this once, I won't call this a 'lethal' situation..."