#Ink-Tinted Goggles

[plazainkfish]

[lalalian]

dragon riding equipment | aethergarde academy dr

date: november 23, 2024

it's been a sec since i've done a longer post (like a little over a week or smth.. right?)

I was busy with my finals... I still am, but like... I miss posting 😭😭

Equipment will be outlined in aethergarde's student handbook too!

ANYWAY-- enjoy this incredibly long post! I'm sorry if there are any typos, I don't feel like looking over everything (T-T)

how to get your equipment (kinda)

It's pretty easy to find shops that sell dragon riding equipment in cities-- but in rural towns and villages, this kind of equipment can be almost impossible to find near you.

If you are not starting off as a noble like me, buy your equipment within the first week of school-- actually, no, get it ASAP. You should, ideally, start looking for equipment after you retrieve your egg (you need to get your egg as soon as you get to campus).

What if you don't have the equipment by the time you need to start using it? You'll be left out of lessons, standing off to the side while your peers fight or fly, which will absolutely tank your grades.

You should have your equipment before the first month of school ends.

If I have a month to get said equipment, why not wait?

There are lots of dragon riding equipment shops, but not all of them are of good quality. Roughly half of the students attending Aethergarde will not be nobles, on top of that, nobles will commission the best shops-- especially luxury brand shops-- to custom make their armory, saddles, etc.

This makes the dragon equipment market rather busy around this time of year.

BUT

I'll help ya'll out, though, I can't promise you'll be the only commissioning things from these places.

school supplies list

let's start with the obvious, you'll need either an enchanted fountain pen, a regular fountain pen + ink, or some quills and ink. Quills and ink are cheaper, they're the equivalent to like, wooden pencils. Fountain pens have the same reputation as mechanical pencils. Enchanted fountain pens are really trendy! Definitely also get a set of gum wax, aka waxers (erasers); kids like to call them gummies (fruit gummy resembling snacks are called jellies here!)

You should get basic stuff like loose parchment (loose leaf paper), an academy bag (a backpack, highly recommend a messenger type bag), and writing books (notebooks to take notes in)

dragon mounting gear: includes such things like a saddle and reins, very similar to horse gear

wind-breaking charm OR riding goggles OR a riding visor: Wind-breaking charms are pretty hard to find-- I mean it's not impossible, but it's just not cheap. Riding goggles are an old rider thing, they aren't used much anymore. Riding goggles look like your typical steampunk-esque goggles. If you want a physical facial wind breaker, get a riding visor. Riding visors look similar to ski visors, but the glass lookin part tends to be tinted orange due to a strong sunglasses effect.

kinda like this ^^^^ but w/o the gas mask; if anyone's got a better idea for this btw, plz let me know!

I'm still in the works with this aspect.. mostly bc I feel like the visors don't fit the fantastical aesthetic-- but I didn't want to immediately default to using magic and charms because I want the rider uniforms to be more unique than the typical 'fighting leathers', yk? Idk, maybe the décolletage cover is unique enough.

Other sight wind-breaking options:

wind-protectant eyedrops: these are rather new (has been released to the market a year before you shift here) the liquid is runny like normal eyedrops when you put them in your eyes, but the substance begins to form a film over your eyes. The film feels exactly like contacts, so it's easy to forget the substance is still on your eye. The film only lasts for a few hours (the film will eventually dissolve), and does not do any damage to the eye. To manually remove it, use the 'antidote' eye drops (wind protectant eyedrops and antidote eyedrops are sold in a set) to lubricate your eyes, then after blinking a few times, remove the film by softly pinching it out of the eye (NOT WITH UR NAILS, USE THE PADS OF YOUR FINGERTIPS!!!). The downside to these eyedrops is that they do not protect against the sun; though, sun-resistance eyedrops are starting to come to the market. You must make sure the sun eyedrops are wind-protectant friendly, or the sun eyedrops won't stick to the film, causing the sun eyedrops to leave your eyes too quickly. These eyedrops are also pretty expensive, but it's still less expensive than rider grade wind-breaker charms.

rider grade sun-resistance charm: A lot of people carry these around just in general, especially during summer, but the one's you should buy should be rider grade. Rider sun charms are stronger and are made to be used when you're flying in the sky for long periods of time. Sun charms need to be replaced every few months; all sun-resistance charms have to (legally) have a label that gradually changes to black-- the darker it is, the less it works. It typically starts to darken after two months of use.

moving on--

fighting attire: Unfortunately, it's not ideal to fight in aethergarde's uniform-- But, it's not like it's impossible if you take the outer coat off. Speaking of uniforms, Aethergarde provides a fighting garment set that comes with the formal uniform (the pretty one). You're required to wear it for fighting lessons, including outside missions; in your third, fourth, and fifth years, you can start replacing elements of your uniform with better material. Why not simply allow students to get their own fighting garments from the start? Students need to know how to fight wearing armor made for higher ranking riders-- the material is different from lower ranking riders' uniform.

you'd be wearing smth like this but w/o all the stringy bits! consists of a lot of wild dragon hide.

a weapon: you'll need to have chosen a weapon before the end of the second month!

optional riding supplies

décolletage cover: Main purpose is to provide warmth for the face and neck area without compromising movement. It's highly recommended-- plus, you'll look cool. Many décolletage covers are charmed to always be warm and protect against harmful gases.

often looks like this but less kinky looking and the bottom part is fitted to the chest-- also not all of them have this same design, but they all do cover the same areas.

it'd fit like this ^^^^ to the body!

riding gloves: helps you have a better grip with weapons or to your saddle. If you're planning to sleep on your dragon while it flies, there's a little belt mechanism that you can loop through the front of the dragon saddle that attaches your hands to the saddle. This helps keep your body from sliding off the dragon during flight. If the front of your saddle isn't comfortable, you can loop the belt through any belt buckle on the dragon; the most common place is around the bottom of the dragon's neck (pictured in the 2nd pic). It's best to get black gloves, but brown can also work.

the highlighted yellow area is, relatively, where the most popular glove attachment is (for napping). There'd be more belts and stuff around the dragon btw, I just didn't feel like doing all that shit.

belt vial holder: you can place travel sized containers of potion bottles in the best + you can attach charms to the belt too

flight bag(s): This bag can be easily attached to your dragon's saddle, most saddles can hold up to 2-4 bags. Bags in general can be tailored to become flight bags, but it's best if the bag has some sort of tight buckle-- you don't want your bag to fall open when you're flying around!

these kinds of bags are common riding bag designs! if you have a smaller satchel you like bringing around, you can put it inside of one of these bags

how to get your equipment (actually) pt.2

Like I mentioned earlier, it's better to buy rider equipment in cities rather than villages and small towns. During rider season, it won't be uncommon to see a bunch of stalls along the streets selling rider stuff.

Getting stuff like academy bags, belt vial holders, and travel bottles from stalls isn't a bad idea, but it's always best to get your most important equipment from an expert with a good reputation.

Unless you know the crafter is great at making everything-- extremely durable saddles, reins, weapons, and fighting attire, you should go to shops that specialize in each part.

recommended shops:

Since common street shops will be busy this time of year, I'm going to recommend you some underground shops.

I cannot guarantee that these places will be completely empty, as they're all well-known in their own right, but they all will be able to cater to you before all of your deadlines.

Make sure you bring the actual school supplies list with you!

middle steed

Name: Aadam El-Hussein

Specialization: dragon saddles, belts, and flight bags

Summary: After his father's arthritis in the hands started becoming worse, Aadam took over Middle Stead. His dad still helps around at the tannery though! As with all the shopkeepers, Aadam and his father are extremely passionate about their jobs. Don't be afraid to ask for any innovative features; like if you think you'd sleep a lot on dragonback, you can ask Aadam to make the saddle more comfortable for you to lay in a certain position. If you're extremely worried about safety, you can always ask to have other safety features implemented in the design.

To get here:

Find the Dragonmead Brewery in Itresal (the city Aethergarde Academy is located in) the alehouse is located on Millmount Street.

There should be a space between that brewery and the bakery next to it-- go down that alleyway and pass two wooden doors. When you get to that third door, knock; either an old man (Aadam's dad) or Aadam himself will open the door

From there, you can order a saddle and all the appropriate equipment you need

Some tips:

Get another saddle commissioned by him every two years; dragons grow relatively fast, so simple tailoring won't always suffice

You can put off getting saddles until your dragon near rider flight age

Instead of bringing your dragon to Middle Stead, bring him into Aethergarde. He'll need measurements to make a proper saddle

Any metal (like in the buckles) should be plated with a matte coat or cold black iron

storm forage

Name: Reynard Ulysses

Specialization: Dragon rider armor and rider fighting attire

Summary: Reynard was born into a rural farmer family, but after his older brother ended up being a rider, Reynard moved to Itresal with his brother. Since Reynard was often tasked with preparing hide, he decided to work at a local butcher shop to help his brother financially. Oftentimes, his brother would come home and complain that he needed to replace his fighting garments. The two of them couldn't afford to keep buying cheap fighting attire, so Reynard started learning how to make it himself. Eventually, he started selling his products to other people-- over the years, he's honed his skills, and became known in underground spaces for having great fighting attire.

To get here:

Located in the southern part of Itresal in Ranger's Way

Go down the alleyway between Steel Whim (blacksmith) and the Loving Fowl Inn

Walk straight until you reach a fork; walk through the rightmost path, then go left at the end of the path

There should be a wooden sign that says Storm Forage on a door; knock on that door, you can order from there

Some tips:

You may see Callisto here

Everything you wear has to be matte; tell Reynard to plate any metal on your fighting attire with cold black iron

waning moon burrows (face wear)

Name: Yessuf Yohannes Tarik

Specialization: rider goggles, rider visors, cloaks, aerodynamic magitech

Summary: Yessuf is the only one out of all the merchants so far who was born of noble status; however, he left home to escape from the classic noble lifestyle in his early 20s. He no longer wants to be a noble, and simply identifies as a commoner. Yessuf was particularly driven to escape his luxurious life to pursue his passions and sell his products at a more reasonable price. Ever since he was young, he had a strong affinity for engineering, but when magitech came around, he took his passion to a whole different level. Though is not a dragon rider, he was always fascinated by dragons, this spurred him on to make technology that would aid riders. Yessuf is an innovative prodigy; Yessuf's shop is most likely to be busier than the all of the ones I've mentioned so far.

To get here:

Located in the central part of Itresal in Quarry Avenue

Find The Pioneer Brewery and ask for a "vermond tea served with a stick of sweetbark"

The bartender will ask you to come to the back to see the new selection of sweetbark; follow the bartender, they will take you to Waning Moon

Some tips:

Literally every single product this guy sells is amazing. Not a single one is bad, he puts in a lot of effort to make everything he sells as good as he can make it

Only sells wind-resistance charms on the weekend, but sells wind an sun-resistance eyedrops Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

His wind-sun resistance eyedrops and his wind-resistance charms sell really quick

if there's something you want that he doesn't actively sell, like, perhaps... a flying ship.. you can commission him to make one, but you will prob need to provide him with a lot of the materials

You should get wind-sun resistance charms here; they're cheaper because Yessuf does not base the price on existing market value

the dew drop: potion's shop

Name: Katherine Dowenstein (Blonde lady), Lorelai Dowenstein (Brown hair)

Specialization: Potions, tonics, elixirs, balms, herbs

Summary: Katherine Dowenstein grew up in an orphanage. Despite that, her life was rather peaceful growing up. Since she loved going outdoors, cooking, and baking, her caregivers often remarked that she'd be a great apocathary when she's older. Determined to meet their expectations, she began learning all about different plants and potions through both books and experience. When she was older, she decided to work in a potions' shop, but hated the restrictions placed on her. Kathie grew to hate her job, and her love for potions waned, but it wasn't until she healed a child who was thought to have an incurable disease secretly by giving the child tonics Kathie believed had a chance at helping her through her illness. That child was Lorelai; after she recovered, Lorelai begged to become Kathie's apprentice. By Kathie's request, Lorelai lied and told her parents and everyone else that her body simply fought the virus on its own. Kathie didn't want a lot of people knowing about her skills, as she didn't want to be confined by strict regulations any longer. Kathie started her own potion's shop; Lorelai helps her out.

To get here:

There's two different ways

One way is to find Lorelai; she frequents a bread shop called Crumb Hours at 8AM-10AM to read a book and eat before she goes to work (Mon-Fri)

Ask her if she's reading Time of Barbury by Guinevere Roth; she'll say yes, and she'll ask you to join her on her walk back to The Dew Drop at 10AM

Another way is to find the way to the shop yourself

To do this, go to the same bakery that Lorelai likes to go to, Crumb Hours, and go down the alleyway located between the bakery and Utred's Lenses

Go straight down until you reach the area where the path deviates; go left, continue down the path until you come across a fork

Go down the middle path; then knock on a door labelled The Dew Drop

Notice that the area is not the shop is not selling any potions-- only herbs

Lorelai will answer; tell her if she's selling the book Time of Barbury

She'll nod, and she'll take you down a trapdoor, which you lead you to the actual store

Once you see Kathie, you know you're in the right place

Some tips:

Katherine prefers to go by Kathie!

Ok so do note that the regulations placed on potions and tonics are there to (obviously) make sure that potions and stuff are safe to consume, but since it's so strict, it's hard to be innovative, and use different kinds of ingredients and recipes to make potions

"but what about weapons?"

You'll need to go to a shop that specifically caters to your weapon type; if the store sells weapons that aren't closely related to each other (like swords, bows, and scythes), it's unlikely that to shop is of the best quality. if a shop sells only daggers and swords, that means that the people making the equipment are actually specialized in making those weapons. Since there are so many weapon types, I don't think I can make shopkeepers for each!

[great20sworld]

LIVING THE DREAM

A Viktor x Reader fanfiction

Author's note: Chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 4, chapter 5, chapter 6 chapter 7, chapter 8, chapter 9 and chapter 10 are available in my Tumblr page along with summary.

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️: Depictions of pain, gore and syringes.

⚠️ Disclaimer ⚠️: Emphasis on Science Fiction and not Science Fact. All intended for literary purposes.

Chapter 11: Of Cupcakes and Crystals

__________________________________

“And…Fire!” Jayce shouts the command.

You pulled the lever, making the charged metallic strips pulled back by springs, spring forward connecting with the huge circular ring in the centre, the arcs of azure dancing along it's circumference, as the charges whizz past the right and left coils towards the collision point.

“Approaching collision point…” Sky calls out, her eyes shining behind the heavily tinted goggles with anticipation. “Viktor…!”

“Got it!” Viktor says back to her, hands deftly turning knobs and adjusting levers to stretch apart the springs coiled to calibrate the energy pulses.

“Ow! Too fast, too fast!” You say, as the heat waves emanating from the lever you were supposed to control makes it scaldingly hot. You pull away your hands, shaking it and blowing in it, lightly burned.

“Oh sorry! Forgot the rheostat coils!” Jayce sends a sheepish grin your way, before pushing the block on the rheostat to maximum extent, giving it maximum length. The charges start to dissipate, the sparks glowing along the rim with more stability than the previous attempt, making the ring glow blue, as you regret your decision in peeking out of your goggles.

“Now! Now!” Sky says frantically to Viktor who cranks up the brass dials to maximum intensity, and then all eyes turn to the ring with anticipation.

The pen which stood at the point of collision of the two charges rattled as the metal which it was situated upon thrummed with the sheer energy coursing towards it- it's metallic grip shining, reflecting its approaching doom- unaware of how much anticipation bubbled within the four sets of gazes directed towards it. The collision occurs, a soft fizzle spluttering from the point where charge meets ink and the faint smell of burnt metal fills the air, the space in which the pen stood completely empty except for the burn marks on the metal, splatters of shards of small metallic parts with ink stains in the surroundings. The dials of the mechanical gauges pulled back to zero almost instantly, the hum of machinery quietening down to a murmur as you pull back the lever, disappointment etched in your face.

“See, it doesn't work that way…” Jayce says, removing his goggles and looking your direction, as he makes his way towards you and Viktor and Sky descends from their stations.

“It… I don't know, that's generally how subatomic particles function, it's supposed to run through the pen…” you scratch the back of your head, trying somehow to refresh your memory of the particle accelerator enhancements back in your earth.

“Subatomic?” Jayce says incredulously. “Sorry, but may I remind you that electron is as far as it goes.” He smirks.

“No! It isn't! There is stuff that makes up the electrons!” You argue, waving your hand.

How would a man from this world ever understand?

“We've tried this twice- and now you owe Viktor a new pen.” Jayce says, pointing at the splintered remains of what used to be a normal pen.

“Atleast we learnt how to dissipate the charges without making any explosions!” Viktor says, approaching Jayce and patting him on the shoulder. “And while I do need a new pen, I think we could give Y/N one more chance- I think there's something to it.” He shakes his head towards the ring.

“Did we isolate the circuitry correctly? Made enough room?” He turns to Sky, who was cleaning out the dials which has splattered remains of ink on it.

“I checked it, and yes, we did. This time.” Sky offers helpfully, handing him a the circuit diagrams. You move towards Viktor, peering over his shoulder to look at the diagrams as he held it out for you.

“M-maybe the collision energy was off by some nanovolts, maybe the pressure was off? There's so many things…!” You tap at the corresponding depictions on paper as you speak.

“We checked those last time- are you sure you didn't get these from a science fiction text rather than a science text?” Jayce questions again, raising his brow at you, but there's no malice behind it, just the lilt of a teasing remark. You huff in response, shoulders tense.

“Anything is possible, right?” The soft voice of reason chimes from between you, smiling lightly at his partner. “If hextech can have bizarre proerperties, why is the prospect of it teleporting things so far fetched?”

“I don't know Vik…” Jayce sighs softly.

“Let's just see.” Viktor settles, defending you.

Almost three weeks had passed since you started working with your new partners, as Viktor's new assistant, progress was rapid, even the most miniscule of discoveries such as the crystal’s containment and charge extraction being counted as new feats in the eyes of the academy and in the eyes of the professor who watches over his students like an inventor over a ticking time bomb- with contained fear yet dangerous anticipation. Over the days, you found little sources of delight in working alongside your “fictional” idols, Sky being one whom you could relate to the most.

She was dedicated and excellent in keeping track of instruments in the lab, and taking readings- making her fantastic in the process of checking up on everything else other than the core process so that nothing explodes. You almost revered her sense of patience when Viktor and Jayce sometimes went overboard with dancing around the lines of lab safety. However, she was more than fine with cleaning up the mess, remaking gently that her own pet projects in bio-engineering fields would be greatly benefitted from this.

Your role was comically crucial, in the best way possible. Making what seemed to be wild claims to their ears, but with a certain glint in your eyes, prompting them to do as you say. However, those “wild claims” most of the times were proven true by experimentation which leads to further instances of them seeking out your bold claims. When you weren't making bold claims (when the lingering sense of caution catches up to you), you find yourself working alongside Sky as Viktor and Jayce worked in the frontlines.

In those moments, as your eyes wander towards what happened before you, your mind tries to convince you that what captivated you incessantly were the towering ornate windows of the lab, mind claiming that its architecture made the sunlight streaming in through it look like a golden waterfall was what attracted you- and not the absolute paragon of the lab with his side to you, hunched over whatever new circuitry that needed enhancements, graceful features slightly pressured within facial muscles as concentration weighed down on them, dark auburn hair tangled softly in long fingers which absentmindedly ran through them every once in a while.

Sometimes boyish, sometimes sober and sometimes with barely contained glee, his smiles captivated you to no end, as you wonder how a man managed to look carefree and sagely simultaneously. Your hands would slow down on whatever task it was occupied with as your gaze follows his, until something makes him tilt his pretty head in your direction, making you throw your gaze pointedly to the task back at hand.

When he stands next to you, pointing out something or making slight quips about your work, your mind lingers trying to clutch at whatever it could from him, leaving you wondering what his delicate hands would do to guide you through the work, craving laughs in the sound of that voice. Left you to blissfully smile to yourself stupidly after making sure no one beheld your pining. Eyes following him with...

No. Not pining.

Just admiration. Respect- yes. You reassure yourself.

Viktor would be the first person to greet you in the lab early morning, his home being in the academy itself as he served more purposes there and your memory didn't fail to register his handwritten comments over your English notes (compared to his, Jayce's and sometimes Sky's scribbles in a language you regarded as gibberish for your eyes) improving or referring to them in English as well, or the times when he would leave books in your table which you had referred to in passing while rambling about research and even catch him making an extra cup of coffee early in the morning which shows up at your desk as he takes his.

The light was probably playing tricks on you because why did it seem like his gaze stayed on the back of your head when you turn?

“Teleportation is possible if we quantum tunnel those particles from our current station to the desired location.” You say to him, back at the present.

“If we rip apart the molecules and atoms of the said object, wouldn't it be destroyed, even when reassembled would it be with life?” Viktor questions.

You go silent, your lips slightly pouting.

He chuckles and Jayce shakes his head.

“I think we all deserve a break.” Jayce says finally, taking the clipboard from Viktor's hands and putting them away on his table. “Maybe let's all go out and have tea to clear our heads.”

“Sure. I know a good cafe nearby…” Viktor says, which rings bells in your head. Oh you were supposed to be there today- Gina had helped you with learning baking a few days ago, and she expected you to do a follow up soon. You didn't want to disappoint her.

“Eh, yes, I too had something coming up…” you laugh awkwardly, rubbing the back of your neck. “I promise I’ll be right back after you guys get back from your break.” Viktor nods, giving you permission to leave. “Don't forget to sign the register.” He reminds you.

“I won't!” You say quickly before turning to the door, giving Sky a little wave and vanishing out of the lab. You were glad you mentioned working at a second job (though you didn't specify which) to Viktor so that complications could be avoided.

After you left, Jayce removed his lab coat. “So you were saying?” He smiles at Viktor.

“Ah yes, I said I know a place very close to your old laboratory.” Viktor confirms before he, Sky and Jayce start to tidy up before leaving.

_______________________________

Blown to bits at the core of his own sanctuary, the flesh clinging to the bones of his face, wet bandages clad over them creating a rough resemblance of a discernible face as his gaze skittered over the tanks filled with purple poison. Singed was no stranger to the acrid fumes of sickening chemicals and faint metallic tang of blood. He had managed to escape multiple chem spills, and managed to avoid many in his own accord as the eye of Zaun commands him to. To think a random explosion from one of the scuffles broke free from the restraints of the forging area where Silco fought Vander and took most of his hard work and his face along with it was mildly infuriating.

The rusted metal table which functioned as whatever the moment called for it to, held captive a humongous man, strapped to its cold surface with wires and leathers. It was not Singed's intentions, but he has learnt to accept that the more pain a subject has, the more it struggled for life; life which was wasted in his laboratory. Thus he did not desire it. However, the subject at hand was not related to anything he deemed an improvement, or a necessity.

Oh, how he hated distractions.

The thrashing around from the human in the metal desk was getting rougher, fear etched into every crevice of his scarred face- mirrors in his mind reflecting his past agony in this very same lab. The blue gem which was thrown at him while he was fighting the woman had lead to him plummeting down to pain, as he wished to get evaporated in the next fight, if he were to loose. Any ill fate was better than this.

Singed approaches the table, a syringe filled with purple agony at hand, expression unreadable under the bandages pulled over his face and layers of cloth covering the mouth area. The man didn't need to see his face in order to start screaming.

"The less you move, the better." An uncaring cold scientist's words, ringing like thousand screams in the man's ear. Lucky were the ones already gone.

The clinical voice says, as the syringe enters the man's already purplish veins with a soft pop, trickling the contents of it in thick streams into his body, gutteral screams emanating from the throat of the tortured.

"Tame the demons within at your will."

________________________________

“Is this much sugar even necessary?”

You ask Gina who was holding in a laugh as she faces your apron wrapped, covered in batter countenance. It would've been better for her if she hadn't let you work in the environment of a kitchen where you struggled to keep up with her expertise and art of baking, yet she found something adorably endearing in moments like these when you stuck around, however ridiculously amateur your skills in baking were.

Your incredulous stares, overly concentrated face at the rising yeast, absolutely poor baking puns and laughter synchronizing with hers made her feel lighter. The influx of difficult customers, keeping tabs on the cash register, dirty dishes that didn't seem to end and many more undesirables which came packaged along with her passion of baking were still there- ever present. However, with you, it didn't seem to bother her that much- as if the demon lost its horns and fangs.

She would never let her soft heart full of friendliness sweet as her pastries flutter about you outwardly, but its existence is made evident in her presence next to you.

From your side, you adored her company, and knew that she would feel guilty in keeping you in her cafe if she found out you work in the high priority glittering hextech department now. So, you keep your mouth sealed about the matter.

“You have no idea how bland it would be if you didn't add that much- I mean it's the kind of product that matters.” She smiles, as she restocks the front shelves of red velvet cakes.

“I’m going to get diabetes.” You groan.

“Oh? I didn't hear that when you ate my sweetest cupcakes this morning!” she chuckles, “working with them is what gives you diabetes?” you carefully stifle a chuckle.

Suddenly, the bell on top of the entrance dings and Gina quickly stands up, going to greet new customers in the front as you resume your work in the kitchen as she said.

“Hello there, welcome!” You could hear her cheery voice from the kitchen as you struggled to hold the bowl still as you whisked the mixture inside it, but what she says next makes you almost drop it.

“Oh hi, Viktor! You're early…and you brought friends!”

What are they doing over here?!

Oh wait, you were in a cafe. As a temporary Baker. You mentally facepalm.

Continuing to do whatever you were doing, but slower so that you could hear the voices of your friends from the other room, ordering their food and chatting away with Gina and each other. You hoped they wouldn't come to the kitchen. Compared to Gina who managed to look absolutely lovely even after spending hours baking and managing her store, you looked like you were hit by a hurricane of baking products, and you had only managed to bake one batch of the cupcakes, with yellow frosting over them. By this time Gina would have had multiple batches up and ready, the previous set already flying off the shelves.

Again, mixed with the panic of letting her down, you clatter around with pots and pans frantically, accidentally dropping the ladle on the counter, which splatters a dollop of cream on your face.

“What was that?” Jayce's curious voice.

“Oh! It's my friend- and my helper.” Gina's cheerful laugh. “That reminds me! She has been making something brand new, and I need someone to taste test it besides myself…” you are very familiar with the gentle hum at the end of her sentence, the face she makes when trying to convince someone.

“Oh why not!” The equally oblivious Sky says.

No. No. No…

“Yes. I would like to meet her too, if she is willing.” The soft clipped accent, which seemed innocently curious about his friend's new friend.

You would've ran out of there, but the windows were too small and breaking the concrete with your bare fists (while actually possible) would disrupt Gina's bakery.

Gina hurries into the kitchen, grinning excitedly as she takes the tray and puts it in your hands, hurriedly pushing you towards the door, a delighted smile on her beautiful face.

“G-Gina…I…I don't…!”

“Hey it's okay! I know these people, they're fine!” Gina responds, presuming that you were unfamiliar with the three people who sat in the next room.

Though, why were you so nervous, and your hands tensing around the tray of cupcakes?

“And here she is!” Gina presents you before then with a flourish as a stunned silence falls over the room before Sky and Jayce simultaneously go, “Y/N?!”

“What? You know her?” Gina asks, her eyes wide.

“That's our partner in the hextech research facility!” Jayce says delightfully, smiling at you and Gina as you let out a sigh.

“Hextech research?!” Gina exclaims, her eyes darting from your sheepish smile to Jayce.

“Yes, she and I both were included together.” Sky smiles.

“Oh…!”

“I didn't know you baked.” Every head turns towards the differently abled scientist, who sat with his chin on top of his fist, on a propped up arm on the table, his eyes fixed on the tray you held.

“I…I don't. Gina taught me.” You explain quickly.

“Hmm? Let me see.” Viktor's hand reaches out and your breath hitches as he picks one of the cupcakes from the tray. You suddenly snap out of his peculiar gaze and quickly offer Jayce and Sky a cupcake each as well. You followed their gestures with your gaze as they ate and Jayce spoke first.

“It isn't half bad!” He offers, as Sky also joins in, “I love the sweetness…” as more mild compliments come from the two, your ego begins to rise again.

You're strong, working in the highest department of this place and a good Baker? The smallest of self assured smirks which ranged back from the fight you had with one of Silco's goons was traveling to your lips when suddenly…

“This lacks in texture, appearance and flavor. The frosting seems overly gritty and the overall issue seems to be the texture of cardboard.”

All heads turn towards the man once more, stunned into silence at what he just said.

“Viktor! Come on, it's not that bad!” Sky tries, but Viktor takes another bite from the cupcake before meeting your gaze again. “She added too much sugar and let it sit in the oven too long.” Says the man who was voluntarily or involuntarily subjected to little lessons about baking from his friend and favourite cafe owner.

“Vik, why…” Jayce sighs, but then is immediately interrupted by your confused voice.

“N-no… he's… he's actually right!” Even though Gina had insisted on certain measurements for sweetening and softening, you hadn't particularly stuck to it as you should have, and being called out on it was strangely…

Relieving.

It wasn't sugarcoated, or just being kind to spare your feelings. It was actual advice on and pin point info on where you could improve, giving you soft butterflies in your stomach rather than a sting as you expected.

“Maybe stick to teleportation for now, particles as you said?” Golden eyes were still lingering.

“Okay, first off- mango flavors are exotic, and you know how hard it is to perfect-” Gina’s defense for you is suddenly cut short by your exclamation.

“Wait! What did you say?”

“Umm… mango flavors are exotic…”

“Exotic…” you repeat softly, the gears in your head turning.

Matter was theoretically transported through wormholes in the space time continuum in your realm. Something which connected space and time, as one single entity and punctured a hole through the fabric of it; much like the one which took you here. Exotic matter was something completely theoretical and only existed in paper in your dimension. Something which could enable man made wormholes- something with properties so bizarre, so outlandish and probably dangerous.

The hex crystal energy…

“Viktor!” You put down the tray suddenly, leaning towards him. “Have we tested the charge isolation to be of negative mass?”

Viktor's eyes widen, as well as Jayce's and Sky’s. “Negative mass? You mean if it could repel…? The space could be kept open!”

“We haven't tested analogously to electric charges…” Jayce says suddenly, standing up.

“Why don't we apply that property somehow into the ring?” You say and Sky grins. “We could try!”

Excitement courses through your veins at their words. However, suddenly reality strikes you. You cannot leave right now- you were on duty in the cafe.

“You…you guys go.” You say softly, before you feel an arm on your shoulder.

“What! No, you go with them, silly! What is this? You drop that idea and stay here? No!” Gina's voice makes your heart swell at her kindness. “But…” you start.

“No buts! Get out, you have something to do!” Gina giggles, shaking your shoulders slightly as you laugh. “O-okay…”

“Besides, you said you'll be back after our break.” Viktor interjects, also standing up. “Obey the rules, assistant.”

“Sure, boss…” you smirk.

“Let me just pay for this, and I'll catch up with you all. You go.” Viktor gestures for you, Sky and Jayce to head out.

“You'll pay for my coffee too?” Jayce exaggeratedly pulls an expression of surprise. “Oh, my gosh Vik…!”

“keep up that attitude and I won't, Mr.Talice.” Viktor's brows furrow but his irritated expression is ruined by the slight upward curve of the corner of his lips.

“Touché.” Jayce grins. “Come on guys, let's go.”

As the three of you head out, Viktor turns to the counter top to face Gina who was still grinning with the enthusiastic excitement over hex crystals; apparently contagious.

“Gina…”

“Yes?”

“Could you please pack all of these for me, to go?”

Gina looks confusedly at what Viktor was gesturing at. The tray full of yellow frosted cupcakes you made.

“Wait, but you said…” she starts, one eyebrow raised.

“I know what I said- just, please?”

Gina's eager gaze didn't miss the slight dust of pink in his hollow cheeks, as he tried to school his expression to one of sobriety. A grin spreads on her own face, eyes narrowing.

“Sure sure…” She says in a sing-song voice, as she picks up the tray of cupcakes you made, going to pack it up neatly- as she hoped you would catch glimpse of it in Viktor's hands.

_______________________________

Chapter 12 is available NOW on my Tumblr page.

[splatsvilles-fashionista]

Vanilla wellstring V outfit?

I like Wellstring! Maybe that's a given, seeing that it's not too dissimilar from Explosher, but I think its unique fanning shots is a really interesting gimmick, and I like how punchy it feels. Also I just adore how ridiculous it looks, it's such a goddamn doohickey.

I am less sold on this kit specifically, though. I think the idea of giving it a Special with which to defend itself from close-range threats isn't inherently bad, but it feels at odds with the weapon's playstyle and preferred position, and it's not even all that bad at defending itself!

Ink-Tinted Goggles / Arctic Monster Parka / Acerola Rain Boots

When your weapon's a water pump you gotta be read to get splashed on.

[keicordelle]

Urianger who hides behind his Archon's mark, inked so plainly on his face so that it's the first -- and only -- thing people see when they look at him. Garbed in tinted goggles and a heavy hood so that no one can know who he really is beneath the enigmatic figure of a scholar. Who wears the title like a shield of anonymity.

Urianger who, even when he sheds that mysterious persona and dares to bare his visage to the world, still hides behind the mark. Who conceals his pains and his woes behind swirling lines of ink. Who is still, first and foremost (but not only), an Archon.

(Thancred who sees beyond the mark to the man who lies beneath.)

[oceansssblue]

[THE BAD BATCH]— "CANVAS"

ECHO/OFC 💖

OMEGA HAS THE BEST IDEA. SHE HAS BEEN EYING THE ARTIST ACROSS CID'S SALON FOR OVER A WEEK NOW; AND SHE'S FINALLY GOING TO ORDER THE BEST PRESENT EVER FOR ECHO.

WARNINGS: FLEETING MENTIONS OF ECHO'S BODY ISSUES&EXPERIENCE (NOTHING EXPLICIT). 99% FLUFF.

ONE-SHOT INSPIRED BY THIS WONDERFUL @cloned-eyes ART PIECE OF TATTOED ECHO! 💙✨

Omega counts the credits in her hands. She has been saving them for months, now; no more unnecessary mantel mix or cool accesories for her bow even if they make her momentarily happy. She's sure Echo's reaction will top all of that; and she has finally collected enough to buy the present she has being eying since she discovered the small tattoo parlour across Cid's salon. It's a cool place; full of bright neon lights and colourful images and shapes painted all over the walls. She has never actually entered the parlour; but she has seen enough through the displays of the window. She wasn't actively looking for a place like that at all, to start with; but once discovered, Omega couldn't think about anything else.

It's not just tattoos that the artist makes; but she draws and paints on every single surface imaginable too. Omega has seen a long line of clients bringing her all sort of pieces for her to decorate, to give some life to; house accesories, jewelry, books, speeders... Everything is a canvas for her. Omega's favourite one was probably a landscape design painted in a beautiful modern style on the back of a datapad.

She's got talent, the young woman that works with his collague in the shop. While she does the main art, her co-worker seems to take care of supplies and management. He helps with purely ink-on-skin jobs too. They're both not human, though they're not too far off anatomically speaking. They're definitely on the humanoid range; just small variations to their features and a whole different set of colour palette. Omega wonders if they came to Ord Mantell together from their native planet or if their encounter here was a mere coincidence. She's always curious; even about strangers that have nothing to do with her.

Their skin has a natural faint purplish tint, and they have big eyes with a pronounced double circled iris –the inner layer a darker lilac colour, the outer one a vibrant gold– and washed-out white marks on their neck and face. She has short purple hair, barely grazing her chin, and always wears six or more small braids that sometimes join together in beautiful ways. A bunch of earings hang of each of her slightly pointed ears; and tattoos roam all over her arms and the sides of her neck. She has two small ones on one cheek as well; black figures and dots Omega's not sure if they hold meaning or not. His co-worker looks and dresses in a similar way; comfortable cargo pants with military-like boots, a red T-shirt and black vest. They both look so cool Omega hasn't grown tired of staring at them yet.

The young teenager half skips happily to the parlour; a replica of Echo's prosthetics inside the bag hanging heavily on her shoulder. She had asked Tech to build them a week and a half ago; explaining her idea to the goggled clone and inmediately achieving his aproval. Tech had told her it was a very considerate and original gift. He had jumped at the challenge of building a copy of Echo's three main prosthetics –his scomp, and both of his cybernetic legs– in record time and without any of the others noticing it. Well, except Hunter, who had obviously heard his quiet screwing in the middle of the night and had quickly been informed of the plan.

Omega radiated energy when she opened the door to the parlour. Her big eyes quickly found their way to the artist that would make her idea come true, and she walked towards the front desk with a spring to her step.

"Hi! I love your work, and I'd like you to draw a bunch of stuff for me, please" she blurted out, her enthusiastic innocent voice inmediately catching the attention of the humanoid.

The artist tilted her head to the side, examining the young girl up and down. The new comer looked to be around thirteen or so; a shock of beautiful blond hair complementing her tanned skin. Her purplish-golden eyes sparkled with curiosity and humour.

"You're a bit young to get your skin inked, kid" she answered with a small chuckle. "Luckyly for you I don't really have an age minimum 'round here. Don't come crying next week when you change your mind, though. Erasing is always a torture, and a loss of my time. You sure?"

Omega's eyes widenned comically. She laughed while shaking her head vigorously to the sides, one hand coming up in a clear sign of rejection.

"Oh, no! No. I don't want to get a tattoo!" she frowned, the posibility passing through her head a second later before she nochalantly shrugged it away. "At least not now. I actually brought you some pieces for you to customize? Like you did with some of your other clients?"

The woman chuckles at Omega's lively personality. She points at the heavy bag hanging of her shoulder.

"I'm assuming they're in there?" She guesses, and Omega quickly nods and carefully places the bag in the floor, opening it up for the artist to see.

The woman crouches down and curiously peers into it. She frowns in confussion, and one hand cautiously hovers over one of the pieces while she tries to make the shape of the pile of cramped metal in her head. She realises what the girl is carrying and tilts her head up to her with clear surprise in her face.

"Are these prosthetics?"

Omega nod's proudly.

"Yeah! My brother Tech managed to make an extra improved pair for Echo –he's my other brother– in no time and I wanted you to decorate them before I give them to him. He's had his own for a while now, but I know he's not fully comfortable with them yet, even if he tries not to show it. So I thought personalizing them a bit would make him feel like they're more him, you know?"

Omega waits for the womans aproval. Tech said it was a good idea, so it must be, right? Anyhow, she kinda wants the opinion of the artist herself too. She makes a living of this; of giving soul and personality to pieces that form a part of others lifes.

To her relief, the woman seems gladly surprised. She slowly takes out one of the leg prosthetics and turns it carefully in her hand, examining the surface and caressing it here and there in an almost distracted way.

"It sounds like a cool idea, kid" she hesitates, not wanting to be the one to break the young girl's heart. "But customizing such large complex pieces is pretty expensive, specially if you want to add specific details yourself. Do you have the money?"

Omega nods proudly and takes the credits out of her pocket. She shows them to her with a smile.

"Yup! I have been saving for weeks now. It's enough, right?"

Omega sees the expression on the artist face fall, and her eyes widen. She looks back and forth between the credits on her hands and the artist; knowing what's going on.

"Is it that much more expensive?" She asks, worried, nibbling on her lower lip, trying to think of a solution to it. "I-maybe I can ask Tech and Hunter for more, uh maybe Wrecker, or I can sell some stuff around and..."

The artist interrumpts her rumbling with a hand on her shoulder, standing up besides her.

"Look, sweetheart... I can't use all my current materials in this pieces for this price, but I must have some old stock somewhere in the back. Outdated stuff is much cheaper, and we can forget about my personal fee as well, so you won't have to pay the extra. Or my time of work. Just the pure old raw materials, that should cut the price drastically" she eyes her expectant expression and the hope in her big eyes and sighs, pulling up a smile. "You can give me what you want and we'll call it a deal, alright?"

"Really?" the blonde nearly squeals, knees bouncing up and down, and the artist's smile widens.

"Yeah. Take the pieces to the front desk and lay them out. Do you have a clear idea of what you want to do with them?"

Omega quickly follows and she inmediately grabs her datapad –one of Tech's old ones– and starts pulling up photos and ideas of designs she had been investigating these last few days. She turns the datapad to the woman and grins.

"I've got loads!"

The artist smiles in amusement and pats the chair next to her. Omega hops on it and tilts her face to her, expectantly. The humanoid nods and points at the datapad with a vague gesture.

"Okay. Let's hear it, then".

(•••)

Viana didn't make a habit of being underpayed. Every inch of the fee for her job was perfectly detailed and taken into consideration; materials, time, number of details, backgrounds, how large was the piece, if it required a special varnish to seal the art, colours, layers... It wasn't the same customizing a watch with barely more than the first letter of someone's name than to decorate someone's speeder; so her prices really varied depending on each request.

The girl's –Omega, she had after learned– story had moved her enough to do a little favor for her. Just an exception to her usual strict rules. The blonde had showed her several images on her datapad –pointing out his brother Tech had runned a check up on her and decided she could be trusted with said information– and the woman had quickly put two plus two together. Those guys were clones, and not the ones that followed the laws of the Empire. These were guys that still remember what was honour, respect, doing the right thing. Viana still remembered how Rak and her had been able to escape their home planet with their help.

Truth is the saasra has always admired them. They were great soldiers, great men; and she had come from a tribe of warriors herself. She had long left those years behind; but she still payed attention to the same things. Plus, Echo's particular story was something else. Omega hadn't really gotten into details; just quickly passing of a coment on how he had been gravely injured in battle and how his body looked like now. Viana had read into the images shown before said change; the proud posture of the ARC trooper surrounded by his brothers and friends. She couldn't imagine what he had been forced to push through; not only accepting his own new body, but coping with the loss of so many dear people too.

She hand't been able to think on anything else after Omega left her workshop. The feeling of a new exciting project surged within her, ideas and splashes of colours and shapes constantly popping in her mind. Viana knew she wouldn't be able to sleep that night unless she started with this unusual project; so she had begun with the initial designs.

She always follows the same process. She draws a lazy sketch; absolutely everything she thinks could go well with the piece. Then she picks them out; re-doing them in better shapes and lines on a new datapad canvas. Once that is done, she meassures the original piece and replicates the dimensions on her app; moving her figures and details and overlapping them in layers so everything is taken to it's destined spot. She plays with colours and details –nothing too specific– in her datapad too; and then she moves onto the real piece. She draws the final selected sketch on it and then it's all a matter of colours and definition; swirls and micro-details. It's her favourite part; watching her ideas finally take life. Making dull pieces stand out.

Three days after Omega's arrival on her parlour, Viana has already drawn the main sketches out. She wanted to personalize everything to the detail, like Omega had requested; every inch of the former soldier's cybernetics was perfectly planned out. Though Omega would probably like something vibrant and jazzy best, the saasra knew it had to be something discreet enough so it wouldn't interfere with Echo's posible future misions. Viana didn't exactly knew what they did for a living, or what the future held for them; but she could get an idea. Times were difficult now, dangerous. She couldn't make the prosthetics striking enough to catch people's attention. It had to be somewhat subtle.

With that main reason in mind, she had designed a background of greys, blacks and reds for all of the three pieces in her hands. The lines parted separetly on the top of the scomp prosthetic before travelling down and crossing each other and swirling at the end; joining together in a splash of dark red. The same went for the legs; full opalascent black for were the top part attached to real skin and slowly switching to a gradient grey as they went down to the feet. Small streaks of dark red also swirled around each other as they went; almost following the shapes of human muscles in soft and precises curves. Not wanting them to look too perfectly made –he was a soldier, after all, not an inmaculate coruscanti model– she added some groundge details too; smearing some black and grey paint together here and there without any particular shape, and with her metalic sharp brushes, simulating scratches and dips on the surface.

Once that was out of the way –she had chosen those reds, greys and blacks to match the rest of the clone's armour by Omega's pictures– she followed with the small details. Viana had given it much thought. She wanted the prosthetics to really feel part of Echo, as Omega had in mind too. She wanted to give him something with which he could feel like himself. That right after he tried them on, he'd feel more confident and reassured. And not just because it was a –poorly– payed comissioned job.

Viana decided on a mix of what seemed to be the clone's most important aspects of his life. Omega had more or less explained parts of his life to her, so she could understand what to work with. Viana knew she needed to include five main pieces of Echo's life in these; the Jedi, Clone Force 99 –Omega's brothers, herself included now–, Captain Rex, the Domino Squad, and his twin Fives.

For the Jedi, Viana drew tiny light-sabers on the edges of each prothesis that at first glance looked like a line of simple stiches. She couldn't plant something on the surfaced that screamed "hey, Empire, right here, i'm your enemy" after all, so it was an unasumming little thing. No-one would find out unless they specifically looked for it. Hell, Echo might not even realise it himself.

For Clone Force 99, she designs four washed-out white skulls to compliment the one already etched on the top left of his chest plate. She adds a very carefully hand-drawn detail for each one, so it represents the rest of the members of the squad; one skull crossed by a delicate black bow, another with a stripe across the head for the long-haired clone's bandana, one with the crosshair on the right eye and the last one with a myriad of scars coming from the left side of the skull and ending on the left.

She adds a splash of a hand print for Captain Rex around the prothesis holding the scomp. The blue sticks up too much with the rest of the colour pattern, though, even if its a dark shade with some black in between; so Viana adds some minor swirls and slashes of the same tone here and there.

Following Omega's idea, she draws five small domino's in black and grey around one of the cybernetic's ankles; tying them up to each other with a thin line of scarlet red. A black five is a perfect replica of one of Omega's pictures on the other ankle; red and greys and blues swirling around the number as if trying to cling to it.

Viana gives a few extra last touches and examines the three pieces in front of her. Satisfied and proud, she gives them a final varnish so they hold all kind of atmospheric adversities; and two weeks after Omega's request, the woman has her art ready to be send on it's way.

(•••)

Viana makes her way to where Omega told her their ship would be docked with her request carefully placed inside a box with the parlour's purple logo. It's heavy, but not as much as she first imagine the prothesis would be; she's able to carry them without much effort til she's standing right in front of the Marauder –Omega's home–.

She examines the external appearence of the ship with intrigue. Omega's a bubbly thing, and she couldn't stop talking in excitement when she visited her workplace. Viana had half-listened distractedly while she pulled out basic designs and drew quick sketches for the blonde to sway in one direction or the other. By the way her eyes filled with warmth and her smile widened while talking of this ship, the saarsa knew it wasn't just a ship for them at all.

There's two men standing on the outside, one crouched down while examining something with a pack of wrenchers and tools by his side; the other observing with his arms crossed. After spending a few hours of the last two weeks staring at Omega's pics, they're easily recognizable; the one with the long hair and red bandana is obviously Hunter, while the one doing the repairs is Tech. She can't see the other two –Wrecker and Echo himself– so she asumes they're either inside or somewhere else in Ord Mantell.

Hunter's eyes flicker around his surroudings before they land on her. It's like he noticed someone staring; she wondered if she had been doing that with too much intensity. To show she's not a threat –this guy is clearly ready and alert– she shows a small gentle smile and hesitantly takes a step towards them.

"Can we help you?" Hunter asks, frowning unconsciously, his stance widening slightly while turning towards her.

Tech glances up and his eyes quickly roams over the newcomer's appearance, quickly drawing the right conclusions by the expresion on his face.

"Oh! You must be the artist from Omega's most recent quest" he nods as a way of hello, standing up and adjusting the right lense of his goggles before continuing talking with her. "I asume that you bring the final results?"

Viana nods and brings the box in her hands up as a demonstration. Hunter relaxes and Tech nods, curiously walking towards her.

"May I have a look?"

They're really polite, and really handsome too. Most clones are, of course. It's no wonder people used to like going to clone's pubs before.

"Sure" Viana answers, her mere observation not making her shy away in the slightest.

She patiently waits while Tech lifts the lid of the box up and takes a peak inside. Hunter can't hold back his curiosity either and follows him. They both stay silent for so long that Viana starts to feel a bit nervous and hesitant about her work.

"Is it... Is it what Omega hoped for?"

She's usually very confident about herself; but Echo's situation is delicate, and the details she has added in the cybernetics, albeit by Omega's request, are too personal for a stranger to play with. She hopes she hasn't overstepped.

"It exceeds my expectations, in fact" points out Tech, to her inmediate relief. "And I am sure Omega's as well. I'm particularly surprised at how detailed and lively this are without drawing too much attention to it, nothing too vibrant or extravagant. It should work perfectly well with our kind of lifestyle. Congratulations are in order, I believe".

Tech has a weird way of speaking; Viana's lips almost tugging upwards in another smile. She feels proud and happy at his observarions, though; and Hunter thinks the same as well by his firm grateful nod.

"Thank you for doing this" the latest says, his voice slightly rougher than the average clone but equally gentle. "I know for a fact Omega doesn't have enough credits to pay for this. She can be very persuasive, I should know. We can pay you a bit extra ourselves".

The offer is tempting, and Viana has spent a lof of her free time doing this; but she wouldn't feel good if she took the credits in. She feels this project has been made personal –there's always one of those once in a while– and she just feels lucky and proud to have produced such an important piece. It's obvious these guys don't have much themselves considering they don't even have a proper house; and she's sure they've already been through a lot. A bit of generosity and genuine compassion wouldn't hurt them.

"Save it for your family" she answers, then. "It has been a fun experience for me. Plus, I'm glad I'm able to do something for you lot".

Hunter watches her in surprise. They're different enough from the original clone templates that people don't usually associate them with clones, specially with a kid by their side; furthermore, they don't usually find people grateful for their service anymore.

Viana smiles.

"I'm native from Saar" she explains, and Hunter inmediately recognises the planet's name. "I remember".

A heavy silence falls between the three of them. Saar was completely destroyed by the Separatists back then; the army of warriors ruled by King Jarelan refusing to lay down their weapons after their monarch's death. They had called for the Republic's help; and two battalions of clones had been sent to them. They hand't been enough to save the planet form the separatist wrath; but they had saved uncountable lives, and the saarsa's had been able to relocate in another planet with the help of the Senate.

In that moment, someone walks down the Marauder towards them. Viana's attention is quickly snapped to the new presence; inmediately recognising the soldier in front of her. He frowns in confussion at the stranger talking with his brothers; but Echo quickly asumes she's just another woman swayed by Hunter's –or maybe Tech's– appeal and doesn't pay her too much attention while he turns to him.

"Hey, Sarge, I'm gonna go replenish our suplies now" he notifies, feeling a bit restless under the stranger's attentive purple and gold eyes. "Com's open, if you need something. Be back in a few".

Hunter nods, gives a small worded agreement and Echo's eyes glance one last time at the woman before walking away. Viana is sure he has some body issues like Omega explained; but right now he looks so confident and handsome –every bit of the perfect soldier– that the saarsa can't help but feel intrigued and attracted to him.

"Always this interested in your clients?" Hunter quietly asks, amused.

Viana tears his eyes from Echo's retreating figure and laughs.

"Not usually, no" she answers calmly, unashamed of being caught by them. "But you can learn a lot about a person from customising their things. And I had a lot of pics and details from him from that blonde girl of yours."

"So you are interested in him, then?" Tech pops in, and Viana shrugs while a telling smile makes her way on her face.

"He's hot, isn't he?" she places the box in Tech's hands, and decides it's time to return to her shop. "Tell Omega I said hi."

Hunter hums thoughtfully while watching her leave.

(•••)

Echo makes his way to the tattoo parlour with a mess of emotions twirling inside his mind. He couldn't even describe what he first felt when he opened Omega's present and his eyes landed on a new customized set of prosthetics; couldn't explain how it felt trying them on. Every swirl of paint, every line and detail... It was all him, the batch's reds and greys and Legion's 501 blue's; the brave people he had sworn to serve and his two families etched on his second skin now, both Force Clone 99 with each of their distinctives, and his Domino brothers. And Fives. Oh, Fives. He would have thought his prosthetics to be the coolest shit ever if he had been there to see him.

Echo had always had a tough time getting used to his cybernetics. He had been forced to accept them pretty quickly, mind you –inmediately jumping back to the fight in Anaxes and after that–; but there had always been a residual disgust and sense of inedequancy in the silence of his mind, after all was set and done. Suddenly half droid, it had been difficult to adjust; even if his new abilities were actually valuable to the team now. This prosthetics, on the other hand... They carried so much meaning. They hold little parts of his story, of his people; and he had felt inmediately conected to them. Echo opened the doors of the shop with a mess on his mind but feeling confident in his steps like never before.

His eyes inmediately found the stranger from the day before and he aproached her in contemplative silence. She was working on something, eyes stuck to her datapad and one of those tech-pencils on her right hand; brow furrowed and lips pursed in concentration.

"We're not taking any more clients for today" she barely mumbled, without taking a glance at the newcomer. "Come back tomorrow, please".

Echo studied her. She resembled a human, but she was undeniably different; her skin a faint purple and her eyes shining brightly even when pointed down at her datapad. His eyes wondered over each mark on her face.

"I just wanted to personally thank you" he voiced, patiently. "You did a great job with these".

She took a fleeting glance at him, nodding distractedly; inmediately abandoning her current sketch when she recognised who he was and straightening in her chair.

"Echo!" she exclaimed, surprised. He gave her a small nod and smile, and tried to stay still while her bright eyes roamed over him.

She hummed appreciately and showed him a wonderfull grin.

"You make a good-looking canvas, soldier".

Echo chuckles, left hand shyly travelling to the back of his neck, and pulls a smile as well.

Gathering up his courage, he tilts his head.

"Fancy going out for a drink, now that your closing the shop?"

Viana is momentarily stunned; but she melts and quickly nods, eager. Hunter and Tech must have pointed out her interest to him; but she doesn't really care. Echo is hot –undeniably so wearing her work–and she hasn't got any other plans for tonight.

"Give me five to close this up and we'll go" she asks.

Echo is surprised –and at the same time, relieved– at how easily all of this is; and waits patiently for Viana to finish her sketch and lock the doors. They walk to none other than Cid's salon chatting with each other and stealing glances along the way.

Maybe he can have some luck after all.

THE END.

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

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

DAMN, THAT WAS A LONG ONE! I FELT SO INSPIREEEED. I'M HAPPY WITH WHAT CAME OUT. DID YOU LIKE IT TOO? LET ME KNOW! HELPS ME STAY MOTIVATED TO CONTINUE WRITING : )

REBLOG IF YOU CAN!

REQUEST/PROMPTS OPENED. WHAT WOULD U LIKE TO READ NEXT?

MORE CLONE WARS & ARCANE CONTENT COMING!

Xx,

Sky.

[sirserpentine]

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐁𝐄 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐘.

𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐒:

Gold. Copper. Black. Dark Grey. Ruby red. Lots of metallic shades. Also, yellow.

𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒:

Cinnamon, orange peel, lemon, vanilla, baked treats, gasoline, smoke, leather, peppermint, candles, Earl Grey, roses, rain, clean sheets, Oct-1-en-3-one (That's what makes metals and blood smell... metallic)

𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐎𝐍:

Tall hats, tailcoats, collared shirts, rolled sleeves, pinstripers, waistcoats, vests, leather straps, bowties, cravats, goggles, gloves, brass jewellery, utilitarian belts, corsets, hair ribbons, pockets, pouches, small chains, brooches

𝐎𝐁𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐒:

pocketwatch, tools, cogs, tea cups, leather-bound journals, ink, piano, clocks, weapons, blueprints, cake tins

𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐆𝐄:

Tail wags, toothy grins, stuttering, hand fiddling, bowtie and collar fixing, tip of his hat, deep bows, theatrical poses, wrung hands, hands on chest, teary eyes, heavy cries, gentle and tremoring claws, gyrating tail, crossed arms, secure hold, never stops trying to dance without legs

𝐀𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐒:

Tinted glass against the sunset, steaming cup of tea next to an old, open novel, meticulous cake decorating, breeze on a lonely field of flowers, pouring milk into a bowl for a cat, a steam engine slowly breathing in and out, being scared of the mirror, sitting down on the velvet seat of a theatre, scales glinting in moonlight, pocket watch ticking with powder hidden inside it, cogwheels turning, letters sealed with wax, sitting suited up in an abandoned train, explosions, lying down in burning rubble as rain pours over you

tagged by: @angie-long-legs Thank you so much!! Yours was so sublime! So tangible!! Could see Angel in every single one.

tagging: @hazbinned, @radioiaci, @aracniss, @poisonedspider, @veneror, @krovcost

[splatreference]

i need a side view of ink-tinted goggles

This blog doesn't do gear references. Anyway, these are literally from Inkipedia

[inkopolis-news-official]

this is the LOOK this splatfest u cannot convince me otherwise.

(ink-tinted goggles, splatfest tee (obvs), chocolate dakroniks)

[monarch-boo]

New Gear Customization I'm Aware of in Fresh Season '24

• Rolled up sleeves on some gear (the 52 wielding Octoling wears Hothouse Hoodie with rolled up sleeves).

• Oversized sweaters (the Explo wielding Octoling is wearing Navy College Sweat that looks baggier than normal).

• Shoes with or without socks (the 52 Octoling is also wearing Yellow Fishfry Sandals with no socks- the Recycled Brella wielding Inkling seems to be wearing Choco Clogs without socks).

• Glasses/visors on the forehead (the Eliter wielding Inkling is wearing Tinted Shades on their forehead, and the Douser Dualies wielding Inkling is wearing Ink Guard Goggles on their forehead). Hypothetically this would mean you could wear the Octoglasses over your eyes, since the cap adjustment could turn the Backwards Cap forwards.

[xxbanditoxx]

A

🐙

These bitches be living in my mind rent free no cap

Also yarrwhal without ink tinted goggles cuz why not?? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[wolfsune09]

what gear do your OCs use? asking for... research purposes..... ✍️👀

I LOVE YOU

*down to send reference images for anything. Wanna see wolf with a bun hairstyle? Gotcha. Milo no glasses, got it

Strikethrough means old info

Keep in mind I came up with these guys in splatoon 2!

☆Wolfsune_9, nick: Wolf, Rank: Wolf Pack's team leader

Species: Inkling

Ink color: Aqua fade to dark blue

Eye color: Dark blue (R)/ aqua (L)

Hair: Splatoon 2 boy basic haircut Half braid(short, 3-4 braid bubbles(braid)) on right side, scrappy cut on right side. Crooked bangs, 2 little pieces stick out on top of the head.

Wears their hair in a bun casually, like if they're at home.

Skin tone: Pale af jfc

Headgear: gasmask, (if it isnt hidden or too busy in that area of the drawing->) GOLDEN TOOTHPICK(left ear)+eminence cuff(same ear), fake contacts, Studio headphones

Top: zekko hoodie

Bottoms: shorts

Shoes: Mint dakroniks, Arrow pull-ons

Weapons: Carbon Roller Deco, Kensa Octobrush, Flingza Roller, Splat roller, Slosher

Pronouns: they/them

Sexuality: Pan, demi

Height: 5'2

Bday: Feb 16

Extra: age 17, lvl 95, Rank S+9 in splat zones, S+3 tower control, S+0 in rainmaker and S+1 in clam blitz

Fav setup: splatzones, blackbelly skatepark, arowana mall, ancho-v games

Salmon Run: loves salmon run, profreshional 150, eggxecutive

Fav manga character: Mask

Most like: Mask, Aloha, Skull. Depends on the mood. Extroverted Introvert

Peircings: eminence cuff upper left ear, 3 lobes each ear. Bottom lobes are upside own hearts, left one is dark blue, other is cyan. Others are whichever (dark blue/cyan/black)

Others: Scars: left brow, under right eye, left chin. Often drawn with a 2D crown hovering above head. Center of crown has upsideown blue heart. Droopy eyes. Left ear has a big cut

Personality: chill, cool, an artist. Can get excited over things they're a fan of ex. Mask lol

☆Leo

-inkling

-Dark blue, aqua (only when teamed with squad)

-grey eyes

-side cut

-tan

-pilot goggles/fake contacts (If i don't feel like drawing the goggles haha)

-black / grey hoodie

-shorts

-black dakroniks, black seahorses, black & blue squidkid IV, black trainers

-Dapple dualies nouveau

-Male, he

-poly? Boys, gals, non-binairy and gender fluid

-5'5

-Feb 29

-age 16, lvl 63, rank S+ in tower control, S in splatzones and rainmaker, A in clam blitz

-tower control, ancho-v games

-likes salmon run, overachiever

-aloha, gloves

-gloves

-confident, flirty, rarely loses but salty, gamer

-thick gold cuff on left lobe, often wears of rings

-big round sharp eyes

☆Milo nick: big bro Milo!!

-Inkling

-spiky hair

-green, aqua

-green,

-is pale but actually gets out in the sun unlike SOMEONE wolf

-freckles!!!!!!!!

-tinted shades, fake contacts. Hes got bad vision

-Olive Zekko hoodie

-baggy shorts

-arrow pull ons, purple-hi-horses

-ballpoint splatling- heavy splatling

-male/he

-Ace. Would rather focus on so called family first(the team)

-6'2

-To be decided

-age 18, lvl 82, rank S+ in splatzones and tower control, S in rainmaker and A+ in clam blitz

-splatzones, the reef

-thinks salmon run is cool, profreshional 100

-aviator, rider

-aviator, prince, goggles

-laid back, will mot be quiet, strong, don't mess with him, the big bro of the team

-Big round soft eyes

☆Natasha , nick: 'Tasha (more common)

-inkling

-cut basic girl hair

-purple, aqua

-Purple eyes

-Dark skin

-annaki facemask, paisley bandana(splat 1)

-takoroka nylon vintage

-leggins

-neo octoling boots

-E-liter 4k, kensa splat charger

-female, she

-lesbian, ace

-5'11

-November 24th

-age 17, lvl 87, Rank S+ in splatzones, S in tower control and rainmaker and A+ in clam blitz

-splatzones, moray towers

-likes salmon run profreshional 80

-skull, n-pacer

-skull

-chill, badass

-3 peircings each lobe - purple, cyan, purple for both ears, spider bites

-thin, sharp eyes

-two vertical scars on left side of lips shhhhh. We don't talk about that, she doesn't like it.

Name: ANDREA!! My crazy girl

-Salmonling/Inkling

-Orange (bit of red)

-orange/red, yellow scalera eyes

-long side cut

-tan-dark

-grizzco hat (worker's cap)

-office attire?? Messy tie

-ripped leggins

-angry rain boots????

-loves the grizzco blaster but if she ever did play turf, E-liter 4K

-She/they/it

-6'3

-October 28

-age 21, lvl 73 (only from grizzco) ranks n/a

-hazard level max is fun, salmonoid smoke yard

-Omega

-X-blood

-harsh on teammates, does her best to not scare off new recruits tho. Not afraid to swear like a sailor.

-thin sharp eyes

Twin Devils:

□Travis: nick: Trav

-octoling

-blue, purple w/Marx

-blue

-unique octo, hair goes forward

-tan-dark

-headgear

-top

-pants

-shoes

-Octobrush

-male he/him

-ace, doesn't care about any relationships

-5'7

-May 25

-17, 86, S+

-Tower control

-profreshional

-Souya kawata, Vintage sorta

-doesn't care

-Stoic, scary

-spider bites (rings?) Right side, hourglass earrings

■Marx

-octoling

-blue, purple w/Trav

-blue

-unique octo, hair goes backwards

-tan-dark

-headgear

-top

-pants

-shoes

-Nautilus 47

-male he/him

-ace, doesn't care about any relationships

-5'7

-May 25

-17, 86, S+

-Tower control

-profreshional

-Nahoya kawata, double egg sorta

-doesn't care

-spider bites (rings) left side, hourglass earrings

-Scary. He may seem approachable and he sure as hell will pretend to be for fans, but don't even bother on the battlefield.

-They always support eachother in battle, they don't even have to communicate, but Marx likes to talk just to fuck up the opponents

-Just about unstoppable when paired up, but they hate their teammates and often refuse to acknowledge them. It has happened that they've bullied their teammates out of a team so that they can play at their best

-Don't do turf, just ranked

-Private battles are often being challenged, and they only do 2v4s. They haven't lost once.

☆Gabriel, nick: gab, gabby rank: aqua tm 3.5

-Octoling

-curly hairstyle

-pink, aqua

-pink eyes

-tan-dark

-fishfry biscuit bandana

-black tee

-leggins calves

-blue slip-ons

-octoshot replica

-Male, he

-straight, ally

-5'0

-To be decided

-age 16, lvl 21, B+ in splatzones and rainmaker, B in tower control and C+ in clam blitz

-Rainmaker,

-dosen't do salmon run, apprentice

-prince, goggles

-prince, goggles

-super shy, cute, nervous

-scars cover arms from octo army

I haven't come up with lots for him yet

[iamblue15]

Splatoon with the Mystery Kids! What are they wearing?

Raz (Inkling): Ink-Tinted Goggles, Green Striped LS, Squink Wingtips

Lili (Inkling): Paisley Bandana, School Uniform A, Punk Nights

Dipper (Octoling): Zekko Mesh, Anchor Life Vest, Black Seahorses

Mabel (Octoling): Triple-Deck Specs, Apex Sweater, School Shoes

Coraline (Inkling): Squid Hairclip, Hero Suit Replica, Hero Boot Replicas

Wybie (Octoling): Skull Bandana, Schoolyard Scrap Jack, Shark Moccasins

Norman (Inkling): Bike Helmet, Zekko Baseball LS, Red Hi-Tops

Neil (Octoling): Hockey Helmet, Varsity Jacket, White Seahorses

[freshest-fits]

Ink-Tinted Goggles // Emberz

Dusty Field Jacket // Inkline

Shark Moccasins // Splash Mob

[splatsvilles-fashionista]

How about the penguin bolero? Its not often we see kensa gear matched up with anything Not Kensa you know

Yeah, I find that as a brand, Toni Kensa is kind of "selfish" in the sense that their aesthetic, all stark and monotone, really encourages you pair it with more Toni Kensa stuff. It'll certainly result in an outfit that is clean and appealing, though maybe not very interesting.

But something monotone clothes are good at is grounding an outfit built around more bold, flashy elements. With that in mind, I picked what I think are some of the most unwieldy shoes in the game: The Dappled Hammertreads. With their dusty blue lining and the aggressively beige leather straps they're a difficult match for most outfits, but because the Penguin Bolero doesn't have a lot to say, it works quite well here. I topped it off with the Ink-Tinted Goggles for some extra visual interest that continues the throughline of white on the upper half of the Bolero. I really quite like this one, personally!

[cablestwisted]

Hello! Is it okay if I draw your Oc M4rm4l? I know they are really personal characters for you and I don't want to make you uncomfortable.

You for sure can!! Thank you so much for asking!! If you don't mind, what are you planning on drawing?

Super hype to see but no pressure at all - thank you so so so so much for asking!!

Hold on let me gather some references for you -

I really need to redo their actual reference, maybe that will be today's task for me XD

Some design points - I'm on mobile or I'd add a read more here gsksgjsgs I'm so sorry -

- Mask is optional, they can wear a simple yellow tinted visor instead, spiral goggles, or nothing at all over their eyes.

- Eyes can change design and often continuously do, but will pretty much always glow

- Their face is light grey with tar-like ink dripping down from their hairline and eyes. If in a state of high stress or emotion it will also drip from their nose and mouth. This is messy.

- Their skin is highlighted in such a way where raised surfaces are tinted yellow, surfaces that are "dipped in" such as below the cheekbones, under the neck, things like that, are slightly more purple like giggler gas!

- Their teeth are all sharp, fairly regularly sized the whole way across, and they have black gums. Literally its almost like a shark but not as spaced out!!

- Their cables are often positioned quite weirdly - its like a weird octopus floating in water. They're often quite curled and messy, though always roughly symmetrical!! The longer of the cables can be so long they touch the floor in some circumstances, and the length of the others will change ever so slightly to be in proportion.