#I probably won’t be as expansive with my weapon stuff as I do with my witch stuff

[crowsyart]

Was thinking about Maka’s pupils becoming visible when she sees souls and was like what if a third eyelid was what made people able to see souls(the actual mechanics I’m still working on but probably something like heat pits or how sharks can sense electromagnetic pulses)

It’s not really a sight, it’s just interpreted by the brain as that, it’s most likely some other sense that allows them to ‘see’ the soul

(For more on weapon development in relation to humans see this post https://www.tumblr.com/crowsyart/723152190234034176/me-and-my-friend-saintgabehave-been-thinking)

[elendsessor]

Hiiii what monster hunter game would be the best to start with (and if you have a tag for our previous ask about what games is good with monster biology that would be great. if not that's fine we'll live)

oooh yesyes this is a really good question!

there’s a few things you should be aware of before stepping into the monster hunter scene in general, though!

these games are clunky and have a lot you need to learn. they’ve gotten less so over time, but it is something that tends to turn away players. don’t give up on it!!! my journey started back when 4 ultimate came out (so i think i was in my early teens?) but it was too difficult for me and it wasn’t until many years later i gave the series a shot. this is entirely okay and is a surprisingly common sentiment. you likely won’t get it at first. take baby steps, come back to it in the future if you don’t understand.

there’s a clicking moment. that’s another common sentiment. eventually it does just click with you—sticking with it is key.

3. these games are hard, especially for newer hunters. don’t be ashamed of getting the cart or finding a fight difficult. this is entirely normal and purposeful design! i know this is something that’ll probably be frustrating and that’s okay, but know you’re not “bad.�� the people you may end up seeing who say git gud are joking, and stuff like speedrunning hunts takes a lot of time. the most impressive videos/hunters are ones who have stuck with the series for years upon years.

4. test any and all weapons available. some are more complex, some are easier, all play differently. i don’t recommend getting into the bowguns first only because they don’t require a ton of player input and older iterations of both weren’t the most exciting, which could take away from a newcomer’s experience.

5. i do recommend finding guides, be it basic mechanics or weapon ones. there’s a lot of moving parts to both fights and really anything on a mechanical level, so if you don’t understand something, want to build better load outs, etc., there’s plenty of resources available!

(i do recommend also messing with gathering and combining items. if it’s something you can find in the field, you’ll probably need it in the future.)

this may all sound like a little much but trust me you’ll figure it out if you stick with it. just don’t expect a typical action rpg. hunting games are unique and tend to be niche. i only say stuff like this before letting people know where to start because it is a lot, it is intimidating, but it is rewarding once it clicks and you shouldn’t make the mistake i did years ago aka skip out on something special.

one other thing is there’s some terminology you’ll need to understand when the games are discussed, which is old school vs modern. old school consists of anything before monster hunter world since it had a completely different feel and system. modern (aka monster hunter world and beyond) is more streamlined. it’s meant to be easily accessible so in some ways this is where you should start.

world and rise play differently but are part of the same generation. one is more of a slow, mmo-like game focused on the world. it’s clearly inspired by lost world stuff (dinosaur focus) but it lacks a lot of variety in monster types. also has plenty more gimmicky fights meant for multiplayer but it’s not hard to find others to play with. oh, and cutscenes aren’t skippable. and are bad. they’re not good cutscenes at all-

rise is faster paced and more focused on the monster variety and, in some ways, spectacle. it doesn’t have any real walls until late in the game and in the expansion, rather getting progressively more difficult, which is a divisive choice yet could be a better introduction. it also can be a bit harder to learn if only due to the wirebug mechanic. it’s pretty floaty and has a lot of special features (i barely use any of the wirebug moves lol).

both suit different play styles and assist in two aspects of the franchise, so it’s ultimately up to your preferences. however, regardless of which you choose, they’re amazing introductions.

most games in the franchise are slower like world while having variety/rather unique designs like rise. the series always has had a bunch of interesting ecology but the new design philosophy has been able to add more special touches. this doesn’t mean there’s no value to old school (the environments are a standout and it’s definitely charming, plus the storytelling is better tbh)!!! rather, you’re probably best going for modern.

if you’re more interested in the older games, generations ultimate is your best bet. there’s a ton of content—most mainline monsters at the time got in—and it’s the least clunky/most readily available out of all of them. it does have some jank so it isn’t perfect. i suggest the nintendo switch version if only because it has actual online play.

4 ultimate’s also a great starter and is probably the best one of all (at least old school wise, which this isn’t just my bias speaking it is something a lot of enjoyers have said). it is pretty beginner friendly with a great tutorial and optional weapon tutorials, but there’s no multiplayer anymore + it’s stuck on the 3ds. i’m sure some private servers are in the works but trust me multiplayer can be really helpful for grinding materials, knocking out gathering hub quests, etc.

whatever you do, i don’t suggest playing anything past that point as a newbie. tri/3u are great games but the underwater combat could be a total dealbreaker + is the clunkiest mechanic in the franchise. 1, freedom, freedom 2, and freedom unite are all great but are a different kind of brutal with the world’s most unfair hitboxes and jankiest of jank. everything else is japan only but are also super clunky. don’t ever play frontier unless you’re sucked into old school or the general series rabbit hole because it’s infamously hard plus is an mmo that got shut down in 2019 so setting up access to private servers is hell.

if you’re wanting just the monster experience, i suggest stories. it’s a charming monster collector that’s also heavily underrated. as a bonus, a compilation of both stories 1 and stories 2 is releasing tomorrow. you will be missing out on seeing some of the greatest monsters the series has to offer and it is a turn based rpg, but if you find yourself loving the world it sets up and/or the monsters, you should get into the mainline games.

(if you’re looking for fictional ecosystems, ik horizon has good stuff. there’s also subnautica, rain world (though rain world does go against a lot of game design rules and is more of an ecosystem simulator than a video game), god eater (another hunting game series), ark survival evolved, and though it’s based in reality, both the isle and path of titans are good dino sims!)

tldr; play world or rise if new to the franchise as a whole (world is slower while rise is faster), generations ultimate if you’re interested in old school (but can serve as an introduction albeit a clunky one), stories if you’re only interested in the monsters (but it’s an entirely different genre).

i hope this helps! enjoy the hunting purgatory.

[wouldntyou-liketoknow]

The Pentas Family Encyclopedia

So, if you’ve been reading my more recent fics, then you’ve probably noticed how I can’t seem to shut up about [The Future Mob Project]. Although this project is going to take a very, very, VERY long time to actually complete, that’s not going to stop me from fleshing out its characters, environment, and lore piece-by-piece. I’ve already written a few stories for this, and plenty more stories are on the way. 

(Except for Murdock—and, to an extent, Two-Toes Johnny—every character/ego on this list is MY creation. If any art or other stories happen to be inspired by them, PLEASE make sure to tag/credit me as the creator. I haven’t been this motivated to write in a long time, and I put a lot of time, thought, and effort into my work. If you have questions about the characters or lore, feel free to send me an ask or a DM. I love talking about creative stuff!)

This mob has a lot of growing/developing to do, and I will ABSOLUTELY be making updates/reblogs to this post as new characters are introduced and new ideas are implemented. Please keep in mind that updates may be sporadic, because adult life is complicated and exhausting and I’m ScaredTM.

(Also: @sammys-magical-au​, I can’t thank you enough for all the help/advice you’ve given me with certain plot-points so far. You’re an amazing friend, and I’m so excited to brainstorm about upcoming characters/stories with you.)

Now, without further adieu, let’s get on with the infodumping. . .

__________

🆃🅷🅴 🅿🅴🅽🆃🅰🆂 🅵🅰🅼🅸🅻🆈

This mob consists of several contract-killers, spies/informants, and Black Market merchants. The Boss will often assign the mob’s members to dispatch specific targets, but the aforementioned members are still able to take on hit-jobs if they’re approached by outside clients. 

🅲🅷🅰🆁🅰🅲🆃🅴🆁🅸🆂🆃🅸🅲🆂

They’ve long-since claimed the Cove Port Inlets (a quaint seaside city) as their territory. The Inlets used to have an expansive subway system, but those underground tunnels were abandoned due to a bad flood; thus, the above-ground stations were repurposed into varying shops/houses. However, each of those former stations are still connected to the subway tunnels via concrete staircases (which are now carefully hidden). The former stations have all been purchased by The Pentas Family—now, the mob’s representatives either live in or work out of them. As a bonus, the abandoned security offices/subway platforms are used as underground dens/hidey-holes, and the tunnels offer discreet movement beneath the city. 

There’s no enforced dress-code, but it’s still advised that Pentas representatives wear red. The red garments in question can be any type of clothing so long as it’s visible, and they can vary from shade to shade. 

In the event that the mob gains an ally (not a new member), that ally will be provided with an enamel pin designed to look like a poison dart frog. This dart frog pin will act as an identification device for Pentas members who somehow may be unaware of the new alliance; that way, the ally won’t be mistaken for an intruder. (The dart frog pin can also be used as a warning sign for unallied outsiders—basically, This person is under Pentas protection; screw around with them and YOU WILL REGRET IT.) 

__________

🅻🅴🅰🅳🅴🆁

The Boss [NAME TBA]

Who She’s Based Off Of: Pamela Horton (PamelaHorton13)

Red Attire: Collarbone tattoo of Egyptian star flowers, aka Pentas lanceolata

Notes:

[INFORMATION TBA]

Current Stories: [TBA]

__________

🅼🅴🅼🅱🅴🆁🆂

Murdock Mallory

Who He’s Based Off Of: Mark Fischbach (Markiplier)

His Method of Work: Honestly, he’s a jack-of-all-trades. Oh sure, he has an unhealthy amount of knowledge on different types of blades, but that’s just the beginning. Pretty much anything can be a weapon, depending on how creative (read: insane) you are. He also knows his way around firearms, but for...personal reasons, he only uses them when there are no other options available.

Red Attire: Turtleneck sweater (Currant)

Notes:

He has a rare case of eye-misalignment. Specifically speaking, his right eye is turned to the right (as though he’s looking at something sideways). His left eye can move around in its socket as intended, but his right eye never follows along with that movement. According to him, the misalignment was caused by a traumatic accident he experienced before he’d joined The Pentas Family (apparently, it’s a miracle he wasn’t rendered half-blind). When he’s working on underground business, he wears his sunglasses. But when he’s keeping up appearances in normal society, he wears a white medical eyepatch.

Both his black-tinted sunglasses and brass necklace are trophies from his earliest kills. (Yes, I will try to go more in-depth with this idea in the future.)

He was the first official member of The Pentas Family, and has since earned a reputation for being The Boss’ right-hand-man. (Notice: I don’t have the backstory/relationship between the two of them completely nailed down yet. But what I do know for sure is that THEY ARE NOT ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED WHATSOEVER. NOBODY IN THIS MOB IS.)

He's a legit bird-whisperer. I’ve seen plenty other people post about him chilling with crows or ravens, and that’s already perfect, but I think adding more birds in general to the mix would make it even better. Chickens, ducks, sparrows, cockatiels, parakeets, pigeons, etc. Even GEESE tend to be calm around him (which could count as a sign of something being wrong with him). It’s not uncommon for him to spend his off-time at the park feeding the birds he claims to have technically adopted.

He lives out of a houseboat docked near the quiet part of the beach. He’s not above driving it long distances across the water when he needs to travel for his work.

If his scene in ISWM Part 2 was anything to go by, he enjoys making morbid jokes/puns. Ironically, he tends to get dissapointed or annoyed whenever other people make morbid jokes/puns. He and Caliban have gotten into arguments (with varying degrees of violence) over puns on at least three separate occasions.

He’s currently acting as a mentor to The Newcomer. It’s his responsibility to teach them and introduce them to the other Pentas members.

Current Stories: (Goretober 2022) Day 2: Cannibalism, Running on Empty, God, Being an Accessory to Murder is Exhausting, Update the Letter Board!, (Goretober 2023) Day 3: Broken Bones, (Goretober 2023) Day 4: Amputation, (Goretober 2023) Day 7: Needles, Bloody Tricks and Even Bloodier Treats, (Goretober 2024) Day 2: Operation, (Goretober 2024) Day 5: Submerged 

The Newcomer

Who They’re Based Off Of: The Reader (Y/N)

Their Method of Work: They haven’t developed a personal signature quite yet. As of right now, they’re content with just assisting Murdock and the rest of The Pentas Family. They’ve got a surprising/disturbing amount of competence, but they’re still a rookie; therefore, they still have some things to learn.

Red Attire: Leather gloves (Scarlet)

Notes:

[INFORMATION TBA]

Current Stories: (Goretober 2022) Day 2: Cannibalism, Toxic Tutorials, (Goretober 2024) Day 4: Burst Vessels

Caliban Crawford

Who He’s Based Off Of: Matthew Patrick/MatPat (Game/Film/Food/Style Theory)

His Method of Work: He acts as one of The Pentas Family’s many body-disposal resources (if they disposed of bodies in just one way, they’d risk gathering concentrated amounts of evidence). His particular technique for disposal is good ol’ fashioned cannibalism.

Red Attire: Leather jacket (Crimson)

Notes:

Aside from the body-disposal stuff, he’ll often help other Pentas members navigate the Black Market. He’s also invaluable when it comes to organizing certain trading events. He’s a cannibal, sure, but he also knows just how much of a pretty penny human organs can make. (Besides, not all body parts are safe for consumption; brains, eyeballs, intestines, and bones for example.)

Cannibal puns 24/7. The subtlety—or lack thereof—with which he delivers these puns can vary, depending on the situation he’s in. (“I’ve been told I have a great taste in people.” “If anyone’s a humanitarian, it’s me!” “I am what I eat, after all. . .” etc.) 

He has a pet leucistic hare named Snare (somewhat inspired by Matt’s childhood pet bunny, Sunny). As hares are proven omnivores/scavengers, it just makes sense for Caliban to spoil Snare by feeding him human fingers as treats (highly inspired by Monty Python’s Killer Rabbit).

He has an ENORMOUS collection of butcher knives and medical blades, because of course he does. His favorite of them all is a damascus steel cleaver, which he frequently carries in his jacket pocket as his primary weapon.

There’s a silver tooth cap in the place of his upper left canine. He lost said canine when one of his victims surprised him by grabbing his tenderizing hammer and hitting him in the mouth with it as they tried to escape (this also left a small, jagged scar on the left side of his upper lip). Obviously, Caliban recovered from this. But the person who knocked his tooth out? Not so much. . .

His house is located in the downtown area, and is connected to the abandoned subway tunnels. He’s basically turned the old security office into a basement-kitchen setup.

(If you’d like to see some awesome artwork of this character, please go here and show the artist some appreciation!)

Current Stories: (Goretober 2022) Day 2: Cannibalism, Running on Empty, God, Being an Accessory to Murder is Exhausting,  What’s That Saying About Cinnamon Rolls. . ?, (Goretober 2023) Day 3: Broken Bones, (Goretober 2023) Day 4: Amputation, (Goretober 2023) Day 7: Needles, Bloody Tricks and Even Bloodier Treats, TCoTOS: Part 1, TCoTOS: Part 2, TCoTOS: Part 3, TCoTOS: Part 4, TCoTOS: Epilogue, (Goretober 2024) Day 2: Operation

Azalea Crawford

Who She’s Based Off Of: Rosanna Pansino (Nerdy Nummies)

Her Method of Work: She knows pretty much everything there is to know about poison. Toxic plants, venomous animals, man-made chemicals, you name it. The collection she keeps for hit-jobs and the like goes way, way beyond your typical arsenic. She even has a greenhouse full of deadly plants (including her namesake, obviously) in her backyard. When she’s on the clock, she’ll usually take care of targets by slipping poisons into a nice little baked goodie. Azalea’s not squeamish about needles, but this is easier and more discreet.

Red Attire: Headband (Cherry)

Notes:

This lovely lady is Caliban’s sister, and shares a strong sibling bond with him. (In fact, she actually taught Caliban a lot of what he knows about cooking. Sure, it took a bit of trial-and-error for some recipes to work with human flesh, but it just be like that sometimes.)

She has a pet scarlet kingsnake named Cuddles. Scarlet kingsnakes are harmless, but they specifically evolved to mimic the coloration of coral snakes, which are infamously venomous. Azalea understands the irony of this perfectly. She also understands how easy it is for people to mix up the color patterns, so, of course, she’ll occasionally handle Cuddles purely for confusion/intimidation.

She’s the owner/head chef of Aftertaste, a popular restaurant/bar, in order to help keep up appearances for The Pentas Family. The building is connected to the abandoned subway tunnels. 

If any Pentas members decide to use poison for a hit-job, then they need to go to Azalea for help. She’s one of very, very few people who can be trusted to use such dangerous substances properly. (But sometimes, even mobsters aren’t immune to hubris. So, Azalea keeps a stockpile of antidotes/painkillers in order to fix certain mistakes.)

She’s the reason Caliban was able to adopt Snare. She found the hare in the basement of one of her past targets (who was the leader of an exotic animal trafficking ring); he reminded her of her brother, so she ended up giving him to Caliban as a present.

(If you’d like to see some awesome artwork of this character, please go here and show the artist some appreciation!)

Current Stories: What’s That Saying About Cinnamon Rolls. . ?, Update the Letter Board!,  Toxic Tutorials, (Goretober 2023) Day 3: Broken Bones, (Goretober 2023) Day 7: Needles, Bloody Tricks and Even Bloodier Treats

K.O. [Kaiser Oasis]

Who He’s Based Off Of: Ethan Nestor (CrankGamePlays)

His Method of Work: Whether he’s in the arena, defending himself and his peers, or extracting information from enemies, K.O. packs a major wallop. Not only that, but his stamina is roughly on-par with that of a mongoose fueled by a few too many Pixie Sticks. . . He was discovered by The Pentas Family shortly after The Boss decided to branch out into the underground fighting business.

Red Attire: Fluctuates between jeans for when he’s out of the arena, and boxing shorts for when he’s in the arena (Amaranth)

Notes:

Despite being a mobster, he’s a surprisingly courteous fighter. Yeah, he pummels his opponents, but that’s literally what career-fighting is all about. Now, on the other hand: if you’ve personally wronged him or someone he cares about, or if he catches wind that you’re going to try and cheat your way through a match with him. . .well, I wouldn’t count on him having too much self-restraint. 

Ironically, K.O. also serves as a medic for The Pentas Family. It took some time and practice, of course, but he’s gotten pretty damn good at patching up stab/bullet wounds and resetting broken bones. (It’s not uncommon to get bumps and bruises in the underground business, and going to a normal hospital is typically a big no-no, since the staff there would likely ask too many questions about certain injuries.) 

While he only wraps his hands for his fighting matches, he’s still not above occasionally using brass knuckles—which he has affectionately named Francis and J.P.—for interrogation or message-sending assignments. 

Though he’ll sometimes travel for certain assignments, K.O. usually represents The Pentas Family at a place called The WormRoll: roller skating rink by day, hidden-in-plain-sight fighting arena by night. The building is connected to the abandoned subway tunnels, and K.O. has made his personal platform-office-den into a training room.

Before and after his matches, he wears a black robe with a picture of a peacock mantis shrimp embroidered on the back. (When K.O. first joined The Pentas Family, Murdock commissioned a sewing artist to make said robe as a welcoming gift for him. Yes, Francis and J.P. were included in that gift.)

He’s multilingual; he can speak English, French, Portuguese, and Italian on a conversational level. This obviously means a lot of foreign swearing when he’s frustrated/angry. He has no trace of an accent from any of those languages, and none of his peers know why or how he picked them up in the first place. K.O., being the gremlin he is, doesn’t plan to explain anytime soon. (Plus, he can’t not be a little smug about being the only Italian-speaking member of a mob. Just like how he can't not use that to tease Murdock.)

Y’know creepy-crawly lollipops? Yes, the ones that have a cricket or some other insect frozen inside. Those are K.O.’s favorite candy. Unless he’s in the ring, he’s almost always got one in his pocket. (On a slightly more humorous note: sometimes he’ll make a small show of pretending that the lollipop sticks are cigarettes.)

Current Stories: (Goretober 2023) Day 3: Broken Bones, (Goretober 2023) Day 7: Needles, Bloody Tricks and Even Bloodier Treats, (Goretober 2024) Day 2: Operation

Garret Wyre

Who He’s Based Off Of: Mick Lauer 

His Method of Work: If there’s two things to be said about Garret, it’s that he has a pair of big, strong hands, and he knows how to use them. You could argue that “Everyone knows how to use their hands, idiot.” To which I say. . .first of all, chill out. Words can hurt. Second of all, not everyone can make a career out of strangling people. But Garret most certainly has. That being said, he knows when to use other tools  (ropes, scarves, cords, stuff like that) to get the job done. He knows he can’t realistically rely on his hands for each and every one of his assignments. In any case, the day his grip isn’t firm is the day he’s not Garret.

Red Attire: Scarf (Maroon)

Notes:

Garret brings a complex vibe to The Pentas Family. His disposition is stern, but he knows to be patient with the other members. Despite this, he’s always a bit. . .fidgety. Restless. He has a hard time sitting still, and an even harder time not giving people the side-eye or glancing over his shoulder. In fact, the only times he seems genuinely calm and self-assured is when he’s choking the life out of his targets. Sure, he still acts aggressively toward said targets, but there’s no denying just how soft and quiet his voice becomes when he taunts them.

His hobbies outside of mob work include knitting and sewing. It just seems to ease his nerves a bit. He even made the very scarf he wears whenever he’s working on Pentas business. This also bleeds into the fact that Garret is on the superstitious side. Half of his sewing/knitting projects involve making voodoo dolls of those who screw around with The Pentas Family. He treats said dolls a lot like stress toys, often patching them up after bashing their stuffing out only to do it all over again sooner or later.

He very much believes in the concept of luck. Quite ironic, considering he was born on a Tuesday The 13th (look it up; apparently those are even worse than Friday The 13ths). He doesn’t bother with all the chakra-crystal-incense stuff, but he does keep a glass Evil Eye charm in one pocket, as well a miniature horseshoe in the other. He never goes directly home right after taking care of a target. He avoids the number four like the plague. He makes sure his right foot is leading whenever he enters a room. Et cetera, et cetera. 

One of the few superstitions he doesn’t believe in is black cats being harbingers of doom. In fact, he adores black cats. Particularly Juju, a stray black kitten he adopted after a very last-minute, impromptu hit-job.

He’s the manager of Itchy Palms, a popular casino on the edge of The Cove Port Inlet’s uptown area. The building is connected to the abandoned subway tunnels. And it’s safe to say that Garret knows. His. Business. He knows how to play each and every game, as well as several ways to cheat at each and every game without giving said cheating away. His outlook on fairness is. . .unconventional.

Current Stories: (Goretober 2024) Day 4: Burst Vessels

Parker Thenope

Who He’s Based Off Of: Nathan Sharp (NateWantsToBattle/Give Heart Records)

His Method of Work: There are several ways to be adept in water. Such as holding a person under it until they stop moving, or drenching a person over and over again until they give up the information you need. Which is exactly how Parker earns his keep. His assignments often involve haunting the local beach—or, more precisely, the cluster of shallow sea-caves along the beach’s edges. But in a pinch, he’s willing to use pools/hot tubs/etc. to his advantage (it just means he’ll have to be clever with how he goes about the job). 

Red Attire: Face-mask (Carmine) 

Notes:

Parker is the personification of “it’s always the quiet ones who snap the loudest.” Sure, he’s cooperative and understanding toward his peers in The Pentas Family, but underneath his chill, humorous, nonchalant veil lurks a bit of a ticking time-bomb. As a child, it was constantly drilled into him to camouflage his real emotions, to always appear calm and collected on the outside. If you’ve done something to majorly piss him off, then really, your only chance is to hide and hope he doesn’t find you. 

Fittingly enough, his hobbies include swimming. He learned at a very young age, so, it’s safe to say that he’s excellent at following the flow of water, holding his breath for generous periods of time, etc. And who can blame him? It’s a lot of fun, it’s great exercise, and it allows him to have the upper hand whenever he happens to also be in the water while taking care of a target.

When it comes to anything music-related, he’s incredibly skilled. Not only does he have a lovely singing voice, but he’s an expert on playing guitar, drums, and even the piano on occasion. Music is a very effective form of stress-relief, and he’s been using it as such long before he entered the underground business. 

He’s very familiar with Ear Caffeine, a music studio in the Cove Port Inlets. He works there as a songwriter/lyricist, as well as a session musician, though he’s now basically in charge of the place ever since its former owners disappeared into thin air. (The building is connected to the abandoned subway tunnels, and Parker was instrumental—pun vERY MUCH INTENDED—to The Pentas Family claiming it as part of their territory.)  

On top of that, Parker also owns Chord Craft, a combination of record store and instrument-repair shop on the side. He was the head-honcho over there before he was welcomed into the mob, and while he’s since hired more people to run it, he still cares for it. 

Even before he joined The Pentas Family, he made a point to wear a face mask every day (he sees the red one he wears now as an upgrade). He only ever takes it off when he’s swimming or sleeping. He doesn’t have any scars to cover up; he just finds comfort in personal anonymity. 

He’s learned to consider all the different ways decomposition can work in watery areas. Just because his signature is to drown targets doesn’t mean he can always afford to just leave their bodies floating. It’s not uncommon for him to seek out Murdock, arranging to take a ride on the hitman’s houseboat in order to dump certain bodies far out from the Inlets’ boundaries. 

Current Stories: (Goretober 2024) Day 5: Submerged 

Val Ocitie 

Who They’re Based Off Of: Lio Tipton

Their Method of Work: Tommy guns may be rare nowadays, but that isn’t a problem for Val. Their hidden arsenal is already impressive enough; you could say they have many, many neutral specials. Sure, they can see the appeal of blades and other deadly stuff, but guns are fast, efficient, and most importantly of all, devastating. (Especially if a silencer is involved. Ooh, does that help thicken the plot.) Don’t screw around with them or their family unless you want to cosplay as swiss cheese. 

Red Attire: Chainmail bracelet (Vermillion) 

Notes:

Val has long-since learned to thrive in chaos, to the point of outright craving it. Sometimes they see underground business as a game. While their attitude is usually excitable around those they trust, their energy can turn aggressive in a heartbeat. They’re the type to get up in an enemy’s face, wearing a false, icy grin all the while.

Along with the hit-jobs they're assigned, Val is responsible for supplying The Pentas Family's firepower. Similar to how Caliban is an expert in organ-trafficking, Val knows the ins and outs of the illegal weapons trade. They've rearranged their personal gun collection several times now, selling and exchanging certain models to avoid leaving any patterns in their work.

Once upon a time, Val worked for a different mob; one that wasn’t exactly on good terms with The Pentas Family. Well, things ended up falling apart, and Val found themself at the mercy of Murdock and his peers. Of course, things were rocky at first. . .but somehow, Val eventually realized that they felt some kind of kinship with them. It took some time, but they were welcomed in, and are now following Pentas operations with strong loyalty.

They grew up somewhat rural, learning how to handle guns at a pretty young age. Though their family wasn’t poor, hunting game animals for food was still a big tradition that they helped to carry on. They don’t really do that kind of hunting anymore, but they still take monthly trips to shooting ranges in order to practice with clay pigeons. 

They’re the only Pentas member who doesn’t live in/work out of a building that’s connected to the abandoned subway tunnels. Instead, they live in a tidy cabin located in Reilpi Woods, a huge forest about a fifteen-minute drive from the Cove Port Inlet’s city limits. Not that Val minds, though; the area gives them nostalgia. While they can appreciate all the conveniences of more urban environments, they’ve always enjoyed being surrounded by trees. Besides, it’s not like they don’t know where all the secret entrances to the underground dens are.

They’re a natural when it comes to evaluating another person’s character. It’s an important skill to have in this line of work, especially considering how the work is question is very much illegal. Despite their uncertain start in The Pentas Family, it hasn’t taken much time at all for Val to learn each of the other members inside and out. . .well, except for The Newcomer. (For now, at least.)

Current Stories: [TBA]

Two-Toes Johnny [Johnathan Shine]

Who He’s Based Off Of: Bob Muyskens (Muyskerm)

His Method of Work: Though he’s not really a hitman, he still knows his way around interrogation and message-sending. His weapon/tool of choice is a baseball bat that was apparently an heirloom he just so happened to inherit as a teenager. It might not look like much, but neither will those who anger The Pentas Family (or their clients) after Johnny uses it to beat them black and blue.

Red Attire: Belt (Tawny Port)

Notes:

Now, to address the elephant in the room: yes, he actually does only have two toes. The right big-toe and the left middle-toe, to be specific. All that’s left of the other eight are scars, and exactly how he lost them is a total mystery. Sure, he might vaguely rant about the incident(. . .s?) from time to time—usually after he’s had a few too many drinks—but it just seems impossible for anyone to figure out what the hell happened, as well as why the hell it happened. 

While he’s able to get tipsy or wasted, Two-Toes Johnny is nothing if not an experienced drinker. Working in the illegal alcohol trade will do that to you. When he’s not overseeing illicit spirits, he’s The Pentas Family’s primary bookkeeper, organizing all the money he and his peers rake in.

He’s the owner/manager of Liquorty Splitz, a (what else?) popular liquor store in the Cove Port Inlets. It currently supplies alcohol to Aftertaste, Itchy Palms, and several other joints. The building is connected to the abandoned subway tunnels. (He also has a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend type link to a place called The Robe. It doesn't fall under Pentas control—it’s basically an open secret in the criminal underground as a whole—but ever since Johnny entered the mob, he’s sort of paved the way for Murdock and the others to occasionally use their free-time to pay it a visit.)

He carries a very rough-around-the-edges demeanor. Sarcastic, blunt, quick to make snappy remarks or roll his eyes. It’s one of many survival mechanisms he’s learned over the years. Despite this, he still knows how respect and basic decency work. Earn his trust, and you’ll have an invaluable friend for life. (In such cases, the term “aggressive motivation/positivity” is an understatement.)

He’s a bookworm. His collection of novels is almost constantly threatening to grow bigger than his collection of vintage alcohol. He appreciates a lot of modern stuff, but he’s always had a soft spot for the classics. In fact, he always keeps a few books in his desk at Liquorty Splitz to read on slower nights. 

He has two tattoos on his face: a silvery little star just below his right temple, and the branch of a cherry blossom tree stretching along his jawline and ending near his left eyebrow. It’s not uncommon for him to trace the linework of either of them with his fingertips while he’s thinking. He claims that there’s no symbolism behind either of them, that they were the results of a couple drunken nights that took place a long time ago. (There’s a decent chance that’s true. . .but then, why does his expression occasionally turn soft and unreadable when he looks at these tattoos in the mirror?)

Standing at 6’4, Johnny is the biggest/tallest member of The Pentas Family. And he obviously knows how to use this to his advantage. As in, if he and his peers are in a violent situation, he’ll barely hesitate to pick said peers up by the waist/collar/legs and just. . .swing them in the direction of the enemy. Since the peers in question often have weapons on-hand, this method is shockingly efficient. It’s typically not appreciated, of course.

Current Stories: [TBA]

Phoenix Rhong 

Who She’s Based Off Of: Safiya Nygaard 

Her Method of Work: Playing with fire can be hard (depending on your perspective, at least), but getting burned is quite easy. Not so for someone who’s had as much practice as Phoenix. Where there’s smoke, there’s her. Pretty much a pro-gamer when it comes to plotting and coordinating, she’s the one to look for when riskier jobs need to be taken. After all, find an empty building in a very specific part of town, and voila! Instant Distraction—Just Add Fuel and Sparks! 

Red Attire: Ring (Garnet)

Notes:

Phoenix serves as a semi-dirty lawyer. As thorough and calculating as The Pentas Family is, mistakes can still be made. Bad timing and unlucky coincidences are still a factor. In such cases, Phoenix is invaluable for keeping her peers safe and their work hidden. On top of that, it never hurts to frame or expose an enemy or two; that just means less attention on her family, as well as less competition to deal with. She knows how to discreetly sow discord among enemies, how to tamper with evidence (whether planting it elsewhere or outright destroying it). 

Yes, she’s addicted to watching flames dance and hearing them crackle, but she still understands that they’re much more brutal than they are pretty. To be clear, she’s made her peace with reducing the corpses of certain targets to ash, but. . .well, they’re corpses. Like paper or clothing or many other flammable things, they can’t scream or feel pain when they’re being disposed of. (Not anymore, at least.) Whatever her peers did to those targets beforehand is just how they earn their own keep.

She’s responsible for the ironically legal parts of underground business. Negotiating prices/terms, relaying important messages, that kind of stuff. She helps form the contracts that the other Pentas representatives use, and she’s almost always in the room when those contracts are being discussed with outsiders (clients, allies, etc.). 

She’s very savvy when it comes to flammable chemicals. How exactly they burn, what to mix them with for the best results, how long it takes for them to reach their peak. Sure, matches and gasoline can be pretty damn effective, but an inferno often has to be handled very specifically. Sometimes the flames have to burn slower or faster. Sometimes they need to snuff themselves out at a quick rate. Sometimes they have to leave burned imprints behind rather than devour everything they touch. It all just depends on the job at hand. 

As part of an under-the-table agreement, she’s the owner of Scattered Wishes, the one and only crematorium the Cove Port Inlets has to offer. The building is connected to the abandoned subway tunnels, and she uses her personal den to hide various forms of evidence until they’re ready to be loaded into one of the ovens. 

“Phoenix Rhong” is NOT her original name. It’s not a fake identity, either. How she managed to take the name for herself. . .well, I'll go into more detail about that later. 

Current Stories: [TBA] 

Miles C. Peyote and Howie Thetaxi

Who They’re Based Off Of: Lewis Dawkins (Dawko) and Ryan (8-BitRyan), respectively 

Their Methods of Work: When your reputation precedes you from all the way across the pond, you’ve definitely done something right! (Unless that was never your intention, in which case you’ve done something horribly, horribly wrong.) Remember the board game Mouse Trap? Well, Miles probably played it a few too many times in his youth, if the booby traps he sets up nowadays are anything to go by. Whether the goal is to kill or simply capture someone, his designs never fail to be. . .elaborate. Howie, meanwhile, doubles as a mechanic and driver. From ditching cops to running enemies off the road, he has more than enough skill to make professional racers envious. Never, NEVER forget the importance of seatbelts if you’re getting into a car with him. (Also, never put your feet on the dash. It’s rude.)

Red Attire: For Miles, a pair of leather boots (Oxblood). For Howie, a pair of gauge earrings (Carnelian)

Notes:

These two got their start in The Marble Hummingbirds, a different mob based in the UK that  has had a strong alliance with The Pentas Family for years now. As part of standard underground affairs, Miles and Howie volunteered to relocate to the US and work more closely with Murdock and the others. The adjustment was a bit difficult (especially for Howie), but they both understand that it makes several aspects of business more efficient. They both retain a good balance of loyalty between their original crew and their new one. 

Miles is selective when it comes to speaking. He’ll talk freely when he’s among people he trusts or is in a place that he’s deemed safe/comfortable, but when he’s out in public, he’s just. . .very quiet. He’ll still talk a little for the sake of politeness or formality, but only a little. If an area is open or unfamiliar, he’ll usually prefer to use body language and the like. (This does absolutely NOT stop him from cackling like a maniac over his traps.)

Howie has no qualms about reckless driving. Swerving, speeding, staging accidents; he can do it all without batting an eye. Whatever it takes to get himself and his buddies (plus their cargo) from Point A to Point B without getting stopped or caught. However, this mindset only applies to his personal driving. When he’s casually out and about, he can’t stand other drivers who tailgate, block lanes, cut others off, etc. If you act rude toward him in traffic, he can and will make a side-quest out of finding a way to get back at you. And yes, this extends to when he’s on the job. It’s not at all uncommon for him to go back and forth between chatting with his passengers and yelling at idiots on the road in the middle of a high-stakes-chase.

Miles has a habit of collecting plushies; especially odd-looking ones. (For example: the creepy-yet-cute stuff you might find on Etsy.) But his plushies aren’t just for aesthetic or decoration. He���s modified each and every one of them to be soft little storage units. Some have well-hidden zippers in their backs, while others have their heads function as the lids to jars stuffed inside their stomachs. Miles uses this strategy to hide valuables, such as varying sums of money or the odd piece of jewelry taken from a target. 

Howie is miraculously conscious of animals on the road. That’s one of few exceptions to his typical stance on getaway driving. He will always, ALWAYS make sure to avoid hitting cats, dogs, raccoons, deer. . .or squirrels. As a matter of fact, one squirrel that he managed to spare back in the day seems to have pledged a life-debt to him. Seriously, he avoided hitting it while he was still working in the UK, and by now it’s followed him to the US. Wherever Howie is, the squirrel always seems to be somewhere in the background, just watching and waiting.

Along with all the getaway driving stuff, Howie has helped The Pentas Family to form its very own chop-shop. Whenever cars are stolen from targets or enemies, Howie will be there to dismantle or sabotage said cars. Legitimate parts are sold, and certain jobs involve filling a vehicle with counterfeit parts in order to frame its owner.  

Ever since relocating, both Miles and Howie live out of The Five Seasons, a hotel near the Cove Port Inlet’s city entrance. The building is connected to the abandoned subway tunnels, and the duo rotates between sharing the hidden den; Miles will use it to build/test his traps, and Howie will use it simply to store/tamper with various car parts. The hotel just so happens to be right across the street from the car repair garage (Oh, for God’s Brake!) that Howie uses for his day-job.

Current Stories: [TBA]

Jay Aienyouess

Who He’s Based Off Of: Thomas Sanders

His Method of Work: The Pentas Family can be thought of as many things. Well, if you were to think of it as, say, an anglerfish, then Jay would play the role of that bright, shiny lure. He can put on a Grammy-worthy act in the blink of an eye, whether to lead a target to their doom or to keep any potential witnesses away from a soon-to-be crime scene. 

Red Attire: Nail polish (Cochineal)

Notes:

On top of con-games, Jay can also be quite stealthy if the job calls for it. Sneaking around enemy turf, setting up a sabotage or two, gathering information, spying on those who give off weird vibes during business negotiations. . .

Unlike most of his peers, Jay was raised in a comfortable, pleasant environment. . .or, that environment was comfortable and pleasant while he was a kid. Things changed pretty drastically after he became an adult; more specifically, after he came out. He ended up leaving his hometown behind, hopping from one motel to another. Though he worked various odd-jobs, he also quickly learned to pick pockets in order to survive. 

By the time he had a chance-meeting with a few Pentas representatives, Jay had already somewhat dipped his toes into the criminal underground. Mainly via listening to the hurried whispers of passersby, and then trading those memorized details for cash.

Despite what happened to him, Jay has never once questioned himself or felt ashamed of who he is. Even when he was offered a place in The Pentas Family, he was still very much intimidated by them at first. But the support and open-mindedness they showed was quick to seal the deal for him. This in turn led to him (along with Val) having a hand in making sure that any Pentas-owned businesses are clearly marked as safe spaces for queer people.

He is most certainly NOT immune to morbid fascination. True, he doesn’t do any actual killing himself, but. . .well, I wouldn’t put it past him to look over the carnage left after a hit-job, all curious and thoughtful. The cleanup crew has gotten pretty used to him hanging around while they work. 

He works at Bullskit, a theater/auditorium that serves as one of the oldest buildings in the Cove Port Inlets (it’s still in business; it was even freshly remodeled when Jay joined the mob). It’s connected to the abandoned subway tunnels, and Jay kinda just lives there after hours. During hours, however, he dabbles in a bit of everything: stagehand, greenroom tech, assistant to the directors, you name it. If a target or enemy happens to get on the stage, Jay isn’t exactly above looking the other way when his peers sneak in to drop sandbags, switch out prop weapons for real ones, rig the special effects, etc.

Current Stories: [TBA]

[rhokitten]

As per usual, credit to professorsparklepants who I stole the idea of Fanfic I Won’t Write Friday from.

I had an idea for a Western Call of Duty Fic. Or, less a fic idea and more of a setting idea since in terms of story I don't have any real ideas but rewriting the main story line.

My plotline idea: 

So, the idea is to set the fic in the Wild Wild West of the United States. (Why these British characters are now American? *shrugs*) Generally it would be pretty soon after the Civil War. The idea is that Gaz and Ghost served with Price and after the war went with him out to the west.

Ghost is a cow rancher. Price is the local Sheriff. Gaz is the Deputy. Rudy and Alejandro work on a farm across the boarder but come up to visit when they need to drive cattle up to the railroad and have a drink in town with the 141. Soap is coming across from Scotland because of the gold rush? (I'm not too good with history so I'm not sure exactly where the gold rush would fall in terms of Civil War, Great Expansion, Gold Rush, etc.) I think I should make Shepherd like the Governor and Graves the Marshal?

Because I'm messing with the setting and historical context, I'm going to do something probably racist in an attempt to make things less racist and change Roba from being Hispanic to being white. I also think Ghost should have Joseph. (Or possibly not Joseph but some random kid that Roba was holding but in his trauma Ghost thought it was Joseph and saved him, taking him with him. Ghost can't remember properly what Joseph looks like because he was away at war for so long or if his body was in the house when he got there so he does his best to love the kid like his own regardless of if he's really Joseph or not. Kid responds to the name Joseph but due to trauma is nonverbal and doesn't really seem to remember much before he was taken by Roba.)

Pros of continuing the fic:

I've already got like half the world building for the fic done?

Cons of continuing the fic:

I really need to do the research on history to make sure that the timeline is right.

I've never played the game so I'd be rewriting the campaign based on other people's fics rewriting the campaign.

Why are these characters even in this setting? It doesn't really track.

I don't even like westerns. Like, I hate watching westerns or reading westerns. Why am I here?

If they're going to be in/near town then I need more characters to fill out the settlement and that only makes things more complicated on why are these people here if I want to keep the characters from the game (which I would, because that's more fun than making OCs).

What even would the story be? Because it's not like they can leave the town area, or not to go very far because they all have jobs and stuff that's not tracking down weapon. (Separatist cannons? What even would be the equivalent of missiles?)

Am I adding anything to the fandom? I don't really feel like it's doing much for the community.

[nat-the-cat-123]

(this will be a VERY long post)

✨Time to criticize Yashahime ✨

First of all:

I will only criticize the writing aspects, so don't expect me to say anything about the animation since I barely know about that stuff

Because of this I also won't address anything of Sessrin or the discontent because of Moroha's and Inukag's separation because that's more of a fandom thing

And this is only the opinion of someone who isn't any kind of expert in writing or something like that

Uff, Yashahime finally ended and it was... Interesting.

So let's criticize it :)

So first of all let's tell the ✨the good things✨ because even if there are more bad things, infact there are very little good things, we have to give credit where credit is due.

Good things :D

The girls' originality

Something that I saw other fandoms have complained in their own "next generation sequel" (like in boruto) is that the kids were just a "copy paste" of their parents, and when Yashahime was just announced I saw the same concerns (specially with Setsuna and Moroha)

But in the end I think any of them ended up being just female Inuyasha/Sesshomaru, and all were able to be their very own character.

Half of their relationship

Ok, I'm specifying that only half because sometimes the twins would be a little unfair with Moroha, but then be her "new family"(?), But then they proceed to leave her behind, and then AGAIN being like bff's so there is no consistency.

But in the first episodes Sunrise got it right and we could see a pretty good and functional dynamic between the 3 that was consistent and made sense.

Each one had a defined role that worked, Towa was the "moral" one, Setsuna the "cold" one who took more drastic decisions, and Moroha intervenes mediating both and brings information that may help please both sides. (At the beginning)

Moroha

I'M SORRY, I'm sorry, I can't help it, it's just that she has so much charm and is so lovely and innocent. And you can totally ignore the fact that she's InuKag's daughter and still love her just because her personality brings so much to the story.

It's such a shame that they didn't really use all her potential but I'll get to that later.

Aaaand that's all ;-;

Now let's go to the interesting part...

The bad things D:<

Towa

This point I actually want to explore it further in another post, because there's a lot I want to talk about her to specify what exactly went wrong and how I would have managed her but here I will leave it simple.

Towa in any way possible wasn't properly used, and even if almost every character suffered of bad writing, she was the most affected one.

She honestly isn't interesting, everything that could have been done with her according to her backstory was completely wasted, because even if she was the one with the least tragic story, there was a lot to work with (I mean, just look at Kagome's case and still most of the fandom loved her)

She kept changing her personality and ideology according to what the story needed, and at some point her only trait was "Setsuna's protective older sister"

And don't even get me started with how overpowered she is without any kind of training (I get she knows how to fight with bullies, but clearly that isn't the same as fighting demons with demonic energy)

Phasing

When people argue if the phasing is too fast or too slow, I think it's both, but in the worst way possible.

They waste so much time in scenes that aren't really that necessary or could be much shorter, and rush at incredible speed things that should actually be worked slowly and carefully.

The fights

I only can remember two or three that I actually liked because most of them were just exchanging hits with the sword, sometimes an special movement and that's all.

Half of the battles didn't affect the story in the least, and the worst of all was how the villains were defeated wether because they were lame as fuck or because Towa's random power up appeared out of nowhere.

Meanwhile in Inuyasha even if we didn't always had the best fights of all anime, we did get some pretty interesting choreographies and some villains really had an impact on the characters in a natural way.

Talking about villains...

Naraku is laughing from his grave

You know? I'm not a Naraku fan, but he was a bastard that you loved to hate, he maybe wasn't the most powerful character when we talk purely about his strength, but he was intelligent as fuck, he was always one step ahead, he had some pretty interesting abilities and plans, with him he brought other AMAZING villains (or anti heroes) like Kagura, Kanna, Hakudoshi, the weird baby, or even Sesshomaru back at the beginning, and the best part was how he was written being a complex character (like when he struggled with his human feelings for Kikyo)

But on the other hand we have Kirinmaru, Zero, the four losers (I mean, perils), probably my boy Riku, and who knows what other random villains.

First of all, ONLY RIKU would be a good villain (maybe I should have put him in the good things ;-;)

But then we have the four perils who, out of them the only one who seemed to know what he was doing was the green guy that did weird witchcraft, but the rest? They are just randomly bothering people because they have nothing else to do and honestly they didn't seem to be that powerful.

I'm not sure about Kirinmaru because I don't see anything clear with him, I mean, I'm not even sure if he's a villain.

And Zero... *Sighs*

I don't get what the hell she's trying to do. Anything that she does makes sense. She's just alive because of Riku, without him she can't do anything.

Like seriously, half of the world was after Naraku's ass, even his allies, and still he could get away with it. Zero can't even get her army in order to take care of 3 fourteen years old girls.

(Sorry for letting myself go with this one ;-;)

Not using half of your characters

I guess the best example is Moroha because even with an interesting backstory, mysterious abilities, and most of the fandom's love, they just used her as comedic relief for most of the series instead of developing her character or explaining better her spiritual abilities or Beniyasha.

And not only her, Hisui and the rest of the demon slayers were more of a background character. For example, in Hisui's episode we should have gotten to meet him, Gyokuto, and Kin'u better, but they preferred to focus in the twins AGAIN and not work the MirSan family. (Guys, first season and I still can't tell Hisui's definitive personality)

Same Takechiyo, Kyubi, Yawaragi, Kohaku, the villains, some past characters, sometimes even Riku. Basically every character who isn't Towa and Setsuna are walking tools for them to use whenever the plot needs it.

And no, I'm not saying "The twins shouldn't be the protagonists", a I'm saying "SIDE CHARACTERS AREN'T JUST PLOT DEVICES, THEY ALSO DESERVE DEFINED PERSONALITIES AND CHARACTER ARCS TO MAKE THE WORLD RICHER, OTHERWISE IT FEELS LIKE THE WORLD REVOLVES AROUND THE PROTAGONISTS"

Inuyasha knew when and how to dedicate an episode to a character, Yashahime doesn't.

Lack of character development

No one, except for Setsuna who is learning to rely and trust more on the girls, has any kind of development (sorry Moroha (･ัω･ั)).

I see Towa exactly the same as in the first episode, and because of how they've barely put attention to Moroha, she has barely shown any growth as well.

And I guess Hisui learnt how to trust his dad, but again, I can barely tell which is his personality, and the rest are background characters.

Powers / Abilities / Weapons

Here they neither explained ANY of the characters abilities properly or made them more powerful making sense.

Towa, just randomly learnt how to concentrate her demon energy in a sword and just keeps getting new abilities without training, and any of them seem to have any effect on Towa like (idk) having the risk of running out of energy. And at the beginning I liked how she struggled with her other demon abilities like smelling things but then they just forgot ;-;.

Setsuna's stick just produces wind and lasers without explanation, and her sealed power doesn't really work naturally.

And Moroha... EXPLAIN BENIYASHA BETTER. SAME FOR THE SPIRITUAL POWERS, that was supposed to be impossible!!! And again they recognized that at the very beginning, why did they forgot about it later???

There barely has been any "world" expansion

Something that Inuyasha never really got into was the "demon society", because with the exception of some tribes they never mentioned anything related to that BUT...

With that thing of Inu no Taisho and Kirinmaru apparently being "royalty" I thought they would talk more about that "Demon hierarchy" or if "Setsuna's courage trial" was something like a demon tradition (damn, that was honestly pretty interesting) but NO.

The topic has been barely mentioned and let's keep saying over and over again what the audience already knows for 24 episodes.

Weird Exposition

The way they threw information at us was pretty weird, like it didn't feel "organic" because instead of the girls getting into whatever situation where "x" character tells them certain things because it is related to what is happening, again, they chose pretty weird ways.

There were like 1,000 different options to tell us what happened to InuKag and Sesshomaru and all of them, like the girls talking with Myoga or Kaede...

BUT THEY CHOSE TO BREAK THE FOURTH WALL.

Comedy

I'm not saying Moroha is a bad comedy relief, she actually came with many good jokes, but you can't leave only ONE character to take care of the comedy. Towa and Setsuna also came with some good funny moments, so why would they only reduce the comedy to Moroha????

(In Inuyasha EVERYONE gave amazing comedy moments, even Sesshomaru)

And the worst part is that they only use the same joke with her most of the time! Losing her bounty and being poor.

"Atmosphere" (?)

I Promise I don't want to sound pretentious with this one ;-;

Those scenes where we were supposed to feel sad because of someone's death, intimidated because Kirinmaru appeared or excited because of a fight didn't work out.

I don't know exactly why but I think that it is because of a combination of lazy animation, bad selection of soundtrack, weird dialogue and the characters' lack of reaction.

So now that I think I've said all the points that they got wrong, let's get to the conclusion.

They stablished side plots or mysteries everywhere and didn't really do anything with them.

The girls never advanced with the story, they just kept running in circles around the same point during 24 episodes. (And no matter how long or short a story is, you can NEVER do that or you'll lose the audience's attention).

And with or without a second season, they made terrible mistakes that won't be able to be fixed. If it is only one season, TERRIBLE, they left way to much things uncovered, and if they plan another season, ALSO TERRIBLE, they rushed essential things and if they work them again they'll repeat one of their biggest mistakes.

And honestly I really tried to love this sequel, almost up to episode 12 I really tried to appreciate the small good things but they just kept slapping me with disappointment every single episode, and if they release a second season, I'll watch it but this time only expecting the worst of it.

In resume, yo can only truly enjoy Yashahime if you completely turn off your critical sense, and expecting nothing from it, otherwise you'll only keep asking yourself "why?"

[crossdressingdeath]

Definitely agree that the mage warden didn't feel as connected to the Circle Tower, which was disappointing. How did you feel about the interactions with Jowan in Redcliff? I feel like there was more there they could do. Jowan was so important to the origin, but it seemed like they barely added anything about that for Redcliff. (Tangentially, if you want connections throughout multiple games, I think Mahariel is actually the best origin for that, with a bunch of changes and extra things.)

So far the Warden I've played who feels most connected to the story is Cousland, but that mostly comes into play in the Denerim sections. Certainly they could've done more in Awakening when they're the ruler of the bloody country. I think Mahariel will probably be my third playthrough? First Surana (because I can't resist), then Tabris, then Mahariel. Have I planned out three full runs of the series with which love interest I'll pick? Maybe so! Will I choose the same options every time? Pretty much, yeah!

Anyway, though. Yeah, definitely they could've done more with Jowan. You get some additional dialogue, but... this is your best friend and the only way to save his life is to chase him off before you even see Connor? All you get is some lines where you talk about Lily and/or call him out for leaving you behind (which... Jowan just leaving you in the Circle and running is a whole thing that I also want to talk about but it's late, someone remind me later please) and I think you can try to defend him from Eamon by saying he's your childhood friend and otherwise it runs the same as with any other Warden. Come on. I feel like part of the problem is that Jowan was supposed to be a potential companion but that got scrapped; likely a lot of stuff involving him was lost with it even if it wouldn't have needed to tie into the companion aspect. Like, there was probably a lot of stuff with him and Surana/Amell that was lost to the cut conversations you would've had with him in camp, and I will always be curious about what those conversations would've involved. But it's like... even if you can't invoke the Right of Conscription for whatever reason, I feel like a Surana/Amell who was willing to risk death or Aeonar for Jowan's sake should have the option of physically defending him, instead of giving in like every other Warden when Eamon puts his foot down! Imagine the power of a scene like that, with Surana/Amell outright drawing their weapon and essentially saying "No, I won't let this happen, if you want to take him you will have to go through me"! Certainly I would've liked at least one scene at some point between sorting out Redcliffe (at least to the point where Connor is in his room not doing anything and the corpses have been dealt with) and healing Eamon where Jowan and the Warden have just one conversation about everything that's happened!

Basically... part of the problem is that I wish Origins had been a lot more expansive than it was while recognizing that that wasn't really feasible due to the sheer amount of branching paths they'd have to add (see my thing about wishing Surana/Amell could let Mouse into their head like Wynne's faith spirit), but also... I can't think of a better way to put it than that sometimes it feels like Surana/Amell got the short end of the stick story-wise, starting with how... well, they share an origin (would it have been so hard to have one of them be a Circle mage and the other be an apostate or something? Give me apostate Surana, rogues and warriors get five origins that aren't class-locked outside of "not mages"!), but carrying on through the entire game with how little unique story they get once they hit Ostagar. They get to go into the Fade to get Connor and have some extra dialogue with Wynne and Jowan and... that's it. I've said this before but it's especially bad for Surana, since Amell gets that link to Hawke in DA2 that makes them feel like they're the mage you're supposed to play (even though the elf stat boost to willpower and magic means Surana makes more sense to play from that perspective) while Surana gets... nothing. Not even some unique flavour text in a DAI war table mission. Very annoying.

[elizabethrobertajones]

Saw you've been sucked into the MMO life in the form of FFXIV and I was wondering if you had any input into the debate I've been having about what class archetypes tfw would play. I think Sam would be most likely to tank because it requires a reasonable amount of leadership and is also more of a quiet, backbone type role compared to dps. Dean seems more the type to be singularly focused on the big damage hits tbh. He also tends to take more of the charging in and fighting role in their normal life with Sam being the one reading up on everything more carefully and being his backup. Which leaves Cas as healer which may just be me projecting because I play healer/support at every opportunity but literal angel healing aside I think that sorta fits too, he cares a lot for them and tries to keep them safe and shield them as best he can in their adventures? Idk half formed thoughts please completely contradict me if you want I'm genuinely curious about other people's opinions here

Heyooo :D It is less sucked into and more like I’ve returned to the warm cushiony nest of MMOs lol

If you’d asked me back when I was a WoW player I’d have fully agreed because you could only have one class per character and these are definitely the snap decisions that the fam would make when on the character screen. Dean would grab the sexiest DPS, Sam the stoutest tank especially as he’s the one who has read into the classes and strats beforehand, and Cas would ask what to do and be given the healer role because the other two in this scenario would know better about the game and sort of lump it onto him like, oh, we need a healer and you can do this.

(In my own gaming journey, this is what my friends and brother did to me, as they needed a healer to round out their party... I took druid because it was spoopy, and discovered in WoW that while you can’t change classes you can pay gold to respec your character’s role within that class... Promptly re-specced to a melee dps/tank feral druid instead of the healer one, and had a lot more fun :D)  

In FFXIV you can take all the classes on your character (which I have done, natch) and it’s a much more interesting levelling approach, especially seeing how my friends playing the game have gone when it comes to taking classes as they level and why they claim to have tried and then rejected others. It’s an enormous personality test, even for peeps like me and my brother who have all the classes up at max level, which ones we prioritised and which ones we sort of struggled with or found a bit meh. 

Hm so in the scenario that Charlie comes bursting into the Bunker demanding that she needs some friends for dungeons and raids and they’re all sitting on their asses scrolling the internet between a case, they can bloody well play final fantasy with her for a bit, let’s go for some headcanons :D Long because FFXIV has become my current obsession and I have the same in-depth feels about it as I do about SPN but I just never get to write about them with anyone... 

First off, Sam of course has deep nerdery about it and will ask Charlie a ton of questions about what the right class to play is and do the same thing as we’ve already discussed and go for Paladin (which starts as gladiator), and also take all the crafting and gathering side classes because he’s a nerd and you learn nonsense lore while doing it. He’s also in the same starting zone as Thaumaturge which transitions to Black Mage and I BET he’d be tempted to have a little safe witch!Sam emotional release on the most un-Sam class. It’s the big unwieldy spell caster whose literal class quests and stuff make fun of how you’re small and squishy and will be standing in a very bad spot debating whether to finish a long-cast spell and get hit or stop DPS and run for safety. I think he could do with the perspective and learning to be selfish either way to blow off steam from tanking and also learn to prioritise himself IRL :’D Also the paladin quest is WEIRDLY pro-cop from 30 onwards for some reason until the writers saw sense and just. stopped. doing paladin stuff and went back to the Gladiator storyline for the class quests, so idk if he’d enjoy that or start to question other things. Whatever it is he’s getting challenged XD

At 60 he grabs Gunbreaker because it sounds more cool and is thankfully way less emotionally stressful tanking as it’s entirely about being a badass bodyguard and sick flips. This is far more aspirational for Sam, especially as he could just tie a knife to a sawn off shotgun and do these moves for real in his day job. He won’t, but like with black mage, the thought that he COULD is very emotionally satisfying to him.

He might also have decided to check out scholar to see how healing is but idk if he would be able to handle Dean teasing him for having a fairy follow him around so he’d only dabble with the nerd class on the side :P  

Now, Dean can’t take ninja until level 10 or machinist (gun shooty DPS class) until 50, so his start point as DPS would either be pugilist (eeeey brass knuckle class!) or the other DPS classes to start with are Thaumaturge/Black Mage, Arcanist/Summoner, Archer or Lancer. Now. He’d probably think the first two are sissy because magic is for girls/arcanists literally only have a book as a weapon. Archer becomes bard and I think is ultimately a place he’d be very happy as it is a very supportive class to the whole party and basically the mom friend class. But I would love if he went lancer/dragoon because the level 50 class weapon is (folklore inspired name) “Gae Bolg” and every time I equip it I can’t help giggling at the name even though I know it’s a real thing and I shouldn’t. But. Like. It’s the class about waving enormous lances around. It’s got Implications, and Dean is drawn to those. 

He’d probably, however, take rogue/ninja as soon as he could because stabbing things with knives, and the class trainer is the kinda guy who’d have wild gay tension with him while they both try to boast about women to each other, were they to meet irl. Ironically, the rogue trainer (a womanising charmer) and the ninja trainer (an intense, honourable guy bad at social cues even among his own people who ends up falling from grace and choosing to stay in the vicinity of said rogue trainer) are an interesting pair of NPCs to teach Dean about where to stick knives. :) 

He’d go back and power-level dragoon once he starts Heavensward though, because Aymeric is also super intense with messy dark hair and big blue eyes that see right through you. :D He’s getting that gae bolg for him, you know? 

If they’re going to bully Cas to be their healer, he’d probably get really dedicated to the discipline especially as he can stay up all night to play and doesn’t need to take breaks to pee so he’d probably level conjurer/white mage (nature healing) and scholar (ancient book lore with a class quest which mixes ancient curses on a whole people, family drama and a bit of interspeciesish love) and then also pick up astrologian, which is good because it’s spooky star and making your own fate magic. The storyline for that is garbage in the sense that it’s really weakly written, but my favourite character randomly picks up AST in the latest expansion, and has an absolutely fucking wild subtextual romance with another character, including SPN level adopting of a random child who matches Jack in many respects, with said character. And in many respects emotionally they’re Cas and Dean but without any of the personal baggage between them specifically so they really are just chill and married, whatever else they’re stressed about (I say, dreading the next patch is going to finally bring up some questions about what is going on with them as it’s getting weirdly conspicuous while still utterly unsaid). So I would hope if Cas started projecting onto an astrologian character it would be him :P 

Cas also would get into summoner as the other branch of scholar because honestly those two classes are about as close to the random sigil drawing and reading things from books etc analogy to his own occult magic, except you can summon cool dragons and elementals to fight for you. 

they’d buy Jack a boost to 60 and he’d pick up dark knight and white mage probably just to subtly fuck with Dean 

(I am still not over Dean trying to test him to see if he was evil or not by whether he chose devil or angel cake) 

[cephalopod-casino]

oc rant time cause I think about them a bunch but don’t wanna bother people!!!

Spoilers for octo expansion and content warning for possible memory/dementia triggers? Stay clear of the last paragraph if the memory loss stuff might scare you.

Character’s name is Port, he’s an octoling(Splatoon), they’re a demiboy and use he/they/it pronouns, he is also deaf from birth.

He is actually one of my favorite characters I’ve created, not sure if it’s cause I’m hyperfixiated on the source it’s part of or what but I put a lot of effort into backstory and stuff for him! :]

They’re an engineer and they create lots of various machines, gear and little robots as well as a bunch of other stuff! It was working on making prosthetics for injured octarians and hearing aids for itself until their disappearance.

It’s incredibly smart and usually communicates through writing or a PDA device(Port knows sign language but other people don’t so he’s used to just writing it down). They don’t have great aim but is pretty strong without a weapon, they can definitely pack a punch. >:]

He used to be a bit rude and cynical but he changed to have a bit more of a positive outlook, they’re pretty chill most of the time and won’t let people push around them or their friends. It’s sarcastic at times and it’ll affectionally bully people, but he always means the best at heart. (Also if the bullying actually makes them upset then he won’t do it) They can kinda be like a dad sometimes but like, a cool dad.

He used to be a pretty big workaholic but stepped back after an incident that nearly killed him. They picked up some hobbies like fashion, fitness, gardening(can’t keep much alive though). Even made friends with an owl that shows up at his workshop a lot!

When it took more time away from work he made some friends, and even got a boyfriend(who later became their husband) and it had a pretty good life!

Sadly, a few rumors spread around and through an escalating series of events, Ports husband was kidnapped. Port tried to save him all by themself but it did not turn out well, and it woke up in the deepsea metro before agent 8 arrived. They were able to pass the tests by using wit and brute strength in some cases and got all four thangs. Unfortunately it was not quick enough to realize what he was stepping into and long story short, Port did not escape the metro.

It’s disappearance very much caused a commotion, being slightly famous in octo canyon for their technological advances and inventions. Small search parties of friends and others were launched but it’s not very likely Port will ever be found.

Their workshop wasn’t repurposed or destroyed, but it was put out of commission. He’s presumed dead, however a select few people close to him are still looking. Hoping one day that it’ll be found.

His ending is very upsetting, because while technically he didn’t die by tartar’s hands, he was sanitized and in my mind that’s more twisted end. He’s just left there, trapped in their own body. Stuck with nothing but their own thoughts and memories. Who’s to say that with only memories to look back on and daydreams to think of that they won’t blend together, if the memories and daydreams are the same who’s to say what you’ll remember right? You’d probably forget everything eventually. Everything you loved, everything you hated, gone. There’s nothing. What’s it like to have… nothing? Slowly there’s just going to be nothing left. Maybe at that point an applicant coming in would be a blessing, it’s something different at least. Even if they kill you maybe it’s a sweet release even if it’s for a moment before you respawn. I don’t know man, this is a really upsetting end. From everything to nothing.

I can’t draw rn so here’s a shitty ibis paint doodle of them

[datawyrms]

hey so do you think you could write stuff about danny and dani being cousins and maybe him visiting the ghost zone to go see her and nocturn cuz the one that mentioned that was super cool

You bet! Sorry I took awhile, I’ve been juggling things and flicking between ideas and not finishing anything :v It’s short and doesn’t go very far but hey just something to maybe expand on later, yeah? (oh look i slapped it on AO3!)

”I have no idea how you stay over here so long.” Danny shuddered, trying to ignore how green everything was. The sky should be blue, not some endless green expanse.

“Stealing to eat is a pain cuz. I don’t get why you’re always over there!” Dani rolled her eyes as she glanced at her trailing friend. “I know you like flying as much as I do and you spend most of the time pretending you can’t.”

“It’s not that hard to fly if I want to,” his shrug was dismissive, but he couldn’t keep the frown from his face. “I just don't get why you don’t just hang around the Far Frozen if you like being in the Ghost Zone.” Well, it was more ‘why can’t you hang around ghosts that HAVEN’T tried taking over the world’, but the last time he’d phrased it like that, Dani had kicked him.

“Not all of us have ice powers!”

“Uh. You totally do. Or should eventually, I guess.”

She seemed to appreciate he didn’t bother voicing the obvious, slowing down so they didn’t need to keep hollering at one another. “Nope. Frostbite didn’t seem to think so when I asked.”

“Really? Huh. Your ghost sense is like mine though isn’t it?”

“Don’t ask me, I’m just listening to big, smart and fuzzy. Just means I can get something way better than ectoblasts but Blue.”

Well when she made it that easy… “Nothing cooler though!” Ducking the hurled ectoblast was easy enough, she’d aimed a bit high.

“Looks like my power is shooting people who make bad jokes.”

“So saying to chill out would-” he broke off laughing as she tackled him at full speed, sending the two half ghosts in a barely controlled spiral. 

Still, the clone had joined in the laughing by the time the two managed to steady themselves again. “You’re awful.”

“I get too much practice.”

“No kidding. You’ve sent how many ghosts back here this week? Eight?”

“Try twenty and you’ll be getting close,” his amusement faded. He really, really should be getting back. Yet he’d promised to at least try visiting sometimes, so he had to at least get to the place. Even if every bit of him was wanting to get back to Amity already now that he was thinking about it.

“Whoops. Sorry cuz, forgot you’re reallll territorial sometimes.” Dani elbowed him, forcing Danny out of his own thoughts.

“I am not!” His denial was a bit more forceful than he’d like to admit. “You just reminded me how many ghosts might hold a grudge this week.”

“Uhhuh. Since you know we’ve been attacked so often today.” the smaller ghost paused as if she needed a moment to count. “ All zero times! The horror.”

“Real funny. Don’t you feel weird over here?” he caught her eyes, a little confused to see a complete lack of understanding. “You know...that feeling? That we don’t belong over here? That little pulsing at the back of your head?”

Her blank stare answered that well enough. “Noooope. I don’t know if that’s a ‘you’re a territorial nutcase’ or a ‘you’re a corpse stuffed with ectoplasm’ thing.”

“One, no I’m not, and two EW? Gross!” he gagged, fighting off the urge to shudder. “Someone call you that as an insult or something?”

“Mhm, Kitty was trying to explain why humans are kinda weird.” she gave a little shrug. “So we’re even weirder. Though I totally melted so I’m probably not lugging a corpse around all the time, but you might be!”

“Yup, that’s it, you spend wayyyy too much time around ghosts.” He had not expected to get a new nightmare from Dani nowadays, she’d given him plenty already. Yet life was apparently full of surprises. 

“Or you don’t spend enough time around em.”

“No, pretty sure you crossed from morbid to just disgusting there.”

“Hey, if you really want to creep someone out just crack your knuckles at em. Get a shudder out of any ghost that can’t get over to the human world, guaranteed” 

“I’m not really big into the scaring people thing.” The fact Dani was still made part of him twinge in discomfort. She was her own person, obviously. It should be a good thing that they were different in more ways as time passed...

“Pft. You’re such a human cuz” she gave him a nudge before shooting forward “Almost there! Don’t shoot at a sleepwalker if it surprises you!”

“I won’t,” he muttered, already more alert for any movement.

He didn’t really expect Nocturn’s lair to seem so inviting. He’d been expecting the dull wasteland that he’d seen back when they’d fought, dark skies, ominous towers, that sort of thing. A hazy sort of garden lit by gently swilling lights had not gotten on his list of possibilities. Even the clouds seemed to be dotted with stars now that he was close enough to see them. The tower nearby didn’t seem dangerous with the surroundings feeling so peaceful. Though that was probably a trap, all of Nocturn’s power was tied up in sleep. Getting an enemy fired up and wide awake would just make him have a harder time, wouldn’t it?

“Hmmm. I thought he’d be outside.” Dani crossed her arms, glancing at some of the nearby trees.

“I’m mostly here to see you anyway.”

“Which is why you need to see him! Otherwise you’re just gonna keep grumping about how I’m being corrupted or something.”

He’d like to deny that, but the lie would be pretty obvious. “He has better taste in lairs than takeover plans, at least.”

“There’s a place inside that has a way to see the real stars! The ones out here are nice too though.” Dani brightened at his admission, a little more animated as she pointed out the scattered ‘stardust’ clouds.

“Is that why you stay around here then?”

“That, and no nightmares. Noc can just cut them off before they start if I’m nearby.” she paused, kicking her feet. “It’s really, really nice not having to remember him every time I go to sleep.”

Well, Nocturn couldn’t be all bad if he’d help his poor clone with that. He’d be pretty tempted by a ‘no more nightmare reminders’ offer. “I bet.”

“You still think he’s up to something, don’t you.” her frown burrowed into him so he had to glance away.

“I can’t help it! We didn’t really meet on good terms.” Maybe he was being unfair, but the uncomfortable feeling he always had in the ghost zone combined with that bad history was making him jumpy.

“Do you think I’d lead you into a trap?”

“What? No!”

“Well I’m the one who invited you!”

“Well, yeah, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t plan something behind your back.”

Dani let out a frustrated groan. “He won’t! You don’t mess with family cuz.”

Danny’s retort died in his throat as Nocturn seemed to melt into visibility behind the smaller half ghost, struggling with the impulse to shove Dani out of the way to protect her.

“Sorry Dani, I was distracted by a particularly interesting set of dreams, I’ll have to show you. I think you’d enjoy them.” Nocturn seemed to have no such difficulties, speaking easily and giving her a warm smile. “Did you fly far?”

“You bet!” she nodded before glancing back. “Brought someone back while I was at it.”

Danny’s pulse quickened when the lanky ghost finally took notice of him. Had he really just...not noticed he was right there?

“Ah, your wayward cousin.” the dream ghost gave a small nod. “I expect you had an uneventful trip then?”

“Yeah, sorry if you were expecting any gossip.”

“A safe trip is the best news you could deliver regardless.” he messed with her hair, earning a hug before she pulled away.

“Nuh uh, you’re a total snoop Noc.”

Maybe he’d been a bit of a jerk for expecting something worse. They just seemed...happy. Really he just felt like he was intruding at the moment.

“Only while people sleep.” there was a hint of a laugh, but when his red eyes caught Danny again it died out. “Is there an occasion for the visit?”

Dani rolled her eyes, glancing back at Danny and his stiff posture. “Trying to get someone to relax already. Sheesh cuz, your brick wall impression is great.”

“Sorry,” he let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. The first impulse that he had to protect his clone had passed with the two ghosts interacting in a friendly matter, but he couldn’t quite dismiss Nocturn as a potential threat.

“Don’t be. I am aware our previous meeting made an unfavourable impression.” No apology for the attack was in those words. That, and Dani had made it pretty clear he wouldn’t be getting one either. How did ghosts just think that putting  people at risk was no big deal?

“That’s an understatement.” Dani’s scowl at his words only earned her one of his own back. “I had to use Dash as a weapon of mass destruction. It wasn’t a good day, okay?”

“Yeah, but we’re not even close to Amity and you’re still being tetchy.”

“Don’t be so hard on your cousin, Dani. He wouldn’t have made it this long without that kind of caution.”

He hadn’t really expected Nocturn to come to his defense. Great, now he felt like even more of a jerk for still wanting to punch the ghost in the face. “Uhh. Thanks?”

“I guess. Should we hold off on exploring more till another time then?” She was looking at both of them now. 

“...Yeah. I should be getting back.” Admitting it made the guilt worse, but the itching need to be away and back to his home made the idea of staying any longer sound like torture. Even if there’d be an accurate set of stars to look at.

“You are welcome at any time, though Dani does tend to roam. Safe travels.” There was no judgement from the older ghost, only a sort of understanding look.

This ghost of all people knowing how he felt better than himself was disquieting. He settled for a stiff nod before turning to take flight at his top speed. The sooner all that was behind him the better. Questioning how his feelings towards the whole situation might be more his ghost half than human half talking just wasn’t something he wanted to be thinking about right now. Later maybe, when he wasn’t this on edge.

[theunredeemable]

“Hi there! I’m Ruby Rose.” She held out her hand towards Ilia, who stared dumbly at it before remembering her manners.”

“O-oh!” Taking the offered hand and giving what she hoped was an appropriate shake, she smiled at the pirate. “I’m Ilia.”

“Ilia, huh? Pretty name for a pretty girl.” She winked at the other woman, causing the faunus’s scales to turn a bright pink. “Big Puma said you’re looking for a new crew?” Trying to get her blush under control, Ilia gave Ruby a confused look. Ruby just laughed as she signalled for a drink. “That’s what we call Tukson. Just like how he calls me Red. We’re just a big ol’ family here. Aren’t we, big guy?”

Tukson grunted slightly, placing two large glasses in front of the pair, pouring in an amber drink as he shook his head. “Big old family of misfits is what we are.”

“Damn straight.” Ruby beamed in delight at Tukson, taking her glass as soon as it was full and taking a deep swig from it. Placing it back down on the counter, she frowned at the glass and looked at the man with what Ilia could only describe as puppy eyes. He let out a low sigh and refilled the glass, making sure to place a small umbrella in it. Ruby broke out into a huge grin of delight, that the Atlesian spy found incredibly cute.

“I...suppose that makes sense.” Picking up her own drink, she gave it an experimental sniff as she continued. “But yes, I am looking for a new crew. Somewhere I don’t have to hide what I am anymore.”

“Tired of that military life, then? Can’t say I blame you. I’ve heard some scary things about The Nevermore’s captain.” Ilia spluttered in surprise, choking on her drink. Ruby simply smiled as she watched, bemused with the evident shock as she held out a napkin for her.

Taking the offered cloth, Ilia attempted to pat dry where the drink had spilled on her clothes, giving the other woman a curious look. “How did you-”

“Did I know? It’s rather obvious really. Tukson said you want to escape the empire, which means you’re tired of their way of life or running from something. You’ve got that fancy Atlesian accent you only get from certain upper tier schools. You’ve just arrived on station, and the only Atlesian ship to dock today has been The Nevermore . Now, either you’re a very talented stowaway, or you’re a deserter. I’m placing money on deserter.” Ruby counted off each reason on her fingers, a small smile never leaving her face as she looked at Ilia. “Am I right?”

Ilia looked shocked, and briefly considered lying before nodding her head. “You….are correct. Winter Schnee is a better captain than most, especially for a Schnee.” The name near dripped with malice and hatred. Though it was largely an act to help sell her story, the hatred was something long buried within her and all too real. “But it’d be only a matter of time until I was reassigned again, and to someone far less forgiving of faunus crew members.”

Ruby nodded knowingly. “As I said, I can’t blame you for getting tired of being under the empire’s thumb. But if you join my crew, you won’t have to worry about ever being treated like that again. The Sanguine Dream doesn’t tolerate such sentiments. Much like here, we’re a family on my ship.”

Ilia, having just braved another drink of the surprisingly sweet and delightful alcohol, started to choke on it again at the name of the ship. “I-I’m sorry…did you say The Sanguine Dream !? You’re the infamous Crimson Rose?”

Ruby beamed in delight, offering a mock bow from her seat. “One and the same! Fastest ship in the Expanse.”

“You know….you’re the reason The Nevermore has even been assigned to this sector. They’re meant to be hunting you down.”

Ruby raised an eyebrow and that, then shrugged as she finished off her drink. “Well, if that’s true they’re headed in the wrong direction. They just jumped out of the system.” Getting up from her seat, she patted Ilia on the shoulder. “Finish your drink, it’s on me. And when you’re ready, head to docking station 72B. I’ve got some more business aboard the station to finish, but then I’ll take you to your new home.” Ilia nodded in conformation, and Ruby started to head off, calling to the station’s owner once more. “Hey, Big Puma! Get any more of those parts I requested in?”

“Go ask Mell. She got a new shipment in, might be that it includes what you're after.”

“Thanks, I’ll go check out her stall.” Ruby waved Tukson goodbye as she moved away, leaving Ilia alone as she vanished into the crowd. Weaving her way through the mass of people, the pirate captain did a mental checklist of all she had left to do. Recruiting a new crew member hadn’t been on the list, but was quite a pleasant surprise. She smiled briefly at thinking of the faunus, especially on how cute she was. “Hmm...I should probably call ahead.” Slipping in a comlink into her ear, she tapped it and waited for an indication it was on. “Ciel, you there?”

After a few seconds, a beep played in answer to her question, before the voice of her subordinate came in. “Yes Captain, I’m here. Are we almost ready to leave? We’re already behind schedule.”

“Soon, Ciel. Soon.” Ruby chuckled at the exasperated sigh from Ciel. “Just got a few more things to take care of.”

“Ma’am, with all due respect, what’s the point of bringing me along to keep you on schedule, if you never stick to the schedule?”

“Maybe it’s cause I like your company, or maybe it’s so you can loosen up and get to know your fellows better. It’s been five years Ciel, you don’t have to stick to the Empire’s strict time schedule.”

“I know Captain...but it gives me comfort being on schedule when away from the ship.”

Ruby paused midstep, tilting her head in thought, before resuming her path. “I never thought of it like that. I’ll try to do better in the future, but this was a special circumstance. We’re bringing a new family member aboard.”

“I see. What does she look like?”

“Brown hair, gray eyes. Super cute.”

Ciel sighed, and Ruby imagined she was shaking her head on the other side. “Anything else to go on, Captain? Something a little more identifiable?”

“Oh believe me when you see her you’ll agree she’s cute.” Laughing, Ruby paused to briefly examine a weapons stall, humming as she glanced over the various guns there. “Do you think Yang would like a new gun?”

“She already adores the custom one you made for her, now please focus.”

“Right, sorry. What else. Oh, she’s a faunus. Chameleon I think.”

“I’ll keep an eye out. Does she know to come here?”

“Yes, I told her to head to you when she’s ready. I may have forgotten to mention that you were there, so don’t scare her too much.”

“Of course, Captain. I’ll behave. How long until you return?”

“Shouldn’t be too long. I’m just checking in with Mell to see if any of the parts came in. See you soon.” Turning off her comlink, she looked up at the bright neon sign reading ‘Mellon and Berry’s Robotics’, though several letters were unlit due to age. Shaking her head with a smile, she entered into the built in workshop, calling out over the sound of power tools at work. “Still haven’t fixed the sign then, Mell?”

Sparks stopped flying as Mell put down her blow torch, looking at Ruby from behind her welding mask. “I’ll fix it when I need to. You can still find yer way easily enough.” Lifting up the mask to reveal her grease covered face she beamed at Ruby, wheeling her wheel-chair over to the captain. “What brings you to my neck of the woods today then, lass?”

“Big Puma said you might have some things for me.” Ruby smiled brightly at the auburn haired mechanic, bending over to give her a hug before looking at the chair. “Robotics on the fritz again?”

“Nah, Berry thinks she can make more improvements to them so she’s tinkering again. Aren’t ya Berry?”

“They can always be better! I demand the best for my wife!”

Mell gestured in the vague direction of the voice. “I woke up with her trying to tinker with them in the bed, despite the fact that they’re perfectly fine!” She near shouted the last words, but a fond smile never left her face. “Anyway, come over here Red. Let’s see what we got.”

“Good to see you Berry!” Ruby shouted into the adjacent workshop, receiving only a grunt of acknowledgement. Chuckling, she followed Mell over to where several large crates sat waiting.

Mell picked up a data-slate and started swiping through it with a hum. “Now let’s see...Tukson, Ivory, Orchid, Mason, Ah! Ruby.” Tapping on the name, she read through the invoice while nodding to herself. “Hmm, well we got a few of the parts you wanted, but not many. But we did get something else for you.” Tapping the data-slate a few more times, the crate started to float.

Looking at the crate, Ruby smiled at seeing the secondary data-slate lying on top. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Depends on what you think it is.”

“A list of ships that might be carrying the parts I’m after?”

“Then yes, it is what you think it is.”

“Mell, you’re the best!” Quickly glancing through the device, her smile grew wider. “Oh, this is perfect. Ciel will love going through this.” Beaming with delight, Ruby hugged Mell again. The mechanic chuckled lightly, returning the hug.

“Yeah, yeah I know I’m the best. Now go ahead and take your stuff and get out of here.”

Nodding, Ruby put the slate back on top of the crate and started to push it out of the shop. “I’m going, I’m going. See you next time Mell. Take care Berry!”

“Bye Red, good to see you!” Berry cried out, though never left her private workshop, causing Mell and Ruby to laugh.

                        --------------------------------------------------------------

Ilia made her way through the station, weaving through the people in the crowded market as she tried to reach the elevator that would take her to the docking platforms. While she didn’t know what she expected, she didn’t think that a simple neutral station would be so populous. What astounded her the most was seeing people from all corners of the galaxy getting along. She had paused outside one bar where she saw Atlesian soldiers drinking and conversing with those from the Regime, surprise evident on her face. Outside of this station, they’d be mortal enemies, fighting and dying on the whims of people they had never met to protect their territory. Seeing them drink together, laugh together, had given Ilia something to ponder over as she walked.

So distracted by this line of thought was she, that she stopped paying attention to her surroundings and walked straight into a mountain of man. The force of their impact knocked her on her rear. “Oof!” blinking she looked up at the individual who slowly turned to look down at her. Feeling a spark of fear, she looked up at him in turn, eyes wide at the masked face that greeted her. Turning in full, he reached down towards her, arm tattooed and large, and offered her a hand.

“Are you ok, Madam?”

Blinking, Ilia gingerly took the offered hand with a sheepish smile. “Y-yeah. Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

The giant helped her up, almost sending her flying with the strength behind the action as she stumbled to find her footing. “Nonsense, such things happen more often than you think, so there is no need to apologise. Now, is there anything I can do to assist you?”

“U-uh yes, actually. I’m trying to get down to docking station 72B. I’m not really sure which direction I’m meant to be going though?”

The man nodded, tapping the chin of his full face mask as he turned to look about. “Understandable, it is very easy to get turned around in the markets, but you are in luck.” He pointed to an elevator a short distance away. “That over there will transport you directly to Deck B, and from there it is a matter of simply following the signs to the correct station. If you get lost, one of the guards will be more than happy to find your way.”

Ilia nodded and opened her mouth to reply, but another voice cut her off. “Lieutenant! You’re needed at Dandelion’s. Another drunken brawl broke out.”

The lieutenant sighed, shaking his head as he rolled his shoulders. “Sorry madam, duty calls. I hope you find your way.”

“Oh, of course. Thank you, sir.” Ilia watched the man walk away, marvelling at the way the crowd of people parted before him, either out of respect or fear she could not tell. Probably a mix of both, she mused quietly as she went the direction shown to her. Stepping into the elevator, she soon found the button to take her where she needed, and waited as the machine moved. Readjusting the back on her shoulder, her foot tapped impatiently as the hum of machinery filled the air. It took several minutes, but soon the doors reopened before her, revealing that she had traded one busy area for another.

Stepping out onto the deck, she watched as several workers ran about in controlled chaos. Some were simply unloading cargo ships, directing the crates to the various service lifts that would take them through the trading station. Others were in the process of refueling shuttles that would soon be departing. Looking up, she found herself standing on platform 43B. A glance to her left showed the numbers descending, and ascending to the right. Nodding to herself, she took off in the direction she needed, keeping a careful eye on the platform numbers, and the people rushing around her. She didn’t want a repeat incident of running into someone, especially when this time there were fuel canisters and hanger controls that could accidentally be hit.

Twenty minutes later she finally found herself standing at platform 72B. It was far quieter than any of the other platforms she had come across, the red coloured shuttle having already been refuelled. Quickly glancing around, Ilia didn't see any sign of the pirate captain, and made her way towards the ship to wait. As she approached, the rear door to the shuttle hissed open, lowering as a semi-familiar face appeared. The woman walked out of the ship, still looking at her data-slate. "The ship's all ready to leave as soon as you get the cargo aboard and our new crew member arr-" She stopped as she finally looked up, eyes wide in recognition. "Operative Amitola!"

"Operative Soleil!" Both stood there, mouths agape, before pointing at one another and speaking in unison. "What are you doing here!!"

"I work for Captain Rose." Ciel stood a little straighter, pride emanating from her. "Why are you here, Amitola."

"I'm sorry, you're working for The Crimson Rose? All this time?" Ilia looked astounded. "We thought you had died…"

"I almost did… Ruby saved me after I was left behind by the Empire. I couldn't go back after what they did… so I joined her crew. But that still doesn't explain why you're here."

"Ah, I see you two already know each other! That saves on introductions." Both jumped at Ruby's sudden appearance. She smirked at the pair as she pushed the crate out of the service lift she had ridden in. "Ilia here is joining our family, just like I said."

Ciel sighed, shaking her head as she moved to help Ruby load the cargo. "You might have given me more to go on than just descriptions, Captain."

"Probably should have, but it worked out in the end. Come along Ilia!" Shaking her head, the Faunus Operative followed closely behind. "Got all your belongings with you?"

"Yes ma'am. At least, everything I could carry."

"Then make yourself comfortable. Time for us to head home. Oh, and Ciel, I got you a gift." The captain passed the data-slate over to Ciel, who instantly brightened up as she started to work her way through the information and decrypting it's secrets.

"Ah, wonderful. Thank you captain."

"Thank me by finding a good target. We still need a lot of parts for our little project. Now, Ilia. Come help me out in the cockpit." Nodding, Ilia once again followed behind Ruby and took a seat in the co-pilot's chair, helping her new captain go through the process of getting the ship ready for launch.

A short while later, the shuttle flew through the void and away from the station, carrying Ilia to her new home for the coming months.

[rivenroad]

Delubrum Reginae, etc. and future thoughts

In short, I loved it, it was tough but fresh! I appreciate them filling in a gap of difficulty that’s harder than a normal alliance raid but not quite as hard as Savage. I cleared on my first run but I can imagine some people might have a harder time with it, though the generous instance timer and the weekly quest make it pretty doable. I know some people are unhappy that the weapon progression is behind clears of Castrum and this, which is understandable since it’s not for everyone but personally the whole questline hits the right spot of difficulty and having various options for obtaining the weapons. 

It’s always really fun to see fresh new mechanics and designs for fights also, that hot & cold one is genius. I also enjoyed what I thought of as the doughnut train. and CHESS.

I probably won’t do savage because I want to use my time and energy on other stuff, BUT the Cerberus mount is making me seriously consider it at some point... I said this same thing about BA & Ozma and I eventually went back and got it anyway so maybe I’ll do it in the future.

Story-wise... there wasn’t anything too unexpected but it was definitely enjoyable and I continue to love the field record and how it contributes to the story. I really hope they keep expanding this sort of thing in 6.0. This whole questline is fascinating to me and I love what it delves into, though it also makes me wonder a bit, along with Werlyt, because... when all this stuff is “relegated” to sidequests does it mean we won’t get anything to do with it in 6.0′s MSQ? I find it hard to imagine everything to do with Bozja will be wrapped up in these quests alone, but maybe the rest of it will be more expansive than I’m imagining?

I dunno, I just want them to cover like, everything, lmao... and realistically I’m unsure if they will ever truly manage to feed me with every scrap of lore I could possibly want about this game. Stormblood was rough on this front because it dealt with both Gyr Abania and the Far East but didn’t really give us enough time to truly see, feel and live in Ala Mhigo - the eastern part was a little better with the enclave and such. I think my hope is that when the restoration of Ishgard is done, they will do something similar for Ala Mhigo, and so on moving forward...

I think it probably is for the best that they spread the story across different types of content because cramming everything to do with the vast amount of lands that the Empire has taken would be too much for the MSQ, which does far better when it’s focused and not split between different stories - I just want everything to have its time in the limelight and to have an enjoyable narrative that reaches a satisfying conclusion and isn’t left hanging with a million questions.

[chancellormatt]

Voltron Rewrite Episode Eighteen - Where it Ends

The Five Lions of Darktron fly out from the depths of space. They cruise into a vast star cluster. Galra ships and robeasts flow through the system like mechanical rivers. Their numbers group up in places, orbits around the dozens of planets and asteroids in the clusters. As the dark paladins neared the center of the cluster, Is The Array. The teleduv along with a series of progressively smaller rings leading down from the teleduv. Robeasts gather  around each of the rings, save for the smallest one. A much smaller space station orbits around the Array.    The dark lions touchdown on one of the station’s circular landing platforms. The five dark paladins step out of their lions.    Luca is waiting for them. Beside her is a bulky galra.    “Vrepit sa.” The galra salutes.

   “My lords.” Luca bows. “It is an honor to receive you on the day of your final victory.”    “Spare me.” Zarkon grunts.    Luca only nods, but Lotor winces at the rebuke. Zarkon narrows his eyes at the large galra beside her.    “Who are you?”    “Commander Ru’vak, sire.” The galra says.    “He works directly under myself.” Sendak explains. “Seeing as our attention may be focused elsewhere, I have made him commander of our galra forces for the time being.”    “Very well,” Zarkon rumbles. “Tell us the status of the troops.”    “We’re on schedule. Everything should be in position in three vargas.” Ru’vak explains.    “And what of our enemy’s movements?”    “That is...where the bad news comes in.” Luca speaks up.    “I’m not fond of bad news. Go on.”    “They’re preparing for battle. Exact estimates of their time of arrival is unclear. But it is...possible that they will be here before the breach is opened.”    Zarkon smiles. “You lied. That was good news.”    Luca tilts her head in confusion.    “This is my final conquest. I would be disappointed if there was no battle. One final fight to cement victory over all existence!”    “It would be...wise to avoid a battle if possible.” Honerva says. “Damage to the array could be disastrous. And if even one of robeasts is knocked out of formation during the initial operation we’ll have to repeat the entire process.”    Zarkon frowns.    “I’m not presuming on your authority. Only giving you my best advice as your wife.”    “...I am not planning on waiting for them to show up. Merely relishing the possibility of killing my enemies with my own hands before victory. But if they are late to the party...then that is that. They shall live long enough to bear witness to a new reality being born. I won’t risk the plan just for my own satisfaction. See that we are not...unduly interrupted once the operation begins.”    “I’ve already seen it. Every planetary shield system we control has been brought in. There are still a few yet to arrive, but once assembles we should have a nigh-unbreachable shield to prevent any interruptions in the breach opening.” Luca explains. “Your victory is as certain as it is great.”    Her words are confident, but a flicker of hesitation enters her eyes. She glances over at Lotor. He returns the gaze, uneasy.    Zarkon, either oblivious or unconcerned at the exchange, looks up from the platform, into space the star cluster, and all their forces spread throughout. Smaller, hexagonal stations line up around the prime station.    “So, this is where it will happen.”    “...father?” Lotor asks.    “This is where everything comes to a close, son of mine. This is where it ends.”

***

   “...this is where it ends.”    The Paladins of Voltron stand around a holographic display of The Array and the countless galra ships around it. Keith scrutinizes the display, searching every angle.    “This array is how they’re going to do it.” Pidge explains. “ The teleduv will open the breach, then robeasts will draw the quintessence through acting kind of like a dam. In theory it will let them control the flow so the rate of expansion doesn’t go out of control. After that...they’ll be able to funnel a virtually infinite supply of quintessence into Darktron.”    “I’m guessing there isn’t any way to stop them once that happens?” Keith asks.    “It’s unprecedented...but once they finish energizing Darktron I’m not sure there’s anything they can’t do once that happens. They could...reshape the whole universe if they wanted to. That’s if they don’t lose control and destroy everything again.”

Keith looks thoughtful. “Is there any way to stop them once the breach is opened?”    Pidge adjusts her glasses. “If we knock the Array out of alignment, it could throw off their start up sequence.    “That will not be as easy as it sounds.” Kolivan speaks up. “The Dark Paladins  still need some time before they are ready to open the breach, but they’re preparing a shield-wall perimeter around the Array. Once in place it will be quite...difficult to stop them from opening the breach.”    “So we’ve got to get there before they complete the shield wall.”    “It would be our best chance at success.”    “How far along are our preparations?”    “Coming along as fast as possible.” Sanda informs. “But we’ll need a couple more hours before everyone’s ready for the attack. If we leave any sooner we won’t be able to bring the full brunt of our forces on them.”    “And they will have every single galra still loyal to Zarkon in between us and them, Grand Regent.” Skriel says, crossing his arms. “Not to mention their robeasts. They’ll need a couple dozen for their array but all the rest will be trying to kill us. But...er...that will not be enough to stop us! Ohoho!”    “After we get through all of that…” Keith takes a breath. “...there’s Darktron.” “Pfft! We can that hunk of metal any day of the week!” Lance declares. “Our last fight seems to suggest otherwise.” Pidge says flatly. Lance frowns. “It's true.” Allura agrees. “Zarkon and his Paladins have had much longer to learn the secrets of their Voltron. We still have no idea how to activate the armored form they used to defeat us so soundly before.” “And we can’t rely on trying to figure it out during the battle. We’ve got to accept that Darktron is stronger.” Keith says. “Then...what do we do?” Hunk asks. “The Atlas and the Paladin Crusher are probably going to be occupied keeping those robeasts off our backs. The Castle too. But I think there’s one last tool at our disposal that we might be able to make use of...” Keith sighes, then looks at Allura. “...but you aren’t going to like it.”

***

   “You’re right, I do not like this plan!” Allura objects.    She and the other paladins follow Keith down a slim corridor. A series of thick doors line the hallway. Keith stops in front of one, bringing the entire group to a halt. He sighs and turns to Allura. A scowl occupies her features.    “I know this situation is...complicated. And you’re completely justified to feel the way you do. And if you can think of a single way we can do this without his help, then I’ll turn around and walk away from this door. But if you can’t...well I don’t see any other good options. This is our best, maybe our only chance to beat Darktron.”    Her expression softens but does not entirely lose it's firmness. She gives a slight nod.    Keith turns back to the door, unlocks it, and pulls it open.    Sincline Lotor lounges on his bed inside.    “To what do I owe this visit, Paladins of Voltron?”    “...we need your help.”    Lotor’s lips twist in an expression that is equal parts smile and grimace. “I believe I’ve more than proved my loyalty to the cause of bringing down Zarkon. And my piloting skills speak for themselves. You wouldn’t be here if you were going to simply throw me into the cockpit of some fighter to join with the rank and file.”    “No. We wouldn’t be.” Keith agrees. He glances briefly at Allura, who scowls down at Lotor. “...we need you to pilot Sincline.”    Lotor chuckles. “That’s the plan is it? You can’t beat this...Darktron alone. But with my help you might have a chance?”    “That’s the idea. But I’m sure you can understand why we might be...uneasy at the idea.”    “Ah, there it is. You know I’ll help you defeat Zarkon. You aren’t worried about that. You’re worried about what I might do after the dust settles. I’ll be back in command of my most powerful weapon, and we could very well be right back where we started. I suppose I understand your concern…”    “How can we trust that you wont turn on us again, once this is all over?”    “You can’t,” Lotor says simply. “But, frankly you don’t have a choice. At least against me it's somewhat equal odds. But there’s no chance of you defeating Darktron alone. It's simply a risk that you’re going to have to take.” Allura frowns. “You may play like that if you wish. But know that the universe has changed a long since you were emperor. You will find that you do not have many allies left.” “I’ll keep that in mind, Princess,” Lotor finally rose from his bed. “Now, are we going to blather here all day, or can I get ready to kill my father for the second time?”

***    “Well let’s hope that wasn’t a huge mistake.” Hunk says. He walks down the Garrison halls alongside Lance and Pidge.    “Not like we had much choice.” Pidge points out. “It's the logical choice...even if it might come back to bite us.”    “I give him five minutes after beating Zarkon before he turns on us.” Lance says. “Just hope we can bring him down a second time if it comes to that…” He rubs his wrist, thoughtful.    Pidge eyes the gesture. “...how’s your tremor?”    “A little better. Still…” He shakes his head. “...don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ve got more important stuff to be worrying about with the attack coming up.”    Pidge shrugged. “I’m just gonna go over the analytics on those shields and see what the energy blowback threshold is in case we need to...well I’m sure it's not anything you care to hear about.”    “I never said that. It might surprise you what exactly I’m interested in.” Lance raises an eyebrow.    Pidge averted her gaze. “-anyway. I should really get to work.”    “...right.”    She turns a corner leaving both behind.    “That was...a little weird.” Hunk remarked.    “Hm.” Lance replies, noncommittally. “Well...guess I should get in a little more target practice before we all ship out. See ya.”    “Later.”    Lance starts to turn away, then hesitates. “Hunk, do you think...ah never mind. Forget it.”    He walks off, leaving a confused-looking Hunk staring after him.

***

Luca stands on the edge of the landing platform looking out over the combined forces of the Dark Paladins spread out through the cluster. Prince Lotor of Darktron approaches.    “Everything alright, Luca?” Lotor asks.    She stiffens and whirls around. “I...yes, of course. Why would you ask?”    Lotor sighs. “Is it my father? I know he is callous. And...commanding. To be honest-”    “No, no. I don’t…” She hesitates. “...your father does not bother me.”    “Something else then? Whatever it is I’m sure I can…oh. It's me.”    Luca winces.    “...what is it?”    “Please, my lord. It's nothing. And you needn't worry yourself with the concerns of-”    “-Luca, please. I won’t have you going into battle plagued by uncertainty.”    Luca sighes. After a moment, she nods.    “I...saw what happened in the colony. With the Princess. And...the other Lotor.”    “Ah...that. An imposter of course. Our enemy will sink to any low if they think they can gain an edge.” Lotor shakes his head. “I just worry they will try to use the alteans they took as a bargaining chip.”    Luca still looks uncertain. “Our people left. Of their own will. Trusted...that man.”    Lotor frowns. “This war has been hard on everyone. And the enemy is quite proficient at deception. I do not blame the alteans for their lapse in judgement. But we must ensure no...further lapses occur. Can I trust you to help me do that?”    He holds out his hand to her. She stares down at the hand and after a moment nods and takes it.    “I’m...sorry. I shouldn’t have let that imposter cause me even a moment of doubt.”    “All is forgiven. Make sure all the other robeast pilots are ready for their respective roles. Myself and the other paladins will be preoccupied, so they’ll be looking to you during the battle.”    “Understood.” She salutes.     “At ease.” he smiles. Then he turns to walk away. And because Lotor’s back is turned, he does not see the uneasy stare she places on his back.

***

   Across the stars, another Lotor stares up at the Sincline mecha. It's been set up outside the Garrison base. Metal scaffolding surrounds it, from which Garrison personnel work on it.    “...you must think I’m eager to get back inside that suit.” He says, “That I can’t wait to return to that place of power?”    He turns to find Allura standing behind him.    “Aren’t you?” She says, crossing her arms.    “...no.” He turns back to Sincline. “Living...no, existing in the quintessence field was the most agonizing experience of my life. All that power was intoxicating at first. But it was too much. Equal parts europia and pain.  Like having every atom in my body try to rip itself apart. I couldn’t tell if seconds or years were passing,” He shot her a hollow smile. “But, I suppose that was my own doing, wasn’t it? The burden of power.”    “Do you regret it, then? All the horrible things you did to end up here?” Allura asks.        Lotor stares up at the Sincline mecha.    “...no.” He decides. “Regardless of the...unfortunate nature of my actions. I still believe they were necessary. I was this close to bringing peace to the universe. Before...you and your friends turned on me.”    Allura scowls. “Is that really how you see it? You think we betrayed you!? Do you think for a second that I could have worked with you after what you did? Do you think there was any version of this where I could stand beside you after you killed my people!?”    “What I did was for the greater good-”    “-tell that to the alteans you murdered!”    Lotor fists clench. “You can hate me, Princess. But I will not apologize for my actions! Don’t forget, that I’m the reason any of those alteans are alive to begin with! Because I protected them when you and your father couldn’t!”    “You…!” Her voice cracks. “...you think that makes up for it? They trusted you. And you exploited that. Used them like a piece of machinery. I just...”  She lets out a breath and averts her gaze.“...I just once thought you were better than that.”    Lotor doesn’t say anything for several moments.     “I don’t...think it matters, in the end.” He finally says. “Even if...on some level I did regret some of my choices. I can’t change the past. Can’t bring back the people I killed. So I will keep doing what I feel is necessary. I’ve long since gone too far to turn back.”    Allura studies him. “...part of making hard choices is knowing what isn’t necessary. To know when the price is too high for an action.”    Lotor scowls. “Is that another of your father’s proverbs?”    “No, Lotor. I learned that from you.”    He hesitates at that. He seems about to form a reply when he is cut off.    “Lotor!”    Both turn to see a small crowd of alteans approaching. The twins were leading the charge, with Vatta and Sahan just behind. They are a mix of the former robeast pilots and the alteans rescued from the colonies.    “I mean...my Lord.” Dramor corrects himself.    Lotor glances at Allura but her face is impassive.    “...ease yourself. There’s little need for titles here. What do you need?”    “These youngsters want to fight.” Sahan said simply.    “We...do.” Lagmor admits.    Lotor studies them. “...why?”    “As a chance to make up for our mistake. For fighting for the wrong side.”    Lotor looks at her next and a twisted smile works its way onto his face. “What do you think Princess? Should we trust them to fight?”    Allura stares back, eyes stony. “I would rather them not be put in danger. We are facing Zarkon and all his forces. Some of which are your own fellow alteans.”    “That is part of the reason we want to help.” Dramor argued. “If they see which side we’ve chosen, perhaps they will realize how they’ve been deceived. They’re our brothers and sisters, give us a chance to help stop them.”    “And what if you’re forced to kill your fellow alteans?” Lotor asks.    The entire group looks taken aback.    “Will you stop them, if you have to? The entire universe hangs in the balance. Do you want to have to make that choice?”    For the first time the alteans look uneasy.    “Can you do what’s necessary? Even if it means you have to get your hands dirty?”    “That’s enough.” Allura says quietly, but firmly.    Lotor shrugs. “I’m only trying to make sure they know what they may have to do. Going into battle isn’t such a simple thing when people you know are the enemy.”    “I don’t plan on any alteans dying today, Lotor.”    “And are you going to be the one to ensure that?”    “Yes.”    “And if you fail, will you answer for it?”    “I will.” She replies without hesitation.    “Please!” Vatta says to Allura. “We know we’ve wronged you and your efforts to help us. We just want a chance...and opportunity to make things right.”    Allura looks the girl in the eye, saying nothing at first. After a moment she sighs and closes her eyes.    “...it goes without saying that the children and elderly should remain here. Those of you who are able bodied and still wish to fight...I will not stop you from fighting, if that is what you truly desire. I believe Coran can use your help in the Castle. There are certain functions of the ship that may only work with a full crew of alteans. Ask him where he needs help.”    “Thank you! We will not let you down, Lotor!” Vatta says. “Or you, Princess!”    With that the alteans depart. Sahan remains for a moment. She raises an eyebrow at Allura. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that line about the elderly. This old bird’s still got some fight in her yet, young lady!” Allura smiles. “I’m sure you do.” Apparently considering the matter settled, the old woman nods and joins the other. For a moment, Allura and Lotor are alone again.    “...they still trust me.” Lotor notes.    “For now.”    He eyes her sidelong.    “You haven’t told them?”    “I tried telling some of them, at first. Long before now.”    “But now?”    “I didn’t think it was necessary.”    Lotor smiles slightly. “And did you factor that into your plans of what happens after we beat Zarkon?”    “I suppose I just have faith that in time, the true colors of all parties will be revealed.”    Allura turns away.    “...after that talk of making sure no alteans die, I’m surprised you’re letting them fight.”    Allura stops in her tracks.    “...I suppose I just don’t want to deny them the chance to make up for their mistakes. At least they’re trying.”    Lotor doesn’t have a reply for that. He is left to once again, stare up at Sincline.

***

   Hunk kneels inside a hangar, working on an MFE. A panel is pulled off exposing the guts of the fighter. Hunk stares at the ship’s guts, thoughtful. Pidge walks up beside him and tilts her head in curiocity.     “Whatcha up to?”    “Just checking out one of these ships they’re gonna be sending out for the battle. They’ve tested them quite a bit, but they’ve never been in real combat. How’d your analysis of the shields go?”    She sighs. “Didn’t learn much I didn’t already know. Nothing we can use to breach those shields at long range. A direct hit from the blazing sword would probably  be able to break through one of them. But first we’d have to get close enough to do that. And they’ve got a very large army in the way to slow us down.” She shakes her head. “We basically just gotta hope we get there before all the shields are up. If there’s gaps in the barrier some of our smaller or faster ships might be able to slip through and do some damage. Or try and land a blast through all that madness, though that seems like a bit of a longshot.”    “Good thing we’re not so bad at pulling off longshots, huh?”    “Sometimes...anyway, how’s the fighter looking?”    “Fine tuned and as ready for combat, far as I can tell.”    He replaces the panel and starts sealing it back up. Pidge’s gaze shifts to the dozens of Garrison personnel around them, moving cargo and prepping ships for launch.    “Guess everyone pulling out all the stops, huh?”    “Yep. One last fight. No room for holding anything back now. One way or another...it all ends after today.”    Pidge shifts uncomfortably at that.    “Doesn’t that bother you? Thinking about what happens if we don’t win?”        Hunk shrugs. “It does. But not as much as it used to. All that worrying I did never changed a thing. We’ve just gotta do as much as we can to win, and hope that’s enough.”    Pidge doesn’t look satisfied with the answer.    “But...but what if you were worried you might not get a chance to do something you’ve been putting off?”    “I’d...stop putting it off?” Hunk says, confused.    Pidge groans. “I was worried you were going to say that.”    “Why? What is it?”    Pidge shakes her head. “It's stupid. After everything that’s happened. What’s about to happen. The stuff I’ve been thinking about is just...juvenile, in comparison.”    “Well, it might not be an interstellar war, but if it's bothering you then I think it probably does matter.”    Pidge chews on her lip thoughtful.    “So...what is it?”    She immediately stiffens.“I’d...rather not say.”    Hunk immediately looks intrigued. “Ooh...is it something embarrassing?”    She glares at him.    “Oh, it's definitely embarrassing!”    “Shut up.” She mutters.    He raises his hands defensively. “It's alright if you don’t want to tell me. But I can’t really help you if I don’t know what the problem is.”    Pidge glares at him for a moment. Then stares at her feet. She shifts her weight from one foot to the other. Finally she looks back up, glances over either shoulder and leans in closer to Hunk.    “If I tell you...you have to swear and I mean swear that this stays between us.”    “...of course.” Hunk says, looking uneasy at her sudden seriousness. “Pidge...did you kill someone or something?”    “I wish.” She groans.    “...well?”    Pidge looks over both shoulders once again and sighs. She adjusts her glasses.    “I think…” She hesitates, cursing under her breath. “...I think I’m...in love with Lance.”    Hunk blinks. “...what!?”    “Keep your voice down!” She hisses.    “This...is a joke? You’re playing me right now, right? In a second, Lance is going to jump out and point and laugh?”    Pidge cringes. “...no, it's not a joke. And I really hope Lance isn’t about to jump out and start laughing.”    Hunk stares at her for several deafeningly quiet moments.    “...you’re in love with Lance?”    “...yeah.” She stares at her shoes.    His eyes widened. “...wow! That actually makes a lot of stuff make sense! All those times you...oh...OH!”    “This was a mistake.” Pidge rubs her temples.    “No, no, no, Pidge. I’m sorry, I’m just...processing.”    “You think you’re having a hard time with this?”    “So...how long have you felt this way?”    She shrugs. “I guess...after that battle on the station. When I had my run in with Lotor. Lance came to rescue me, the dolt. Ended up getting just as busted up as me. But afterwards...he just said something that made me realize how I felt. And it's been nagging at me ever since.“    “Are you going to tell him?”        “God no! Why would I do a thing like that?”    “So you can...find out how he feels?”    She narrows her eyes. “Hunk. I don’t think you understand. I’m not planning on telling Lance anything. I'd just like all of this to go away.”    “Go away?” Hunk says skeptically.    “Yes! It's just...bad code. Some chemical wires in my brain getting crossed. You think I want him popping into my head when I’m trying to get work done? Not being able to think when he’s around? Having a pulse rate like a jackrabbit? You think I enjoy that!?”    “Pidge, I don’t know what to tell you. Feelings don’t usually just turn off like you’re flicking a light-switch.”    “Well, why not!?” She crosses her arms in frustration. “I sure didn’t ask for it in the first place.”    Hunk chuckled.        “What’s so funny?”    “It’s just...strange to see you like this.”    “Like what?”    “Vulnerable.”    “Who said I was vulnerable?”    “Pidge, if you really wanted this to just go away you wouldn’t be speaking to me right now. I think you want to tell him. You’re just scared of what will happen if you do.”    Her arms tighten around her gut.    “...and what if I am? Is that so crazy?”    “It's not.”    “How do you just tell someone that you...you know, feel that way about them? It boggles my mind. How can you let yourself be so vulnerable?”    “I’m not exactly an expert on the subject. But as I understand it, it's a leap. You’ve just got to take a chance.”    In a very quiet voice Pidge replies, “And what if I don’t like my odds?”    “You mean…”    “I’m not exactly his usual type: Tall. Long hair. Curvy. Hell, I convincingly played a boy for the first few months I knew him.” She shakes her head. “Who am I kidding? It would just distract both of us before the big battle. Telling him now would be a horrible idea. Maybe someday, long after this is all over. That’s the smart choice.”    “That’s one way of looking at it.” Hunk nods. “Another way of looking at it is that this might be your last chance. In case we...well, you know.”    Pidge opens her mouth in what looks like an objection, but doesn’t seem able to form the words. Eventually she just leans back against the fighter and bangs her head against the metal.    “...what did I do to deserve an affliction like this?”    “You mean love?” Hunk chuckles. “It's okay Pidge, it happens to the best of us.”    She groans. “...and why him?”    “Well I think you’re the only one who can answer that.”    She huffs. Then kicks at some nonexistent dirt of the floor. “...I don’t know. I guess...it's kind of cool how he tries so hard all the time. He pretends to be so easy-going and confident when that couldn’t be farther from the truth. And even though he’s long since proved it to everyone, he still fights so hard to show why he should be on this team. Even during his awful crusade to win Allura’s heart he didn’t just give up. No matter how many times she shut him down. Even in the end he still did the mature thing and let her go. And he never makes fun of me when I go all tech-mode, even though he has no idea what I’m talking about. Don’t you ever let him know this but he can, on occasion, be...charming.” She clears her throat. “...and dammit, he’s handsome, okay!?”    “Well…” Hunk smiles. “...sounds like you’ve got it all figured out.”    “I’ve got nothing figured out! That’s the problem!”    “I still think you should tell him. But it is your choice. Maybe it is the smarter decision not to. But will you be able to live with yourself if you don’t?”    “I...need to think about this some more.”    “Alright,” Hunk nods.    “...thanks for listening.”    Hunk cracks a genuine smile. “What are friends for?”    Pidge returns a weak smile, then walks off, muttering curses under breath.    Hunk lets out a sigh, then turns to work on the next MFE.    “Hey, Hunk.” Lance says popping over his shoulder.    Hunk quite literally jumps.    “Lance! What are you doing here!?” He glances over his shoulder but Pidge is already gone.    Lance tilts his head in confusion. “I...just came here to ask you about something. Man, what’s got you wound so tight?”    Hunk smiles nervously as he rubs the back of his neck. “Guess I’m uh...just a little on edge because of the upcoming battle.”    “Oh. Okay.” Lance nods, accepting the answer. “So, you checking the specs on these fighters?”    “Y-yeah,” Hunk clears his throat. “So uh...what did you want to talk about?” “Oh, that. Right.” He sighs, “Well, there’s no easy way to say this. I think I’m in love with Pidge.” Hunk’s jaw drops. One his eyes twitches. He tries to form a response but it just comes out as unintelligible mumbling. “I know this is out of the blue. Probably weren’t expecting to hear about something like this right before the battle.” “I…no...no I was not.” Hunk finally manages to say. “Quite the uh…” He clears his throat. “...quite the bombshell.” “So...what do you think I should do?” “Uh...tell her. Tell her now. Sooner the better.” “Are you sure? What if she’s weirded out by it? Or worse, thinks I’m joking. Bet  the thought’s never even crossed her mind. “Y-you might be surprised.” “How do you figure?” “Um. Just a feeling.” Hunk tugs at his collar. “Boy, is it just me or is it getting hot in here?” Lance looks unconvinced. “After I confessed to Allura, Pidge gave me this whole speech about how I didn’t even understand Allura, so how could I be in love with her? So if I tell Pidge the same, I’m worried she won't take it seriously. That she’ll think I’m just chasing the next girl on the list.” “...well not to be frank, but is that what this is?” “No.” Lance says without hesitation. “Most of the girl’s i’ve gone after...it's just been this instant thing. Immediate attraction. With Pidge it's...different. The feeling snuck up on me. I wasn’t ready for it. I sure didn’t plan it. But there it is. One day I just realized she’s been there for me every time I’ve needed her. No matter how bad I’ve screwed up, or when I can't even hold a gun straight. She works tirelessly for the team, making sure we have every edge we need, and never asks for anything in return. And she’s the smartest person I know. Also...she’s cute when she’s angry. Even if I’m usually the reason she’s angry. For better or worse, I love that kniving, hot-tempered, sarcastic, little imp. And it terrifies me that she won't feel the same way.” Lance lets out a sigh, shoulders slumping.    Hunk stares at him and lets out a small chuckle.    “What? What is it?”    “...I’ll tell you later. Listen, Lance. I get where you’re coming from. I understand that this is a big leap especially after the last time you..well, you know. Fear’s a hard thing to get past. I know that, better than most. But just because you fell doesn’t mean you stop taking leaps. You’re scared. That’s good. That means you’ll try harder to avoid failure. Confidence is overrated. In my opinion, bravery is a lot better. And I don’t think Lance Mcclain has ever been short of that.”    Lance cracks a smile. “Glad to see someone’s got faith in me. I sure don’t.”    “So, you figured out what you’re going to do?”    “Nope. Not a clue. I’m just gonna do what I do best.”    “What’s that?”    “Wing it and hope for the best.”    Hunk laughs.    “Anyway, I’ll let you get back to it. Thanks for listening, Hunk.”    “Sure…” Hunk grins. “...what are friends for?”    Lance strides away, and Hunk is left staring at the innards of another MFE.    “...jeeze, what am I gonna do with those two?”

***

   “Good news: we should be ready to leave within the hours.” Admiral Sanda says.    Keith, Sanda and him stand on a ridge overlooking the coalition forces preparing for battle.    “Are you sure about those MFE ships?” Keith asks. “They’re never been tested in real combat.”    “No need to worry, Keith.” Matt says. “My dad helped build them. They’ve been rated as faster and more maneuverable than standard galra fighters. Final tests are being run, but so far everything looks good.”    “Besides, a seasoned fighter pilot will be leading them into battle, to ensure any potential issues can be dealt with in an efficient manner.”    “Seasoned pilot?” Matt askes. “Who’d you pick for that?”    “Me.”    Matt raises his eyebrows in surprise. “Really? You?”    “I’m not that old, Holt. And besides, I’m one of the few pilots here with real combat experience. I’m not about to miss one last chance to fly before I retire.”    “Careful. That’s the kind of stuff people say right before they die in a blaze of glory.”    “Foolish heroics have never been my style. I prefer surgical strategy and follow-through.”    “Good, I don’t need unnecessary risks out there. I plan on ending this with as few deaths as possible.”    “Word of advice: there’s never any shortage of casualties in war.”    “I know.” Keith replies solemnly.    Sanda studies him, then nods.    Below the ridge, Allura observes alteans entering the Castle of Lions. Keith takes note.    “Matt, Sanda. If there’s nothing else?”    Both shook their heads.    “Contact me when we’re ready to leave.”    “Understood.” They said in unison.    Keith nodded to them both, then descended down the ridge. It’s a steep, rocky path back down, but Keith doesn’t falter once.     “Hey.” He says, walking over to her.    “Hi, Keith.” She smiles weakly.    “So they decided to go, huh?” He nods to the alteans filing into the Castle.    “Is that a problem?”    “Not unless you think it will be.”    She studies the alteans for a moment, then shakes her head.    “It's their choice. And I am not their queen to command them.”    “But you are the Princess.”    “I do not know if they see me that way.”    “They will.”    She eyes him, doubtful. “What makes you so sure.”    “Because you care about them more than anyone else in this universe. And sooner or later they’ll realize that.” Keith grins. “They’d be idiots not to.”    Allura averts her gaze, but she does smile.    “...there’s something I want to tell you.”    Keith straightens. “...what is it?”    Allure stares into the sky. “Before I tell you, I want to know that you won’t tell the other Paladins. It's not that I don’t trust them. As a matter of fact, I trust each of them with my life. But this information would...complicate this battle to come. I’m only telling...well out of selfishness, I suppose. I just need someone to hear this.”    “Alright.” Keith nods.    Allura draws in a breath. “...the Blue Paladin of Darktron, is actually King Alfor. My father.”    “...oh.”    “Yes. it's been...difficult to process.”    “I can...imagine. When did you find out?”    “Shortly after I was captured.”    “You’re sure it's him?”    “Yes. At least, some version of him.”    “Allura…” Keith seems to gather himself. “...I don’t think I need to tell you that this is a man from another different universe. Another timeline. There’s no telling how different Alfor was in that reality.”    “I know that. I really do. But when I fought him...I saw something. A flicker of the man that raised me.” She lets out a long sigh. “But he’s the enemy. As much as I hope that there’s more of the good man inside, I know I still have to fight him. Which is why…”    “...you didn’t want to tell the other. You;re worried they’ll hesitate because of you.”    Allura nods. “They are good friends. I can’t help but think it would give them pause. I want to spare them from that.”    “I understand. I won’t tell them.”    “Thank you.”    “But…” Keith shifts with discomfort. “...did you think I wouldn’t be affected? That I wouldn't hesitate because of your feelings?”    Allura smiles, “No. I just trusted you to do the right thing anyway.”    Keith smiles back.    “Allura!” A voice calls.    Both turn to see Ayden running towards them. He grabs onto her legs and smiles a toothy grin. “Hi.”    “Hey there,” She ruffles his hair.    “Who’s this little guy?” Keith asks.    “I’m not that little!” Ayden scowls, although it ends up looking more like a pout. Keith chuckles, raising his hands in defense. “My mistake.”    “Keith, this is Ayden. He helped me get through my confinement. Even helped change some minds.”    “Well then it's a pleasure to meet you, friend.”    Ayden eyes him, dubious.    “Ayden. This is Keith. One of my best friends. And the leader of Voltron.”    Ayden’s eyes widen. “Woah. So do you like...fight lots of bad guys?”    “Yeah.” Keith smiles. “I fight lots of bad guys.”    “Cool! I wish I could fight bad guys…” He frowns. “All the grown ups are getting on the ship to go fight!”    “That’s true.” Allura agrees.    “But I wanna go too!”    Allura crouches down to be at eye level. “I know you do. And if I were you, I’d want to too. But you and the other altean children are the future. You’ve got a duty to your people to stay safe. Can I trust you to do that?”    Ayden frowns. Then he kicks some dirt. Finally he nods. “...alright.”    “Don’t worry. One day it’ll be your day to brave the stars. And when that day comes I’m sure you’ll blind us all with how bright you shine.”    He smiles at that.    “So, are you ready to return to your post, soldier?”    “Yes, Princess!” He salues.    “Go on then.”    He bows to her, nods to Keith, then runs off. Allura stares after him, smiling slightly.    “...Allura?”    “Yes, Keith?”    “I think you were saying something about how you didn’t think any of the alteans supported you?”    Allura tries and fails to stifle a grin.    “...well, maybe there’s one or two.”    “Come on. We better head to our lions..”

***

   Pidge is the last to arrive at her lion. The others are waiting in a circle when she gets there.    “Don’t tell me you were all waiting up for me.” She says.    “Well we couldn’t exactly leave without you.” Keith points out. “But now that you are here, we’re just waiting on the all clear.”    “Understood.” She takes her place in the group, a healthy distance from Lance.    For a moment the whole group is silent. Pidge shoots a glance at Lance. He shoots a glance at her. This occurs several times until their eyes meet, and they quickly avert their gazes.    “I need to talk to you.” They say in union.    They stare at each other, earning the interest of the other Paladins.    “Is...something the matter?” Keith inquires.    “No!” They say, speaking in unison again. Both cringe.    “I think...they just have something to sort out. Alone.” Hunk winks at them.    Lance clears his throat. “Y-yeah…”        Pidge rolls her eyes, then grabs Lance by the sleeve leading him out of earshot of the others. Keith looks on in confusion, while Allura watches, thoughtful. Hunk simply smiles knowingly.    They stop a few dozen feet away, turning to face each other. Neither says anything at first. Pidge kicks at some dirt. Lance rubs his arm, wrist twitching ever so slightly.    “...I should have built you another bracelet.” Pidge finally says. “There’s just...been so much going on recently. I’m sorry.”    Lance stares at her for a moment before shaking his head. “It's like I said. You’ve got more important stuff to do. You don’t need to worry about me.”    “You always say stuff like that!””    Lance looks taken aback.    “I know you don’t want anybody to worry about you, but it's okay to ask for help sometimes!”    He hesitates, then narrows his eyes. “You’re one to talk. Or did you think I forgot how you went looking for Matt without letting the rest of us in on it?”    “Alright fine! So, we’re both bad at asking for help!”    Lance cracks a smile.     “Something funny?” Pidge huffs.    He shakes his head. “Just thinking about how some things never change.”    Pidge stares at the ground. She fidgets with something in her hand.“...maybe they should.”    Lance quirks an eyebrow. “Does...this have something to do with what you wanted to say to me?”    “...you had something to say too, didn’t you?”    Lance considers. “...you first.”    Pidge winces. “...of course” She takes a deep breath, and looks down at what she holds in her hands. “Lance I-”    “-Hey you two!” Keith suddenly yells. “We just got the all clear! It's time to go!”    Pidge curses under her breath. Lance sighs in annoyance.    “We’ll be right there!” He yells before turning back to Pidge, “You were saying?”    “I…” She bites her lip, then shakes her head. Then she grabs Lance’s hand and shoves what she was holding into it.    He looks down into his palm. It's a small scrap of paper with a series of letters and numbers on it: 49206c6f766520796f75    “What is this?”    “It's…a code.”    “What does it mean?”    “I’ll...tell you after the battle.”    Lance stares down at her. She doesn’t meet his gaze.    “Okay.” He lets out a breath. “I understand.” “Y-you had something to say too?”    He shakes his head. “We’ve got to get going.”    She gives a single nod. They head back to the others.    “You sure something isn’t wrong?” Keith asks.    The two of them shake their heads. Hunk gets a concerned look.    “Alright then…” Keith closes his eyes. When he opens them, they are set on the sky above, “...it's time. Everyone to their lions.”        Keith, Hunk and Allura immediately climb inside their lions. Pidge and Lance hesitate, sharing one last look before they do the same.

***

   The Five Lions of Voltron rise into the sky. Shortly after, So does Sincline. Behind them a fleet of ships rise up behind them. Soon they are all enveloped by the shining stars and pitch darkness of space.    “I’m not great at speeches, so I’ll make this quick.” Keith says over the comm. “Right now our enemies are trying to take this universe for themselves. We aren’t going to let that happen. We’re all here. Every ally. Every friend. We look out for each other out there. It's what makes us different from the enemy. Don’t fight like you’ve got nothing to lose. Fight like you’ve got everything to lose. That’s why we’ll win. Because we’re not fighting for power or for glory. We’re fighting for our homes. For the people waiting for us. For our way of life. And if they think they can just take all that from us, then they’ve got another thing coming. And that...is all I got. Let’s go beat Zarkon, once and for all.”    And with that, the combined ships of the Coalition of Voltron make the jump deep into space.

***

   Zarkon flies his Black Lion through the star cluster. Galra ships are dark silhouettes against the harsh light of the stars. He brings his lion to a halt before the teleduv array. Over a dozen robeasts gather around the Array. Countless hexagonal stations are beginning to form a vague globe around the Array, with more still coming in.    Lotor in his Red Lion approaches Zarkon.    “Father, I wanted to speak to you about...certain details of the operation.”    “Speak.”    “I’ve looked into mother’s calculations. These alteans...I don’t think they’ll survive. Not in these robeast suits.”    “...and?”    “And I think if we took more time we could develop a safer method, they could live. There’s no reason to cast aside these lives when they’re performing such a great service for our empire.”    “...my empire.”    “You said our empire. Make no mistake, boy. I am emperor.”    Lotor grits his teeth. “...my mistake. But will you consider my suggestion?”    “There’s nothing to consider. It was an infantile suggestion. The words of a child afraid of change. If you are scared about what will happen today, go cry to your mother. I have no time for your petulance.”    Lotor’s eyes blaze. “You old bastard!”    Zarkon grins. “That’s more like it, son! Have a spine for once in your life!”    For a moment both lions hang in space, facing one another.    “What is going on here!?” Honerva demands, rising up between them.    “The boy and I were having ourselves a little heart to heart.”    “That’s one way of putting it!” Lotor snarls.    “Are the two of you really going to do this right before our final victory?”    “Oh I think you mean his final victory! Family or not, we’ve never been anything but pawns to him!”    “Lotor-”    “Tell me I’m wrong! Can mother? Can you honestly tell me he’s ever served anyone but himself!?”    When Honerva does reply her voice is quiet, “...please, both of you. Don’t do this. Not now.”    “It may be a little late for that…” Zarkon replies with unmistakable excitement in his voice.    It is then that Sendak’s and Raimon’s lions fly in.    “Emperor Zarkon!” Sendak exclames.    “What is it?” Zarkon growls.    “They’re here.”    All turn to see hundred, thousands of new lights appearing from out of the dark of space. They are not stars.    “What a sight…” Zarkon says.    “Call in the rest of the required robeasts and activate the shield barriers. We need to start the operation now!” Hoverva says. “It will take a few minutes, but if the shields get into place we should be able to open the breach without interruption.    “And miss this glorious opportunity for battle?” Zarkon says. “Why not fight them and collect the power as trophy?”    “Zarkon!” She pleads.    From inside the lion, he studies those specs growing closer.    “So very tempting….” He closes his eyes. “...but I will not risk everything just for the thrill of once more battle. We will begin the operation.”     Lotor hesitates. “The alteans…”    “Lotor, if you care for them so, then they can be remade once all power belongs to Darktron.” Honerva points out.    “In theory! We don’t know what can and can’t be done once that door is opened.”    “I can think of but one way to truly find out.”    The comms are quiet for several seconds.    “...let’s do it.”        Zarkon chuckles. “Good choice, boy. Now, let us remake the universe!”

***

   The Coalition of Voltron crashes against forces of the Dark Paladins like a hammer against an anvil. Human MFE fighters fight alongside alien ships. The new Castle of Lions blasts cruisers from the sky, flanked by galra ships loyal to the coalition. And at the spear of the attack, Voltron and Sincline ride into battle, side by side.    They tear a swath of destruction through the enemy lines, explosions popping up in their wake.    Then, a squad of robeasts arrive. They are led by one with violet lines running across it's armor.    “That is far enough.” Luce sat over the comms.    She spins her staff in an arc, before bringing it down for Voltron’s head. Voltron counters with a swing of it's sword. Luca retreats back, letting fly a blast from her armor’s chest. Voltron blocks the blast with it's shield, forced backwards.    The other robeasts close in on Sincline.    “I don’t have time for this!” Lotor snarls, moving to fly past the robeast. They block his path. That proves a mistake. No one sees Sincline’s swords being drawn. They simply appeared one moment, and two robeasts fell to pieces.    Lotor guns Sincline’s engines, tearing off deeper into the cluster, leaving a trail of energy in his wake. “Lotor!” Keith yells with annoyance. “Actually he might be on the right track!” Pidge informs. “Check this out!” A section of the cluster magnifies. It shows the array. Robeasts are gathered between each progressively smaller ring, culminating with Darktron centered in the smallest. The shield stations begin to light up, even as some still move into place. “They’re starting to activate their shield wall! If all the stations power up they’ll be completely protected! We’ll have no chance to stop them!” “Well we’re a little tied up at the moment!” Keith replies, blocking another of Luca’s strikes. “We’ll take care of that!” Matt declared, flying forward in the Atlas to smash a mighty fist into Luca’s robeast. The Paladin Crusher comes up from the flank, engaging the rest of the squad. “Ohohoho! We’ll take it from here!” Skriel says. “Thanks guys!” With that Voltron races past. But they don’t get far. They’re quickly blasted by half a dozen ion cannons. Voltron isd sent reeling. Voltron launches back into action, dodges a series of blasts and cuts through several ships. Ships blowing up behind, Voltron is about to move to it's target again, when it is tackled by another robeast. “There’s no end to these guys!” Lance exclames. Voltron kicks the robeast back, earning them some breathing room. They zero in on the station's shields popping up, innumerable energy hexagons spreading around the Array. Only a few gaps remain in the energy sphere, where some of the stations have yet to fall into place. “Hunk, fire cannon! Now!” Hunk smashes his bayard into place, and the cannon materializes, tearing a solid beam through the battle it vaporizes a dozen galra ships before finally ripping through a trio of the shields stations. That’s all they’re able to accomplish before the robeast smashing into them again, bladed spear angling towards Voltron’s neck. Voltron deflects with the sword, then lets out another blast from the cannon point-blank. The robeasts are flung backward to smash through a galra cruiser, which explodes.    Voltron then bursts forward to neatly slice all four of it's limbs off. The robests hands, limp in space.    Off to the side the remaining shield sations fall into place and the rest of the globe seals up. Only a small gap remains where the few stations they managed to destroy would have been.    “We don’t have a clear shot, and the cannon needs a minute before it can fire again!” Hunk informs them. Another robeast and more ships approach.    Keith grits his teeth, “We need to think of something!”    “...we could split up.” Lance suggests.    “Why would we do that?”    “Give them more targets. Make it easier for one of us to slip past and...take the shot.”    Keith is quiet for a moment.     “...can you do it?”    “Honestly...I don’t know.”    “...alright.”    Voltron splits back into five lions.    Keith activates his lion’s wings and tries to jump past but is smacked backwards by the swing of a robeast’s staff. Hunk and Allura’s lions become equally tied up by ion cannon blasts. Only Lance and Pidge manage to slip past the assortment of enemies.    Inside the shield, the rings begin to crackle with energy. It starts at the teleduv, then works its way back, stopping at the final ring, around Darktron. The bolts of energy coalesce into an orb at the center of the teleduv. Lance turns towards the distant gap in the side of the shield. “Pidge, If I use the railgun, I should have enough power to knock one of them out of place. Will we have enough time to get to a clear line of fire?”    “...no.”    Lance nods slowly.    “...what about a ricochet?”    “Are you thinking of…?”    “I know these energy shields can mess with the degree of blast reflection. So what angle would I be aiming for? I just need to hit one of them to disrupt their operation, right?”    Pidge opens her mouth but finds herself speechless.    “What?” Lance smirks, “Did you really think I wasn’t listening all those years you tried to explain science to me?”    Pidge allows herself a small smile.     “...you’ll need to hit between thirty and forty degree angle. But because of the energy distortion, aim for fifty and you should hit your mark. That’s just the numbers, though. The actual shot…”    “...is nearly impossible. Got it.”    Lance takes a breath, and the lion’s rail gun appears on it's back. He guides his shot, aiming for the gap in the shield. He takes another breath. Beads of sweat form on his skin.    His hand begins to tremble.    “Not now…” He mutters. He closes his eyes. “Come on!” His hand continues to shake.    “...Lance?” Pidge says in a softer tone. “I don’t...I don’t know if I can do this.” He admits, eyes opening. “I just...I’ve only got one chance at this. If I don’t make it...we’re all dead, or worse. Everyone’s depending on me and I don’t think I can do it, Pidge.” Gis voice cracks, “I’m going to miss, I can feel it. We’re going to lose because I can’t-” “Lance!” She says forcefully.    He blinks.    “If we fail...it's not your fault. It’ll be because of a million other factors. Because we didn’t get here quick enough. Because we didn’t stop them the last time we fought. Because sometimes no matter what we’ve done, it still might never have been enough. So just listen to my voice, and take the shot. You don’t have anything to prove. But for what it’s worth...I think you can do it.”    Lance looks out his lion’s viewport, at the Green Lion. “...thanks, Pidge.” “Anything for our sharpshooter.” He smiles, then turns back to his target. The crackling has only grown brighter, and the ball in the center of the teleduv seems at its apex. He zeroes in on the gap one more time. His hand has only the slightest tick, but it's still there. He glances at the hand thoughtful. Then something else catches his eye. The small scrap of paper Pidge gave him, wedged into his lion’s console. 49206c6f766520796f75 He stares at it for a moment, eyes widening. And then he grins and takes one more breath.    “Hey Pidge?”    “Yeah?”    “I love you.”    Lance fires, not a hint of a tremor in his hand.    A blinding blue beam of light erupts from the Red Lion’s back. It tears across the battlefield, threading the needle between countless galra fighters and ships. It slips through the gap in the shield, and collides with the inside of the barrier. The beam bounces off the shield, reflecting towards the Array inside. It hits a robeast, blasting the robeast away to smash into backside of the shield.     The crackling energy making up the orb grows uneven, surging up and down the rings. The orb then breaks apart, energy lancing in every direction. Robeasts are blasted everywhere, and several shield stations are obliterated.    Finally, the energy vanishes and the rings go dead.    “...I did It.” Lance says, stunned.    “Lance!” Pidge yells. “You...I...what!?”    “Yeah I’m surprised as you are.”    “Not that! I mean, yes! Great job, stopping the universe from ending, but WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY BEFORE THAT!?”    “Huh? Oh. I love you.”    There is silence over the comm for a minute.    “Woo! Good job dude!” Hunk suddenly says.    “Thanks man.”    “WHAT DID YOU SAY THAT FOR!?”    “Well for one, I meant it.”        “Don’t just-...you can’t just-...ARGHHHH!” Pidge’s voice devolves into unintelligible noises.    “This is...an interesting development.” Allura chimes in.    “As um...unexpected as all this is…” Keith says. “...I think we’ve got more pressing issues.”    The three other lions approach, dodging blasts from their pursuers. “Yeah, better shelve this for later.” Lance agrees. “Speak for yourself!” Pidge yells Lance pushes his lion into motion avoiding a stray blast from one of the cruisers. “Alright, then you wanna talk about this while we’re fighting for our lives?”    It's Pidge’s turn to dodge a blast.    “...this isn’t over!”    “I’d be worried if it was.” Lance smiles.

***

   Darktron hovers in space, scattered robeasts hanging around it. Several of the rings above are cracked, leaking violet energy. The shield around the Array now has dozens of breaches, and barely covers up half of what it previously did.    Zarkon takes it all in.    “...Honerva, report.”    “The pilots of the robeasts have been rattled but they should recover soon. The Array on the other hand...when it was knocked out of formation, some of the rings were damaged. They’ll need to be repaired before we try again.”    “And how long will that take?”    “Maybe half a varga?”    “And the shields have enough holes that they may as well not be there…” A grin splits Zarkon’s face. “...good.”    “Good!?” Honerva shouts with disbelief.    “Yes. Now, we do this like we should have from the start. Victory through battle. One last killing thrust.” He chuckles. “Make sure your people have this array ready. It’s time we destroyed the other Voltron.”

***

   The five Lions of Voltron catch up to Sincline just outside the remains of the shield barrier. A trail of broken ships lead up to its position, but Lotor has pulled the mecha to a stop. Across from Sincline, is Darktron.    “...took you long enough.” Lotor says from inside Sincline.    “I concur.” Comes Zarkon’s voice. “You knew you could not match our power, so you opted for strength in numbers. You that’ll be enough to beat us? To beat me?”    “I think it’ll be enough to kill you.” Keith says coldly.    “By all means boy. Let’s pick up where we left off…”    Darktron summons a sword.    Keith narrows his eyes, “Paladins, form Voltron!”    The lions, once again, join together. Voltron floats side by side with Sincline. For a moment the pilots of the three mechas stare each other down.    Then, Voltron and Sincline charge at Darktron.    

[vivxwrites]

Tough

*not my gif*

Word Count: 1652

Warning(s): sort of angsty, should be safe besides that. (lmk if anything else needs to be tagged!)

Summary: Just a little songfic to the song Tough by Quinn XCII ft. Noah Kahan

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Reader

A/N: hey all, i’m back with a request! this one was sent in by a nonnie quite some time ago! i hope you all enjoy! also, please go listen to this song because it’s pure nat. You’ll see what I mean.

*lyrics are italicized*

Maybe it's 'cause your mom never kissed you

If you ever cried, you'd wipe with muscle tissue

You bench pressing more than me's not the issue

I know you're actually weaker than that

Let's hope that nothing get deeper than that

“Nat wait,” you called out desperately. She didn’t turn back and continued to angrily stomp away in the direction of her quarters. You cursed yourself and chewed on your lip before standing up and chasing after her. 

After sprinting down the twists and turns of the tower you made it to Natasha’s door seconds before she slammed it shut, barely managing to shove your foot in the entryway. She made a noise of frustration and reluctantly flung the door open with a glare. “Can’t you leave me alone?” She asked the question sharply but you were well-versed in the tendencies of Natasha Romanoff. She used her anger in an attempt to intimidate the other party but you vowed to stay strong against her well-defended emotional barriers.

 From your spot in the doorway you could just barely make out her bed, where upon closer examination you noticed a pair of silver handcuffs dangling, one metal ring closed securely around the column of the headboard while the other remained unlocked and hung idly. You heart sunk in your chest at the thought of Natasha reverting back to the ways of her tormentors for a sense of stability. “Oh, Nat,” you paused and trailed off, not quite knowing what to say.

 Tears swam in Natasha’s green eyes before they hardened and she ripped her gaze from yours. “Natasha please, let me help you.” Be it some form of psychic powers that resulted from HYDRA’s multiple experiments on you or some factor completely unrelated, you could tell Nat was on the brink of a mental breakdown large enough to rival the Eiffel Tower and you wanted to comfort her in any way that you could, not that she made it easy. 

 “I don’t need your help,” she growled. “I’m strong enough to handle myself on my own.” She slammed the door in your face. ‘But you don’t have to’, you thought before turning and walking away, with a heavy heart.

Like why, why are you only vulnerable when no-one's around?

Your gym membership is not a crown

You're not so tough

I know that nightlight's on when you sleep

You're not so tough

Yeah, you watch Eat Pray Love on repeat

And I'm sure you'd win in an altercation

But you're still insecure to me

Oh, so mess me up

I know you're not so tough

When you saw her the next morning at breakfast you could tell from her bloodshot eyes that she had cried herself to sleep. You grit your teeth to withhold saying anything to her and instead busied yourself with drinking the rest of your freshly brewed coffee, courtesy of Clint. But God, you couldn't help but wonder why Natasha kept all of her feelings tucked away, why she was only vulnerable when no-one was around. 

Against better judgement, you forced yourself to give her some space and decided that a trip to the gym was in order. About an hour or so after you had started running on the treadmill you caught a flash of red hair and pale ivory skin donned in black workout gear. If she had even spared a single glance your way she would’ve seen the obvious concern shining in your eyes, but she hadn’t. She had only crossed the expansive room and stepped into the shooting range, picked up a massive Russian Rifle with ease and set her sights on the automated targets ahead. You knew that Natasha had a habit of visiting the gym twice, sometimes even three times a day to prove a point to who, you hadn’t the slightest clue. You just wished that she would take more time off and not work herself into the ground.

Even as you watched her take down target after target, her biceps straining yet holding the gun perfectly steady, you knew deep down that she wasn’t as tough as she let on. Sure, physically she could break all the bones in your body in less than a minute, but on the inside, she was comparable to a pile of sand held in someone’s palm, furtively trying not to slip right through the gaps between their fingers.

You knew from the countless nights where you would wake up to screaming that Natasha slept with multiple guns and knives under her pillows, having had one of the previous mentioned weapons pointed and ready to put a sizable hole in your forehead after you had entered the widow’s bedroom one night when you had heard screaming. Needless to say you didn’t pop by for any more nightly visits, even while you lay flinching in your own bed from the sheer intensity of her screams.

And sure, she was deadly and very well could kill you, but you only wanted to help her work through her insecurities and fears. And maybe you had ulterior motives, like wanting to get closer to her, closer than anyone else on the team had ever managed and-

You stopped yourself from continuing your thoughts. Right now Natasha didn’t need someone to love, she needed to love herself.

Are you insecure that the steroids are causing hair loss?

That your Lulu shorts don't quite vibe with your camo AirPods

And if I ran into you past sunset, I'd probably be scared, oh

I know you're honestly weaker than that

I bet you know that you need to relax

You could see the way she would try to inconspicuously avoid touching anyone, as if she were scared that her mind and body would turn against her and injure those she loved. Your chest panged with the sorrow you felt for her and if you could’ve swept her into your open arms, you would’ve in an instant.

Here, in the low lighting of the common area, Natasha looked almost relaxed. With her nose in a book and wearing sweats, the world’s deadliest assassin didn’t look so deadly. But even doing nothing, she was still intimidating. Her obvious intelligence and beauty would have scared a younger you further into the shelves of the library in an instant. Her hands twitched on the outside cover of the book, clenching and unclenching while her brow furrowed and after a moment, her body relaxed into the plush leather of the couch.

And I don't mean to come at you like it's Watergate

My pale ghostly body's purely water-weight

Yeah, I should probably substitute what is on my plate

But I still acknowledge those feelings inside

Let's work on your habit to run or to hide

You approached Natasha as calmly as you could, though inside you felt an unsettling combination of both nerves and anxiety. She snapped her head in your direction, reluctantly looking away from the view of the skyline that she had discovered at the top of the tower. “Hi,” she said meekly and you were surprised to hear the undertones of something in her voice, Natasha usually being extremely skilled at hiding her real emotions.

You sat down next to her and turned your body to face her, preparing yourself for the possible aggression she might direct towards you after you say your little tidbit. “Natasha, I’m worried about you,” you began. When she didn’t reach over and shove you to your death you decided that it was safe to continue, “You’re strong all the time and I just wonder, are you alright? I know it’s not the most healthy thing, bottling everything up.” She blinked at you with a blank look on her face and you chuckled nervously, “Not that I’m the healthiest person alive, there’s some stuff that I could work on too, like actually going to medbay after missions like I’m supposed to or being on time to Fury’s mission briefings or-” You were suddenly cut off by the feeling of Natasha’s soft lips on yours and you were sure that your eyes had widened to a level bordering cartoon-like as your brain frantically screamed at you to reciprocate the kiss, after a while, you did just that.

It was chaste and left you longing, a kiss that screamed Natasha in so many ways. She smirked at your expression, a stunned look still present on your features. “I appreciate the concern, (Y/N), but don’t worry about me.” You opened your mouth to cut her off but she shushed you by placing a single finger against your lips. “Besides, you’ll help me work on it, won’t you?” 

She rose to her feet and with a wink and a teasing grin, made her way back into the tower. You sat dazed on the rooftop for a while until the events finally registered. Natasha had kissed you and, apparently you would help her learn to open up more. You didn’t know exactly what the future would hold but you knew that you were excited to find out.

Like why, why are you only vulnerable when no-one's around?

Your gym membership is not a crown

You're not so tough

I know that nightlight's on when you sleep

You're not so tough

Yeah, you watch Eat Pray Love on repeat

And I'm sure you'd win in an altercation

But you're still insecure to me

Oh, so mess me up

I know you're not so tough

You're not so tough

You're not

You're not so tough

You're not

You're not so tough

You're not

You're not so tough

You're not

You're not so tough

I know that nightlight's on when you sleep

You're not so tough

Yeah, you watch Eat Pray Love on repeat

And I'm sure you'd win in an altercation

But you're still insecure to me

Oh, so mess me up

I know you're not so tough

A/N: I feel like this isn’t good but I owe it to all of you to post it anyway. Super sorry for all the delays with my writing, I’m doing my best to juggle school and this and all the other events of my life. Feel free to shoot me a pm or ask if you ever have questions or want to talk! Love, Viv <3

Permanent Tag List: @autumnjackson4 @captainwonderwidow @5aftermidnight @lesbian-x-blackwidow @taramitch96 @blushycarol @fansanctuary @pruemania @envy-adamss

P.S. Let me know if you’d like to be added!

[fandom-necromancer]

863. Where are you?

This story was prompted by a lovely anon! I know at one point this might read like a character death, but it isn’t! Just to make sure, because I won’t add it in the warnings. All stories here end happy!

Fandom: Detroit become human | Ship: Reed900 (Warnings: undercover gone wrong, mentioned violence towards Nines and a bunch of criminals, angst)

Gavin tried hard to concentrate on the open documents in front of him and on the pictures several public surveillance cams had taken of their suspects. He knew himself he failed miserably at that, eyes jumping to the additional terminal he had been given for this mission. He read the last messages again: >7:15: status ping received – all systems stable, unit functioning >7:30: status ping received – all systems stable, unit functioning >7:45: status ping received – all systems stable, unit functioning >8:00: status ping received – all systems stable, unit functioning >8:15: status ping received – all systems stable, unit functioning >8:17: message received: Good morning, Detective. You should be at work now. I am fine and I hope you are, too. No sign of them suspecting I’m a deviant android. I continue to prepare the boxes for transport and load them in. You should be able to find the bugs on them with the same frequency from yesterday. I miss you. I’ll see you in a month. >8:30: status ping received – all systems stable, unit functioning

Gavin sighed and forced himself to at least work for the next quarter hour until the next status report came. “All systems stable, unit functioning” really wasn’t much to calm his nerves, but at least his android seemed to be fine. He hated undercover missions. A few years ago, he had liked the thrill of it and the feeling of actually doing something important. But it had been him back then and he hadn’t had a partner. Now it was Nines stuck in a Red Ice gang as a non-deviant android they found in standby in an old factory during an expansion. The DPD could have sent a SWAT to get it all over with, but no, they had to infiltrate them to discover possible connections. And they had; Nines bugged packages had unveiled nearly all arms of the Gang from his own position down over warehouses down to the individual dealer. But still, knowing Nines in between these criminals kept him from sleeping at night.

‘Hey, still heart-broken, Reed?’, Hank laughed as he walked past the man, patting his shoulder a little to hard. ‘Phck off, Anderson. Not up to it’, Gavin pressed out between gritted teeth. His nerves blankliegen already, he was just far too easily pushed over the edge right now. Even more so than normally. ‘Jesus, Reed, Nines is a RK900 for phck’s sake! Even if they find out he’s an undercover-cop, he would be fine. He was built for war, he could handle a few drug-scums.’ ‘Yeah, he was built for war. But he never went to war. He deleted most of these protocols the moment he became deviant and realised what they were, terrified of what he was. So phck off and stick your goddamn small talk up Connor’s ass! He’d probably even like that.’ Hank honest to God went beet red and hurried to his desk to hide behind his screen. Connor in turn just laughed. Well, at least that was that dealt with.

>8:45: status ping received – all systems stable, unit functioning

Gavin sighed deeply and rubbed at his face, eying the line over the edge of his fingertips. He is fine. He is built for war. He is the most advanced android in the world. He could be taken for a machine even by people who knew he was a deviant, that much of an asshole Cyberlife has been deleting all the stuff that made Connor so quirky and easily integrated. He’ll be fine. Oh, Gavin wanted to believe that so much. Just a month. Just thirty-ish more days. God, since when had he become so invested in that damn robot? Since he saved you. Since he brought you back into the job as you had to spend several weeks in hospital. Since he stayed with you regardless of what an asshole you had been. Since he moved in with you. Since he first looked at you like that. Since he had held you like that for the first time.

>9:00: status ping received – all systems stable, unit functioning

Gavin definitely needed a coffee. He pulled his phone out and connected it to the terminal. He knew, there wouldn’t be another message until 9:15, but he needed to keep an eye on it all times. Looking down on his phone on the way to the breakroom, he heard a few chuckles he completely ignored. He waited for the coffee-machine to do it’s job staring at the little white line blinking. Constantly blinking, ticking time away, never moving-

>9:02: Alert ping received – all systems stable, unit damaged >9:02: message received: My cover has been blown, request backup immediately at [coordinates], enemies heavily armed. Gavin, I’m sorry, I lov- >9:02: Alert ping received – system instability detected, unit damaged, biocomponents shut off, click <here> for list. >9:03: unit disconnected, try to reconnect… >9:03: reconnection failed, try again? [Y]/N

The sound of a mug shattering on the ground followed by a splash was enough to alarm the whole precinct. Gavin stared at the screen of his phone in shock, until he lost his grip on the device too and took two steps back, crashing into the table behind him. ‘Gavin?’, Connor asked appearing in the opening. ‘Everything al-‘ ‘Get the SWAT’, Gavin stuttered out. ‘Get the phcking SWAT, immediately!’ He shook out of his trance, fetched his phone from the ground and ran to his desk, quickly getting his utility belt and sprinting outside to his car. He looked at the screen of his phone, that was shattered, but still functioning, and hit the confirmation on “Yes”. The device tried to connect again, failed and Gavin forced it to try again. And again. And again. Until he was in the car, punched the siren into action and drove off with screeching tires.

Please be okay, please be okay, please be alive, Gavin pleaded to himself in silence, while racing through the streets of Detroit as if his life depended on it, because it did. 'God, Nines hang in there, I'm on my way!' A few minutes after he had driven off, he could see another police-car behind him. It was able to catch up, but Gavin's reckless manoeuvres let him be the first at the scene, followed by the other car. He wanted to storm the building in front of him in his usual, unthinking manner, only for strong arms to hold him back.

'Gavin, calm down! You are only gonna get yourself killed!' 'Phck off, Connor, I know what I'm doing!' 'Let him go', another voice said, and Gavin looked at its origin disbelievingly. 'He is one of our best infiltrators, believe it or not', Fowler continued. 'Gavin, if you can promise me to be stealthy and that you have a plan so the SWAT will not shoot you too, I won't stand in your way.' Connor hesitantly let the man go and Gavin shook his head. 'Nines has the bugs for the packages on him. Finding him won't a problem. But I don't have a plan except for that SWAT will most likely be more occupied with shooting at the people attacking them, not the ones staying low saving there phcking partner. Fowler, I need to go in there. Don't keep me from doing this. He needs me.' 'Then go. And don't get yourself killed. I'll tell them to watch out for you.'

Gavin hadn't waited for him to finish his sentences. The “go“ had been enough for him to take his phone out and run around the building to barge into a room he hoped to be empty through an emergency exit. He ended up in a hallway instead, but there wasn't anyone around and that was all what Gavin needed to know. His phone showed him the direction he had to walk in to get to his partner. He could only hope Nines was okay until he reached him. The building reminded Gavin of a deserted school: long hallways with rooms to the sides occasionally. He wasted no time to think about what it might have been once, he settled on a fancier office building and concentrated on staying hidden. Although it took a while until he heard faint voices. With a curse just behind his lips, he drew his weapon. He didn't want to use it; the noise would only alarm them and make him an easy target. But just in case... He pressed himself against a wall and spied around a corner into another hallway. It was empty, but the voices were near. Gavin would have rather taken a different route, but without the floorplan doing that could just lead him in the wrong direction. Thankfully the hallway had a few doors and none of them seemed to be occupied as they were silent, but Gavin couldn't be sure of that.

He decided to hurry through it in a half crouch as to not be seen through any windows. Of course, that was just the moment he heard fast footsteps. Without thinking, he rushed to the first door, ripped it open and closed it carefully. He heard the footsteps halt, then changing direction. Shit. He switched off the safety of his gun and holstered it, stepping next to the door to throw a well-directed punch, should whoever came nearer decided to investigate.

The footsteps stopped. The door opened. But no one entered. Gavin waited, keeping his breath as low as possible. Then a gun appeared next to his head as if that would make investigation for the idiot who held it any easier. Immediately Gavin grabbed the gun and pulled the man gripping it inside, years of continuous disarming-training springing to action to pull the hand from the gun, throwing the weapon away and punching the man square in the face. Gavin used the time the other needed to fall to close the door and get on top of him. ‘Where do you keep the android?’, he demanded. ‘Fuck you!’, the man spat. ‘That’s my line!’ Gavin gripped the man’s hair and hit his head against the ground hard enough to render him unconscious.

Gavin got up panting. It felt good, especially keeping in mind what they must have done to Nines. Normally Gavin suppressed these urges, at least since he let himself go the last time. He wanted to keep his job. But this was probably self-defence, right? The asshole had a gun after all. Well, Gavin would think of that later, he needed to find Nines. He navigated through the building, ended up in a dead end once and had to backtrack, but until now, the person he had met had staid the only one.

He was near now, the signal of a bug directly in a room behind the next one. The only problem: This room was full of people. People with guns, just unpacking new ones or loading their own. They were practically fortifying their position for a standoff with the police. Gavin cursed inwardly. How the hell should he get through there? His eyes scanned the room searching for something he could use and ended up staring at the crates. Phck, that would bring him unbelievingly close to the people he absolutely didn’t want to be close to. They just had to stand up and look behind the carelessly thrown away boxes to see him. But there was no other way. He took out his phone and switched to the status report that had stayed empty since 9:03 AM. He read the last message again: >9:03: reconnection failed, try again? [Y]/N He hit Yes again, hoping that something – anything - would happen. >9:56: unit disconnected, try to reconnect… >9:56: reconnection failed, try again? [Y]/N

Of course… With a sigh, Gavin crouched towards the boxes as no one was looking or the ones who were facing his direction were occupied. He dived behind them and crawled forwards slowly. Finally, his short height and relatively light weight were of advantage. He concentrated on moving slowly and avoiding making any sound. ‘Hey, did you hear that?’ Phck, he was so phcking dead, what the hell had the idiot heard? He hadn’t made a sound! ‘No. And there is an army of police out there. It can’t be more than one person if we haven’t seen them. Do you really think they would be a problem?’ ‘No, sir.’ ‘Good. Then concentrate more on getting your fucking gun ready and less on your paranoia!’ Gavin had to keep himself from audibly exhaling. Phck, this would maybe be the one time in his life he would be happy to see the damn self-entitled Captain Allen and his goddamn evil Connor. He advanced from where he had frozen and his muscles ached from the tension. But he was so close to disappear behind a shelf and according to his phone behind that would be his partner.

He forced himself to remain slow as he crawled the small distance between the crates and the shelf in the open. Finally, he could get up again and with one last look over his shoulders to the members of the Red Ice gang, he slowly opened the door there, slipped in and closed it without a sound. It was completely dark – a room without any windows. Most likely some cabinet. The small slit under the door let some light in, but Gavin’s eyes hadn’t yet accommodated to it. He didn’t say anything, but his entrance had some effect as he heard the ruffle of fabric. ‘DPD, freeze!’, he whispered what was loud enough to fill the room but hopefully not alarm the people outside. ‘Gaaaaaaaviiiiin.’ ‘Phck!’ He would recognise that voice everywhere, no matter how distorted and static it was. ‘Nines?’ ‘Gaaaaviiiin. Where aaaaare youuuuu?’ ‘Nines? Nines, I’m here, what did they do? Don’t you have this weird heat vision?’ ‘Diiiiiisc-c-c-connecteeeed.’ ‘Holy-‘ Gavin could finally make out a few shapes and a faint red blinking light. He immediately stumbled over to where the android had to be. ‘Nines, it’s alright! I am here. I am here. And Con is here too. And Hank and Fowler. They will send SWAT in here. You will be fine. I am here.’ ‘Wheeeeere aaaaare youuuu, Gaaav? Pleeeeeaaase.’ Nines moved his hand up and had nearly hit Gavin in the face in his erratic movements. He moved like the robots in these stupid 80s movies they liked to watch together would and Gavin knew that this was the complete opposite of good. He quickly grabbed the hand that had stopped in the air and swished from side to side with every move of his torso in a malfunctioning emulation of human muscles. The physical contact seemed to help, because Nines relaxed. Gavin could finally see his partner. He had taken a lot of damage to his abdomen, but his regulator seemed fine. He also didn’t lose any thirium, maybe he had re-sealed himself already. But his synthetic skin had retracted completely, and some parts stuck out weirdly as if someone had tried to pull them out by hand. The part around his eyes was one of them and it made him look the creepy side of uncanny valley. ‘I am here Nines’, Gavin tried to soothe him, squeezing his hand. ‘I am here, and I will stay with you until help arrives. Then we’ll get you back to health and everything will be fine.’ ‘Gaaav. IIIII loooove youuu!’ ‘I know Nines, I know. I love you, too. All will be fine, just hold on, okay?’

From outside, gunfire was flaring up and made Nines flinch just as much as Gavin. The man looked towards the door in worry, then let go of Nines’ hand, ignored his protest at the contact lost, just to hug the android from underneath his shoulders. He pulled him towards one of the corners, so any stray bullets that could pierce the door wouldn’t hit either of them. As he had finally heaved the android into relative safety, he just curled up next to him and held him, trying to calm the android and himself. Please, let the police overwhelm them. Please, let everything work. Please, let him get the android out safely and repaired.

It took some time until the noise subsided, and Gavin took out his gun with a bad feeling resting in his gut. Nines shifted next to him. ‘Gaaav. Whaaaaat i-i-i-is happeniiiiing? IIIII caaan’t see.’ ‘Shh, be quiet. All is fine. I am here with you. SWAT has won, I’m sure. They will come to get us out of here, I promise you. All will be good.’ Oh, how he wanted to believe his own words. He felt Nines hug his waist now that nothing else was available to him and Gavin was positively terrified that Nines – a literal war-machine – was hiding behind him like a scared child.

Hours seemed to pass until the door opened, Nines grip on him getting stronger. Gavin had his gun trained on whoever would be coming in here. He would empty his whole clip if need be.

‘So much to faster, better, more resilient’, a too familiar voice scoffed, and Gavin let his hands fall on his knees. ‘Phck you, Sixty.’ ‘Oh and isn’t that our asshole Detective? Maybe we finally found his weak spot?’ ‘Oh, please, Allen, spare me that bullshit and get us out of here!’

[gamesception]

@retphienix​ said:

I gotta thank ya for the @ because I struggle to keep tabs on tumblr with all the updates bricking my addons etc x.x Not that I was particularly on top of things before that lol.

god, same, yeah.  no problem.

Also thank you for reminding me that Hollow exists, downloading now because I’m more or less juggling games to see which I intend to sit down and marathon a lot of and that’s a good idea for a title!

I really cannot recommend it enough.  Easily the game I’ve played the most over the last couple years, and probably the game I’ve enjoyed the most since Undertale.  That includes Dark Souls, which I first played during that period, and I *really* liked Dark Souls.

I would love to hear your take on it, when and if you end up getting around to it.  It’s also nice to recommend a game to you that isn’t, like, bad in more ways than it’s good, with the great aspects that do peek out at you through the jank only serving to taunt you with the actually great game that might have been.

I do maintain that a game that’s bad in interesting ways can be a more compelling experience, and make for more interesting analysis, than a game that’s just good, but Hollow Knight isn’t *just* good.  It’s fantastic, in a dizzying myriad of compelling ways that are all interesting to discuss, from the way it builds its tone and atmosphere to the way it highlights the best of what the classic 2d metroidvania has to offer while also sidestepping a lot of the genre’s pitfalls.

I don’t know what it is lately with various games I enjoy or try to keep tabs on suddenly and arbitrarily making difficulty spikes that don’t fit the game?  I mean, it’s hollowknight, it’s a souls like and all that jazz, but you’d know better than me in this scenario since YOU PLAYED IT

It’s not all that bad, since it really is quite overtly segregated from the rest of the main game, and isn’t necessary to get what otherwise feels very much like the actual canon ending.  Honestly, though, I think there was maybe an over reaction on Team Cherry’s part to what seemed to be a relatively common complaint about the base game, one that I would have shared honestly, in that it didn’t feel like there were enough difficult late game bosses to take advantage of the knights full move set.

This is something of a natural consequence of the open design of the game.  It starts out pretty linear, but once you get a couple movement abilities virtually the entire map opens up and you can go almost anywhere, finding meaningful progression pretty much wherever you go.  As a result, though, the devs are almost never sure of what upgrades you already have when you reach a boss, so they couldn’t really include any in the main game progression that required you to have particular upgrades to effectively fight them.

I think the trade off in favor of exploration is worth it, but it does leave a bit of a gap in difficulty for those who are old hats at 2d platformy action games.

But it seems like what the devs heard was “Hollow Knight is a baby game for little children”, and their response was basically

The first three content pack updates added several new and much harder endgame bosses, most of which are a ton of fun and have fantastic presentations.  They even went back and ramped up the difficulty of some of the lackluster bosses in the base game, in particular one boss in one of the few late game areas that does need more of the knight’s move set to reach now calls on the use of those abilities in the fight itself.

And people loved it!  All these expansions went over great.  People loved the Grimm Troupe in particular, in part because of the legendary difficulty of its final boss.  So it’s perhaps not surprising that the devs pushed even further in that direction for the final DLC, one that revolved entirely around bosses, and it’s not surprising that they ended up overshooting the mark for a fair portion of the audience.  And given that there are many players super invested in the lore of the game that found themselves gated out of new endings by an absolutely brutal slog of an overlong boss rush capped off by a much more difficult version of the one boss in the main game that most players already thought was impressively hard?

I really do think the Godmaster DLC is worth trying even for those who go in content that they’ll never beat it.  Some of the fights that can be accessed much earlier in the DLC are really cool and worth experiencing in their own right, but I have nothing against anyone who takes one look at it and just nopes the heck out, and I can’t disagree with those who point to it as one of the few noticeable flaws in what is otherwise a truly majestic game overall.

Some of it probably comes down to that “souls like” moniker.  Hollow Knight really isn’t a souls like.  Its a classic 2d metroidvania action-platformer, that just happens to have a similar tone, story structure, and method of lore delivery that are all heavily inspired by Dark Souls specifically.  And the game really benefits from that influence.  But where the game tries to parrot souls-like mechanics, whether in super hard bosses that the player is meant to throw themselves at repeatedly until they ‘click’, or in the corpse run mechanic, which is overly punishing in the early game when money is hard to come by and some progression paths are gated behind expensive purchases, but means nothing at all in the late game since HK doesn’t have a leveling system like DS does, so once you’ve purchased the stuff you want there really isn’t any cost to losing your cash on hand any more?  That doesn’t work so well.

Worse, it’s actively detrimental to the idea of exploring wherever you like, by pointing the player back in the same direction every time they die, when players in the early mid game might be better served by taking death as an indication that maybe they stumbled into an area that’s a bit much for them right now and they might be better served by trying another path first.

There’s one clear example early on of a particularly tough optional boss fight against multiple opponents.  If the player dies to this boss, the game even puts a friendly npc on the path back who heavily implies that the boss is maybe too tough for them, and the player should look for a way to upgrade their weapon before coming back.  But that npc shows up /before/ the player reaches their corpse, which happens much closer to the boss itself, and by the time you get there to get your money back - again, this is still relatively early game so loss of your money really stings - and by the time you reach your corpse you’re right outside the boss door, and taking another crack at it can feel less daunting than climbing all the way back out of the area.

If you do beat the boss, ... actually, no I wrote a fair bit but no, cut that.  I've got more to chatter on about that but I don’t want to spoil more than I already have.  The point is, while it’s really cool you can beat this boss and the area behind it “early”, and I love that the game lets you do that, the corpse run mechanic pushes players who are less comfortable with the game mechanics to keep throwing themselves at the fight when they might be better served by trying another progression path.

monhun

I haven’t played the the new Taroth or however that’s spelled.   Heck, I haven’t fought master rank jiva either.  The most recent thing I’ve tried is the raging brachy.  I actually found that fight pretty fun.  Reminded me why I like Monster Hunter.  But after seven runs in a row without getting a single reactor drop it also reminded me why I don’t like Monster Hunter nearly as much as you & Bard do.

Still, we should do a few runs together again at some point.

Man, what a thing to type when discussing a souls like, asking to martyr myself mentioning difficulty spikes or difficulty modes/options heh.

Honestly, I kind of share the criticism some people have made of the souls-like genre overemphasizing difficulty.  Mechanical challenge is a key aspect of the games, but Dark Souls 1 in particular is really Not That Hard.  It’s obtuse more than anything else, but once you know what the stats mean, know how to upgrade your weapons, and have a feel for the mechanics, it’s not that bad.  Especially if you take advantage of the summoning / multiplayer mechanics. I know purists can get uppity about getting help, but those mechanics are part of the game for a reason.  Dark Souls is probably the easiest of the souls-like games I’ve played so far once you know how it works.  I’d also say it’s probably my favorite, and I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

The over-emphasis on difficulty alone when people discuss souls games can get in the way of enjoying them.  For instance, it leads to situations like new players trying dark souls for the first time bumping into the skeletons at the start of the game and thinking “wow, dark souls really IS as hard as they say” instead of “these guys are clearly too tough, I must be going the wrong way”.  It can also lead to developers focusing too much on challenge, and on a particular /kind/ of challenge, and missing out on the other compelling aspects of Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, including the way Demon’s Souls in particular emphasized delivering a variety of game play scenarios, or how it understood that a well placed deliberate anti-climax of a boss can sometimes be more engaging than yet another straight forward test of reaction time and pattern recognition.

>final achievement BIG CONGRATS, THAT’S SICK! I know what going over the edge on a game renown for challenging gameplay can do to ya, and that’s quite the darn accomplishment!

Thanks!  I’m quite proud of myself, even if there are harder things that I still haven’t done in the game yet, and probably won’t ever.  Stuff not tied to explicit achievements, but that still have little in game rewards or markers that you’ve done them.  I certainly wouldn’t say I’ve mastered the game.  But I’ve probably gone as far as I’m going to go, and I’m quite content with how far that turned out to be.

Not that I’m done with the game.  I’ve played it all the way through three times already, and I can already tell it’s a game I’ll be coming back to replay fairly regularly.

>no thanks, I think I’m good I’m probably projecting since I’ve said the same thing 100 times (or thought to) on this very blog, but I ‘assume and apologize if I’m wrong in doing so’ you say this because you feel some sense of guilt like you didn’t ACTUALLY do all you could and you must put on airs for the blog and let me say, screw that noise.

Oh, no, not at all.  Yes, there’s stuff left that I’m not able to do, and there’s people WAY better at the game than I am, but going by steam achievement records less than 3% of the people who beat the first boss go on to beat the final pantheon, so by that metric I’m in the top 97% of rattatas Hollow Knight players.

So yeah, I feel pretty chuffed with myself.

>Can’t promise it’ll suddenly be my next game, and even if it was it wouldn’t sadly get much showing I suspect because my pc is more or less down. I DID get replacement equipment so MAYBE? But I haven’t sat down and attempted to get my old setup running again.

So it goes.  Again, if and when you do play it, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.  Even if I can’t, like, watch you stream it or whatever.  Honestly, I’d like to be able to just blather on about it to you at more length without feeling like I’m spoiling stuff.

[writings-from-the-hart]

Happy Meet and Greet Monday! For whicher character wants to answer: What do you do when you can't sleep? How does it affect you the next morning? What kinds of things keep you up at night?

Happy Meet and Greet Monday! 

So sorry I’ve been answering asks kinda late, there’s just been a lot happening lately at home and work so as anyone can imagine the stress is real. My dog Max who I’ve had for twelve years just recently passed away and even though I knew he was an older dog and to expect it I wasn’t ready to let him go. . . Then again nobody is ever ready to let go of a loved one no matter the circumstances. So ya, there’s a tiny slice of my life, I try to not put too much of it out there but I wanted to explain my sudden absence.  

Question: What do you do when you can’t sleep?  What kinds of things keep you up at night? How does it affect you the next morning?

Eric: Constantly on guard for something Eric is the lightest sleeper out of everyone in the House of Cards, a feather falling on the carpet could wake him up, and he’s as stiff as a board when he’s sleeping. Not much happens in Eric’s mind when he’s sleeping, a dream hasn’t occurred in his life since he was eight, and he prefers it that way so he takes medicine for what used to be insomnia. “I’ve let go of my dreams and the idea of monsters living underneath the bed. I’m not a child, so why would I need dreams while I sleep?” However, everything isn’t what Eric wants it to be — he’s beginning to learn that being the commander of the House of Cards — and sometimes a vague night terror will send him bolting up in bed drenched in a cold sweat but with no recollection of what he was dreaming about. When things like this disrupt his “usual sleep cycle” he simply finds something to calm his nerves; such things include his boxing hobby or smoking a cigarette in a secluded area where he won’t get caught. These “disturbances” usually don’t affect his mornings as Eric is a natural early bird, but there have been certain cases where he’s remembered fragments of these night terrors and they stick with him for days at a time.  

Valentina: Valentina hasn’t gotten a good sleep since she was twelve and constantly lives on a max of four hours of sleep, anything above that seems suspicious to her or she was probably unconscious from some kind of wound she suffered from. One time she “fell” from a two-story building and suffered a severe concussion and broken arm, she slept for six hours for a week straight. However, when Valentina can’t sleep she spends time cleaning weapons, tending to what little plants she owns at her home, going for a drive around whatever city-state she’s currently in, and planning the next string of “assignments” she’ll do next. She is plagued by constant nightmares and night terrors about certain events in the past she wishes to forget forever. “You can’t outrun the past; it’ll eventually find you, hunt you down and strangle you to death like anything else.” Since she’s been living with these nightmares and night terrors for over fourteen years her mornings aren’t super affected but instead, it’s rather routine to be running on roughly four hours of sleep. Her body has adapted to it by running on a “polyphasic sleep cycle,” meaning Valentina sleeps for thirty minutes every four or five hours for a daily total of only four hours of sleep. “It’s called a micro-nap and yes I’m fine.” 

Xavier: “Get much-needed work done in the workshop.” Xavier’s workshop is a place created out of labor and love, full of his favorite things and stuff he loves to do, it’s his “happy place” as well as “hiding place.” While it’s not as expansive or nice as his actual workshop at his home base in Eshar Xavier has come to love the workshop at Blackwell. Very few things keep Xavier up at night, Valentina says he sleeps like the dead, “Silent and unmoving, you sometimes forget he’s even there.” But what does keep him up are things relatively new to him. Being the youngest out of all of the House of Cards (19) and practically a child compared to the others Xavier has never seen battle or warfare, only on holofilms about the history of the Republic, so new fears about blaster bolts, bombs, and ion blades fill his mind. The nightmares will keep him up all night, so he’ll retreat to his workshop to “get work done” till the sun rises again and there are dark circles under his eyes. 

Eris & Brazen: After certain events in the past the twins never sleep alone; they can always be found curled up beside one another or Eris hogging the whole bed sprawled out like a starfish while Brazen hoards all the blankets. It’s the only way the pair can achieve a somewhat peaceful sleep with as few night terrors as possible, but even if a night terror does strike the other is there to provide comfort. On nights when either Eris is restless or Brazen can’t close his eyes without fear and the night terrors are relentless the twins do something called Mindscape. “It’s like creating a world outside of this one, but everything is different. . . Everything is okay.” It’s an activity only the twins are capable of doing because it requires the special bond that they both have and to be able to meld the mind with another person. A Mindscape will chase off night terrors or other kinds of sleep disturbances (nightmares) and allow the twins to create a space of peace and serenity within their minds. But because Mindscaping takes an extreme amount of energy to do the twins will sleep extremely hard and soundly, meaning they will not want to wake up the next morning without a fight. “Reality sucks to live in sometimes

Adira: “The night is simply a reflection of the day. There is nothing I can do about dreams; I can only change my pattern of life.” Like anyone else, there are nights when sleep is abundant and joyous or there are nights when sleep is absent and hellish. There are many lessons Adira learned from her Sensei Jia Wu but one of the important ones is “Mindfulness through meditation.” “You cannot, per se, tame the mind or tell it how to act. The mind has to come to a natural state of rest all on its own; all we can do is relax and remain present in the world.” Adira knows what troubles her and the grief that clouds her vision sometimes, so on sleepless nights she utilizes this time to reflect on her inner self through meditation instead of unhealthy rumination. 

Dante: “Vodka solves everything.” Dante doesn’t have the healthiest of coping mechanisms when it comes to his insomnia, nightmares, or life’s problems as a whole. He won’t tell anyone or confess to it out loud but Dante has many inner demons to fight and some days it’s too much to handle, so he just disappears down a bottle when he can. In the confines of his quarters Dante will try to tire himself out through exercise in order to find sleep before picking up his flask, but some nights his demons have a stronger hold on him than he can fight off. Being a gladiator in the pits of Ares there is a multitude of things that keep Dante from getting a peaceful sleep, but there are also things long before he was gladiator that keep him up well into the morning and even afraid of falling asleep. “Some wounds run deeper than the flesh and blood of a man; not all scars fade with time.” Dante takes one day at a time and the same goes for his mornings, some mornings are plagued by tiny headaches while others it feels as if his head is about to be split open. But he’s a warrior by trade and he knows he can weather just about any storm or fight. 

Mallory: Normally Mallory doesn’t leave any time for sleep; she’s an extreme night owl, morning bird, and all-around functioning insomniac. “Sleep is an unnecessary requirement to live. I don’t need sleep to live I need entertainment.” Now that she’s confined to Blackwell and its military base along with the rest of the House of Cards she’s left to face herself and the reason as to why she avoids sleep. So Mallory has found multiple ways to sneak out of her quarters and wander the military base the House of Cards is confined in. However, her favorite place to seek solitude in is the kitchen. Mallory is a stress baker and loves to cook, this is knowledge she will take to the grave with her and nobody else will know, so once she found out where the kitchen was and that it wasn’t staffed at certain hours she started going there when she couldn’t sleep. The thing is Mallory doesn’t cook or bake for herself, she makes food for an army but she can’t throw away the leftovers because she considers them labors of love, so from time to time the squad eats food she has made and left in the kitchen for the cooks to serve. The cooking and baking takes her mind off certain things like why she’s with the House of Cards in the first place and the reason for why she’s on the run from certain people of power. Since Mallory is a born night owl, morning bird, and all-around functioning insomniac in the morning it doesn’t look like she’s spent an entire night with only two or three hours of restless sleep, instead, she’s full of energy and ready to kick ass. “Sleep is only a concept; a concept I’ll avoid if I can.” 

Thanks for the ask! Happy Writing!