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spacetime1969 · 2 months ago

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Danny Fenton’s Field Trip to the Ghost Zone!

I have had the wonderful opportunity to write a fic inspired by the art of the wonderful @arisu-artnfics as part of @ecto-implosion. I ended up thinking it would be fun to bring in a trope from a completely different fandom, and write a Peter Parker Field Trip fic for Danny Fenton. Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Magic, Dragons, and Storms? Oh my!

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Technus’s voice sounded over the speaker. “Welcome to the Time Lost Lands, students! The home of Queen Dorathea and her subjects.”

“Woah is that a castle?” one of Dash’s classmates asked.

Dash looked out the window and sure enough, there was a massive medieval castle right out the window.

“Is that a dragon!” Dash couldn’t help his yell as he spotted a large winged reptile climbing out from behind the castle.

Manson just grinned at him. “Yep.”

The Dragon jumped from the tower and started flying towards them. Dash made a very manly noise of surprise. Definitely not a terrified squeal. (AN: This is a lie. He actually did a very good impression of a baby otter)

The Dragon was getting closer and closer, and everyone, other than the nerds, was getting progressively more freaked out. Fenton and his friends on the other hand didn’t even flinch as the massive mythical creature landed on top of the bus.

“WHO DARES TRESPASS ON MY... Oh, hello Lady Samantha. How are you this fine morning.” Halfway through its booming yell the dragon transformed into a woman with long blond hair who smiled at Manson.

“Hi Dora!” Manson smiled back. “Our class fell through a natural portal and we’re trying to get home. Think you can point us in the direction of the Far Frozen?”

“Well I can certainly give you directions, but I’m afraid they won’t be much help. The next stop on your journey is Box Ghost and Lunch Lady’s lair, which is currently only accessible through The Storm of Doom.” Dash could hear the capital letters in that name. He looked out into the Ghost Zone where the ghost was pointing and saw a patch of dark clouds. It didn’t look like much, but something about it scared him.

“Oh no, are they alright?” Fenton asked. He and his friends actually looked concerned.

Now Dash would admit that he wasn’t the best at math, but if those four were actually scared of something after how relaxed they had been at everything else in this dimension, then Dash should probably be just as scared. (AN: Dash made an error in his calculations, he should have been far more scared than he was)

“Last I heard from them they were preparing their lair for the storm. So I assume they are doing alright, but we won’t know for sure until the storm passes,” the ghost queen said.

“Speaking of which, that storm is heading this way!” Technus’s voice said over the bus speakers.

The other ghost, Dora, nodded. “Yes, I have been working to prepare the castle and move my citizens inside for the storm. You and yours are welcome to shelter with us Lady Sam.”

Manson and her friends share a look. “The last thing we want is to be stuck in The Storm of Doom.” Valarie said.

Fenton and Foley both nodded. “Yeah, the castle is probably one of the safest places to ride it out. I vote we take Dora up on her offer,” Fenton said.

“Hang on just a minute!” Mr. Lancer interrupted. “Since when were the four of you in charge!”

Foley shrugged. “Hey, Technus!” he said, turning to the front of the bus. “What are the odds on us surviving if we try and fly through The Storm of Doom?”

“My current calculations indicate a 5% chance of immediate death.”

Mr Lancer’s eyes widened. “Well that’s not too bad,” he managed to stammer out, but Technus kept going.

“A 30% chance of your classmates' blood boiling in their veins. A 24% chance of their brains freezing solid. A 4% chance of death by electrocution. A 10% chance of death by poisonous gasses. A 7% chance of spaghettification. A 9% chance of death by eldritch madness, 6% chance of Danny, Valarie, and I being the only survivors, 3% chance of you and Sam also surviving, and a 2% chance of more than half of your classmates surviving. The odds of everyone surviving is less than 0.01% and statistically insignificant, so I rounded it out.” Technus sounded way too cheerful to be discussing their, apparently very probable, deaths.

Mr. Lancer’s face had gotten paler and paler as the ghost spoke. He stumbled into his seat, Foley just smirking at him. “So, do you want to do that? Or do you want to spend the night in a very secure castle and not die a horrible death?”

“Besides,” Fenton held up a glowing green post-it note that he had gotten from... Dash had no idea where he had gotten it from, “time is apparently moving at a two to one ratio to earth right now, so every two hours we spend here only one is passing on earth. So we have plenty of time.” No one bothered to ask him how he knew that.

Mr Lancer just nodded and slumped farther into the bus seat.

Manson turned back to the ghost dragon lady floating outside the bus and smiled at her, bowing at the waist. “We humbly accept your offer of shelter, Queen Dorathea of the Time Lost Lands.”

The Ghost, Queen Dorathea, nodded back at Manson. “The Time Lost Lands do not forget those who helped us find our path to the future, you and yours will always be able to find shelter in our walls, Lady Samantha.”

The solemness that had fallen over the group hung for a moment, before Manson straightened and smiled at the ghost. “Thanks Dora, I really appreciate it!”

“Of course Sam! I’m always glad to have you stop by! Have your vehicle land in the field by the stables. It should be safe from the storm there.”

They did as ordered, and the bus came to a stop next to a stable with, were those unicorns? (Star would later inform him that they were actually alicorns.)

They all hopped out of the bus and looked around at the castle. It was even more impressive up close. The walls absolutely towered over them, and they made Dash feel very small.

Off to the side he could see Fenton and his friends talking to Mr. Lancer, but they were too quiet for him to hear what they were saying. He wasn’t gonna have to wait long to find out what they were talking about though, since Mr. Lancer called them all to gather around.

“Alright class. Miss Manson and Mr. Foley are going to go find out how long we will have to wait out the storm. In the meantime, I encourage you all to eat your lunches. If you were planning to buy lunch at the planetarium please raise your hand, Mr. Fenton has offered to hand out Fenton Sustenance Crackers™ to anyone without a pre-packed lunch.”

Dash felt his lunch money in his pocket and winced, he didn’t exactly want to take Fenton’s charity, but he had worked up quite the appetite since they had fallen into the Ghost Zone, so he raised his hand. Next to him, Kwan raised his hand too.

Fenton slowly made his way around the group and passed the crackers out. When he approached the two jocks Dash was surprised to see that they were literal crackers, like a saltine. For some reason he had been expecting more. Fenton smirked at him and split the cracker in half, handing one half to each of them. Dash stared at it.

“Is this really it?” he asked.

Fenton just smiled. “Yep, trust me, that’s all you’re gonna need.”

Dash shared a look with Kwan as Fenton continued onto the rest of the group. Kwan just shrugged at him and the two inspected the crackers they had been handed. It looked like a normal cracker, for the most part. Dash was pretty sure the slightly green hue was just the lighting, but he still hesitated.

Dash’s stomach rumbled and he shrugged. It was better than nothing. He tossed the cracker into his mouth.

It tasted strange, both citrusy and bland, while also tasting like absolutely nothing. The taste was nothing compared to what happened when he swallowed though. He could feel the cracker slide down his throat and into his stomach, and then expand.

“Oh that’s really weird,” Kwan said with a shudder.

“You get used to it!” Fenton yelled from across the field.

Dash shuddered, he really, really hoped he never did. He would give Fenton one thing though, the crackers certainly worked. His stomach felt like he had just eaten an entire 16” pizza by himself.

He joined the other students as they sat in the grass eating and talking. For a moment he forgot that they weren’t just hanging out on the football field back at Casper High. Manson and Foley returning with the green skinned ghost queen broke the illusion though.

The group hurried over to Fenton, and Valarie. Dash didn’t recognize what Valarie and Danny did, that the group were only avoiding breaking into a sprint to not cause a panic.

Dash was just close enough to over hear their whispered conversation.

“Danny we have bad news,” Manson said.

“Really bad news. The storm’s drifted further than expected. The Core is heading straight for us,” Foley sounded scared, and that scared Dash. The look on Fenton’s face pushed him from scared to terrified.

Fenton stood up from where he had been leaning against the bus, straightening and turning to the ghostly queen who had offered them shelter. “Queen Dorathea, how may I be of service to you and your people.”

The Queen bowed her head to Fenton. “Your friends have agreed to assist the royal mage in raising a shield around the castle. But I fear that without your power they will be unable to outlast the storm.” The queen made eye contact with Fenton “I ask for your aid in this, K-”

Fenton interrupted the queen. “Just Danny right now, Dora.” Fenton looked over at the rest of the class, who were obviously trying to listen in to their conversation. He made brief eye contact with Dash before turning back to Queen Dorathea. “But you will have my assistance in any way you require it.”

Fenton turned to Valerie. “Come on, let’s go let Lancer know what’s going on.” He turned back to the Ghost and bowed. “We'll be back soon.”

They hurried over to Mr. Lancer. Dash wasn’t close enough to hear what was said, but he could see the way Lancer tried to argue with Fenton only for him to stand firm. Eventually Lancer slumped and seemed to give permission.

Fenton grabbed his bag and made his way back to his friends and the queen. “Alright, let’s go. Val, you got things covered here?”

She nodded, before pulling Fenton and the others into a quick hug. Then they walked away, leaving the class whispering behind them.

There was no sun in the ghost zone but it certainly felt like it was setting as the green sky grew darker and the howling noise of the storm began to grow louder and louder.

Dash and the other A-Listers watched as the storm rolled over them, the clouds covering the sky completely. The clouds seemed to whisper to him and Dash couldn’t help but be drawn to them. He felt himself stand up and, not hearing his friends call his name, started walking away.

Val smacked him over the back of the head. Hard.

Dash felt dazed and confused. When had he stood up? Where had he been walking to?

“Yeah, don’t look at the storm. It’s not the weather you really have to be worried about.”

Instinctively Dash looked back up at the storm. Val smacked him again.

“Don’t look at it idiot. Got it?” Dash nodded rapidly. “Good. Now get back to your friends. You scared them.”

Dash looked back over his shoulder. They really did look terrified.

He quickly walks back to them. “Sorry guys, I don't know what happened.”

Paulina’s voice shook. “Don’t do that again.”

“You scared us man,” Kwan said. "It was like you couldn’t hear us.”

Dash almost looked back up at the whispering clouds again. But he caught himself, and looked down at the ground instead. “I don’t think I could.” He whispered.

They sat in silence, intentionally not looking at the storm.

There was a deep ring that echoed through the castle, and voices raised in a haunting chant. All around them a glowing green dome raised to block out the storm, the whispers in the storm becoming muffled and drowned out by the chanting.

“Look! up there!” Star said, pointing up to the castle walls. Dash followed her finger to where four figures were standing silhouetted against the bright green of the shield.

Three of the figures were holding their arms up to the sky, green wisps of magic trailing out from their hands and stretching out to the dome above them, pulsing in time with the chanting. The fourth figure had his hands on the shoulders of two of the others, their hair seeming to glow with the lighting.

“Is that Fenton and the others?” Star asked.

“Yep,” Valarie said. Dash jumped. He hadn't seen her walk up behind them. “Them and the royal mage.”

“Since when could they do magic?” Paulina asked.

“Sam and Tucker have been studying for a while. Danny too, but he doesn't have as much talent in it. He’s so powerful though that it doesn't matter much in the long run. He can just brute force a lot of things.”

She turned to look at them, making eye contact with Dash in particular. “You should all be grateful you haven't bothered them since freshman year. Sam could turn you into a frog and Danny could separate your soul from your body with just a word. As for Tucker… let’s just say that we’re all glad he stays focused on technomancy.”

Dash felt queasy. "Did you ever learn anything?” He asked, morbidly curious.

Valarie just shrugged. “It's not my specialty. I know some of the theory, but not much more than that.” She grinned and pulled a very big ray gun out of her purse. “Besides, I'm more of a gun gal anyway.”

Kwan squeaked and Dash barely kept himself from doing the same.

“How’d you get that to fit in your purse like that?” Star asked.

“There are some benefits to having magic friends.” Val grinned at them again, before sobering slightly and gesturing back towards the bus. “Now come on, we fixed up the bus so that people can sleep in it.”

Dash and the others followed her to the bus. The backs of the bench seats had been laid down flat and someone had found blankets and pillows from somewhere, turning the seats into makeshift cots.

“Claim a bed and get some sleep if you can. It's gonna be a long night.”

Dash had a hard time sleeping on the makeshift cot. Not necessarily because it was uncomfortable, but more because his mind was too full. The green glow and unending haunting chanting wasn’t helping either. Though it was definitely preferable to the alternative. The way he had almost walked off into the storm terrified him.

He got up from the bed and quietly made his way out of the bus.

Val was sitting outside on a wooden stool that had been pulled from somewhere. She had her gun balanced on her knees. and was staring up at where her friends were still chanting on the castle wall.

“How are you so calm?" he asked. “All of this is absolutely crazy, and yet you're so calm. How?”

Valarie just sat there for a long moment. “There's not much I can say other than 'you get used to it,'” she finally said. “Danny Sam and Tucker, they've been there since the very beginning, since the portal opened in his parents lab.” She glanced at him. “It's hard to keep up with the rest of them sometimes. They're all so in sync and I joined them so much later, but I'm nothing if not stubborn, so I keep up with them anyway.”

“So this whole time Fenton and the others have been befriending the ghosts and learning magic and and... I don't even know what else.”

Valerie's laugh was humorless. “Yeah you really don't know what else Dash. And I'm not going to tell you.”

“Why not!”

“Why would I Dash? Why would I tell you a secret that isn't even mine when you bullied Danny and ostracized me back in freshman year. Why do you think Dash?” Val shook her head. “It's not my place to tell people, and even if it was, you'd never be someone I'd tell anyway.”

Dash had nothing he could say in response.

Valerie turned back to watch the castle walls. “Go back to bed Dash.”

He did as told, but he didn't get much sleep that night.

#danny fenton #danny phantom #ecto implosion #Danny Fenton’s Field Trip to the Ghost Zone!#my writing #my work #fanfic

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starwriterulia · 5 months ago

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Tomb of the Goshenite Stargazer Dragon - Chapter 8

SUBJECT MATERIAL WARNINGS FOR THIS FANFICTION ARE INCLUDED IN THE MASTERLIST POST OF MY BLOG AND THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THIS FANFICTION.

Sun and moon divider by @saradika

Banners for scene cut and creator support by @cafekitsune

A/N: Hi, writing this when first starting this chapter because I had enough energy and desire to work on the next chapter at nearly 9 PM and it's so weird to admit that. OK, see you after working on this if there's anything I have to say then!

(Post-big revision, August 23,2024:) That's a lot better. Is it a different writing cliche? Yes. But, I will attempt to do it well! I believe I'm a goose! I believe and honk at the sky! I think about your bells night and day! And you best get the fuck out 'my way, HONK! I enjoy writing possibly interesting scenarios, and I hope that this new version of Chapter 8 is interesting! (Jacksepticeye voice:) DROP YOUR GUESSES FOR WHAT "HENJIN" LOOKS LIKE AND WHAT HIS GIVEN NAME IS IN THE REPLIES! PUNCH THE LIKE HEART IN THE ARTERIES, LIKE A BITCH! A-AND, SPIN YOURSELVES AROUND! *SPI-NNING! SPI-NNING!* AND, I WILL SEE YOU GUYS! IN THE NEXT SHIT CHAPTER! BYE BYE!

Hooray for a

ten paragraph long chapter summary!

Someone please put me in fanfic writer's timeout!

If you can't tell, it's time for my medication and bedttime. It is 10:38 PM. I am 8 minutes late.

OK, bye! Thank you for all the likes, replies and reblogs! I have work tomorrow, and the day after, so I'll see how much of Chapter 9 I get done. It will be a multiple day process. ^w^

Faith

Chapter summary: Oliver watches Faith draw her first three arrows, Dinah, Cissie and Emiko entering as she looses her third, and are all impressed by Faith's natural but imperfect skills. Oliver begins to coach Faith how to jump again, but realises she needs better balance and strength, and tests her with the equipment before activating an obstacle course that rises from the floor and walls. Afterwards, Faith discusses her vigilante name and costume, then goes with the girls for groceries. Faith bids Oliver and Dinah goodnight, and begins to listen to her favourite ambience to sleep when Barbara texts her with an apology that consumes multiple paragraphs, mentioning that she thinks Dick and Tim forgive Faith as well. Faith is emotional as she reads. Faith thanks her, and they chat about what Faith is listening to before saying goodnight. Faith falls asleep quickly.

Zatanna had fallen asleep too, and after seeking Faith, finds her at the tavern of White-Sun Harbour in the Dream World on Paper, SOFFFIAA greeting Zatanna and mentioning the area is a recreation of Great Inagua from Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. The magician and dreamer begin walking to a grassy area to practice magic. Ra's had opened and entered the window of the guest room Faith slept in, and Faith wakes as he tries to take off her pyjama pants. The struggle for a short few seconds as Oliver receives a phone call from Zatanna. Oliver interrupts the scuffle just as Faith hugs Ra's' waist, giving pause to the villain and a moment for Faith to apologise and come clean, and asks him to take her somewhere else.

Ra's says he's done caring. Faith tells him to record them having sex for blackmail. Ra's repeats her request, baffled that she wants to be recorded for this purpose, but accepts, and tells Oliver that she'll be home in the morning, who is content with this. Ra's leaves with Faith on his back through the window. Oliver, of course, doesn't believe Ra's will come back with Faith.

Ra's descends with Faith into an especially narrow alley, and knocks to enter a door. Faith doesn't know what's inside, as she keeps her eyes on the floor, as she had been instructed to by Ra's. Ra's brings Faith into the office. Yamagata Jin speaks Japanese to Ra's, insulting Faith's looks. Ra's tries to upsell her, mentioning her name, age, that she's a virgin, and that she has metahuman dragon powers. When Yamagata voices concern for his establishment, Ra's replies that Faith can be killed like a mortal, easing Yamagata.

Yamagata inspects Faith's teeth and speaks English to voice disgust, Faith replying wordily, as usual, to explain. Yamagata shares his annoyance with Ra's. He says that she has anxiety, depression and PTSD, and Ra's reminds Yamagata that Faith is a virgin, and says, "Surely one of your sons will think Faith is worthy of his attention." Briefly pondering, Yamagata smiles, Ra's having a similar grin, and Yamagata purchases Faith for 100 thousand dollars. Faith knows those smiles aren't good, and tells herself that she is the O-type star, and use magic to get out, but wants to stay so her virginity and hormones won't be in the way, anymore.

Ra's leaves, and on his tail, Yamagata brings Faith out, who sees a large, empty nightclub. Faith internally guesses it's closed, but remarks that it's odd because it's Monday, and supposed it's so because Yamagata's sons aren't home. They go into a room where six girls are lounging in a nice living space. This amazes Faith. Yamagata instructs the girls to prepare Faith for Henjin, and Faith furrows her eyebrows in thought, not recalling Henjin to be a name.

Connecting that Yamagata is mocking one of his own sons, and that's who Ra's was talking about, and why he and Yamagata smiled, Faith lets out a shallow breath. Yamagata notices, and from Faith's face knows she's anxious. He smirks, saying, "You had better wisen up, Faith." He leaves, chuckling.

The six sex workers hear a brief retelling of Faith's story and about her dragon powers. One asks if Faith knows her name in Japanese, which she does. The girls introduce themselves as Jennie, Sekine, Kiki and Leia, who wear matching dresses that Leia designed and Kiki crafted, and Mai and Fuga. Fuga tells Faith that the club is called One Night Fever, and Faith comments that it's a good name for a nightclub. Fuga and Mai reply that's it's an awful name, citing that nineteen year old Yamagata, and they all laugh.

Faith whispers that they could give her Dragon Persona gifts for a wish and get new, safe jobs, and assumes they want to stay in their galaxy, Leia confirming, and Faith looks at all of the girls and realises this is what she has to do to make things right. As Jennie helps Faith find lingerie, she notes Faith's feet, and Faith says how the right foot is sensitive. Jennie asks if she can fight, and Faith says she's decent, for someone who's trained for two days and has disability, and that she should be able to hold her own until she needs to use magic and the Arrows come, and that they'll all leave together, and Jennie nods firmly. Jennie says that Kiki can modify a pair of sexy boots for Faith, Kiki confirming happily, and Jennie will teach Faith how to act in front of Henjin and the customers tomorrow night, when Yamagata's sons return from Japan.

Fandoms: DC Comics, Batfamily, no Batcest, Arrow family, Thalassic Space (OC; takes inspiration The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3, and other sci-fi, fantasy and horror titles, as well as original concepts, such as the science and lore of the galaxy.)

[In order of appearance] Characters: Faith Lawson (TBA; self-insert), Oliver Queen (Green Arrow), Dinah Lance (Black Canary), Cissie King-Jones (Arrowette), Emiko Queen (Red Arrow), Barbara Gordon (Batgirl), Ra's al Ghul, Jason Todd (Red Hood), Roy Harper (Arsenal).

Word Count: 6706 (Ah, hey! Some consistency! I wonder how long this will laaaast!🙃) 9472 (NEVER MIND CONSISTENCY WITH THE NEW VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER. AND THAT IS A-O-KAY.)

Content warning: None, I think? Let me know if I'm wrong!

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9

Oliver stood by Faith as she held a simple black bow for adolescents. She had asked him how to hold it, as she hadn't really learned how, just from watching people, and so Oliver had helped with that, and told her how to not hit her face with the string. Faith had drawn the string without instruction just fine, but her arms were loose. Oliver hadn't told her about it, as he said she'd do her first draw without help. Faith looked at the wooden target on the wall. Her eyes drifted a little to the right, then back to center, and her hands were going the opposite way.

She heaved a sigh. Oliver inhaled to ask what was on her mind. He saw Faith's eyes focus on the center circle, the muscles of her arms becoming taut as her aim slowly went in the right direction, but a little bit high. Faith released, her aim going down about three inches. The arrow landed about an inch below the bullseye.

"Oh! Wow, I actually corrected myself a little by thinking about what you do, in the comics and TV show." Faith said, relaxing her arm a little, but not lowering the bow, as Oliver fetched the arrow and replaced in the black quiver on Faith's back.

'Ah, and she's not lowering the bow right after, nice.' "Well, it worked out pretty all right." Oliver said. "Uh, well, try again! See if you can do better, without my help, and then I'll chime in."

"OK!" Faith bent her right arm over its shoulder and grabbed an arrow.

'Lucky her, with how her arms bend due to her dwarfism, and that they're at an OK length to grab things. It seems as if she has no issue taking arrows from a quiver on her back.' Oliver thought. Faith drew the string, her eyes finding and staying on the centre easily this time. 'Good, and?' Her arm was tense, and she seemed to be aiming a little bit high and to the right, this time. 'OK, not bad. Let's see the release?' A couple of seconds later, Faith let go, her aim slightly lowering and going more to the right. The arrow struck the upper left of the bullseye, about a centimetre into the white.

"Oh! That was OK, too." Faith relaxed her arm as she had done before, again. Oliver retrieved the arrow, and put it in Faith's quiver again.

"Yeah, that wasn't horrible, either. Are you sure you've never done this before?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Hm. Well, let's keep going. You're actually scarily close to getting it, on your first two tries, are you sure you're not using magic?" Faith nodded. "W-We didn't go over it, but you're not using magic, right?"

"No, I'm not using magic. You'd see white-blue light in my right hand, or neon orange light in my left hand, if I was."

"Huh, OK. Also, nice job on not lowering the bow when relaxing your arm, when you're still wanting to use the bow."

"Oh! I just did that naturally. Good to know. Anyway, here we go again!" Faith said.

The door lock beeped, and the door opened as Faith drew, tensed, looked at the bullseye. Her arm went a bit lower than it had, the last time. 'A bit too low, about a centimetre again.' Oliver pondered. 'But her aim is perfect. Is she seriously about to hit bullseye on her third try?'

While three pairs of footsteps quietly progressed through the room, Faith loosed the arrow, the natural motion of her arm moving her aim up half a centimetre. The arrow struck centre. "Aaaa!" Faith cried, happily. Oliver's mouth was ajar, as were the mouths of Dinah, Cissie and Emiko. "Wait, seriously?!"

"Did she really do that?!" Cissie exclaimed.

Oliver walked to the target to examine. "You are forty-percent on the mark, Faith." He pulled the arrow, and walked over to put it in Faith's quiver.

"Woo hoo, I hit it!" Said Faith.

"Woo hoo!" Cissie said.

"High-five, girl!" Dinah said, right palm extended. Faith slapped it with her left hand. Cissie also wanted a high-five, and Faith gave it to her. As the girls did so, Oliver held up three fingers on his left hand. Dinah mouthed, 'Three tries?' And left her mouth open further than she had, when Faith hit the mark. Oliver nodded.

"Hi, Emiko!" Faith greeted.

"Hi, nice to meet you." Emiko replied.

"Faith, you did that in three tries!" Dinah said, amazed.

"THREE?!" Cissie said. "I'm sorry, what?!"

"Same, girl, same." Faith said, in a slightly country voice, and chuckled once.

"Well, kh, keep going! It'll only get easier from here, right?"

"That's right." Oliver said. Faith nodded, and prepared her bow and arm. She loosed the arrow, and it landed on the red again, but a bit higher, at the left corner.

"Kuh!" Faith remarked. "Um!"

"'Um!'" Oliver echoed. "'Um!' what, Faith? You're a natural." He patted her right shoulder, and sat on the edge of the extended desk area, Faith seeing the other Arrows nodding.

Faith made a face by pulling her cheek muscles to their sides. She removed her left hand from her bow, lowering the bow, now only held in her right hand, and she raised her left hand. A black holographic HUD with white text and details appeared. "Hey, SOFFFIAA?"

"Yes, Faith?" Said an alto with an Northern Indian accent.

"Please tell me that my author-self on Earth-33 isn't cheating, and that I'm indeed not using magic, and please be honest."

Two seconds passed. "I can confirm. Your author-self is not cheating. You are actually performing this task, and you are not using magic."

"OK! Thank you."

"You're welcome." Faith lifted her right arm and moved her left hand back into place on the bow.

"Had to ask a friend, did you?" Emiko said.

"Yeah, my friend Chandra's Dragon Persona is part Android, and she's integrated in the TSRPG app. I have a Dragon Persona too, but Chandra is five-stories tall, and I'm only as big as a large gazebo."

"A large gazebo. No specifications?"

"Uh, not without asking SOFFFIAA to look it up. I haven't written measurements down in the lore, for that Persona."

"That's fair. Sorry, continue." Emiko said. Faith nodded, and turned her attention and body to the target. She prepared, and after about five seconds, released. It struck the white above the bullseye, the top of the arrow barely in the red. "Not bad."

"Yeah, a little bit high, that time, Faith." Said Oliver.

"Still, for four attempts, that's good." Said Cissie.

"Really good." Oliver said, nodding with furrowed brows. Faith continued, having similar results, three times, and landing on the outer red circle to the lower right the fourth time.

"Aw-awww!" Cissie said. Emiko clicked her tongue.

"Man!" Faith said, giggling. Dinah chuckled with her.

"Not a bad streak, for day one." Cissie said.

"Oh yeah, that's decent, for sure." Emiko said.

"Tired yet, Faith?" Oliver asked.

"Nah, not yet."

"Well, when you want to be done, we can go back to physical, if you're up for it. Still got most of the day to burn."

"Sure! You said you had an idea of how to get me actually moving again, so I'd love to try."

"O-kay!" Oliver said, nodding firmly with a small smile. Faith nodded back, smiling a little too.

Oliver had arranged three unpainted wooden blocks on a thick black mat with gaps that increased in distance by a foot, then two. Faith stood at the end of the first block, her eyes bouncing up onto the object and onto the floor several times, Oliver observing. "You're overthinking it." He said.

"Oh, I overthink everything." Said Faith. "I've always needed help to simplify not just my actions, but my perspective on others and myself. That's actually why my subconscious and dream world is so intense. I was unable to let things go because my foster parents spoiled me, and then neglected me after giving me Benadryl and putting me in the crib for bad behaviour." Oliver hummed, unpleased. "I wasn't well-fed by them, either. But, yeah. If you can just explain to me how to simplify the thought, and remind me of what jumping and running feels like, it'll become natural again. It's like me at my retail job, learning all the stuff. I'm a keyholder, so I get to do things."

"Oh, so you're familar with responsiblity."

"Yeah, but even that took years. I was fifteen when my mom slapped me, pulled my hair and called me a cow for being mean to my little brother for so long. It took, like, four years after that. The fourth year, I moved out, and began to learn how to be responsible with money. Well, I still make mistakes, but I'm not horrible with it." Oliver hummed. "That being said, it shouldn't be that hard. If it is, it's because I'm too used to the fear," Oliver hummed, nodding several times. "And I'm OK with, er, no, grammar, sorry," Dinah chuckled. "I've accepted that I'm probably going to have an anxiety attack while relearning how to move. I was wanting to remind you of that when I started this little ramble, and so now I have."

"We'll start working on that tomorrow." Dinah said, raspily, while nodding.

"What? Dinah, that was a perfectly fine time to do a bit of exposition." Oliver said.

"I agree." Said Cissie.

"She does this, a lot?" Emiko said.

"Yes." DInah replied.

"Yeah." Cissie and Oliver said.

Emiko said, "I say, let her just do it. It's part of her personality. Well, maybe work on it a little bit."

"That was the idea, yes." Dinah said.

Oliver said, "Thank you, Faith. I'll keep that in mind, and if you need to stop and do some breathing, just do it. I'll stop you from getting hurt beyond general muscle strains that are bound to happen."

"Sounds good! Let's start."

"All- right." Oliver said, a brief pause between each word. He stood to Faith's right, and moved as he described. "So, you know to bend your knees when you jump."

"Yeah, but I think I'm mentally thinking of bending too much."

"How much is too much, to your brain?" Oliver watched Faith bend down to where her hips were, standing upright, her butt pointing diagonally down and left. "Ohhhh, yeah," Oliver politely corrected Faith's position, holding her waist. He rapidly said, "Yeah yeah yeah." At a normal pace, "You want to stand like that." Faith and shut her eyes, and looked to be thinking. "What are you thinking about?"

"It's been a long time, I don't remember ever standing like this."

"Because it used to just come naturally to you. And it will, once we've done this enough times." Oliver said. Faith nodded. "OK, you put weight in your lower legs, like a spring,"

"Right." Faith did so.

"A little less, for now, we're only going up by a foot, Faith."

"Sorry, OK." Faith returned some weight to her torso, her back straightening slightly.

"Yes, there you go. That probably feels better, right?"

"It does, actually!"

"Good. And then you push the weight down, and the rest of you will go up."

"Oh! Oh, OK. My only question is how do I land on both feet? I can try landing on one foot, later."

"You put both feet in front of you, and your body should do the rest."

"Ah, OK. 'Cause I think my legs like to go to their sides."

"Like this?" Oliver spread his legs, feet pointing outwards.

"Yes! Just like that! Why do I always do that, when my knees buckle? It makes every fall really awkward, and hurt."

"Ah, you've got poor balance."

"Very poor, yeah. It's better in my left leg than my right. I can stand for like, five seconds on my left, and two on my right. Which is funny, 'cause my left knee is the one that dislocated." Faith said.

Oliver hummed. "Well, I think we should work on your balance and leg strength, before we get to you jump."

"Sounds good."

"OK. Let's, uh, go over to the leg press, and see how much you can lift. We'll even check how much you can lift with your arms."

"Sure! I've used a leg press before." Faith said, as she and Oliver went to the equipment.

"How much were you able to lift, in school?"

"420 lbs."

Oliver whistled, the other Arrows nodding and humming. "That's a lot!"

"Yeah, I was impressed, too."

"Well, let's see what you can do, now!" Faith sat on the bench with her feet on the pedals, and she and Oliver went through each weight. She couldn't lift 210, but had been able to lift 200.

Faith said, "Eh, I expected as much."

"You are quite a bit below average, for a woman."

"What's the average?"

"258 lbs."

"Oh! Oh, so I had really strong legs!"

"Yeah, you did. Now, let's see how much your arms can lift." Faith began to lift dumbells, and was able to lift sixty-five. "Hm, all right. That's a little below average, too. Average is seventy-four, without training. With almost a year of training, it's 137."

"Oh, so I'm not far behind."

"Mhm. You get your practice in every day, and it shouldn't be too long before you'll have your full strength back, and hopefully then some." Oliver said. Faith nodded. "All right, let's move on to balance, which I actually want to work on with you, today."

"Sure." Faith said.

"Could someone hit the button, please?" Oliver said. Emiko interacted with the computer. As Oliver walked Faith to a series of railings that rose from the floor, platforms attached to the walls that varied in height with tightropes of different lengths and widths of differing materials became visible.

"That's pretty cool."

"Right? OK, let's start over here. Don't worry about falling, I'll catch you. We'll go until you're tired, and then you can do some reps on the equipment."

"Sounds good!"

Oliver walked beside Faith, who walked to the couch, where Dinah sat, with a slight pause, panting, the armpit and neckline of her shirt wet with perspiration. Faith occupied the middle seat, Dinah to her left. "Sorry, hah, do you want me to move over?" Faith said, while Oliver sat in the armchair nearby.

"No, dear, you're fine."

"Oh, hah, 'kay."

"Good work today, Faith." Oliver said.

"Thank you."

Dinah said, "Yeah, you're looking good, for someone who just started training, yesterday."

"Thank you."

"Catch your breath, and Cissie and I will take you home after an errand for groceries, OK?" Dinah said. Faith nodded.

"You should add whatever Faith wants to the cart, too." Oliver said.

"Oh, absolutely."

Faith asked, while looking at the Emiko, "You've got your own ride?"

"Yeah, the rooftops." Emiko said. Faith chuckled, encouraging the others to join.

Oliver said, "Actually, I wanted to know what you want to be called, Faith."

"Oh! I was thinking Dà-ochd."

"That's Gaelic."

"Not bad pronunciation, there, Faith." Dinah commented.

"Thanks. It means Two-eight." Faith said. Oliver and Dinah hummed, nodding differently. Emiko bobbed her head a little, too. "I intended to have it be Double Eight, proper noun, which would have worked if I hadn't capitalised."

"What would it be, then?" Dinah asked.

"Dùbailte ochd."

"Oh, you'd be saying 'eight' twice." Dinah said, as Cissie returned from the bathroom.

"Yep."

Oliver hummed. "Well, it's unique, and seeing as it's a direct reference to Thalassic Space, which is yours, I think it's a good choice."

"I think so, too."

"Sorry, what'd she pick?" Cissie said.

"Dà-ochd." Said Oliver. "Gaelic for Two-eight. Faith had to compromise in translating Double Eight."

"Ooh, I like it!"

"Thanks!"

Oliver stood, and said, "Well, Bruce sent me your measurements, after Zatanna told him you're with us now. I'll get to making your suit right away. Any details you want to add, besides the Double Eight on it, somewhere?"

"Actually, don't put the Double Eight on it."

"No?"

"I've been using a new banner, for this part of the story, on Tumblr."

"Huh?" Emiko said.

"She's also on Earth-33, chronicling her adventures." Dinah said.

"Oh! That's kind of cool."

"The design is by @cafekitsune. I'll describe it to you, and then suggest how to use it."

"Sure. I'm listening."

"On the left is the outline of a blue crescent moon. It's not neon. It's academia toned."

"Academia toned, OK."

"The colour I have in mind is somwhere between dark blue and light blue. You can just ask me to show you, if you don't get it right."

"Sure."

"The hollow part of the moon faces the outline of a orange-gold sun, and to the right is of the sun is an identical crescent moon, and its hollow part faces the sun, too. Between each moon, towards the sun, is a small blue dot, an orange-gold diamond, and another small blue dot."

"Oh OK, I can see that."

"You can take any part of this design and put it on, say, the hood, neckline, sleeves or hems of the top or pants, and if you're feeling fancy, the boots."

"That on the boots would be cool. Any particular style you want the outfit to have?"

"Pirate. Make me look like a pirate." Faith laughed, the others joining. "With ankle boots, a petticoat, a cool butterfly-sleeve blouse, and a waistcoat!"

"O-kay! Ask and you shall receive."

"Are you asking for an eye-patch, too?" Emiko asked.

"Nah, I can just use my hands to be dramatic, when using one magic or the other." Faith said. Oliver wheezed a laugh. Dinah chuckled, and Cissie laughed, Emiko shaking her head.

"You are an odd one, Faith."

"It's almost like my life experiences made me into a clown." Faith replied. Cissie laughed loudly.

"Are you implying that you own a clown costume?"

"Well, I haven't touched my magic Astral Jester Costume to bind it to my body to wear it on command, but yes, I own a clown costume."

Emiko said, breathily. "Wow." The group chuckled and laughed. "How many pieces does it have?"

"Nine. A hat with four sections that have a cluster of jingle bells, a crop top, shorts, cuff-bracelets lined with jingle bells, a choker with a cluster of jingle bells, and hiker shoes with a cluster of jingle bells."

"Why not a converse or tennis shoe?"

"My feet are deformed, so I can't wear flat shoes."

"Ohhhh." Emiko said. Faith removed her right foot from her shoe. "Oh! That looks painful."

"When colliding against obstacles, yes, it's very sensitive."

"Batman measured your feet, too." Oliver said.

Faith nodded. "Yeah, I remember. It was just this morning, after all."

"All right, I'll get to work drawing some ideas, and I'll get back to you on that, Faith."

"Thank you, Ollie."

"You're welcome."

"Shall we go, ladies?" Asked Dinah. The girls said words of agreement while Dinah and Faith rose from the couch. As Cissie, Emiko and Faith went to the door, Dinah pecked Oliver on the lips, who repeated the action, both smiling. Dinah went to the door, which Emiko held open, then Emiko shut the door, which locked itself. Oliver sat at the desk, turned on the drawing tablet, and began to work.

10:34 PM.

"Goodnight, Faith." Dinah said, quietly, walking beside Oliver to the master bedroom as Faith began to close the door to the guest room while entering.

"Have a good sleep!" Oliver added.

"Goodni-ight." Faith replied, tiredly. She closed the door, removed her underwear and shirt, put her pyjama pants back on, and crawled into bed. She plugged in her wired earbuds, opened YouTube and played the pirate tavern ambience she had listened to at Wayne Manor, turning her phone off to save power, the track still playing due to her Premium subscription. She reached to the nighstand for the TicTacs she bought during the errand run, popping one into her mouth and exhaling as she sank into her new grey maternity pillow.

Several minutes passed, then her phone vibrated. Faith groaned and double tapped her phone to wake up the screen. The Messenger icon was there. Unfortunately, she couldn't preview the message from her lock screen, so she pressed and held the icon, unlocked her phone, and the app opened to the chat. Faith read the top of the UI and batted her lashes in surprise. It was Barbara. Faith pursed her lips into a frown, upon reading the first sentence, flicking her lips up as she read the last sentence.

BARBARA: Hon, I'm sorry for dumping dishwater on you. I know you take things very personally, and I heard from Dinah that we *really* scared you (and that you hit bullseye on your third try! Wow!!). As the senior-most Batgirl, it's my duty to speak with you, the promising girl we expected to be the next Batgirl, about what happened today. This is going to take a few messages, so please bear with me. [Faith liked this message.]

BARBARA: Thank you.

Faith bobbed her head in agreement numerous times as she read the next message. She whispered, "Thank you." Upon reading the fourth sentence.

BARBARA: We acted on our anger instead of talking with you. I know that you know that, I just wanted one of us to admit it, sooner rather than later. You said you wouldn't have acted on your inappropriate desires while with us. I believe you, and I forgive you. I won't speak on their behalves, but I think Dick and Tim have forgiven you as well. You were trying to live on, with shame literally stuck in your mind, and we slammed the door in your face instead of letting you stay when you needed friends.

BARBARA: I think we all can make an accurate guess of what part of you Dohannar represents. No offense regarding your preferences in fantasy people, your cat anthropomorph family was fascinating and lovely to meet. It was unfortunate for *everyone* that the thoughts you never wanted to act while part of us were exposed, so easily.

Faith gasped after reading the last sentence of the following text, and said in an upwards climbing tone, "She knows my name!" 'Dinah must have told her. The others probably know it by now, too.'

BARBARA: You should stay with the Arrows to finish your training. I hope it goes as well as it did, today. Truly, I do. If you're in need of someone to talk to, or you want some more Batfamily-style training, I'd be glad to help. I think Dick and Tim would be willing, too. Maybe take Jason's rather harsh advice and stay out of Gotham for a couple of months, until you're ready to meet the world as Dà-ochd, OK?

BARBARA: Oh, and you may now respond! 😜

FAITH: Thank you. ❤️❤️❤️ I will definitely stay here until I'm ready LOL. Jason is a big guy, and he's got guns! 😰

BARBARA: Valid, LOL not to mention Damian has a sword, and Tim had to get Stephanie to stop prattling about how she wanted to beat you up!😬

FAITH: Yeah, yikes!

FAITH: I'm guessing Bruce left immediately to let his anger out.

BARBARA: Yep. Nothing from him, yet. You probably won't, until he's talked with Oliver and Dinah about how things are going with you (I think that's already happened a little bit today, and they'll probably meet tomorrow to talk some more), and some time has passed.

FAITH: I'm OK with that. 😊 He's not exactly a puzzle, he just has a way of doing, like, everything.

BARBARA: True, very true.

FAITH: Also, I've been thinking hardcore in the background, and I think I'm actually aceflux demisexual?

BARBARA: Oh, all right! If that makes more sense to you, then that's all good! 😁

FAITH: Thanks, Barbara.

BARBARA: ❤️

FAITH: TBH, I almost keep typing Babs aflkasjflds it's two less syllables so my brain is like, "Ah, yes! A shortcut!" I was trying not to make that mistake IRL because I know only Dick calls you that.

BARBARA: LOL. Yes, that name is something that Dick likes to call me, and he and I are exclusive, and I think you're aware of that.

FAITH: Yep! I just wanted to bring it up, 'cause it was like a dog that needed to drag its ass on the carpet LOL

BARBARA: LOL. Ewwww!

FAITH: I'll stick with Barbara, don't worry. 😜

BARBARA: Thank you, Faith. If you come up with something else that only you use for me, you're welcome to, though! No pressure to come up with it right now. ❤️

FAITH: Yeah, I think that'll take a bit of thinking LOL.

BARBARA: Well, I know it's your bedtime, and you've probably taken your meds (you *have* taken them, right?), so I'll let you sleep. We can chat in the morning, if you want. Aaaand you might have apology messages from Dick and Tim to respond to.

FAITH: Yes, I took my meds and am in bed, listening to my favourite pirate tavern ambienc, which funnily enough has no actual pirate sounds.

BARBARA: LOL

FAITH: The visuals are of a galleon at full-mast on the water near the tavern. Pretty sure it's AI. But I like that it has the ocean and boat creaking. The crickets get a bit annoying, and apparently the bird songs are from morning birds LOL. More evidence that it was made by AI. Which sucks, because it's otherwise perfect!

BARBARA: Aw, is that the only one you like?

FAITH: No, it's not the only thing I have in my Sleep Playlist. Here, lemme share it.

[FAITH shared a link.]

FAITH: The video right after the pirate tavern I like, the medieval fishing village with visuals of a stone port, verandah and schooner, has quieter crickets and ocean sounds again. And I believe none of it was made by AI! Both work fine, and so do the playlist entries after it. I usually only listen to the pirate tavern and fishing village videos, which I have downloaded.

BARBARA: Hm! Well, so long as you know what works for you, hon.

FAITH: Anyway! Sleep time! Thanks again, Barbara. Goodniiiight! ❤️

BARBARA: Goodnight, Faith. ❤️

Faith closed Messages, returned to YouTube, and turned off her phone, tucking it under the two stacked normal pillows against the headboard. She relaxed her arms, legs, and face muscles, sighed deeply whlie closing her eyes, and let her mind sink into the bed until she was asleep. Oliver and Dinah, reading books with the nightstand lamps on, heard soft snoring coming from the closed door of the guest room. Oliver chuckled once with his chest, and Dinah scoffed with light laughter.

"Someone was tired." Dinah said.

"Oh yeah. It's only her second day of training, too."

"Oh, yes. We should get some sleep too, so we can be ready with her." Said Dinah. Oliver hummed in agreement as the couple put down the novels, turned out the lights, and settled down.

Zatanna fell asleep too, and sought Faith. She found Faith, wearing a beautiful multi-coloured brown skirt and a brown tank-top with pretty crochet work, sing and dance with tavern-goers. Beyond the docks was the ocean, held by the crescent shaped land. Zatanna glanced behind her to see a well-built pirate town, in good condition, a jungle farther that way, and to Zatanna's right, up on a hill, a white mansion. Zatanna's left hand vibrated like a cellphone. She looked to see a holographic black HUD with white details. SOFFFIAA had sent a new message, and Zatanna clicked the notification to navigate.

SOFFFIAA: Hello, Zatanna! Welcome to the Dream World on Paper, where the deceased, comatose and lucid dreamers of Thalassic Space are free to adventure, play and participate in romantic scenarios otherwise impossible to them in real life.

SOFFFIAA: You are currently in a recreation of Great Inagua from "Assassin' Creed IV: Black Flag" called White-Sun Harbour. It is one third of the Realm of Tree Peoples, but I think you already know that! If you would like, you may read as much lore about Thalassic Space from the TSRPG app while dreaming, thanks to your new connection to Santa's Snowglobe Room, where all of the galaxy's information is archived.

SOFFFIAA: I noticed you were looking the tavern (Please note that alcohol consumption is not required to attend the fun!), and spotted Faith Lawson, the Great Little Starwriter. I am glad that she is your friend and future pupil, as she is my lady-in-waiting with the honourable title of Court Jester. While I expect you to approach her, you may also to visit Captain Arles, who I believe is in the mansion, looking over her collection of maps, or to explore other areas of the Realm, which have access points to other regions of the Dream World on Paper. Take care, Zatanna!

"Thank you." Zatanna said, relaxing her hand, noting that she only needed to start curling her fingers to dismiss the hologram. Zatanna exhaled, raised her cheeks to smile, and walked to the tavern. Some of the revellers glanced at her. "Faith!" She called. Faith paused her dancing and vocals, and turned her body left to see Zatanna.

"Zatanna! Hi, welcome!"

"Would you like to do some training with me, while we're in an optimal place for practice?"

"Sure! Let's go to the grassy area just in front of the jungle, for now."

"Sure!" The magician and dreamer began to walk. The window of the guest bedroom was silently opened. Ra's al Ghul entered. His eyes thirsted for Faith, although she wore pants, the blanket didn't cover her left ass cheek.

Ra's pulled down Faith's pyjama pants to reveal her ass, and Faith felt this in the dream. "Oh. Let's do this tomorrow, Zatanna. I think I have a villain to fuck. Consensually. Trust me, or call Oliver." Then Faith was gone.

"Faith? Faith! Ohhhh no." Zatanna forced herself awake, and called Oliver.

Ra's paused while Faith stirred. As she began to look over her left shoulder, Ra's used his hands to cover her nose and mouth. Oliver heard his phone ring, pried opened an eye, and saw the caller ID. He struck out his right arm to grab and answer the phone as he instantly sat up and hurried to the hallway. "Wait, wait!" Faith cried, under Ra's' hand. She leaned on her right ribs, arms reaching in the air for Ra's.

"No. No, we're done, Faith."

Oliver popped open the door and rushed in. Ra's turned and rose from the bed. Faith let out a loud grunt as she lunged forward, grabbd Ra's' waist, and burrowed with her face to lick under the hem of his shirt. Ra's paused. Oliver socked him in the face. "Guh! Could you wait a moment, Mr. Queen?"

"Sure! Just don't make any sudden movements."

Ra's tilted his head down to look at Faith, stroking her hair with his left hand. "Now, was that so hard, Faith?"

"I'm sorry." Faith said, nuzzling into his hand and Ra's playing with her hair and face in response. "I didn't expect my command to actually work, or the ritual, and then for you to find me, a-and I panicked when you forced yourself on me when you came to my apartment. Can we just... go somewhere else to do this? And then you can leave me alone, and be finished, like we all want?"

"Do I get to keep your child?" Ra's gripped Faith's chin and looked in her eyes.

"You want me to die from a high-risk pregnancy?"

"Your life has no value to me, Faith."

"But you keep pursuing me, and I keep letting you get this close to me. Either I die trying to give you a human baby,"

"What about a dragon baby?"

"There's no magic O-type star here. It wouldn't survive."

"I'm sure we could figure something out."

"No, Ra's. That's an absolute. The O-star is why there are dragons in Thalassic Space."

"Did you just make that up?"

"No, it's real." Faith said. Ra's sighed tiredly and dropped his hand.

"I don't want you."

"Ra's, record it. Dangle my lust for you, a villain, above the heads of people who will hate me and depend on me, in the future."

"You want me to blackmail you?" Ra's sounded intrigued.

"Does that sound fair, since you're going to threaten my life just by fucking me?"

Ra's turned his lips upwards. "Yes, that will suffice."

"Thank you. Now, can we please go somewhere else?"

"Hmph. Yes. I know where to take you." Ra's looked at Oliver. "I'll have her back in the morning, eight o'clock."

"Sounds good." 'I know he won't bring her back, but complacency is required. Hopefully, Faith can hold on until we get her out.' Oliver then said to Faith, "Stay safe." Faith nodded. Oliver left the room, closing the door.

"Grab my shoulders. I'll carry you there."

The alley that Ra's descended into was uncondtionally narrow. Ra's made two steps to a dark grey door with a spyhole. He knocked five times, paused, then three times. Three seconds passed. The door opened, the only part of its operator visible dark hair, tan skin, Asian eyes and a black blouse.

Ra's stepped inside, and as the door master shut the door, Ra's knelt to let Faith down. He held her right wrist tightly and bent with his chest, and made eye contact. He said, "Keep your eyes to the floor and don't say anything, unless you want trouble." Faith nodded.

'Yeah, he's just gonna sell me, isn't he?' Faith thought. They slowed as they came to a door, to the left of the large main room, and one of the men outside the door knocked and spoke Japanese to the person inside. The person, a man, replied, then the door was opened, and Ra's walked Faith inside, the door closing behind them. Whlie Ra's talked with the man, in Japanese, Faith kept her eyes lowered.

"You have not made an appointment, al Ghul. Who is this?" Said the man. "She has nice boobs and beautiful hair, and she is short, but she has too much meat on her legs and stomach. Not many of my customers will like her."

"This is Faith. She's twenty-four years old, and a virgin. She's a metahuman who can become a dragon. She denied me what was promised to me, and I no longer want her. I want 100 thousand dollars for her."

"If she's a dragon, then she's a risk to this establishment. I refuse."

"She is mortal. You shoot her with a gun, she dies. You cut her with a knife, she dies. 100 thousand dollars."

The man rose from his chair, walked around, and gripped Faith's chin, rudely forcing her to look at him. Faith estimated the man to be in his late fifties with a average height, but large hands and firm chest and arm muscles. His black hair was cut short, his dark eyes and nose unremarkable, and his round face had a good jawline. He wore a white-silver dress jacket, a white carnation corsage, a tan shirt with a komodo dragon scale pattern and black hem-work, black trousers, and black dress shoes.

"Smile." Said the man, in English. "With your teeth." Faith did as asked. He forced her face to whip down and leftwards as he stepped in front of Ra's and spoke angrily in Japanese to Ra's. "Her teeth are rotten!"

"They aren't that bad." Ra's responded cooly.

The man said to Faith, "Why are you teeth so ugly, girl? Huh? Are you too lazy to brush your teeth? Do you have no job, so you can't go to a dentist?"

"I usually don't have energy to brush my teeth."

"Argh!" The man scrambled his hands near his chest.

"And whenever my dentist appointment comes around, I don't have money because I need it for food and other personal things."

"Oh, like what?" The man cross his arms.

"I spend money on birthdays, too."

The man flourished his right arm. "What, do you buy presents for your whole family, all year 'round?"

"No, just my mom and brother. Personal things like household items and hygenic things, plus leisure."

"Well, it's a good thing you're so ugly, so you can spend all of your money on yourself, huh?" The man bent to level his face with Faith's, and spit in her face as he said, "Huh!?"

"Yamagata-san. If you don't want her, I'll find another buyer. She has a pale, round face, beautiful, big green eyes and thick hair. Don't you think Lei-Xiānshēng would like to have her?"

Yamagata's face became deep red. "Ra's al Ghul, I ought to put a bullet in your head for sayin the name of that swine."

"Do you want the girl, or not?"

Yamagata was silent for several seconds. "You want 100 thousand for her?"

"That's right."

Yamagata addressed Faith. "Are you really a dragon metahuman?"

Faith sighed. 'If I lie, it'll be worse.' "Yes."

"I would ask you to show me, but that would give you a chance to escape."

"I... I don't want to. Look, I want to accept responsibility for how I treated Ra's. This is the least I can do."

"Ha. Ha ha!" Yamagata looked at Ra's. "Ha ha ha ha! Aha ha ha ha ha, ha ha ha ha ha ha! This little bitch is crazy!" Yamagato looked back at Faith. "This is the last thing you're going to do, Miss Lawson. You've just given Ra's al Ghul permission to sell you to a Japanese sex club! At least you're not my only white-faced girl, bwa ha ha!"

Ra's said, "Yamagata-san. You want her. She has anxiety, depression, and assumedly PTSD. Like I said, she's a virgin. Surely one of your sons will think Faith is worthy of his attention."

Yamagata was briefly speechless, his eyes thoughtful as they looked at Ra's' face. He smiled. "You have a deal, Ra's."

"Excellent." Ra's said, donning a similar grin.

Faith thought, 'Uh-oh. That's not a good smile. I don't have to go through with this, I can transform or use magic at any time. I am the O-type star of Thalassic Space. But I also want to be done with this. I don't want my virginity and my hormones to get in the way, anymore.'

Yamagata went to the right side of his desk and interacted with the framing of a portrait of a Japanese girl in a bikini seated mermaid-style on a beach. The portrait swung open, and Yamagata fiddled with a safe. He opened it, grabbed cash, put it in a black suitcase stored in the cabinets behind the desk, and gave the suitcase to Ra's. The men had a firm handshake. "A pleasure, al Ghul."

"As always, Yamagata-san." Ra's turned and left the room without another glance or word to Faith.

Yamagata took hold of Faith's arms and turned her to the door. "Let's get you ready, little dragon." He forced her to walk out of the office, and Faith seized the opportunity to look at the main room. It was a club with dark purple and pink lighting, and ample seating space made of black polyester and black leather with glass coffee tables and side tables with black frames. In the middle of the area was an area for dancing, beyond it a bar, against the left wall, to the right of the bar black table sets with matching chairs. To the right of the back seating space, the ceiling extended higher, and there were dancing poles with seating and tables, and black stairs to an upper area.

'It's empty!' Faith's mind remarked. 'I'm guessing they're closed, even though it's Monday, because Yamagata's sons aren't home.'

"Curiosity killed the cat, Miss Faith." Yamagata said.

"Sorry." Faith replied, moving her eyes to the floor.

"No, you're not."

"I'm Canadian."

"And too willing to share personal details. You'll be lucky if you live to see the morning." Yamagata said. They went left, past the furniture, into a door on the same wall as the office, and the six woman inside all turned their attention to Yamagata. The walls were white and the floors black oak hardwood.

Closest and left of the door was a kitchen with a stainless steel kitchen sink, stove-oven and microwave, and a small white marble counter space with a white cabinet and cupboard. A black table set with four matching chairs was nearby, then two black polyester sofas, an armchair and a loveseat. A 62" TV screen positioned to the left wall where the living area furniture was placed played a Japanese daytime talk show. The TV stand containing a DVD player, gaming consoles, and its vertical shelves held a collection of discs and game controllers. Two Japanese women occupied the couch, and a young woman, sat on the armchair.

'She's white passing, like one of my Homestuck friends. Nice.' Faith thought.

Against the wall after the living area furniture were two vanity desks, the rightmost occupied by a young Black Japanese woman. A pair of white dressers, a walk-in closet, and two black bookshelves with novels, manga, comics, magazines and framed photos were on the wall to the right of the door. Against the wall behind the living area were two queen sized mattresses with black and white bedding, and two Japanese girls, visually the youngest, laid on the rightmost bed. Both had long, black hair and dark eyes. The one closest to the foot of the bed wore red lingerie, and the other wore hot pink. The outer sides of each bed had a black nightstand with a black lamp.

Faith batted her eyes upon observing the room, and how the girls were relaxed. 'Wow. I'm actually impressed!'

Yamagata said, "Clean her up. Have her pick a name in Japanese. Ask what her favourite colour is. I want her to look extra skimpy for Henjin."

'Henjin? Never heard of that name before.' In Faith's mind, stories and characters enlightened her of the truth. 'Oh. It's a nickname. For one of his sons. For the sexual, social outcast of his sons, who likes ugly virgins he can manipulate easily, because no one else wants them. For me, it's not that I'm visually ugly. I've had boyfriends, although three out of four were online. My heart is ugly. And so is Henjin's, by the sound of it.'

"Yes, Yamagata-san." The women answered as Faith let out a shallow breath, and Yamagata looked at Faith.

Faith whispered, "Oh, I'm fucked."

Yamagata saw her expression and smirked. "You had better wisen up, Faith. Henjin doesn't like ugly girls who don't know their place." He chuckled and exited the room, shutting the door.

One of the women seated on the couch got to her feet, and came to Faith. "Do you speak Japanese?" The woman had shoulder-length hair and wispy bangs, and dark eyes. She wore a dark orange shirt, jeans and black converse.

Faith recognised the sentence from watching anime and Youtube, but shook her head. "I can if I cheat."

"Cheat?" Lightly accented.

"I'm a metahuman. I can become a dragon."

"And Yamagata-san agreed to hire you?"

"Ra's al Ghul brought me here." All movement paused. The TV and a the TikToks of the girls on the bed were all that could be heard. "Long story short, we had a shared wet dream. I'm from Earth-33."

"I-I was scared, I didn't think my command in the dream for Ra's to learn how to reach me using a liminal space from my jumpscare girl Persona would work! I-I just thought it was a very lucid dream, like the sex we had!" Faith said.

The woman in the orange shirt hummed.

The young woman on the armchair had strawberry blonde hair to her waist, heavy sectioned bangs, and rich brown eyes. She wore a white, strapless dress with a tinge of pink, pale pink chiffon and soft yellow stars decorating the front. She asked, in English, "Did he take your virginity?"

"While that wasn't the first time I've had sex in a dream, yes, I'm a virgin." Faith said. "After he grabbed one of my magic items from my dragon tomb, he found the door to my apartment in that liminal place and forced himself upon me while I was still asleep."

The woman, and the other on the couch, with a bleached silver pixie cut, and light brown eyes, clicked their tongues. "Oh, that's scary!"

"That's also why I rejected Ra's. I panicked and ordered the liminal space to hold him while I packed a bag. I thought he would just bring me home. He brought me to━" 'Nope, can't say Wayne Manor.' Faith had paused, and swayed, feigning that she was tired, but she actually was, since it was nighttime and she was supposed to be asleep, so it became a genuine motion. The woman in front of her steadied Faith with her arms, and brought her to sit on the vacant bed, together. "The Batcave, and he threatened to kill me in front of Batman." 'That's essentially true.' Faith thought.

"Ra's cut himself with the item he stole, thinking it would give me control of the liminal space, and creatures from the space took him into a room to rough him up. I ordered the creatures to go home, and I sent Ra's into a door to his home. Batman and I knew he wouldn't stop pursuing me. So, I started training with him and the Batkids."

The women on the couch and armchair and the woman at the vanity desk gasped. "Cool!" Said the woman on the couch. Faith giggled.

"Hey, I know what you said!" Faith said. The seated girls giggled, and so did the ones on the bed. "This morning, I opened a portal to the outside of my dragon tomb to claim my powers and items to me,"

"Wait, really?" Muttered the girl in black lingerie on the bed, turning her head to look at Faith. She had long black hair with curtained bangs, and dark blue eyes.

"I think she's serious about her being a dragon!" Said the girl in red lingerie. She had long black hair, choppy bangs, and mid-brown eyes.

"And I went inside with the Batkids, Batman, Wonder Woman and Zatanna, who had come along on behalf of the League and because Zatanna was going to help me with my magic."

"Waaa!" Said the girl in red lingerie.

"That's so cool!" Said the girl in black lingerie.

"Lucky!" Said the Black Japanese girl. She had chest length locks and dark eyes, and wore a black version of the dress the strawberry blonde wore with bright blue chiffon and vivid green stars.

"But one my friends guarding the final room, who was my lover in a past life, exposed me for liking some of the Batkids, and they freaked out, 'cause I'd become part of their family."

"Did you expect that?" Said the strawberry blonde.

"The reaction to be disgust and shock? Yes. For it to be as drastic as it was, or to be revealed by someone other than me? No."

"Ah."

"I walked back with Wonder Woman and Zatanna in the darkness left by Batman's cape, and that wasn't fun for my anxiety."

"Oop." Said the Black woman.

"The Batkids punished me for my betrayal of trust. One dumped dishwater with bacon grease on me, one gave me a nasty bunny plush, and the one with a sword was going to hurt me before Batman stopped him."

"Damn!"

"I'm sorry they bullied you instead of just talking." Said the woman in the orange shirt. The woman on the couch nodded.

"Batgirl did text me, tonight, apologising. She thinks Nightwing and Red Robin have forgiven me, too."

"But not the rest?"

"No. I wouldn't expect them to."

"Soooo, Wonder Woman and Zatanna brought you here?" Said the Black woman.

"They asked me if I wanted to go to a homeless shelter or help, and I chose help. So, yes they brought me here, to Green Arrow. After he was caught up, he accepted me, and my apology, and why I wouldn't have acted on those desires, and especially don't want to, now."

"They scared you pretty good, huh?"

"Yeah, it wasn't fun."

"Well, at least a few of 'em had it in their hearts to forgive you."

"Oh yeah, big time. Everything was fine, until tonight. I had just met Zatanna in the dream world to do some training when I felt Ra's start to take off my pants." The women all grumbled and tsked.

"Oh, we're sorry." Said the woman in the orange shirt.

"He didn't manage anything, though. We struggled for a few seconds before Green Arrow came in the room, just as I hugged Ra's, and that made him pause. I told him "sorry", and the truth about why I didn't submit to him, and I asked him to take me somewhere to fulfill my promise. Green Arrow allowed it because Ra's said he'd bring me back in the morning. I figured he was lying, and I know Green Arrow knew it, for sure."

"Sounds like you've had a rough past few days." Said the woman in the orange shirt. Faith nodded. "What's your name?"

"Faith." The girl in red lingerie began to quietly practice the name.

"Faith. You know what that is in Japanese, don't you?"

Faith nodded, a little smile on her face. "信仰 (Shinko)."

"Yes, Shinko. My name is Jennifer, in English. It's directly from my Japanese name, 純粋な (Junsuina). You can call me Jennie." Faith nodded. "We've got Sekine, on the couch," Sekine waved, and Faith returned the gesture. "That's Kiki,"

"Hi-i!" Said Kiki.

"Hi!" Faith replied. "White passing, right?"

"Yes, I'm white passing."

"Cool! I like your dress!"

Kiki tilted her her head, batting her lashes. "Thank you! I made it myself!"

"That's Hamako, at the vanity,"

"Hi, girl! You can call me Leia, when we're not out in the club, 'kay!"

"Yes, OK!" 'I'll call her that in my head, too.'

"I made the designs Kiki and I are wearing."

"Oh, nice! Both versions are good!"

"Aw, thank you!"

"Thank you!" Said Kiki.

Jennie said, "And on the bed, in red, is Mai."

"Hello, Faith-chan!"

"And Fuga is wearing black."

"Welcome to One Night Fever!" Said Fuga. "一夜の熱 (Ichiya no Netsu)!"

"Ooh, that's a good name for a nightclub." Faith said.

"Noooo!"

"Noooooo!" Mai added.

"It's such a bad name!"

"It's so cringe! It was named by a nineteen year old boomer named━"

"Yamagata Jin!" Mai and Fuga laughed heartily. The others girls and Faith laughed along.

Jennie said, "You probably already know this, but sex work is dangerous."

Faith nodded more. "Yes, I know from listening to active and retired sex workers, online."

"It's especially dangerous in spaces owned by men like our boss, Yamagata-san. You're in the sex working circle, now. And Henjin, the nickname of Yamagata-san's youngest boy, who Yamagata-san wants to meet you, will bring you further into the pit, if he likes you. If Henjin doesn't, you'll get a harsh slap on the face, and his penis up your ass while you suck on the dick of one of his buddies, and the other one rapes your pussy."

Faith cringed her face. "That's not nice."

"No, it's not."

"Sorry," Said Sekine. "But since the Justice League are going to come for you━actually, it's a wonder why they aren't here, already,"

"It might just be the Arrows."

"Oh! Well, what's taking them so long?"

"They might be dealing with the League of Assassins. And no, Ra's no longer has access to the liminal space, the Batkids made sure I fixed that."

"Oh, OK. So then, if this place is going to get busted, where are we going to go?"

"Right, 'cause you're all legitimate sex workers."

"Mhm!" "Yep." The women all said, humming as well.

"I could use my Role as a Cultist of Asherah to help you get new, safe jobs." Mai and Fuga gasped. Faith looked at them, and at the other women, who looked a little hopeful. "Well, "safe" in quotation marks, for the usual reasons, unless you want to leave this galaxy."

"Mm, yeah, no thanks, I think we'll stay here."

"Yeah." Said Sekine. The women all laughed.

"Cult of Asherah?" Said Kiki.

"Yeah, what's that?" Asked Leia.

"There used to be prostitutes outside the Temples of Yahweh, in the very early days of worshipping Yahweh. The Yahwehists didn't like it, and demolished it. We only know they danced around gold painted trees or wooden poles. I've revived it to have importance in my stories in that it educates children and protects sex workers, and women, youth and queer people at risk."

"Oh, that's cool." Said Sekine.

"That's actually really cool. Like, a good idea to work with." Said Leia. "I bet your stories are good."

"Thank you! Been working on Thalassic Space for four years, now."

"Nice!"

"Um, but if the Arrows don't help you, I will. Hell, if I could go around the world, saving people with all of my demigoddess powers, without fear of people calling me Mary Sue or me punishing myself for being too strong by putting myself into horror media that I like, for a night of terror, I'd do it!"

Sekine said, "So you aren't doing it out of fear and to be humble."

"The first of those things, yes, but I wouldn't say it's to be humble. I would call it being fair, and not cheating. Yes, there's some stupidly powerful people, already, but I, I just don't feel like it would be fun to use all of my power. I will, if absolutely necessary, and I have a plan, or just a little bit of an idea, since me improvising with no feedback is how things get messy." Faith said. The women all responded with hums of processing and head bobs.

Faith glanced at the door, then beckoned for Jennie to come closer. Kiki and Sekine perked their ears, Leia tilted her head to listen, and Mai and Fuga turned their heads, too. Faith whispered, "But if you give me a present, declaring it to be for the Goshenite Stargazer Dragon, I can grant you a morally good wish to help you, someone else, or nature, without being a Mary Sue because my Dragon Persona is a wish-granting dragon. Rocks, flowers, gemstones, seeds and saplings, and art of any kind, be it visual, digital or performance."

"Ohhhh." Jennie softly said. Mai and Fuga whispered among themselves.

"My right eye, a magic O-type star, creates, and is a source of magic, and is why the wish-making is possible. I've got two other Personas, but the relevant one is the dragon."

"Wow!"

"Well, you've got our attention, Faith." Said Leia.

"We'll, uh, get back to you on that, tomorrow night." Said Sekine. Faith lifted her cheeks, and nodded. "I'll translate for Mai and Fuga so they get the full picture." Sekine rose from the couch and sat on the bed Mai and Fuga occupied.

"Thanks!" Faith replied, then withdrew her body from Jennie, who draped her right arm behind Faith's back, holding her left arm. At a normal volume, "Now, can we play dress-up for big girls?"

"Oh yes," Jennie said, Sekine, Leia and Kiki laughing with her. "Yes, now we can play dress-up." While walking Faith to the dressers, she said, "What's your favourite colour?"

"Blue! Dark blues, like midnight or navy. Bright blue is nice, too."

"Oh, yes," Jennie said, opening one of the drawers as Faith removed her pyjama pants. "We have both. Your feet look so painful." Jennie said, handing Faith some items.

"Only if I walk or stand for too long. This one," Faith shook her right foot, then removed her pants. "Is really sensitive to being banged against things, though."

"Ooh, I bet. But you can fight?"

"I'm decent, for two days of training, as a person with disability. I should be able to hold my own until I need to use magic, or the Arrows come, and we all go out together."

Jennie nodded firmly. "We'll give you sexy boots. You know that Kiki can sew. She has fabrics of all kinds, so she can make it fit."

"Hell yeah!" Kiki said.

Faith said, "Awesome."

"And, we'll teach you how to act in front of Henjin and the customers for tomorrow night, when the boss' sons are supposed to come home from Japan for a big party, OK?"

Faith nodded. "Well, let's see what fits!"

"Fingers crossed!"

Click emoji to navigate to the next chapter. (To be posted! If you'd like to be tagged in the next chapter, let me know.)

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sailerboy · 4 months ago

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Interesting Microsoft Windows facts you may not know since they don't want you to know.

Suprise: I have found that 95% of third party software plus older microsoft software including ( WINDOWS XP, Win 7, Win 10 ) will run incredibly fast on Windows 11. Even Microsoft office 10 including outlook, excel, word +. Heck, I am running the original version of Visual Basic, Photoshop 7, Affinity Photo, Dragon Naturally Speaking and more. So don't chunk your old software.

#Microsoft #will older software run on Windows 11 #getting a new windows 11

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lemonhemlock · 2 years ago

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I'm probably one of the few who finds the bits we got from Aegon as a character—while "inconsistent", disorganized and tonally a whirlwind—compelling, fascinating and worth inspecting and exploring (and maybe romanticizing and sexualizing :P). And this includes the textual sexual violence, and the heavily implied child sexual assault (whether pedophilic in nature or not aside for now). And though I understand people creating a fanon version expunging these sociopsychologically horrific, and fictionally hard to stomach aspects of his character, I can't say I even want to! I find him compelling because of these aspects, wanting the presentation of it may be for now.

His narrative, arc, symbolism and themes, and not to mention TGC's performance so far, are all just too compelling for me to pass on! Obviously biased, but frankly it's difficult to believe someone would read f&b and not realize the potential of his character and the entailing entertainment... On this note, I do have to say I find the complaints of certain fandom parts (they happen to be Aegon stans, and both team green and team black) about the choice to centre Alicent (both in the narrative and in Aegon's life) pretty disagreeable. It's wack, trite, and bitter. There are clear timeline oopsies and confusions due to the changes, and behind the complaints are genuine arguments to be made for an Update House of The Dragon that could have been, but the game ain't always fair... Just accept you are stanning a minor character, cast villain, stuffed like a pigeon with turkey filling, and eat your 10 minutes of beady eyed screentime. And just make everything about him? When someone takes a sip of wine, it's secretly about Aegon btw. All windows are about Aegon, when they are not about Alicent. Every dragonbond is secretly about Aegon/Sunfyre if you squint hard enough, George told me himself.

I think the major reasons why he comes off as deeply unlikable to the casual viewers (not even addressing the green/black tribalism for now) are due to unflattering framing and POVs that position him as either a gross nuisance, obstacle or clear antagonizing force. Some of this is due to needing certain characters covering certain aspects of a certain themes. How do the royals treat their servants? Good—bad is a big spectrum. Sexual violence is on it, and it happens to fall into Aegon's realm. And while considering the many other unflattering characteristics, u could argue this is overkill or unfair to Aegon, I gotta counter that's a deficient way of looking at fictional narratives. This character-lasered reading misses the forest for the trees. Not every character has to be likeable, relatable, or sympathetic from the get-go. And honestly, I think the many atrocities Aegon is collecting like Pokemon balls to be amusing and kinda compelling.

In another narrative, a character like Aegon's would b a byronic obsession in someone's romantic/gothic story, or a horror villain, or a god harassing poor mortal souls. There are very fun bits and pieces stuck in this guy and even in this age of many studios bucketing under fanbacklash, a guy can just hope the writers find him worthwhile enough a character. And rant into ur lovely inbox ofc.

And at the end of the day, people are just not gonna like a guy LOL. No amount of screentime or birthing scenes or dragonriding can make me find Rhaenyra compelling, and no lack thereof can make me find Alicent, Helaena, or Baela less compelling, speaking of female hotd characters only.

Okay almost.

Being they plan to introduce golden boy turned war criminal Daeron, I believe a both fun and horrific decision would be to make him compassionate towards Aegon's plights and woes and thus give the audience an entry into sympathizing with Aegon, which the writers clearly want us to do, all interviews and panels considered, cope and seethe as I have!

Are we even going to get a Daeron/Greenfam interaction? LOL What a deeply unserious show.

I would like to start off by thanking you for leaving such an interesting ask in my inbox! I think this conversation is a little overdue, since there’s been perhaps an emergence of the school of thought (lol) that suggests that greens upset or critiquing Aegon’s extra dark portrayal in the show are somehow whitewashing him or woobifying him. IMO that fundamentally showcases a divergence in people’s priorities in storytelling and how they interact with this fictional universe. I, myself, am very intrigued by dark!Aegon in fics and most of the works I enjoy tend to deal with taboo topics, so it’s a little unfair to paint everyone with the same dismissive brush.

However, I’m not just a HotD show watcher, I have been engaging with ASOIAF one way or another for over a decade now and I think I can mount a workable interpretation of how this series operates. One of the reasons I actually love it so much is because it has internal thematic logic and because, generally speaking, the characters that inhabit it are appropriately rewarded or sanctioned by the narrative (or at least it seems to be heading in this direction re: its endgame). Believe it or not, I was thinking of answering this ask by ranting about Ned Stark, but I decided not to, because we’d be here all day. 😅

Anyway, point is that I’m not very willing to sacrifice that aspect for the sake of character exploration that contradicts with the main themes and messages of the story. People are certainly free to disagree with me on this, of course.

I imagine it is a tricky business for authors, trying to decide exactly which and how much of a flavour of awful to assign to a character without ruining the rest of the story. Some might start with an outline or a feel for where they want the story to go, but, if you happen to create a character that veers off your intended path or seems to write itself in a direction you never planned for, it would be honest for you as a writer to acknowledge that and accommodate that accordingly in your story. Which isn’t truly a possibility here, as we need the characters to hit certain beats in the narrative and, ideally, they should do it in a believable way. This is often a problem I have found with Fire and Blood and lord knows I’ve already dissected it enough times here, if anyone cares to take a gander - the fact that characters are sometimes prevented to grow organically, because George needs them to perform certain actions in order to move the plot along. So, ideally, a good story would find a balance between these two scenarios.

So to me my main anti-argument is that the Dance was never a story just about Aegon, this is not the exploration of a fucked-up psycho rapist and why he does the things he does and how he thinks the things he thinks. While that certainly might be an interesting avenue, I am not super convinced the Dance of the Dragons could offer the appropriate space in which that kind of exploration could be pursued in a satisfying manner. This is an ensemble piece, and while Aegon is an important part of it, he also exists in relation to other characters. This exaggerated degradation of his would inevitably bring down his entire ��side” with him and that, in turn, ultimately throws off the balance of the entire story.

Let’s stop for a minute and take a look at what they decided to go with in the show. Rhaenyra has consistently received the framing that her “mistakes” amount to (at most) victimless crimes (she is absolved from murdering Vaemond and the show makes no effort to explain the havoc caused by screwing up inheritance laws). Whereas what do we have for Aegon? 1. raping and terrorizing servants to the point of panic attacks; 2. enjoyer of the child-fighting sport; 3. implied sexual assault of children. This is beyond caricature. The addition that he enjoys watching his own children fight and that they file down their teeth to make them more formidable, stuff that wasn’t even in the books, is just downright infuriating.

These are not traits you endow a character with because you’re interested in exploring the deep dark depths of human depravity. That task was always impossible in the first place with a character who has so little screen time anyway and I would argue it was never really a priority anyway. The intention was always to make Rhaenyra look good by comparison and that’s not something I can respect from a storytelling perspective.

Note that this is the starting point for Aegon and Rhaenyra. This is supposed to show how they behave before the war, in a relatively stress-free situation, when they’re unburdened by war trauma and their family dying - explanations that could be given as reasons for their later ruthlessness. But nothing show!Rhaenyra (or even book!Rhaenyra) has ever done could ever hope to amount to the trifecta of awfulness that they assigned to show!Aegon.

So, what exactly are we doing here? The point of Aegon and Rhaenyra as direct adversaries was always that they inhabit a similar plane. It’s not even about Aegon being likable or sympathetic, it’s about the fact that it separates him too much from Rhaenyra and it positively sanctifies Rhaenyra by comparison. You could certainly prefer one over the other, but their differences are meant to inspire conversation; they cannot be so completely removed from one another as to operate in different leagues of morality. If we monsterize Aegon too much, we don’t even have the space to properly explore that in the story and it would mess too much with the way his character needs to evolve in order to hit the particular narrative beats that George decided are set in stone. So giving him these massive transgressions as a starting point and turning him basically into the Antichrist throws the rest of his arc off balance for me and the thematic parallels become too off-kilter for me to be able to enjoy it.

To me Rhaenyra’s story is very reminiscent of (white) feminism, very “rights for me but not for thee”: a rich, white, privileged woman fighting for her own advancement and not caring about the plight of anyone else. The Dance of the Dragons is meant to inspire conversation and debate, both on the legal front and on the political utilitarian front. Is male primogeniture fair, even if it maintains stability in the realm? Can we change that? How? Does shifting to simple primogeniture when it comes to royal succession engender progress in some way? Should royal succession reflect inheritance laws for the rest of the population? How are laws changed in a medieval common law system? Is it fair for the King to change laws however he wants, at the drop of the hat, or should the lords have some say? What can/should the King do if his vassals refuse to abide by his choices? When it comes to waging a destructive war to replace one “unworthy” candidate for the throne with another “unworthy” candidate, where do we place that on the moral spectrum? Is the population thriving/not dying in war more or less important than maintaining male primogeniture? Is it really worth it just to have a nominal female successor that won’t really bring about systemic change? These questions are really worth exploring and there are no straightforward answers to them, but if Aegon is Satan on Earth, none of these questions matter anymore, because Rhaenyra automatically becomes the better option and no price is steep enough to pay to get rid of Aegon. And the point never was that Rhaenyra would make a better ruler than Aegon or is even a better person than Aegon; trying to shoehorn her into that narrative only hurts the story overall.

There’s something to be said for the fact that in the last stages of the war, Aegon’s and Rhaenyra’s journeys inversely parallel each other: while Rhaenyra is rejected by the population and kicked out of King’s Landing while she’s occupying the Iron Throne, Aegon manages to convince people on Dragonstone to fight for him and he takes the castle with little resistance. There is something to be said for the fact that it’s Aegon who gets to kill Rhaenyra, not the other way around. That he’s the one who gets to live that little while longer. The author could have simply chosen for them to have one last battle and end up killing each other, but he doesn’t. And IMO we would not be able to get to that point in the story in a way that feels true and organic to the internal logic of this fictional universe if we corrupt Aegon’s development and make him so reprehensible to begin with.

TLDR: I take issue with HotD’s portrayal of Aegon in direct comparison with the text of Fire and Blood, but I am open to dark!Aegon explorations in fic. However, I do not feel like this is appropriate in canon, as it messes too much with the balance of the story and corrupts the wider themes and messages, both of the Dance of the Dragons and of the ASOIAF series in general.

#i also like the fact that they centered the story on rhaenyra and alicent #you can even argue it's in line with authorial intention to a certain extent #the princess AND the queen #however aegon and rhaenyra are also the leaders of their respective factions #and whatever they do/are reflects on their entire camp #as figureheads of the civil war they should not be operating on differing planes of morality #ask #anon #aegon ii targaryen #hotd critical [aegon]#hotd critical [rhaenyra]#hotd critical [storytelling]

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mediocres-writing-blog · 1 year ago

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Requiem Mirror; Chapter 7: Midnight stroll

10 p.m., Billie sits near the bar at the Black Dragon fight club, sipping a drink while still shaken up after the event that took place a week or so ago. Soon enough, Kano comes in to check on his daughter. He pulls up a folding chair and sits by the dragoness.

Kano: Hey, you good, girl? Still shaken up about what happened in that arena?

Billie: Huh? Oh uh, yeah, thanks. I'm fine, don't worry.

Kano: Ya know, I went through something simmilar in my day.

Billie: When did ya become a gandpa?

Kano: (chuckles) I'm serious though. But hey, there's a reason I gave you that knife for keepsakes.

Billie: Thanks for lookin' out, pop.

Kano: It's aight. Now go to sleep, you need to rest.

She heads to her room and waits for a couple hours for it to be completely silent. She looked at her phone to see a message by the caped crusader that reads „Meet me @ the bridge near that fast food when u can“ she responded with an „OMW“ and climbed out of her window and went to the place they're ment to meet up. Sometime around midnight, Nico is leaning on the side of the bridge and notices Billie walking down and waving him hi.

Nico: Maybe you could have came over before the police hour?

Billie: Maybe I would've made it sooner if I didn't have to get here from 2 miles away.

Robin: Alright, sorry, no need to get your green steamed.

Billie: So, why'dya called me here for?

Robin: I, don't really know. Guess I want to know the other side a bit better. Plus, you didn't tell me everything.

Billie: Sure.

They walked down the street, with the city lights glimmering bellow them. The two spitball questions like „how's it going?“ and such, and it was like this for the fifteen minutes, but then bird man started asking more in-depth things.

Robin: So, is there something you didn't tell me the first time we talked properly?

Billie: I'm not getting into this scar on my neck. Not in a thousand years, ya bird-fucker.

Robin: Alright, playing hard to get i see... Hey how 'bout this? I tell you my story that i've never told anyone ever, and in exchange, you can consider telling me about that scar. Deal?

Billie seemed anoyed, but intereseted where this could go. She shrugged and responded.

Billie: Sure, shoot.

Robin: I, never really had someone to rely on. As a kid, my folks and I lived as slaves under Shao Kahn's iron fist. I managed to escape, but when i came back with these blades (tugs his jacket, revealing his two daggers), I was too late. They were killed and, my spirit was broken, and I slain every living man in that outpost. I've got my revenge, but at what cost?

Billie's eyes grew wider, as she didn't know this tragic story of her new found friend.

Nico: I started hunting and killing one or two crimminals, like a hyper-violant web slinger that I almost completely am.

Billie: Jesus Christ... I'm, sorry I didn't...

Robin: Hey, don't worry about it. I let my almost childish nature take over, it dulls the stress. And helps me cope with how thing are currently.

Billie was shocked, as she didn't know someone like Robin could have such a dark past.

Billie: I... Never really gave much though to other's stories. I guess I've been blinded by my own demons that I didn't know how some people can be so scarred.

Robin: There's nothing wrong with not knowing those around you. It's wrong to judge by purely first impression. Or not asking without knowing someone in the first place. That was bassically our first meeting a year back.

Billie: Oh yeah, I forgot 'bout that whole fiasco. And uh, sorry I tried to kill you durring the whole other-world tournament thing.

Nico: Hey, i'm sorry you had to almost relive through the neck cutting thing, speaking of which...?

Nico said, as he gestured toward the scar on the dragonesses neck.

Billie: Alright... my pops, mum and I were on a mission, and during an intervention arc bullshit, was done by some Reiko bastard.

Robin: General Reiko? He's just a menace through and through, huh?

Billie: Don't worry about it. Decapitated him afterwards.

Robin: You?

Billie: Yep.

Robin: Killed Reiko?

Billie: Yeeep.

Robin: By decapitation.

Billie: With a spear I made up from blood magic.

Nico: I'm impressed. Even i didn't dare stand up to the likes of Shao and Reiko.

Billie: They really need to learn to stop jobbing.

Robin: Absolutely, they needed some new hobbies.

They lived and laughed as the snow started to fall down and the lights bellow shimmered. They even grabbed a coffee on the way back. Robin even explained Siris why Tremor and Kabal left the B.D.

Billie: so, what you're saying is: Tremor left because Smoke convinced him that he doesn't belong to me dad, and uncle Carlos dipped all those years back because he got fed up with doing crime and shit. Right?

Robin: Where theres Smoke, theres drama, and now they're both retired. Tremor went to find some place called „the Dream realm“ and Kabal has retired permanently. Who knows? Maybe be got married with the woman of his dreams and is living happily. But thats just a theory.

Billie: Kabal married? That's a mental image I never thought I needed.

Robin: May even sound dumber if he were married to a demon woman and got a puppy.

Billie: (laughing hysterically) I don't Know what's funnier, the fact you just said that, or the fact that i imagined him living in a highly weaponized mansion while monologuing...

The crusader laughed along, as he held onto the steel railing of the bridge. They exchange insults, as they deside to call it a night and say their goodbyes.

Billie: Hope to see ya again, ya red fuckwit!

Robin: You too, blood-bitch. Whoops, recycled jokes!

They wave goodbye and head back to their factions base's. Billie, not awakening anyone, heads back to bed. Robin, almost perfectly quietly sneaks back to the bedrooms through the lounge, but was eventually caught by Sonya.

Robin: (whispering) Do you ever go to sleep?

Sonya: (whispering back) Do you ever stop sneaking around? What were you doing out there?

Robin: (smirking) Just taking in the night air. You should try it sometime.

Sonya: (raising an eyebrow) You're up to something.

Robin: Just enjoying the peace and quiet. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got beauty sleep to catch up on--

Sonya: You're terrible at lying.

Robin: What do you mean?

Sonya: I've known you long enough to see when you're hiding something.

Robin: I've worked here for less than 5 months, the fuck you mean?

Sonya: You've got that look, like there's more going on in that head of yours than you let on.

Robin: (giggling) Maybe I'm just a mysterious guy.

Sonya: (rolling her eyes) Mysterious, my ass. Don't get into any trouble, or you answer to me.

Robin: (jokingly) Kinda doing that right now, and I'm losing minutes of sleep because of it.

Sonya: (unimpressed) You're always finding a way to test my patience, aren't you?

Robin: Part of my charm, captain of zero f's.

Robin went back to his room. Johnny eventually wakes up to this commotion, holding his pre-heated mug of coffee, looking higher than a kite.

Johnny: (yawning) What's going on? Did I miss something?

Sonya: Oh, nothing much. Just your protégé sneaking back in past curfew. You know, the usual.

Johnny: Which one, Cassie, Takeda or Robin?

Sonya: The outworld one.

Johnny, taking a sip of his coffee, raises an eyebrow.

Johnny: Oh, the new kid? What he do?

Sonya: He keeps sneaking out without anyone's permission, like some teen in a phase...

Johnny: Hey, reelaaax, hun. I'll talk to him when I can, you just go to sleep.

Sonya seems sceptical, but does trust her husband. She goes to sleep and Johnny finishes his coffee, as he heads to Robin's room.

Johnny knocks on Robin's door.

Johnny: Hey, Red! Mind if I come in?

Nico: Yeah?

there was a small pause, followed by light chuckles.

Nico: Sure, Mr. A-list, come on in.

Johnny walks in, looks around a bit before setting his gaze on Red Robin.

Johnny: So, the mysterious night wanderer, huh? What's the deal? I thought Sonya was the only one pulling late-night stunts around here.

Nico: Yeah, about that...

Nico looked around, making sure Sonya wasn't around, closing the door.

Nico: Mr. Cage, you've got to promise me you won't tell this to anyone.

Johnny, at first confused but interested, nodded.

Johnny: Sure, wassup?

Nico: Well, I might've had a little rendezvous with someone from the Black Dragon. You know, just an informal chat on a bridge.

Johnny raises an eyebrow, intrigued.

Johnny: Black Dragon, huh? What were you doing chatting with the enemy?

Nico: Relax, relax, it's not what you think. We just had a casual exchange of stories. You know, the typical hero and villain bonding over a juice kind of thing.

Johnny: Hero and villain bonding? Never thought I'd hear that one.

Nico smirks.

Nico: Yeah, well, sometimes the lines between hero and villain get a bit blurry.

Johnny chuckles.

Johnny: You're telling me, kid. So, what's the story? Bonding with the enemy?

Nico starts sharing the details of his conversation with Billie, including the exchange of personal stories and the deal about revealing secrets. Johnny listens, nodding at times.

Johnny: Well, well, well. You're playing the diplomat, huh? Just don't let Sonya catch you fraternizing with the enemy. You know how she is about protocol.

Nico: Trust me, I'm already on thin ice with her. I don't need more reasons for her to chew me out.

Johnny laughs.

Johnny: Good luck with that, Nico. Just be careful, okay? Not everyone in the Black Dragon is as friendly as the one you met on that bridge.

Nico: Thanks, Mr. Cage. I'll keep that in mind.

Johnny pats Nico on the shoulder.

Johnny: Alright, now get some sleep. We've got a world to save or something like that, right?

Nico grins.

Nico: Right, Mr. Cage. World-saving duty calls.

Johnny leaves the room, shaking his head with a smile, while Nico gets ready for some well-deserved rest.

Johnny, walking back to his room, he passes by Hsu Hao's cell. (Hey, remember that guy!?)

Hsu Hao: Hey, Cage.

Johnny: Hey, Hao.

Hsu Hao: You know, it's been ages since anyone acknowledged my existence. What's the occasion?

Johnny: Just doing my nightly stroll, you know, keeping an eye on things. How's the cell treating you?

Hsu Hao: Oh, you know, the usual. Cold, lonely, and the view sucks.

Johnny: Can't say I feel sorry for you, considering the stuff you pulled back in the day.

Hsu Hao: Fair enough. So, what's the gossip around here?

Johnny: Well, we've got a mysterious artifact causing chaos, and we're teaming up with the Black Dragon to sort it out. You'd love the drama.

Hsu Hao: Teaming up with the Black Dragon? Now that's a plot twist. What's the catch?

Johnny: You sound like my wife. Anyway, long story short, our kids got dragged into some interdimensional mess, and we're all trying to clean it up.

Hsu Hao: Intergenerational drama, huh? Classic Cage.

Johnny: You know it. Anyway, don't get too comfortable in there. I'm sure Sonya will find some mission for you sooner or later.

Hsu Hao: Oh, joy. Can't wait for that.

The night continues, Johnny goes to bed, and Hsu Hao looks up at the ceiling, falling asleep.

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nopoodles · 2 months ago

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Time for a jump scare from my computer.

There I was typing away at my little aliens doing alien shit and then with no notification sound, my screen is filled with the warning that Microsoft no longer supports Windows 10.

"It'll still work but you should get a new computer."

(Okay maybe I'm paraphrasing a little).

Like, babe, I've had this computer for 10 years. Would have been 12 if the first one hadn't broken. I'm not casually keeping hold of it for sentimental reasons or anything, I'm just too skint to afford a new one that will run the software I need it to (and have a disk drive, but that seems less and less likely). Plus, if I get a new one, I have to shell out for all the assistive software all over again.

You think I've forgotten how you took Dragon Naturally Speaking away from my wife with a windows 11 update?! You want to take my ClaroView from me??? I'm using the earliest version of it! (Which I found out because I had an error and I had to go to their website for help— no help, I'm just running it with the error now).

Anyway, if you didn't know, windows 10 is not going to be supported with updates from 2025. Sad face.

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kyusaur · 3 months ago

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I have to let out my feelings somewhere.

What an absolutely mean ending.

Such a mean ending.

Why this ending?!

WHY

A videogame rarely made me cry as much as this one did.

This hurts as much as Lufia.

This is even WORSE than Lufia. Jill and Torgal have to live without Clive! Seeing them cry hurt so much. And Clive crying so much over Joshua?! HELLO?! WHO FUCKING DARES

I thought they were done with the sad endings after FF15. But noooooo, they were INSPIRED by that sad ending. And they wanted to MAKE IT EVEN SADDER BY GIVING THE BONDS EVEN MORE TIME TO UNFOLD

I did all the side quests except the DLCs. It's very much a coherent story on its own. Harpocrates' library and Vivian's charts help a lot to keep track of stuff and especially to process all the happenings in a softer pace.

Speaking of pace... I think FF16's pace was perfect. It had so many highs after which making a break just felt really nice and exciting.

Also the Esper fights are SO DAMN COOL. I think I'm gonna replay some of them in Arcade Mode. Or maybe I just jump right into New Game+ lmao. It was talking about ADDITIONAL CONTENT. Whatever that means.

But I had a blast playing through FF16. It felt very enjoyable. But I def felt how the story difficulty curve wasn't made with Sidequests in mind. When the masses of sidequests popped up, the story quests started to become quite easy because I basically outleveled everything.

Although I gotta admit that I did die a few times against Barnabas. But it was cool how they focused less on the Primal fights there, and more on executing technique. Felt very fitting for a fight between these two.

Also I encountered that damn Level 50 dragon hunt at Level 40 and wondered why I took so much damage. Took me a few deaths to realize that it's 10 level over me. Oops. Managed to defeat it on Level 45.

But damn, I love Clive as a character. I really like broody characters and their character development. I think it was so well done by giving him so many emotions.

The end was just so devastating.

I wanted him to return to Jill and Torgal and everyone else.

I really wanted him to.

Why is this game doing this

I was PREPARED for more NPC deaths. I was prepared for Cid's death. I was prepared for Jill's death even. I even thought that Clive's uncle was gonna die! I actually even was prepared for Joshua's death! But Clive's devastating reaction?! Hot damn. It hit me so hard in my feelings, I just... AAAAAAAAAAAAA

Oh and... some negative points:

While I usually love Soken's soundtrack, I feel like FF16's soundtrack was a bit lackluster in some areas. Especially speaking of areas, I can't tell you which track belonged to which areas. No matter how often I visited them for Hunts or how much time I spent on them looking for those Hunts. I missed some noticeable distinction. Not only in areas, but also certain cutscene music to set the mood and such. I think the only tracks where I get all excited and remember scenes are the Fighting tracks. Ifrit's and Phoenix' theme are SOOOOO GOOD. But most of the time, when I listened to a new Orchestrion Scroll ... I had a really tough time to identify its origin. I knew I heard it before, but I just couldn't make out where and that's a bit disappointing from Soken.

Nonetheless, such an epic game. 100 hours well spent. So damn worth the wait. Even with some technical difficults of a slow memory leak which I managed to circumvent by changing my swap file settings in Windows. Otherwise, the game was running smoothly between 80-120 FPS with FSR3 enabled, without frame-generation. HDR is eeeeeeeeeh most of the time in this game, but really popped off for some scenes. I feel like the dull (or natural?) calibration throughout most of the game very much wears Yoshi-P's cape tho, when I think about his opinions that he shared when people asked about FF14's colour fidelty.

In general, this game has so much Creative Unit III energy. I could very much see all the inspirations. Not only from FF14, but from various FF titles. While FF14 was supposed to be the theme park, FF16 kinda was too. A very enjoayble ride from many perspectives.

I fucking miss this game already lmao. If I wasn't going to bed soon, I might as well just jump into New Game+ already.

#Kyu playing FFXVI #16!!!! not 14. Beware

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cognispark · 11 months ago

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Best text dictation software| CogniSpark speech to text converter

Introduction to Best text dictation software

Looking for a tool that directly converts your spoken words into written text? The technology has advanced and thankfully such tools do exist in the market. Dictation software is a tool that allows users to transcribe spoken words into written text. These programs use advanced speech recognition technology to convert spoken words into written words, making it easier for users to transcribe notes, documents, and other written materials. With the advancement of technology, dictation software has become more sophisticated and accurate. In this blog, we will explore the best dictation software in 2023, including the features and capabilities that make them stand out from the rest.

What is dictation software?

Dictation software is a type of speech recognition software that allows users to transcribe spoken words into written text. These programs use advanced algorithms and machine learning technology to recognize and transcribe spoken words. Some of the most popular dictation software include Dragon NaturallySpeaking, Google Docs Voice Typing, and Windows Speech Recognition. These programs can be used for various tasks, such as transcribing notes, creating documents, and even composing emails. All the conversion is encrypted to keep the data safe and is stored in a cloud management system preferred by the organization.

Accuracy: Crucial for precise transcription of spoken words.

Compatibility: Works seamlessly across various devices and operating systems.

Customization: Allows users to adjust settings for personalized experience.

Ease of Use: Intuitive interface with clear instructions for effortless navigation.

In 2023 and beyond, the best dictation software will excel in these areas, with further advancements expected to enhance accuracy, compatibility, and user-friendliness.

The Top 10 Dictation Software In 2023

CogniSpark Speech To Text Converter

CogniSpark speech to text converter is a cutting-edge software that uses advanced AI technology to transcribe speech in real-time. This software is perfect for busy professionals who need quick and accurate transcription capabilities. It also offers a wide range of customization options, including the ability to transcribe multiple languages and identify filler words.

Dragon Naturally Speaking: Popular choice with real-time transcription and computer control features.

Speechpad: Professional-grade software offering real-time transcription and multi-language support.

Google Docs Voice Typing: Built-in option in Google Docs with real-time transcription and customization.

Otter.AI: Utilizes advanced AI for real-time transcription and customizable features.

Microsoft Speech Recognition: Free option built into Windows with real-time transcription and customization.

These options offer powerful and reliable dictation capabilities, but users should weigh the pros and cons before deciding. Additionally, improving accuracy can be achieved through clear speech, file separation, punctuation, and proofreading.

Final Thought

In conclusion, there are many dictation software available in 2023, each with its own set of features and capabilities. The best one for you will depend on your specific needs and requirements. We hope that this list of the top 10 dictation software in 2023 has provided you with a good starting point for your search. Whether you’re a busy professional or a student, there’s dictation software out there that can help you transcribe spoken words into written form with ease and accuracy. However, if you are looking for feature-rich and affordable software for your business then CogniSpark speech to text converter is trending in the market. Choose your favorable tool for effortless transcribing!

#aiauthoringtool #speech to text #software technology #ai technology #voiceover

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johtoxdarkxelite · 2 years ago

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Karen Head Canons

1. This should be a no- Brainer but she has a no off button when it comes to flirting. Regardless of gender, she will flirt. However, she is extremely picky when it comes to romantic associations.

2. Before joining the 'Masked Man', she was the daughter of a wealthy family. Had she stayed within her village, she would've grown to be a geisha. She thought that path was boring and decided to join the Masked Man willingly.

3. Even though she isn't with an evil organization anymore, she still retains some of her old habits when she was there. Such as torturing her enemies/ opponents. Which is why she loves dark types.

4. Her first Pokémon were an Eevee and Houndor. She was gifted the Eevee when she was ten and caught Houndor when the hound was bound to a Pokémon pound a year later. Her Pokémon are loyal and protective. If they are friendly towards others, they trust them around Karen.

5. Due to her early upbringing, she was taught how to dance. She isn't fond of the tight kimonos, but if she ever gets the chance to dance, she will pull the closest person nearby and force them to dance with her.

6. Speaking of flirting She will sometimes flirt and roll off with lines to distract her opponent. Flustered trainers are easier for her to manipulate. There's a reason why she's the final wall before you fight Lance. The Dark Femme Fatale of the Johto region stops you.

7. When she goes to bed, her Houndoom is always outside her door, and her Umbreon is near the foot of her bed. They make sure she is protected in her sleep.

8. Karen sees Will as a Partner in Crime due to their constant teaming up when they worked with the 'Masked Man'. To a degree, she has feelings for him - even if they aren't seen the same in return.

9. Participating in the PML in Pasio gave her a chance to experience a thrill but didn't hit the pinnacle of excitement until she saw Grimsley on stage. After discussing things with Will, they decided they needed him on their team, as they were both excited by his tactics.

10. Karen isn't the greatest cook but she knows how to bake. Ask her to make cookies, she's got you -- might be special cookies though. Ask her to cook a meal? You might want to open a few windows and get a water-type Pokémon to put out the smoke and fire.

11. So long as there is open communication, she has no problem with poly relationships. She doesn't care if she's not the center of attention. So long as everyone is having fun and happy, she's happy with her lovers. Everyone has to get along for it to work. No ifs or buts.

12. She finds the idea of passing down legacies of Pokémon, forcing a particular type down one's throat, is cruel. If you're going to train Pokémon and have a lifetime battling companion, you should have a type you feel comfortable with. Do what makes you happy, not for others.

13. Karen isn't too fond of trainers who have a knack for 'playing it safe'. If you're not going to take a risk and give a battle your all, she wants nothing to do with them.

14. Without her heels, she's two inches taller than Will. This makes her perfect for hugs -- which she only allows a small number of people to touch her.

15. Karen loves her long hair and will never put it up. Doing so would mean that she submits to the pre-planned lifestyle her father had for her. She would rather distract her prey with her natural looks than layers of cosmetics with her hair up.

16. Karen normally trains her Pokemon late at night. Due to this, she heads into bed just before dawn. This, more or less, makes it hard for her to wake up early. She normally doesn't wake till noon.

17. Even though she butts heads with Lance like oil and vinegar, when he fought against Leon in the Pokemon League, she was one of his biggest cheerleaders - as she knows how powerful his Dragon Types are.

18. The Elites in the Indigo League often train against one another when they don't have challengers. The Elite she usually has a problem with is Koga. She's not a fan of his poison attacks but she works on countering his Pokemon by mocking them with a move like Foul Play.

19. Karen is a giggly drunk. It not only helps her mellow out but almost everything becomes funny to her. She isn't a lightweight though. The most she's been known to drink is twelve shots of tequila and five shots of rum in a single sitting before getting into a massive giggle.

#:headcanons:#tw:long post #{I will likely add more at another date.

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scannermmorg · 2 years ago

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Dragon naturally speaking windows 10

#Dragon naturally speaking windows 10 software#

#Dragon naturally speaking windows 10 trial#

#Dragon naturally speaking windows 10 professional#

#Dragon naturally speaking windows 10 mac#

In 2014, following the discontinuation of DragonDictate for Mac, a product dating back to Nuance's 2010 purchase of MacSpeech Dictate, NaturallySpeaking gained Mac compatibility, though Mac support was later terminated in 2018. Īs of 2012, LG Smart TVs included voice recognition feature powered by the same speech engine as Dragon NaturallySpeaking. In 2005 ScanSoft launched a de facto acquisition of Nuance Communications, and rebranded itself as Nuance. Following the bankruptcy of Lernout & Hauspie, the rights to the Dragon product line were acquired by ScanSoft of Burlington, Massachusetts, also a Goldman Sachs client. The jury cleared Goldman Sachs of all charges.

#Dragon naturally speaking windows 10 trial#

The Bakers sued Goldman Sachs for negligence, intentional misrepresentation and breach of fiduciary duty, which in January 2013 led to a 23-day trial in Boston. The Bakers had received stock worth hundreds of millions of US dollars, but were only able to sell a few million dollars' worth before the stock lost all its value as a result of the accounting fraud. The deal was not originally supposed to be all stock and the unavailability of the Goldman Sachs team to advise concerning the change in terms was one of the grounds of the Bakers' subsequent lawsuit. Following the all-share deal advised by Goldman Sachs, Lernout & Hauspie declared bankruptcy in November 2000. The company was then purchased in June 2000 by Lernout & Hauspie, a Belgium-based corporation that was subsequently found to have been perpetrating financial fraud. Gould also designed the tutorials in both DragonDictate for DOS version 2.0 and Dragon Talk. Gould was the principal architect and lead engineer for the development of Dragon NaturallyOrganized (1.0), Dragon NaturallySpeaking Mobile Organizer (3.52), Dragon NaturallySpeaking (1.0 through 2.02), and DragonDictate for Windows (1.0). Joel Gould was the director of emerging technologies at Dragon Systems. ĭragon Systems released NaturallySpeaking 1.0 as their first continuous dictation product in 1997. DragonDictate was based on a trigram model, and is known as a discrete utterance speech recognition engine. Users were forced to enunciate one word at a time, clearly separated by a small pause after each word. At the time, the hardware was not powerful enough to address the problem of word segmentation, and DragonDictate was unable to determine the boundaries of words during continuous speech input. He was President of the company and she was CEO.ĭragonDictate was first released for DOS, and utilized hidden Markov models, a probabilistic method for temporal pattern recognition. Baker, his wife, founded Dragon Systems to release products centered around their voice recognition prototype. James Baker laid out the description of a speech understanding system called DRAGON in 1975.

#Dragon naturally speaking windows 10 professional#

The Professional version allows creation of custom commands to control programs or functions not built into NaturallySpeaking.ĭr. Voice profiles can be accessed by different computers in a networked environment, although the audio hardware and configuration must be identical to those of the machine generating the configuration.

#Dragon naturally speaking windows 10 software#

(Dragon does not support dictating to background windows.) The software has three primary areas of functionality: voice recognition in dictation with speech transcribed as written text, recognition of spoken commands, and text-to-speech: speaking text content of a document. As an example, dictated words appear in a floating tooltip as they are spoken (though there is an option to suppress this display to increase speed), and when the speaker pauses, the program transcribes the words into the active window at the location of the cursor. Dragon NaturallySpeaking uses a minimal user interface.

#Dragon naturally speaking windows 10

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jiubilant · 3 years ago

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26 (IF applicable) and/or 10 w/ ayo for the winter prompts <3

26. never seen snow before

Elisif the Fair, High Queen of Skyrim, has come to learn that the Dragonborn is never still. Even when she twitches the curtain aside and glances, calm and sunlit, out the window of the High Queen’s bedchamber, something stalks back and forth in her face.

“You can’t hide from this,” she says simply, staring out at the city. Her bluntness comes as no surprise. She has never, to Elisif’s knowledge, uttered the words my and Queen in that order. “Not for much longer. Not now that you’re—what’s the word—requisitioning Company ships.” An expectant pause. Then a sigh. “Come and look at the sun.”

Elisif the Fair, High Queen of Skyrim, doesn’t even blink. She’s embroidering roses onto a satin kerchief.

“I suppose it is in the Dragonborn’s power to look at the sun without going blind,” she says, sounding tetchy and childish even to herself, “but it is not in mine.”

She stabs her needle through the satin with particular violence, her mouth firm, then looks up. The Dragonborn is looking at her.

“I’m furious with you, Lissi,” she remarks, as if commenting on the weather. Her face does not change. “You and Ravi both. I kill the World-Eater, and you chew up the world between you.” The words come out flat, rehearsed. “I could scream, I’m so angry.”

Elisif stares at her.

“But if I did,” says the Dragonborn, “it would unfold his ship like paper, and crush every rooftop from here to Dockside, and shake your palace down around us.” She swallows. Her voice trembles with something terrible. “That is in my power. So I do not scream. As a rule.”

The embroidery slithers from Elisif’s lap as she stands. She thinks nothing. On instinct, as if drawn by a string, she crosses the room and takes the Dragonborn’s hands.

“I saw no way but this,” she admits, abashed, running a grieving thumb along her savior’s scarred knuckles. She does not speak for the Archmage of Winterhold, the petty old liar, Stuhn shepherd him safely across the sea. “I can’t be Torygg. I tried—but you, you made me something else.” She tries to smile. “We did keep your peace awhile. But it’s in the nature of a dove, isn’t it, to fly away?”

It’s a cold consolation—as cold as her hands, white and small as wings, which the Dragonborn folds between her own. She is gentle, always. Always. As a rule.

“I’ll go where you send me,” she says, her smile a weary, unforgiving twist of her mouth. “But first you must send me. Which means you must face your ministers again.” She pauses. Studies Elisif’s face. “They trust you.”

The question Elisif wants to ask—two words, do and you in that order—sticks in her throat. She turns to the window, unable to stomach the look on her friend’s face, and asks a different one. “I am to look at the sun?”

Then her voice sticks for a different reason. In what is either a perfect coincidence or an architectural masterstroke, the sun, at high noon, haloes the Bards’ College belltower. The great bells, blazing like suns themselves, shake off their caps of snow and sing the hour. Temple bells in blue-capped spires chime in glad refrain. One of the dragons charged with sieging Castle Dour—Dunheyvaar, she thinks, recognizing the graceful arch of his neck—uncurls like a swan from his rooftop perch and bugles a challenge-call that the bellringers of Solitude, from Blue Avenue to Dockside, answer by heaving twice as hard.

The High Queen of Skyrim, the Dragonborn at her side, looks out over their city. Their city, loud and bright and lovely, with warships massing in the bay.

“I’ll call a war council,” she says softly. “I'll send Mede's ambassadors home. And I won’t scream, either.”

She looks down at her hands. The Dragonborn, after a long moment, squeezes them.

“When I first saw snow,” she says, watching a few flakes whirl past the window, “I thought the sky was falling to pieces.”

Elisif’s smile is a pale, melting thing. “Isn’t it?”

[winter prompts]

#skyrim #microfic #elisif #oc tag #ayo

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andraaste · 4 years ago

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I am not your enemy - Lance fanfiction part 9

So, here's the last chapter for now. I hope I can introduce you to the next one fairly quickly, but it's still being written. Hoping you liked those already released and see you soon for chapter 10 🐉

(Link for Chapter 10 here)

Chapter 9 : I've always been used to only showing my human form

My footsteps echoed in the silent of the Guards' Corridor. I had just left Lance's room and it was with a much lighter heart than when I entered that I walked away. The distant rumor of the happy conversations had finally died down, leaving me wondering how long I had been able to spend with the dragon.

Finally, I didn’t regret my impromptu visit. Even if our understanding remained fragile and our points of convergence continued to darken the picture, his presence had nevertheless proved, in many respects, more beneficial than harmful. So, to my surprise, I never believed that one day I would come to beg for his patience to relieve my ailments.

Unlike the last time, it was with a feeling of euphoria that I could feel the magic continue to flow through me. Not as vigorously as when I awakened my powers, but undoubtedly, its power had slowly returned to pulsating in my veins. When I wiggled my fingers, I could still feel bits of heat run through my muscles. And the strangest thing about it was that instead of wearing me out, this power rush seemed to invigorate me.

For the first time in weeks, I felt good.

Looking up, I noticed that a small figure was wandering right in front of me. In the half-light of the corridor, I narrowed my eyes to try to make out her more clearly. When she passed in front of one of the windows, the moonlight let me see the face of a little girl with long, light hair. Not seeming to notice my presence, she continued to wander until she reached the entrance to the Crystal Room, right next to me. When the girl finally reached my height, I was surprised to find myself overcome by a familiar feeling.

Did I know this child ?

The young girl finally entered the room without a glance in my direction. Intrigued and attracted by her aura, I decided to follow suit.

I entered in my turn cautiously and almost immediately, a feeling of serenity had seized my heart when my gaze rested on the immense Crystal enthroned religiously in the center of the large room. On the doorstep, I was dumbfounded for a moment.

Strangely enough, I had not been back here since waking up. Truth be told, I had even avoided that room in which I had spent far too much of my life.

However, I didn’t know for what reason.

Bathed in a soft light, the Crystal seemed so imposing to me that I could not look away for several seconds. Without realizing it, my steps slowly led me to it, my hand timidly extended in front of me. As my fingers approached the smooth surface of its barrier, I felt the warm energy of my powers unleashed down my arm to the palm of my palm. Kinds of tingling covered me almost entirely and it’s the shortness of breath that I felt one of my fingers cross the protection which surrounded the luminescent crystals.

- Andraste ?

I jumped even more at the hearing of the voice that echoed behind my back. As if caught in the act, I quickly withdrew my hand and turned to my interlocutor.

It was his long blonde hair that I noticed first.

- Leiftan, what are you doing here ?

How had I managed not to realize his presence ? Since the big battle, aengel and I were connected. Whenever he stood next to me, I got to feel his emotions as if they were mine, and probably the other way around.

- I'll turn the question back to you, he said to me, his face marked by a certain curiosity. I couldn't get to sleep. When I left my room, I saw you come out of one of them and lead you here.

He marked a silence full of innuendo before adding, in a much colder tone :

- From Lance's, it seems to me.

I tensed at hearing his last sentence. A dull anger seized for a short moment in my heart and it took me a few seconds to realize that it was not mine.

- Yes, I just needed to clear some things up with him.

- At this time of night ?

I had the impression of undergoing the interrogation of a jealous lover, except that it did not concern him.

- I have no further explanation for you, Leiftan.

The latter didn't answer anything and just probed my face.

I had seen him very little lately. The aengel seemed to do his utmost to flee any presence and to keep away from all responsibility. I had already tried to ask him to train me, especially about my powers because until now, he had been the only one who could help me, but he had each time declined my requests.

- Good. But I reiterate, what are you doing here in the middle of the night ?

His anger had subsided, I only felt a great calm accompanied by a touch of curiosity. But his question brought me back to reality.

Where had the little girl gone ?

I realized that I had not seen her since I entered the room.

- I saw a child come in here, I said, hesitating to continue. There was something strange about her.

- Can you explain to me ?

I was a little confused on how to phrase it. How do I tell him that his aura attracted me ?

- She reminded me of... the Oracle, I finally let go.

His eyes widened slightly at what I was advancing, but he quickly regained his composure.

- I think I know who you're talking about.

- Really ? I exclaimed, in my turn surprised.

- Yes, Huang Hua reported to me the presence of a child in the HQ that nobody knows anything about. She does not speak, but some people have speculated that there is a connection between her and the Oracle.

I couldn't believe my ears. This little one has something to do with the Oracle ?

- I have for my part never crossed, I can tell you nothing more.

- Do you know how long she's been at HQ ?

He knew very well where I was going with this.

- It seems to me that she was noticed for the first time shortly before our return, he announced to me, his face serious.

Leiftan and I pondered his words. Our awakening was clearly not trivial, something strange was manifesting itself on Eldarya and I wasn't sure I wanted to find out.

- I'll leave you, it's getting late and I think you might be better off doing the same.

He walked towards the hallway door and added quietly :

- Good night, Andraste.

Giving me one last look filled with infinite sadness, he finally left the room.

- Good night, Leiftan, I answered weakly.

Two days passed following these two unexpected interviews and the guard finally charged me with a few simple missions which occupied my days. My visit to the dragon chamber had really been fruitful, because since our discovery on the possible communion of our powers, I had the impression that mine had never really left me. I had thus discovered that I was again able to send a faint light from my hands, even in the absence of Lance, which gave me incredible surges of energy. I was finally starting not to tire myself at the slightest effort, even if I continued to perceive anomalies in my physical state, which did not prevent my mood from being markedly improved.

Having joined the Obsidian Guard, I had therefore started to perform the few requests that I was able to do as long as there was no specific mission to perform. I walked through the forge when I heard a voice that I recognized immediately.

My heart was racing against my will.

- We're going to need enough materials to consolidate these weapons. It will also be necessary to train new recruits and see their level in combat. I don't have time to train everyone, but I trust you to give me your feedback.

Without being noticed, I walked over to a shelf and put down what I had just bought at the market. Trying to concentrate on my task, I couldn't help but strain my ears.

- No worries boss, you know you can count on me. I already have some reports for you.

- Very good. Thanks Falco, it's a great job.

The young man by the name of Falco put a solemn fist on his heart and bowed slightly before stepping out of the forge. I was speechless. It was the first time that I had seen Lance as the leader of the guard and I had to admit that he seemed made for it. His naturally bossy tone commanded respect, and I was troubled to see the trust and admiration his subordinates seemed to have in him.

Pretending not to have noticed it, I bustled about my task and listed the effects I had just bought before putting them away in each compartment. After that, I gathered the things I needed to be able to complete my missions for the day and get out of here. But to my chagrin, one of the items on the list was at the top of one of the shelves. Huffing in annoyance, I reached out as far as I could but only managed to touch the end of the object. I was about to give up the idea when an arm appeared in my sight and effortlessly grabbed the mesh I needed. Standing behind me, I didn't have to see him to know who he was, though.

The tanned hand of the leader of the Obsidian patiently handed the object to me.

Turning my head, I fell on a bluish gaze plunged into mine. I grabbed the object not avoiding the trouble, I was going to succeed in catching it.

- Thank you, but it was not worth it, I was going to manage to catch it.

A carnivorous smile stretched his features.

- Yet I thought I understood the reverse.

- It must be because of your chivalrous soul, you can't help but rescue a young girl in distress.

Lance gave a deep laugh that echoed close to my ear. He then pretended to look for a parchment in front of me and very quickly, I found myself stuck in the space of his arms. The rest of his words echoed even closer.

- It's true, but I think it's only in your presence, that.

He wasn't looking at me as he said those words, focused on a point straight in front of him. I remained frozen in place, I was far too aware of his proximity all around me to dare a movement.

- And so, you felt compelled to help me? It's funny, I knew you rather inclined to serve me more than anything else.

I felt the dragon smile behind my back.

- You're not wrong. But didn't you already tell you that I had changed ?

- Yes. And far too many times for my taste, if you want to know.

His laughter echoed between us once again and I couldn't help but smile too. He eventually found the parchment he was looking for and finally withdrew his arms, allowing me to finally resume my normal breathing.

- You are free tonight ? he asked me as if nothing had happened.

In response, I gave him a dumbfounded look that amused him once again. He was definitely in a good mood today.

- It seems to me that you asked me for help with a certain thing and that I suggest you do that tonight.

With a lump in my stomach, I found myself knocking on Lance's bedroom door again at a late hour, preferring to avoid the busy times in the hallway so as not to be surprised. This time, the dragon opened me much faster and moreover, he had taken care to keep some of his armor while still being more comfortable. Without a word, he let me in as if the gesture had already become a habit, and closed behind my back just as eloquently. He moved away from the clapper and briskly walked around me to remove his gloves and place them on his desk.

He seemed to ignore me completely. I waited several seconds but he definitely showed no sign of starting a conversation.

- So like that, you invite a girl to your room and you play the distant guy? I gave him bluntly.

Taken aback, the dragon looked at me with a strange eye, looking amused but also ...

An amused smile was born on his lips.

- You would have more interest in remaining a nice girl and not looking too much for me on this ground, you know. I will not hold back indefinitely, he said, planting his gaze on mine, in which I thought I read some undisguised envy.

Did I understand what he meant ?

My god, I was very hot all of a sudden.

- Lance ...

Seeing that he had managed to confuse me, the dragon seemed to revel in having cornered me. Because if I answered, the slope could become too slippery and we both knew it.

He laughed under his breath before finally changing the subject.

- Do you have any news about your powers ? he asked me.

Relieved, I smiled slightly before rolling up my sleeve and letting the beams of light travel up my arm. I thought I saw an imperceptible admiration appear on his face.

- Their feeling hasn't left me since the other night. It's still very weak, I can barely use it, but they're there, I finished with a hint of pride.

Lance tilted his head, suddenly looking thoughtful.

- It's a very good start. We will already start by focusing on this element before tackling a more complicated one.

- More complicated ?

- Well in my memories, you had a huge pair of wings on your back, he said with a thin smile.

My wings ... it is true that with Leiftan, he was the one who had seen my powers the most at work, in the end. Even though it was clearly not in the best of conditions. Thoughtful, I passed an absent hand between my shoulder blades but unsurprisingly, no trace of wings marked my back.

- It's true, I would love to find them, I said softly.

A memory suddenly came back to me.

- Tell me, the other night when I left your room, something rather strange happened.

- What ? he asked me, suddenly really intrigued.

- Going out into the hallway, I passed a child walking alone. She didn't seem to have noticed my presence. She went to the Crystal Room and when I followed her, she sort of ... disappeared.

Lance seemed to think for a moment.

- It is probably Ophéliai where it comes from, even if some hypothesize...

- That she would have a connection with the Oracle, I continued in his place.

Like every time something intrigued him, he raised one of his eyebrows.

- Indeed. But why are you telling me about it ?

I pursed my lips. I hadn't told anyone what had happened before Leiftan arrived in the room.

- When I entered, I felt a kind of connection between the Crystal and me. My powers absolutely seemed to want to manifest, and I don't know how that protective barrier works, but when my finger went through it...

- Wait, he stopped me, you crossed the barrier ?

I hesitated for a moment. Was it a good idea to confide in him ?

- Yes, at least, I had started to cross it. But the closer I got, the more I felt that my aengel strength was taking over. It was ... powerful.

Lance was silent for a long time, seeming to analyze my words. I clearly didn't like his silence.

- I think it's not for nothing if you saw her that night precisely, he began. You had just reactivated your powers, and if Ophelia really has a connection to the Oracle, it wouldn't be surprising if she sought to get in touch with you. The barrier is an enchanted protective field, normally no one is supposed to be able to cross it, but I guess that last point is not for you.

He paused again before concluding :

- I don't know if it's a good thing or not, but the Oracle seems to try to push you to use them, or at least to find them.

The words of the leader of the Obsidian echoed what I had feared. The Oracle seemed to want to get in touch with me, but for what reason exactly ?

I wondered if Leiftan's presence that evening was really harmless...

- Hopefully I can find them entirely, then. I don't feel that all of these events are heralding anything good.

- Me neither, if you want to know everything, he said in a serious tone. In any event, this proves that the process will have to be speeded up. I also thought about what happened between our respective magics, and I would like to try something else.

Playfully, Lance slowly approached the center of the room. When he reached my height, I was amazed to see ice blue scales appear along his skin. Escaping from the collar of his top, they went up to the bottom of his face, much like when he had marked me with his streaks two days before. His arms and hands also covered, more sparsely, and soon I could see a dragon tail wagging calmly behind his back.

I was totally fascinated by his appearance. I had seen him in his draconian form before, but never that way. Seeing him half transformed in this way reminded me of Tia, his mother, whom I had seen by his side in the memories of his ancestors in Memoria.

As if drawn in spite of myself, I raised a hand and let it slide along the scales that covered the base of his jaw. Rigid and cold, I felt them vibrate slightly under my fingers as his gaze never left me. Lance looked surprised at first, straining under my fingers, but finally let me.

- Do you feel better like that ? I asked him, watching the play of lights reflecting off the blue of his now hardened skin. Tia seemed more comfortable in this form, did you too ?

The dragon did not move a millimeter, but hearing his mother's first name, I saw him swallow his saliva with difficulty.

- I've always been used to showing only my human form, so it's very easy for me to stay that way. But yes, the most comfortable appearance is this, he told me in a deep and low voice, almost ashamed.

I gently pulled my hand away and watched his scales move slightly, as if a shiver ran through him just where my fingers left him.

- They are beautiful, I said, looking up to his.

I saw him swallow again and thought for a moment that he was going to make a move in my direction, but he finally restrained himself and just said :

- I avoid showing myself like that, in general. Normal people don't really feel confident when they learn they are in the presence of a dragon, he argued, his jaws clenched. Moreover for most, this form can seem repulsive.

I was shocked to hear those words. Faeries must be used to seeing creatures of all kinds, so why should the appearance turn them off ?

- I find it anything but repulsive, I felt compelled to tell him. And yet, I have lived much longer on Earth than here.

His features relaxed under my words.

- Dragons are believed to be a long extinct race, and their stories are largely unknown to the people of the lands of Eel. It is therefore not surprising to see them react in a virulent way to something that they thought was gone.

- Maybe, but it's still silly, I said, quite annoyed. Dragons are certainly very large, but certainly not repulsive.

Lance looked at me for a long time before laughing. His gaze suddenly softened.

- I hope I can count on your bravery to kick their buttocks for me, in this case.

I returned his smile sincerely, rocked by this revelation that saddened me for injustice. Because in a way I could understand what he was feeling. How would people react if they saw me walking around with aengel wings on my back ? They would probably be scared too, even if my form was softer than his.

I realized that humans and faeries looked more alike than I thought, the same fear of the unknown marking them indelibly.

- Well, what did you want to try, suddenly ?

His gaze suddenly became serious again, but the weak smile never left him.

- Do you know if you trust me, or still not ?

I hadn't really expected this question. But if I was here now, it had to be a bit like that, right ?

- Let's say I trust you a little more than before, I tell him cautiously.

He nodded in approval.

- I've been doing quite a bit of research on the powers of aengels and dragons since the other night, and there is something I would like to try. But for that, you have to trust me a minimum.

- All right, tell me what to do.

(Chapter 10)

#eldarya fanfic #eldarya new era #eldarya #eldarya lance #eldarya writing #fanfiction #ashkore #lance #i am not your enemy

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nerdythebard · 4 years ago

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#7: Anubis, God of the Dead

Well, now we've done it, Gods and Goddesses!

In our journey through the deserts of Egypt, we took a detour and found ourselves in the Land of the Dead. Now, we are under the watchful eye of Anubis. This psychopomp shall lead us to the Hall of Two Truths, were our soul will judge itself. Let's take a walk, shall we?

Next Time: I AM THE ETERNAL DRAGON! SPEAK YOUR WISH AND I SHALL GRANT IT! Sudden change of plans, dearies... Next time, we take a look at a strapping young lad who knows a thing or two about yard decorations. He got it from his daddy dearest.

So, what can we do to make Anubis chill our enemies to the bone:

Friends on the Other Side: Anubis has a connection to the spirits of the dead. He can grant them a facsimile of life to act on his behalf, damage and slow enemies in a wide AoE.

Crowd Control: Anubis can call upon a plague of locusts to damage enemies in a cone in front of him, as well as keep foes restrained with mummy bandages.

Death Glare: Anubis's Ultimate is a literal death glare, his sight becomes a piercing beam of necrotic energy heavily damaging enemies in front of him.

---

Anubis's D&D race is a much more difficult case than I first imagined. Now, there is a race called Khenra

which would be a dead-ringer for Anubis, but their stats from the Plane Shift: Amonkhet document is... honestly, it's pretty bad and wouldn't make for a nice build.

Instead, let's take a look at the closest we have to a lycanthrope in player options, the Shifter race. More specifically, the Wildhunt Shifter, who are described to often be "the spiritual leaders of the shifter communities", which I'd say fits Anubis pretty well. As a Shifter, we get +2 Wisdom and +1 Dexterity, 30 feet of walking speed, 60 feet of Darkvision, and our only known language is Common. As a Natural Tracker, we get proficiency in Survival skill, and our key trait is our Shifting ability. As a bonus action, we can assume a more beast-like form (in this case, jackal-like). The transformation lasts for 1 minute/until we die/until we dismiss it as a bonus action. When we shift, we get Temporary Hit Points equal to [our level + Constitution modifier], as well as a feature unique to the type of shifter we choose. Wildhunt Shifters gain an advantage on Wisdom checks while shifted, and no creature within 30 feet of them can impose a disadvantage unless the shifter is incapacitated.

For our background, I think picking Acolyte is the most suitable choice. We get proficiencies with Insight and Religion (to better judge the intentions of a soul) and the Shelter of the Faithful feature, which grants us safety at any temple dedicated to the deity we're the acolyte of (either Kelemvor or Jergal are a good option here).

ABILITY SCORES

Anubis is a light armour caster-type, so we're going to focus on those stats. We will start with Dexterity to pull off that leather armour, and follow it with Wisdom; we must be wise in our judgment, and it's also our spellcasting ability. Constitution is next, as it's pretty important for casters to have decent Hit Points.

The stats on the down-low side of things shall be Intelligence, followed by Charisma, and we shall dump Strength.

CLASS

Yet another pure build. To keep the flow of souls at a steady pace and guide them to Osiris's Halls, Anubis is a Cleric.

As a Cleric, we get the d8 as our Hit Dice, [8 + Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, proficiencies with light armour, medium armour, shields, and simple weapons. For this I suggest a studded leather armour and a dagger (perhaps like the one Egyptians used in the mummification processes, eh? :D), since this is a primarily spell-heavy build. Our saving throws is Wisdom and Charisma and we get to pick two class skills: let's go for Persuasion and History.

---

Level 1 - Clerics are full-casters, so from the very beginning we get our Spellcasting feature. We know cantrips and ritual casting, and we get access to the entire Cleric spell list, from which we can prepare a number of spells equal to [our Wisdom modifier + our Cleric level]. Starting with cantrips, we get to select three:

Guidance lets us give a creature we touch an extra d4 to their next skill check performed within 1 minute of casting (concentration). Very useful for "skill monkeys" like rogues or bards.

Sacred Flame is a good source of radiant damage. It requires a Dexterity saving throw from a target within 60 feet of us, or results in 1d8 radiant damage (damage increases with our level).

Toll the Dead fits Anubis's theme. Calls the soul for their final judgement. Forces onto them a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target take 1d8 necrotic damage. If they already have some Hit Points missing, they take 1d12 damage instead.

We start with two 1st-level spell slots and we can prepare four 1st-level spells:

Bless gives up to three creatures of our choice an extra d4 to all attack rolls and saving throws for 1 minute (concentration).

Cure Wounds is THE staple healing spell at lower levels, and it reflects Anubis's theme of preparing and embalming the body for their journey to the afterlife. A creature we touch regains [1d8 + our spellcasting modifier] Hit Points. It doesn't work on undead or constructs.

Guiding Bolt deals 4d6 radiant damage and applies advantage to the next attack roll made against the target (it can be ours or somebody else's).

Sanctuary protects a creature from harm for 1 minute. When attacking somebody who's under the effect of Sanctuary, the attacker must make a Wisdom saving throw or choose a different target.

We're not done with Level 1 features yet, because that is also where Clerics get their subclass, their Divine Domain. There are two official subclasses that mention Anubis by name, but for this build I feel like Grave Domain works best. As a Grave Cleric we get access to some more spells - those are always prepared for us and we don't count them against the number of spells we can prepare:

Bane works similarly to Bless, except the target has to make a Charisma saving throw or subtract 1d4 from each attack roll and saving throw they make for 1 minute (concentration).

False Life transforms necromantic energy into a facsimile of life, giving us 1d4+4 Temporary Hit Points for 1 hour (or until they're lost).

Grave Cleric's first subclass feature is Circle of Mortality, which boosts our healing spells. Where normally we would have to roll dice on healing spells (like 1d8 on Curse Wounds), we can instead automatically use the highest number on the die. We also learn Spare the Dying cantrip, which saves a fallen creature from making Death Saves. For us, the cantrip has 30 feet reach instead of touch.

We also get Eyes of the Grave. It works similarly to the Paladin's Divine Sense except this one only shows us the undead present within 60 feet of us.

And that's it for Level 1. Clerics, man... they're early game powerhouses.

Level 2 - This level gives us access to the Channel Divinity feature, which lets us tap into the Divine Energy of our deity to perform amazing features. For now, we can use it once per short or long rest. All Clerics get the Turn Undead effect - each undead within 30 feet of us must make a Wisdom saving throw or become turned (they cannot move towards us within 30 feet, and must spend their turn trying to move away from us as far as they can) for 1 minute. The Grave Domain gives us another CD effect - Path to the Grave. This effect curses a target of our choice within 30 feet of us, until the end of our next turn. During that time, the next attack that damages a target makes it vulnerable to that damage type (damage dealt increases by half) and the curse ends.

We also get a new spell - Inflict Wounds deals 3d10 necrotic damage on a successful touch.

Level 3 - We unlock 2nd-level spell slots. This means, we can now get a 2nd-level spell: Hold Person forces a Wisdom saving throw on one (or more, if using higher-level spell slots) humanoid target within 60 feet. On a failed save the target is paralysed for 1 minute (concentration). Flavour it as mummy bandages and we've got one Anubis ability down.

Our subclass also grants us two spells at this point:

Gentle Repose prevents a corpse from decay and turning into an undead (suck it, Ah Puch!). Useful if you cannot afford the resurrection of one of your party members, but besides that, it's pretty situational.

Ray of Enfeeblement is like a demo version of Anubis's Ultimate. On a successful hit, the target's damage that uses Strength deals only half the normal amount for 1 minute (concentration).

Level 4 - Time for our first Ability Score Improvement! Let's get some better HP with 1 point in Constitution, and we'll put the other point in Wisdom.

We get another cantrip: Thaumaturgy gives a list of multiple effects we can perform for, lasting for 1 minute (making our voice louder, dimming and brightening lights, locking and unlocking doors and windows, etc.)

We also get another spell: Blindness/Deafness forces a Constitution saving throw on one creature within 30 feet. If they fail, they are blinded or deafened (our choice) for 1 minute. They can repeat the saving throw on each of their turns to try and shake off the effect.

Level 5 - At this level, our Turn Undead becomes Destroy Undead. It works only on the undead with the CR of 1/2 and below (shadows, zombies, skeletons, etc.), but if they fail their saving throw, they are instantly destroyed.

We also unlock 3rd-level spell slots and spells: Speak with Dead lets us reanimate a corpse for a short while (10 minutes), enough to ask it five questions. The dead can answer only what they knew in life, and the answers are usually brief/cryptic. They may also lie if we're the one that killed them, or they're hostile in general.

Additionally, we get two more spells from our subclass:

Revivify might go against Anubis's ways, but it is a staple Cleric spell. Sacrificing a diamond worth at least 300 gold pieces, we bring a creature who died within the last minute to life with 1 Hit Point. The spell doesn't restore missing body parts.

Vampiric Touch lets us deal 3d6 necrotic damage to a creature we can touch, and give us the same amount of Hit Points. Until the spell ends (1 minute, concentration), we can use the spell again as action without a need to make a spell attack.

Level 6 - Our Channel Divinity has now two uses between rests, and we gain a new subclass upgrade. Sentinel at Death's Door is one of the more annoying features in all of D&D (speaking from the DM's point of view here). Whenever a creature within 30 feet of us is attacked with a Critical Hit (Natural 20 roll, doubles damage dealt), we can use our reaction to cancel that critical and turn it into regular damage.

Spirit Guardians is a spell that summons a horde of spirits in a 15 feet radius from us. We can select who is unaffected by the spirits when we cast it. Those who are affected have their speed halved, and whenever they end their turn within the spirits' radius (and first time walk into it) must make a Wisdom saving throw or take 3d8 radiant damage (if we're good/neutral; if we're evil, it's necrotic. Half damage on a successful save).

Level 7 - Here, we only unlock 4th-level spell slots.

We get two more subclass spells: Banishment forces a Charisma saving throw on one target within 60 feet. On a failed save, the target disappears from the Plane it resides on. (right into the Shadow Realm! Egyptian Underworld) If the target isn't native to the Plane it disappeared from, it returns to its home Plane. If the target is native to the Plane it disappeared from, it gets transported into a pocket demiplane. If nothing interrupts our concentration for the entire duration of the spell (1 minute), the banished target doesn't come back (non-native), or it returns to the same space (native).

We also have subclass spells here:

Blight drains vitality from one creature within 30 feet of us. They must succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or take 8d8 necrotic damage (half damage on a successful save). It doesn't work on the undead or constructs, but if the target is a plant creature or a magical plant, it makes the save with disadvantage and receives the maximum possible amount of damage (64). If the target is a non-magical plant, it doesn't make a save - just withers instantly.

Death Ward prevents a person's death before their scheduled time. A creature we touch gains protection against being killed for 8 hours. If they drop to 0 Hit Points, they immediately recover one point. Any effect that causes instant death (such as a trap, a curse, or even Power Word: Kill) is also blocked.

Level 8 - We get another ASI. Let's get a +1 Wisdom and +1 Constitution again.

Because of our Wisdom modifier changing from 3 to 4, we now can get two new spells at this level. For this, I'd actually suggest taking just one spell and ask your DM whether we can save the remaining one for later. Otherwise, pick any throwaway spell to replace later.

Guardian of Faith summons a Large-sized spectre at a point within 30 feet of us for 8 hours (no concentration). Any creature moving within 10 feet of the guardian must make a Dexterity saving throw or take 20 points of (unspecified) damage (half damage on a success). The guardian disappears after dealing a total of 60 points of damage.

Level 9 - We unlock 5th-level spells here. If we have an empty spell from the previous level, we can now take two spells here. Plus, we also get two spells from our subclass!

Greater Restoration is a great healing spell. It is able to remove one curse/petrification/charm/reduction of Hit Points Maximum on top of removing one level of exhaustion. Really useful.

Insect Plague basically lets us re-enact the Prince of Egypt. We fill a 20-foot-radius sphere with a swarm of buzzing, biting locust. All creatures within the sphere have to make a Constitution saving throw or take 4d10 piercing damage (half damage on a successful one). This saving throw must also be done when entering the sphere or ending the turn in it.

Now, for the spells from our subclass:

Antilife Shell creates a 10-foot-radius dome around us. It lasts for 1 hour (concentration) and during that time, nothing organic/alive can enter the barrier. Only undead and constructs can get through. It also lets in projectiles and spells.

Raise Dead is what happens when Anubis says 'I quit'. The spell targets one corpse that died within the last 10 days and brings it back to life with 1 Hit Point. The raised creature gets post-resurrectional penalty of -4 to all of their saving throws, attack rolls, and ability checks. The penalty is reduced by 1 for each long rest taken.

Level 10 - Halfway through the build and we receive one of the Cleric's best feature. With Divine Intervention we can petition our patron deity to directly help us with a problem. We roll a percentile dice and if the result is equal to or lower than our Cleric level, the prayer is successful. The interpretation of 'divine help' is up to our DM; it can be a vision, a single-use spell that's gonna be helpful, etc. If the prayer is successful, we cannot use this feature for a week. If the prayer fails, we can try again after finishing a long rest.

We get our final cantrip: Word of Radiance is a good anti-close range spell. It forces a Constitution saving throw on all creatures within 5 feet of us, and deals 1d6 radiant damage on a failed one (damage scales as we level up).

For our next spell, Holy Weapon infuses our weapon with divine energy for 1 hour (concentration). The weapon sheds bright light in 30 feet radius (and dim light for another 30), it becomes magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances, and all successful attacks deal extra 2d8 radiant damage for the whole duration of the spell.

Level 11 - Our Destroy Undead effect of Channel Divinity gets enhanced. It now affects undead with a CR of 2 or lower (ghouls, spectres, poltergeists, will-o'-wisps, etc.).

We also gain access to 6th-level spells. Find the Path represents Anubis's role as a guide of souls. It can last up to 1 day (concentration) and allows us to find the shortest and most direct path to a location we name that we're familiar with.

Level 12 - Time for another ASI! First, let's round up our Constitution to a nice, even number, and then let's start boosting our weaker abilities by raising our Charisma.

For this level's spell, Planar Ally allows us to summon an otherworldly minion (celestial, elemental, or fiend), which we could ask to carry out a small task in exchange for payment. The creature is under no obligation to listen to us but can be bargained with.

Level 13 - We don't get a class feature this time, only unlock 7th-level spell slots. With Etherealness, we can step into the spirit world for a brief amount of time (up to 8 hours, no concentration). While inside the Ethereal Plane, we can only interact with creatures from that plane. We see and hear into the Plane we departed from and can move in any direction (moving up and down costs +1 foot for every foot of movement). We can also pass through objects and walls of the Material Plane.

Level 14 - We have upgrade to our Destroy Undead effect. It can now affect the undead with a CR of 3 or lower (mummies, wights, phantom warriors, etc.).

With Regenerate, we restore one target's health by 4d8+15 Hit Points. Following that, for 1 hour the target recovers 1 Hit Point per turn (10 HP per minute) until reaching their Hit Point Maximum. The spell also regrows missing organs and limbs 2 minutes after casting.

Level 15 - Once again, no new class features. We do unlock 8th-level spell slots. Antimagic Field creates a 10-foot-radius invisible sphere, where no magic can exist; spells fizzle out, summoned creatures disappear, magic items become regular. When you stand before the final judgment, no magic will help you.

Level 16 - We get another ASI. Let's raise our Charisma and Strength.

Although we do have access to 8th-level spells now, we can back up for a moment and take Planar Shift. This spell lets us travel into another Plane of Existence, as long as we a metal rod worth at least 250 gold pieces and is attuned to our desired destination. The spell transports us, along with up to eight willing creatures. Alternatively, we can banish a creature within our melee range into the particular Plane, granted they fail a Charisma saving throw.

Level 17 - This is a big one. First of all, our Destroy Undead reaches another upgrade, allowing us to disintegrate undead with a CR of 4 or lower (the banshee, ghosts, flameskulls, deathlocks, etc.).

We also get our final subclass upgrade - Keeper of Souls. If a creature we can see dies within 60 feet of us, we can choose another creature we can see within 60 feet and restore their Hit Point by the now-deceased enemy's remaining Hit Dice. We can use this feature once per turn.

At this level, we also unlock the pinnacle of Divine Magic - 9th-level spells. True Resurrection can restore a creature who has been dead for no longer than 200 years back to life with a full amount of Hit Points. The spell closes wounds, restores missing limbs, lifts curses, and neutralizes poison and disease. It turns undead into their non-undead form. If there is no body to resurrect, the spell can provide a new body for the soul to inhabit. The only thing the spell cannot restore is if death came from old age.

Level 18 - Our Channel Divinity feature can now be used three times in-between rest.

Mass Heal is a powerful restorative spell, which targets all creatures within 60 feet of us. We can restore a total of 700 Hit Points, divided evenly between all creatures affected, who are also healed from all diseases as well as blindness or deafness. The spell doesn't work on constructs and undead.

Level 19 - We get our final ASI of this build. Before the final boss battle, let's boost our Constitution by 2.

Gate creates a portal linked into another Plane of Existence. We can determine a specific destination by naming a location in the target Plane. The portal lasts for 1 minute (concentration). Alternatively, we can name a creature we know resides in the target Plane and pull them through the portal into our location.

(yes, Doctor Strange is a Cleric in D&D terms, fight me!)

Level 20 - Our build capstone is Divine Intervention Improvement. At this level, whenever we decide to use our Divine Intervention hotline, the prayer is always successful, without a need to roll.

For our final spell, we get Astral Projection

The spell makes us and eight willing creatures go on a trip into the Astral Sea. Our soul leaves the body (which is in suspended animation, requiring no food, air, and doesn't age) and enters the dimension of pure thought and psychic energy. There is a series of rules in the spell description, but it can be used to survey other planes of existence by entering the right colourful portal.

---

And that's the end of it. Anubis, the Egyptian psychopomp. Let's see how we did:

We have good abilities, two 18s and a 16 where it counts, average Hit Points of 151 and 15 AC with studded leather armour. We're not the designated HealBot, but we have a few good higher-level healing spells for when things go sour.

Can't wait to show you folks the next one. I have a feeling some of you might enjoy it!

- Nerdy out!

#smite #anubis #cleric #grave danger #dnd #d&d 5e #character building #shifter #wildhunt shifter #egyptian

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neokids · 4 years ago

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Fortune's Fool: Act VII

Masterlist

Act VII

Tw: Lots of blood, character death, violence, murder, guns, knives, weapons, foul language, self-inflicted wounds, suicide, overall graphic content

In just a span of a few days, whispers have already spread. At first, it was only suspicions that it wasn’t something natural or a person but the bible repeating itself. People started to believe that it was something like 10 the plagues of Egypt, this time happening in Seoul.

Then people started to see things.

Couples who had their afternoon strolls reported seeing a slimy creature dive into the Han river. Some Viper workers said they had heard low growling and grumbling noises they thought came from the machines, but when they turned it off, the bizarre noises only grew louder. Fishermen who worked late at night reported to see silver flashing eyes in the water. Perhaps the most terrible “sighting” would have been near the Poculum. A customer was passing by with the intentions of having a drink late at night only to see a panting, struggling creature near the garbage disposal. It was unnatural for sure, the shadow it cast resembled nothing like the creatures and animals that walk the face of the earth today.

“It has eyes of the devil, mama!” Yeji heard the little boy in front of her exclaim. They were currently waiting in line to get hot buns from a fast food restaurant. Yeji watched the boy as he excitedly told his story to his mother, guessing he had heard it from a playmate. “The monster had a spine as sharp as knives” The boy added, causing his mother to look at him disinterestedly. There have been numerous deaths added from the original incident, causing people to speculate. But the more people talked, the more the truth has been twisted.

Yeji would have brushed off the rumors, ruling it as a way to keep children frightened when they were being unruly. But the fear people have been feeling is very real, their lives were in danger. There must be a reason to why people had started talking, speculating.

“Nonsense.” The mother scolded her child, as she fiddled with her bracelet. The mother was obviously scared as well, hearing her son's stories did not help whatsoever.

“They say it is like a modern day dragon!” the boy added, not even bothering to listen to his mother, “It attacks the gangsters at night when it smells their blood. It hides in the shadows, waiting for the perfect time, then boom! It attacks.” The child said, his hand motions accompanying his exaggerated story.

The mother could only look and sigh at her son, “It is not only the gangsters who are dying, nae adeul,” The mother paused, looking at his now terrified son. “No one is safe now.” She continued as she placed a hand on her son’s shoulder.

That’s one comforting mother alright,

The son suddenly stopped in his tracks. He looked at his mother, fear replacing the jolly expression he had before. “Am I going to die, mama?” The boy asked.

“Of course not.” The mother said in a defensive tone. She quickly got the two bags filled with steaming buns in front of her and left, with her son still quite scared.

Who wouldn’t be in a time like this?

As they left, Yeji couldn’t help but stare at their disappearing figures. A child, no older than five, was already worrying about whether or not he would live another day. A child like him should be worrying about what flavor of ice cream he should get, or what he should play with his friends. He shouldn’t fear for his life. How much time did they have left until the city of Seoul became nothing but a mass graveyard?

“On us, miss.”

Yeji snapped out from her train of thought to see a bag already in front of her, filled to the brim with steaming hot buns.

“Everything for the princess of Seoul.” The old baker said with a smile. Yeji took a better look at the place, then at the old man in front of her. The bakery was very old, to the point where you could see loose wires everywhere. The man in front of her was also very old, it looked like the bakery was all he had. The only reason why Yeji was here in the first place was because Lia wouldn’t stop bugging her about trying the famous steam buns in Hongdae.

“You have a family, ahjussi?” Yeji asked as she took the bag, the man’s face lighting up immediately.

“I do! I have a lovely wife I come home to everyday and five children! Two girls and three boys!” The baker answered as he perched his elbows on the window.

“I see,” Yeji paused as she took something out from her pocket, it was a red envelope with gold lettering. The man’s face grew in shock. “No miss Hwang, it is in the house! We have been affiliated with the Vipers for a long time now and I owe everything to them. Please it is okay.” The man said as he pushed the envelope back.

“No, please do take it. You have worked hard enough.” Yeji said as she placed the envelope in the baker’s calloused hands. With a smile, Yeji left.

As she browsed the streets of Hongdae, she couldn’t help but let out a breath of relief. She was relieved she was able to have a few hours to herself. She had just finished visiting the drug den her father had sent her to, and it was more boring than she thought. She expected a top secret lab, like the ones she would always see in movies. Only for her to be greeted with a smelly and sketchy apartment. When she had collected the money, the man passed it to her half-asleep, he too looked high on whatever he was on that moment. She had only been there for a solid 30 seconds and her duty was done for the day. Hongdae was filled with lovers taking their strolls, family spending some quality time together, friends on dates, and native weirdos too.

“The end is near! The world is going to end! Jeremiah 11:11! There is only one cure!”

Yeji grimaced as she tried to quickly pass the man. She tried to cover her face in hopes of not getting seen by the shouting man, but to her misfortune, the man had locked his eyes on her. The man started to head her way as she quickened her pace. She thought he had lost the man following her, only for him to suddenly jump in front of her.

Does this man not know who I am?

“Salvation!” The man screeched, causing Yeji to freeze in her tracks. The man flailed his arms in the air, as if he was waiting for someone to pick him up. “Spread the word of salvation, miss!” He exclaimed as he took another step towards her.

Yeji was quick to back away, she was getting weirded out by the old man, “I’m not that religious, sorry.” She decided unsure on what to say, the man’s eyes suddenly grew wider until it could pop out from his socket anytime.

“The doctor can give us a cure.” He said. “I’m not quite sure a doctor has found a cure yet,” Yeji said carefully.

“The doctor saved me!” The man further added. This time, Yeji wasn’t sure if he was referring to doctors, or a particular doctor.

“Hey you know what, a doctor saved me too.” she said as she placed her hands on her hip. “I was like what, seven years old?” she continued, amusing herself now. “I bumped my head on my mother’s picture frame and let’s just say she was worried more about the picture frame.” She said, remembering it like it was yesterday. “Ever since then, I started eating apples.” Yeji said as she looked at the man, waiting for him to catch her joke.

“Because you know…” She trailed off, the man only looking at her in a blank manner. “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away!”

The old man only stared at her. He looked at her like she was speaking some sort of foreign language no an on earth had ever heard of.

“Corny joke?” Yeji asked, speaking Korean a bit more slowly for the man to understand. “Come on, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? Come on, I deserve a chuckle at least.”

The man groaned and stomped his foot, signaling for her to take him seriously.

“The doctor is only one person.” he hissed, his face contorting into a weird facial expression Yeji couldn’t quite figure out. “A person of great passion. He gave me the cure and I am now immune to this madness. An injection! I am supposed to be dead! When my friend had clawed himself and lay dead next to me, I should have been next! But I am here! Alive and well!”

Yeji took another step back, one she should have taken before the man had started talking.

“Good for you,” Yeji said, thinking of an escape plan. “But I, uh, have places to be.” Before she could turn around, the man had already grabbed her wrist.

“Salvation!” The man screamed, “Only the doctor could bring salvation!” She quickly jerked her hand back away from the man as she hurried off.

She took sharp turns every now and then, making her route in a dark alleyway. She passed by groups of men who seemed like they were all ready to kidnap the next person they see. She passed by men throwing knives at each other, she also passed by a group of women aiming their guns at each other, but she was not scared. She was in her territory, she was above all.

Just as she was in the middle of another alleyway, Yeji immediately stopped to the feeling of a cold metal pressed against her neck. She knew it wasn’t a threat of any Viper, no Viper dared. Her mind ran wild, thinking of all the possible people who would try such thing,

Until a familiar voice had said: “Don’t make a sound. Keep walking, and I won’t shoot.”

The feeling of uncertainty immediately was replaced by the feeling of rage. Did he really wait for Yeji to enter an isolated place? Until she was far from the crowd? Did he really think that would work on her?

“You don’t know me as much as I thought you would.” Yeji said quietly, maybe Jeno didn’t know her at all when they were still friends. Maybe he never really cared to know about her. Maybe he just agreed to be friends to get information from her, and he did.

“Walk,” Jeno demanded.

Yeji stood still. As she planned, Jeno thought she was scared and so he eased the press of his gun against her neck. She slowly brought her hand to trace Jeno’s gun, her sudden caress took him by surprise. From his gun, her hand trailed to his own. Touching his long fingers, to his prominent veins. Her touch was light and held no danger whatsoever,

Or so he thought.

She whirled around, faster than Jeno could even process. In a blink of an eye, she had already slapped the gun from his grip causing it to drop on the floor somewhere. She had bent his arm in a way no arm should be bent. She had him quickly pinned to floor, her legs on both sides of his hips with a knife pressed to his throat.

��Let’s try this again, shall we? Like normal civilized people.” She breathed. Jeno too was trying his hardest not to breathe too much, or else his throat would come in contact with the knife. His dilated eyes narrowed at her, as he took a breath.

“Normal civilized people?” He mocked her tone, his voice a bit raspy. “You have a knife pressed against my throat.”

“You had a gun pressed against my neck.”

“Does it look like I have a choice? I’m in your territory.”

Yeji glared at him as she pressed the knife further into his skin causing a drop of blood to appear.

“Stop! Stop!” Jeno flinched. “I’m sorry.”

With one quick motion, Yeji could have sliced his neck open. She had been dreaming of this for four years, she was almost tempted to give it a try. Although she was fighting all thoughts she had of killing him, one thought had crept up in her mind.

Jeno still smelled like he used too. He smelled like smoke and mint, with a hint of his perfume. Noticing this particular detail made Yeji think how possible it was for everything and nothing to change.

“Well go ahead then,” Yeji prompted, “Explain yourself.”

She could feel Jeno trying to fight, but with one press of her blade, he would stop. She could track his every movement just from the tip of her blade.

“I needed information,” Jeno managed.

“Surprisingly.”

His eyebrow arched, “If you let me go, I could explain.”

“Well let’s see…” Yeji said, pretending to think. “How about no? I prefer if you explained like this.”

“Oh, Yeji”

Click.

The sound of someone pressing the trigger echoed all throughout the alleyway. Yeji looked to her left to see the gun she had disabled a while go still in its position. She looked back on Jeno to see him smile, his smile was almost mocking.

“Did you really think I would only bring one?” He asked in a teasing manner. “You don’t know me as much as I thought you would.” He added, mocking her. Famous eye smile a contrast to his actions.

The feeling of cold hard metal suddenly touched her waist. It was as if the gun had started to burn through her clothes and made its imprint on her skin. With no choice, Yeji had to remove her knife against Jeno’s kneck. They both stood up and in unison, put their weapons away.

“The man who died in the Poculum,” Jeno began as he dusted his polo shirt. “Do you remember his mismatched shoes?”

Yeji rolled her eyes, she couldn’t believe she was actually having this conversation with the Jeno Lee, then nodded.

“I found the other shoe in the Han river the other day, the same spot where the first men had died,” He continued, “I think he was able to escape, only succumbing to the madness the next day, in your club.”

“Impossible!” Yeji denied, “What kind of science is–”

“This is no longer in the fields of science, Yeji.”

Her hands had quickly balled into fists, bunching up her blouse in the process. Jeno was really on a whole other level of stubbornness when he was focused on something. She let out a sigh as she closed her eyes,

“What do you want?” She asked, opening them again to see Jeno’s serious expression.

“I need to know whether or not if he is indeed the same man. I need to see his shoes, see if they match, if they do, this madness might be even contagious.”

Contagious,

Meaning to say that the man who had died in her club, his blood spraying in a room filled with her people, might be infectious. If that was the case, the Viper Gang is in huge trouble.

Yeji’s panic started to kick in.

“Maybe they were in some type of cult,” Yeji suggested without much persuasion. “Maybe he didn’t want to be apart of whatever they were doing, only for him to decide that he actually wanted to a day later.” But she had seen the terror of the man during his last few moments, he couldn’t speak but his eyes told everything Yeji needed to know.

Oh dear God she knelt beside the man, looked him in the eyes, and asked him what caused it. What were the chances of her getting infected?

“You and I both know that something’s not right here.” Jeno said, breaking Yeji’s small panic attack. “By the time this has alerted departments, many more innocent people will have died.”

Jeno accidentally realized what he had said, causing him to fall silent. Yeji stared at him for a while, her gaze blank, void with any emotion.

“As if you care,” She said quietly, almost inaudible. But he still heard her. “About innocent people dying.” She looked away from him in case he could see the slight water in her eyes.

Every muscle in his body tensed.

He inhaled sharply, “Fine,” he paused, “My people.”

Hearing it from him definitely felt worse. She let out her breath she didn’t know she was holding and turned around.

“Move.” She said, walking away. Only this once would she allow herself to help him, she needed the answers too. “The morgue closes in a few hours.”

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steve0discusses · 4 years ago

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S5 Ep6: Joey Wheeler is on Fire, Yet Again

Came down with a little sickness-not the biggie, just a little sly guy. But I took some meds, I’m a little floaty, I’ve only been listening to baroque music all morning for some reason? And I hate baroque music usually? But I’ll leave it to bro to tell me if this is fluid enough.

Just so you know, these caps were kind of a hot mess for a while and some of them read like that Garfield in of hot eat the food comic until...today. So pls don’t judge me, Judge my damn DMV where no one was following Covid regulations because I’m pretty sure that’s where I got this damn cold.

We start off with Roland getting more attention than he ever has in his entire life. Like honestly, I don’t know what Roland’s job really is...but he’s got a very diverse set of very useless skills. One of which, is knowing how to announce sports games that aren’t really a sport, while those games he’s announcing slowly fall into chaos.

Anyway, Roland’s taking so long cherishing his sweet time before everything goes to hell, that he’s boring Joey, who’s kinda turned into a ball of stress in the waiting room.

A lot of this episode is us watching them watching Joey having a break down moment by moment, TBH.

(read more under the cut)

Yugi telling Joey to study his cards and straight up--what?

Like at this point they know what’s on the cards, right? Like there comes a point where even Yugioh cards have a finite amount of words and I’m just going to assume that like...Joey probably knows them all in his own deck, right?

(bro note: they have no limit on what they will put on a card)

Then again, maybe Yugi doesn’t know what “study” means?

Also, appreciate how some artist crosshatched the hell on Joey’s nose there and I zoomed out and ruined it.

Now for some reason every duelist is hanging out in the duel lodge, including our current arch-villain guy who’s brought a book. I want to know what book this guy even reads so no one could suspect he’s actually a hacker who uses computers. He’s reading romance, right? And I don’t think he’d even be into Twilight, I think he’s straight up into hard core Mom romance like a lame ass Nicholas Sparks over there reading “Dear John” for the millionth time because he is completely un-phased by anything else happening in this room.

Joey, our hero, just out there being an asshole for no reason.

After Tea is pushed into a locker or something screaming about her need for female friends (which she screamed in earshot of Rebecca again, who I figured was on friends terms with her after last episode...but I guess not) Leon hops up to remind us that we should be caring about the fact that his character exists.

And like, I love Leon’s hair color--that’s a good choice, and legit that is the color I tried to dye my hair at the beginning of the epidemic (it didn’t work PS, my hair cannot take dye for the life of it) but also like...he just kinda feels like a weak Rebecca as far as characters go. He’s young, he’s good at cards...I think he goes to a private school? That’s all I can think of about Leon.

He mostly just reminds us that the big prize of this tourney is to duel Yugi, who anyone could have dueled at any point even without the tournament.

On the way out of the...duel room? lounge? Area? Joey decides to like...make peace with Zigfried, and I gotta tell you, I kinda have to side with Zigfried, because Joey spent the last ten minutes being a freak in the dressing room/lounge/bathroom and at one point looked like he was going to hold the entire locker room in a stranglehold.

I would also want some space from Joey Wheeler, is what I’m saying.

After insulting Joey’s style (which honestly, Joey...has a style? He pops his collar, that’s his entire style.) Zigfried assures us that Joey’s gonna lose and like...

...probably, right? Just looking at the plausible direction this season will go.

Anyway, Joey is such a mess (which is the theme of the episode, that Joey needs to learn to chill in order to win at card games) that Rebecca is like “I understand if all of you leave me to go help our poor baby Joey.” And no one felt bad for her.

Mokuba comes over to tell everyone all of the Kaiba family secrets because Mokuba has no filter.

Seto has devoted himself to staring at a computer screen for the rest of this episode. I guess he’ll put their names into Google, realize that social media hasn’t been invented yet, and then just lie his head down on the desk and take a power nap until the tournament is over. Much like I did after taking Dayquil this afternoon.

I like how Seto dressed for success and then locked himself in the server room for most of this arc so far. Maybe he’s just...really tired, I dunno. I don’t really blame the guy, he’s had a hard time.

And then Yugi was like “DAMN IT MOKUBA, JUST ONCE CAN YOU NOT INVITE THE ILLUMINATI???”

And we had a weird scene where Yugi just started talking to the ghost and it was while he was talking to everyone else, and the show didn’t treat it like that’s a weird thing to do...but it was a weird thing to do.

This show does that sometimes, where I guess they imply that Yugi’s Pharaoh conversations are split second conversations but...they’re not, right?

Also this chick ain’t gone yet, and Mokuba is just failing at his entire job for not zeroing in on vibes coming off this chick like stinky cheeseman.

So listen.

Did the Kaibas make like 3 types of Blue Eyes Caboose to one up Noah? Because Noah made one choo choo dragon, and then Mokuba and Seto were like “how dare” and then made sure that everyone ride every single version of the blue eyes caboose just to see how proud of them they were.

How many months of troubleshooting was the train? Like how long in development did Seto and Mokuba spend on these? A lot right? Like most of the time?

I did not check the subs to see if Roland said Jumping or Champion but I like to believe that Roland thought it was a cool new name he gave him.

Then these guys all showed up.

Hey so...can we talk seating arrangements?

Tea decided not to sit next to Yugi after complaining about not spending time with him for like how many episodes? Or was it too awkward to sit on top of what was probably Pharaoh?

Or did Mokuba go like “please, Tea, I cannot sit next to the others because I’m pretty sure one is a mole that is about to go cray” and was Tea like “Good, I need female friends, these ones are driving me crazy!” and then was Mokuba like peering desperately over the edge of his self made dragon train prison realizing he has to listen to Tea complain about boys for the rest of his ride across molten lava?

Headcanons abound about this weird seating arrangement that the animators drew for the reasons they did...but reasons I cannot fully understand. That and the Dayquil is making me overfixate on random stuff.

And also, Tea is kind of the Kaiba’s security’s understudy. Just there to always protect Mokuba with her ass because she’s the strongest woman alive.

PS I missed the tumblr wars because at the time I was trying to like...run a proper business on blogger. When Blogger died and I jumped over here it was like a weird ruin where everyone was like “tumblr is the most toxic place alive” and...I’ve had a really nice time here, actually. Completely missed that civil war period and I have no regrets.

Now I was there for the Petz wars (warz, I guess) where people were very militant about Petz abuse (abuze?) where apparently people were using the spray bottle on their catz too much and people were very, very upset about it to the point that they were like campaigning about it on their angelfire websites with the most bizarre grassroots campaigns that I still recall, to this day because they were like...well they looked like this:

PLAPA. Not only am I 100% positive that only this one guy ever called this movement PLAPA, but I’m 100% positive that not only are Catz not real people, but also this wasn’t actually happening and we never had any proof that it was. Either way, if people knew or suspected that you hadn’t deleted the spray bottle from your game (which at the time I had no idea how to do because I was a wee child) they would basically assume you were on a one way road to being a mass murderer in real life.

In real life we were 7 years old so like...thanks?

But that’s the closest I got to toxicity and at the time I was too young to make an email account and actually converse with these people. I was just there to download their Petz hexes, and I already made a post about how wonderful and incredible Petz Hexing was.

And y’all, I heard, just now after a little deep dive into the Petz Abuse debacle (which yes, is on the wiki), that apparently, like gardening, Petz Hexing came back in a big way during the epidemic--and I have found an active Petz forum in this the year 2021. The only problem is that I no longer remember how to use old timey forums...and I think I’m locked out of seeing most of these threads (and like this forum is so old I think I have to send them a letter in the physical mail to apply). But, I’m pretty sure they’re hosting a picture contest for who’s dogz poses the best. And I’m pretty sure someone created a hexxed Pickle Rick. Or it’s a photoshop that was made to look like a hexxed Pickle Rick.

Dammit why did it have to be Pickle Rick? That’s not worth re-installing Petz and getting it to run on Windows 10...

Guys is this the Dayquil? Is this really happening? I feel like I’m losing my mind for so many reasons...

Anyway, speaking about useless hexing it’s about time that our villain did something that was actually dangerous, so Zigfried decided to install a new virus that does more than turn off the lights. (it still turns off lights)

the Spreadsheet Virus!

Confounded by the spreadsheet software, it...um...it does this:

Straight up how does Excel make a volcano erupt? Is that why I have to pay for Microsoft office now?

All this because Joey made fun of Zigfried’s naturally pink hair? Which is the most normal hair on this series outside of like...Tristan?

Hey guys...Joey’s fine, right? Like how many times has Joey been on fire? And once in an iron cage next to like...a Fire Golem?

Joey’s fine.

MAN I miss Fire Golem. He had a good mug.

And then we just kinda watch chaos go across the park, chaos that includes: Too many ghosts in the haunted mansion (which honestly--you’ll get your money’s worth, sounds great!), the Ferris wheel goes kinda fast and thus might accidentally be fun, the lights turn off at some concert stage that only had 2 people on it (so it might just be motion detector lights and not even a virus), and um...literal fire and magma are going to set Joey Wheeler on fire.

Just...one of these events does not seem like the others. In fact most of these things sound like good improvements to the park and they should just hire Zigfried at this point.

Roland puts down his microphone and jogs across the stage, about a mile through the audience bleachers, and into the staff lounge, to go and bother Seto Kaiba, who is in a room that has a hi-def classical painting copy-pasted on the wall and I can’t look away from it.

I almost did a Google search on this painting but then thought better about it. There’s like...a billion classical paintings that look exactly like this, and they wouldn’t use like a Monet, they would have to do something that’s harder to catch to avoid copyright issues (because yes, even old ass paintings have copyright issues, but no one tell NFT’s which are going to be so freakin screwed and was such a bad idea, that I can’t even start).

Anyway, I have no idea who it is and it is legitimately driving me up a wall, but I’m on too much meds to do the effort of putting it in a reverse google image search.

Plus, a reverse google image search would only pull up Seto Kaiba.

So Kaiba takes us on a little flashback to his weird ass past, a weird ass past that just...doesn’t follow any of the established timelines, but I assume was shortly after adoption but before Seto got into a phase where he wore his school outfit everywhere and tried to shove his MMO off onto his Dad as a business model.

Seto is like 8 for some reason. I don’t know why, they kinda drew him younger this season anyway, like maybe they got a lot of fan mail and realized “Hey I think we made the 16 yo boy too sexy?” And they just toned Seto the hell down. That, and it’s a different animation team, and maybe they looked at Seto’s character design and were like “we don’t get paid enough to draw this well.” So...since Seto actually looks like a teen again, I guess his 12 year old self has to look like he’s in Elementary school.

Also, I only recognized this, because at some point in S3 as I was roasting Noah Kaiba’s weird fashion:

I remember distinctly roasting that little bow tie. I don’t remember when I wrote it, I think there was a version of this outfit that was in color...but I don’t remember where.

Anyway, it’s not the same jacket...but man that’s kind of awkward, ya? Like the maid who dressed Mokuba deffo got fired?

He um.

Turned the lights off a little bit.

Guys this villain is like...

...why does he think lights are scary? Like look at little Seto here. The boy is already bored. Seto duels on the edges of cliffs...he doesn’t care about the freakin dark.

We had a guy who killed everyone on the planet last season, and this season we have a little fashion gremlin standing in the corner and flicking the light switch going “wooooo you never catch me!” and it’s like...

...I’m starting to think this guy isn’t a witch.

Like we’re at Episode 6, there’s still time for this guy to be a witch...but I really am starting to think this guy is just...straight up not a witch. It’s everything Seto wanted, a rival who isn’t a freakin magic person...and sets Joey only fake on fire instead literally on fire like last time...

and Seto is just completely unhinged by it.

Anyway, I’m off to go drink a bowl of soup and pass out. If you’re new here, this is a link to read these in chrono order.

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

#yugioh #yu gi oh #ygo #S5 #Ep6 #Yugi Muto #Seto Kaiba #Joey Wheeler #Tea Gardner #Tristan Taylor #Mokuba Kaiba #zigfried von schroeder #rebecca hawkins #I talked about catz again #leon #but not the kings of leon guy #I mean he could be

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