#Is it different ZEX? Is it really?
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sysig · 9 months ago
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The heart grows ever fonder ♥ (Patreon)
#Doodles#SCII#ZEX#DAX#You thought they were just normal SCII doodles but it was a trick! These are still inspired by Helix!! Haha ♪#Specifically of ZEX going in for one-on-one therapy and being discouraged from being Quite so clingy hehe#I was struck by just how quickly he was convinced - denotes to me a level of not just logical understanding but perhaps even relating#And who could fit such description! Of being a little overly-concerned and hovery near the Admiral? Hehe ♪#Is it different ZEX? Is it really?#It's all out of looooove~♥ It's only different by so much!#DAX's overbearing husband routine is admittedly a bit differently motivated than ZEX's romantic trysts with his Captain but still haha#Especially of the moments where ZEX wants to protect his human! Again the motivation is slightly different but by how much!#I love ZEX's possessiveness in relation to his protective and patronizing feelings hehe <3 He's so pessimistic!#Way to alliterate me lol#And then so is DAX though he's a little more realistic - at least his pessimism is tempered by hard evidence of ZEX getting hurt :(#Just makes him more of a helicopter! Haha#I really have changed not even a bit in the five years since I first fell in love with ZEX <3 He still inspires head full of love hearts ♥#I spent quite literally the entire day thinking about and doodling him he's just so lovely#I can tell that this fixation has already hit its first fever pitch but since there's still more to read hehe ♪#Rounding out with he <3 Beautiful <3#I was watching a speedpaint and they made such lovely scale-plated armor that I was very inspired!#Much as I enjoy the thought of ZEX preferring his uniform over needlessly dressing up I do still love him in fancy clothes haha#A decorative armor piece but still lovely all the same :) And of course his head feelers decorated! Lightly ♪#He's really so handsome <3
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lewdcookies · 11 months ago
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The results of what I would like to call Guard January, it just so happens this month I ended up painting a bunch of random Guard models, both old and new.
In order of appearance: -Kalitiya Al Makouma, Military Police Investigator turned Inquisitorial Retinue member after discovering a Genestealer cult in her regiment. She's part of the same Ordo Xenos team as Mord and Zex Al'Dakiz and Raphael Qvele.
-Severine Roodeker, lord militant to Rogue Trader Captain Tarriel Eleonora Corvinius. My character from the Wrath & Glory campaign featuring Alena. Her only real achievement, beyond nearly dying multiple times due to stupid crits, was killing the final boss with two lucky shots with a bolt pistol. Two of those crits led to her losing an arm and a leg, during separate incidents (the leg was ripped off by Khrave clone). The arm is a Wraithbone prosthesis, a gift from an Eldar Corsair for saving his skin and the leg was replaced by an AdMech prosthesis. The latter I didn't model because it'd require a lot of cutting, and Skitarii legs look too thin.
-Lieutenants Sasha Mearghuv, from a so far unnamed regiment. The base model is the Minka Lesk one, with a Wargames Atlantic Cannon Fodder 2 head instead of the regular one. (Same with both Kali and Sev.) First time I had the chance to paint one of the new Cadians, instead of just old ones. The colour scheme is WW2 GI, even if realised that's really similar to the Cadian 8th one, even if painting the pants a different colour does wonders I feel. Really hate how tied up she is to the overly big hero rock. But otherwise I do enjoy the new Cadian aesthetic when they don't have their odd helmets and non M36 rifles.
-Trooper Totterpole, from another unnamed regiment. This one is a straight up unmodified old Cadian Shock Trooper, using one of the few upgrade sprue heads I managed to get ahold off. He was meant to be painted up as a Vietnam Marine, but I quickly discovered that the old Cadians have too much armor to make that work, so on my third attempt I improvised with the armor colours. Which ended up pretty decent. The base is 'jungle', probably need to get some better materials for that in the future.
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witchykale · 4 months ago
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uh oh im talking about daemos ava again!!
i think besides the biological basis for ava not being human, there are a lot of social aspects of ava’s character that could be explained by her being a daemos
ava’s biggest and most inhibiting character trait is her antisocial personality. she wants to stay in her apartment all day, watch tv and avoid her friends’ calls. and you could just say “lmao that bitch is depressed” but CONSIDER. what if that disconnect with her peers isn’t just because of her depression, but something greater?
ava doesn’t feel like she fits in with other people. she’s insecure, she thinks everyone’s eventually going to leave her. finding out that lorelai’s friends didn’t like her was just a confirmation of her fears. so why does she have such an aversion to people?
i think ava knows she’s different. not that she knows she’s a daemos, or even that she’s not a human, but she somehow has this feeling that she’s fundamentally different from other humans.
does that REMIND you of anything??
it is SHOWN that daemos have a 6th sense for telling the difference between daemos and humans. in the finale, the main five individually sense that zex is a daemos before he even walks in the room. ava’s detachment from humans is her 6th sense!
in addition, i think this adds another layer to the way ava reacted to bullying in high school. in the flashback, a couple kids talk about how “weird” ava is and mention her parents. ava immediately reacts, shouting at them to “talk bad about [her], not [her] parents”
i think the surface-level implication here is that ava has likely dealt with a lot of homophobia directed toward her parents, which made her pretty sensitive to other kids talking about them.
BUT what if it was more than that??
what if the real reason ava is so defensive of her parents… is because she knows she’s not like them?
i’m not just talking biologically — i don’t think she’s insecure about her relation to her parents because she was adopted, but because they’re human and she’s not. this ties back into ava’s daemos sense: whether she likes it or not, she knows she’s not like other humans. this feeling, combined with her love and adoration for her dads, makes things very complicated for her.
ava has two truths that she can’t seem to reconcile: she’s not human, but her dads are. she was raised to view them as her parents, she has a parental relationship with them, she loves them, but deep down, she has this sort of insecurity that what she has with her parents is not what other people have. so, she cares about them, but she still sees them the way she sees every other human: not like her.
this takes me to my biggest point, which is the actual plot of MID — ava’s biggest character arc is caused by her friendship with the daemos. the boys are the first people that she really starts to feel comfortable with, as she slowly lets her guard down and comes out of her shell throughout the season
i think that, while the character arc definitely stands on its own as ava growing and changing for the better as a person, i also think that her actually being a daemos adds a very interesting layer to what would otherwise be a very run-of-the-mill arc that most introvert characters go through. this would mean the biggest reason ava could come out of her shell around the daemos was the fact that she was finally with her own kind
unlike the aphmau werewolf reveal (werewolf aphmau my #1 opp) i actually think ava’s character was set up very nicely for a daemos reveal! but those are just my thoughts on it, and i also don’t think that any of the obvious/canon stuff (like ava’s depression or experience with homophobia) can’t stand on its own without some big fantasy reveal, ava is first and foremost a regular person with real-world issues and i think those things can be just as valid to the story as the more fictional elements :)
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alounuitte · 1 year ago
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>:3c 🐶, 🐹, 🦊, & 🐯
sorry this took me a couple days i haven't been on my laptop!
What does the innerworld look like ? does it have sections , how many moons are there , are there NPCs filling the spaces ? etc
our innerworld is mostly forest, except for the city (which is sort of a separate location?) for the most part we live in a little village in the middle of the woods but this might change -- our primary architect is pretty sleepy but there's a couple other people who might be able to help her.
How do sysmates look in the innerworld ? what do the sysmates with wings / claws / tails / other(s) look like , do introjects from cartoons / animes / other(s) look like their source or no ? what about those without solid forms ? etc
our introjects primarily look like their sources yeah!! some of them have other kins and might look like one identity over the other at various times. (themis is this way rn, their appearance shifted recently towards themis and away from zex!) it can be pretty fluid, my appearance in the innerworld changes a lot depeding on kinshift/mood/etc!
Is it easy to get lost in the innerworld ? are there any protocols set in place in case someone gets lost , are there any stories about a sysmate getting lost in the iw , are there any sysmates that have jobs or roles soley to prevent or find someone when they're lost ? etc
actually people have gotten lost a couple of times either in the woods or in the city streets!! and i suspect some people who aren't really around anymore may have gotten lost honestly... sometimes new people are "lost" when they show up and i have gone out with a couple of people to find them (tho some people just show up in the middle of more accessible frontspace, and some have the ability to travel at will)
How many innerworlds are there ? are there multiple , how can they accessed , are they only available to a selection of sysmates , what are they like , are they an alternate universe of the 'main' innerworld if there is a 'main' innerworld , or is it a completely different setting and vibe from the 'main' one ? etc
OOOH GOOD QUESTION! we all share the village/impossible house space, and the city is separate but accessible to anyone i thiiiiink, but some people bring chunks of their canon in with them and can pop in and out of those areas which are generally on different sort of "levels" than the main shared space.
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vargaslovinghours · 2 years ago
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They’re like inspiration cuckoos
#💟#Digital art#Art#Edgar#Scriabin#Does this count as a crossover? Not reallyyy??#Just consider them cameos lol it's not like they do anything#This always happens with Big Fixations I go to put them down and they just bounce right back in with new ideas and inspiration#I've only recorded 3 in the past 15ish years and Vargas is the latest - literally can't put them down if I tried - I /have/ tried lol#They're cuckoos! They push out other muses and get fed the ideas I have to literally intentionally redirect certain ideas to different ones#Surprised ZEX and DAX didn't make it into the Muse Box this time around lol - I think when I started this I was still in the Spamrot#And I'd been rereading the first chapter of Lost and Found so Duster#Gosh I need to get back to Mother 3 I just need to get enough items for the Mecha Drago fight - I know it's early on I just jfldsajfd#I lose focus when Duster's not on screen lol I miss him already#Birdo back there <3 Love her <3 <3 I'd drawn her fairly recently too ♪#And then the broccoli lol anyone here play Pajama Sam? My first was PJ Sam 3 and I love Florette and Luke and I /want/ them to be muses lol#Goal-building!#Not that it makes much of a difference when I just keep filling up page after page after /page/ with new Vargas ideas lol#I do love them ♥ But I wish my brain would chill a Bit lol#All this to say I'm going back on hiatus :) It was a good season! Requestober was rich with ideas and the fallout (positive) was really fun#But I am gonna at least try to fill my Muse Box with Something else emphasis on try lol#I'll be back as always for the next sketchdump :3 And if I get another inspiration burst haha#You know I can't stay away for long 💕
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swordwife · 3 years ago
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*cosplays both halves of my ship* get on my level 
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zarla-s · 4 years ago
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It’s my birthday today! So I decided to go with the theme of characters I created massive amounts of material about based on a few scraps in canon. LIKE I GAVE BIRTH TO THEM, GET IT sort of really i was just wondering about Scri’s birthday and it sort of spun out from there
The VUX on the right is DAX, not ZEX, haha. I know there really isn’t much physical difference between them BUT IT’S DAX
Man where is it, someone on dev made the best chart about this kind of thing
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[patreon]
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sheep-sorbet · 4 years ago
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These are... a lot I’m so sorry I just have a lot of feelings
-I think Zexion and Xemnas acting like siblings is absolutely hilarious. Xem is serious superior man until the rest of the org leaves and then he tries to gently bludgeon Zex because the bastard threw a book at his head earlier
-Zexion was the only one not afraid of Larxene who had her grudging respect-He can shoot a gun. He was raised by Braig.
-He can use a sword. He was raised by Dilan.-Ever since he was little, he was fascinated by weird creatures and would bring them home. Even drew the line at the giant snake (he hated the spiders equally though). He still does this at 20-something only now the warriors of light are in on it and they’ll occasionally bring him even weirder things
-no he doesn’t experiment on them he just thinks they’re Neat
-Zexion occasionally comes out in Ienzo’s personality, usually when he’s mad at one of the apprentices. He’s very petty.
-Even as Ienzo, he can be really unsettling sometimes. He can just kinda... snap to being happy and pleasant at a moments notice and his smile never wavers... he moves like a predator even if he does his best to mask it. And yet he’s still really easy to let your guard down around
-he was raised in an emotionless cult and it shows. He’s just... off. And absolutely despises showing ANY weakness (I mean, he was the smallest, physically weakest, youngest member in the org practically his whole life). He will walk on a broken leg without giving anything away and it’s driving the apprentices insane
-He is the apprentice’s secretary at this point. Everyone always go to him when they need something because the others are... themselves
-he doesn’t put up with any of the apprentices bs. If one of them is being rude, he will absolutely grab them by the ear and drag them off, size difference be damned
And finally, consider: Ienzo accidentally adopting a bunch of gremlins (Vanitas, Repliku & 3ku). By that I mean they follow him around everywhere and hiss at people and Ienzo’s just like “yeah they’re not socialized yet but I’m working on it :)” and 3ku bites his arm
DO NOT APOLOGIZE THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I ASKED FOR :D 💙
-i never considered the idea that they'd act like siblings; i personally always thought ienzo (or ig zexion, at the time) would have.... secretly harbored a grudge, now that i think about it. he remained as close as possible to xemnas, both because he wanted to keep an eye on his actions, but perhaps also because a part of him truly believed in what xemnas was doing, reaching for. after all, he was the only one freaked out when the org13 members started killing each other - it must have been jarring because at that point, that was the closest thing he had to a family. he wasn't close to everyone, and certainly not as a nobody- but he WAS manipulated by xemnas, and i feel like once things started going bad, the rose-colored glasses came off, so to speak, and he probably realized just how badly he'd been deceived. of course, that was only the beginning, too ;_;)
-yeah, there's no way he was afraid of larxene. annoyed by her attitude and upset with her eventual betrayal/plan to overthrow the organization, but never scared of her. in fact, i'd argue ienzo wasn't scared of anybody in the organization until vexen was assassinated.
-either he CAN use normal weapons like guns and swords and just chose to use a fucking book instead, OR he can't use any traditional weapons and got a book as consolation. i can't tell what's funnier honestly
- WEIRD 👏 KID 👏 IENZO 👏 yessss. i love the idea that he'd sneak off for however long and by the time anyone noticed he'd gone missing they'd find him on his way back with some sort of fucking creature. and now that i think about it, that would explain why he didn't seem to be afraid of the heartless at all in BBS- at that point he'd likely not seen one yet, and must simply have thought it was another fun creature to put in a box and watch SHSJHAHAJS
-hm, i personally think it's less like zexion "comes out" in his personality, and more that they're the same person, and that any habits he formed as zexion were/are hard to shake. if you play/watch in japanese, you see he's actually rather polite, even as a nobody; and is VERY good at hiding snark behind faux politeness.
-HDMSNMSFNNSNDG "sorry even i'd love to help you, unfortunately i'm in a call with sora right now because SOMEBODY WOULDN'T ANSWER HIS PHONE"
-i personally see it less as him being unsettling, and more like it's just very blatant that he spent his entire adolescence being gaslit to believing he couldn't feel anything and is now learning how to deal with emotions for...... the first time in his life, cuz he wasn't exactly expressive as a kid, either. his emotions, when he's able to stop dissociating for 5 seconds, are probably all over the place. i agree with you tho that he can put up a mask like it's nothing- but others would probably find that more concerning than scary.
-idrk what you mean by "moves like a predator"- he's analytical for sure, and hyper-aware of his surroundings most times, and that may be unsettling for other at times. deep down the other apprentices + ansem know it's a trauma response, and probably blame themselves for it. especially now that he knows that literally ALL of the people closest to him lied, tricked him and used him, for basically his entire life..... trusting, being comfortable, is hard for him. but he tries his best, and deptite his inherent pettiness, almost disallowes himself to be upset by it or hold it against them. he struggles a lot with guilt and he knows the rest of them do, too. he doesn't understand that it's okay to be in pain, and feels just as responsible as he feels they were- so it provably feels, to him, that if he were to deny them forgiveness or even allow himself doubt, then he'd be a hypocrite for wanting that same forgiveness. i can personally see lea making some sort of fuss about the way ienzo was treated as a kid and ienzo to actually be the one to tell him to shut it. but..... more on that later ¬w¬
-it took me a moment to remember who tf 3ku is and jfc there as so many rikus so fucking many. so many. but also he'd be an awful babysitter and they'd all love him for it GNDMDNF
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toshiakikijima · 4 years ago
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please have a full car zex scene
i really hate the writers for irresistible mistakes at some of the side stories especially for the online erotic ones the are only in Japanese. For example, repeating the same scenario in different time slots. I have a really good one from one season of Tachibana’s main story. 
The side story with the travel to the grace New York City with William, the sexist, and MC, the dumbest one I seen since reading Eisuke’s stories. It repeats again !!!!! huh fsaiudfsefnjfi 
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jackidy · 4 years ago
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Saturated Sunrise
Rating: G Pairings: Demyx/Ienzo, others implied Characters: Various Setting: Post KH3
Summary: Observations were his thing and, in all honesty, Ienzo was a very interesting person to observe.
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Ienzo was strange.
Not in a bad way, Demyx thinks, watching the other flip through lab notes for something that he’d explained at least three times already, distracted by far too many things to take in most of the words. How could he not be? Recognisance had always been his forte, few people ever spent too long looking at strange folk with instruments playing for change in the town square, regardless of what world he was observing, it was always the same.
But now…but now he didn’t have an instrument to distract his fingertips, watching how something deeper than annoyance flickered onto Ienzo’s features, eyes break from the hastily scrawled pages of a report to the offended hand before back to his reading, muttering something quietly under his breath.
He’s switched his breathing, in through the nose, out through the mouth. A calming technique. Was Ienzo anxious or something else? Demyx cocking his head to the side as he tried to figure out his new found puzzle. As Zexion, he’d simply fix him a flat stare and sigh to exhibit his annoyance with him, name him a fool and go back to ignoring him but with Ienzo it was different, his reactions more extreme in the short term before simmering off into seemingly nothing.
Demyx wanted to know more.
Wants to know the differences between the two, were they as similar as Axel and Lea or were they the polar opposite, Ienzo had already provided evidence for this. The shock of seeing him and the hesitation to move forward, the way he’d cried when reunited with his father, it was different but good, an unexpected surprise that had only served to hook him in.
Perhaps its selfish to want more, Demyx contemplates, deciding to put his focus elsewhere, the computer he’d more or less draped himself across, the tea stain on Ienzo’s lab coat on the cuff of his left sleeve, maybe even the black screens on the other side of the lab that had put themselves to sleep about twenty minute ago. Anywhere other than Ienzo before his mind started to-
“You keep frowning like that and I’ll start to think you’re not Demyx.”
“Huh?”
“You’ve been quiet for thirty minutes and now you’re frowning at nothing.” He teases, Demyx enraptured by the small, almost shy smile on the other’s lips to the point he forgets to react to the comment, seeming frozen in time as he takes it in. Oh, he could get used to Ienzo smiling at him like that oh too easily Demyx staring dumbfoundedly as Ienzo spoke again only for nothing to register, Ienzo raising a brow at him as that smile almost, almost, broke into a grin.
“What did you say Zex- I mean Ienzo, I didn’t hear you.”
“Nothing important.”
He’s teasing him again, standing from the desk and stretching, a resounding crack that made Demyx wince whilst Ienzo just sighed, as if relieved to hear it as opposed to somewhat horrified. “I think…I think I need a cup of tea; I’ll be back shortly. Please don’t touch anything.”
And he doesn’t. He just sits and watches the way Ienzo goes, wondering if he had missed truly was important or not.
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It becomes routine, after a while, for Demyx to come by the lab after he’d finished his rounds, watching the shorter man as he worked, making mental note after mental note of the little changes in emotion and watching for the flashes, as Demyx now referred to them.
Fleeting yet fascinating, it feels strange this role reversal, where Demyx becomes the scientist and Ienzo the unknowing test subject, watching anger flash in blue eyes before resigning quickly to neutrality and ultimately to something sadder, guilt perhaps? Demyx had felt it enough himself but had never really seen it worn by someone else so clearly.
“You need a break.” He states, eyes flicking up from the screen to fix the Nobody with a reluctant stare, looking torn between arguing against the request and accepting it, pale hands coming up to Ienzo’s neck, picking at something just hidden by the collar. Another new thing he’d noticed, he picks at his neck when nervous or overloaded, Demyx contemplating stepping down before shaking his head. “A small break might clear your head and help you think straight.”
Ienzo snorts, rolling his eyes insolently like he’d heard this a thousand times before, no doubt from Aeleus or Even, the latter always seeming to hover around like a mother hen whenever the older scientist was with Ienzo, seemingly unaware of Demyx’s presence or, the more likely, choosing to ignore him all together. But still, the young man gets up, shedding his lab coat before discarding it on his chair and walking away from the desk, pausing to turn only when he didn’t hear following footsteps.
“Well?”
“Well what?”
He clicks his tongue, fixing Demyx with a stare only a fraction less intense than something Zexion would wear when scolding him. “You, me, break.” Short and sweet, straight to the point with little room to argue, not that Demyx ever would have, scrambling upwards to his feet, practically bouncing along with Ienzo to first the kitchen and then the gardens.
They take seat by a wall fountain, the stress in Ienzo seeming to melt away with the sound of the flowing water, slouching against the cold wall and nursing the cup of tea in his hands like it was the only thing still tethering the scientist to the mortal coil. He looks younger somehow, pinning his hair back with one hand as he sipped his tea, the slight breeze seemingly an ever-present threat to tarnishing both Ienzo’s drink and hair.
“You know, I could probably get you a headband or some clips after my next shift.”
“Wouldn’t want to be a bother.”
You’re never a bother, he thinks, a thought and belief he’s held for long enough now that he’s fairly certain it was incapable of changing into anything but. He’s talking again, eyes lighting up with almost childlike curiosity as Ienzo talks about his latest project, the thing that had been bothering up until the point Demyx had requested he take a break.
“Aerith asked me to look for someone.” The flower girl, a sweet woman who always brought flowers into the office when he dropped by to pick up the mail for the day, the only person he’d seen so far that could lecture his new boss on something without the Blonde glaring as fiercely at her as he had done with any irate customer who came in to complain about a delay or lost delivery. “Something about your boss and an old friend.”
“He has friends?” It’s a jest and he’s thankful when Ienzo smiles at it, unsure of it the younger man had ever met his grumpy boss, Cloud, to fully grasp the concept. Probably not, he only left the lab to eat, sleep and when someone bothered him enough to get out of his chair but, even then, he only went as far as the gardens. “I thought finding someone would be easy, you’ve got the database all set up, right?”
“Right but…” Ienzo pauses, the guilt creeping bag in as he seemingly sags under the weight of it, “but most of them are on world or I have a decent description of. I only have a name to go by and the barest hope that maybe one of the keyblade wielders has heard of him.”
Again, he’s scratching at his neck, frowning at the flowers opposite the pair almost intense enough to make them wilt under the seer force of it. A distraction, perhaps, to get his mind off of the thoughts of anxious and inadequacy that were surely plaguing him. “It’s a weird name don’t you think?”
“What is?”
“Cloud.”
There’s a pause, Ienzo freezing before he laughs, genuinely, Demyx struck by just how magical it sounded as shoulders quaked, racked by humour. He wants to hear this again, never thinking that he’d ever get the other to laugh so mirthfully, Ienzo wiping his face before fitting Demyx with a look like he was about to break down into giggles at any moment.
“Really?”
“Well yeah, it’s a dumb name”
“Your name is Demyx.”
“I didn’t pick my name!”
He starts laughing again, leaning against Demyx this time as he tried to temper the amusement down, covering his mouth as giggles threatened to bubble up all over again. “I don’t think he picked his name either, besides people in glass houses should not be throwing bricks.”
“I will throw bricks and stand proudly in the shattered remains of my hypocrisy.”
Ienzo is silent for perhaps a moment too long, Demyx shifting unconsciously under the gaze before shrugging and laughing to himself again. “I never knew you to be so eloquent.” It feels like a compliment so he’ll take it, Demyx hating the bubbling embarrassment at the other’s words, wondering if there would ever be a moment he doesn’t fluster at praise. It didn’t have to be from Ienzo, he’d nearly crumbled under the kind words of an elderly lady over a simple flower delivery.
“Might have picked up a thing or two from some guy I know.” He huffs, hoping Ienzo doesn’t pursue the subject and, much to Demyx’s relief, he doesn’t, simply humming and sipping his tea, a silence descending on the pair that is neither uncomfortable or stifling, just he sound of birds, the town below and the pouring water of the fountain acting as the only thing rupturing the otherwise serene silence.
The scientist is still leaning against him, Demyx choosing not to focus on the proximity, the way Ienzo seemed to fit just right there or the way the cavity in his chest seemed to thud, the echoing thunder within it hopefully not that noticeable either on his face or to the man leant against him. It might have been just minutes but, honestly, Demyx wishes it had been hours, Ienzo finally removing himself from Demyx to stand, offering a hand to the other.
“Thank you.”
“What for?”
“Making me take a break and listening.”
He takes Ienzo’s hand then, pushing himself up more than letting the other pull him up but he finds he doesn’t mind, hesitating before letting go of the hand in his and mentally cursing himself as Ienzo, seemingly oblivious, made his way back to the castle without him. So much for observing his emotional changes, Demyx conceded, running a hand through his hair and refraining from just pulling at it. It’ll be fine, he supposes, following after Ienzo slowly as he attempted to get his thoughts together.
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They meet outside the lab for once, Demyx finding the scientist in the kitchen as opposed to his usual place, lab coat abandoned once more in favour for an apron, the Nobody wondering how long he could linger in the doorway before Ienzo spoke up and summoned him forward. Maybe a while, he thinks, laughing under his breath, Ienzo was by no means unobservant but often lost himself in things, leaving him open to surprise on an almost regular basis.
His observations have become interesting, to say the least, notebook now brimming with excerpts and examples of how Ienzo reacted to things and how they differed from a typical human. Examples of how he’d exploded at Even in an argument the week before and how he’d crumpled as soon as he was away from the older scientist, looking to Demyx of all creatures to help him assess how he’d reacted.
A Human asking a Nobody how to feel, life truly was stranger than fiction.
“You know it’s rude to stare.” So Ienzo had noticed him, a small smile betraying the amusement the smaller man had in interrupting whatever it as that Demyx was thinking about. He’s wearing the headband that Demyx brought him, an admittedly joke purchase of the most ocean-based thing he could find in Radiant Garden, never expecting Ienzo to ever wear and yet, here they were, clownfish still visible even with the mass of hair doing its best to obscure it.
“Just thinking.” No lie to his words but not exactly a full truth either, Ienzo giving him an almost sceptical look before turning back to the chopping board, ignoring the blonde in favour of some shallots and garlic. Coming over to the join the other, Demyx takes seat at the worn kitchen table, far enough to be out of Ienzo’s space but close enough to notice the changes in body language, perhaps for the best considering his upcoming questions.
“Don’t strain yourself.” Ienzo retorts without hesitation, a small bounce in his step as he scraped the food from the chopping board into the frying pan, stirring once then twice before turning his attention back to the pile of ingredients nearby. “Should I even ask what about?”
“You, actually.”
Had he meant to be so honest? Demyx has no idea, biting his lip as he waited for Ienzo to react. Would he laugh or sneer? What response was he due to receive from the scientist who was simultaneously an open book and an enigma to him? He’s not entirely sure he wants to find out now that the silence has dragged on.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, about the conversation we had the other day.”
The silence is back, nothing but the sizzling of oil filling the air as Ienzo fell still, as if Demyx’s words had short circuited him, only moving when food began to catch, quickly chopping the rest of the meat on his board before adding it, a shaky breath before hands are under the tap. “I thought…we’re less likely to be interrupted in here, aren’t we?”
He’s never been here when Ienzo is cooking but he knows the labs and gardens at least always lead to another apprentice making an appearance and, if not them, then a keyblade wielder or former colleague that only served to quickly change the subject into something less important or for their conversations to die all together. Maybe Ienzo’s room but then, no, it wouldn’t do, someone would still interrupt them there.
“Yes but…” Ienzo trails off, rubbing his hands a little too harshly dry and swallowing, looking almost like a lost child as he looked between the stove and the kitchen table. “But I’m not sure if I…”
Demyx is ready for it this time, grasping the hand as it comes up to his neck, weaving fingers together where possible and giving his hand a light squeeze. Were his hands always this cold? Demyx wonders, taking in the shocked look of Ienzo and offering a small smile in response. No time for grins or quips, just open expressions and apprehension, pans moved off the heat before the smaller man can further burn his food. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, not until you’re ready.”
A tanned thumb rubs lines into the side of a pale palm, the focus back on breathing correctly in a bid to calm nerves and settle his old soul, Demyx watching as eyes closed and breaths came in slowly, a face slowly easing back into calmness after painting a picture so anxious it tugged and tangled his heart strings. He could kiss him, lord knows she wants to, biting his lower lip as he went over why that would be a bad idea over and over again, an inner mantra that he could not ignore.
He’ll be mad at you. He doesn’t feel the same way. He won’t want to be near you again after this.  Just because he’s nice to you and treats you humanely doesn’t mean he wants you.
Demyx has taken risks but this time, this time he’s not sure it was worth it.
“I want to I just…”
“You just can’t get it into words?” Demyx fills in, Ienzo sighing and nodding, finally opening his eyes only to avert them to the side, face screwing as if trying to process a thought before Ienzo sighs. Hit the nail on the head there, Demyx surmises, giving the other’s hand yet another squeeze in hope of either encouraging him to speak or reassurance, which ever Ienzo had the most need for at that moment. “Or is it something else?”
“Something else. Maybe. I’m not honestly sure.” He pulls his hand away then, wiggling it out of his grasp and pulling the pan back onto the ring, breathing slowly, exhaling and continuing on like the exchange hadn’t just happened. It’s not long before the sizzling is back, Demyx feeling somewhat lost in the kitchen as he waits for Ienzo to do something, unsure as to where his sudden cowardice to chase the conversation had come from. “It’s easier to ramble my thoughts if I keep my hands busy.”
It clears up nothing and yet everything, Demyx’s mouth forming a small o as Ienzo hums, adding more ingredients to the pot, the tension in his shoulders seemingly melting away with every movement and stir.  
“I’ve gone from bare traces of feelings for so long that now that I feel them at the level I should, it almost feels like drowning. My annoyance is anger and my anger is loathing, my insecurities scream at me deafeningly during the long nights and the moments alone in the lab when I can’t find answers.” He whispers his words, barely audible over the hissing of oil meeting stock, Demyx about catching the sight of downturned eyes and the accompanying frown. “Things that bring me joy make my heart pound louder than sirens and bells, my excitement and happiness over the littlest of things exceeds expectations in displays that are hard to tamper down.”
He sighs, anger bubbling back to the surface, movements becoming jagged, aggressive almost as he spat out his next words. “It’s ridiculous, I’m not- “
“I don’t think its ridiculous.” Demyx intersects, hand taking rest on Ienzo’s forearm as the other freezes once more, biting into his lower lip in a way that looks a touch too painful but now wasn’t the time to lecture, not that Demyx would have done that anyway. “You’ve gone from drips to an over spilling sink, you’re bound to struggle.”
The laugh surprises him, somewhat strangled and a bit raw, like Ienzo is using it to hide another emotion entirely from spilling from his lips. “When did you start making sense?” He chokes out, the heel of his hand wiping his eyes, perhaps wishing he hadn’t pinned his hair back so entirely.
“I always have,” it’s just nobody ever cares to listen.
------------------
The market is simultaneously busy enough for him to blend into the crowd but also empty enough that he’s had the ability to occupy the bench by Aerith’s for a solid 40 minutes without being interrupted by anyone beyond the aforementioned shop keeper who had simply brought him a drink and left after asking him if he was okay, slipping a flower behind his ear before leaving after confirming he was.
There’s something unnerving about her, though what caused Demyx to feel on edge around her he couldn’t place, assuming it was down to how she always seemed to know what had, is and would happen in the foreseeable future if you so much as stepped within five feet of her, her comment of how he could always give the flower to his friend if he didn’t want it making Demyx ask himself if he was so obvious that this practical stranger had sussed him out already.
It’s been eight days since the kitchen confession, Demyx knowing he wasn’t intending to ignore Ienzo but his feet had led him to this bench as opposed to the castle, pouring over his notes on Ienzo’s emotional state and the table of differences he’d made between both Zexion and Ienzo. The table was simple, almost childlike, one worded differences in lists under a name and a poorly drawn doodle of both sides of the coin, Demyx cursing himself as he realises the small hearts he’d drawn as almost a halo around Ienzo.
Oh, he’s a fool, staring at the page, blinking rapidly as if trying to erase the obvious signs of his affection as if Ienzo would ever see his scrawled notes that he was the subject to. Why would he? Demyx knew better than to expose himself like this to anyone, never mind the other, already shuddering at the imagined looks of the other apprentices and the laughter of everyone else.
“Looks like a twelve year old when hair is pinned back…is that supposed to be me at the bottom?”
Demyx jumps, yelling as he sends his notebook flying, scrambling to catch it, preparing to turn and shout at whoever had surprise him only to falter and clamp his mouth shut at the sight of Ienzo, still leaning over slightly and looking only marginally apologetic for scarring him. He’s lucky he’s cute.
“Is what you?”
Acting oblivious is perhaps not his best move, Ienzo fixing him a look that is filled with scepticism as he undoubtedly sees through Demyx’s façade, taking seat beside Demyx on the bench, slouching as he sighed. It’s not stressed this time, relieved, ecstatic almost, barely able to hide the pride from his features, relaxing in the silence that stretched between them. “Anyway, what brings you down into Radiant Garden? You normally don’t leave the castle unless I bribe you.”
“I found him.” He’s not seen the other’s eyes ever light up like that before, Demyx leaning back slightly as Ienzo leaned towards him, almost blinded by the sheer enthusiasm. Normally he’d make a comment, tell Ienzo to calm down for a second but the saccharine hit of endorphins that seemed to be flooding the human’s system was simply too irresistible to try and dampen. “I found Zack Fair!”
That would explain the lack of fanfare that would have come from finding Sora, he supposes, Demyx looking over Ienzo’s shoulder to his work place, Cloud in conversation with Leon and Cid looking stressed, before looking back to Ienzo and swallowing. The urge to kiss him is back, seemingly stronger than ever. “Knew you could, where was he then?”
“Game Central Station. Can’t say I’ve heard of it either but I got a name match at least.”
He continues to talk, Demyx just watching how animated Ienzo became with every word over what the finding of a new world meant, explaining his work with such vigour that Demyx responds without thinking, tucking a flyaway piece of hair back where it belonged having dislodged itself during the enthusiasm. Fingers trail along a pale jaw, tilting Ienzo’s chin up, swallowing thickly as his movements came to a standstill.
Maybe he should kiss him, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing after all.
But, as with all things, he’s interrupted, wincing at Cloud calling his name before sighing, dumping his notebook into Ienzo’s hands unceremoniously, huffing as he stood before giving the other an apologetic look. “Sorry, duty calls.”
He’s going to regret giving Ienzo his notebook, isn’t he? Perhaps, but the flushed look of Ienzo was a fair enough trade for him, silently hoping he hadn’t ruined the one friendship he truly cared for.
-----------------------------
Three days until he sees Ienzo again and, for once Demyx isn’t sure if he’s unhappy that it took so long or that the break hadn’t lasted longer, still fighting the urge to run as he stands in the courtyard, holding what felt like a suspiciously empty box, the fragile stickers slapped across the brown paper being the only thing stopping the Nobody from just shaking the package.
From off world too, memories of Marluxia mentioning the Kingdom of Corona when he was still with the Organisation and Xehanort, a place of flowers and a princess with long hair trapped in a tower. Half the other worlds sounded like fairy tales, myths and legends but then Demyx knew full well they were. The Underworld still made him shiver, an itch he just couldn’t scratch.
Which wielder sent it? He wonders, Aqua being the safest bet of the lot of them, having gained enough of an impression of her from those talking about her to know she seemed the type to send something between worlds. Though, why she had to address it to the lab and not somebody specific he does not know, Demyx glaring at the package like it had gravely insulted him before heading in.
Perhaps the lab would be empty, Ienzo may spend most of his time in there but not all of it. He’s on a tea break, Demyx reasons with himself, finally took the initiative on his limits as a person and acted before he over worked himself yet again. It had, in part, been the reason for Ienzo’s argument with Even and Demyx can only dream that the message Even had been trying to get across had stuck.
Apparently not, Demyx sighs with resignation.
Sat at his desk as opposed to a computer, Ienzo had, of course, elected to take his break not outside of the lab but still in it, one hand nursing a chipped cup of tea whilst the other tapped a pen against the note book he was writing in, taking a brief break to think before noting something down again.
Maybe if he’s quiet he won’t be noticed, his cowardice coming back full force in the face of his feelings and it’s ridiculous, he believes, knowing full well he would have kissed the other the last time he’d seen him had the pair not been interrupted. Depositing the box is not the issue, the pen he sends clattering to the floor is, the noise seeming to become the loudest thing in existence, echoing beyond the walls of the lab and maybe out into the town square.
“If this is how you are when you’re trying to be stealthy, I see why you were always on public reconnaissance.”
He teasing him, still looking down at whatever he’s working on but humour still pulls of his lips to create some endearing mix of a smile and a smirk. Only on Ienzo would he find that expression endearing. It wouldn’t be wrong of him to think that maybe Ienzo hadn’t read his notebook after all, Demyx edging closer akin to a caged animal, swallowing back his fear of the situation.
Ienzo hadn’t read it. Ienzo was not aware he’d kept a notebook on his emotional ticks. Ienzo hadn’t delved into an admittedly creepy book containing both his thoughts about the newly reformed human and the differences between both himself and Zexion.
Only he had.
Demyx pales as he sees the notebook open, swiftly turning on his heel and making way to leave only for a hand to stop him, gripping the back of his jacket tight enough to stop him but loose enough to let him leave if he wanted to. He doesn’t. Despite the shame and feeling of regret welling up in him as Ienzo continues to hold the back of his jacket in silence.
Should he break it or leave it hanging? A spike of panic rising in his chest as the hand gripping him tightens, mumbling an inward prayer to himself for a favourable outcome as the silence is finally shattered. “I added another column, you’re rather observant when you want to be.”
He…What?
Turning back to face Ienzo and his work, Demyx takes note of the additional page ripped out from elsewhere in the book and stuck in, creases along the tape where the page had been folded in to keep it from sticking out. So there was another one, Demyx just about able to make out the words Child Ienzo from chicken scrawl, biting back a laugh at both the way his writing was better than an apprentice of Ansem’s but also the words written.
Little Weirdo. Quiet. Shy. Withdrawn.
Words from the other apprentices no doubt, Demyx sure he could place who had said what from what he had known of them whilst in the Organisation. But before he can even voice his guesses he’s distracted by the small doodle at the bottom, better than his vague barely Ienzo or Zexion doodles, of what Demyx guesses to be a child Ienzo. Miniature lab coat, neutral if not sour expression and ice cream? He’d never taken Ienzo to have a sweet tooth.
“There was one other thing…” Ienzo’s voice is gentle, fingers pulling at the hemline of his sweater vest as he looked down from the desk to his lap, breathing in the nose and out the mouth as he always did whenever the anxiety seeped into his system.
This was it. This was the time of his rejection, Demyx preparing himself to act like it was nothing, just water off of a duck’s back and nothing to be concerned about. “Look, you don’t have to-“
“I don’t really have days off but Even and Ansem both force me to take the afternoon off on Tuesday and Friday.”
Demyx can’t see his face but he can see the colour creeping along the other’s neck, hands still wringing the sweaters hemline almost to the point of distortion and oh.
Oh!
It finally clicks, Demyx biting his lip to stop himself from shouting in triumph, leaning down in one fail swoop to press a kiss to Ienzo’s cheek as the giddy energy eviscerated any self-doubt and regret he’d been stewing in for the past three days. “Then I will see you tomorrow, Zo.” The skip in his step is unmissable, practically bouncing out of the lab to finish his round so he can plan for tomorrow.
And if Ienzo hears his shout of celebration as the lab doors close, he doesn’t mention it.
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artbymesa · 5 years ago
Text
Unforeseen Consequences
Admiral ZEX, The Captain, Dax
Suggestive themes but no “details”. (Not my kind of writing lol)
I’m really. not sure why my brain fixated on writing this. I was introduced to Star Control and Admiral ZEX by @zarla-s​ (hopefully this tag isn’t bothersome?). I was in the process of introducing him to some friends and it spurred the thought: Would ZEX even expect a human to respond positively to his advances? He’s probably gotten pretty articulate with deflecting rejection and criticism and judgement, but what if that wasn’t the case for once? How well would he handle it?
I apologize for however out of character or Not Canon this may be, but it was a thought that wouldn’t leave me alone until I wrote it down. And then after I started it, it got away from me. Its been a long, long time since I’ve wrote a fanfic whoo boy
I think I wrote this with the presumption of how it would take place if you could romance him in the game, and the consequences (for everyone) of that XD
“The scope of our relationship can grow as close as you wish.” Zex said with a foreign body language of bravado.
The Captain regarded him for a moment before leaning forward into the Admiral’s personal space, a grin pulling at the corner of their lips. “Oh? Close…how~….?”
Zex sputtered, caught off guard and overwhelmed by the human’s sudden, unexpected close proximity. A human had never so much as dared to tread within a couple feet of him, much less ever enough to feel their breath. He had grown rather bold with this certainty. Perhaps a measure of that was his own doing–  intentionally or not, his forthright tendencies wedging itself in between any opportunity. Being turned away, shrugged off or kept at a distance was the standard order of things. It was easy. It was predictable. And it had been so long, he never really expected that standard to be challenged. Needless to say, this threw him off.
Even still, he may have been a hopeless romantic, but he was no fool. He was aware of what the human stood to gain by winning him over. Manipulating him just to secure his military genius was low– but with a suspicious lack of human behavior like this ever before– not unheard of. He regained a brittle amount of composure, steeling over his words to obscure it. “Captain. If you intend to taunt me please do so in the way I am accustomed. I’ve hardened to the ridicule of my countrymen but faking interest in me is a different manner of cruel. If all you wish is for an alliance I am happy to oblige without the exploitation of my…weakness.”
The Captain challenged his words and moved a little closer, resting a relaxed arm on the admiral’s desk and shrugged. “I’m not faking, Zex.”
The admiral stared at it, then up at the captain when they said his name informally. Anyone else he may have corrected, but there was a warmth to it from the human that he so badly wanted to indulge. He had to confess, he had fantasized about similar circumstances and how he would conduct himself, but now that it was actual happening, he froze. He was usually so articulate but words escaped him, he was usually so well composed but this human had a way with disrupting it like a house of cards. As much as it currently worked against him, it was new to him. Exciting.
Reality began to sink in when the human didn’t recoil their appendage away, instead looked at him expectantly for a response. The gesture wasn’t an error. It was intentional. Even despite their lack of tendrils, humans had such a way with expressing emotion. It was one of the things he loved most about them. This one was a challenge to read, but everything he could gather from them seemed genuine. Which meant…
He struggled for a moment, realizing the position he had put himself in before laughing nervously. “Would you look at this? The first time a human reciprocates interest and even I succumb to a measure of my people’s distrust. You must forgive me, Captain. It has been a long time…” The admiral seemed to fight with some kind of internal conflict for a moment before the human settled it for him.
They reached out, dexterous fingers closing over his arm tendril in a comforting gesture. Their hand was warm, far warmer to the touch than he anticipated.
“You don’t have to apologize.”
Before the admiral could speak, the human was standing. And before he could ask if he had done something wrong, they were on his side of the desk.
A lot of things began to happen at once, and he opposed none of them.
-
“Zex?” The human asked, pulling on their robes not a moment before the admiral could take in one last look at their beautifully crafted anatomy akin to a living, breathing sculpture. They truly were a unique work of art forged from the galaxy and experiencing them so up close was a privilege.  The captain’s question was what pulled him out of his trance.
“Mmm?”The human studied the quiet planet outside from the window. Pensive observation stirred a thought that pricked the edge of their brow. They had such a world of emotion hidden behind subtle changes in their features. But interpretation was a different story.
“How much do you actually know about humans?”
It was a good thing VUX couldn’t blush.
“Admittedly, Captain, much more now than I did an hour ago.”
The human gave a kind but cheeky grin, looking down as if it helped them compose their words differently. Their “smile” as it were, had been toothy and startling when he first witnessed it. It contradicted what he otherwise should have interpreted as some kind of feral threat display. This was so very different. It was tender and warm, and it melted a part of him he didn’t know existed. Since then, he had been compelled to incite it as often as he could. They seemed to respond best with his banter and advances, which was a pleasure in and of its own.
“I’m serious. Be honest.”
The admiral thought for a moment.
“I know that your people are beautiful. And very clever. And resourceful. I know you are a uniquely hardy species. I’ve heard the stories of your people surviving conditions that would have easily killed others by shock alone. As I’m sure you know by now, my countrymen do not share my appreciation. They think you grotesque.”
“What else have they said about us?”
“They may have mentioned that you are stubborn. And reckless.”
“Do you believe them?”
“….I am beginning to consider it.”
“Perhaps you should.”
There was a pause.
“Why do you ask me this now?”
The Captain was quiet momentarily, but returned to Zex. Perhaps it was touch starvation, but he hadn’t realized how much he craved it until the captain returned to settling a hand against what equated to his own. They didn’t make eye contact just yet.
“The Ur Quan enslaved my people. What’s left of them.”
“Oh. Oh, dear. I was not aware. I am sorry, perhaps I’ve lived in isolation longer than I thought. I suppose that explains the lack of human visitors.” The gears began to turn. “But you arrived here in an armed starship. You weren’t given clearance to leave either, were you? You cannot be planning what I think you are planning. Captain, resisting the Ur Quan is madness.”
“And my visit here is a direct violation to your people’s alliance with the Ur Quan. I suppose if nothing else, reputation is accurate.” The human sighed. “You mentioned an alliance but I can’t expect that of you. You would be labeled a traitor. Your people already have enough reason to kill you without my interference as it is.”
“I am not attached to this planet, Captain. Nor interaction with my people, unfortunately.”
“If you think VUX are bigoted, you’ve not met enough humans.”
“How do you mean?”
“My peoples’ entire history is built on conflict and persecution. Our biggest challenge has always been coexisting with eachother. It’s a harsh lense to see it through, but that in mind it wouldn’t be fair to ask you to come with me either. Even if we do win the war, your help or not, life on Earth afterward would never be peaceful. They’ve done far more to their own people over far less. They’d tear you apart.”
“You’re suggesting this shouldn’t last.”
“I’m suggesting that we consider everything involved before this gets complicated.”
The admiral was quiet for a moment in thought. The human brought up a lot of good points, much to his displeasure. But that wasn’t going to deter him so easily.
“While I must commend the forethought, you are forgetting that tactical improvisation in dangerous situations is my specialty. Besides, this planet has always been more of a prison than a place of retirement—no matter how they attempted to sell it me. I saw through it. The whole reason I am here, Captain, is because I refused to be someone I am not. I can assure you. I would rather pursue an opportunity for a life worth living and the one that I want, however that is defined, than to live out my days rotting on this planet in fear. It would simply go against everything I stand for. I would join you on your travels… if you’d have me.”
The human sighed realizing he likely wasn’t going to let it go— not after making a conclusion like that. Not that they truly wanted to refuse him anyway.
That smile returned—quieter, more subtle this time. Almost somber. They reached over to the side of his face and stroked with the back of their hand. His eye closed, leaning into the touch with some measure of tension fading from his posture.
“I suppose it makes it easier when we’re not investing in another bunk on board.” The human teased. “And after all this is over, Alpha Cerenkov I can’t be the only one of its kind in the galaxy.”
The admiral’s shoulders relaxed, and an arm curled around the captain’s.
“We have some time to prepare.  My countrymen visit occasionally to exchange supplies and resources but they’ve been scarce lately and I do not think they know you are here. Fortunately the others that live here permanently are—“
“Sir, I didn’t hear the human’s departure and it’s been awfully quiet, are you o-.OHMY-“ After entering through the door, Dax dropped and shattered what seemed to previously be some kind of beverage he was holding before scrambling to shield his eye.
“Dax!? Have you no sense to knock?!”
“I did NOT see what I think I just saw.“ He nearly pleaded. "Tell me that isn’t what’s going on here. Admiral, I swear to–”
“Who is—?“
“My sub commander.” Zex retrieved and put on a robe of his own irritably before standing. “Who very rudely barged in unannounced, I might add.”
Dax carefully peeked open his eye, as if unsure if it was alright to look. “Excuse me sir, but the very last thing I expected to walk in on was—…“ Something like a grimace contorted Dax’s features.
“I do not need your approval, Dax. Besides, I thought you more open-minded than this.”
“So this is what I think it is. You have to be joking.” He finally looked, though now had a somewhat exasperated and heated posture. “Sure, maybe I don’t hate humans but to be involving yourself with—…“ his eye swiveled from the bed to the human, then back to Zex with a more bitter grimace. “What will the council think?”
“The council will not think anything if they don’t hear of it.”
"With all due respect sir, this– this had gone way too far. This is going to get you killed!”
“Mind. Your. Place. Dax.”
The sub commander’s posture recoiled slightly. His superior may have been reckless, blinded, mad and a hedonist, but he was also well respected and rightly earned it. Dax was as loyal as they came, even if the admiral absolutely exhausted him at times. This was easily in the top three of those.
“…I’m sorry, sir. I understand the council put you here to pursue your…‘lifestyle’–.”
“That’s what I’m doing, aren’t I?”
Dax laughed, uneasy. “Sure, but I highly doubt they expected it possible for you to ever actually–”
Zex sighed stubbornly and looked off, the sub commander’s words stinging a bit. It gave Dax pause to reword, but Zex spoke before he could.
“Please excuse me, captain. I’ll take care of this.”
The two of them left the room and shut the door behind them.
“Sir…even if they don’t find out which they obviously will, how do you expect to keep this up? If this gets back to our home planet they’ll make an example of you. They’ve been placated this long knowing you’re not influencing the public but as soon as it starts to get out of their hands it could cause an uprising. How long has this been going on?”
“If you must pry, I’ve spoken with them on recent occasions but this was the first time we–”
“Eugh. No. Stop. That’s enough.” He winced and interrupted. “So you’re telling me you don’t even know this human very well. You don’t know if they have an ulterior motive for all of this.”
“Actually, Dax, the human initially agreed with you. They were ready to leave for the sake of my safety and that would have been that. But I was who convinced them otherwise. They wouldn’t have initiated what they did or gone as far as they did if their intentions were to take advantage of me. If you were violently repulsed by the very appearance of an alien, don’t you think having sex with them would be a last resort? ”
“Sir, please—“Dax cringed, waving his arms to stop him but Zex continued.
“And if you must insist on doing this now—“ He huffed and straightened himself. “I’ve decided to join them. I’m leaving Alpha Cerenkov. The human plans to resist the Ur Quan.”
“Have you gone completely mad?! What about the fleet? I hope you realize the position you’re putting them in if they question them. If they question me. They’ll suspect us traitors. I didn’t swear an oath to your loyalty with the intention of breaking it. If I refuse to give them what they want…”
“If you and the rest of the fleet do not intend to join us, then perhaps the less you know the better.” The admiral turned back to the door, but Dax stopped him. There was a pause.
“I hope you’re sure about this…”
“There are few things I’ve been surer of.”
Dax sighed deeply.
“Just…wait. Don’t do anything reckless. I’ll talk with the fleet.”
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aliceslantern · 4 years ago
Text
Grow, a Kingdom Hearts fanfic, chapter 2
Suddenly human and abandoned in the Keyblade Graveyard, Demyx struggles to survive and come to terms with what his life is. Only by chance is he saved from exposure, and brought to Radiant Garden to recover. Unsure of who he is and where to even begin, Demyx finds a kindred spirit in Ienzo, and before long finds perhaps he isn't the only one lost in this new life. But how can they move forward with so much holding them back?
Roughly canonverse, Zemyx, hurt/comfort. Started for Zemyx day (9/6). Updates Wednesdays until it's done.
Chapter summary:  Demyx begins to recover from his ordeal, and plan for whatever comes next.
Read it in FF.net/on AO3
---
Dark, for a long time, actually.
What he was aware of first was the pain. His muscles and back were screaming, forcing his eyes open. There was so much to take in he actively had trouble sorting all the stimuli.
Pain, a bed, cool air, a window with white curtains. Something pinching his hand, a plastic lead. A tube?
Demyx thought he saw a person. His eyesight was weak, and he squinted. White coat, slate-gray hair. Was this all another hallucination? He tried to sit up, but it was so painful he just flopped back down weakly.
The person turned. “Oh, you’re awake,” he heard. They crossed over to him, and Demyx could see the vague outlines of Zexion’s face.
“Zex?” He cleared his throat. “Zexion? No…” He coughed a little. “Ienzo… I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright.”
“Are you real?”
“Yes, I’m very real. Much to my chagrin.”
“Am I dead?”
“No. Not quite.”
Demyx thought. His mind seemed slow to process information. But if he were dead, why would he be in so much pain? “H-hurts…”
“I’m sure it must. Do you want me to get you something for the pain?”
He looked at the ceiling, trying to decide. Did he want to try and clear his head? Or did he want the agony to stop? “Okay.”
Hazily, Demyx watched him get up, cross over to a cabinet, pull out a blob (a vial?) and what had to be a syringe. Demyx felt something stinging injected into his hand, and a few moments later the pain began to subside to a throb. His vision was still not quite clear. “Is that better?”
“T-thanks…” It was difficult to speak. “W-where--?”
“Radiant Garden. Isa and Lea brought you in here in a panic. They were looking for clues to help Sora in the Keyblade Graveyard. You were horrifically dehydrated. Your kidneys failed, and Even suspects you may have had a seizure at some point--”
“...Yikes.”
Ienzo chuckled a little. ““Yikes” is right. You’ve been unconscious a few days--we were worried at first you might not wake at all. But then you started to rebound.”
“I’m… a-alive?”
“Yes.”
For a moment, Demyx just looked up at the ceiling. “Now what,” he murmured.
He thought he saw Ienzo smile. “Recovery,” he said. “It’ll probably be a while before you feel fully back to yourself.” A sigh. “And there may yet be lingering effects.”
“Like… what?”
He shook his head. “Even would have to examine you to be sure.”
“Am I human?”
Ienzo knotted his hands together. “Yes. Perhaps not yet technically fully--the data is still inconclusive. It is only you and Even who are going through this. Right now, it is imperative you rest, receive enough fluids, and try not to get too anxious.”
“Even.” Demyx tasted the name. “You mean Vexen?”
“His Somebody, yes. Which reminds me. What is your name?”
He hesitated, and strained to think. But it was like hitting a mental brick wall. Demyx couldn’t remember; he suspected he hadn’t been able to for a long time. “I… I don’t know.”
He thought he saw surprise on Ienzo’s face. Then, “perhaps… you’re simply disoriented, with all that your being has experienced. It may come back to you.”
He was feeling tired again, now that the pain was subsiding.
"...Why don't you get some rest," Ienzo suggested.
"Okay."
Ienzo got up and headed towards the door.
"Zex?"
"...Yes?"
"Thanks."
A sigh. Demyx could not read his expression. "Sure, Demyx."
---
Demyx dipped in and out of sleep for a long time. When he woke up for real, he was less sore, but he was shaky and somewhat nauseous. His vision was still weird--did his Somebody just need glasses?-- and he squinted hard. He felt sticky and gross. Maybe they'd let him take a shower. How much time had he lost? He got up slowly. With the IV, it was hard to maneuver, but he was able to peek out the window, to the town of Radiant Garden below. He'd been changed into loose linen pajamas. His body felt odd; he flexed his hands. He had to have lost some weight.
"...Oh, good, you're able to get up."
Even's voice startled him; he gasped aloud and his heart gave a weird, quivery beat. "Frightened you, did I? My apologies. Here, sit." He gently eased Demyx back onto the bed and took his pulse with two cold fingers. "...That was all quite hard on you, wasn't it?"
"I don't feel well."
"Of course you don't. I'd be shocked if you did," Even said. He felt at the glands on Demyx's throat. "It's a miracle you were found. A few hours later and you would've been no more." He took a pen light out of his jacket and tracked Demyx's eyes for a moment. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired. Sore. My eyesight's kinda funky."
"The soreness is part of the dehydration. It should pass in a few days. I'm more concerned about your kidney functioning. It's improving, but it's not where it should be. Eyesight… well, that could possibly be again due to the kidneys, but you might've naturally needed glasses anyway. Strange problems the Nobody status hides. We'll keep an eye on it, pardon the pun. There's some medication I want you to take daily and you must rest . I'm sure you need no excuse to be lazy." He scoffed a little.
"Why did you save me?"
Even seemed genuinely confused by the question. "Was I to let you die, then?"
"I just…"
"You helped me," Even said. "But regardless I think that you being another living thing is reason enough."
Demyx felt his eyes watering.
Even sighed. "At some point we must let past conflicts lie."
"You became human like me."
"Ah… yes."
"Did you forget things?"
Even cocked his head. "No," he said slowly. "What can't you remember?"
"A lot of things. ...My name."
Even stared deeply into his eyes, as though looking for something. "Of course brain damage is possible with dehydration but--"
" Whoa, wait, what--"
"--but I don't think you've experienced anything that extensive. Perhaps… it could be…" He put a hand to his chin. "...I so wish I had access to a working MRI…"
Demyx swallowed.
"You're stable enough to be talking to me, at least," Even said quickly. "We will look into what we have." A pause. "Do you know how long you were there alone? What happened?"
Demyx explained about Xigbar. "He broke the phone so I couldn't call you guys. And then he knocked me out so I couldn't escape in time. I had no power-- I couldn't…" His eyes were watering again, and he felt it break free.
"It is traumatizing," Even said, almost gently. The gentleness was so jarring Demyx started crying in earnest, pressing a hand to his mouth. "Surviving such a thing and dealing with this new humanity on your own."
"I'm pathetic."
A sigh. "No, you're not. How long were you there alone, Demyx?"
He tried to remember. "At least three days… after that it's hard to remember. I… I knew I was going to die…" the tears were hot on his face. "He left me there to die."
Even sighed. "Leaving it to the fates," he muttered. "Alas, you seem to be lucky."
"Ha. Hardly. It's total coincidence they found me."
Even hummed. "You're alive now, whatever that means to you."
"What do I do ?"
"I'm afraid you must answer that question for yourself." He stood. "Do you feel up to trying to eat?"
"...I guess."
"I'll get you something light." He left.
Demyx considered the interaction, hiccuping. Even had never been so kind to him before. Was this because of the vessels? Or did humanity just make him different ?
He looked at his hands blurrily. "Am I different?" He asked out loud. He had a new lease on life, free of Xemnas and Xehanort and he was dubiously human. Everything he'd ever wanted. But it was a hollow victory.
He lay back down. Even brought him rice, and he was able to keep it down. The man didn't want to remove the IV line just yet, and Demyx was feeling vaguely tethered. He said he could shower, though, so gladly Demyx did, shedding days of desert. He almost started to panic when he saw clumps of hair gathered in the drain, but Even reassured him through the door it was a stress reaction and the hair would likely come back.
He'd never been so painfully aware of his body, its aches and pains. Shouldn't have been proud of himself for being able to go to the bathroom, or found so much pleasure in brushing his teeth. Once he was clean and dressed (in clothes other than a cloak?) he returned to his bed, exhausted already.
"Lea wants to see you," Even told him. Demyx thought he saw his jaw tense, a glint of fear in his eye--but why? "Would you even want that?"
He shrugged. "I owe the guy a thanks, at least."
Even sighed and put a hand to his brow. "Alright."
A few minutes later Lea bounded in, followed by Isa. They weren't wearing black cloaks after all, just black clothes. "Good to see you're okay," Lea said, grasping his hand. He almost looked like he would move in for a hug. "That was scary. "
"Sorry for going all zombie on you," Demyx said. He found it hard to meet his eyes. "And… thanks for saving me." He bit his lip. "You didn't have to."
"As though we would leave you to die?" Isa said levelly. It was odd to see his teal eyes. "I think I owed you ."
Demyx scoffed. "For carrying two empty dolls?"
"For taking the initiative. As it were."
Lea slung an arm around Isa. "It's because of you that Roxas is up and about. We gotta thank you for that."
Demyx shook his head. The praise didn't feel good. He just felt weepy again.
Lea sat next to him on the bed. "You alright?" He asked a bit more softly. "The eggheads treating you okay?"
"Everyone's been… really nice," he said. "I don't get it."
"Humanity has afforded clarity," Isa said in a low voice. "None of us treated you very well."
"Because I was a bastard."
Lea snorted. "I think we all were. 'Sides, you were only a pest at the absolute worst."
His lips twitched in a hesitant smile.
"It seems you have quite a story to tell," Isa said.
The smile faltered.
"Only if you wish. I imagine it was very difficult."
Demyx took a deep breath. "I felt pulled there," he admitted. "The… graveyard? Then Xigbar showed up--"
Lea put up a hand. "Wait, wait, wait, he's alive? "
Demyx frowned. "Yeah."
He groaned. "He must've faked us out."
Demyx touched his chest. "When Xehanort died both Even and me lost his heart. The same must've happened to him."
"It's still worth bringing up to Riku and the others," Isa said to Lea.
"I don't know where he went," Demyx said honestly. "He knocked me out, broke my phone. So when I woke up I was human."
"And trapped." Isa shook his head. "A sadist way to go out."
"Yeah. I sort of… wandered, just trying to find water, and then you guys found me. But not before I got all sorts of fucked up."
"We weren't sure you would make it," Lea said. "You stopped breathing a couple times on the trip over."
"I did?"
Isa nodded. "Never have I missed the corridors more. But we're… human."
"I really owe you one," Demyx admitted to his lap.
"Think nothing of it."
"What will you do now?" Isa asked.
"I have no idea," Demyx admitted. "I… never thought I'd get this far."
Lea chuckled. "Well, it's nice here, and it's nice in Twilight Town.  Feel it out. I think our landlord had an empty apartment in the building."
"You guys have an apartment? In a building? In a town?" He sighed. "Why does that feel weird?"
Isa smiled. "It does, doesn't it?"
"Am I going to have to get a job?" He asked, and groaned.
Lea laughed. "At least you can pick it this time."
"And not until you're well," Isa added. "Take your time recovering."
"...I'll try."
Lea patted his shoulder. "We gotta go. Just wanted to check in on you, is all."
"...Thanks."
"Ienzo has our numbers. Give me a call."
Demyx watched them leave. Their faces seemed pleasant until they were in the hallway, and he heard-- “... Xigbar. I knew it couldn’t be that easy.”
Demyx decided not to worry about it, because he was feeling tired again. He lay back down and went to sleep.
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dragonroyaly · 5 years ago
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So, earlier today I was fleshing out some MID AUs that have flitted into my mind the past week, and my memory, for whatever reason, gave Lady Bish and Pierce the exact same horns so I was like ‘Oh! They’re siblings!’ and on further inspection I have been proven wrong but also like,,,
There’s nothing saying just because they have different horns or features they can’t be siblings. Me and one of my sisters look nothing alike at all because y’know, genetics I guess.
I have about eight different ideas in mind here for this situation.
Pierce and Bish just throwing insults at eachother. This is normal. This is what siblings do. Pierce says One thing that vaguely references something stupid Bish did when they were kids and she freezes his arm to a wall and won’t let him out until he apologizes (He didn’t. She just left him there until Asch found him and melted him out. This has happened multiple times)
Bish finds out Pierce has gotten Attached(tm) to Ava and would be really really sad if she died and this was predictable because he’s a loser who does shit like this but Bish is like “Ah damn guess she has to live” and helps them rescue her.
Zex gets yelled at because yes Bish loves him but she loves her brother too and Zex you idiot he’s so obviously in love with her why did you have to go that fucking FAR?!
“Pierce your sister’s cat tried to kill me”
“Yeah he does that”
Rhal and Bish met becuase Bish was going to something important involving Pierce and Rhal was just “Gasp! Pierce who is that she’s so pretty!” “...(Starts planning a murder) that’s my sister also I’m switching over to being Asch’s guard”
Pierce cain-instincting her with a cardboard tube he got from earth. Ava gives her one and then it’s an all-out cardboard tube battle between the Tellus (The last name I gave Pierce, which I guess might apply to Bish too?) siblings.
Rhal, watching Pierce and Bish chase eachother around with cardboard tubes: Asch why don’t we ever do things like that?
Asch, has popcorn: Because I fucking hate you.
Rhal: :( !
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tcmpcral · 4 years ago
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1. FIRST NAME: masha.
2. STRANGE FACT ABOUT YOURSELF: my father’s birthday is the day before mine :v
3. TOP THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU FIND ATTRACTIVE ON A PERSON: i mean, i’m asexual and aromantic but aesthetically i guess i could say the quintessential. roman?? nose for some reason fjfeka; i just like the look of them lies down also certain kinds of genuine smiles get me right in the heart. dark eyes are also very nice. or perhaps i should say like. when someone has dark eyelashes?? i think that’s it. also i’m always reminded of a girl i went to ireland with who had a seriously endearing case of doe eyes, and i’m still not sure if her eyes were just naturally that shape or if she used makeup to get that Look but either way i thought she was extremely pretty the whole time lmao the fact that she was also very sweet and thoughtful didn’t hurt either
4. A FOOD YOU COULD EAT FOREVER AND NOT GET BORED OF: rice and eggs fjjfiea; eggs in general, tbh. possibly also noodles. and dumplings. cheesecake. lotus paste. smoked cheeses hhhh sALMON. sweet potatoes. maybe pears and apples listen i’m sorry i love food, there can’t be Only One
5. A FOOD YOU HATE: hominy fjfkda; cauliflower. uhhhh also tuna casserole blegh. asparagus jfjkf;da oh YEAH I HATE BOLOGNA TOO i can’t. i can’t do it hhhhghg. and yet i love vienna sausages and deviled ham...
6. GUILTY PLEASURE: whispers taking the long way home so i can spend more time listening to the radio and singing along with it probably lmao
7. WHAT DO YOU SLEEP IN: whatever i wore the previous day fjfjiea; I’M SLOPPY
8. SERIOUS RELATIONSHIPS OR FLINGS: technically neither, but i guess i’d take flings over the other
9. IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN THE PAST AND CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WOULD YOU AND WHAT WOULD IT BE: lies down i do kinda wish i hadn’t dropped out of high school. on that front, it’s worked out in the end, but. still. it would have been nice to have kept up with my friends orz on a different front, i’m conflicted about it, but. sometimes i wonder how much better my life might be today if i’d gone straight for nursing instead of getting an art degree ._.
10. ARE YOU AN AFFECTIONATE PERSON: i. think i can be
11. A MOVIE YOU COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN: yeah it’s still the kung fu panda trilogy lmao. but also tokyo godfathers, shutter island aaand. idk jurassic park? tremors? a good chunk of the x-men movies bc i’m not very picky with them and there’s things i like about most of them?? thinking emoji oH there’s also that movie push from 2009. the one with chris evans :v
12. FAVORITE BOOK: a little princess, war of the worlds, uhhh on the beach, house of stairs, the secret garden. i was once weirdly attached to this book i read in jr. high called where the lilies bloom. i also loved heidi uhhh. see, there were all these obscure books i read in late elementary school and jr. high that i loved that i often have trouble recalling rip. like there was one called eva, and another called home before dark. one named belle prater’s boy. the crystal garden. sweet sassy tree hhhh almost anything written by robert cormier ahaaa
13. YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO KEEP ANY ANIMAL AS A PET, WHAT DO YOU CHOOSE: i’m honestly very happy keeping dogs as pets, but i’ve always wanted to. like. idk, maybe pet a wolf or a fox or other wild canid. i’d also like to maybe have a cat someday. and parrots and other birds are adorable and i love them, but. oof. they just seem. Intimidating pets. maybe someday i can have ducks or geese again, tho. oh, and. i’ll admit i’ve always been amused at the thought of having a pet goat, bc my grandmother apparently did as a child lmao
14. TOP FIVE FICTIONAL SHIPS [IF YOU ARE AN RP BLOG, YOU CAN USE YOUR OWN SHIPS AS WELL]: oh boy there’s. a Bunch. let me think... i. still have a very big soft spot for germany/italy hhh. uh. i hope the rest of them don’t have to be canon bc..... yeah. anyway still attached to beerus and whis... wheezes and both euroshipping (kaiba/bakura) and what’s apparently called stormshipping now (fubuki/manjoume). and ok i have to go with another hetalia one bc i’m such a sucker for france/russia lies down i was also once a big lex/zex shipper, and i still have a soft spot for. what it once was. not entirely too comfortable actually shipping it now since i haven’t Kept Up with kh and i’m not 100% on zexion/ienzo’s age anymore squints
15. PIE OR CAKE: ....whichever one cheesecake falls under :v
16. FAVORITE SCENT: ohghfjfkda there’s A BUNCH. aloe vera, bleach, lysol, sweet pea, tea, tires, sawdust, cucumbers and melons, ginger, beer
17. CELEBRITY CRUSH: yeahh, i still don’t really have one but. i do have a lot of affection for weird al lmao
18. IF YOU COULD TRAVEL ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD YOU GO: whispers i would love to go to russia some day, but i think everyone knows that lmao. i’d also love to revisit ireland, especially killarney and blarney castle. and i’d love to revisit sorrento. and possibly italy in general tbh aaaa. i’ve also always kinda wanted to visit china 6_6
19. INTROVERT OR EXTROVERT: pretty sure i’m an introvert, but i also happen to be one who really loves crowds
20. DO YOU SCARE EASILY: i’m a. very jumpy person kffja; also certain topics Disturb me way more than others, and ngl i have something close to an Actual phobia of the dark rip
21. IPHONE OR ANDROID: i’ve never had an iphone, so probably android
22. DO YOU PLAY ANY VIDEO GAMES: animal crossing. also tetris when i’m bored. i love puzzle games like poppit and bejeweled lmao i used to play kingdom hearts and super smash brothers, and i miss them both tbh. i also played crisis core, two star fox games, and the world ends with you at some point. and uh. a handful of legend of zelda games when i was a kid. my favorite game is probably majora’s mask :v
23. DREAM JOB: comic book creator orz or some kind of concept artist for animated movies. but. i’ve come to terms with the fact that i’m not really. Good(TM) enough for that, so nowadays i’m much more interested in something more mundane like nursing. as long as it’s night shift, i want it
24. WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH A MILLION DOLLARS: SO MUCH. get my car back in shape, pay off my grandparents’ house probably, go back to school fINALLY, move out lies down there’s so much i could do with that money lmao
25. FICTIONAL CHARACTER YOU HATE: there. aren’t any tbh lies down the most i usually get to is feeling neutral toward a character lmao except i just remembered umbridge exists so she might count
26. FANDOM THAT YOU WERE ONCE A PART OF BUT AREN’T ANY LONGER: not counting the ones i keep coming back to, there’s uhhh. gundam wing, star wars (waaaay back when the phantom menace was first released lmao), digimon, x-men evolution. i was in the MCU fandom for like a month before i lost interest XD;; i might count yugioh and yugioh gx as part of this, but. i’m still kind of invested in those tbh
all of these i’ve just kinda fallen away from thinking emoji i’ve never really had a bad fandom experience, so. you know
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myinnerdemons-inverted · 5 years ago
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Based on the recent ask about Mirage, I decided to do some quick doodles of the Inv!Spirits.
Johnny is probably the most different. Instead of being a black cat with white marks he’s a white cat with black patches. Since he’s a cat and not a spirit from Daemos I tried to make him more realistic.
Zex doesn’t have his scars since he’s been at Inv!Bish’s side, and she’s more of a clumsy dork than an evil witch obsessed with power, so he’s never really had a reason to fight (though we don’t know his backstory. I’m honestly just headcanoning that Zex got most of his scars working for Bish)
Mirage is more of a nightmare than a dream. Inverted purple is green so she kinda looks radioactive. Honestly, I think it looks good.
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zarla-s · 6 years ago
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Hi there! I've been reading all the stuff you've been writing about Star Control 2, and I love it! I've only just discovered my love for sci-fi, and your writings only feed my growing excitement for the genre! If you're still doing these, what do you know about the Spathi? They seem so chaotic and eclectic from an outside point of view!
BACK TO THESE TL;DR POSTS AGAIN (By the way you can play Starcon2 for free!)
I LOVE the Spathi. They’re one of the first races you meet and one that tends to leave an impression on the average player. Their ships being very useful also helps, haha.
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The Spathi are one of the few races where you get to really know an individual of that race (with ZEX and Talana of the Syreen the others) to give you more insight into Spathi culture. Their theme song is rather goofy and cartoonish, and remixes of it reflect that kind of frenetic energy.
Anyway, the Spathi describe themselves as “meta-mollusks” and talk about having a shell casing, though I’ve seen a lot of different interpretations of what exactly that shell might look like. They have children (encrustlings) in huge clutches of thousands and have a singular muscular foot that’s been specially designed for running away. The Spathi are, generally speaking, cowards who avoid confrontation if at all possible. This makes sense because apparently Spathi are delicious and everything on their homeworld loves eating them. This is reflected in their general attitude that either everyone is going to kill and eat them, or that everyone else is going to get killed and eaten by something else that they just haven’t seen yet.
Spathi are fearful and a bit fatalistic and they always assume the worst of any situation. At the same time, they’re pretty clever, rather sarcastic, and also at times very realistic… they have no illusions about global peace or other people’s motivations and won’t fall for pretty words. They always assume people are just out for number one, and to be honest, a lot of the time they’re right, so you can’t say their paranoia is entirely misplaced. Their fondest wishes and dreams all revolve around places of absolute safety, security, and comfort. They’re nonspecifically religious, in the sense that they have a traditional Spathi prayer they recite when they wake up - “Oh God…Please don’t let me die today! Tomorrow would be so much better!”
Spathi are quick thinkers and will do anything they can to get out of what they see as a dangerous situation. They’re willing to lie, boast, flatter, threaten, tell stories… anything! They never, ever want to actually attack anyone and prefer running away from (and in) combat at all times. The Spathi are famously easy to tweak, and as such certain more mischevious races (the Umgah, particularly) love playing cruel pranks on them that exploit their fears.
The Spathi are also part of the Ur-Quan Hierarchy as battle thralls. How did this happen when combat is the last thing any Spathi ever wants to do? Well, an Umgah was involved. When the Ur-Quan gave the Spathi the option of being slaveshielded forever under an impenetrable force field or becoming battle slaves, of course the Spathi wanted the shield. They’d practically been dreaming of something like that to protect them from the monsters in the galaxy! However, the messenger who was supposed to tell the Ur-Quan their choice was an Umgah, and lo and behold, SOMEhow that Umgah told the Ur-Quan that the Spathi wanted to be battle slaves instead. By the time the Spathi found out it was too late, and they’ve been absolutely miserable serving the Ur-Quan ever since. They deliberately tried to pull out of every conflict and avoid fighting to the point where the Ur-Quan specifically came and told them to cut it out or they’d be destroyed, so they’ve glumly and as half-heartedly as possible gone about their duties since then.
The Spathi fought the Humans in the first War, and after it was won and the humans were slaveshielded on Earth, the Ur-Quan appointed a group of Ilwrath and a group of Spathi to stay on the Moon and make sure that the humans didn’t get up to anything. So they stayed for a while, until the Ilwrath got bored and wanted to torture something and left, telling the Spathi they’d do fine without them. Over time, gradually the Spathi got more and more nervous about the Earthlings trying something, so they began scooting further and further away from Earth, eventually ending up on Pluto. Then some Spathi wanted to go home, just one, and before you know it… the only Spathi left on the only Spathi Ship on Pluto is Fwiffo, who drew the short stick. He is profoundly miserable and afraid when you find him, since he’s all alone, and he’s one of your first allies in the game. I always make sure to protect Fwiffo after he joins me, haha. All he really wants is to be safe somewhere!
The Spathi are very well-spoken and have a really sharp sense of humor. Their dialogue is some of my favorite in the game, haha. They do have trouble pronouncing Human, usually calling us Hunams, though they could just be messing with you on purpose.
Captain: Because I am compassionate, you will not die until you have exhausted your usefulness.Fwiffo: My eternal gratitude is yours, oh devastator of helpless beings.It’s times like these that I am forced to feel almost, though not quite, sorrythat the Ur-Quan so thoroughly defeated and humiliated your species.
Captain: I find myself moved by your deep commitment to your rituals and ancestral ways. You may live.Fwiffo: That settles it, for now I am certain that you are an honest and friendly beingwho is forced entirely through unfortunate circumstance - the unreasonable hostility of the Universeto travel the galaxy in a ship which, according to my sensorsis best suited for conducting planetary-scale genocide.
Captain: Who or what is this ‘Ultimate Evil’?Fwiffo: As yet, the Ultimate Evil remains largely unmanifest, and its powers and exact intentions are still a bit obscuresince it lurks just outside the range of even the most sensitive, long-range detectorswhich we feel gives conclusive evidence as to The Ultimate Evil’s nefarious intent.
Captain: The galaxy teems with threatening monsters. Are you happy here – alone and vulnerable?Fwiffo: How true, Captain, how true!In truth, just between us, during the past seven years, I have been quite ill at easeyet now I find myself enjoying your company, this witty dialogand the presence of your huge, powerful, death-dealing starship which being my friendyou would certainly feel compelled to use in order to save me from any hostile lifeformswho threatened me with death.
Captain: Spathi - though we are not on the best of terms, would you please give me some information?Spathi: Gladly, and here it is - now listen carefully for I will only say it once.Do not ask favors of people you routinely ambush and murder.
Captain: We are on a peaceful mission through the Cosmos.Spathi: Two aspects of your last statement defy the course of nature as I know it.First`Peace’ as you call it, is an illusion.If you have `Peace’, you simply haven’t yet seen the thing that’s trying to kill you.SecondPeaceful missions through the Cosmos rarely require weapons large enough to punch holes through a small moon.
Captain: Are you prepared to die today, Spathi?Spathi: We Spathi are always prepared to die, we know just what to do.It goes something like thisAIEEEE! No! Please be merciful! Not my claw! Please, no! I beg of you! The Pain! NO!
Captain: But what do you really want out of this great mystery called `Life’?Spathi: I want to live forever, with no pain whatsoever, owning vast personal property plus a company of nubiles.If this is in your power to give, I beg of you to do so.
When you meet up with the Spathi on their homeworld, you find out they aren’t actually on their homeworld… they’re on the moon, because SOMEone (probably the Umgah) transplanted a race of murderous beasts they call the Evil Onesonto their planet  who massacred all of them until they fled to the moon. There you can meet the Spathi High Council! Also known by the very Spathi name “the Safe Ones”.
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Captain: We have Fwiffo on board. He can vouch for our good intentions!Safe Ones: If you held a weapon to Fwiffo’s head, he would say anything you wanted him to say.In fact, if you held a vegetable to his headhe would probably say anything you wanted him to say.
Captain: Okay, to prove our bravery we will perform this test without even knowing what it is!Safe Ones: Your behavior makes clear the very slight distinction between braveryand suicidal stupidity.
Safe Ones: Developments?! What developments!? Whatever are you talking about, Captain?Are you implying we are up to something – that we have some kind of secret plan!?How wrong you are, Captain! Our feelings are injured by your unwarranted accusation.Apologies would be appropriate at this time
The Safe Ones are very done with everything, haha.
Their ship as mentioned is also great. The Spathi Eluder is a weird looking little collection of bright balls on sticks (So the enemy can’t tell which ball is the crew quarters) and it’s fast and maneuverable. As you may guess, its primary purpose is running away from things, and it’s very good at it! There’s a super weak front facing gun, which is mostly useless, but the real thing you use in a Spathi battle is a BUTT missile… or a Backwards Utilizing Tracking Torpedo. BUTT missiles fire from behind a Spathi ship and automatically lock onto anything following the ship, so playing a Spathi ship effectively requires luring enemies into following you, darting in and dropping a few missiles, a lot of crafty maneuvering… Spathi can make mincemeat of a lot of slower ships that can’t turn well, but there are certain ships that completely wall them too. Even so, when you get Spathi ships, I recommend stocking up on a few of them. They’re always useful.
One last bit of fun trivia: the Spathi describe the VUX as “the vain VUX, commanded by the brilliant and eccentric admiral ZEX”which is yet another weirdly positive reference to ZEX, but it also confirms that pretty much everyone seems to treat ZEX with more respect than his own species.
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