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kentuckywrites · 4 years ago

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His Body, The Canvas

Pongo has gone missing, and @shunkuroichii ‘s Shun, @pish-posh-mish-mosh ‘s Mira, and @shymindmeta ‘s Sy’Chell grow concerned about his whereabouts. As fate would have it, Pongo went to face a dragon, and the results were unexpected...

A rewrite of Like A Canvas, a fic I wrote a little over three years ago.

Cauldros was an unforgiving terrain, the skies and the land full of ash and flame. Today it was raining fire, brimstone crashing down onto the molten floor. It’d be foolish to come on a day like this, but Pongo flew his Skell into the continent with no second thoughts. It was perfect weather to face the creature that had hurt his friend.

Sy’Chell had almost brushed over the topic. Pongo had been curious as to whether or not Sy could see once, what had caused him to end up in this state. Sy opened up, told him that this was not by choice, that a creature born of the ashes of Cauldros had taken his sight. Pongo knew exactly which indigen he’d been referring to. He knew where to find it, what prior conditions it needed to appear. He knew its name, how it would not be so easily killed.

Vortice, the Deific Blast. A Class 94 Tyrant, one of the most powerful indigens on Mira, and certainly one of the deadliest in Cauldros. Pongo hid his intent to kill it in conversation, though beneath the skin his blood boiled with rage. The planet was aware of his anger, and any attempts it made to calm him ended in silence. He’d packed his things, refueled Eros, stacked as many Piscinoid augments as he could fit into it, and took off without informing anyone. Pongo could use excuses, if anyone questioned him. He’d grown better at lying after all this time.

Pongo’s target became visible on the horizon as Eros flew ever closer to Mount M’Gando. Pongo clutched the controls of his beloved Skell tightly, his knuckles turning white. Taking down a tyrant solo was nearly unheard of in BLADE, with only the most experienced able to claim that distinction for themselves. Had those BLADEs fought with a similar vengeance? Had it burned in their cores to the point of overflowing? Pongo tried to steady his breaths as his thoughts began to eat away at him from the inside. He wasn’t going to turn back now, not when avenging Sy was on the line.

Vortice roared, circling the top of Mount M’Gando and soaking in its heat. Pongo pushed Eros forward, forward. He waited until he was in range to fire, and when the first diskbombs deployed from his weapon, he finally let his rage consume him.

Pongo was supposed to babysit Apollo and Asteria. He should’ve arrived an hour ago. But he never came. No texts, no calls, he’d simply disappeared.

Mira could feel from the first minute that something was wrong. He wouldn’t blow something like this off, and it was even more unlike him to not respond to her texts. She curled into herself more as Shun paced in front of her, hands in his pockets. The silence in their barracks was deafening, his footsteps on the cold metal floor hardly registering as sound. She was thankful the kids were both asleep now, but hearing them up and about would’ve been a blessing in that hour of waiting.

“Still nothing?”

Mira shook her head. “No. You?”

“Nothing at all.” Shun removed his hands from his pockets to run his fingers through his hair, still maintaining his rhythmic pacing. “I’m worried. Really worried.”

“I am too. This isn’t like him,” She replied, taking a shaky breath, “I think we should go out there and look for him.”

“Where would we look? We don’t have any clues. And we can’t just leave Apollo and Asteria alone to -”

A growl interrupted Shun’s rambling. Mira’s head turned to Sy, who was sitting on the opposite end of the couch with his arms folded across his chest. It was hard to tell what face he was making underneath his helmet, but when he raised his hands and motioned downwards, it became clear that he was telling Shun to calm down. Shun sighed, stopping in front of the coffee table. Somehow his expression remained blank, but hidden in his eyes was the concern of a protective older brother. Mira stood herself up, leaving her comm device on the couch as she circled the table to approach him. She reached for his hands, taking them within her own and squeezing gently.

“Wherever he is, I bet he’s fine,” She said, partially to convince Shun and partially to convince herself, “He’s strong, remember?”

“But what if something happened?” Shun responded frantically, “What if he got launched into Mount M’Gando? What if he was captured by the Ganglion and is being held hostage? What if he lost his legs to an Ictus? What if -”

“Shun.”

Mira cut him short by squeezing his hands again, and his fingers instinctively curled into hers. Shun’s words hadn’t failed to embed themselves into her brain, raise worries that she hadn’t thought possible. Pongo was strong, that she knew for certain, but he had a tendency to exceed his own limitations.

When Shun didn’t answer immediately, Mira decided to take the reigns, asking some calm yet possibly informative questions. “When was the last time we saw him? What was the last mission he took? Maybe he’s running late on a big expedition.”

“Yesterday,” Shun shook his head, “He was leaving out of the east gate. Didn’t get to talk to him since I was wrapping up a mission with Eleanora.”

“Pongo babysat the kids on Tuesday,” Mira said, “and that was the last time I saw him. Sy?”

Sy stood up, his Casca reflecting the barracks light. Slowly approaching the two, he pulled out his comm device and began to type furiously. Mira waited patiently until he flipped the screen around, showing what he’d written out.

I saw him on Tuesday as well. We were talking over dinner after we ran into each other in the commercial district. In conversation I told Pongo how I was blinded, and afterwards he wasn’t acting the same.

Shun squinted, reading alongside Mira. His hands became tense after he finished and he quickly looked away. Mira frowned, confused. “Sy, if you don’t mind me asking...do you know why Pongo would’ve reacted the way he did?”

Sy nodded and returned his focus to his comm device, typing out something new. When he directed the screen towards them again, Mira’s blood went cold.

I could be wrong, but...perhaps he meant to avenge my loss of sight by defeating the very creature that took it: Vortice, the Deific Blast.

“No. No.”

Shun practically ripped his hands out of Mira’s, heading for the weapons rack they kept close to the door. He picked up his dual guns, checking the cartridges as he spoke. It would be hardly noticeable to the average ear, but Mira could pick out how his voice quivered. “I bet he didn’t bring backup. He never brings backup. Did he even tell anyone where he was going? Damn it, what if we get there and it’s too late, what if -”

“Shun!” Mira called his name again, and he went silent, staring at her, waiting. To her left, Sy reached for her upper arm, holding up his comm device with a new message displayed on its screen.

Go with him to Cauldros. I’ll stay here and watch the kids.

Mira knew better than to argue. Shun would want her to come - the more the merrier, after all - and the kids would both understand why they left. She could see it now, the future memory of her sitting with Asteria as she painted upon a new canvas with her little fingers, asking about what dangerous missions she’d gone on and how many people she’d saved. Mira would tell the story about how she and Shun saved Pongo from a dragon, a prince in distress, and Asteria would begin to absentmindedly paint the scene as best she could, eyes wide with wonder. She’d nail the volcano, the three little figures of her family, the Deific Blast floating overhead casting its fire upon them. Would she be the knight this time, or would Shun? Who would hold the shield that protected Pongo, and who would wield the sword to slay the mighty beast?

Mira took two steps forward, about to trail Shun and grab her weapons, when the front door clicked.

It swung towards them silently, revealing a figure standing in the doorway, shoulders slumped and knees shaking. One arm was using the doorframe as support, though its lack of purchase did almost nothing to stabilize him. His hair was frizzy, unkempt, sticking up in strange directions in a chaos similar to Shun’s. His clothes were torn, some parts of his vest hanging on by mere threads. Mira grew increasingly concerned as the figure entered, and she realized he wasn’t wearing shoes, though a pair of worn down socks still covered his feet. That and his fingers were what grabbed her attention the most. It was hard to see, almost unnoticeable since he was wearing fingerless gloves, but under the shredded fabric were lines of blues and purples and reds and yellows, cascading frequently and without remorse. When he picked his head up, the lines became more apparent, strokes of paint that were eerily beautiful, the roots of a tree that had seen hell and survived. Somehow he was able to smile, though it was clear the action was painful to hold.

Shun reacted first.

“You fucking idiot.”

He put his dual guns down quickly before running up and taking Pongo in for a tight hug. Mira winced as she heard Pongo audibly cry out in pain, and Shun stepped back quickly, his hands hovering near Pongo’s shoulders as he scanned him over. Mira soon joined him, noticing that the brush strokes extended down his neck and into his torso. It would make sense if the markings on his fingers pushed further beyond as well.

“We’re happy you’re back in one piece,” She started, “But you look really hurt. Do you mind taking your vest off so I can bandage you up?”

“No, wait, we should get him to the MMC,” Shun protested, “It looks worse than meets the eye. I’m not even sure why you came here first -”

Pongo didn’t appear to be listening to him, though he turned to Mira and began to shrug off what little of his combat vest remained. With the longer sleeves disposed of, Mira could see his arms were coated in the markings, and they visibly went into his chest. Pongo, however, made no move to take off the tank top that he wore underneath his vest.

“Please, Pongo,” Mira reached out and put as gentle a hand as she could on his shoulder. But even the tiniest amount of contact made him shudder. As Shun reached down and collected what Pongo had removed, Mira began to usher Pongo further into the room, further into the light. He let her guide him, putting up little resistance. Even without showcasing his body, the canvas decorated in failed duty, it would have been obvious to Mira that he was wounded. There was something beneath the surface, more roots penetrating below the skin, that was sapping his strength.

In the common area, Sy made a small noise, likely one of worry. But Mira focused on keeping Pongo steady, and she moved to his backside and began to unzip the back of his tank top. Her hands were slow and steady, but her breaths shook as every new stroke of paint was revealed. She had been right; these scars extended onto his torso, but they seemed to pass down below his belt, too. There was no part of his skin untouched by the paint.

It was horrifying. It was painful to look at, painful to imagine the circumstances.

“Holy shit…” Shun placed Pongo’s tattered vest and gloves on the couch, able to see Pongo’s front half, the damage he’d been hiding. Mira helped Pongo slip out of the tank top and tossed it into the pile Shun had made. His chest was just as bad as his back, if not worse. A tear formed in the corner of Mira’s eye, and though she tried to hide the reason she was wiping her eye, Pongo caught on.

“I am alright, I promise...just a few bruises. I have faced worse.”

“A few bruises? A few?!” Shun was holding back as much as he could, but every ounce of anger and concern and frustration was leaking through his veyes. “You’re really hurt, Pongo. How can’t you see that?!”

Sy growled loudly, throwing his shoulders back as he added on to what Shun had said. Pongo’s eyes went wide, his smile fading. “Did you really expect me to sit back and not do anything about it?! You did not deserve what happened to you - I can and will take more hits than this to see your revenge carried out.”

Another set of growls, and Pongo began to cry, tears staining his purple and red cheeks. “You do not understand!! I fought to avenge you because I care about you!!” His chest heaved and he took a deep breath, hands shaking at his sides. “But in the end, I...it got away, neither of us died, and I failed you Sy’Chell I am so sorry I failed you -”

“Be quiet.” Shun told Pongo sternly, “None of that matters right now. You need rest.”

Mira opened her mouth, ready to agree, but Pongo cried out, “I will not rest until that fucking monster pays for what it did!!”

The force of his own voice, a vigor that did not match his physical state, caused Pongo to yelp in pain. Mira knew that all previous attempts at contact led to pain, and yet she knew Pongo thrived off of physical touch. She took one of his hands in both her own, caressing the skin beneath as softly as possible. She could swear she felt his blood tingling, occasional pulses pushing through, the faintest remnants of static electricity radiating off of his fingertips.

“Honey, do you think you can get the guest bedroom set up?” Mira looked over her shoulder as she began to lead Pongo away, “I’m taking him to the bathroom to get him patched up as best I can.”

Shun nodded, effortlessly walking past Pongo and Mira to get the bedroom organized. Pongo said nothing to retaliate, resigned to his pain, resigned to his weakness. Approaching the hallway towards the bathroom and bedrooms, Mira gave Sy one last sympathetic glance before turning back to Pongo.

That glance was all it took for Pongo to speak to the kids first.

“Good morning, you two!” Pongo chirped, his voice cracking by the end.

Apollo and Asteria hadn’t fully left their bedroom yet, their tiny heads peeking out of the doorframe. Wide eyes and innocent curiosity were given the image of a broken prince, one who had faced a dragon with a sword and shield and came home defeated. They were too young to know the truth - she promised herself that should they ask, Pongo defeated the dragon, he saved the day. It was his determination and resilience alone, a lone fighter in an impossible battle.

“You should get back to sleep, you two,” Mira told them, and they almost listened. But the door stayed propped open as Pongo called out, still attempting to carry the painful burden of a smile.

“Right. I can tell you about these when you get your rest, okay? Sleep is important, especially for you.”

“But Uncle Pon, you don’t sleep at all,” Apollo commented, and Pongo giggled at that.

“The villains never sleep and the heroes never rest, as the saying goes.”

Turning to Asteria, the young and kind and creative little girl Mira loved with all her heart, Pongo offered one last smile.

“I am sorry I was late; maybe we can paint tomorrow?”

#xenoblade x #His Body The Canvas: Short Story #Shun #Mira #sy'chell #THIS WAS SO SATISFYING.....#I amped up the Big Bro Shun a little bit because let's face it #if my little bro walked in covered in lightning scars I'd be a Bit Upset

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jace-the-writer-guy · 4 years ago

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M.I.A. Part Two

"My name... is Cameron Roberts. I am a Ghost operative under the orders of Commander Riley Black," Viper, or rather Cameron, said to Auron and Shyla as she sat on one of the two couches in the Karmine family living room. Cameron had taken her gear off and was left in her pants and a sports bra, which revealed her toned and fit body along with a few viking tattoos she had on her forearms, her right hand, and her back, "In... my own world, I was on an operation to take down a private military company called Sentinel that took a company called Skell Tech hostage and forced them to create weapons and drones. After the threat of the T-800 Terminators on Auroa was neutralized with the help of another Ghost and a person from the future that warned us of them, I was ordered to investigate and destroy the portal technology that Skell was being forced to experiment on. I activated the self destruct sequence, and the portal turned on and sucked me into it. The next thing I knew... I was in the forest where you found me."

"That ain't the weirdest thing I've heard for someone from earth showin' up here. You ain't a monster hunter like the others were on their earth." Auron remarked, leaning back in the cushions of the couch.

Cameron blinked a few times. "If this is all real, then... What exactly is this world?"

Auron and Shyla both spent the next hour or so explaining to Cameron about the new world she had found herself in. They explained all the kingdoms and continents to her, along with the faunus race. And Auron had of course told her of the creatures of Grimm and told her about each type of Grimm that had been discovered, including the Beowulves that he saved her from. He also told her that they were at his home in Anima, south of the Kingdom of Mistral.

Safe to say, it was a lot to take in for Cameron and it left her just sitting in silence for several moments. Her arm had been bandaged up on the way to the house. She just didn't know what to say, let alone think. She was just suddenly thrust into a world so foreign and so much more deadly than her own. Even past the constant worry of terrorism or even war of her home, this world called Remnant and it's inhabitants were dealing with far worse with the constant battles against those monsters all over the world in a huge struggle for survival, and the Grimm were unrelenting.

Cameron began to hold her head in her hands, her elbows on her knees. "I know it's a lot to take in, but it's real," Auron said softly to her, "We'll offer our home to ya to stay in until you feel like you're ready to live in this world."

"I... a-appreciate it," Cameron replied shakily, "Where's your bathroom?"

Shyla stood up from the couch, leaving Dusk to lay next to Auron, and put her hand on Cameron's shoulder. "I'll lead you to it. I wouldn't mind taking a look at your guns if you're okay with that."

"Umm... sure." Came Cameron's quiet reply.

Shyla led Cameron through her home and eventually led her to the bathroom, where Cameron quietly closed the door after thanking Shyla. She turned the light on and went to the sink, then she turned the cold water on. She cupped her hands under the stream of water and closed her eyes, and she splashed it in her face, hoping the cold would wake her up from this dream. She opened her eyes after she did that and saw that she was still in the Karmine home. She let out a sigh before she grabbed a rag and soaked it in water, and then she started to wipe her face paint off, along with the dirt and grime that had accumulated on her face and arms. When she finished with that, she dried off with a towel and she looked at herself in the mirror.

This was real.

Cameron could feel her eyes begin to sting with tears as it completely set in for her. She would possibly never be able to return home, and never see her family or friends ever again. Her tears began to stream down her cheeks as she walked out of the bathroom and through the house, and she walked outside past Auron and Shyla. She sat on the top step and rested her arms on her knees, and she buried her face in them and she just began to sob and cry uncontrollably.

She was a trained soldier that was trained to accept the fact that on any given day, she wouldn't be able to make it home. But that was only for if she was killed in battle. Now she was so far from home and she had no way of ever returning. It was hitting her hard to say the least. Auron and Shyla could hear her cries from where they sat, but they both figured that it was best to let her be alone for right now and let out everything that she could. Her cries lasted for several long, heartbreaking minutes before they eventually softened and Cameron calmed herself down as best she could.

She raised her head up and just leaned against the post next to her. She had no more tears left to shed right now. Her eyes still stung, but Cameron didn't care. She pulled her Desert Eagle from its holster on her hip and held it in both her hands for several moments, and she held the top of the slide against her had with the barrel nowhere near pointed at herself. She closed her eyes and started muttering to herself.

"Odin... I've failed my oath to protect my home. I don't know if I can ever return so if you're listening, give my family the strength to make it through whatever news they get about me. But I'll make a new oath right here. I might not be able to protect the people of my home, but I will still give my life to protect the innocent here in this new world and honor you and my ancestors. I may never see my family again... but I won't let that break my spirit. I will keep fighting and I will do my best to protect the innocent of this world."

Cameron holstered her pistol and looked out over the treetops, and she heard the door open behind her. A second or so later, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get you some new clothes an' you can take a good shower," Auron said to her, "We'll get your aura unlocked sometime in the next couple o' days, an' maybe get you somethin' other than a knife. If you run outta ammo, you're gonna need somethin' bigger to protect yourself. Plus we gotta keep an eye out for what your semblance may be."

Cameron turned and looked at him. "My fucking what?"

"Basically a super power," Auron explained to her, "Mine lets me make metal from dirt."

Cameron let out a short breath and shook her head. "Odin give me strength..."

"You'll have to tell me who that is. But for now, come on. We gotta get you some clothes an' some food."

X x X x X

"Hmmm..." Cameron frowned a bit as she held a sword in her hand. After a week of letting the former Ghost operative grow used to being in the world of Remnant, Auron and Shyla took her out into Mistral so she can find out what type of melee weapon she could go with in case she needed it. She had her combat knife of course, but if those Grimm could be bigger than the Beowulves she had encountered, she could definitely use something a bit bigger for if and when she runs out of ammo in the field with whatever work she takes.

"This one doesn't feel that nice in my hand." Cameron finally said and put the sword back on the wall where she got it from.

"Well, we're seeing what you might want for yourself," Shyla told her, "We aren't going to make you pick one of these to use since they aren't made special for one person."

"You've been through a lot the last week an' wakin' up your aura seemed to take a lot out of ya, so I'll be makin' whatever you think you'd want after you figure it out and give me the details." Auron said as he leaned against the wall nearby.

Cameron lowered her hands to her sides and looked back up to the wall where all the weapons were. If she was going to have a melee weapon, she would definitely like a good sword. And if she was going to have a sword, she wanted one that would be something her ancestors would wield into battle. She never thought she would train to fight with a sword but this new world she found herself in was going to test her strength in more ways than one. She began to clench her fists and continued to look over the weapons with a bit more determination, and then she felt her right hand begin to clench around something. When she looked down, her eyes widened as she was now suddenly clutching the ghostly hilt of a sword. The hilt and crossguard looked very familiar to her.

"I-is this..." She watched the blade begin to form and take an ethereal glow. The sword grew to the size of a bastard sword with just enough room on the hilt for both her hands to hold if needed, "Hǫfuð?"

///A ghostly, ethereal version of this sword///

"Ummm... what?" Shyla asked her curiously.

"Where I'm from, the movies that featured this sword called it Hofund, so you can go with that," Cameron replied and held the sword in the air, "Where did this come from? Was it a gift from Odin?"

Auron began to grin. "Seems to me like you already figured out your semblance. Guess you had some pretty strong feelin's about home. What's that sword supposed to be?"

Cameron gulped a bit and let out a slow breath. "Hǫfuð, or Hofund, is the sword used by Heimdallr to guard the Rainbow Bridge of Asgard in Norse mythology, and my heritage traces far back to the vikings that believed in the Norse gods. It took the form of the sword used in some super hero movies back home, and all my tattoos are tributes to my heritage."

She released her grip on the hilt and the sword began to vanish. "And... you said that's my semblance?"

Auron nodded. "Right. No other way to explain it, unless you wanna go with it bein' a gift from your God. Could be both, who knows."

"Well, now we know that you won't have to make her a sword," Shyla said playfully, "Now that that's settled, I think we should go get something to eat. Then we can go back home and talk about the ammo Cameron here uses for her guns."

Cameron felt herself filled with new waves of determination and she nodded. "That sounds good to me. Thank you both for everything over the last week. And please, just call me Cammie from now on."

#oc #cameron 'viper' roberts #auron karmine #shyla karmine #dusk the puggle wuggle #ghost recon breakpoint #rwby oc #ghost recon

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imagines4undertale · 5 years ago

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Hello there! I am happy to find another blog for these! Hope you are doing well and staying safe. My ask is for Red, Mutt, and Brass. How would they deal with somebody flirting with their s/o and they are clearly uncomfortable? What would the out come be? Again stay safe and take as much time as possible!

I’m doing pretty good all things considered! I don’t have the time I originally thought I would, but I’m still dedicated to getting this blog rolling! This last week steam rolled me with school work so it took me a little longer than it normally will to reply. So, as this is my first ask these answers are going to be a little longer than they will likely be in the future. I hope you enjoy and tell me what you think!

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[UF!Sans(Red)-]

Red is always very protective of his s/o even if he doesn’t always show it outwardly. It mostly comes from taking care of his brother when he was little, so anytime someone he cares for is in danger or scared he is not going to think twice about stepping in. I’d say that the only time someone would get the chance to make his s/o uncomfortable to this degree without stepping in to scare the guy off would be if they seperated at a store or if they were meeting up somewhere for a date night.

You would be standing on the side of a movie theater with your butt resting on the wall waiting for Red to show up to watch the new thriller that just came out. He’s texting you that he was on his way, but his bro insisted that he put on a clean coat as “HE NEEDED TO SHOW HE WAS AN ACCEPTABLE DATE MATE” and “HE COULDN’T DEFILE THE TERRIBLE PAPYRUS’ IMAGE, BY BEING SUCH A SLOB” and he would be there in a few. Someone taps you on the shoulder, and you look up from your phone to see a guy a few inches taller than you. He tells you that you have nice eyes and that it would be even nicer if you would give him your number. You decline nicely, saying you’re spoken for and are just waiting for your date. His face sours for a moment before he bounces back saying that it’s just a number and it wouldn’t hurt to just give it to him, your boyfriend doesn’t need to know. At this point, your gut is making knots and you feel uncomfortable with how close he’s getting. When he’s practically towering over you, you hastily tell him you’re really not interested in handing your number out to strangers. He looks like he’s about to speak again you see a skeletal hand tightly grip his shoulder.

“hey bud” Red’s voice rumbles out from behind the guy. “my lady friend ‘ere doesn’ seem to like your attention.” You could see the man visibly shutter before he turned around to face Red and smacked his hand off. You can see Red’s face from around the man’s arm. If looks could kill. Red’s eyes were empty and his smile looked tight on his face. “if i were you i’d get lost before i make you.” The man seemed to hesitate for a second before he muttered a small “fine” and shuffled around the corner. Red sighs as he relaxes his posture some and looks at you with his pinpricks returning. “you ok sweetheart?” You tell him you’re ok, just a little shaken. He takes your hands and raises them to give a skelle-kiss. “text me next time something like that happens hun, i’ll be there in an instant, angry brother be damned.”

[SF!Papyrus(Mutt)-]

Mutt lives up to his name. He’s like any good mutt dog, he is loyal to a fault, gentle, kinda lazy, but very protective when it is clear his loved ones are in danger. For the most part, his height and general air keeps people away from you, but if people start talking to you he’ll only step in when you seem to be out of your comfort zone. He knows you can take care of your own safety for the most part, so he doesn’t want you to feel like he thinks you can’t take care of yourself by stepping in too soon.

He’s looking through some different honey mustard at the store and you are halfway down the isle gathering other items on the list. You had offered to go to the store with him and help since his brother insisted Mutt go so he wouldn’t be late for training with Alphys. It wasn’t something he particularly enjoyed since it required him to move, but going with you made it more than okay. Mostly because you did most of the work. He had almost made the choice between his favorite mustards when he noticed you had started up a conversation with another person in the aisle. He had grabbed a particularly high and stubborn box for you on the top shelf and handed it to you. You seemed thankful and turned back to the list to mark it off. The guy took a look up and down your body, stopping in some not so savory spots. Strike one. You turned back to him when you realized he hadn’t walked off after helping you and he continued to talk to you about something. Your face scrunched up and your smile dropped like a rock at something he said. Strike two. Shaking your head, you told him no and pointed to the list in your hand. He reached his hand up to lean on the shelves and hovered down over you a bit. Mutt felt his body tense, he was just waiting for one movement and he would be there to plant this guy through the linoleum floor. He saw your head turn toward him and your sweet eyes just read help. Strike three. Before the guy could blink his arm was in a powerful vice grip. Mutt felt the tool struggle, but pulled him away from you about five feet before lifting him up by his arm to eye level. “look here buddy, i’m not one to go picking bones, but when a lady tells you to lay off you’d better lay t h e f u c k o f f.” Mutt’s voice reverberated off the aisles in an unnatural way like it was echoing of every surface. He dropped the guy flat on his ass, who then proceeded to scramble off and presumably out of the store. Mutt looked back to you only to realize the few people at the ends of the aisle were staring at him warily.

“hey kitty, i think you and i might want to hurry this whole thing up and get out of here.” You continue your shopping at a faster speed with more of Mutt’s help until he lowers his head to your level. “i forgot to ask you back there if you were doing ok. got worried we might get kicked out for that.” You tell him you’re okay, and give him a kiss on the cheek. His bones flare orange for a moment before he smiles and continues down the aisle by your side.

[MF!Sans(Brass)-]

Yeah, Brass isn’t letting anyone you don’t authorize within 5 feet of you unless he knows them. Being in his line of work, he knows that anyone could be a danger to him and the people he loves. If he can’t be with you his brother has to be there, or undyne, or any of the dogs, but never alone in public. So yeah no, this isn’t happening. That being said, if someone within the family tried to flirt with you…

You like to go walk around main street on the weekends to look at the shops and get some fresh air. Normally, Brass will come with you and spoil you with some new dress or a sweet from one of the shops, but today he was called in for a mission. Most of the higher ups of the family had been called in as well so that left you under the care of one of the newer dog recruits. Brass promised you that he would finish up as fast as he could and would make up for it with a nice dinner out that night. You really didn’t mind, you know he works hard despite his lazy label from the rest of the family. What you do mind is the way the new meat was eyeing you. It was common for you to gain attention for being the arm candy of one of the top mafia men of the city, but it didn’t usually land solely on your chest and behind. You had tried to make small talk with him as you did with many of your temporary guards, but most of it came back to your looks or why you were with your skeletal lover when you could get with anyone. Eventually, you just opted for silence instead.

You saw a store you visit regularly and went to push open the door. Quickly, your dog guard pushes in behind you one hand on the door to push and one firmly placed on your rear. It pasted in the blink of an eye, but it had happened nonetheless. You feel the urge to scream at him and run off, but that would call attention to you and leave you without protection till you got home. There had been more than one attempt on your life at this point and as much as you hated this, it was better than the alternative. You bought the things you wanted from the shop and walked back out of the shop, this time making the dog leave first, and told him you wished to head back home. The two of you started on your way back with him about a foot behind you. Everything was fine until you had turned the corner near where you had parked and he pulled you into an alleyway by your wrist. He slammed your back into the wall and pinned you in with his arms on either side of your head.

“What on earth do you think you’re doing!” You yell in his face as you push on his chest to get him off.

“Oh come on, I want a little of what the Boss man is getting. How much is he paying you for your services? I’ll match it and he’ll be none the wiser.” He leaned down with a wolfish grin as he reached down to lift your skirt.

“I am NOT a prostitute!” You swiftly knee him in the balls and shove him away from you. The dog stumbles back clutching his wound. He looks up at you and raises a clawed hand to bring down on you before he is grabbed by the back of his jacket and tossed like a wet rag out of the alley. Brass stands before you now with heaving breaths.

“sorry i’m late toots.” He quips to you before following the dog he just bounced off the concrete. “might wanna to stay there till I finish this up.”

You hear screaming from outside the alley with what sounds like some rushed apologies and a particularly loud crack. Brass walks back into the alley after about 10 minutes with the dog in toe, tail between his legs. He has a particularly large bruise on his eye and is clutching his arm. His apology is long and he ends it with a deep bow to you.

“‘right you mutt, be on your way before i break something else.” Brass flicks his head toward the alley entrance and the dog bolts off with a noticeable limp. Once he’s gone, Brass gives an audible sigh and picks you up bridal style. You attempt to protest, but he insists he take you to the car. “i know you’re not a fan o’ my tactics when it comes to these things love, but i have to make sure they know who’s boss.” He places you gently in the passenger seat of the car before getting in the driver’s site. “now, how’s ‘bout i take us home and we eat in tonight instead? I’ll spoil you n’ everything sugar.” He winks as he starts up the car.

(First answer, and I hope you like it, tell me what you think!)

#undertale imagines #sans au #papyrus au #UF!sans #US!papyrus #MF!sans #sans #Papyrus #First ask!#Longest text post I've ever done #Thank you for the ask!#babybonkaboo

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aboyandhisstarship · 4 years ago

Note

not sure if this will help, but Gwenvid prompt on the video game you played most recently?

been playing Ghost Recon Break point (pretty fun game) so i guess i will go with that

David was dressed in his full gear as the three helicopters flew towards the island in the south pacific, 3 days ago a US Merchant ship was sunk off the coast and since then the island has gone full radio silence. Something that must be worrying enough to send 3 teams to find out what is going on, the choppers were flying over a small town when the pilot said “what the…” the helicopter started thumping and one of David’s team asked “a bird strike?”

Before the pilot could answer the door to the chopper flew open as it tilted, David went sailing out of the chopper as the air craft came sailing down a strange black mist follow it before David closed his eyes thinking he was about to die.

Gwen heard the strange noises, gun shots explosions and a very loud splash, she grabbed a frying pan, and a second later a red head broke the surface of her pool gasping for air, behind him floating was a helmet with night vison googles on the front, he hauled himself out of the pool laying down coughing and checking himself over for Wounds. He clearly did not see Gwen who noted a few notable features, he was camo, had body armor on with 3 major features the center sat the American flag next to that sat a dark patch with red characters on it, in the centre of that patch was O- and below that was the words “O Negative.” And next to and a bit above the flag was a name “Greenwood.”

The red head reached for his leg a pistol appearing in his hand “come out.”

Gwen carefully did and he lowered his pistol groaning “sorry about your pool ma’am.”

Struggling to his feet as Gwen heard the sound of a group of people coming, sentinel if she was willing to bet.

The man heard them as well struggling to his feet “I was never here for your sake.”

Gwen was about to answer when a man emerged surrounded by three guys in masks “nice try Nomad, you always were righteous.”

Gwen was thrown behind the solider as his safety clicked off “Campbell?”

The older man smiled “hello Davey, Or Master Sargent Greenwood if you prefer I call you by your full name.”

David slowly reached for a smoke grenade saying “I heard you were in eastern Europe?”

Campbell smiled “yea I figured when everyone is after you, keeping your head down with a bit of misdirection is always a good idea.”

David said “the cargo ship…what do you know.”

Campbell pursed his lips before throwing a ring of things in front of David, David asked “are those?”

Campbell nodded “dog tags…your mission has failed Davey…everyone is dead…save for you…because I quite like you…you can’t beat my wolves…so why try…give it up and I will let the owner of this house live…Misses Gwendolyn Santos…software engineer at Skell Tech, came here for world 2.0…didn’t work out for you did it?” He said addressing Gwen was hiding.

After a moment Campbell growled “answer!”

Gwen shook her head “ever since sentinel showed up…it has been hell.”

Campbell clapped his heads “you see you lost give it up.”

David glared “you were one of us…and you killed us like we were nothing.”

Campbell clenched his fists “you betrayed me!”

David said “and you killed innocent people….”

Campbell sighed “I see that is your answer…kill him.”

David dropped his smoke grenade, quickly shooting the two wolves before diving out of the view as Campbell tried to return fire he grabbed Gwen quickly dragging her to a car saying “is this your car?”

Gwen asked “what…uhh yea.”

David nodded “great!” he stepped on the gas flying away as Campbell tried in vain to shoot at the fleeing pair. David tried his radio “Nomad to any friendly Unit, requesting status?”

Campbell returned “good thought Nomad, but I got all of them remember?”

David narrowed his eyes “you are a dead man.”

He turned off his radio before throwing the GPS out of the window as Gwen said “uhh where are we going?”

David sighed “Someplace safe until I can figure out what the heck I can do.”

After about 20 minutes David covered the car in branches and dragged Gwen into a cave he sat against the wall he sighed “The wasp is still off the coast…I can get a boat and come back with a whole force of marines.”

Gwen sighed “you can’t…”

David blinked as Gwen explained “there is a network of drones around the island that they have been using as an artificial defense wall…causing what could be…”

David asked “Artificial bird strikes?”

Gwen sighed “I coded them to replace Bees in fields…but yea…”

David smiled programmed them…can you stop them?”

Gwen paused before nodding “I think so?”

David nodded “then get some sleep…tomorrow is a big Day.”

#ask mack a question #Gwenvid #Camp camp david #camp camp Gwen #Camp camp campbell #Ghost Recon Breakpoint

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notalwaysthevillian · 5 years ago

Text

A Different Side of Hogwarts

Warnings: Feeling abandoned, murder threats from an 11 year old, anxiety

Word Count: ~1.6k

Pairings: None (yet)

Masterlist

Chapter 21 | Chapter 23

Chapter 22

The next morning, as the two Hufflepuffs entered the Great Hall, Patton practically skipped over to their table. His bouncy steps stopped as he noticed that Logan was sitting by himself.

“Is Roman sleeping in?” He asked as he sat down across from the Ravenclaw. Virgil fell into the seat on Patton’s right, grabbing some toast.

Logan closed his book. He took a moment to gather his words. “I don’t think Roman will be joining us for some time.”

“What makes you say that?”

Logan gestured toward the Gryffindor table. Amidst a sea of red, Patton spotted Roman, laughing and smiling along with his roommates. He looked the happiest he’d ever been.

“Well, maybe he’s just eating with them. They’re his house, so they’re kinda like his family.”

A quiet sigh left Logan’s mouth. “Patton...how do I put this? He hasn’t eaten with us since before Christmas. He didn’t sit with us on the train ride home or the ride back. I know you want to consider him your friend, but I think he’s moved on from us.”

Even though Logan had been trying to soften the blow, the words stung. Looking over at Roman once more, Patton realized that even though it hurt, it was true.

Roman looked so happy. And isn’t that what really mattered?

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Patton turned. Virgil’s arms were outstretched. As Patton buried his face into Virgil’s shoulder he wrapped his arms around him. Virgil pulled him close, whispering, “You still have me and Logan. We’ll never leave you.”

“Affirmative.”

Snuggled into Virgil’s side, Patton completely missed the angry look Logan and Virgil shared. “Thanks guys. But do you think if I asked, he’d eat with us? Just for tonight?”

“You can try, but the odds are high that he declines.” Logan said, digging a fork into his eggs.

The boys ate in an awkward silence. Virgil tried his best to cheer up Patton, and Logan even gave it a shot with a few puns, but nothing seemed to be able to make their usually positive friend smile.

Patton was quiet all through Transfiguration and opted to write a letter home during their break. By the time they got to Potions that day, he still hadn’t smiled and had only said a few words to Virgil.

Even though his Christmas had been horrible, Virgil opted to push it all aside. He was desperate to talk to Logan about Patton’s situation, but he wasn’t about to abandon his friend. It wasn’t until lunch that he was able to pull the Ravenclaw aside. Patton’s sisters had come over to talk with him, leaving the two of them to discuss the issue.

“I’m going to kill him.”

Logan rolled his eyes. “You can’t kill him.”

Waving his arm, Virgil gestured to Patton. “He’s hardly said anything all day. And I haven’t seen him smile once. I know you can’t be happy all the time, but...Patton’s never like this.”

“As much as I hate to say it, we need to talk to Roman.”

Making sure Patton wasn’t looking, Logan dragged Virgil over to the Gryffindor table. One of Roman’s roommates looked up, his red hair falling into his eyes as he scowled at them. “What do you two want?”

Opening his mouth to respond, Virgil quickly found that his voice had failed him. He took a half step behind Logan, gripping the back of his robe as the boys laughed.

Anger flared through Logan as he felt Virgil trying to sink into himself. “First of all, don’t laugh at my friend. It’s not his fault he has anxiety. Second, I don’t wish to speak to any of you. I simply want to borrow Roman for a moment.”

A heavy sigh left Roman’s mouth as he looked over at them. “Why do you even want to talk to me?”

“It’s about Patton, or have you forgotten his name?”

In the blink of an eye, Roman had detached himself from his friends and jumped over the table. “Come on, we can’t talk here.”

“Why? Afraid we’ll embarrass you in front of your friends?” Logan seethed.

Roman shook his head, gesturing to the Hufflepuff table. “No, it’s because Patton will see us and wonder what’s going on. If you wanna talk about him, we should go somewhere else.”

Managing to find his voice again, Virgil said, “My room is closest.”

“That’ll work.”

Moving quickly, they headed to the empty Hufflepuff common room, passing through it to Virgil’s room. Skellington was rolling around on the floor in some confetti.

“Skell, what are you -” Virgil’s face turned pale in an instant as he saw his name written on an envelope.

In Patton’s handwriting.

When he knelt down, he saw a bag with wrapped gifts for each of them. He slid it out, hearing the other two gasp.

“Guys…”

Roman knelt next to Virgil, grabbing his gift. The wrapping wasn’t the best, but he could almost feel how much love had gone into it. “I screwed up.”

“Yeah, you did.” Virgil grabbed the gift, stuffed it back in the bag, and pushed it back under Patton’s bad. “We need to fix this. I’m assuming neither of you got Patton a Christmas gift?”

The sheepish looks on their faces was enough of an answer.

“We don’t have time to get anything, but Patton likes things made with love. If we make a card -”

The door opened and Patton walked in. His face visibly brightened when he saw the three of them. “Roman! I thought you were busy.”

“I, uh...I was. But I’m not anymore.”

Patton clapped his hands together, his smile wide. “Well, since you’re all here! Virgil...you can probably see it from there, but can you grab the bag under my bed?”

Virgil did as he was asked, handing the bag to Patton. Patton opened it up and started handing out the gifts. “This one’s for Virgil, this is Roman’s, and this one is for you Logan!”

“Do you have an order you’d like us to open them?” Logan asked, shooting a look at Roman, who was already trying to rip the paper off of his.

Patton shook his head. “Nope! Why don’t you all open them at the same time?”

“Very well. Three.”

“Two.”

“One!” Roman shouted, tearing the paper off. He gasped as he stared down at a journal. The cover was a gorgeous red, turning gold as he ran his fingers along the spine.

“It’s a magic journal!” Patton explained, bouncing on his toes. “My dad helped me enchant it to change into Gryffindor colors! Whenever you write in it, it’ll put the date at the top in case you forget! And it’ll make an index too!”

Guilt raged through Roman as he hugged the thoughtful gift to his chest. “Thank you.”

“And Virge, I tried to knit you gloves.” Patton looked at the floor. “They didn’t turn out the best, but -”

“They’re perfect.” Virgil interrupted, sliding them on. The purple clashed with the yellow of his house, but he didn’t care. Patton had noticed his favorite color. A yelp left his mouth when they tightened to the perfect pressure. “How did you -”

“My mom helped with those.” Patton turned to Logan, who was staring at a chocolate frog card.

“Is this…”

“Phillipus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim.” The name rolled off of Patton’s tongue with practiced ease.

A rare smile spread across Logan’s face. “How did you get this? These are so rare.”

Cheeks turning pink, Patton rubbed the back of his neck. “I, um...I bought a lot of chocolate frogs. And I asked my dad to bring me back up here so I could get more. That card was in the second to last one that I opened.”

“Who is Phillipus...uh…” Roman waved a hand. “You know.”

“He is better known as Paracelsus.” Logan stood up straighter, fixing his tie. “Not much is known about his private life, which I believe is smart of him. He was a genius physician and his theories challenged a lot of thoughts in medieval times. Some people think he even discovered Parseltongue.”

Roman blinked. “What’s Parseltongue?”

“Snake language.” Virgil said before Logan could delve into a long explanation. “I’m shocked Devin can’t speak it.”

“Do you guys like your presents?” Patton asked, looking at each of them. “If you don’t like them I can -”

“Patton, this gift...it’s amazing.” Logan hesitated for a moment before opening his arms.

Patton darted into the hug, a huge grin on his face. “I’m so glad you like it!”

The three of them exchanged a look over Patton’s head, silently agreeing that they needed to do something for the bubbly Hufflepuff.

“Apologies, but we need a little more time to finish your gift.” Logan said, practically hearing the other two’s eyes snap to him.

Patton pulled out of his arms, giving him a genuine look of concern. “You didn’t need to get me anything.”

“We really did.” Virgil chimed in. “But we can’t give it to you until after dinner.”

“Okay!”

“I’ve gotta go,” Roman said, wincing as he received twin glares from Logan and Virgil. “But I’ll see you guys in Astronomy. And I’ll meet you guys after dinner. So we can give Patton the best Christmas gift ever.”

Patton giggled before grabbing his bag. “Speaking of Astronomy, Virge, did you wanna read ahead? Logan, you can stay if you want.”

“I should be going as well. But I will meet you back here after dinner as well.” Logan nearly shoved Roman out the door. “See you later.”

“Bye!”

#anxiety #adsoh #a different side of hogwarts #sanders sides #sanders sides fic #sanders sides hogwarts au #sanders sides au #logan sanders #patton sanders #roman sanders #virgil sanders

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magicmanias · 6 years ago

Text

A Night To Remember

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Summary: One night. One magical, thrilling, romantic night. She promised him one night to remember—but nothing more. No commitments, no strings attached, no names are given; just a night of excitement and adventure. But what will Loki do when he can’t stop thinking about that girl he had a midnight adventure with?

Post The Avengers

Warnings: Fluff, Angst

Word Count: 2.4k

A/N: God, I love Loki...

Also, eventually, there’s a link to a song in this, and I tried to find a piano version, but they were all... kind of crappy, so I just put the original song in.

Being stranded on Midgard, stuck on the Avengers wasn’t the most glamorous thing Loki had experienced. In fact, not only did he have to live in that meagre palace in a small, plain room, he had to go on what the Captain called “missions.”

So now, here he was, back in Germany, with the rest of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Except for this time, working with them. Their mission was to blend in with guests at a masquerade gala and gather intel about an illegal weapons sale.

“Ok Avengers, let’s get this done, so we can go home and celebrate,” Tony said, tying his bowtie. As he slipped on his mask, he said, “God, it sucks we gotta wear these things. People love my face.”

Everyone rolled their eyes. The masks were actually quite convenient as Stark was well... internationally famous and people were beginning to recognize several members of the Avengers as well.

“Everyone ready? We’re here,” Natasha said as she landed the Quinjet. They slipped on their masks and entered the gala. Loki placed his scarf around his neck and his mask on his face.

The team spread out and assumed their own roles. Loki, however, grabbed a drink and decided to explore the building and if he could get away with it, cause a little chaos.

Eventually, he made his way to a hallway behind the stairs. There were several rooms along it. As he wandered down, he heard something. It was soft and sweet. Music. From a piano in one of the rooms. The door was cracked open. Loki was curious and decided to peek inside to see who was playing.

There was a woman playing the piano and singing. She looked like he was a guest from the gala. She wore an emerald ball gown and with a matching mask with dark green lace. Her hair was pinned up in an updo with pearls. Her cheeks her rosy and were lips were painted ruby red. Her Y/E/C eyes were sparkling behind her mask. And her voice was just as sweet as her.

“We’ll meet again.

Don’t know where;

don’t know when.

But I know we’ll meet again

some sunny day...”

“I hope I’m not intruding, Miss,” Loki walked into the room and closed the door behind him.

You jumped from the seat in surprise and slightly in embarrassment. You turned to see a man with a mask on. Just another guest at this God awful party, you thought.

“Well, you are,” you responded. “But I don’t mind.”

The man laughed, “What brings you away from the fun?”

“I wouldn’t call it fun,” you answered. “Have you tried to converse with the other guests? They’re all so... dull.”

“I actually got out of there as soon as I could,” Loki admitted. Maybe he could have some fun tonight...

“You’re a smart man,” you laughed.

After a moment of silence, Loki asked you, “What’s your name, love?”

Suddenly, an idea lit up in your head. “Are you bored?” An innocent smile laid on your face.

“Always,” Loki smiled mischievously. “Do you have something in mind?”

“One night. You and me. We’ll leave this poor excuse of a fun time and make some magic of our own.”

“And how am I to spend the night with a woman whose name I do not know?”

“That’s the fun part. No names are given. Nothing personal will be exchanged. No commitment, no strings attached—just one night to remember. And that will be it. Just a memory to think about in the future. The memory of the woman you knew for one night in Germany.”

The man chuckled. “When do we start?”

***

You and the man ran out of the gala and took your masks off. “So, we begin by telling each other our names.”

“I thought we weren’t giving names?” Loki asked.

“We aren’t,” you replied. “Not our real names anyway. We’ll give each other fake names—nicknames. Just to call each other something.”

“So what am I to call you, Miss?”

After thinking for a moment you answered, “Hero. From Shakespeare?”

“Alright, Hero. Much Ado About Nothing. So then I suppose you can call me... Claudio.”

“Oh? Very forward assuming the name of her fianceé,” you teased.

“Well, I only have a night. I should make the most of it,” Loki shrugged.

“The fun starts now.” You grabbed Loki’s hand and strolled down the stone-paved street dimly lighted by old street lights.

Eventually, you arrived at an old run-down bar. A sign hung above the door that read, ‘Wähle Dein Gift [Pick Your Poison].’ “I’m afraid I’ve overestimated your company, Hero,” Loki teased.

“You judge too quickly, love. I’m starting to think you can relate to Claudio,” you quipped. Loki raised his hands in surrender before you dragged him into the bar.

You sat down on a bar stool and faced “Claudio.” “This place happens to have the best whiskey in all of Germany.” You then directed your focus to the bartender. “Bitte zwei Whiskys [Two whiskeys, please].”

“You speak German?” Loki asked you.

“Genug [Enough],” you shrugged, taking a sip of your drink.

“You are full of surprises, Hero.” Loki copied your actions and sipped the whiskey, “You’re right. This is amazing.”

“Well it’s a good thing I can do this,” you smiled wickedly and you reached over the counter. You grabbed a bottle of the whiskey and hid it under your skirt.

“You’re wicked, pet.”

“It’s ok. The owner knows me,” you assured and ran out of the bar.

***

Eventually, the two of you ended up on the beach. You carried your heels in one hand and the bottle of whiskey in the other as you walked along the beach.

“It’s so peaceful here, Claudio.” You hummed along with the crashing waves and spun around in your dress.

“Do you dance, Claudio?”

“I’m afraid it’s been a while since I have, dear Hero,” Loki replied. He thought about the balls his family used to host all those years ago back on Asgard. He looked at you dancing in the sand. You looked ethereal in the ocean moonlight. Your once pinned up hair, now cascading down your shoulders, free and wild.

“Dance with me.” You took hold of his hands and placed one on your hips and kept hold of the other. You placed your spare hand on his shoulder.

“We don’t have music, love,” Loki said softly.

“Sing,” you suggested enthusiastically.

“I don’t sing, my dear,” Loki shook his head. “You have a lovely voice though, Hero.”

“Yes, you’ve heard me sing. It’s your turn,” you looked at him pleadingly. “And if you’re worried about humiliating yourself, it’s ok. I mean, it’s only one night we’ll be together.”

Loki spun you around. “You never did tell me. Why only one night? Well, yes it is exciting, but there’s other exciting things to do. So why this?”

You hesitated before telling him quietly, “Because if I end things before they start, you can’t.” Loki frowned at that. Why would you quit before trying?

“I don’t understand,” Loki murmured.

“You don’t have to,” you purred. “Just sing for me?”

“Fine. But only this once,” Loki caved at the sound of your voice. You leaned closer to him, closing the space between the two of you.

“Drøymde mik ein draum i nótt

um silki ok ærlig pell,

um hægindi svá djupt ok mjott,

um rosemd með engan skell.Ok i drauminom ek leit

sem gegnom ein groman glugg

þá helo feigo mennsko sveit,

hver sjon ol sin eiginn ugg.Talit þeira otta jok

ok leysingar joko enn —

en oft er svar eit þyngra ok,

þó spurning at bera brenn.Ek fekk sofa lika vel,

ek truða þat væri best —

at hvila mik á goðu þel´

ok gløyma svá folki flest´.Friðinn, ef hann finzt, er hvar

ein firrest þann mennska skell,

fær veggja sik um, drøma þar

um silki ok ærlig pell”

You rested your head against the man and closed your eyes, listening to him sing softly into your ear.

Loki dug his nose into your hair, taking in your scent. I wish I could do this every night with you... Loki backed up slightly and used his hand to lift your chin to meet his gaze. He stared into your beautiful eyes. He couldn’t help himself. He leaned in slowly. You were tempted to kiss him and you almost did, but right before you were about to connect lips, you moved your head at the last moment.

“We shouldn’t...” you warned.

“But I—“

“What language was that in?” you asked him, quickly changing the subject.

“Old Norse. My mother used to sing to me when I was little,” he said in a hushed tone. Why didn’t you want to kiss him?

“Oh, are you from Norway?” you asked with sparkling eyes.

“I thought we weren’t revealing things about ourselves, Hero,” Loki mimicked you sarcastically. You giggled and said, “Ok I’ll make a deal with you.”

“I’m listening,” Loki’s interest piqued.

“We’ll play a game. Whoever can throw a stone the farthest, can ask the other anything and they have to answer honestly with detail.”

“Deal. Prepare to spill your secrets, my dear.”

“Don’t get cocky yet, Sweetheart. I have an arm,” you retorted and picked up a stone.

“May the best man win.”

You threw the stone as hard as you could, reaching a solid one hundred feet.

“Impressive,” Loki noted, nodding slowly. “But prepare to lose.”

Loki took his turn, throwing his stone over twice as far as yours. To the point where you couldn’t even see it.

“Wow, you could kill with that arm,” you acknowledged. You began to walk away from the beach and back on the road. “So, what do you ask of me, Claudio?”

You walked along the pier when Loki finally asked, “Do you want to see me after this?”

You didn’t say anything at first. Finally you replied, “We said we weren’t going to see each other after this...”

“My name is Loki,” he blurted out. “Hero, darling, I want to see you after this."

“You weren’t supposed to tell me your name,” you cried. That name sounds familiar.

“I-I know, but... I love you,” Loki confessed. His heart ached at the sight of you and he was determined to keep you in his life.

“Loki, you don’t know me,” you told him. “You don’t know my name, where I live, my baggage...”

“Which means I love you for who you are,” Loki asserted. “You’re beautiful, kind, exciting, adventurous... Please, tell me your name.”

“I—“

“Loki! Where the hell have you been?” Thor roared. “We’ve been looking all over for you!”

“Brother, I was asking this woman for information. She was a guest,” Loki told the man who was apparently Loki’s brother. He was very muscular and carried a hammer.

“Wait,” your eyes widened in shock. “Oh God, you’re Thor. So that means... Loki? You’re the same Loki that attacked New York...”

“Loki, we have to go now. The others are waiting,” Thor urged.

“Just give me a moment. I’ll be right with you,” Loki told Thor. He turned to you.

“Please, just tell me your name...” he pleaded and grasped onto your hands.

“I can’t...” you sputtered. “You wouldn’t be happy with me anyways...”

“Hero, please. I want to see you again. Didn’t you have fun?” Loki sounded desperate. His eyes watered.

“Loki, we have to go now,” Thor said lowly. “I’m sorry.”

“Please,” Loki’s voice cracked. “I love you.” He placed his forehead on yours.

You sighed at the feeling of him being so close to you. “Y/N. My name is Y/N L/N.”

You looked up at the sky to see a jet flying away from Germany. A tear rolled down your face. “Bye, Loki.”

***

[Two Months Later]

Loki had been an absolute wreck ever since he left you in Germany. He missed you so much and he tried his hardest to find you but to no avail. The Avengers only avoided more due to his even worse attitude. He snapped at everyone, was reckless on missions, and locked himself away in his room whenever he could. The Avengers had no clue as to why Loki had a drastic change in behaviour except Thor, who kept quiet about it because he knew Loki wouldn’t want the other to know.

Eventually, the team realized that they needed to cheer Loki up because he wasn’t going to do it on his own.

“We’ve got to do something about frowny face,” Clint said.

“Maybe we can take him out,” Steve suggested.

“What do Gods even like? Orgies?” Stark asked.

“Stark, first of all, no. Just no,” Thor cringed. “And second, Loki likes theatre. Classic stuff mostly.”

“Shakespeare in the park it is!” Stark announced.

***

“I don’t wish to partake in your pathetic Midgardian events, brother,” Loki growled.

“Loki, please. Just have some fun. We’re doing this for you. We want to cheer you up.”

Loki thought for a moment. He did like theatre. And it was a Shakespeare play.

“Which one is it?” Loki asked sharply.

“Much Ado About Something? I don’t know. Something like that,” Thor answered.

“Much Ado About Nothing,” Loki corrected. He thought for a bit, “Fine. I’ll go.”

“Great.”

Loki took his seat and the lights dimmed. The actress playing Hero came onto the stage. Y/N? It’s Y/N!

Loki couldn’t believe his eyes. It was you. He found you. He could hardly focus on the play at all. All he could think about was you. When the play was over, he rushed backstage in search of you.

“Loki?” Loki turned around at the sound of your voice. There you stood in front of him.

“Y/N...”

“Oh my God, you’re here,” you were shocked. “How did you find me?”

“I-I... My brother made me go out,” Loki trailed off. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Why didn’t you come find me? You knew where I’ve been for two months!”

“I-I couldn’t bring myself to go. I missed you so much, but I’m not worthy of being loved by you. You’re a God,” you looked down.

Loki grabbed your face and lifted it and pressed his lips to yours. He kissed you with all the love he’d harboered over the past months he’d been without you.

After breaking off the kiss, he huffed, “Don’t ever leave me again.”

“You left me,” you laughed. “I remember being the one not leaving on the ship.”

“God, I missed you. And you’re more than worthy of my love. I love you more than anything,” Loki smiled against your lips before kissing you again.

“I love you, Loki.”

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kezibun · 6 years ago

Text

Kerfluffle

*Underfell Au. Monsters have been living on the surface for a reasonable amount of time.

This fic is inspired by a school task from years ago. It's written as if your a stray cat being adopted/brought in to a new home. It's a little weird and kind of different but lots of fun to write. Sorry its short.

On one rather miserable stormy day you found yourself a little cardboard box turned on its side to take shelter in.

You stare out through the front of your box. This sucked you were so fed up of this life now, the scavenging in the trash for food only to find nothing worthwhile, living in cold alleyways, being chased by dogs all the time, the cat fights and the stupid rain why did it have to rain so often.

The soggy cardboard roof sagged as you called out to the dark empty street. "Meow!" You called waiting for a response but nobody came, nothing but the thunderous downpour replied.

"Meow!" You called again desperately.

The mental picture of a cozy house filled your mind, you imagined the warmth of a fireplace, your day dream cut short by a sudden splosh of water as the cardboard roof collapsed. Your fur was now drenched and cold.

You were about to call out again when you came to the conclusion it wasn't worth it, why bother anymore, no one ever came. You let out a little sigh as you step out of your waterlogged box.

"Hey there buddy!" A deep voice came from behind. "You feline alright?"

You turn towards the voice, he seems to be a short skeleton with his fluffy hood up. You gaze up at him with your big eyes pleading as you look right into his red eye lights. He leans down towards you.

"Would ya like to come to Meow house little fella." He stretches out his hand.

You make your way towards him cautiously maintaining eye contact, you placed both paws on his skeletal hand which made his sharp teeth curl into a smile. He scopes you up pulling his black jacket over you sheltering you from the storm.

After some walking (well he did all the walking) you hear the click of a lock and the sound of a door opening. The warmth of the house enveloped you.

"SANS IS THAT YOU!?" You hear a voice call from inside the house.

"Ya B-Boss." He replied grabbing two towels from the bathroom, throwing one over his head wrapping you in the other. He gently placed you on the sofa wrapped in the towel.

"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT BEING OUT IN THE STORMY WEATHER! DID YOU WALK?" The other person said as they burst into the living room kicking down the door, the short skeleton called that one 'Boss' thats a strange name you thought.

"Ya Boss, you told me to use my legs more often, so I thought I might give it a try, ya know."

"NO SANS I DON'T KNOW. DO YOU DO THIS ON PURPOSE? I THOUGHT EVEN AN IMBECILE LIKE YOUR SELF HAD MORE SENSE THEN THAT. YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN SICK!"

"Aww Papy you worried about your older brother?"

"C-CERTAINLY NOT. I JUST DON'T WANT TO PLAY NURSE FOR YOU IF YOU GET SICK! THATS ALL. IT WOULD BE A WAST OF THE TERRIBLE PAPYRUS'S TIME!" he exclaimed as he walked futher into the living room stopping as he stared at you, oh so he's called Papyrus?

"SANS WHAT IS THIS?"

"Oh that, it's a cat." Sans stated with a shrug.

"I KNOW WHAT A CAT IS SANS BUT WHY IS IT HERE?"

"Right, well I brought it in."

"SANS I TOLD YOU I DIDN'T WANT ANY MORE CATS WE HAVE DOOMFANGER!"

"Chill Boss I couldn't leave the paw thing in the rain. Pluse it's not your cat its mine!" He claimed picking you up rubbing your head with the towel, you let out a cute purr. "Was that the Purrfect spot?"

"SANS STOP WITH YOUR INFURIATING PUNS!" he shouted.

"I know you find them humerus."

"NYAH YOU BETTER LOOK AFTER THAT CAT SANS!" He walked closer to you both.

You pounced on the tall skeleton, he caught you with ease. You purr well snuggling up to him.

"WHAT?"He froze for a few seconds. "DOOMFANGER IS NOT THIS CUDDLY!"

"Meow!" You purred crawling on to his shoulder.

"I THINK I MAY GROW TO TOLERATE YOUR CAT SANS." He grabbed you holding you up infront of himself "DO NOT WORRY LITTLE ONE FOR THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS WILL MAKE SURE MY LAZY BONES BROTHER WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU!” He shouted before holding you closer. “DO THEY HAVE A NAME YET?"

" no not yet."

"MAYBE WE SHOULD BRAIN STORM SOME IDEAS THEN."

"Na thanks Bro I think I'll find out there name soon enough." He took you from his brother's grasp. What a loud person you thought.

"THEN WHAT WILL YOU CALL THEM IN THE MEANTIME?"

"I'll just give her a pet name or something, right Doll." He looked down at you stroking you with his boney fingers which was surprisingly comforting. "I think I should get her somet'in to eat. Dat sounds good sweetie?"

"WELL I JUST FED DOOMFANGER THE LAST OF THE CAT FOOD!" The loud skeleton put his hands on his hips.

"I WAS GOING TO PICK SOME UP AFTER THE STORM, BUT MAYBE THEY WOULD LIKE SOME OF MY FAMOUS LASAGNE?"

"Sorry Boss but I don't think the cat can eat that."

"DOOMFANGER ATE IT ONCE!"

"Don't worry papyrus I think we have something she can eat." He said walking to the kitchen. He put you on the floor and started rummaging through the cupboards he pulled out a tin of hotdogs. Your tail was swishing from side to side in anticipation as he placed the food in a bowl infront of you.

"Not as good as a hotcat but just trust me its better then Paps lasagne." And then he left.

Your eyes sparkled as you gazed at your food. Finally a proper meal. You dug in eating till your heart was content or well till the bowl was empty at least, and once it was the short skelle Sans was back in the room. He picked you up and sat on the sofa the living room.

You snuggled up basking in the warm glow of the fire as he ran his bone fingers through your fur.

You could get used to this, sure the tall one was loud, very loud and the house smells like another cat lives here but with a roof over your head a warm fire and Sans to give you food and cuddle It's got to be worth it right? Your sweet thoughts, the warm fire and the cuddles lulled you to sleep.

#underfell #underfell sans #uf sans #uf papyrus #undertale #fanfiction #fanfic #cat #catcuddles #adoption #keziha stories

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fearofaherobrine · 6 years ago

Text

Roleplay Server Log #397

"Nether Rescue, Plucked Phoenix, Pineapple Curl”

[Winston] Dispatches of a couple of wither skeletons that had charged them at the top of the fortress-

[Helm] - forcably guides Legion into the fortress halls, which other than Winston, is eerily quiet - There should no one in here, the battle wiped everyone out. Why are they here?

[Winston] - Just because they were wiped out in the past doesn't mean a few wouldn't come back. For awhile this would be the safest place if there were very few here

[Helm] - frowns, remembering their not to distant past - There are far more than any of us liked, the meanest biggest one commands the rest. They control... Or rather attempt to, the other mob's... And not obeying isn't an option. That's why I left when I had a chance.

[Winston] - Don't worry, I will not allow you to be dragged back into all of this

[Helm] I'm more worried they found Sammn.

[Doc] if there's Someone making trouble here I'm happy to take them out. I don't need the headache of organized hostile mobs.

[Winston] - If it comes down to it, the Matter can take command here

[Helm] The only thing preventing that is most of my kin... aren't the brightest. The Skells spent more time coraling them & getting them to listen than working on more elaborate plans.

[Sammn] - drags herself up & starts trying to figure out a way out. It doesn't take long to figure out she's in a small 3x3 sealed space. Putting her head against the warm wall, she struggles to listen for any sounds.

[Doc] Is following her signal and hir boots ring sharply on the nether brick floor. - I don't think involving Cp is necessary.

[Winston] - For now

[Doc] Rounds on him- no, not ever. If i have to rage around here myself to put things in order I will. I'm not having Cp organize an army under my nose and then bitch about how stressed out he is. I hate to pull this card, but I pay the rent here. He doesn't.

[Sammn] - thinks she hears faint voices, but can't be sure. Not knowing what was surrounding her, she doesn't want to risk teleporting. Drawing her knife, she starts striking the wall, giving off a dull ringing -

[Winston] - I am not arguing with you Doctor, just stating what I know works

[Legion] - has lagged behind, stopping in an intersection. Giving a look toward the others, it hops down a different hall -

[Doc] Glances back- unless you want to be lost you better get your cubic butt back here.

[Legion] - grumbles but slowly hops back -

[Winston] - How much farther Doctor?

[Doc] She's very close... Sammn?

[Winston] Keeps an eye on their surroundings-

[Sammn] - hears something and starts hitting the wall harder -

[Winston] Turns his head towards one of the walls, hearing the thuds- Doctor...

[Helm] - goes over to the wall, listening - What is that?

[Doc] I'm gonna find out- They start breaking the wall away with gusto. - Hang on, we're coming!

[Sammn] - hears louder voices and backs up -

[Doc] Breaks through the wall- Sammn! Are you hurt???

[Sammn] - blinks in surprise - Doc? What are you doing here?

[Helm] - peaks into the hole and sighs in relief - We have been looking for you.

[Doc] Looking for you! You've been missing for days. Your pigman friend and pet bird were beating the fuck out of Legion because they thought it did something to you.

[Sammn] Days? - stumbles out - And why where you beating Legion, Helm? [Helm] Cause since it did this - looks annoyed as they point out her arm with the blackened area on her wrist - you have been acting strange. Then you suddenly disappear and it ran off.

[Doc] Do you remember anything?

[Sammn] I remember thinking I needed to get somewhere I could think without it hurting. - looks confused - But, now... It's started again.

[Legion] Our mark should not be causing pain.

[Doc] Either way, I think we should get out of here.

[Winston] - Agreed, I can hear others farther down

[Doc] Shall we take the fast way now that we're not worried about wrecking or being noisy?

[Helm] Yes, the faster the better.

[Doc] Goes back down the hall a little. And shapeshifts, breaking the ceiling away and then headbutting a wall so the blocks make a crude slope back down to the shore of the lava lake-

[Helm] - climbs out, stopping to help Sammn -

[Legion] - growls and starts hopping it's way down, slipping halfway and tumbling the rest of the way down -

[Doc] Oooch. I'd help you but you said it's not safe to touch you. - they scuttle down the slope and protect the others as they run back to the portal.

[Winston] Traverses the terrain easily-

[Legion] - more grumbling as it rights itself -

[Doc] Picks up a block and uses it to push Legion fully upright.

[Legion] - flails at the block - Cease, we are fine.

[Sammn] - watches them, then turns to look around the area. When she does, it becomes clear there is a large red stain on her side, with several small holes burned into her dress.

[Doc] Sniffs at her. - You are very injured... -They hurry her to the gate- Go inside. I'll go last-

[Helm] - shuffles her ahead and through -

[Winston] Steps through as well-

[Legion] - follows -

[Doc] Shrinks down and changes hir mode to survival again briefly before crossing through.

[Mb] Is loafing on the other side. - Have fun chuckleheads?

[Sammn] - once thru, groans in pain - [Legion] - stares at Sammn's side - The Mark has been triggered again.

[Doc] Do you know what it's responding too?

[Legion] - it's orange eye looks at Doc - She was our Host. What triggers it, we do not know, but it prevented us from taking full control.

[Doc] Geeze... And you said I can't heal it for you...? What if I tried to numb it by cutting your connection to that part of your skin?

[Sammn] I don't know, you can try.

[Mb] How bout you get the fuck out of my place first?

[Doc] Yes, yes. Come on, let's go to my house.

[Winston] - If you do not mind, I will return to my Master's place

[Doc] If you wish, thank you for your help Winston.

[Winston] Nods respectfully before heading off-

[Doc] Offers Sammn an arm and helps her walk the short distance to the side door.

[Sammn] - each step makes her flinch more and more. At the door, she pulls away from Doc. - Stop, stop.

[Doc] What? What's the matter?

[Sammn] When you touched my arm, it got worse. Considerably.

[Doc] Pulls away uncertainly - Am I the one setting it off???

[Sammn] I don't know, it has been hurting on and off as I've been traveling around. Out by my place, it hurts less. Over here, it's constant.

[Doc] Is it proximity to Herobrines in general?

[Sammn] - looks worried - That would make sense, but why?

[Legion] -garble-laughs as it's orange eye glows - It is his Mark, His summoner.

[Doc] So... it's trying to keep you out of the influence of other brines? Maybe?

[Sammn] - looks angry - I am rapidly getting tired of this.... I can't think straight, I can't sleep. I can't remember why? I'm beginning to think it would have been better to just have left me wherever you found me.

[Doc] Looks rather hurt - I'm just trying to help... I think we need to find your friend. And if you're that desperate.... I know a place with no brines and you won't be expected to do anything.

[Sammn] - tries to calm down - I'm not ungrateful Doc, I know you are not the cause of my issues. No one here is. My apologies... I just feel broken.

[Doc] Wilts- I know that feeling all too well.... But my offer stands. No brines.

[Sammn] - shakes head - No. Trying to avoid it hasn't helped, so maybe it's time to confront it head on.

[Doc] I wonder what would happen if you got close to the big summoner?

[Sammn] Big summoner?

[Doc] Points to the high skinny tower behind the shrine. There's a black beacon at the top of it ringed by flaming netherrack- It's mostly full of slime blocks but there's a basic summoner tower at the top and a special reversed summoner TLOT built for Steve.

[Sammn] At this point, I'm willing to try. It's either that or get someone to look at my dreams.

[Doc] Let's try this first and then bug Cp. I wonder if... - Xe calls for Deerheart over the chat.

[Deer] Responds and starts making her way towards them-

[Doc] Waits for hir mate-

[Deer] - Comes out- Yes love? What do you need?

[Doc] For some reason me touching Sammn is paining her. Sammn? Can you just graze Deerheart and see if it's the same with her?

[Sammn] - reaches out and touches her, then shakes her head - Nothing. Who's the next closest Brine?

[Doc] Well I was thinking... Deerheart? Can you fly Sammn over near the summoner?

[Deer] - Sure, I can do that- She steps away and shifts her shape- Climb on Sammn

This message has been removed.

[Sammn] - climbs on -

[Deer] Flies her up to the summoner- Here we go

[Sammn] - braces herself, expecting the worse -

-At the top of the tower the golden summoner burns merrily and it's diamond echo glitters in the sunlight above the room-

[Sammn] - can feel some weird pull - How close can you get?

[Deer] - I can knock out some of the glass and you can go right in if you want?

[Sammn] Please.

[Deer] Carefully knocks out a couple blocks and gets close enough for Sammn to jump in-

[Sammn] - jumps in and stumbles as the pull gets stronger. Walks toward the golden summoner, each step increasing the pull. Reaching out, the symbol on her side flares bright red and burns her dress over it. Forcing herself to touch the summoner, she screams but keeps her grip. For one brief second, anyone sensative to the summoner feels its pull and it's gone. Sammn releases her grip and plops down, dazed.

[CP] In chat- Who's fucking doing what now!?

[Mb] chat- Stop playing with that fucking thing!!!

[TLOT] chat- Is someone in trouble?

[Sammn] - blinks a few times then slowly manages to access chat - I think u were right doc that hurt

[Doc] Is fretting. - You called out at least. The summoner does reach beyond the server when it's used intentionally. The only way to increase the range is to.. throw a live animal on the fire....

[Helm] - is freaking out - What!

[CP] In chat- You'd just call me if you did that Doc

[Doc] chat- You're not the only Herobrine that likes a sacrifice Cp.

[Mb] Chat- Yeah, I like a good BBQ.

[Sammn] - closes eyes and hears something, not with her ears. It's a faint voice, fimilar but she can't make out any words. Opening her eyes, she types in chat - Doc I can hear someone

[Doc] chat- That's a good start. Can you get a sense of a direction? Or understand what they're saying?

[Sammn] direction sorta words no

[Deer] Quietly- Sammn? Do you need help getting out?

[Sammn] - looks up and tries to get up, fails and plops back down - Probably. Don't feel like I have the energy to do much but sit. Sorry.

[Deer] Shifts back and slips inside- It's okay, I'll take you to one of the recovery rooms if you want

[Buff] Peeks up from the stairwell- Is everyone okay up here?

[Deer] - Ah, perfect timing Buff, do you think you can help me move Sammn?

[Sammn] - looks dazedly at Buff -

[Buff] Sure! I'd love to help. - He notices the big bloodstain- You look hurt! I'll be gentle. - He scoops her up as easily as a kitten and cradles her to his huge chest. - Where are we going too?

[Deer] - The recovery rooms downstairs

[Buff] Absolutley! -Starts walking downstairs.

[Doc] in chat- Is everything okay over there?

[Deer] In chat- For the most part yes, I'm having Buff help me move Sammn to a recovery room

[Doc] Good- They glance over- Legion, Helm, you two should still come inside.

[Helm] - darts toward the door in a panic -

[Legion] As you wish.

[Doc] And if you want food ASK. I have pets, leave them alone.

[Buff] Takes Sammn all the way across the house and down to a warm room near the lava pools in the lab.

[Sammn] - is mumbling - The lieutenants needs to move the others .. (mumble) Only the knights... (mumble)

[TLOT] Hears them coming and comes up the stairs with Steve to check on them- Oh dear.

[Steve] Sammn?

[Buff] Poor thing.

[Deer] - I wouldn't get too close TLOT

[TLOT] Okay.... - he stays outside the door to the room.

[Sammn] - mumbles - Take the king out first...

[Steve] Is she dreaming about chess?

[TLOT] I can find out? - He brushes her mind to see what's going on.

- Sees a castle under seige, a flash of people fighting next to mobs, attacking armored people. Normal people are running away. A cowering old man, dressed in red and royal blue, begging. Then what looks like a Steve attacking. Halls rushing by, then a room with 2 figures: a Brine, on the ground with a Notch moving toward them with a glowing hammer. Running, a shield rising and the hammer shattering it while someone screams "no", then nothing -

[TLOT] Uses his abilities to relay the image to Doc and Cp. Steve, Buff and Deerheart also get the gist of it since they're nearby.

[CP] Responds with a sharp mental jab- AM I SERIOUSLY NOT ALLOWED FIVE MINUTES OF PEACE!?

[TLOT] Winces- OOOWWW! Don't fucking do that!

[CP] - THEN STOP INTERUPTING ME!

[Doc] Is at the top of the stairs and unsure how to get Legion down them.

[Legion] - leers at the steps, then sighs - Move, Doctor. - with its tentacles, it tips itself and flop falls down to land surprisingly, upright. Another annoyed sigh and it hops out of the way.

[Doc] Sorry. I feel bad not helping... - They follow it down and then stand with TLOT in the doorway.

[Helm] - comes racing behind, looking for Sammn -

[Doc] She's right here Helm, it's okay.

[Steve] Yikes!

[Helm] - comes to sudden halt seeing her, then turns to sign - Are you sure?

[Steve] OH! - He signs to the pigman- She's just passed out.

[Helm] - frets - I don't like this, but as long as she's ok.

[Doc] We'll look after her.

[Violet] Comes up behind them with a bit of a bony rattle-

[Buff] Tucks the blanket over Sammn a bit.

[Deer] - Just let her rest for now

[Buff] I'll sit with her for a bit. I wasn't doing anything much.

[Helm] - darts over and sits on the floor next to the bed. Then signs to Legion - Don't make me go looking for you demon! I will have Wright rip your eyes off! [Legion] - grumbles, but tucks its tentacles into itself and leers at Helm with its blue eye - As you demand, beast.

[TLOT] No need for fighting or insults. I'm more concerned about Sammn right now.

[Deer] - Come on, we should leave them be for now

[Doc] Stands back so the others can leave the room.

[Buff] Stays with Sammn-

[Steve] Gestures vaguely at Legion- Um????

[Doc] Just don't touch them.

-NK has reached out mentally for TLOT, and upon finding him places a single query that translates to "Where are you?" -

-After a moment it's appended to "I'm ready to take your offer on looking through my memories, if you're still offering."-

[TLOT] Stops placing blocks and responds mentally. - I'm in the desert working on the dinosaur pen. If you want to come over.

[Yaunfen] Is playing with Fru, trying to keep them occupied.

[Waffles] Tries busking on Steve and almost knocks him over.

[Steve] Hey!

[NK] -I'll be over in a minute. Thank you.-

[Yaunfen] What's going on?

[TLOT] Nk needs a hand with something.

[Steve] It's okay Yaunfen, I'll keep working.

-Nk comes trudging over a hill toward the group, A lightfoot is scuttling along after him-

[TLOT] hops up on the wall and points at a small sandhill a little ways away that will let him climb up on the edge of the partially built wall.

[Yaunfen] Peeks over- Hi Nk! [dragon form]

[Nk] -Is quick to make it over, the lightfoot huffs since they can't before taking off- Hey... Yaunfen, was it?

[Yaunfen] Yep!

[Fru] Also wanders close, snuffling around.

[TLOT] You haven't met Doc's kiddo Nk?

[NK] Oh I have, I just wasn't sure if I remembered the name right. -Sheepish look- -Completely calm as Fru sniff snoffs his hair very close up.-

[Yaunfen] Giggles- This is Fru.

[TLOT] A result of my seed bleeding into theirs apparently. Doc says they're a type of redeye?

[NK] Oh yes, I'd say that for sure. Hello Fru. -Calmly pats Fru as Fru sniff snoffs his hair one more time-

[Fru] Gives Nk's hair a lick and makes a face.

[Yaunfen] BAD.

[TLOT] You're fine as long as you don't have candy on your person.

[NK] Oh you're usually fine with Redeyes as is, as long as you have a scarab. -Pushes his now slimy hair back into place.- Now I was here... about your offer to help me with my memories?

[TLOT] Of course. Let's get down on the ground.

[Yaunfen] I can help! - They grab Nk in their paws and put him on the ground gently-

[TLOT] Just hops down and lets his boots take the brunt of the impact.

-The ground of the pen is already the cake dirt blocks form Yaunfen's seed.-

[Fru] Wanders over to menace Steve a bit-

[Steve] Arrgh!

[Waffles] Is having a noisy drink in the little pond of fizzy soda/water

[NK] Well that's an interesting dirt block. Thank you Yaunfen.

[Yaunfen] You're welcome, and they're tasty too! excuse me! - They pad over quickly to herd Fru away from Steve.

[TLOT] Wait, you know about the scarabs too right? We think we found the equivalent on the candy seed. - He takes out the lollipop with the bug in it and shows it to Nk.

[NK] Of course.. Let me see.... Yes, that looks like it'd definitely be one.

[TLOT] Good. They tend to get a bit out of hand, especially as big as they are. Shall we find a spot in the shade to sit down?

[NK] Sure, after you. I'd also invest in making a copy of it, you'll need it if you accidentally hatch any others like that.

[TLOT] Good call. - He motions for Nk to follow and they go to a far corner of the pen where there are a few scattered chocolate wood blocks by the trap door out. He dusts a bit of loose sugar off one and sits on it.

[Yaunfen] Running Fru in circles with a toy like one would a cat-

-NK sits down himself by TLOT-

[NK] So how does it work?

[TLOT] Shrugs- I'm naturally psychic. And being the native here enhances my abilities. -He focuses on Nk and cocks his head slightly, thinking. His eyes seem to get brighter and brighter until they're all Nk can really focus on. He makes a small gesture like opening a door and digs a little deeper, gently poking around in Nk's thoughts.

-There's a thump as Fru bumps into the the wall.

[Yaunfen] Whoops! Be careful!

[NK] I... see.... -His voice trails off and TLOT finds that once he gets to NK's memories he... can't go any further?-

[TLOT] Hmmmm, you have a sort of..blockage...? Like your memories are knotted up. But it doesn't feel alien. More like you've repressed some memories....

[NK] I... had a feeling that was the issue. I could get to a certain point and just... nothing. People with one of these, -He taps a claw against the diamond in his chest- recall their memories differently... Hmm... Can... Can you fix it? Or give me a hand?

[TLOT] Can you be more specific about how you mean 'differently'? I don't want to damage your brain if it's set up in some strange way.

[Waffles] Wanders over hoping for pets-

[NK] I... It's hard to explain to people who don't have their minds set up this way.... Uhh… Here. -He presses at TLOT's mind and a vague impression crosses over, it's NK standing in an empty room, with a single door infront of him. He's confused, as beyond the door is.. nothing?- That's why I.. finally decided to ask for help. I've never just had... nothing, in my memories. It's... disconcerting.

[TLOT] That's helpful for visualization at least... - He tries again, this time seeing himself next to Nk. He guides the other brine closer to the door in his mind. - Perhaps we just need to look at it from a different angle. - He presses on the wall around the door, moving it inexorably backwards until the door is just free standing in the room. He leads Nk around to the opposite side of the door- Now try opening it from this side.

-Now, they can see something blurry through it, It's nowhere near clear or concise, but it seems to make sense to NK as he takes a tentative step through. He looks back at TLOT as though to invite him through that mental door, if he'd like to join him.-

[NK] It's... Hm.... I don't understand why I would have blocked this out...

[TLOT] Gets the feeling strongly - I'll walk with you. They're just memories. - He follows Nk

-They're fuzzy to TLOT, but the longer he stays with NK, the clearer they seem. Memory NK is pacing back and forth in what looks to be a throne room. TLOT might remember it from a picture Prince showed of a younger Mix. So far it seems.. Bland, almost.-

[Tlot] Adds some power to Nk's recollections, trying to bring them into a sharper relief.

[NK] What are... you doing? -He doesn't seem to notice it get clearer, which implies perhaps he was seeing it fine, and TLOT, outsider to NK's mind, was seeing it differently.-

-Memory NK seems downright livid as he paces, glancing at the throne every turn with a scowl.-

[TLOT] Someone seems very agitated...

[NK] Yes... But I don't know why. I can't tell when this was... -He makes a sliding motion with one hand and the memory seems to jut forward, and Memory NK turns to leave.- Well if it wasn't later on..... -Memory NK walks straight through them both, and NK turns to watch him leave.- Maybe... before?....

[TLOT] Shrugs- It's your mind....

[NK] Or maybe... It was over a large amount of memories... Here, follow. I'm going to skim through... Something had to happen for me to block it out... I don't just go removing access willy nilly… -He starts walking and the memories pass by. There's even one of child Mix being carried over memory NK's shoulder. Still not awful...-

[TLOT] Is just sightseeing, trying not to disturb any infrastructure, he does smile at child Mix though.

-There's... more memories of Mix as a child, just simple things, really. And then the memories start getting.. Odd, structure wise. It's like looking at them through a kaleidoscope...-

[NK] We must be getting close...

[CN] After sending Winston towards Doc has heads inside and goes to his room. He opens the door and peaks in- Firebird?

-Firebird looks up at CN, Hands pausing in picking the blue feathers from his body -

[Firebird] Yes CN?

[CN] Notes the blood welling up where the feathers have been pulled and the feathers scattered about the room- What are you doing?

[Firebird] Removing the feathers, why? - He looks... Bare, with so few feathers. The crest on his head is almost absent, with only a handful of feathers remaining, and his tail is no better.. -

[CN] - You're hurting yourself...

[Firebird] It's fine, CN. Don't worry. What did you come up here for?

[CN] Everyone else is out... And it is my room!- He's trying to discretely type in chat for either Mix or Flowey to come over

[TLOT] This all looks pretty ordinary, I wonder why you blocked it out?

[NK] I... Don't know. But the unstable nature of these memories is... It's odd. Its like I sustained damage to my spell stone. But it's still whole in all these memories.... Maybe if we go straight to the end? - Soon the memories are going by faster than you can make anything clearer out. A flash of Prince, Kraz reclining on a Thorntails back and talking with Memory NK, and then there's nothing. - Oh, that's too far...

[TLOT] You seem to be pretty good at navigating. Are you sure there's something mising?

[NK] I mean... I don't know why else my memory would be messed up... -The memory isn't actually nothing, at a closer inspection it's him out in the void between games. Memory NK lays face down on the "ground"-

[TLOT] Did you just cut it out since you were basically in a sensory deprivation space? That might have saved your sanity being out there so long.

[NK] I... Maybe? But my spell stone is.. Hm. - He bends down to check- oh, it is broken now. Odd. How far....

[TLOT] Yes, I understand it was broken when you were found. Wasn't there some kind of explosion that lodged Prince's bits in other people too?

[NK] That's he thing. I don't know why Prince's were like that. I know I had one but.. Oh, that's already in my hand... -he's poking his own memory hand thoughtfully -

[TLOT] Decides to dig a little deeper and puts a hand on Nk's shoulder to help him remember- It's there... I think you just have to want to know badly enough... - He feeds some of his energy into his brother brine.

-There's a knock on Litch's door-

[Licht] Groans but goes to the door and opens it- Yes? May I help you?

[Postman] Package miss. Can you sign for this please? - Holds out the little machine and stylus.

[Licht] - Uh, sure- She takes the items and signs her name, but she doesn't remember ordering anything

[Postman] Gives her a rather heavy box and smiles politely before going back to her little truck.

[Licht] Brings the package inside and looks at who it's from-

[EAlex] Waits for Licth to come back in before creeping up. - What is it?

-It's addressed to her from 'Collin Street' -

[Licht] - A package I don't remember ordering from...- She puts the box down and grabs a small knife before slicing away the tape

[EAlex] Just watching curiously-

-Inside are two red tins with weird designs on the front.-

[Licht] - The hell?- She pulls out her phone to look up what she's gotten and she see's a message which she opens stating that she'll be getting a package- Well that's helpful...

[EAlex] Reads the phone- Oh, this should have been recieved days ago. Doc ordered cakes?

[Licht] - Oh right, they didn't know what a fruitcake was, that's right

[EAlex] Well it looks like one of them is for us. I guess because they couldn't sign for it themselves?

[Licht] - Because they don't have an address

[EAlex] Gives us another reason to visit I suppose. This tin is super heavy. - She levers it open- Oh! It's so colorful!

[Licht] - Yeah, fruitcake can be. But visiting them will have to wait, I have to be getting to work

[EAlex] Do you mind if I...?

[Licht] - Go ahead, I've had it before

[Firebird] -Picks another feather out-

[CN] Waits nervously, he wants to help, but he has no idea how to make potions, and he doesn't feel comfortable leaving Firebird to go grab some healing flowers-

-It starts to rain outside and there's a lot of pattering as someone rushes into the house and shuts the door-

[CN] Perks up a little and pokes his head out onto the bridge yo see into the main room- Hello?

[Chester] Is soaked and shivering. He's running his shirt through his inventory to dry it.

[CN] - Are you okay?

[Chester] Skitters up towards him a bit and comes onto the bridge- Just got wet. My spider part is fuzzy and it's hard to dry off.

[CN] - Then why not use the lava pool?

[Chester] I was going to. I was just closer to the front door. It's really quiet... where is everyone?

[CN] - Um... Notch has the baby, and I don't know where Lie and CP are...

-There's a crack of thunder outside-

[Chester] I hope they're okay.

[CN] Shrugs-

[Chester] Looks down and his eyes go a bit wide and frightened- There's... Cn... you didn't hurt them... did you?

[CN] - What do you mean?

[Chester] Is a teeny bit poofy- You have blood on your shoes...

[CN] Looks down- Oh, well, Firebird is hurt! But... I don't know how to make potions...

[Chester] Are you sure Lie doesn't have some?

[CN] - I don't know...

[Chester] She's got stuff to do it right? And lots of books?

[CN] - Well, yeah... It's all downstairs in the workroom

[Chester] Do you want to... Like go and see?

[CN] - I don't know... What if Firebird does something while I'm gone? And hurts himself worse?

[Chester] Okay. I'll go. You stay here. - He turns to go into the workroom. He creeps into the shadowed space and the lightning throws his half spider shape in frightening shadows on the wall. He doesn't notice the sleeping figure in the bed, and his teeny claws tap lightly on the stone floor.

[Stevie] Stirs a little-

[Firebird] -Just continuing to absent mindedly pick blue feathers out. Almost all of the back of his head is bare, and his tail is so short. So, so short.-

[Chester] Bumps into the bed accidently with one spindly leg-

[CN] Steps back into the room- Firebird?

[Stevie] Jerks awake- Nether!- He then falls off the bed

[Firebird] -Head turns to look at CN- Hmm?

[CN] - Umm... One of CP's mobs... He's gonna try to get a potion for you...

[Chester] Whoops, sorry! I didn't see you there!

[Stevie] - What are you doing?

[Firebird] Alright CN.

[Chester] Looking for some kind of healing potion or a book on how to make them?

[Stevie] - Why?

[CN] - Please stop Firebird...

[Chester] Because the bird NOTCH is hurt- Thumbs back toward's Cn's room.

[Firebird] But....

[Stevie] - Ugh, okay, hang on a minute. I'll see if there is anything- He gets up and starts digging through the chests near the brewing stand-

[CN] - Your hurting yourself...

[Chester] Taps around a bit nervously. - You're the master's little brother right?

[Stevie] - Er… Yeah, I am- He looks through a few bottles before pulling too healing potions out, ones a regular potion, and the other is a splash potion

[Chester] Was going to shake his hand but it's occupied with bottles now- Chester.

[Stevie] - Right, anyways here are the potions you wanted

[Firebird] But..

[CN] - Please? Can't you just wait for molt?

[Chester] Thank you! Oh, sorry to inturrupt your nap too- He takes the bottles and hurries back up to the bridge-

[CN] Hears Chester approaching- Ah! The potions!

[Chester] Hands them over and catches sight of Firebird- Sir! Do you need a calming draught too? I read someplace birds pluck themselves when they're in distress...

[CN] Looks between the two potions with uncertainty, not sure which to give Firebird-

[Firebird] I'm fine, the regular potion will do.

[CN] Hands it over-

[Chester] Should I... call for someone? You don't look well at all.

[Firebird] -Takes the potion and grimaces at the taste-

-More rain outside, it's really coming down hard, There'a a bit of clattering as two of the skeletal riders go by on their bony horses. -

[CN] Watches nervously-

[Stevie] Comes up- Everything okay?

[Chester] Gestures nervously to the mostly plucked birdman and mouths at Stevie- What do we do???

[Stevie] - I have no idea... Probably just leave him be for now so he can heal

-NK's memories flash by, scenes of NK and Prince working together to evacuate the seed, glitchy broken code everywhere, Panic. Darkness. And NK yelps. Their joined memory exploration is cut, and NK covers his face with a soft "Oh."-

[TLOT] Backs away as well. - I think you need a little time to think about this...

[Steve] Rushes over- Are you guys okay? That seemed a bit abrupt.

[Fru] wiggles away from Yaunfen and hops over a low part of the half-built wall-

[Yaunfen] Nuuuu! - Chasing after them-

[TLOT] Pats Nk supportively- you think on this-

[Steve] Is already running after the dragon and the dinosaur- I'll help!

-Not long after-

[TLOT] Opens the door for Steve and the pair of them enter the bar.

[Sam] Immediatly starts fixing them something warm to drink.

[Steve] Cold sniffle-

[Lie] She and CP are curled up in a booth. Lie has a warm glass of tea and they are warming up after having run in out of the rain- Oh, hey TLOT, hey Steve

[Steve] Takes some coffee from Sam and settles down as well. - Hello you two.

[TLOT] Sorry to inturrupt your non-Aether time.

[Lie] - Believe me, the rain did that already

[CP] - We just can't catch a break...

[TLOT] There's always the beds downstairs...?

[Steve] Parenting is just hard. -toasts her-

[Lie] - No, I'm mostly just cold now

[CP] - So what are you two doing way out here?

[TLOT] A well deserved drink after a harrowing afternoon helping Yaunfen with Fru.

[Lie] - Oh dear, what did Fru do now?

[TLOT] Just went for an unauthorized scamper across the landscape.

[Steve] We think they caught sight of some Lightfoots and wanted to chase and or play with them.

[Lie] - I see

[CP] Pulls Lie a bit closer to himself-

[TLOT] It's always something with wild pets though, isn't it?

[Lie] - Did you see the video I sent to Dawn of Blake?

[Steve] Yeah I did! That was so cute!

[Lie] - How he got in without knocking the crib over I'm not sure, but he keeps repeating the feat

[TLOT] It's love. Dawn said he was a clingy guy. And Aether will probably benefit from his protection later. You know how much trouble little ones can get into.

[Lie] - Especially since she's close to crawling. She's almost got herself pushed up

[CP] - Yeah, that'll be fun...

[TLOT] Smiles- You know you're excited.

[Steve] Has she said anything else?

[Lie] Laughs a little- I'm not sure, Farfar has her now

[TLOT] Ah, someone else who's settled into his role like a silverfish in a block. - sips his drink thoughtfully.

[Lie] - That he has

[CP] Begrudgingly- It has been useful having him next door...

[TLOT] He loves you guys.

[Steve] Pokes his mate- You should show her the thingie!

[TLOT] Not sure she has the energy right now to finish it my lamb.

[Lie] - What thing?

[Steve] He made a plant.

[TLOT] It's just a sculpture for now, I was going to let you do the honors. If you want.

[Lie] - Uh, sure

[TLOT] I redid that weird fruit you gave me. - He reaches into his inventory. - It was a real pain to get to the edible part. So I made it easier. - He takes out a very strange plant in a large pot. It's got a sunburst of green leaves at the base and a skinny stem like an orchid. From the top three branches hang heavy with pineapple fruit. Just the edible part, cut in spirals that hang down in yellow swirls like minature tornados.

[Steve] We're calling it a pineapple curl bush!

[Lie] - Okay then... I mean, the vanilla vines curl sooo, it's not that far fetched?

[TLOT] What does vanilla have to do with it?

[Lie] - It's part of the same family?

[TLOT] Crosses his eyes slightly- That's... really annoying....

[Lie] - Real life is weird, and they did mostly develop in different parts of the world...

[TLOT] Errrgh. - He sets the plant on the table. - either way, it could use a boost.

[Lie] - Alright alright- She puts her cup down, it's mostly empty now anyways and reaches for the bush, focusing her powers of the bright foliage

-The plant seems to sigh under her touch and suddenly plumps up with even more fruit and leaves. -

[Steve] Good job Lie!

[TLOT] Plucks off a curl and slurps it up like a noodle. - Perfection. It's still weird though.

[Lie] - I just thought you'd like it. It can also be used in a lot of alcoholic drinks

[Licht] Finally gets off work and gets back to her apartment- EAlex? Everything okay while I was gone?

[EAlex] Is flopped on the couch - That cake is so heavy.... I only had a tiny piece. But I cleaned the kitchen for you.

[Licht] - Yeah, you eat that cake in small amounts, and thank you for cleaning

[EAlex] You're welcome.

[Licht] - I don't have to go to work until late tomorrow, is there anything you want to do?

[EAlex] Well... I was thinking we could... go visiting... I could use the support. It's kind of a big deal for me to.. you know...

[Licht] - You mean the other server? Sure, we just have to make sure we're back in time for me to get to work

[EAlex] Gets up. - I'm ready when you are.

[Licht] - Just let me grab a few things- She heads for the kitchen and grabs a paper bag, putting some bell peppers inside and the fruitcake- Alright, we can go- She pulls out her phone and dials Doc

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killscreencinema · 6 years ago

Text

Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)

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Xenoblade Chronicles X, released by Monolith Soft “X”-clusively for the Wii U in 2015, takes place on an alien planet named Mira, where the last remnants of humanity have crash landed after Earth was decimated by a mysterious alien force known as the Ganglion. The human survivors live on in the form of “mimeosomes”, which are enhanced cyberorganic duplicates, which are being controlled remotely by their real bodies while in stasis in a massive vault known as the Lifehold.

You play as a freshly revived from stasis new recruit in an organization known as BLADE, whose mission statement, besides gathering resources and fending off hostile creatures for the residents of the fledgling city of New Los Angeles, is to find the Lifehold, which was lost during the crash landing, before it runs out of power, killing the rest of humankind in the process. The only problems is that BLADE is in a race to find the Lifehold against their old pals, the Ganglion, who are committed to finishing the extermination they started.

I normally don’t go into so much detail about a video game story, but goddamn if this one didn’t capture my imagination like no other video game in awhile, especially a J-RPG, with all of their tired tropes. In fact, while I greatly enjoyed the first game, Xenoblade Chronicles, I found the story to be disappointingly banal, especially from a studio like Monolith, who are known for complex plots since the days of ye olde PlayStation with Xenogears (when the creative team was working under Squaresoft). I love the idea of humans rebuilding civilization, with their main hub of New Los Angeles having the familiar California architecture juxtaposed against a strange, alien landscape. I love the idea of these people being trapped in cyber-organic bodies, which if killed, would merely trap their consciousness back in their real bodies in stasis. What a mind trip it would be for someone close to you to die, but if you’re able to find where their real body is tucked away, you might have a chance to bring them back for realsies! To the game’s credit, it deeply explores both the negative and positive psychological implications of such an existence, albeit in a melodramatic fashion one comes to expect from most anime (which J-RPGs are basically offshoots of). The characters are all well-rounded, with Elma, your commanding officer and all around badass bitch, being my favorite. I even love what Elma says whenever she levels up:

“Strength comes from experience. That’s true on any planet.”

Meanwhile, whenever my character leveled up she’d exclaim “MY GROWTH SPURT!!!” Which is... weird. I guess it’s better than your 13-year-old teammate, Lin, yelling that.

You’re well-advised to spend most of your time with Elma and Lin, getting them nice and strong. You can also choose fourth party member from a variety of characters you meet along the way. The longer you spend time with your team completing missions, the more your affinity grows with them. One you reach a certain affinity level, it opens a personal side-quest with each respective character, which are worth doing not only to further dive into the story, but for the “fortune and glory, kid, fortune and glory”, as Indiana Jones would say.

While I can’t say enough things about the story, the gameplay is just as solid and immersive. It plays basically just like its spiritual predecessor, for it should be noted at this point that gameplay is the only thing is has in common with the first game as it does not continue the story. It’s almost like how Mega Man X *kinda* continues the story of the original Mega Man series, but with a darker, more sci-fi tone. Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and 2 are pure fantasy (with a lil bit of sci-fi), while Xenoblade Chronicles X is sci-fi fantasy all the way. It’s pretty much the J-RPG version of Mass Effect, but without all the sex.

The battle system is in real-time, with your various special moves set up in slots. You can unleash them at will, or wait for your comrades to request a specific move, which is optimal as it is one of very few ways to heal your party. Plus, those special attacks have to recharge, so you don’t want to be stuck with no specials while your party’s HP is in the red, and one of them is begging for a heal. Aw~kward! I do like how streamlined it feels as opposed to the kind of turn-based fighting I’m used to in J-RPGs, although it’s always stressful not being able to control the three other party members beyond issuing generic squad orders like “Concentrate your fire” or “assemble with me” or “GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE” before running from danger like King Arthur and his knights running from that bunny in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

You’ll be using that order a lot by the way as, similarly to the first game, low level enemies cohabit alongside extremely high level enemies all over the world maps. While most of the time the super strong monsters will ignore your existence, unless you pick a fight or bump into them, others might not have such a chill disposition and will prefer to trample you instead. Running into an area populated by high-level enemies can feel a lot like when you accidentally wander into a dangerous neighborhood. There’s nothing like looking for a rare item in a cave only to realize it’s full of enemies twice your level, so you carefully back away like the Homer Simpson meme:

You might think I’m complaining, but I actually really enjoyed this in both games, as it really makes it feel like a truly open world and having to tread softly or risk sudden annihilation from a level 80 tyrant you didn’t know was there makes it feel more like an adventure. That being said... it can also be incredibly infuriating when you’re flying around in your mech suit, which are called “Skells” in this game, and you innocently bump into a powerful bad guy only for him to promptly blow up your Skells, leaving you with a salvage cost in the MILLIONS. Yep, that’s when you normally “save scum” by loading up a previous save, but damned if they didn’t make it a pain in the ass what with the obscene loading times and all the fucking menu screens you have to press A through. While it’s true that players who are savvy about planting mining beacons in the most optimal way to earn money will have more credits than they know how to spend, you will trash your Skells a lot, and that shit adds up, especially when you’re trying to save for more powerful Skells or expensive equipment.

By the way, I don’t want to understate how fucking cool it is that you get a giant mech robot to ride in halfway through the game. I was already onboard with Xenoblade Chronicle X before that happened, so adding a giant mech robot to the mix is like discovering for the first time how freaking delicious Fritos are in chili. Like... I love chili, but I had not idea it could be improved THIS much with Fritos! And just as the initial buzz of getting a Skell starts to wear off, YOU GET A FLIGHT MODULE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO FLY ALL OVER THE MAP WITH IMPUNITY! Hey, you like chili and Fritos? Howz about a blow job too? I mean, you’ll have to listen to an irritatingly catchy J-pop song while you’re getting the blow job, but still awesome!

Which finally brings us to the music. Holy shit. The music is composed by Hiroyuki Sawano, who did the music for the anime series Attack on Titan. There are lots of great tracks for the game... well except for both the day and night themes for NLA, which will get stuck in your head so much you’ll scream into your pillow while trying to sleep at night (meanwhile in your brain you keep hearing, “Uh, yeah, uh, yeah, oh oh oh”). Even the worst track is forgivable if only because the main theme to game, innocously titled “Theme X”, is one of the most goddamn beautiful pieces of music I’ve heard in a game in years. Listen and let the goosebumps wash over you:

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It’s obvious I love the game, but there are negatives too. For one, I didn’t finish the game, because HOLY HELL are the final bosses difficult. Firstly, any hope that you have of beating them is with your Skells, so should they get wrecked somewhere along the way, there’s no way to bring them back, so you’re SOLAMWF (or “Shit out luck and mighty well fucked” as George Carlin coined). If you saved before the fight, your heard was in the right place, but guess what? You’re fucking trapped. You can’t leave to buy a stronger Skell or level grind. It’s a goddamn dead end, emphasis on the word “dead”. Fortunately, being a seasoned RPG player, when Elma asked me not only once, but TWICE, if I was ABSOLUTELY sure I’m ready to enter the Lifehold, I got the subtext and didn’t save once inside. However, stupidly, I did save after accepting the final mission, which effectively locks out the affinity missions, which can be much less redundant way to level grind than doing the “Basic Missions” (which consists of tasks like fetch quests and monster bounties). I tried like hell to grind to level 50 and save up enough credits to buy a level 50 Skell (which were the minimum recommendations for evening the odds against the boss), but I still couldn’t beat him.

So out of frustration and boredom, I rage quit the game and moved on to something that will hopefully be a lot less strenuous... Bloodborne (wah-waaaaaah). I like Xenoblade enough that I’ll return to it and continue grinding away until I eventually beat it.

So yeah... Xenoblade Chronicles X is pretty fucking great. I would cautiously nominate it as the best RPG you’ll play on the Wii U (below Breath of the Wild of course).

#xenoblade chronicles x #Monolith Soft #jrpg #wiiu #nintendo #rpg #role playing games #scifi #skells #video games #xeno #anime

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calamitaswrath · 6 years ago

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Hey, I started playing Xenoblade Chronicles X again and... I don't think I do so good. Any tips in general for that since you kinda 100% completed that game if I remember it right?

Well, that depends. At what point are you, and what exactly are you struggling with? If it’s just the combat in general, then I’d suggest you invest in your avatar as much as possible, mostly in the form of augments. Probably the most important augments for groundwear are TP Gain XX and Potential Up, but I’d say the former is more important. That said though, those can be rather tricky to get because of all the materials you need.But for materials, one thing that I found is also pretty vital are the various online play things, or rather, the Reward Tickets you get from them. Those things let you just buy all the enemy drops that you need, so they’re pretty useful. I don’t think I can explain the entirety of Squad Missions, Squad Tasks and so on right now, but figuring those out is also very important.On Skells I. . . admittedly don’t really have much in the way of advice, since I just got myself an Ares 90 after beating the main game, which took a lot of Reward Tickets.

Anyway, I’d also recommend this website, since it has a whole lot of very useful resources on X.

Oh, and. . . better set your Wii U to English, if you haven’t already. Trust me, that’s infinitely more time-saving than trying to figure out what the various names are in English.

#ask #xaiclun

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skellebonez · 4 years ago

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Hey, hey Skelle. 41and 51 with Spider Queen/Macaque/Wukong with the three adjusting to Spider Wukong and the first two trying not to be obvious that they're having a crisis.

Oh I know these two are absolute fucking disasters after Spider Wukong happens. They are the biggest bi/pan disasters and Wukong knows it. Here is some very important artwork that you need to be aware of (because I use them as references).

Spoilers for, well. Everything.

Can you teach me how to do that?/Can you two save the kissing for later?

"You did this," Macaque said bluntly to the Spider Queen, not taking his eyes off the display in front of them. "You did this and I don't know whether to thank you or hate you."

"I am aware," she sighed, only looking away to look down at the four armed and four eyed spider monkie beside her. "Is this a formal complaint?"

"Take a wild guess," Macaque managed out out, resting his head in his palm as he tried to stop the swishing of his tail.

"You're hopeless."

She turned back to watch Sun Wukong effortlessly move things around his island. It was always easy for him, it would take no effort for the Monkey King to move a tree with one hand. Except now... now he was a six armed and massively tall Spider Monkie just like Macaque. Only taller. With two more arms.. And always shirtless. And as he displayed this massive amount of strength he was gently grooming one of his many monkey subjects so carefully in his extra arms.

A dangerous sight for his two partners to behold.

Things had calmed down a lot since, well, everything that happened. Most of their lives were much less hectic with Spider Queen and her family combining with Team MK and the White Bone Spirit finally dealt with.

But that didn't mean they could afford to just relax all the time. There were still enemies out there, more so with the side switching and the reveal of MK being Spider Queen's son, and given the transformations both immortal monkies went through they needed to stretch and move around to keep themselves in decent shape. So that was how they found themselves in a light sparring match, working out excess energy and finding it more enjoyable than they had in centuries.

"You're getting rusty, Peaches!" Macaque teased, using his four arms to cartwheel sideways and then backwards with much more ease than he ever had before. "Come on, you have to have some kind of trick up your non-existent sleeves!"

Spider Queen watched from the sidelines in the shade, shaking her head at the terrible banter. "Speak for yourself."

Wukong didn't say anything, just smirked and rushed at his partner. Macaque strafed to the side, easily dogging the kicks and punches and finding himself let laughter bubble up as the fight continued. It had been so long since their last spar and he felt almost as good as he had ever been!

And then Wukong gently grabbed his face.

Distantly he felt four hands wrap around his four wrists and that was all the warning he got before Wukong flipped them sideways and Macaque landed backwards in the dirt.

He froze, the six armed spider monkie's top set of hands cupping his face like it was made of glass. He was suddenly very aware of exactly how close the other's face was to his own, how the lighter hair of his sideburns blended into his regular hair now, how bright green the other's eyes were and how wide his pupils were (was that normal? he couldn't think well enough to remember), and how excessively tall he was. He was so tall.

"I win," Wukong announced, hands now cradling the back of Macaque's head to keep it from hitting the dirt and wrists still held captive in his hands. He chuckled as he rolled them over again, so easy and so strong and Macaque felt like his own limbs were putty as Wukong sat back against a nearby boulder. He only watched with a wry smile as Macaque fell forward, hand out between two of his own arms to catch himself before he face planted into the other's chest. He felt Wukong let his wrists go, his middle arms on either side going to rest on his waist in some fashion and one of hi lower hands running up and down his back with claws digging through the coarse fur.

He didn't move the hands cradling his face.

"You're cute like this, you know."

Wukong said this with a soft low chuckle, and Macaque tensed up as he felt the taller's hand move from running along his spine to trail up the back of his tail from base to tip. His now massive stature making this a much easier endeavor, especially when Macaque's traitorous tail lifted of it's own accord to meet the touch against it.

All Macaque could do was tense as his fur poofed up, ears flared out, face flushed red, and an odd choking noise that sounded like it was mixed with a deflating tire escaped his mouth.

"Oh no... oh no, he has it baaaaaad," Spider Queen breathed from a distance, unable to hide the flush of her own face. "I made him more powerful... he's doing this on purpose, I know it."

Eventually Wukong stood the two of them up and had to run off to take care of some of the baby monkeys on their island home, leaving Macaque to stand there. And watch. As he left.

Then he immediately covered his face with his hands and screamed into them.

Spider Queen snuck away from Macaque later in the day, finding the courage to ask Wukong "Can you teach me how to do that?"

He laughed but obliged.

Spider Queen wasn't unused to moving around on her real legs, she'd done it before. Like when she had tricked Pigsy (and Tang by association) at the food market that long long time ago. But she had relied on her mech so much since then and had been ripped from it so violently, torn from it in a way that wasn't supposed to disconnect her from it at all, and then spent so much time in... whatever plane she was trapped in within the Trigram Furnace that walking again was difficult at times.

Then again... maybe if she hadn't insisted to herself that she needed to wear longer dressed and massive pumps and wedges and heels to make herself taller, so that she wouldn't have to crane her neck to look at her partners and so they wouldn't have to strain their backs to look at her... maybe she wouldn't be in this position.

Not that she was complaining. Oh no. Complaints about this exact scenario left the second it started.

She'd followed at least some of her partner's insistence that she stop wearing stilettos until she got the hang of safer heels. She was wearing wedges this time, still tall and extreme and probably not the best for someone still recovering. But she managed well enough.

Until she stumbled standing from the stool at Pigsy's, her legs more tired from the walk then she had expected.

It almost felt like it happened in slow motion. She was headed face first toward the floor. Then two arms grabbed her from behind, then another two, then when her momentum stopped a fifth and sixth brushed her hair away from her face as Wukong stood her up back onto shaky feet.

"Are you alright?" He asked, his grip loose but not entirely letting go yet. "Do your legs hurt?"

"N-no," she stuttered out, trying her best to keep her face impartial and to not let the blush forming take hold. "They're just... tired, I suppose."

"That's good," Wukong said, shaking his head after a moment. "Well, it's not good they're tired, but still. How about I help you get home?"

"UH... ok?" She said softly, and instantly she was off the ground.

And Wukong was off the ground.

They were both off the ground, the Monkey King lounged lazily on his cloud and Spider Queen cradled carefully in two of his sets of arms with her head resting on his chest. And... oh no. This was nice actually.

She felt her face flush more.

"Comfortable?" Wukong asked, tone low and soft with a smirk on his face as he moved it closer and she knew that he was doing it on purpose again. His pupils were oddly dilated as well... spiders and monkeys didn't do that, they weren't cats, but this was the monkey king and demons purred so... who knows.

"Yes," was the high pitched squeak that escaped her, and who knows what would have happened if a loud cough had not sounded from Pigsy.

Oh right. They were in his shop still.

"Can you two save the kissing for later? When you're not blocking the entrance to my shop, maybe?"

Wukong only laughed and zipped out of the store on his cloud, hugging Spider Queen more firmly against his chest.

... she needed to wear even more heels if this is where it got her.

The two were pressed into and laid their heads on either side of the partner's chest, the couch almost just a smidgen too small for all of them. But Wukong had fallen asleep in between them and they didn't have the hearts to wake him up. His head rested on one of his top arms, the other lazily slung over the back of the couch, while the other two wrapped around Spider Queen and Macaque softly.

Protectively.

One of Macaque's own arms was reaching over to hold Spider Queen's hand softly.

"Thank you," Macaque said after a moment. "I am with drawing my formal complaint."

She couldn't help but laugh.

#monkie kid #lego monkie kid #spider monkie au #ship fic #shameless ship fic #spider queen #six eared macaque #monkey king #sun wukong #WHAT IS THEIR SHIP NAME LACE I NEED TO KNOW #Three Bastardeers #APPARENTLY #i love it

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kentuckywrites · 4 years ago

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Imperium 2: Chapter 3

Sic faciet nives. (It will snow.)

Tatsu wasn’t a fan of the food jokes Lin made, but he was most certainly a fan of joining the Cocytios expedition. In fact, he quickly took Lin’s place as the most excited to venture into unknown territory, and the entire time at the dinner table was filled with Tatsu’s grand stories of the legendary Heropon who lived there. She didn’t quite get to ask how he knew of Cocytios before they did, and yet Elma couldn’t help but be amused at some of the stories he recited. His enthusiasm was contagious! It was almost as if Pongo being in trouble was an afterthought.

But after dinner, that was all Elma could think about. She went to sleep thinking about him, she woke up thinking about him, she even thought of him as the MMC workers helped set her consciousness up in her old mim. Pongo, the boy she’d recruited onto her team, the boy who didn’t know how to speak until Vandham described the Interceptors’ role during his BLADE training. The boy who went on to become a powerful protector, who built a Free Hug Stand in the Commercial District, who would put himself in harm’s way to keep his friends safe without question. He was once a shy and awkward rookie who talked too much and thought every human being was beautiful. But nowadays, Pongo was confident, he knew himself and the world around him - quite literally. He could handle himself out there.

Yet Nessa’s mere existence proved he was in far more trouble than he’d ever been in before. And that scared Elma far more than she wanted to admit.

She walked out of the MMC and immediately took a deep, cleansing breath. It wasn’t exactly weird, being back in her old mimeosome. In the beginning, returning to her original body felt like going back home after years of being away. Returning to her mimeosome now was like going back on vacation, a change of pace she didn’t know she needed after all this time. Mimeosomes didn’t need to worry about the same necessities that real bodies did. This would be important for Cocytios, and important for rescuing Pongo.

Elma quickly met up with Lin, Nessa and Tatsu outside of their barracks. Though they knew they wouldn’t be able to bring their Skells to Cocytios, it was decided they’d spare themselves the trouble of walking all the way to Primordia’s southern coast and opt to drive there instead. Lin had even managed to hook up their little yacht to her Skell and was fine tuning the hitch connecting the two when Elma approached. Nessa and Tatsu both watched, but didn’t make any move to help. Elma could only assume that at the very least, Nessa wasn’t as familiar with the technology. It was curious, how both of them looked on with the same sparkle in their eyes, the same childish wonder. She recalled Pongo having that same sparkle when he was first discovering the world and all its mysteries.

Nessa was the first to spot Elma approaching, and she whistled softly. She was wearing new armor, too. The brogs matched Elma’s own, though Nessa’s pair were blue, and the rest of her armor was mismatched from various other apparel lines and arms manufacturers. What made Elma smirk was the fact that it was...okay, it wasn’t leaving much to the imagination. At least Nessa could dish out her interest in such things while accepting the style herself.

“All ready to go?” Nessa asked her.

Elma nodded once. “I believe so. Lin, how about you?”

“Just making some last minute adjustments, then I’ll be good!” Lin kept working, and the squeak of a bolt tightening under a wrench accompanied her response. “Our Skells are full of fuel, so that won’t be an issue for the drive. We’ll be parking near one of the bases, and I’ve already called ahead to let them know we’re coming soon. They’ve promised to keep watch over our Skells and make sure nothing bad happens to them!”

“And what about me?” Nessa prompted, “Will I have to ride with someone, or am I getting my own little plaything?”

Lin paused. “Do you...do you know how to drive a Skell?”

“Absolutely not. But there’s a first time for everything, right?”

“I don’t trust that for a second. You’re not hurting any of my - any of Pongo’s babies. He paid a lot of credits for these, y’know.”

“Oh come on, if there’s anything I remember of him, it’s that he’s loaded,” Nessa said, crossing her arms and pouting in dramatic fashion, “Shame Mira couldn’t create me with a couple thousand credits in my pockets, though.”

“If Nessa not have credits before, how did Nessa get credits for new armor?” Tatsu asked innocently.

Nessa winked. “I raided Pongo’s stash. You won’t believe how much armor he’s got stored away. It’s like he’s got a piece of armor for every monster he’s killed.”

Lin finally finished making adjustments to the hitch, and she bounced straight up, turning to face the others while wiping the sweat off her brow. “Alrighty, that does it! I’m ready to go when you are!”

“Tatsu excited!!” Tatsu cheered, “Winterland home of legendary Heropon! Tatsu can’t wait to meet him and ask about dadapon!!”

“Right, your father is also a...Heropon,” Elma recalled, “We’ll have to wait and see. For now, Nessa, you can ride with me if you want. I may not have an extra seat like Lin has for Tatsu, but there should be plenty of room for us both.”

“How could I say no to such a generous offer?” Nessa beamed, “Let’s head out, Team Elma! To Cocytios!”

Elma didn’t say anything when Nessa initially walked up to the wrong Skell - the Amdusias Hades belonged to Lin, a stronger hitting Skell that was well equipped and well handled under the Outfitter’s care. At first glance, it was the most powerful between the two Skells parked, and Nessa patted its leg with a confident smile.

“Um…” Lin was the one to break the illusion, “You know that’s my Skell, right? Elma’s is the red Verus Cain over there.”

A flash of confusion, quick glances between the two Skell models, and finally, Nessa’s apologetic smile landed on Elma.

“Right, of course. Should’ve guessed by the unusually thematic coloring. Let’s get a move on, then!”

It was an uneventful drive to the coast, and the BLADEs maintaining the base camp were more than happy to keep watch over their Skells. Lin unhooked their yacht with ease, and with the help of the other BLADEs, they all managed to drag it into the ocean. From there, it was smooth sailing, and beautiful weather for it too. Lin handled the boat’s controls while Elma supervised and Nessa provided directions, but it wasn’t hard to get lost in the salty sea breeze, the warm sun that kissed Elma’s skin. She knew this bliss was temporary, as most things were, because Cocytios was supposed to be bitter and unrelenting. She was excited, of course, and she kept a keen eye out for any signs of land.

Yet it took them hours on the open sea before Nessa called out to them, pointing ahead. “I see it! We’re close!”

Lin squinted at that, trying to identify Cocytios’s coast. Lin and Elma both squinted, trying to make out the continent, and soon enough Elma saw distant shadows on the horizon. It was still a far ways off, but the shadows were tall and ominous, easy to spot once she put some effort into it. Mountains, she harbored a guess, and fairly tall ones at that. The closer the yacht got, the more Elma realized she was right. They were tall, snow-capped mountains that only seemed to grow taller and taller the closer they became. The tallest ones were even obscured by a layer of clouds, which were brimming with infant snowfall. But, to Elma’s surprise, she saw a familiar silhouette past the mountains. Were those…rings?

“Nessa,” Elma called to Nessa, leaving Lin’s side to approach the edge of the deck, “The ring structures embedded into the mountains...they appear similar to those that we found in Oblivia. Do you know their purpose?”

“Oh, the Perceptis Automata?” Nessa spoke the name as if it were common knowledge, “Those were weapons used in an ancient war. It mainly took place in Oblivia, Sylvalum and Cauldros, but some fighting occurred here, too. Not enough to damage the ecosystem, mind you, but enough to leave behind evidence.”

“I see,” Elma pondered for a moment. She remembered something about this war, something that Pongo had mentioned during the explanation of his origin. But the details escaped her. She supposed she could learn more after the mission’s completion, after they’d rescued Pongo from whatever fate he’d befallen.

“Was war between legendary winterland Heropon and Miran gods?” Tatsu waddled up to Nessa, and Elma could practically see the stars in his eyes despite his glasses covering them up, “Like in Tale of Two Gods?”

Nessa raised a curious eyebrow. “That’s the story you were going on about yesterday, right? I ah...no, that’s not the one. This war was a really long time ago - longer than the Nopon have existed, I reckon.”

“Hmph!” He pouted, “Tatsu still want to find Heropon here. Tatsu has so many questions!”

“Maybe we’ll find a Nopon caravan here,” Elma said, “After all, there seems to be one caravan inhabiting every continent thus far. Perhaps we’ll get lucky and find one that would be willing to house us and provide some extra knowledge about the land.” When Tatsu opened his mouth to say something, she quickly added on, “But we shouldn’t depend entirely on that possibility. We need to be able to fend for ourselves and we can’t become reliant on ‘what ifs’.”

“If Tatsu know anything about legendary Heropon here, it’s that he always comes to help!” He kept up his enthusiasm, “Tatsu not lose hope that Heropon will help us if we find him!”

They continued to sail ever closer to the shore, and eventually, Lin turned off the engine and let the yacht come up close to where the sea kissed the land. All it took was a hop and a couple steps for Elma to officially be standing in Cocytios. She inhaled, the crisp winter air stinging her lungs. She’d made a good call, Elma concluded, coming in her mimeosome rather than her true form. Even now, she could feel the chill of the air pushing underneath her clothes and teasing all her goose bumps out of hiding.

Nessa, Lin and Tatsu soon joined her, and the group stared into the vast expanse of fallen snow, of mountainous terrain and foreign land. When Nessa finally spoke, she didn’t break the silence. How could a silence be broken, when the wind promised so willingly to create sound at all times?

“Welcome to Cocytios,” Nessa extended her arms, smiling warmly in the cold, “I’d love to give the grand tour, but we’ve got ground to cover before dark.”

“Right,” Elma agreed, “Lead the way, Nessa.”

For a moment, Nessa looked honored that Elma had relinquished leadership to her, but she took the news in stride. Nessa soon walked ahead of the others, maintaining a steady pace. For now, the snow was light and feathery, and it didn’t have time to properly accumulate on the ground. Elma looked up at the mountains, at the path they now trekked along, at the cloudy sky and her team around her. Tatsu, having dressed warmly, stuck to Lin’s side like glue. Elma told herself to keep an eye on the little Nopon; he’d tire easily in these conditions, and she’d carry him if he started to fall behind.

Little conversation was had for a vast stretch of time. The wind was consistent and brutal against them, trying so desperately to push them back to the shore from whence they came. Elma observed halfway through their journey that there was a surprising lack of indigen activity. It was unsettling, especially since the snow hindered her vision considerably, so she couldn’t quite tell if there were actually indigens around. Perhaps some were camouflaged, perhaps some were in plain sight and stalking their every movement through the terrain. Elma kept her guard up either way, keeping a vigilant eye out for any surprises.

“So where exactly is Pongo?” Lin asked at one point, her voice raised to triumph over the wind, “Can Mira remember where he went?”

Nessa didn’t respond. She stopped walking, seemingly frozen in place for an unnatural second. Elma almost thought she was frozen before she finally moved again, turning to face Lin. Her eyes had gone white, the same white as the snow collecting around them, and her voice now harbored an echo, as if she was no longer the only person speaking from her body.

“I do not remember myself, but I do feel a strange presence to the southwest. I believe there may be a Ganglion fortress there, and since the Ganglion attacked Pongo before I lost connection to him, I would harbor he is down there.”

“Meh meh? Nessa sound funny,” Tatsu scowled.

“Oh, that would be correct. Tatsu, my name is Mira. I created both Pongo and Nessa. She allowed me to speak through her body for a short time to relay this information to you.”

“Mira? As in planet Mira?”

“Yes.”

“Tatsu thought Mira was planet! Planets can’t talk!”

“Well, this planet can, thank you very much.”

“Does planet usually have funny accent?”

Nessa - or rather, Mira - stared at Tatsu for a very, very long time. Elma wasn’t sure which was colder: the Cocytios weather or the sheer amount of annoyance radiating off of Mira’s body.

“Nessa usually has a funny accent. Mira, the planet, can sound like anything. I cannot change Nessa’s voice, however.”

Tatsu kept scowling, clearly confused or unconvinced or some mixture of the two. But Lin butted in before Tatsu could raise another question. “So how close are we to that possible fortress?”

“Oh, sweetie, that’s on the other side of the continent,” Mira shrugged, “It’ll take a while.”

“Is there anywhere we can camp nearby, then?” Elma asked, “It would be wise to set up shelter before the sun sets, if what Nessa told is true.”

“Yep, Cocytios’s most dangerous indigens like to emerge in the night hours.” Mira stopped for a moment, looking up as if it were trying to calculate something. “There is a cave nearby that should provide adequate shelter for the night. It is not far, but we should keep up the pace if we want to make it there before nightfall.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Elma confirmed, “Let’s move out.”

And so they continued through the monotonous scenery, with Elma keeping that ever vigilant eye just in case anything popped up. Mira had confirmed that most of the dangerous indigens would emerge at night, and the sun was only just beginning to lower in the sky, but Elma wasn’t about to take any chances. Somewhere along the way, she even asked Mira about possible indigen activity during the day, but Nessa had regained control at that point and could only pass along a cryptic message.

“Mira said we’ll be fine,” Nessa said, “That we shouldn’t worry our little heads about it.”

“Patronizing,” Lin muttered.

The sun was threatening to disappear past the horizon by the time Nessa found the cave Mira had told them about. The entrance was rather small, and the interior didn’t stretch too far into the mountainside it was carved into. But it was a decent enough spot to rest for the night, and Elma located some shrubs that they could use to form a fire. Eventually they’d all settled down, with Elma offering to take watch first, and soon night had fallen and the others had fallen into a peaceful sleep. It gave Elma more time alone with her thoughts, trying to process how quickly things had come to pass, what was going to greet them the next day. She could hear rustling outside, the echoes of indigens calling to each other. One caught her ear the most: a melodic wolf’s howl, multiple, creating a haunting symphony. It was hard to place how close they were, but something told Elma that she didn’t need to worry.

But then, something else caught her ear. Stone cracking, breaking somewhere. Elma looked up and noticed the stalactites hanging from the cave’s ceiling, and she mistakenly thought nothing of it.

And then, in glorious fashion, one by one, the stalactites fell. Elma couldn’t call out to the others before a rock hit her head and all went dark and quiet once more.

#xenoblade x #Imperium 2: Chapter 3 #yeah I kinda rushed the ending a bit i know #think of this as another exposition chapter before we get to the good stuff #see: chapter 4 probably #heheheheheeheh

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plumbobpost · 7 years ago

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Fanfic Friday: Spotlight on Skell’s Fortune & Romance

Sul sul!

Today Week of Woohoo continues with a very special twist. I have had the opportunity to ask Skell a few questions as part of a new series of posts about storytelling in The Sims community.

Skell’s Fortune & Romance serves as a prequel to the Pleasantview and Strangetown storylines in The Sims 2 from the perspectives of the Caliente sisters, hence the title which references their aspirations. Her story takes place in the time period between the first and second games and fills in the gaps between the contradicting timelines of The Sims, The Sims 2, and The Sims 3. Although the story is largely from Dina’s perspective, it features most of the iconic The Sims 2 characters ranging from Olive Specter to the Tricous to Bella and Mortimer Goth, establishing its own vivid mythology in the process.

In addition to writing, Skell has also created beautiful Maxis-Match content for The Sims 2 and is a frequent contributor to the Totally Maxis Tumblr and the fansite Garden of Shadows.

Without further ado, I’ll let Skell speak for herself.

You’ve said in the past that Fortune & Romance started out as your attempt to make sense of Maxis canon for the premade characters of Neighborhood 1, Pleasantview, and Sunset Valley. How did this evolve from your personal headcanons into a full-fledged story?

“I had played TS2 off and on for years before I was part of the fandom, mostly just goofing around but I had a lot of fun taking pictures and experimenting with posing. One day I discovered Strangetomato’s “Strangetown Here We Come” on TVtropes and was amazed at the way she fleshed out the premade stories from the game. Through her comment section, I discovered the whole fandom and started paying better attention to the premades. Eventually I came up with a backstory for Dina that I really wanted to write and share.”

Why did you choose Nina and Dina Caliente to be your protagonists? Did you ever consider different lead characters?

“It was always gonna be Dina because I was intrigued her backstory with the mysteriously inconsistent Michael Bachelor and the fact that she’s part alien. I wasn’t as interested in Nina until I noticed that she was shy (like me in RL) and also autonomously beating people up all the time. That’s when I realized she was gonna be a co-star and balance to Dina’s antics.”

Instead of ignoring Maxis’ characterization of Dina as a gold digger, you embraced it and made it a focal point of her character. Similarly, you fully acknowledge Nina’s romance aspiration while not making her a heartbreaker. How did you find a balance between their implied “villainy” in The Sims 2 and making them more sympathetic characters?

“I enjoy classic movies where Marilyn Monroe or Thoroughly Modern Millie is like “teehee I’m gonna marry a millionaire,” and it’s quirky rather than villainous. In those stories, she usually falls for a poor guy and chooses love over money (and often he turns out to be secretly rich.) Since Michael didn’t give her a “married a rich sim” memory, I wanted to write Dina the gold-digger as a modern version of that kind of story.”

“Maxis kind of setup Romance sims for “villainy” by not allowing for casual or open relationships, but of course that can be fixed with mods. With Nina, it’s interesting that she doesn’t really fit the “outgoing party girl” type. I think of her as a quiet person with a very intense energy. She needs lots of exercise and woohoo so that she doesn’t explode.”

There are a lot of unconventional relationships in your story. Nina and Servo. Olive and Ichabod. The Tricous. Even Dina and Michael. That being said, there is very definitely a theme of “love conquers all.” What motivated your approach to these relationships? How does that relate back to your attempts at reconciling Maxis canon throughout different games?

“I have a thing for mixed supernatural relationships. Dina and Mike bonding over their hidden supernatural heritages was always key once I figured Michael had a magic side. I knew I wanted to have Nina be intimate with a servo because that’s HAWT, but I didn’t foresee how intimate things would get until I figured out Servo’s character. The Tricous’ happy polyamory was my explanation for all the weirdness going on with their relationships and family tree. And I wanted Olive, Ichabod, and DJ make up this very loving and weirdly “normal” Unholy Family.”

Speaking of reconciling Maxis canon, you created your own version of Michael Bachelor in order to match his appearance in The Sims better and to create a resemblance between him and his famous sister, Bella Goth. Why do you think Michael was depicted so differently throughout the first three games? What did you draw inspiration from in creating “The Ultimate Michael Bachelor?”

“I think it mostly comes down to them wanting to use a familiar name for Bella’s brother/Dina’s husband in TS2, and carrying that forward. In TS3, I saw a boy who had his life all planned out for him by his father. In my headcanon, he screwed that all up and became the graduate of TS1 who had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. His relationship to Bella is the reason why he’s still single by the time he reconnects with Dina, who helps him find direction.”

There is an abundance of strong female characters in F&R, some of which were not originally portrayed that way. Why did you feel that it was important to write them as such?

“Well, because I’m a proud “SJW,” of course! But seriously, it’s less about being strong and more about seeing them as people?”

^Best answer that I could have asked for.

A large portion of Fortune & Romance is dedicated to the mythology of The Sims universe(s) and to supernatural sims. How did you go about the process of world building? Did you draw inspiration from different games in the series and/or from outside sources?

“My biggest worldbuilding is the explanation of where the supernaturals came from. The fairies are sort of fallen angel types who each have an animal form, and their magic rubbed off on human sims to create the supernatural life states.”

“I try to base the worldbuilding off things in game or aspects of game play. The fairy backstory was heavily inspired by fairy tales, in the way they morally test humans for punishment or guidance.”

Aside from premade supernatural sims such as the Smiths, Calientes, and Summerdreams, how did you go about deciding which premade sims were supernatural and which weren’t? How did you decide what life state they were?

“Bella has that awesome bio about being descended from “occultists, decadents, and mystics,” but then in TS3 the Bachelor family is uber-normal, so it eventually became that Jocasta is a squirellier version of Samantha from Betwitched.”

How has Fortune & Romance evolved since you started? Are there things you would do differently if you were to restart it?

“I was such a younger, different person when I started it, and yes there are many things I would do differently. (Michael’s skintone, for example. I tried to split difference between games with a custom skintone in between S2 and S3, but everyone assumes he was whitewashed to S2.)”

“When recreating families for TS4 I came up with a backstory for Dulcinea and Nestor’s relationship as well as a backstory for Don that explains how he got to be the way he is. I still can incorporate these things, but it would have been nice to bring them in earlier.”

With your story having reached a climax, many readers are wondering whether or not F&R will come to an end sooner rather than later. Not to spoil anything, but will the story continue after the party and if so, do you intend for it to last until the events of The Sims 2?

“I never intended for it to last until the events of TS2 because then it would be really depressing. There is more stuff planned for after the party though!”

Aside from writing Fortune & Romance, you have also created a variety of Maxis-match custom content. Why do you prefer working in this aesthetic? How do you feel it complements your writing?

“The game is cartoony, and I like to use that style to tell the story. I prefer to keep things heightened and silly rather than realistic, which very much fits into The Sims aesthetic.”

Speaking of Maxis-match, you have been working on a project for The Sims 2 that involves adapting Maxis-based custom content to blend in better with the game files. Would you mind elaborating a bit on The Maxis Match Repository Project?

“The TS2 repository project is made up of conversions/separates/or otherwise adapted Maxis which pull their textures from the ones that are already in your game, rather than creating new ones. This makes the files much much tinier. I also wanted to create a catalog where you can easily find it all in one place rather than hunt all over the internet. Check it out and don’t miss out on the gems in the back of your catalog!”

You’ve played every main game in The Sims franchise, and you’ve even made some very popular 2t4 recreations of the Calientes and Michael Bachelor. Do you have a favorite game for playing? Creating sims? Making Content? Building?

“I enjoy a lot of things about TS4. The game looks great and CAS and Build Mode are the best of any game. My favorite aspect is making sims, especially that you can share sims with traits/careers/skills so they have their own little story packaged with them. However, it is much more difficult for storytelling since there’s not even a way to pick up sims and move them around.”

“TS2 is still the best as far as premade sims go, and it’s the only one I make content for. I’m a bit of a control freak with my sims, and TS2 has been mastered by fans at this point where you can have ultimate control.”

Why do you continue to play The Sims? Do you feel that the games provide a creative outlet?

“I always loved playing with Barbies as a kid and The Sims really is the ultimate dollhouse. The first time I ever heard about TS1 I knew I HAD to have it. My aunt bought it for me while I was on vacation, but I couldn’t play it until we got home! During the car ride back home and I read that manual from cover to cover multiple times, so many ideas buzzing in my head.”

Any parting comments, teasers, spoilers, public service announcements, etc.?

“I’ve been on hiatus a long while and am just now getting back into the swing of things. I’m currently working on finishing up the chapter I started posting on Tumblr but never finished. It was FreddyAirmail who got me back in the TS2 spirit by asking me to help out with the Crystal Springs neighborhood project. It’s a community hood with houses based on each of the Stuff Packs, and I made the families for Teen Style and Family Fun!”

Thanks again to Skell for answering my questions. To those of you out there who aren’t familiar with her work, go check out her Tumblr and make sure to catch up on Fortune & Romance.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to visit my ask box. If you are interested, give Plumbob Post a follow, and reblog for anyone else who you think would enjoy this blog. Stay tuned for upcoming posts!

Dag dag!

*Photo Credits go to Skell*

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