#Amiya: Welcome back; Doctor

[naraven]

Dear @opalthea,

Your matchup has been complete! After some deliberation, Doctor, we think you would best have this person as your next assistant:

LUMEN

cw // she/her doctor, slight yandere, self-depricating behavior, use of operator's real name

Jordi doesn't know what to think of the Doctor.

Not in a bad way! She was plenty nice, and talking with her always felt pleasant. It's just, it never went any further than that.

And she seemed so outgoing when with others! She would greet every staff and medic and fellow operators around Rhodes Island, yet when he followed her back to her office...

Well, all he could do was make sure the Doctor was comfortable taking her little nap.

After all, he was just Operator Lumen, a mediocre member of the Inquisition who's combat capabilities were severely lacking. And the Doctor... the Doctor had lead so many people, knows so much about the world, and is honorably trying to find a cure to Oripathy.

Next to her, Jordi feels like an ant. Sometimes he realizes who exactly he works for and it all feels like a dream. It made sense that he was assigned to do secretarial work, given his only talent of taking care of people (which he hesitates to even call a talent).

He doubts himself more and more as he works under you, until the Doctor starts... noticing him.

She tells him stories of the Aegir and the Seaborn he had never heard of in his small home town. She would always tell him with a patient smile, and he would apologize when she would groan in pain from how hard he started massaging her arms and back.

But the more the Doctor notices him, the more Rhodes Island did too.

Soon enough, he's gone from nothing to Elite 2. Engineering has asked for him to explain some Aegir technology he was tinkering with, and on top of all his Inquisition work, he sees the Doctor less and less and less.

He wonders who's taken his place as the Doctor's Assistant. Of course the Doctor would have an assistant, but would she regularly take breaks? Does she like her new assistant more than him? Would he ever get assigned under her ever again-?

Ahh, Saint Carmen is scolding him again...

Back on Rhodes Island, Lumen steps onto the landship. Amiya greets him, and he absentmindedly waves back with a small, polite smile.

He wonders where he should go first. Maybe check up on the dorms to see who needed some treatment? Maybe the people from Engineering wanted to scoop out all the information they could from him again...

Unknowingly, his feet lead him to the front door of the Doctor's office. Oh dear, he hadn't even realized, he should leave soon-

"I'll be- oh, it's you."

Lumen stammered. "L-Lady Irene! I wasn't aware you were here."

The Liberi closes the door shut behind her and tilts her head up to face him. "Yes, well, it seems you are back from Iberia. Would you like to go greet the Doctor? I was just about to go start my handcannon practice."

She squints at him. "... Actually, maybe you should join me. It would benefit you as well-"

"I-I'll join you soon! Maybe after I go and tell the Doctor I'm back..."

I don't want to be away from her for another second, please.

The two Iberians stare each other down in front of the Doctor's office. Moments feel like hours, and Lumen blinks out of the encounter when the Doctor's voice calls out from the office.

"Irene? Are you still there?"

How long has it been since he's heard that voice?

"I will be going soon, Doctor. Don't mind me."

Lumen feels her eyes leering at his back as he slides open the office doors. It feels like it's been an eternity since he had last laid eyes on the desk, the windows that show the moving scenery, and most importantly:

The Doctor.

She doesn't look at all different from the last time he's seen her. The office has a couple additions and upgrades, but the figure sitting behind the desk remains identical to the last time he heard her voice.

"Oh, Lumen! Welcome back."

He swallows a dry breathe of air. Oh my, was the temperature in the Doctor's office always so warm...?

"Lumen...? Are you okay? You don't look like you're at your best."

Jordi shakes his head, face a bit too warm but feeling more than okay.

"Never better, Doctor."

[qedmirage]

Well, that was a ride. Unmarked spoilers below the cut.

Took me about 5 months to clear episode 8, and three days to clear episode 9. Episode, well, where to begin. I'll admit that I read too many spoilers myself on major plot elements, undercutting some of it. Still, it was neat to see just how hard Deathless Black Snake is into a kind of violent nationalism, possibly even fascist thought?

Favorite moment is without a doubt Alina's death in R8-9 After, and abject refusal to allow Talulah to know her killers. Because Talulah will take revenge if given a chance, will let anger consume her, will fall to Kaschey's arts and hateful manner of thinking - even if the arts weren't there, it would be a path of violence for her.

The white-haired Draco keeps trudging on in the cold, endless snowfield. On her back, the Elafia girl trembles away, pausing only to take in deep breaths now and then. Snow drops down from the Elafia's horns. As Talulah slogs along, the snow-covered trees behind her begin to burn alight in silence. She has unknowingly begun to set her path ablaze.

The final climax of chapter 8 is also some great otaku-ass nonsense as Amiya, our cute soft bunny CEO, has a powerset almost perfectly geared to ruin the Deathless Black Snake's day. And she knows it

The introduction of Priestess, and her vow to Doctor was also really neat:

and I liked the story beat that Kaschey is still inside Talulah, still tempting her. Fuel for my anarchist reading of the story;

It's this urge for control, for power, for violent revenge that undergirds why Reunion goes wrong. The pull towards authoritarianism, towards unchecked violence, is what destroys the liberation movement. as for mechanics, wow. Boy I hate ursus civilians. Ep 8 was probably the high water mark of difficulty in arknights, and I feel like from here I can handle anything. I gotta say Talulah was really a pile of nonsense, but with her Burning Breath mechanic defanged, she's pretty tractable. The basic core of my strategy going into her final fight was to use Gravel and Projekt Red, who have 17 sec redeploy timers, to bait her breath move with its 19 sec cycle time. Absent that mechanic, the rest of her fight is...not easy, but manageable. On the other end of things, ep9.

This one was a much smaller scale story, and I appreciated that! It was shorter too, which in some ways worked against it - the guys Outcast faces off against scream jobber - but it worked. It's also notable as being an episode who's plot almost doesn't feature Rhodes Island - the focus characters are instead Horn (Rita Skamandros), Bagpipe (Fiona Young), and Saileach (Jane Williams), with a little bit of time in Reed (Lougshinny)'s head. Notable is that none of those are part of the feline majority race in Victoria, and the first three all to some degree believe in a pluralistic, welcoming vision of Victoria instead of the oppressive one they have. High points gotta be watching Saileach go from "the nice girl Janie who is nice to everyone and takes care of the flag" to "Me and this entire hospital ward are gonna beat your ass if you harm one hair on a patient's head", and Outcast's whole deal. Like, back in prior chapters we've seen Elite RI ops show up, paradrop without chutes, tear buildings apart with telekinesis, so you know the old lady's gonna be dangerous. And she is and the payoff's great! Great old lady cowboy character. Also, found a bit I liked:

Janie: But it's not… the whole story. After the conversation we had, I remembered some things from ages ago I'd forgotten. My da's a lawyer, and he used to tell me stories about how my grandda's grandda came to Victoria with nothing. He went from rags to riches. The Victoria he described was an advanced, open-minded, prosperous country. Here, technology and capital conquered savagery. The people's hard work and wealth wouldn't be destroyed just like that by Catastrophes or racial conflict. In making it to such a magnificent land, we Vouivre were able to live a "civilized" life, compared to one of barbarism and violence in the old country. Outcast: Victoria was the most advanced industrialized nation in the world, for a very long time.. Janie: But we had to give up a lot, in order to become Victorians… When I was five, I climbed to the top of the tallest tree in our garden. My da caught me having a blast and gave me a good scolding. Then he locked me in my room and gave me dozens of books to read. The next day, he hired a Leithanien piano teacher for me. I missed the view from the top of the tree, but I didn't give it much thought. I knew my da was doing it for my own good. Outcast: He was helping you to get used to the rules. Janie: That's right. Books, piano, the garden… He understood that those were all things we'd need to know, in order to enjoy the life we had.

Janie's family had to work hard to fit in, to not express their racial traits, to shape themselves to the society around them. Similarly, people know and sense that Victoria's glory days are past - but they don't quite grasp just how soon, how fast, the whole thing may end up unraveling. A few characters note that the fire started in County Hillock may destroy the nation, but for people like the Colonel, the magnates who wish to meet Dublinn, it's not understood - these are quite possibly Victoria's last days.

Mechanics and gameplay wise, ep 9...knocked it out of the park! It wasn't too hard, the Dublinn guys had some interesting mechanics that kept any one thing from being stale, there wasn't anything that felt like I was getting smacked with a wall of pain. I will note that 9-14, with all the pre-deployed jerks, I had to use a support Fiametta to funnel all the enemies into her bombardment kill box. The tattered pillars mechanic is kinda tricky sometimes, with how it actively reshapes the map, but it opens the door for a lot more engaging strategies. I kinda hope it comes back now and again. Mandragora's a fun boss. I had Nearl The Radiant tank her phase 1 (shield this, loser!) and then just kinda threw random fast-redeploys and snipers at her in phase 2 including tex alter to drop pillars on her. Part of my line broke and it was nearly a fail but I got the 3* clear! A fun time.

(Edited 11/2 to fix Saileach's legal name and a capitalization error on Victoria)

[liveknights]

Nearly out of the prologue to the prologue

I want to protect this child and will kill any number of people to make her happy.

Dobermann, one of Rhodes Island's instructors is also here now, her own squad having been ambushed, and we briefly discuss "Reunion"

This comment is going to, much later on in retrospect, make Dobermann feel like even more of a cop then she already does. She doesn't trust us, but she does trust Amiya, and so will follow our orders

We begin making plans to head west and escape, when communications with Rhodes Island kick back online.

An A.I. named PRTS connects to us from Rhodes Island, connecting to Doctor's (that's us), brain, to allow us to access Rhodes Island facilities remotely, and ending the prologue's prologue.

Welcome, to the main menu

[minka-cola]

since this was unfair copout answers and deserves something better

gravel is incredible. i was so surprised by her when the first recruitment notice came in for specialists (or fast redeploy? don't remember!). absolutely not expecting a welcoming smooch from an operator. she tries to play it off as casual, but then her other voice lines (especially as assistant) has her being straightforward about her affection for us. was kind of used to it from the likes of amiya and platinum displaying different strokes of it, though i had absolutely no idea what her background was beyond my own progress while trying to remain relatively spoiler free of bigger details

as an actual operator? way beyond what i was expecting from the tag. she was so versatile and good for helping me bring stuff back around in tense moment for a good chunk of missions. she was like a guardian angel for my under developed and rickety squad. i felt so sad when i failed missions and she had such a sharp change into blaming herself. she sounded like an abuse victim and was expecting us to get angry at her, even for my own faults as doctor

AND THEN THE MARIA NEARL RERUN AND NEAR LIGHT HAPPENED. SHE WAS LITERALLY A GUARDIAN ANGEL, HOLY SHIT, AAAAAAAAA- it was like falling for her all over again!!

when her costume was available in break the ice immeadiately(?) afterwards, i absolutely had to get it at all costs. she deserves nice things and it's such a pretty outfit. look at her

4, 30

wife posting for wife asking

[theabyssalmuses-a]

“It’s so refreshing to see everyone in such high spirits...” It was that time of year, after all, for getting dressed up and having fun. Of course, Amiya was not in costume; it was important that she was recognisable at a glance after all. “I wonder if we could throw together a party or something...?” A hallows eve ball-- wouldn’t that be nice?

[latimeria-fell-from-heaven]

okay but imagine silverash + size difference kink. hypergryph let me sit on that giant man’s lap please

lati — AISNLACABC NONNIE HELP, AT FIRST I THOUGHT YOU WERE MAKING A KINKTOBER REQUEST AND I GOT SO HYPED UP BUT THEN I REALIZED SIZE DIFFERENCE IS ALREADY TAKEN BY VENTI AKSCNBC-

wc — 1424

" (Name), look at me." No way, if you look at him now, you'll absolutely short-circuit whatever's left of your brain. And you need your brain; you're the Doctor dammit, you can't afford to lose whatever brain cells you have left. And—

You flinch when Silverash suddenly prys away your arms from your head, forcing you to look at him in all his handsome glory. The fluffy ears atop his head flicker and straighten up, as if honing in on a hidden treasure calling out. He seems to shiver at the sight of your flushed, panting face, and you feel something hard rub up against your thigh.

"(Name)." Silverash says your name with such burning fervor that you can almost feel the imaginary flames licking across your skin. He says it as if convincing himself that this is real, you're under him, this is happening. This is not one of his many filthy fantasies or dirty dreams that leave his pants a bit too tight.

He's really about to fuck you.

How did it come to this? How did you end up tangled in your sheets with Silverash himself, spreading your legs apart and pumping his big cock against your lower belly? He looked too eager, too much like a predator about to sink his fangs into his helpless prey. And to add to the pile, why were you letting him do it?

You were supposed to be reviewing the most recent documents concerning a batch of pharmaceuticals to Karlan Trade that required your attention. Nothing too serious, just the usual reports of the amounts of packaging and shipments that Silverash had insisted on discussing with you, for whatever reason.

He'd always done that ever since he came to Rhodes Island, and it had warranted a visit from Dr. Kal'tsit and Amiya who'd warned you of the chairman's motives. The former especially, seeing as how she was so openly opposed to trying to make any further contact with him. Then again, you were quite interested in what benefits Silverash could bring to your company, so you'd ignored their concerns and welcomed him with open arms.

But you didn't think that one of those benefits would be him towering over you in all your naked glory, about to push his impossibly big cock into your hole.

You're shivering like an operator on their very first mission, panting so much that Silverash considers kissing you and swallowing up your breath to calm you down. A part of him wonders if you might be a virgin, since you look downright fearful at the sight of his erection. It makes sense, since you looked so worried andー

" -an't, s'too big.. i-it won't fit!"

Ah, so that's what you were so worried about. How cute.

" Shh, it's okay, it'll fit, it'll fit." He'll make it fit, even if he has to reshape your insides to do it. Enciodes may be a patient man, yes, but that doesn't mean he can't be greedy and utterly ravenous now and then. Though he'll do his best to keep his selfishness at bay for now. He wouldn't want to scare you off, now would he?

Just like the man himself, his cock is sturdy and thick, with a flushed pink tip drooling excessive amounts of pre-cum. It's twitching so much, shaking with so much arousal that you're impressed by how much patience he truly has. And you're sure that you can see barbs at the base of the length. You audibly gulp as your heartbeat pounds hard at the back of your throat. Th-they won't scrape your insides, will they?

If you weren't so frazzled and, frankly, scared out of your wits, you'd have begged him to shove it and fuck you like a whore. You may be inexperienced, yes, but you're no sweet little angel.

"Then," your brows furrow as Silverash leans above you until his forehead is flush against yours and so close that you might faint. " Just look at me. Don't look anywhere else, just focus on me, (name)."

He's doing it again, that shiver that rakes his body every time he says your name. You wonder how long he must have been waiting for this to happen for him to have such a flushed reaction. The thought makes your thighs clench up, and before your mind becomes any hazier, you call out.

"Silve-"

" Enciodes." he smiles at that adorably confused expression of yours as he whispers his first and true name. "Call me by my name. I'm sure we're far past formalities at this point."

You stay quiet for a moment, before nodding slowly, your head feeling more light at time flows on. You can't lie, you've always found Silverash to be quite attractive and desirable. And he was so much bigger than you, towering over you with muscles that must have taken years to achieve, only added to your burning desire.

The idea of this intimidating and imposing man using your small body, however he wished, was something that had been plastered into your mind.

" A-alright," you quickly snake your arms around his neck before you have time to think and regret it. " You can put in now.."

" Is that an order, Doctor?" The use of your title, here and now, leaves you feeling blindsided. He's smirking at your embarrassed expression.

" God, yes." You wheeze, an annoyed expression on your face though you feel anything but. " Shove it in before I change my mind."

" As you wish, (name)." He presses a kiss to the bridge of your nose before he moves his lower half forward.

You suck in a shaky breath as the thick head burrows into your hole, stretching you open far wider than you had anticipated. The rest of his length soon follows, inching in with precise patience. Silverash whispers sweet nothings, reminding you to breathe and focus on him, and only him.

You can feel each and every push and pulse of his cock inside your walls as he inches his way inside. The sting reminds you just how damn big he is, and you wonder if he really will fit all of his cock inside.

He's practically crushing you at this point, his body so pressed up to yours that your bodies might really become one. He's so big, so overwhelming right now, but it feels so good. Enciodes Silverash might really envelop you and all that you are, and you don't even care.

And through it all, you keep your focus on him, moaning his name as his hips finally press up against yours.

" O-oh god, i.. it's in. I.. I think I'm gonna burst.."

" Shh, you did well, (name)." Enciodes pulls away from your, admittedly tight grasp, to admire his handiwork. And he must say, he's rather proud of himself. You're a wreck, drooling and sobbing with the entirety of his cock nestled perfectly snug inside your walls. It's cute, really.

Well, Enciodes always thought you were quite cute before this, but he must say, you look cuter plugged up with his cock. He might really become a sex-addicted maniac if this is how he feels each time he'll get to fuck you. No way that this will be a one time happening; Enciodes will make sure of it. He'll leave you wanting more and craving him, just as he craves you.

" E-enci-"

" I'm here, I'm here. Just keep looking at me. Keep calling my name, darling." Enciodes' crescent-like smile only grows wider as you comply, oh so perfectly. You chant and mumble his name through the burning pleasure, softly at first but soon more blatant, as he still hadn't bent down and stayed close to you. In due time, he just needed to savor this.

He's wanted this for so long; to truly and finally have you and not just wisps of intoxicating fantasies and dreams that only leave him wanting for more. To know what your affectionate smiles looked like, what your soft kisses felt like against his lips, and now, how good your body felt enveloped around him. He wasn't one to waste such a bountiful opportunity; now he could finally claim your heart and body.

" Now then, shall we continue? I may be a patient man but," Enciodes rasps, finally feeling the effects hitting him like a train and battering his senses. Every last one is assaulted with nothing but you, overwhelming and possessing him to have his fill of you until he's finally claimed you as his.

" I can't wait to see how you look screaming my name."

© latimeriafellfromheaven

[rex101111]

Kal’tsit’s assistant greeting for you is a curt and polite “Doctor.” and every time I can’t help but nod back and say “Kal’tsit” in a professional and slightly cold tone that implies years of history and nearly yearns for what we once had but acknowledges that we both have other and more important things to attend to than to wallow in the past and that we both must straighten our backs and move forward.

Like literally every other character has a more elaborate line to greet you when you open the game. Each one is some type of flavorful greeting or something to pander to you even slightly (it is still a Gacha game after all), even our dear Amiya pulls on the heartstrings with an adorable “welcome back home”.

But with Kal, you can practically picture her bent over paperwork as you walk into the office, looking up at you for a brief moment to say “Doctor” to preform the absolute bare minimum to acknowledge your existence, and then lowering her eyes back down because she has better shit to do than deal with you anymore than she has to.

What a great fucking character this is exactly what i wanted from her.

[randomnumbers751650]

Doctor: Operator Ash, how are you today?

Ash: Doctor, I’m good. I’m just exploring the landship. I can submit a report of areas that might present structural weaknesses.

Doctor: That’s wonderful, but pleasedontincreasemyworkload...

Ash: Did you say something, Doctor?

Doctor: Nothing. And where are you teammates?

Ash: Frost joined the hunting team, already went with operators Vermeil and Meteor. Operator Nian insisted that Blitz and Tachanka join her and operator Lava in the cinema club today. I’d rather not spend much time around operator Nian.

Doctor: I see, Nian tends to be like that. Can I ask you favor? I need someone to oversee the cadets’ training. I can’t find anyone at the moment, since most trainers are unavailable right now. I know it’s just two days since you joined and haven’t met our CEO yet, but you’re an experienced soldier. You could teach them how to survive in the battlefield.

Ash: With the due respect, I’m not the best drill instructor.

Doctor: I will owe you a favor. Whatever is in my power to do for you, I will. I can convince Amiya to help you with anything.

Ash: ...alright. I wonder if you can truly help us, but... this can be a learning opportunity as well.

Doctor: Here’s your schedule.

(Ash arrives at the training room)

Ash: Alright, gentlemen, I-

(Ash stops and sees Suzuran, Shamare and Popukar waiting)

Suzuran: Oh, well met, miss. Are you today’s instructor?

Ash: How...how old are you?

(Ash leaves quickly and grabs the Doctor by the collar, while all of the Doctor’s bodyguards aim their blades and arrows at her vitals; Ash doesn’t care)

Doctor: Ga-ah!

Ash: WHY ARE YOU SENDING CHILDREN TO THE BATTLEFIELD?

(Amiya shows up in the scene, panting, still wearing scrubs)

Amiya: Wait, please drop your weapons!

(Ash turns her head to see her, all of the Doctor’s bodyguards lower their weapons)

Amiya: Ma’am, I’m Amiya, the CEO of Rhodes Island. I’m sorry for not having met you already. My oripathy has flared up and I needed rest for a couple of days. Please, do not hurt the Doctor and let us talk.

(Ash lets the Doctor go, still dumbfounded that the CEO is a teenager)

Amiya: Operator Ash, right? I am pretty sure your wrath is understandable and let me say that I sympathize with you. Unfortunately the nations of Terra have not learned a few things yet and we cannot change that for now. We have a lot to learn from you and your friends, including the young cadets. Please, help them.

Ash: ...Yes, ma’am.

(Ash leaves and some of the bodyguards carry a still shocked Doctor, while Kal’tsit appears besides Amiya)

Kal’tsit: Normally, you are not that level-headed when someone tries to hurt the Doctor. She had full intention of beating the Doctor to a pulp.

Amiya: My powers allowed me to feel Ash’s wrath and I had to run away from the infirmary. I don’t know what happens in her country, but it seems sending children to fight is an unforgivable sin to her. It was so...pure? Intense?

Kal’tsit: Do you agree with her?

Amiya: It would be hypocritical, but...

Kal’tsit: I understand. Team Rainbow isn’t the first of their kind here and they won’t be the last. I am pretty sure you still remember Miss Aroma.

Amiya: I know...

(Ash returns to the training room with more questions than before, only to find the kids...baking?)

Suzuran: Ah, miss, welcome back.

Ash: Call me operator Ash.

Suzuran: Ash, we want to have you welcomed. So we’re baking a cake for you!

Ash: Why?

Shamare: Morti told me you are different from us.

Suzuran: But we’re all a bit different here, so we want to have you feel welcomed.

Popukar: Popukar welcomes Ash.

Suzuran: If we leave the cake baking now, we can have a tea party when we finish training.

Ash: Yes...I will look forward to our tea party...

[johannstutt413]

(requested by mathmaticalknight; continuing from this) Ceobe walks around Dusk’s paintings freely

“Saga!” Ceobe ran through the halls, following her scent. “Sagaaaaa! Where did you go?!”

The Doctor, who’d enlisted Angelina’s help to keep up with her, was still struggling to do just that and apologize for her as they went. “I’m sorry to get you wrapped into this, Angie.”

“Oh, it’s fine! It means I’m getting my steps in now instead of having to do it later.” Besides, special memories like this with the Doctor-

“Saga!” The Perro skidded to a halt in front of a painting…One of Dusk’s paintings. “Uh…Doctor, this isn’t Saga.”

Her pursuers settled back to the ground next to the Caster, the Vulpo also perplexed, until the Doctor explained, “It’s one of Dusk’s paintings.”

“Will she be alright in there?” Angie asked. She’d only heard rumors of the painter’s works.

“She spent a long time in them before coming to us,” he replied, “so I’m sure she’ll-”

Ceobe leapt into the painting.

The Doctor, stopped mid-sentence, looked at the Perro-shaped puff of smoke as it rapidly dissipated. “-Shit. We should probably go find Dusk.”

“Probably, yeah.”

Of course, that wasn’t the doggo’s problem. No, her single solitary issue was finding her snuggle-buddy and getting her back to Rhodes Island, no matter how long she spent wandering in this strange jungle she’d found herself in. Fortunately, while her sense of smell wasn’t quite as refined as Projekt Red’s, she could still track decently well, and Saga’s scent was unmistakable to her.

“Saga!” She called into the pulsing forest around her. “Saaaaagaaaaaa!...Maybe I should be loud-”

The monk emerged from a bush seemingly at random. “Kay? For what purpose hast thou-?!”

“Saga.” It was all she needed to say as Ceobe glued herself to the other Perro, content that she’d been located.

“How hast thou arrived in Dusk’s domain?” Saga ran a hand through her girlfriend’s hair, confused but more concerned about the doggo’s agitated state. “I’ve seen nary another able to so easily step across the threshold…”

The Caster shrugged. “I followed your smell inside.”

“Oh? How intriguing. Since thou hast joined me in this realm of canvas and color, dost thou wish to feast on the fruits of this land?”

“Fruit?” Kay pulled back a little to look at her. “There’s food here?”

The Vanguard nodded. “A veritable bounty! Come, I shall bless thine taste buds with the wonders of this world. I’m sure thou shalt be most pleased with what’s to be had here.”

And indeed, the doggo was quite impressed with the variety available, and the portions! It was almost endless! A village ramen shop that never seemed to run out of noodles? A fishball stand with all the fish ever? A bakery and butcher with the stuff to make absolutely inscrutable massive sandwiches? It was fantastic, to the point Ceobe might have wanted to stay forever, but she did want to check on Vulcan before going to sleep, so she led the monk back to the entrance she’d come through and arrived to-

-to a gathering of people surrounding the painting: Dusk, the Doctor, Angelina, and Amiya, seemingly deep in conversation up to the point the pair arrived. “Ceobe! Welcome back.”

“Dost thou require something from us, Doctor?” She asked, to Angie’s bewilderment until she realized Saga was there too.

“Um, no, we just wanted to make sure you were alright.” He glanced at Dusk. “I guess since you found Saga, you made it out alright.”

The monk shook her head. “Nay, Doctor, ‘twas I most grateful for Kay’s retrieval! She led me out of the jungle after our meal; but for her guidance, I might have strived in vain to find my entrance point.”

“How did you get in?” The painter of that canvas world asked.

“I followed Saga’s scent.” Dusk just stared. “The forest smelled like her, I walked into the forest, and I brought her out.”

A moment of silence before Angelina said, “You know it’s a painting of a forest, right?”

“Saga walks through paintings all the time!” Ceobe hugged the monk as if to emphasize this. Probably just because she liked to.

“...Right.” The Doctor turned to Saga. “Sorry for crowding. We were just…worried, but more than that, confused by all this.”

The Vanguard nodded. “Thou art blameless in this matter, Doctor. Unless thou hast any other questions, Kay and I best attend to our other business.”

“Of course; go on right ahead.”

“Thank ye.” The monk squeezed the doggo’s hand, and as they left, she called down the hall, “Lady Vulcan! Hast thou a moment?”

Amiya, who’d watched this all unfold somewhat blankly, giggled with a hand over her mouth. “They seem to have taken care of themselves, Doctor.”

“That’s…a way to put it. Well, since that’s taken care of, and you’re out of your room, Dusk, I do have some other-” At which point, Dusk jumped into the painting next to them.

“Ah.” The Vulpo giggled as well. “Well, Doctor, you could always go after her.”

He considered it. “...No, it’s fine. I’ll find her when she’s not running from me.”

“Good luck~” The courier patted him on the back before going about her business.

“Yes, best of luck, Doctor.” Amiya checked her watch. “I have a training session with Ch’en, but I’ll see you later.”

He flashed her a thumbs-up, waiting for her to leave as he stared at the painting. Dusk was actually visible, a frozen frame of her further down the path, leaving the scene. The Doctor took a few steps back and charged the painting.

The next thing he remembered was waking up in Medical with an ice pack on his head.

[arknights-imagines]

Happy Halloween and a Check-up! 💕

Hiya everyone!! 🥳 I hope you all had a good spooky month sbjshjs 👻

As always tysm to all of you for your patience while I'm going through a lil bit of an inactive period 😭💕 I'm really thankful for the fact that I'm still receiving support, asks, and requests 👉👈 I really appreciate you all 🥺

Like I've mentioned before, even if I don't have any finished content to post yet I still wanted to make lil update posts, so this is going to be one of those! 💕

So if you're interested feel welcome to read on, but if not then tysm for your support of the blog and have a Happy Halloween (or a great day if you don't celebrate Halloween)!! 👉👈

I'm still working on that Thorns and fem Doctor piece svhsgshs I was a little out of inspiration this month but thankfully it's coming back 🥳 A small sneak peak from what I have of the piece so far is below if you're interested sjksjs 👉👈

“You’ve been working very hard lately, Thorns. Did you stay here the entire night?” The Doctor broke the silence gently whilst turning her gaze towards him, “I hope you didn’t. Rest is important - Amiya tells me that all the time.” When a small chuckle came past her lips, Thorns paused the movements of his hands on the laboratory equipment and let all his attention be entrapped by her. The Doctor’s words were so gentle, carrying genuine concern; he felt his chest begin to fill with warmth.

But anywho let's talk about Arknights! ✨

The UnderTides event with the long longggg awaited Kal'tsit and Skadi Alter. has been underway for a few days now sgsjsj!! 🥳🥳

All of the rewards and just the new game mechanics from the event have been super fun for me sgsjshs 🥳✨ I hope you're all enjoying it too 👉👈

If you're pulling on the event banner for Akafuyu, Skadi the Corrupting Heart, and/or Kal'tsit then best of luck aaa!! 🥳🥺 I hope everyone gets who they're hoping for 🙏 (if you guys have any crazy or good news/stories about your pulls then feel free to tell me about them through an ask sgsjshs!! I like reading about them ✨)

Anywho, I'll be answering asks that I've been too busy to get to in the next few days since I have some more time on my hands now! 💕 I'm excited to answer them sgshhss 👉👈

That's about it for now! ✨ I'll get back to work vshsgs 👉👈 Tysm again for your patience and please have a great day/Happy Halloween!! 🥳👻

Yours truly,

- A feeling-good Exe 🌸

[cadcnce-archived]

@laplacemail​ sent: "Yahoo! Zephyr!!"

Cue one very loud sankta trying to get his attention. Exusiai seems to be holding a large stack of boxes, but the weight of it does not bother her at all. She takes a peek at him from behind her stack, a grin that can mean at least thirty different things. Right now, it is to keep an eye on a coworker-not-a-coworker-and-yet-could-be. Something like that.

"Doctor said I should sort these deliveries out, and I thought you could lend me a hand. Before you try to slink out of it, I will not take no for an answer! AND before you try to double-slink away out of it, let us say I will owe you one if you help me out! Like paying for your lunch or something!"

There is a visible effort to hold the stack with one hand, as Exusiai puts the other one in front of her face in a small prayer. While she does not exactly need the help, she does appreciate the company and the excuse to check on Zephyr and how his sister is doing.

"Pleeeeeease?"

It can be hard to imagine that a character like Zephyr is competent at working a job behind a desk, let alone one with reception. Sure he’s got plenty of people skills but are they the kind you want as anything tangential to the face of Rhodes Island? Well, given the cast of characters that mingle and exist behind the doors and in the many deep halls within the landship there’s an argument that could be made. And that’s all the crack in the door you need to make for him get inside and hold this kind of position. Besides, trading intel is something he’s been good at through all his phases in life for better or worse.

And considering how often you get energetic guests like Exusiai, isn’t someone who can match that energy exactly who you want? No? Well, maybe asking you was a mistake in the first place. You say reception should be good at de-escalating? Well, the Liberi is going to de-escalate in height after he jumps up from his seat, hopping over the counter and towards the Laterano.

“Ex!” Another letter to his Ze, you could say. Should say. He encourages the tongue in cheek matching nicknames. “Don’t give me that bullshit, you’re here for someone to do some work for you, be honest. Be up front. Be real with me. It’s not like I’m going to say no anyhow. This place has been absolutely dead up until you got here and I need out. This job is either fantastic or the most boring dreary shit imaginable. I still got a half hour before my shift is done… but y’know what, I don’t think anyone else will notice I’m gone.” A furtive glance back at Saria, already so accustomed to the Liberi and their ways… well. It’s not like this is the first time. And he’s covered for her in the past, so—

“Alright. Gimme some of those.” A little heavier than expected, but Zephyr is quick to fix his balance and return to grinning façade as the pair make their way out of the room and towards intake. Given how often portions of his paycheck go to fines or repairs thanks to his antics with certain other operators around the landship, a free lunch from the angel is more than welcome. Yes, he is encouraged to take advantage of this offer despite all words.

“Nice to see you’re keeping busy and peppy. I’m waiting for Amiya or Kal’tsit to either have me relegated to the factories or having me pushing carts around. Or. Just kicking me off the landship. Last month was an experience for a variety of reasons. You accidentally start one fight that results in the destruction of the internment cells and everyone thinks you’re a menace.”

[cerastes]

There’s something that you must always remember when it comes to Amiya.

This is her token:

All babby and daughter jokes aside, Amiya is a grown woman, President and Leader of Rhodes Island (not Doctor, not Kal’tsit, Amiya), and she knows exactly what she’s doing by bringing Doctor back to Rhodes Island after their amnesia, when that could’ve been a golden opportunity for Doctor to go back to being a scholar and educator, instead of risking them becoming a callous strategist with no regard for human life.

Amiya has an objective, and she needs Doctor’s skills to achieve it, apparently no matter the cost. She’s not saying “Welcome back, Doctor!”, she’s quite literally apologizing. She understands the meaning and weight of her decision.

I’m not saying Amiya is a heartless manipulator, I’m not saying she is evil, I’m not lobbying for any sort of Actually We Were The Bad Guys All Along theory. I sincerely believe Amiya’s affection and appreciation for Doc is real, and that she has only the best of intentions with what she wants.

But Arknights has proven time and again that Terra is gray, not black and white. Rhodes Island, and Amiya, are not white, they too are gray. Even for the greater good, there’s prices to pay and sacrifices to make. Doctor’s innocence might be one such price that will end up being paid twice.

[zombified-queer]

Things that give me an instant dose of seratonin:

When Amiya says "Welcome back, Doctor!"

[talvlah]

Be warned. I will be spoiling the entirety of Darknights Memoir.

Chapter 1 Beginning

...Right, there was an unexpected loss.

W died.

The Sarkaz mercenary Hedley returns to his camp and meets with Ines, another mercenary. Hedley tells her that they were ambushed, and W stayed back, sacrificing himself to buy time for his escape, but they need to evacuate the camp immediately. Ines notices someone who followed Hedley back. It is revealed to be a Sarkaz girl, carrying W's gun and knife. Hedley tells Ines that he allowed her to follow him, while Ines remarks that he should be more careful, since many people want the bounty on his head, including her. They argue about what to do about the girl, and Ines gives in and tells him to do whatever he wants. Hedley goes over to the Sarkaz girl, and tells her that she could drop W's stuff and leave, and die somewhere else at a later date. The girl replies that he would've killed her the moment she turned around. Hedley is impressed and asks her if she knows the meaning of taking someone's weapons.

Then, prioritze retreat. We'll talk the details later.

Now, fall in line—

—"W".

Chapter 1 End

W becomes slightly famous due to her skills with explosives. Hedley tells her about the old W. Afterwards, Hedley finds Ines next to the campfire. He tells her about their middle man, who was killed by someone wielding a blade, and how their messenger was intercepted by certain intelligence agents. The messenger brought back a contract: protect a convoy from Rim Billiton through Kazdel. Ines uses her Arts, and realizes Hedley is hiding some details. She almost yells at him asking him to tell her just who exactly did their messenger meet.

"Babel".

They're spies Babel left in Kazdel.

Chapter 2 Beginning

W sacrifices some Sarkaz from another mercenary squad to make her escape out of a difficult situation. After returning, she asks Ines if Hedley revealed her position on purpose. Ines tells her no, but W asks how can she know if Ines lied.

From what I've heard, Miss Ines isn't too proficient in close-quarter combat.

Let me teach you something. If you want to survive, don't t be overreliant on only one part of your strength.

W backs off. Ines asks her if she approached Hedley for his bounty, and she confirms, but says that it seemed more profitable to follow him. They meet up with the people from Babel, and notices that they are transporting an enormous skeleton.

Chapter 2 End

W and Ines were ambushed. W wakes Ines up, who realizes that they are still in the combat zone. Ines probes with her Arts and sees that W is actually badly injured. She ditches W and runs off, but W uses explosives to take out some of the approaching Sarkaz mercenaries. As a mercenary was about to kill W, however, Ines appears behind him and stabs him.

Despite the small victory, they were still surrounded. Ines' communication equipment suddenly functions again, and Hedley tells her that someone is coming to save them. Before she passes out, Ines struggles to ask him if the Sarkaz King, the one who lost Kazdel, is a white-haired woman.

Chapter 3 Beginning

W and Ines wake up on a landship. Hedley converses with Kal'tsit, and thanks her for saving them. Kal'tsit asks him for some info, as the Doctor must know every detail of the battlefield. W wanders the ship, and a small Cautus girl asks her to not go in a certain direction because it's still under construction. W then sees Closure and the Sarkaz King trying to fix a broken automatic door (for the 7th time). W learns from the King, who introduces herself as Theresa, that the ship was called "Rhodes Island", and that they found it buried in Rim Billiton. She asks W for her name, to which she replies "W".

No, not that. W is the name of a mercenary. Only your true name represents yourself.

Kal'tsit comes and drags W back to her sickbed. W ponders the conversation, how an innocent girl like Theresa could lead the Sarkaz, and wonders what kind of world she would see if she could stand by Theresa's side. In the last scene, she sees the tactical commander of Babel: the Doctor.

Chapter 5 End

Ines and Hedley leave Babel, but W insists on staying. Ines gets some new revelation after seeing the Doctor.

Do you know the difference between the pieces and the player?

Ines says that they are all pieces, and only the Doctor is the player. The two also speak of a Regent who took over in the absence of Theresa.

Scout finds W taking pictures of Theresa, and mentions Amiya by name. W snaps a pic of Theresa smiling.

Later, W reflects on the state of the war. Although she doesn't like Kal'tsit, she hopes that Kal'tsit can protect Theresa.

Chapter 6 Beginning

Theresa is dead.

W goes a little crazy, and kills Sarkaz soldiers indiscriminately. The Regent has taken the throne, and he is collecting forces from all over Kazdel, mercenaries included.

W, Ines, and Hedley run into each other up again at the same place the old W died. It is hinted that W was looking for Kal'tsit all this time. Not wanting to join with the Regent, they went to Reunion instead, so they can find a chance to escape out of Kazdel.

Welcome back to the team, W.

Chapter 6 End

Ines and Hedley talk about how W completely changed after losing Theresa. A catastrophe approaches and the squad evacuates, but Ines finds W on a cliff, enjoying the oncoming storm.

Later, W meets up with a Sarkaz soldier. He tells her that the Regent, Theresis, has acquired a large landship.

Finally, they meet with Reunion and joins them, and come face to face with its leader: Talulah.

…Ah.

Welcome.

Soldiers from afar.

Chapter 7 Beginning

Reunion has invaded Chernobog. Ines finds an injured Scout among the rubble, and tells him that his squad is all wiped out. Scout remarks that he thought W would finish him herself, and Ines scoffs, asking him if he'd believe her if she said W didn't want to do it herself. Ines mentions that Scout saved someone during the fight in the alley.

Scout escapes by catching Ines off-guard, and makes his way to the core city. He almost gets the jump on Ines who chased after him, but Hedley came and finished him off. Ines says that there's something they must tell W immediately, when Talulah appears.

Chapter 7 End

Ines uses her Arts and sees that Talulah has two shadows. She tries to pass on this info to W, but a group of Reunion soldiers surround her. The ruckus from the fight attracted attention, and the Reunion soldiers were forced to blow up the area and retreat without confirming Ines' death.

Chapter 8 Beginning

A few months ago, after joining Reunion.

W and Ines meet Patriot. Patriot says that although he is from Ursus, he is still a Sarkaz, and wishes to learn what happened to Theresa.

Present day.

W and Hedley learn of Ines' death. The Reunion soldier who reported had a strong Ursus accent. W almost tries to kill him, but Hedley tells her to calm down. Hedley informs W about Talulah having two shadows, about Patriot leaving to find something, and about a messenger going to Victoria to inform Theresis what went on. W tells him that this is the best chance to escape. If he runs away, W would not come after him. After W leaves, Hedley finds the Reunion soldiers who were responsible for Ines' death, and avenges her.

Chapter 8 End

Victoria.

Hedley reports to a Confessor about the event of Chernobog, and that Rhodes Island has retrieved the Doctor. Hedley and another Sarkaz messenger are put under house arrest. Hedley says that if Talulah really wants to destroy the infected, then W will destroy Talulah first. She only needs an opportunity. Hedley tells the messenger that he has a radio station that can bypass the Regent's eyes and send information to Kazdel. He tells the messenger to report back to Talulah, and to tell her "keep following orders from Talulah. Hedley will not come back for a while". The messenger says they know what to do, and responds with Ine's catchphrase.

Do not order me.

In the last scene, W finds two children in the ruins of Chernobog. One of them points a sword at W, and she recognizes it as a Sarkaz sword. She compliments the child on their resilience, and asks them if they know what it means to take the sword of a Sarkaz.

[theabyssalmuses-a]

Things were busy.

Well, when weren’t they?

As Amiya signed her name on yet another legal document, officiating a new Operator known elusively as ‘Phantom’ unto Rhodes Island’s ranks, she could hear the hustle and bustle of people around her as she worked. She had long grown used to the noise, and it didn’t bother her at all. 

Rhodes Island was always busy. There was no reason for it to be especially busy today, nor any other day. Tomorrow, Today, Yesterday...there was no real significance.

The sun began to set as she set about putting away the documents, when she realised that she had missed one part. As she sometimes pulls all-nighters, she waits until it’s all done to fill in the last part: The Date.

She pulled her pen back out of her pocket, sliding the papers back across the desk toward her. The pen clicked, orange light of the sunset illuminating the office. What was it, anyway? The Date?

Ah, today was...

The cautus quickly scribbles the numbers in, nodding her head as she once more placed the papers away. 

‘That should do for today.’ She thought to herself, wincing a little as she stretched her arms above her head. She really did need to stop slouching at her desk...

Amiya stands up, picking up a small brief case, and heads calmly to the archive department to store these records, that everyday hustle and bustle still going strong this late into the evening, just like every other day...there was nothing special about it, no matter how one looked at it.

Tomorrow would be the same as Today- from an importance stand point, every day should be treated more or less the same. With exception to certain holidays, of course.

Today, December 24th, was exactly as important as Yesterday.

December 23rd. Just another day checked off.

[ultramarineicecream]

Welcome back, Doctor! To Arknights hell

Amiya is so cute and I’m inspired to draw recently so have some content!