#and they begin to open up (and reveal more) the more perspectives you collect

[eggs-can-draw]

Persona 5 x Slay The Princess except I just really wanted to draw The Long Quiet!Joker

[befuddled-calico-whump]

Total $hit$how: A Subtle Threat

in which Kaius begins to understand who he's working with

cw: violence/beating, adult language, brief emeto mention, implied/referenced torture

previous ///// masterlist ///// next

×~×~×

“I didn't even get to help.”

“Sure you did! You said the drone chassis was like a combo lock—”

“A master brand combo lock yes, but those are child's play.”

The team was gathered in the dining hall for the evening meal; platters of tasteless chicken, rice, and some unidentified green vegetable. Kaius assumed it was as nutritious as it was bland, and mindlessly forked small bites into his mouth as the others chattered. Vic’s test had been as challenging as he’d anticipated, and though they’d technically failed it, the trial had given him a better perspective on the team. Cavan was fearless and determined; Ruebin was fearful but willing to run into danger all the same; and Davis… Jericho’s heart got in the way of his brain. Even Harbor had his uses, when he proved willing to cooperate.

He was nearly finished with his meal when Vic strolled into the room, something unreadable on his face. Cavan and Ruebin fell silent, and Jericho straightened in his chair. Shockingly, even Harbor sat up straight for once, looking like he may actually be paying attention. Strange to see him go from a slouching mess to someone who looked like he almost cared about this mission in the span of a few weeks.

Kaius had paid enough attention to know he and Vic had been spending time alone, but he was uncertain if it was for behavioral correction, additional training, or something else, and he didn’t care enough to speculate. 

“I hate to interrupt your dinners,” Vic began. His tone was rife with his usual friendliness, though it seemed off, somehow. Like his voice was wearing a mask.

“I’ve just received an encrypted transmission from a source I believe is connected to Rotorworx.”

Interesting. If the transmission was anything pertinent, it could be the first new development in their intelligence collection. Kaius wondered if this would turn out to be something negative, and that was the explanation behind the shift in Vic. Was their handler concerned about something? 

Unsurprisingly, Cavan raised her hand. “So does that mean they know who we are? Isn’t that a bad thing?”

“It’s nothing to be worried about,” Vic replied. “They reached me using a phantom frequency. One-time use. Untraceable.”

Jericho frowned. “How did they get the frequency?”

At this, Vic sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I want all of you to come with me to the briefing room. I’ll answer further questions there.”

Kaius pushed himself up from the table without hesitation. If they were being directed to the briefing room, this was certainly a more serious matter. The rest of the group trailed behind, filing into the room and taking their seats. A projector screen had been set up against one wall, and the lights were dimmed. Vic closed the door behind them and typed something into the keyboard of an open laptop. The screen flickered to life, a gray stone wall frozen on the frame.

Vic pressed a button, and the video began to play.

“If you’re seeing this, you fucked up,” came a voice, made tinny and small by the laptop audio. It was that of a man, low and hoarse, and as he spoke, he angled the camera down, catching his black lace-up boots for an instant. “We caught your little spy.”

Caught their..? Kaius’s breath stuck in his throat as the camera spun around, landing on a figure tied to a chair. He was slouched forward as if unconscious and stripped to the waist, revealing scarred skin and a heavily bruised torso. Curly, sweat-damp hair hung in his face, obscuring it, but Kaius knew who it was.

“Sahota,” Jericho whispered.

A second figure moved into frame, masked and clad in black. They seized a fistful of Sahota’s hair with a gloved hand, forcing his head up. His face was just as bruised as the rest of him, his eyes unfocused and glaring, blood streaming from his nose.

“If you want him to stay in one piece, you’ll need to take it up with our boss,” said the man behind the camera. “If you don’t, it’s no skin off my back. I’m sure we’ll crack him eventually.” At that, the second figure let Sahota’s head drop, moving around to drive their fist into their captive’s stomach. The camera lingered in place as the beating continued, blow following blow until Sahota was retching up bile.

Every moment of impact sent a small jolt through Kaius—a memory of a nightmare that might’ve not been a nightmare after all—but he couldn’t make himself look away.

“What?” said the cameraman. “Nothing to say to that? Nothing?” He punctuated the question with a blow that sent Sahota’s head snapping to the side, but didn’t draw out much more than a gasp in way of sound. The cameraman let out a breathy laugh.

“Guess if we can’t crack him, we’ll just kill him and find you anyway.” The camera dropped, lens facing the ground once more. “Your choice.”

Vic turned it off. In the absence of the video's sound---the blows and threats and ragged breaths---the silence was very, very loud

“Following this, there’s a black screen with instructions to contact,” Vic said simply, like he was just listing the day’s training exercises.

“What are they? How do we start?”

“We aren’t going to start, Miss Cavan.”

Kaius felt frozen in his seat, unable to look away from the now-blank screen, unable to stop seeing Sahota’s bloodied face. He couldn’t steer his thoughts from his childhood home, the grand estate and all the secrets within it, the secrets he’d worked so hard to uncover but found only regret when they’d come to light. Blood and stone and chains, his mother telling him to come sit in the drawing room and they’d talk about it, and I promise this all has a perfectly sane explanation—

“Then what is your proposed course of action?” Kaius spat out, the words coming out too harsh. No matter, he just needed to curb his thoughts, and there was nothing for that like a good plan. Now that he’d torn himself free of the screen, he could see he wasn’t the only one the video had affected. Across the table, Ruebin was still and teary-eyed, and Jericho seemed rigid beside him.

“Action?” Vic repeated. “I don’t plan on taking action.”

“What?” Joy said. “What do you mean, you’re not taking action? Isn’t he your partner?”

“Sahota is perfectly capable—”

“Sahota is tied to a fucking chair getting the shit beat out of him,” Cavan protested. “Why would you show us this if you don’t want us doing anything about it?”

Vic calmly closed the laptop screen, then moved to turn the lights back on. “I prefer to keep my operatives in the know if the situation pertains to them. The video explains the potential prolonged absence of your trainer better than words could, as well as providing justification for any adjusted security measures on my part.”

Cavan stood. “So what, that was an infographic?” she snarled. “Is he just a fucking visual aid to you?”

“Miss Cavan—”

“I don’t give a fuck what your plan is, I’m not just going to sit here while your second-in-command is tortured.”

“He can take it,” Vic snapped, and his voice seemed to echo in the silence it caused. Cavan’s mouth fell open, but she said nothing.

“Take your seat.”

She did, the room quiet and waiting around her. Vic let the air still for a long moment, as if daring the room to cause another interruption.

“I’d thank all of you to maintain a respectful tone,” he said at last, his voice stony and cool. “Remember that you only have this opportunity because of me, and that I can take it away as easily as I granted it.”

The muscles in Cavan’s jaw tightened.

“Sahota is a trained agent. I know him better than anyone, and I know what he can handle,” Vic continued. “The goons currently in possession of him don’t know what they’re dealing with. Should I give in to their demands and contact their boss, I would be lighting a beacon. They would locate me, locate every one of you, and come down with everything they had. You all would return to whatever sub-ideal situation I rescued you from, and the mission would be a bust. In a few weeks’ time, the Reality Cage would conduct its test, and untold destruction would fall onto the city, potentially the world.” He paused, tugging down the cuff of his shirtsleeve. “And all this for the sake of sparing Sahota a little pain.” 

Kaius swallowed, his palms flat on the table though he couldn’t seem to feel its surface. Logically, doing nothing seemed to be the correct move, but the way Vic said it, cold and uncaring, only filled him with a sense of wrongness. 

“Is there a third option?” he asked. “You have resources. Is a rescue attempt out of the question?”

“It would be a waste of time and energy,” Vic replied. 

“Would it?” Jericho said. “What if they get something out of him? Wouldn’t the mission be a bust anyway?”

At that, Vic actually smiled. “They don’t have what it takes to break Sahota.”

“They said they’d kill him then,” Ruebin spoke at last, his voice wavering. “We—We have to try—”

“They won’t get a chance,” Vic said. Some of his usual jovial tone was beginning to creep back into his voice, and Kaius wondered if the initial shift he’d detected wasn’t worry at all, but frustration at a minor setback. The way he was speaking, it appeared that was all this was to him. Could the same be said for Sahota?

Kaius had a sort of admiration for their trainer. Cold though he was, he was efficient and competent, and didn’t waste words. Having seen him in action, Kaius did not doubt Vic’s claims that he could hold out. But that didn’t mean he should have to.

“I didn’t realize you would all be so distressed over this,” Vic continued. “Rest assured, Sahota will be fine. He will escape, and he will complete his mission. If you don’t believe me, you don’t know him at all. You saw it yourselves. He was hardly shaken by their threats.”

The bruises, the glazed look in his eyes like he was distancing himself from the moment…

Kaius clenched his jaw. “You don’t think it will be a detriment to our training when he returns injured?”

Vic let out a dry chuckle. “You’d be surprised what he can walk off. I don’t think he feels pain at all, not anymore.”

“I still think we should try—”

“I see now that I made a mistake showing this to you,” Vic interrupted. “I can only blame myself. I keep forgetting you’re not accustomed to our lifestyle.” He let out a loud sigh. “But if it gives you peace of mind, I suppose I’ll allow you to attempt a rescue mission.”

“Allow… us?” Ruebin said.

“Yes. I can promise you, you are the only ones with any concern for Sahota’s well-being. I can’t spare the manpower, but if it’ll put your hearts at ease, I can spare you. If you five unanimously agree to it, I’ll temporarily release you from the facility for that purpose.” He held out his hands, palms up, an eyebrow raised. “So what say you? Who wants to rescue Sahota?”

Immediately, Cavan’s hand shot up, closely followed by Jericho. Kaius raised his own hand with a grimace. They’d need someone to keep them on track. 

Across from him, Ruebin closed his eyes, let out a breath, and thrust his own arm up. Almost surprising. Kaius knew he’d never volunteer on his own, but the man seemed more confident in a pack. There was only one vote left to count.

Truthfully, Kaius was surprised Harbor’s hand hadn’t gone up sooner. The often-disheveled man was certainly reckless enough, and if anything, Kaius at least expected him to volunteer out of boredom. But when he glanced over, Harbor was still, fingers tapping restlessly against the table, his eyes fixed on Vic.

Cavan let out a huff. “Harbor, it’s on you. Do you really not want to—”

“I think Vic is right,” he mumbled. “It’d just be a waste of time. Sahota’ll get out soon anyway.”

Before she could protest, Vic clapped his hands together.

“It’s settled then. I suppose I should let you all get back to your dinner.” He unlocked the door and opened it with a shove. “Dismissed.”

It was clear that was the end of the conversation. Kaius was slow to stand, but the others were slower, shuffling out into the hall like undead. It felt surreal, to be called in to witness brutality against an ally only to be told they could do nothing about it. Almost like it wasn’t the explanation Vic had claimed it was, but a warning. ‘Should you stumble on your quest, this will be you, and no one is coming to save you.’

Jericho and Cavan were whispering behind him, and Kaius turned his breathing shallow to pick up on their voices.

“...really stop us? If we can find out where he is—”

“Dangerous, but I like our odds.”

Hmm. Kaius slowed his stride until the pair were a scant few feet behind him. “Planning an illicit rescue?” he said, not turning around.

“Maybe,” Cavan whispered. “Want in?”

To disobey orders was to put himself against Vic, a scenario he was liking less and less. But to turn his back on Sahota’s predicament completely was no different from participating in his torture, and Kaius had sworn to himself years ago it would never come to that. If you had to become the thing you ran from in order to escape it, what was the point of running at all?

“Both captors were dressed in low-grade tactical gear,” Kaius said. “They’re likely mercenaries hired by Rotorworx, and likely don’t have an excess of weapons or backup. The location they had him in in the video is walled by a very distinct type of stonemasonry, indicating one of the city’s older buildings, likely the basement of a repurposed church or courthouse.” He cast a half-glance over his shoulder. “Which should bring us down to a dozen or so potential targets, if we’re lucky.”

“Shit,” said Cavan.

“We need to get out of here first. Without Vic knowing,” Jericho said.

“Better get Benji onboard.”

“What about Harbor?”

“He’s made his choice,” Kaius said. “Meet in the kitchen at midnight. If we can make it out of the facility undetected, I’ll have a plan at the ready.”

Perhaps it was stupid, but to stay his hand would be to betray himself. Even without his usual resources, Kaius was confident he could come up with something substantial. 

He kept careful watch of the time and sat in his room, lights off, mentally recovering everything he knew about the city. To reach it on foot would take too long; they’d need to commandeer some sort of vehicle. Then once they located Sahota, they’d need to deal with his captors. If they were incredibly lucky, it would only be the pair that had shown up in the video, but even if they weren’t, Kaius was willing to bet there were no more than five men. The team had no access to weapons, but he supposed he could leave it to Cavan to improvise something.

The clock struck eleven fifty five, and Kaius made his silent journey to the kitchen.

Jericho was already there when he arrived, Cavan and Ruebin stepping in a shade before midnight.

“The path outside is likely alarmed. Ruebin?”

“Yup. I’ll handle that.” Ruebin seemed tense. They all did, really. Even Kaius was feeling the fear of potential failure, of what could happen if Vic caught wind of it and they couldn’t sway him to their favor.

“You take point, Manak,” Cavan whispered. “Signal us to stop if you see anything.”

Kaius nodded, motioning them to follow him out of the kitchen. As painful as it was to move slow, caution was key; he had no idea what Vic got up to in the later hours. He halted at every corner, every open doorway, just to make absolutely certain. His nerves buzzed with uncertainty at every step, his own body questioning the will of his mind. He ignored it, peering around the next corner.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up when he caught a silhouette, moving towards them. Kaius held up his hand for the group to halt, moving back a pace. Was it Vic? If their handler caught them at this point, what could they say to dampen his suspicions?

He silently waved the group backwards, gesturing to an open doorway. The library, its lights darkened. The group rushed inside, and Kaius lay down with his body parallel to the room’s inner wall, angled so he could just barely see out into the hallway.

To his surprise, it wasn’t Vic who rounded the corner. It was Sahota. 

Kaius had to hold his breath to keep from making a sound as the other man passed by. His cheekbone was darkly bruised, his lips swollen, dried blood still crusted at the corner of his mouth. One finger was wrapped in a crude bandage. Despite this, he walked with his usual grace, though Kaius knew the layers of bruising hidden under his shirt.

Vic… Vic had been right, hadn’t he?

Kaius kept silent until Sahota had disappeared, then slowly pushed himself to his feet.

“Is he gone?” Ruebin whispered.

“He’s back,” Kaius answered. “Sahota is back.”

“No shit,” Cavan muttered.

“We ought to go to bed.”

“Is he okay?”

“He's on his feet.” As bad as his injuries had looked on camera, he seemed unbothered by them. Jericho stood up and began to move towards the hall.

“I'm going to check on him—”

“Don't,” Kaius said. “We can consider our mission complete, and I imagine he'd prefer rest to conversation.” Truth be told, he felt his own plan-oriented nature scrambling at this development, his mind searching for the next step now that everything had so abruptly changed. The only solution he could find was getting to bed; collecting what rest they could before a new training day began. As he left the library and made his way back to the sleeping quarters, the other three followed, albeit reluctantly.

“It was a good plan,” Jericho offered as they walked. “They really can’t get anything past your notice, huh?”

Kaius nodded at the perceived compliment, though he was becoming more and more uncertain of that fact. With every new development, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was getting past him, something that could well be dangling right in front of his nose, but he couldn’t so much as point in the direction of what that something might be.

Whatever it was, perhaps it would only take a more critical eye. Whatever it was, he’d need to unravel it.

Before it was too late.

×~×~×

@theonewithallthefixations

[blueskittlesart]

how would you define a ‘zelda’ game? im making an au of sorts for it but sometimes i cant tell if im taking the zelda out of zelda- whether the master sword is a requirement or not (maybe not because of the four sword?) or having light vs dark/good vs bad as a general theme. this also kinda fascinates me as people tend to complain abt botw as being less of a zelda game compared to past entries. why though? ive seen the lack of stakes being complained about but i dont think a story should have to have world ending stakes to be a zelda game or a good story- could be wrong though. also with how every zelda game strives for a different Vibe than the last what makes one better than the other? anyways yadda yadda replace a ships wooden boards until every board is replaced is it still the same ship, whatre your thoughts?

actually what makes a zelda game a zelda game anon here. i think a better question would be what makes a zelda story a zelda story

as someone who has also/is also writing their own zelda game i do have a lot of thoughts about this. obviously one of the things that defines mainline zelda games is the formula, which if you're doing a ganon/demise villain and you want to be canon-compliant, you're gonna want to follow to some degree in order to stay consistent with the lore. there are other things that go into it though, like the themes, writing style, the presence of certain elements, etc. let's get into what i think is important!!

first of all, the formula. this only applies to mainline games, so if you're looking to do a sequel-style story you have a LOT more freedom, and certain games bend these rules quite a bit so they're not hard-and-fast, but if you want your game to FEEL canon-compliant it's good to take these steps as a general guideline.

opening segment--this is where link wakes up with nothing and has to run around the starting point of the game collecting items to progress. almost every mainline game will have him begin sleeping in a bedroom of some kind, and the player's first action will be to move him out of bed, so if you're struggling for a start point, that's a classic. he usually needs to find at least a sword and shield in this segment, and the player will be encouraged to talk to npcs to get some exposition along the way.

at the end of the opening segment the player is given the true first task of the game, which usually involves travelling somewhere, often with the goal of meeting zelda. the player may also be told to begin seeking out dungeons at this point, or zelda might tell them when they meet her in person for the first time.

the first dungeon section of the game will usually include 3-4 dungeons, often forest/water/fire/air themed and located in those respective regions of hyrule. these dungeons will have a map item to be found as well as (usually) some other dungeon item which allows you to progress through dungeon puzzles (classic items include bombs, boomerang, bow & arrows, hookshot, etc) and a boss fight at the end. when the player completes each of these dungeons, they are given an artifact which they have been told will somehow progress the gameplay for them once they collect all of them. (e.g. in oot the 3 gems unlock the temple of time) this is a crucial point bc no one is gonna want to do your dungeons without a gameplay-advancing reward at the end.

after the final initial dungeon there's usually a mini-boss fight of some kind, often with a secondary antagonist (girahim, agahnim, zant, etc) (if you're using botw as a reference point, stop doing that now, because botw ends here in terms of formula)

after all of that, there's what i like to refer to as a catalyst. this can technically be anything, but the most important point is that it must dramatically shift the trajectory of the story and/or the player's perspective. in oot it's the time change, in wind waker it's the underwater-hyrule reveal, etc. often (but not always) this reveal will come along with a new gameplay mechanic in which something about either the player or the world can be modified to access new areas of the map/solve new puzzles. (oot age-switch, alttp dark vs regular world, tp wolf form, etc) if your game includes the master sword, this is usually when the player will get it.

with a changed perspective and access to new areas, the player is now informed of a NEW goal, usually to beat ganon, who by this point has definitely kidnapped zelda and is holding her hostage. this kicks off the second segment of dungeons. usually there are 6-8 dungeons in this section, following the same map/item/boss/reward formula. (most classic games have you rescuing PEOPLE from these dungeons, but modern ones kinda did away with the damsel-in-distress thing lol)

once those dungeons have been completed, it's time for the final dungeon of the game, which is ALWAYS hyrule castle. this one may have a map, but usually doesn't have any dungeon item or even that many puzzles, it's really more about hacking through menial enemies to get to the big guy. the final battle of the game will be your big bad (usually ganon) and will traditionally have 2 phases, one inside the castle (where, if he ever looked human, he will look human) and one outside of it (where he will become much more monstrous.)

that's the VERY BASIC formula of MOST mainline zelda games. but like i said, plenty of games bend or cut out parts of this formula completely, and some games that follow it pretty well don't feel quite as 'zelda' to me as others. so there are obviously other things that make a zelda game a zelda game.

the first & one of the most important to me is the theming of the games. the franchise has cyclical overarching lore which really lends itself to explorations of coming-of-age, trauma, and healing, which is often what the most successful games focus on. I don't think a successful game NEEDS to be a coming-of-age, but it ABSOLUTELY needs to have SOME central theme to be built around. the best zelda games are the ones which clearly have something to SAY, a secondary thematic narrative that makes their stories relatable and impactful instead of just pure fantasy escapism. if you're looking to emulate the impact that zelda games have on their players, finding something relatable to the human experience and building your story around an exploration of that theme is a great place to start.

another thing to consider is the zelda writing style. zelda games occupy a really interesting niche among modern rpgs because they have such a long history and are often very married to emulating their predecessors. What this means in terms of writing is that zelda still employs a VERY player-based mode of storytelling. the games which define this franchise were built and released when storage space was the single biggest constraint game developers had on their stories; thus, they were built with the incentive to keep cutscenes and dialog to a minimum. this meant that if the developers wanted to tell a story in their games, they needed to get the PLAYER to tell that story for themself. what sets modern zelda games like botw apart from other rpgs (for me, at least) is the almost complete lack of action-breaking cutscenes and dialog. whenever you have a long cutscene in an rpg, you're forcibly removing the player from control of their character and therefore taking them out of the action to some degree, ESPECIALLY if the player character makes decisions during those cutscenes free of the player's influence. zelda games are very careful to avoid taking the player out of the action in almost EVERY instance. you will very rarely see cinematic cutscenes, and you will NEVER have link moving or taking action on his own independently of the player. the entire story & writing process tends to follow that same principle--how can we convey this story to the player through the player's own actions? very rarely will the story be outright stated to you through dialog or cutscenes, instead you will have to piece things together yourself, keeping the player centered in the story at all times.

you mentioned the presence of the master sword in your ask, and i think that breath of the wild is a good example of a zelda game that removes a lot of the standard elements of the franchise without losing the feeling of a zelda game. the master sword, while technically present, is not required to beat the game at all, and it's completely possible to beat ganon without ever finding it. the triforce is totally absent and not even MENTIONED throughout the ENTIRE game. despite this, (in my opinion) botw doesn't lose that zelda feeling. i think the reason for this is because it holds on so tightly to the theme and writing style i mentioned above, and pulls in just enough elements of the formula that it's still recognizeable despite clearly being something new. (the divine beasts are the dungeons, dungeon items are replaced with runes, there are clear REFERENCES to the lore even when its not stated outright, etc.) i also think part of the reason that botw is successful in this regard is because there's a REASON thematically for it to be divorced in this way from other games. it takes place at least 10k years removed from every other game and in the wake of a massive kingdom-ruining tragedy, so the fact that some changes have been made to the standard mechanics players are used to feels natural when paired with this changed version of hyrule. if you want to make a drastic change like that, i think it's always going to feel a bit more natural if you give players a REASON for that change, even if the reason is just 'well EVERYTHING is different so obviously this thing is too.'

final point, and not necessarily as important as the others but still worth noting, i think mood and art direction are something worth considering as well. I have NEVER seen a dark&moody adaptation of zelda that still felt like zelda to me. not to beat a dead horse, but these games originally come from the NES. for YEARS they were defined by sharp, brightly-colored graphics, and i really do think something is lost when you strip all the color and cartoonish-ness from them. (this is NOT a dig at botw btw, i actually think botw did a REALLY good job of creating a world that was both adequately colorful AND realistic. this IS a dig at twilight princess.) many of my favorite zelda games are defined by their bright and blocky art styles, and if anything i think zelda games are a testament to the fact that you can make a thematically dark game WITHOUT sacrificing your art direction to black overlays.

anyways!! hope this helps lol

[astrxlfinale]

Okay! So this will have spoilers tied to it, but this is another lore sample that I just want to have stored here.

So mind the warning! Keep looking at the warning and avoid it if you ain't done!

SO OL' HOOLAY RIGHT?

That Heart of his basically slammed open doors to what feel like a whirlwind of concepts for me. From Rahu's formation, and at large, what those under Yaoshi's blessings run the risk to actively growing into. Through the power of Abundance, the elemental of genetics are heavily explored. One bit at a time however!

I'd like to discuss the matter of a potential correlation with Rahu and Hoolay's heart. As within the current quest, they've actually did a frame showing through visuals of an event in Hanya's character story.

Now we didn't get to see what this could've done once unveiled, as Feixiao was quick to immediate suppress it. Though, as for the 'crimson star' giving this visage?

Hoolay EXPLICTLY calling this Crimson Moonlight? (Matching the nightmarish moonlight and LITERALLY being a beating heart.)

'Voraciously consumed and gave birth to countless offspring.' Now we've SEEN Hoolay not only go and eat a person outright, but there was an important scene that matches with this excerpt as well.

I genuinely find this to be no coincidence. I believe that this act stems all the way back to the age of when the Borisin and Foxians came to be. Their shared ancestry upon that original world will proceed to cycle all of this around. The ability of this 'Crimson moon' implanted within him allows him to freely manipulate that matching genetic strand. It's less of a spiritual and more of a divine DNA type of manipulation I say.

Now comes the idea that this excerpt proceeds to give me here. The planet they were on was a living planet, one of Yaoshi's creations to begin with in statis. You could picture the long made Lupuswinter as measure similar to cryogenic freezing, keeping it from 'heating up' to the extents that you'd see phenomenon on Vonwacq's lore bits. What I want to propose is that on this day, all humans that drank from the Redspring became an extension of the planet's original gene, it altered them to take the form other living lifeforms upon it.

What I see Hoolay utilizing was the original gene that's been made as a more powerful manifestation within Borisin Warheads. There was a moment of time he drew a conversation about it with Jiaoqiu.

Now, there is some differences here to take note of here. That's natural, given how Duran/Tushan are legendary figures within their time on this world from different cultures. Yet, they also could potentially be one in the same person from how the artifact set decided to make take emphasis on this.

Which in concept isn't even wild to imagine. As we've seen Feixiao herself as living proof of a life who managed to bring both of those genetic sides to life.

This only brings a connector back to Yaoshi as the progenitor. Blessings of the Abundance seem to hold this as matching vein, as we can easily infer the descriptions to a similar Abundance based area; Vonwacq.

Just to give a lil touch of lore about this locale!

That said? I believe that this Crimson Moon of Hoolay's is just a more empowered seed of what created a living planet that Shuhu did with Rahu. While I'm not sure how it ENTIRELY spans out. I'm assuming that during the revealing of the Redspring, this was a collective of not only the people who died and returned to the earth (blood being soaked in too), but all animals, beings, organisms.

Borisin and Foxians just happened to be the result that won out with them. I REALLY can't wait to come and see more they unravel and reveal with this plot thread. It's been one of my most curious perspectives within the Xianzhou personally.

Also as a fun ending bit here--

This is why the exact core of tearing these hearts away from sustenance is so important. And in kind, I believe this is ALSO what happened to that living planet they once lived on. It reached a point of either status with Lupus winters or genuinely became unable to continue. It'd be Duran's actions that managed to create not only a important discovery, but also begin an offshoot of Shuhu's work.

[optikes]

Aida Tomescu (b 1955) Romania, Australia

Spora I (2008) oil on canvas

A Deborah Hart, Senior Curator, National Gallery of Australia

Like blooms that appear quite startlingly before winter’s end, only to be ravaged by frost and wind and then renewed when the season of their being arrives, Aida Tomescu’s works are in a constant state of becoming. Over the years she has developed her own distinctive, continually evolving visual language, working from one group or ensemble of works to the next. Each series, irrespective of media, is like a new beginning; informed by previous experience and yet restlessly, determinedly eschewing the easy, known path in search of new life.

There is a sense of vitality whether it be in the radiance of the paintings or the persistent searching line in the drawings…It is possible to see the ways in which the drawings become increasingly layered, expansive and informed by colour like the paintings and the ways in which the aspect of drawing has increasingly entered into the paintings.

Ultimately what Tomescu’s art has shown us is that it can never be pinned down to one thing, that it is about open-ended associations, moving between the tangible and intangible. It is perhaps in giving up the need for tangible certainties in favour of more subtle intimations that this fluid state of becoming is revealed.

Paul Selwood (b1946)

Sacred Play (2009) steel, varnish

B Bridget Macleod artistprofile.com.au

There are two main theoretical strands to my practice. One is involved with illusory space, re-presenting perspective drawing in the cut-outs. The other deals with real and constructed sculptural space. The two have an historic convergence in the Cubist collage.

I have been doing the perspective cut-outs since the early 1980s. They began on paper as a speculative drawing process towards the possibility of future three-dimensional sculpture. At one point, having arrived at what looked like a good proposition, I decided to cut away the background in order to better visualise what the sculpture would be. I was impressed by the heightened illusion of form resulting from this and decided to do a big one on rusted steel sheet. On the paper, I differentiated the planes with washes and shading of paint. On the steel, I wanted to keep the rust, so I used flat and gloss varnish on opposite planes which considerably enhanced the illusion of the third dimension. Steel is associated with mass and weight, so the works were further enhanced by an illusion of impossible gravity. Heavy architectural forms appear to be floating. The illusion is continued to the wall which becomes space. By extension, the ground the viewer is standing on is called into question.

....I am interested in the psychology of perception. How we focus on an object in a white box in a gallery compared to the same object on the ground when we are standing in the street. Take a screwed-up piece of paper and put it on a white plinth in an art gallery. You are inviting the public to examine all the shapes, folds and nuances of light that there might be. You might be saying is this sculpture? But on the ground, it is only a piece of screwed-up paper.

collection: Orange Regional Gallery, New South Wales

[astronomyforastrologers]

Before Pluto Changes Colors ~ 5 Jan 2024

Before Pluto Changes Colors ~ 5 Jan 2024, Philip Sedgwick

In the wee hours of 21 January (GMT) Pluto drops his Capricorn cloak and goes for something more of Aquarian airy style. There’s a big shift encroaching upon the collective consciousness as he pushes in the clutch for a better gear ratio. Slowly, over the next months, those things seemingly doused in impossibility begin to make more sense and options for resolution appear.

On the 15th to 16th of January, depending upon where in the world you are located, three interesting transits appear that include two dwarf planets and a centaur. Closer inspection might just reveal something new, previously not considered, and within the theme of Pluto changing signs, open an entirely new spectrum for consideration.

Pluto Close-Up, Courtesy NASA

The massively ringed one, Saturn, joins Gonggong in Pisces. Here alternative perspectives organically evolve when one savors any feeling of being stuck or immobilized. Saturn curiously will ask those not moving, “So, what are you going to do about this?” He deserves a good answer. An answer that contains practical objectives, a well-thought timeline, and a unique perspective. Back in the old days of pinball playing if a player jolted the machine for favor, the game could end in a tilt. With Saturn to Gonggong, a new tilt is required. Oblique points of view often align with long distance goals with sufficient parallax that one can actually see around the next bend and accurately determine what more may be required.

Saturn with Gonggong supports none of the tried and true that does not “grow corn,” “make hay” or produce a viable yield. Saturn in Pisces is not quick to condemn or criticize - actually here he can be quite empathetic. Those agreeing to get on with the getting on regardless of the tilted perspective receive kind support, thoughtful suggestions and an ample supply of grease . . . provided that Saturn senses the will to persist and persevere regardless of previous setbacks in life. Saturn kindly points out that what happened before happened before and with the new angle of approach toward life’s objectives, certainly results unlike any produced before may manifest... and it all seems to happen more swiftly if one can remain in their personalized creative zone.

Mars aligns with and passes by the centaur Pholus in Capricorn. These two currently navigate the thickest array of pulsars known. These pulsars jab new ideas and lofty concepts at ones cranium more regularly and faster than the speediest popcorn popper on Earth. Taking time to read the bumper sticker-like blips of consciousness reaching for your attention goes a long way in feeding creativity and locking onto inspired brainstorms.

Mars in Cap is exalted. Here, he is maximum in drive. He is impatient, eager and so keyed on getting going with projects that life essentials - food and drink - can be ignored. It’s never a good idea with a Mars transit to risk hangry. Pholus is all about food and drink. He insists that one make a ritual - a ceremony of eating food that is prepared properly. He asks if how you eat and drink and whatever other substances you may take in the interest of consciousness, totally and fully nurture your being. If a no, Pholus supports abrupt changes in diet, method of consumption, time taken for consumption, and quality of those things consumed. He wants all nurturing in life to be treated reverentially... as if it is a ceremony. In fact, he urges all to consider that every act taken in life is on the path of karma leading to dharma and thus a purposeful ritual. As such, all acts are meritorious (as in those things worth doing) and all efforts applied in life are indeed intended to fulfill the purposes of the soul.

Venus draws an exact bead on Ceres in Sagittarius at a degree in between the Great Attractor and the Galactic Center. They both draw from both galactic points. Very recently, both these goddesses aligned with a collection of potent black holes in Sagittarius. In this recent degree passage, thoughts on the table and up for discussion include:

Becoming an expert in all you do, or consulting only with those with impeccable wisdom when seeking advice, encouragement or critique. Ensuring that all things done totally and completely align with ones beliefs. Consistency in creativity and consciousness. Recognizing and revering every morsel of personal knowledge gained and committing to apply it fully in every life act, including thoughts, words and deeds.

Ceres and Venus advance upon and seek the wisdom of the Galactic Center. Together, they seek to understand the energy underscoring any life difficulty. With understanding, the energy can be shifted, and almost if by strategic pointing of a magician’s wand, the path can clear with insights applied. Ceres and Venus may be tempted to offer up critical - potentially judgmental life reviews. The recent transit to the Great Attractor presumably refreshed beliefs with the thought that new concepts deserve to be considered before dismissal. That everyone has a place in the plan. Inclusion is the easiest way to reduce resistance from others. And finally, everyone expects you to land those insights buzzing around inside their heads with a blazing and thoughtful information drop.

With these gravitationally significant galactic gizmos and their ongoing transits by planets, time and space warp as a matter of course. It’s simply what happens. What you realized today the world needs to know now takes some time for the collective to wrap around. While it may feel boring initially, reading from a journal what you documented six-months might do the trick. What you have assimilated... and come to understand... can be elucidated with greater ease that your latest high flying idea that still requires emotional adjustment on your part and a major dose of grounded applications to make sense of it.

While this may seem old hat, when utility is realized. progress is made, and previously stationary wheels move forward, know that your contribution of the galactic goodies you currently grok, works smoothing in resolving logjams without dynamite. Also, remember, to make the mundane move again and give it momentum, requires altering the energy that prevails as the substrate of stuck situations... not forcing, dominating or manipulating... simply unknotting that ball of energy.

These transits which precede Pluto donning his bright Aquarian duds by less than a week promote believing that things can work out more ideally than previously imagined. Really!

Can you think of a better way to start this brand spanking new year than with such thinking? Neither can Saturn, Pluto, Gonggong, Ceres, Pholus or Venus.

More soon...

One Stop Shopping Order Form Astrological Textso

Meteoric the Movie on Vimeo ZAP! on Vimeo

[fakevogue]

When Caroline Brake burst onto the scene with her breathtaking performance in Old Ways to Die, the whispers around Hollywood were deafening. A Best Actress Oscar nomination at just 25? The trajectory seemed set—blockbuster roles, high-fashion campaigns, a steady climb toward superstardom. But Caroline, with her sun-kissed Venice Beach roots and a penchant for defying expectations, has taken a decidedly different approach. And, as it turns out, we’re all under her spell.

I meet Caroline at a tucked-away café near her Venice Beach bungalow. She’s the picture of effortless cool in a fitted t-shirt, nothing with her but her trusty tote bag and a radiant smile that feels like it belongs more to an old friend than a rising Hollywood star. As she orders her matcha latte—pausing to chat animatedly with the barista, whose name she knows both first and last—it becomes clear that this isn’t an act. Caroline Brake is as genuine as she is magnetic.

When I asked her if side-stepping Hollywood expectations is something that comes naturally to her, she says “You could definitely say I’ve been dancing since the womb,” and she settles into her seat with a lightness that feels almost choreographed. “Well, I don’t want to take too much credit. My mom—Maggie Brake—has been a dancer for 47 years. Her whole life is a kind of dance, this flow of energy and creativity. I grew up watching that, absorbing it. I’m constantly catching myself doing things just like her, and honestly, I love it. It’s like rediscovering her magic in my own way.”

Maggie Brake is something of a local legend in Venice Beach, where she raised Caroline. A former Broadway dancer, Maggie stepped onto the Great White Way for just five years, but her impact was indelible. “She was in the right place at the right time,” Caroline explains, pride evident in her voice. That “right place” happened to be in front of the creators of A Chorus Line, who immortalized her story—and by extension, her legacy—in one of the most iconic musicals of all time.

But Maggie’s decision to trade Manhattan’s bright lights for the laid-back sands of Venice Beach is a move that feels quintessentially Brake. “She’s always been about staying true to herself, and I think I’ve inherited that,” Caroline muses.

It’s this blend of authenticity and artistry that sets Caroline apart in an industry obsessed with predictability. While others might chase the traditional path to stardom, she’s content charting her own course, one that feels deeply personal, like an interpretive dance through the world’s expectations.

As my conversation with Caroline deepens, the veneer begins to shift, revealing a young woman whose grounded perspective feels almost radical in the shimmering world of Hollywood.

Growing up in her mother’s dance studio, Caroline explains, wasn’t always as idyllic as it might sound. “My mom struggled to keep that studio open year after year,” she says, her voice softening. “She was a single mother with no financial safety net, so I saw firsthand what it meant to work tirelessly for something you believe in.”

That early exposure to grit and resilience instilled a work ethic that Caroline carries with her to this day. “I’ll never be under the impression that what I’m doing isn’t a job,” she says plainly. And it’s here, in this unvarnished honesty, that the carefully layered aura of ease begins to give way to something more vulnerable—and more real.

“As passionate as I am about film, and as much as I was raised to be an artist first and foremost, I honestly can’t approach this process emotionally,” she admits. The statement feels almost like a confession, peeling back the layers of the free-spirited persona she’s cultivated.

Instead, Caroline approaches her work with a sharp pragmatism, prioritizing the collective experience of the cast and crew above all else. “I feel this enormous pressure to make sure everyone I work with feels valued and like they’re in the best environment possible to do their best work,” she explains. “Because it is work. Hard work. It’s insane hours, monster tasks, and sometimes you’re just completely overwhelmed by the thought that it could all be for nothing.”

She pauses, her gaze momentarily distant. “What if no one likes the movie? What if no one even shows up in the first place?”

Caroline leans back in her chair, all her introspection at odds with her energy, which is as effortless as the ocean breeze. She’s been candid so far—about her work ethic, her anxieties, and the pressure of ensuring every set she steps onto is a haven for creativity. But when I bring up the inevitability of facing failure, her demeanor shifts slightly, her confidence tempered by a quiet humility.

“The same plan as always,” she says, her eyes sparkling with a mix of self-awareness and determination. “Show up, work as hard as I can, be as present as possible, and just… be unwavering.” She pauses, then laughs, the sound warm and disarming. “I guess all of that’s easy to say while I’m still on this side of success.”

It’s this balance of conviction and realism that makes Caroline so intriguing—a star who’s not only self-assured but also deeply aware of the fragility of her position.

I ask if her unorthodox approach to selecting projects and collaborators is part of her strategy for keeping her career fresh and her work resonant. Her answer comes quickly, without hesitation.

“Oh, absolutely,” she says, leaning forward slightly, as if sharing a secret. “It’s easy for me to have faith in the work and the people I work with when I’m working with auteurs. The crews they bring with them? They’re often the same people they started out with—the ones they went to film school with, the ones who’ve been with them since the beginning. There’s this incredible sense of trust and collaboration because they’ve already laid such a strong foundation for a great set. And when that’s in place, everything else feels easy.”

There’s a reverence in her tone, a clear appreciation for the artistry and community that auteurs foster. It’s also a testament to her discernment, a rare quality in an industry that often prioritizes profit over process.

As our conversation winds down, it’s clear that Caroline Brake isn’t just navigating Hollywood on her own terms—she’s doing so with a vision that feels both bold and deeply rooted in authenticity. Whether or not she ever faces the specter of failure, one thing is certain: she’ll face it with the same unwavering grace that’s brought her this far. And if her track record is any indication, she’ll emerge all the stronger for it.

[duck-ducks]

Growing Gardens

Chapter 5: Wallowing Worrier

Soundwave knew that a little bit of sympathy could go a long way. He had seen it on Cybertron and he had seen it on hundreds of planets since leaving his home planet. A little bit of sympathy could make change, change ment surprises and Soundwave didn’t do surprises. He dealt in knowing, in having answers, and making others question him.

He didn’t like not knowing how someone would react, someone new who he had no files on to reference.

But, he had done this before, and with how many organics the Autobots had already collected it was likely he would have to do it again many times over. Creating new files was a task both resented and beloved.

His fingers twitched as he opened the other humans files, they would need updating soon.

Gladiolus was returned to the Autobot base that evening after work.

None of her coworkers had questioned why she hadn’t driven herself to work, or who had picked her up.

His name was Kup. An old soldier even when compared to the millions of years old Optimus Prime, who she found while not terribly young was also not terribly old for a Cybertronian. Thinking it over she was mildly appalled that the Stunticons had called her old with that knowledge. Even with their own age being drastically lower than hers, they were surrounded by beings centuries older. She shouldn’t even be on their radar as beginning to be considered old.

With the Stunticons in mind, she was worried. She had thought about it all morning and any time she could spare a thought at work. She thought about poor Deadend, all alone in the Autobot brig. Although they hadn’t actually said if he was alone, was there a guard watching him or other prisoners in the surrounding cells?

“Hey, you all right?” Sparkplug tapped his nails on the table they sat at, he had taken it upon himself to be her guide to all things cybertronian, giving her a human perspective of everything. She appreciated it especially after Optimus’s spiel the day before.

“I’m not sure.” she truly wasn't. Getting up that morning had been hard. Gladiolus felt that there was something she wanted and with everything that she already had to think about, that made her nervous. She didn’t need or want more in her life. She hadn’t wanted more to her life before the alien robots presents had been revealed to her. “How do you deal with all of this?” she gestured to the rest of the room, to the cybertronians and humans milling about. Some were passing by busy with data pads and the need to be elsewhere. Others were about the lounge area resting or socializing.

In all things they seemed… normal.

Sparkplug looked at his mug of coffee and smiled at it. “At first I didn’t. I tried to pretend as though I had never seen them, as though they had never rescued me and my son from the Decepticons. It’s terrifying to be faced with the reality that your world is so much smaller than you could have imagined.”

“What changed? You seem perfectly at ease with them now.” She took the teabag out of her full mug and left it on the spoon on the table. She wasn’t very fond of tea but she had been trying to drink less caffeine as of recently and she thought decaf coffee tasted weird.

“My son Spike is friends with some of the autobots. While I tried to ignore their existence, Spike fully embraced them right away. He spent a lot of time at their base, much less now that he's gone off to college, but back then if you didn’t know where he was chances were he was here.

He and a bot called Bumblebee became thick as thieves; they were always together.” The man looked tired, she hadn’t really noticed it until now, but he had a general weariness about him despite his cheerfulness.

“At first I always went with him but with Bumblebee protecting him, what was I to be afraid of, right?

So I let him go to and from their base alone. Until one day he left in the morning and didn’t come back. I got a call from Optimus, must have been close to nine pm, he said that Spike had been captured by the Decepticons while accompanying the Autobots on a raid. I Had no idea he was being taken out on the field, into hostile territory.

The Autobots hadn’t a clue that Spike wasn’t an adult, they're better at it now but back then they couldn’t tell with us humans, their concept of children is a little skewed if you haven't noticed.

I wasn’t just going to sit around and wait to find out if my son was ok, so I convinced Optimus to take me with them on the rescue mission. Barely took any convincing at all actually.

I was thoroughly and quickly integrated into a lot of Cybertronian things during that period, leading up to and during the mission.

Spending time with them makes it pretty clear that they’re just people, they love and hate and feel just as much as we do. I found that that made everything surrounding them a little easier to understand.”

Gladiolus wanted to understand. She felt eyes looking at her as though judging how she would respond. “I think I know what you mean.” She wasn’t as confident in that as she would have liked to be but time would tell if she would become accustomed to the world she was shoved into.

“Now I don’t believe you told me what line of work you're in?” Sparkplug changed the subject and gladiolus was glad for it.

They continued to talk at ease, although the feeling of slight unease never left her, Gladiolus was finding it a little easier to relax and not think about all her troubles.

That was something she hadn’t done in a long time.

Something of the serenity was misaligned. Gladiolus was unsettled by the feeling, the situational unease was creeping back. She knew that logically there were things that she should leave be, but logic never paired well with emotion.

“What will happen to Deadend?” she asked Kup, who once again was driving her home.

“Well for now he’ll wait in the brig. The Stunticons aren’t usually told much so we don't spend much time trying to interrogate them.” His voice came from his speakers and had an old timey radio sound to it.

“Interrogate? Is that really necessary?” Even if he was created with preinstalled knowledge, Deadend was still three years old. He and the other Stunticons had been arguing about a curfew.

“I know to you it may seem harsh, but the ruffian won’t be harmed, just questioned.” Kup’s voice ended with a finality to it as they pulled into her driveway.

At first she just sat there. In Kup’s front seat, feeling wrong about the situation. Kup opened his door for her and tilted his seat to get her moving. “Listen, I'll be back to bring you to work tomorrow, how about after I take you to the brig so you can see him. I can’t guarantee that you’ll be allowed to speak to him but I’ll still make the request.”

Gladiolus nodded. “Thank you, and I’m sorry if I seemed put off by you. I don't mean anything by it, I'm having a difficult time… adjusting.”

“It’s alright,” Despite being in his alt mode, something about Kups disposition softened. “Get a good rest kid, a tired mind brings mistakes and confusion. Enemies have a harder time getting one up on you when you’re rested and your minds and full capacity.”

Gladiolus didn’t know what enemies she would be outsmarting but she agreed nonetheless.

Wishing Kup a good night she went inside her house, closing the door behind her.

Her day felt too long as she sat on the edge of her bed to remove her shoes. It served her well when her head hit the pillow and her forgotten dreams returned.

[cinema-hallucinations]

Prompt: Generate a movie concept for a family drama about inheritance where the viewers eventually realise that one of the character is secretly a telepath, unknown to the other characters.

Title: Whispers in the Will

Tagline: Sometimes the loudest voices are the ones you can't hear.

Logline: When eccentric artist Amelia dies, her dysfunctional family gathers to read the will. Tensions rise as hidden resentments and long-buried secrets come to light. But amidst the chaos, one family member, the seemingly unassuming Alice, possesses a secret – she's a telepath, and the voices in her head might hold the key to Amelia's true intentions.

Characters:

Alice: The middle child, often overlooked. Quiet and observant, she secretly hears the thoughts of those around her.

Charles: The eldest son, a successful lawyer driven by ambition and resentment towards Amelia's perceived favoritism.

Olivia: The glamorous younger sister, known for her extravagance and strained relationship with Alice.

Ethan: Amelia's loyal lawyer and confidante. He appears to know more about the will than he lets on.

Plot:

The film opens with the reading of Amelia's will. To everyone's surprise, she leaves her vast estate and art collection not equally to her children, but to a seemingly random charity. The family is thrown into disarray, with Charles fuming about a wasted inheritance and Olivia suspecting a con.

Alice, however, experiences something different. As the family argues, she starts picking up on their unspoken thoughts - Charles' buried anger over Amelia's disapproval, Olivia's secret financial woes, and Ethan's guilt over a past mistake. These snippets of information paint a different picture of Amelia's intentions.

Alice struggles with the ethical dilemma of revealing her telepathic ability. If she speaks up, she risks being ostracized as crazy. Yet, her empathy for Amelia and a desire to mend her fractured family propel her forward.

Through subtle hints and seemingly intuitive remarks, Alice begins to nudge the family towards clues hidden within Amelia's artwork. These clues, coupled with Alice's careful manipulation of conversations based on overheard thoughts, slowly reveal Amelia's true message.

The climax involves a pivotal moment where Alice, cornered by her siblings, must choose to reveal her secret telepathy to expose a hidden clause in the will. This clause reveals Amelia's concern for their futures and a challenge for them to work together on a project she believed in.

Themes:

Family dysfunction and the power of forgiveness

Secrets and the burden of unspoken truths

Trust, communication, and the importance of empathy

The exploration of a unique superpower and its ethical use

Twist:

The ending can go two ways:

Acknowledgement: Alice reveals her telepathy, initially met with disbelief but ultimately leading to a heart-to-heart with her siblings and a newfound understanding.

Ambiguity: Alice remains silent, but her actions and manipulations lead the family to reconcile and fulfill Amelia's wishes. The film concludes with Alice contemplating whether to ever reveal her secret, leaving the audience to ponder the possibilities.

This concept offers a fresh perspective on a family drama, weaving the supernatural element of telepathy into a relatable story of family conflict and reconciliation.

[jcmarchi]

Everything Announced During The April 2024 Nintendo Indie World

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/everything-announced-during-the-april-2024-nintendo-indie-world/

Everything Announced During The April 2024 Nintendo Indie World

Today’s Nintendo Indie World featured 20 minutes of new indie game reveals and updates to anticipated titles. If you missed the event, we’ve gathered each announcement here for a cursory glance at what showed up. 

Little Kitty, Big City – May 9 

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As the title suggests, you control a small cat in a mini-open world set within a bustling, Japanese-inspired metropolis. Your goal is to find a way home, but plenty of distractions and opportunities to help fellow animal friends or cause chaos will likely delay your departure. 

Yars Rising – Late 2024

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Wayforward and Atari are teaming up for a 2D Metroidvania spin-off of the 1982 classic Yars’ Revenge. This side-scrolling platformer stars Emi Kimura, a young hacker (using the handle of Yar) who gets embroiled in an intergalactic conspiracy centered around a corrupt corporation. Yar can blast robots, climb platforms, sneak through vents, hide in doorways, and more. 

Refind Self: The Personality Test Game – Summer 2024 

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This 2023 choice-driven adventure stars an android whose creator has passed away. Unaware of its purpose, you’ll piece together your past by interacting with characters and making decisions to determine what the doctor had in mind for you. Decisions mold the android into one of 23 personality types. Are you a hero, researcher, artisan, or gambler? Whichever the case, Refind Self encourages multiple playthroughs, and you can share results and compare choices and personality results with other players. 

Sticky Business – Today

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First arriving last summer, this cozy shop simulator is now available on Switch. Players run a sticker shop where you’ll use over 400 elements and effects, such as sparkles and glitter, to fulfill specific customer requests. Giving customers their desired stickers causes them to open up to players and share their individual stories. The Plan with Me DLC adds new sticker elements and customer stories, and a bundle containing the DLC and the base game is also available. 

Antonblast – November 12

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As Dynamite Anton or Annie, smash through levels to reach Satan himself, who stole your prized spirit collection. Levels begin by setting bombs, then use your powerful hammer to smash enemies through destructible environments Reaching the end triggers a timer where you must race back to the start before the entire level detonates. A demo will be available later today, and Antonblast will launch as a timed console exclusive when it releases. 

Valley Peaks – 2024

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As a mountain-climbing frog, use your tongue to swing across mountain peaks to place radio towers and reestablish communications with fellow climbers. Each mountain presents its own platforming puzzle, challenging players to find the correct path. Along the way you’ll find equipment to ease climbing, play minigames, and take on side quests from other froggy climbers

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes – May 16

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This Annapurna-published non-linear puzzle game finally hits next month. Created by the team behind Sayonara Wild Hearts, players control a woman invited to take part in a project set in an old European hotel. Her journey becomes a nightmarish and surreal adventure sporting over 100 puzzles with shifting mechanics and perspectives. 

Europa – 2024

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This vibrant sci-fi fantasy game could be mistaken for a Studio Ghibli joint. Players control an android boy with a jetpack-like device who explores a picturesque alien moon. Soar through levels to uncover the secrets of a lost civilization. A free demo is available later today. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate – July 2024

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Originally an Apple Arcade exclusive, this roguelike adventure sees the Turtles traveling through reality-bending portals to find a kidnapped Master Splinter. Each turtle has their own abilities to take down the Foot Clan and other familiar foes, with every room granting new powers and upgrades. Spending earned currency at the sewer base unlocks permanent upgrades, and you can play alongside three other players in drop-in/drop-out co-op. TMNT: Splinter Fate is launching on Switch as a timed console exclusive. 

Cat Quest III – August 8

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Sail the seven seas as an adorable feline pirate to engage in navel combat alone or with a friend in co-op. When you’re not sailing the waves, you’re blasting enemies in dungeons using a refined combat system with tighter combos and new weapon swapping. 

Stitch – Today

[embedded content]

Embroidery fans rejoice! Apply those skills (sort of) to complete over 180 Picross-esque puzzles, called Hoops, to bring embroidery patterns to life. Completed hoops can be replayed endlessly in free play mode where you can recolor them as you wish. Limited daily puzzles offer tougher challenges, and weekly hoops are themed after holidays and other real events. First released on Apple Arcade, Stich is a console exclusive on Switch. 

SteamWorld Heist II – August 8

[embedded content]

The sequel to SteamWorld’s 2015 turn-based strategy game takes to the seas. New features include the ability to perform trick shots to ricochet enemies off each other, a revamped job system, and an interactive world map with real-time naval combat. You can befriend new steambots to join your crew and your actions impact their lives. 

Quick Release Date Updates

Bzzzt – Summer 2024

Schim – July 18

Animal Well – May 9

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami – May 23

Another Crab’s Treasure – April 25

Which announcement interested you the most? Let us know in the comments!

[nerdarena2]

Season Two of Loki Is Out!! Have You Watched It Yet?

The God of Mischief is back, and this time, the stakes are higher than ever. Marvel fans, rejoice! Season Two of "Loki" has hit the screens, and it's everything we could have hoped for and more. If you haven't dived into the latest escapades of everyone's favorite trickster, here's why you should clear your schedule and hit play now!

A Continuation of Chaos : The first season left us on the edge of our seats with its mind-bending twists and turns. Season Two picks up right where it left off, promising more chaos, more mischief, and undoubtedly, more questions that will keep us theorizing until the next episode.

The Multiverse Unleashed : With the multiverse officially unleashed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, "Loki" Season Two takes full advantage of the narrative possibilities. Expect unexpected crossovers, alternate realities, and a rollercoaster ride through the vast expanse of the multiverse.

Tom Hiddleston's Charisma : Tom Hiddleston reprises his role as Loki with the same charisma and wit that has made the character a fan favorite. His nuanced portrayal adds depth to the God of Mischief, making us both love and question his every move.

New Characters, New Mysteries : Alongside familiar faces, Season Two introduces new characters that add layers to the narrative. These fresh additions bring their own mysteries and complexities, ensuring that the audience remains on the edge of their seats, trying to unravel the enigma of the TVA and the multiverse.

Visual Spectacle : As expected from Marvel, the visual spectacle is top-notch. From otherworldly landscapes to stunning CGI, "Loki" Season Two continues the tradition of delivering a visual feast that enhances the overall viewing experience.

The Loki Variants : The concept of Loki variants opens the door to infinite possibilities. Different versions of Loki from across the multiverse bring their own quirks and nuances, offering a delightful exploration of the character's many facets.

If the answer is no, what are you waiting for? Dive into Season Two of "Loki" and let the adventure begin. For those who have already embarked on this journey, the excitement lies in the anticipation of what's to come. Either way, one thing is for sure – the God of Mischief is back, and he's taking us on a wild ride through the multiverse.

Prime Characters Of The Loki Series

 Below is are one of the prime characters from the loki series which has played a significant role in the entire series :

Loki

Loki is a fictional character, a supervillain, and sometimes an antihero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a Norse deity, specifically the god of mischief, and is based on the Norse mythology figure of the same name. In the Marvel Universe, Loki is often depicted as the adoptive brother and archenemy of Thor, another prominent Marvel superhero. Loki has shape-shifting abilities and magical powers, making him a formidable and unpredictable adversary. Despite his villainous nature, Loki's character has undergone various interpretations, and he has occasionally taken on a more sympathetic or antiheroic role in certain storylines. If you are a true fan of the loki series series and you wish to purchase such marvel collectibles online then you can find these at marvel figurines india.

Sylvie

Sylvie is revealed to be a variant of Loki, originating from a different timeline. In the TV series, she is initially referred to as "Lady Loki" by some characters due to her female form, but she later adopts the name Sylvie. Like the main Loki variant, Sylvie escapes from the TVA (Time Variance Authority) after being accused of creating a nexus event. She becomes the target of the TVA's efforts to maintain the timeline. Sylvie's character is complex and layered, with her own experiences and perspectives that shape her journey. Her interactions with Loki and others in the series reveal more about her personality and the challenges she faces. If you are a true fan of the loki series series and you wish to purchase such marvel collectibles online then you can find these at marvel figurines india.

Apart from the above anime action figures, there are many other action figures. If you are looking out for such action figures then Nerd Arena is a one-stop solution for such kinds of action figures. 

To know more: https://nerdarena.in/products/iron-studios-loki-battle-diorama-series-loki-classic-variant-1-10-art-scale-limited-edition-statue

[xxx-calibur]

Was it a mistake for Titania to seek out the Prince of Thieves? Maybe. She was well aware of his exploits, there probably wasn't a single soul in all of Chaldea who didn't know what the effeminate young man got up to with his entourage of consorts, especially as their Master was one of them.

Still though, she wanted to know his perspective, as a fellow embodiment of fiction. Queen Titania of the Fae, a fictional character with no basis in reality, and Alibaba, the personification of The One-Thousand and One Nights, a collection of fables and folktales. If nothing else, they might be able to have an interesting dialogue! Of course, being aware of his proclivities did nothing to protect her from them...

Angels and devils, gods and men, none could resist his charm. From the moment Pretender had approached him he knew he would have to have her too. She was simply far too pretty, too lovely, not to be one of his wives. Its why he spoke with her to begin with, even exchanging a few tales with her. She had this refined grace to her befitting of a queen though honestly it made sense. She was the queen of faeries after all, leader of the Summer Court. But, queen she may be, she was still very much a woman and thus once Alibaba grew bored of her tales he decided to move things along.

Much like the Fates, Erebos and Sarakiel it'd take some work to make her completely his. But that was half the fun of these things. Watching a woman who regarded herself as a queen submit and yield her body as the secret path to her 'treasure' was found and opened by the clever prince. With every thrust that noble facade would drop and reveal her true colors. Those lovely eyes, those Faerie Eyes that should have been able to see through his Unassuming Presence, gazed up at him in adoration now as once more he plunged into her depths to let loose another thick and virile load into her borrowed body.

"Hey hey, your highness, your body, its really familiar you know?" he'd smile down at her, the sound of his own voice and of their sex music to his ears. "You know, that gloomy druid girl is gonna be so upset with you when she sees you took her girlfriend away. Alibaba might even feel bad about taking you, if just a little bit. But dont worry, if you have any thoughts about her Alibaba will make sure you dont remember a thing once we're done with our lovey-dovey sex, okay?"

Another load, a sweet moan from him and from Titania. But no sooner was it finished did he flip her to her side and carry on with her as his hidden Noble Phantasm continued to affect her very Core. So much for the noble queen of faeries- Now she was naught but another woman in the harem of the Middle East's greatest thief.

[smokescreenimusprime]

*slaps roof of Alpha Trion* god you can fit so much Ethically Grey in this guy I love it

because like. Because of how little we see of him, there's so many ways to interpret his behaviour. We only ever hear about him from the perspective of his beloved student (who he took in because he's actually his little brother (for those unaware, it's heavily implied in the Lore™ that Optimus is the 13th Prime)) and the guard assigned to keep him safe for who knows how long. It's only natural that their views would lean more positively, but since we never actually see Trion for ourselves, what he's actually like could technically be called into question

not to mention how the ethics and morals of demigods vs mortals are bound to be very, very different. Trion is Old and has quite literally been around since before the PLANET CYBERTRON was even a thing, let alone the Cybertronian race. He's seen and experienced some shit, and his decisions will reflect that

now that all aside, I don't think Trion would be malicious or intending harm, but he'd definitely be keeping secrets, especially when it comes to Smokescreen being the key's vessel. After all, that's going to put a HUGE target on Smokescreen's back, an even larger one than being his guard would already give

I'd imagine his origional plan was to have the Autobots collect all of the Keys, then reveal the fourth. Unfortunatley, this plan was derailed before it could even properly begin by the fact the Decepticons not only had acess to the Iacon Database, but had also managed to figure out how to decode it, a fact Trion wouldn't learn until much later

it would also open up an interesting avenue of Trion being torn between Protecting The Omega Key And Cybertron's Best Hope vs Wanting What's Best For Smokescreen And To Give Him A Chance To Experince The World

(also, for shits and giggles...... what if Smokescreen kinda broke the future a little bit. Like, what Alpha Trion ended up Seeing was the original canon that exists, but Smokescreen saving his life and brining him to Earth as well didn't happen in his visions)

so AU where Smokescreen and Trion managed to escape to Earth together

like. instead of just killing him, the Cons brought Trion aboard the same prison ship Smokescreen was, and when he escaped and was looking around, he found his mentor and set him free as well and they jammed themselves in the same escape pod as best they could because splitting up is basically a death sentence at this point and yeet off to Earth

I'll admit, I'm not 100% sure where this story would go, however I think it would be fun to deal with the possible conflict Smokescreen's loyalty to Trion could bring

cuz like. On one hand, this is the opportunity he’s been wanting for so long. A chance to actually fight instead of being forced to hang back behind everyone else……. But on the other hand, he genuinely does love and respect Alpha Trion, and the thought of abandoning him after everything seems just wrong, plus he’s still technically under orders to defend the guy

I also think it would be fun for Trion to slowly start nudging Smokey to Be Able To Do His Own Thing, only for this to somewhat backfire when the Cons find the base and he decides to bolt through the Groundbridge to rescue Optimus

[goldazu]

Okay, I know people are tired of my Pokemon shenanigans, but hear me out. Some people were also interested in what I thought about the overall plot and I will try to go ahead and give my two cents on it.

Personally, I'm somewhat sick of the same recycled Pokemon plot in which the rivals are overly friendly, hold your hand throughout your whole journey, and act a little too light-hearted for my tastes. Give me a mean rival again, those were fun. However, that isn't to say I didn't enjoy Nemona and Arven in particular. Especially Arven. His arc was very mind-blowing for me by the end of the game considering what happened with his family.

Truth told, before I started the game, I definitely heard rumors of people like "the story made everyone cry." So, I wanted to see what exactly was so heart-wrenching about it. Initially I thought it was the whole plot arc with Arven and his sick dog who showed little to no signs of recovery even as you collect the Herba Mystica (basically nutrient-loaded food for the Pokemon) for him to feel better, which I'll admit was indeed sad and tugging on my heartstrings at some point, but it wasn't anything too eye-opening for me all the same.

Little did I know, this was just the beginning of it.

As the player explores Paldea and collects the Herba Mystic for the professor (Sada or Turo depending on your version—I played Scarlet so I got Sada), your ride legendary also gains some new powers. Dashing, jumping, swimming, gliding, climbing, etc. It's clear throughout the adventure that Arven and the professor have strained relationships due to Koraidon/Miraidon yet the player doesn't really know why until the end, which I consider the most exciting part of the overall story.

Once the Herba Mystica subplot was finished, the player then has to make their way to the forbidden Great Crater since Arven just kinda goes "okay, we need to find my mom/dad." Yes, the professor is revealed to be his parent, though I didn't see it coming even when in hindsight they do resemble each other. That's on me, I guess. Oops? Anyway, the professor up until that point has and continues to communicate with you, the player, via Rotom phone so you never actually get to meet them. It turns out they're "trapped" in the lab in Area Zero, which leads you and the gang to travel there despite the prehistoric/futuristic Pokemon crawling about. All of which are quite powerful in their own right.

Eventually as you approach the lab, it's revealed those Pokemon from the past/future are too dangerous for the ecosystem and must be stopped/contained in their "respective times." It makes sense, to be fair. Should they escape Area Zero, then they'd undoubtedly infest all of Paldea and probably turn the whole region into a living Hell for all the other, much more weak Pokemon who are from the current time period. So, the professor asks you to disable the time machine that they themselves made to prevent that from happening, since a lot of the paradox Pokemon are already starting to go out of control.

Sounds easy enough, right? Well, there's just one small complication.

Turns out the professor is actually an AI based on Arven's real parent, who died in the respective time zone of their field of study. They died in an accident trying to protect Koraidon/Miraidon yet somehow the AI still lives on. Ironically enough, even the AI recognizes the whole time machine thing was going to be a bad idea and faults the original professor for it. They warn you that if you try to disable it, they will be programmed to fight you since anything that tries to stop the time machine is immediately deemed a threat.

Now, this is what I find very interesting. The AI is on your side, yet you have no choice but to defeat them in battle. Even though they don't want to fight, it's just how they're wired and programmed, unfortunately. This battle is also very exciting from a blind player's perspective because the AI's whole team is comprised of Pokemon solely from the "past" and "future" that the player has yet to encounter, forcing you to guess their weaknesses if you haven't already spoiled yourself by this point. For those going into the game 100% blind, I can see why the fight poses the greatest challenge yet.

Anyways, after you defeat them, the AI explains they can't leave the time machine which is why they were "stuck" in the lab all this time. Despite your efforts, it doesn't exactly "shut down." There are too many protocols and it turns into a Koraidon vs Koraidon (or Miraidon vs Miraidon, again, Scarlet vs Violet differences) showdown. Yes, there are two of them, by the way. Apparently the one you own is the more submissive one who lost a territory fight or something, but I think it's kind of awe-inspiring that it beats the one it originally lost against. It just goes to show that since you traveled with it all throughout the game, your bond overcame everything else.

Instead of disabling/destroying the time machine, the AI decides they, too, want to go on their own journey. All this time, monitoring you as you collected the Herba Mystica, beat all the gym leaders, challenged Team Star, etc., it's revealed they envied you. Makes sense, since they spent all that time tethered to the lab/time machine. I guess even AI can develop a thirst for adventure.

Enough recap, here's where I add in my opinions on everything.

Honestly, the idea of an AI character in Pokemon developed this way is very interesting to me. I know they tried to do similar in the past, but the exposition here was much more intense than other games. And the fact that it's revealed Arven's sole parent who already spent little to no time with him throughout his childhood as is died, I realized "wow, this is darker than I thought for a Pokemon game." I love it. I actually came to adore the professor more knowing they were an AI in the end. Their parting words to Arven before the time machine transported them was something along the lines of "s/he really cared about you." And I don't think they're lying, either. If you take a look at the lab, you'll see the original professor has a picture of Arven and his dog when he was just a child.

The whole game, all the side characters encourage you to "find your treasure." Yet, here we see with the professor that sometimes people go overboard with their treasure hunt, and they devote all of their time and energy to their goals that they forsake their loved ones, their kids, their family, etc. Hell, the professor even developed all those protective measures so that the time machine would never fail, which just goes to show they wanted to research those paradox pokemon no matter what—even at the cost of neglecting their kid.

If I was in Arven's shoes, honestly, I'd be devastated. The one parent I came to resent and never spent all that much time with turns out to be dead, and I was only speaking to an AI version of them all this time. Crazy, right? He surprisingly took it well despite all the rivals being kids, but still, crazy stuff. Makes one wonder what his life would be like if only he had an active parent around.

Now, I may be biased because I played through Scarlet, which means Arven had mommy issues with Sada. However, I just cannot imagine Arven and Turo for some reason. 💀 Maybe it's because I also played as a girl, and considering his beef with Nemona who is also a young woman, it makes sense that Arven has a distrust towards the opposite gender due to his mother's absence. Sound familiar yet?? Omg, Arven is even good at cooking.

Back to the paradox Pokemon, there are theories that they aren't actually from the past/future and that they're just the professor's imagination coming to life due to a third unrevealed legendary. To be honest, I think this theory is sound. After all, how can Sandy Shocks, a Pokemon resembling manmade magnets, come from the ancient past???

Overall, I loved how surprisingly dark the story in Scarlet and Violet were this time around. Please give me more plotlines like this. TL;DR, Arven is best boy and deserves everything good in this world. 😩

[littlemisspascal]

Death and an Angel part 10

Death!Din x Cupid F!Reader

Summary:  Neither you nor Din are handling your capture well.

Rating: T

Word Count: 3,978

Warnings: captured reader, surprises, plot plot plot, violence, Din goes a bit dark side

Author Note: So sorry this is coming out late 😳 Between making YouTube videos and New Years everything got hectic, but here it is. I attempted writing from Din’s perspective this time so bear with me cuz he’s having a rough time😬 

Links to Part 1 and Part 9 and Part 11

Cross-posted on AO3.

Photo Inspiration:

When you wake up, you’re lying facedown on a pallet in a dark and cold room. You groan, head pounding, and try to sit up, but your weak muscles protest, resulting in you rolling awkwardly onto your backside. Squinting up at the ceiling, you notice it is made of rock, as is the wall to the right of you.

Your head lolls to the left, granting you a lovely view of a red laser gate trapping you inside this strange cell. The faint glow it gives off produces barely enough light to reveal more rocky walls curving off to the side. You’re in a cave, you realize, processing everything at the rate of a snail’s pace, or some kind of underground tunnel.

At first you can’t remember how you ended up here, or what happened to you, but then everything hits you all at once.

“Finally,” a voice declares from beyond your cell. The purple twi’lek from earlier steps out of the shadows and leers at you from the other side of the laser gate. “I was beginning to think I misjudged the dosage.”

With monumental effort, you push yourself onto your knees, dizziness slamming into your skull with the brutal intensity of a hammer, and reach a hand out to summon your bow.

Nothing happens.

“What—why isn’t it—” The words are thick and clumsy, slurring together as if your tongue has forgotten how to form them individually. Closing your eyes to stop the room from spinning, you feel nothing but unbalanced and vulnerable. You try to speak again, taking a steadying breath. “What is wrong with me?”

“You’ve been collared. All the pets in the Moff’s collection wear one,” she answers, as casually as if she’s discussing the weather outside. “Keeps you from using your abilities and causing trouble.”

She has no reason to lie, but you still gasp when your trembling hand brushes against the metal band encircling your neck. Panicking, you pull on it without thinking, only for a responding jolt of electricity to shock your fingertips and fry every nerve ending in your body. You cry out at the pain, but the sound is drowned out by the twi’lek’s screech-like laughter.

“That never gets old,” she says, wiping an imaginary tear from her eye.

“Death,” you mutter hoarsely, closing your eyes again and breathing shallowly through your mouth. “Death is going to slaughter all of you.”

“Oh, pet, you just don’t get it, do you?“ Her voice is practically dripping with condescension as she coos at you, “The Moff wants you here because you’re precious to Death.”

Against your better judgement, you open your eyes to look at her, confused by the wide smile you see stretching across her face. At headquarters, Gideon and your superiors had seemed far more concerned about the fact you had a second soulmate rather than who it was you matched with. If Gideon is punishing you for being Din’s soulmate (a fate which you had no control over whatsoever), you can’t help thinking he must be insane or have a legitimate desire to have his body dismembered piece by bloody piece. There is no denying that Din will do anything he can to get you back. Even break the rules of the universe.

You freeze.

Kriff. The puzzle pieces begin fitting together and you loathe the hideous picture they form.

“You are Death’s weakness. And anyone with a weakness can be taken advantage of if the right strings are pulled,” the twi’lek says, confirming your fears. She then winks at you coyly. “Congratulations, pet, you’ve just become Moff Gideon’s favorite puppet.”

You barely refrain from shouting curses at her as she walks away, leaving you alone with your chaotic thoughts.

Lying back down on the pallet, you press your hands over your eyes, tuning out the coldness of your surroundings and seeking out the warmth of your soulmate bond. You call out Din’s name within your mind, a repetitive chant increasing in urgency as you pray against all odds he hears you. But as the silence continues and you start to feel a phantom sensation of pain emanating from your throat, as if you have actually scraped it raw by how loudly you call, your heart breaks as it accepts the bitter truth: he can’t hear you.

You touch the collar again, every internal instinct you have screaming it is to blame for the invisible wall blocking you from reaching out to Din. How long have you been collared? How much time has passed since you were drugged at headquarters? Regardless, you don’t have any doubt Din is losing his mind right now. And his temper.

A few tears leak from the corners of your eyes, but you do not sob or sniffle. Gideon and his minions will not have the satisfaction of hearing you crying. Din wouldn’t like it either, you think, remembering his reaction on the Razor Crest when he’d found you panicking. He had held your hand, offering you any support he could to end your sorrows. Even offering to kill for you.

It’s funny, though, because few people seem to realize the feeling is mutual. You would do anything in the galaxy to spare Din a second’s worth of pain. If Gideon is under the impression you’ll just silently let him use you in order to exploit Din to do his bidding, then he’s going to be thoroughly pissed to learn just how stubborn you can be. Taking away your Cupid abilities might have weakened you, but you’re not going to be a helpless kriffing damsel.

Although, you correct yourself ruefully as you lower your hands and look around your confines, you might currently be a little helpless. You take in the high ceiling above you, thinking you’ll be able to stand at full height once the effects of the drug wear off and still not be able to touch the top. It scares you to think how far your cell has been dug beneath the surface of whichever planet Gideon has imprisoned you on. The twi’lek had referenced he had a collection of others hidden away in these tunnels. How many have died here with no one up above being any the wiser?

Pushing the morbid thoughts aside, your gaze drifts along the walls, noting the varying shapes and sizes of the rocks. They are all different shades of brown except for one odd green one in the corner. You look at the laser gate, knowing it can’t be shut off unless you have access to the generator which severely limits your plans of escaping since—

Your thoughts screech to a halt as your eyes snap back to the corner.

A rock does not have a little green body clothed in brown wool or long pointed ears. Nor does it peer back at you with large, innocent eyes as it clutches a piece of dirty black fabric with tiny three-fingered hands. And it certainly doesn’t waddle up to you and coo curiously in your stunned face.

You rub at your eyes, half-convinced you have now begun hallucinating things.

Nope. That little green face is still there when you open them again. It’s official, your brain isn’t screwing with you.

Your cellmate is a kriffing baby.

~~

Decades ago Din was approached by a man who begged to be killed. He had been separated from his soulmate against his will and compared the pain he felt to the sensation of a thousand needles injecting acid straight into his bloodstream. However, Din had sensed the man’s lifetime was far from over and ignored his pleas.

Thinking about that incident now, Din has determined the man’s comparison to be a gross understatement. Being forcefully separated from his angel is as if an invisible force is holding him underwater, wishing him to drown. His brain is on the verge of exploding, torn between thoughts of bloodthirsty savagery and the overwhelming agony of not being able to breathe without her in his sight. Every hour they remain apart threatens to rob him of his sanity and transform his outward appearance from man to monster.

 Already he has experienced a lapse in control of his powers the moment he’d first felt their bond had been blocked. He’d been forced to teleport away from Kuiil’s farm, lest he risk reaping the Ugnaught’s soul before its destined time, and unleashed his wrath upon an uninhabitable Outer Rim planet. His powers had pierced its core in the same effortless manner a vibroblade cuts through flesh, killing its essence instantaneously. In a matter of minutes, the planet would be nothing more than scattered dust particles floating through the vastness of space, though he did not linger to witness the destruction.

Instead, he returned to his ship and sent a holographic message to his most trusted reapers, assigning them the critical task of searching the galaxy for one specific target: Valin Hess. While they hunted down the bastard, he dedicated his time to searching for his better half. He extended his powers to each individual planet and moon in every region, tendrils of darkness looking through homes and alleyways for even the faintest trace of her vibrant aura amongst trillions of souls.

Now, ten hours later, he is interrupted by the chime of an incoming call.

“Come to Trask,” Bo-Katan says bluntly, not one to waste crucial time with excess words. “I've got him ready for you.”

“Good,” Din says. His own voice sounds strange even to himself. As he reaches for his helmet, his reflection in its visor reveals his eyes have changed from brown to solid black, his true form beginning to break through the human facade he cloaks himself in. 

He had been warned in the past of the grievous consequences that will ripple across the galaxy should he ever lose control of his internal darkness. But if unleashing that force brings him even one step closer to reuniting with his angel?

He won’t even hesitate a heartbeat.

~~

You are quick to learn three important facts about your cellmate.

First and foremost, the baby adores attention. Within minutes of discovering him, he climbs into your lap and snuggles against your stomach, making a strange purring sound of happiness. Your heart squeezes painfully in your chest when you notice the tiny collar around his neck, identical to yours. Why would Gideon be keeping a child in his collection? Any potential answer that comes to mind makes you feel sick.

“You’re safe with me,” you tell him gently, stroking your fingertips over his wrinkly brow and the sparse amount of fuzzy hair on top of his head. He coos as if he understands you, ears perking up. “We’ll get through this together.”

Secondly, he is extremely possessive of his belongings. You learn this the hard way when you reach for the torn piece of black fabric he has gripped in his hands, intending to get a closer look at it because it doesn’t resemble a usual child’s blanket, but instead more so a torn bit of clothing—only for surprisingly sharp teeth to nip at your fingers.

You pull your hand away and hold it up, showing you mean no harm. “I’m sorry, bud. I should have asked permission first.”

Brown eyes stare back at you for a silent beat, painfully reminding you so much of Din you almost can’t bear to look at them, before the baby bobs his head with a low grunt. You chuckle at his cuteness. Although you hate the unfairness of the situation, you’re grateful for his presence as it stops you from worrying incessantly about your disconnected bond. As long as you wear the collar, you remind yourself, there isn’t anything you can do to reach Din. So you’ll just have to continue being patient and live with the uncomfortable hollow sensation until you can determine the best opportunity of freeing yourself.

And the baby now, too, you can’t help but silently add, looking down at him.

It is impossible for you within your cell to tell how much time passes as there are not any nearby clocks or windows providing a glimpse of the sky. As a Cupid, nourishment isn’t a necessity like it is for mortals, so you’re unsurprised no one has come by to offer you food or water. However, the same apparently can’t be said for the baby whose stomach growls unexpectedly, startling you both with its loudness.

He looks down at himself then at the laser gate. His ears twitch, as if he hears something, before he lets out a quiet whine. You open your mouth, wanting to console him, only for him to push himself out of your lap and waddle quicker than you anticipate towards the corner you initially spotted him in.

Thirdly, he is a master escape artist.

“What—” you start to ask, only for your jaw to drop when he squeezes himself through a small hole you failed to notice earlier, no bigger in diameter than a womp rat’s body, and disappears from view.

You stare at the corner, a million questions swirling inside your brain, each one focused on the baby. Where the kriff did he go? What is on the other side of the wall? Will he be okay?

The laser gate abruptly vanishes, plunging your cell into total darkness. You immediately press your back against the wall, blinking rapidly to try to adjust your vision, but you can’t even see your own hands in front of you. There is a distinct clicking sound of a button being pressed and then a glowing black blade lights up mere inches away from the side of your face, nearly singing your hair. You’re unable to stop yourself from crying out in terror, flinching backwards and hitting your head hard enough you see stars.

Over the pounding of your heartbeat and the eerie humming of the weapon next to your ear, you hear a familiar chuckle.

You freeze. Dank farrik.

“Believe it or not,” Gideon begins, looming ominously in the darkness. “I remember our first meeting when you awoke after your transformation. You weren’t special by any means, not one detail even remotely suggesting you would become such an invaluable asset to my plans. I’ve come to realize your unmemorable appearance was the universe’s attempt of concealing you from me. It might have worked, too, except the universe is a hopeless romantic, unable to help itself from matching soulmates. How else can it be explained why you were chosen out of all potential Cupids to monitor Death each month, thus increasing your affections for each other, if not for fate’s divine intervention?”

Gideon lifts the blade away from your personal space and holds it in front of him, outlining his features enough you’re able to see him peering down at you, expression blank and giving you no hints as to what is going on inside his head right now. “Your capture has driven Death into quite a frenzy. His influence can be felt in each region of space. Even his reapers have become involved.”

He pauses, as if he’s expecting a response from you, but you’re unable to look away from the laser sword in his grip. You wonder if all seraphs possess them, such as all Cupids wield bows, or if he had it specially crafted for his own pleasure. Regardless, the negative energy it radiates is strong enough that you feel as if dozens of spiders are crawling over every inch of your entire body.

“Your soulmate has no notion of my involvement, but even if it were revealed to him you are being kept here I thoroughly warded this location to hide myself from those intending me harm. Your presence will continue to remain invisible to his powers as long as he desires bloodshed. So I suggest you better make yourself comfortable because this cell shall be your home for the foreseeable future.”

Swallowing against your suddenly dry throat, you ask, “Do you honestly think keeping me hostage will grant you control over him?”

Gideon inclines his head. “I think you underestimate his willingness to guarantee your safety. He’ll commit any sin imaginable if it means not one hair harmed on your head.”

“Death won’t listen to a single word unless he has proof I’m okay,” you say, the beginnings of a risky plan forming in your head. “Which means you have to let me talk to him.”

“I’m not the fool you think I am,” he replies, shaking his head in a reproachful manner, as if you are no older than a child. But your hopes rise when you notice there is the smallest glimmer of intrigue in his eyes.

You position yourself on your knees, eyes wide and brimming with tears, clasping your hands together as you start to beg. “Please, sir, the separation is tearing me apart. I can’t handle the pain anymore. I must see him. I’ll convince Death to kill whoever in the galaxy you want. He’ll do it without question if I’m the one who asks.”

Gideon considers you wordlessly for a long moment. The hum of the weapon and your heavy, anxious breathing are the only audible sounds. And in that moment you pray harder than you’ve ever prayed in your entire lifetime.

Let this work. Please, please let this work.

You know the exact second he gives in to your begging because a smile pulls at the corners of his mouth, teeth bared almost predatorily.

“Very well then. Tomorrow I will make preparations for you to contact Death. Think carefully until then about what you will say in order to convince him to be agreeable with me. It would be a shame to use this ,” his sword hovers in front of your face once more, the tip nearly touching your chin, “to cut off your tongue should you fail or if you attempt to be clever and alert him of your whereabouts.”

Step one complete, you think to yourself after he has departed and the laser gate returns. Wiping away the lingering tears, you begin to plan step two.

Getting this kriffing collar off your neck.

~~

Valin Hess is every bit the smug bastard Din predicted him to be. Despite the binders securing his wrists to a pipe high above his head and his bleeding split lip, the high-ranking Cupid still has enough arrogance to smirk at Din when he arrives at the abandoned warehouse Bo-Katan chose as the setting for the interrogation.

“Tell me where she is,” Din demands through clenched teeth as he marches up to the pompous prick without sparing a glance towards the red-haired reaper silently leaning against the nearby wall. He knows Bo-Katan is smart enough not to intervene.

“Just who would you be referring to?” Hess blinks innocently back at him.

His nose crumples beneath the knuckles of Din’s fist, blood bursting from his nostrils and staining Din’s gloves crimson.

“I am not known for my patience,” Din says. “Your suffering will only worsen the longer you keep me from my soulmate. I know you are aware of where she’s being kept. So tell. Me. Now.”

Untamed fury burns hotly beneath his skin, threatening to incinerate his mortal guise and his armor as if both were made of paper. It takes all of Din’s self-control not to give into the wicked desire to break each one of the Cupid’s bones, to peel off his skin layer by layer, to twist and carve and scar his body until there is not a single identifiable feature left.

“I haven’t the faintest notion nor care where she wound up.” Hess’ naturally gruff voice has changed to a nasally sounding one due to his broken nose. If the response hadn’t further stirred Din’s annoyance, he might have smirked beneath his helmet instead of snarled. “As soon as that twi’lek dragged her unconscious body out of headquarters, she became a nonentity to me.”

Din places his gloved hands over the other immortal’s shoulders, resting them there long enough Hess starts to twitch, unable to hide his increasing panic, and then Din squeezes until both clavicles shatter at the same time with a resounding crack . Hess tosses his head back, howling like a wounded animal, but Din is not yet finished.

He slams his fists against Hess’ torso, growling loud enough to be heard over the merciless snapping of each individual rib, “Give me a name.”

When the only answer he receives is agonized screaming, Din decides another approach is necessary to produce the desired results. He rips his gloves off, this time unable to resist smirking when Hess immediately starts to choke on his tongue and blood as he shakes his head emphatically, eyes blown wide with fear.

Din’s fingers reach out towards the Cupid’s temples, the veins in his hands ominously black in color.

“Xi’an!” Hess shouts, blood spraying from his mouth and painting Din’s visor. He doesn’t even notice, already planning the hunt for his next target. “The twi’lek that took your whore is named Xi’an!”

Din stills. “My... whore?”

Every lightbulb within the warehouse shatters, glass and sparks raining down upon them and the concrete floor. Hess starts babbling, a litany of apologetic words, but Din is beyond reasoning. Something sinister and feral has awakened within him, intertwining itself with his powers and enhancing their strength beyond what he ever imagined possible.

Din has reaped countless souls over the span of his existence. He has mastered the precise method of coaxing a soul out of a corpse, persuading them gently with his powers. Once the essence is held within his grip, the universe judges it, deciding either eternal damnation or a glorious afterlife. Most people tend to think Din is who chooses their fates, one of the many reasons why they fear him, but he has never been powerful enough to personally influence anyone’s destiny.

Until now.

He lowers one hand to hover over the center of Hess’ sternum, sensing the soul living deep within. It is a little battered from Din’s assault, but otherwise it resembles every other soul he’s ever reaped: a glowing, fidgety, amorphous bundle of energy.

Usually, he’d patiently guide the soul towards the corpse’s esophagus. But Hess is undeserving of such kindness. Din’s powers sink into the essence like sharpened claws, yanking it into Hess’ throat. The soul puts up a valiant fight, recognizing its host is still alive and thus should not be prematurely abandoned. But Din will not yield to its struggles, his powers manifesting dark tendrils to wrap around it in an unbreakable hold.

“You’re killing him!” Din hears someone call out over the harsh choking sounds Hess is making. Their voice is familiar and feminine sounding. “It’s not his time, you have to stop!”

Stop? No. He can’t. Not now when he’s on the verge of fulfilling the oath he’d sworn to his angel.

With one forceful twist of his wrist, the soul is helplessly torn from Hess’ bloodstained mouth and ensnared by Din’s awaiting hand. Without the essence of life, the light fades from the Cupid’s eyes and his broken body hangs limply from the binders.

The afterlife was never going to be an option as the soul’s final destination. However, Din has decided damnation is also too kind a place for vermin like Hess. There must be a third fate, he thinks.

Din squeezes his fist tighter and tighter, generating a cacophony of anguished shrieks from the soul. Ignoring the near-deafening cries, he gradually increases the pressure until at last it lets out one final high-pitched wail before disintegrating into dust that forms an unsuspecting pile on the floor when he uncurls his fingers.

A sharp gasp has Din turning, forgetting he has a witness present, and he finds Bo-Katan staring back at him with blatant horror. “What have you done?”

“What was necessary.”

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