#building up.| jokull

[sentofight]

What memory would your OC rather just forget? einar hihi && How far is your OC willing to go to get what they want? for whoever u feel !! && How does your OC behave when enraged? feiruz !

What memory would your OC rather just forget?

TECHNICALLY, HE FORGOT ALL THE BAD THINGS BECAUSE HELLO CRYSTAL. but. hm. oh. when he shot @crownofsmiles Sora's leggies to stop her (and arrest her) weheheh. forever want to go back in time and punch his old self before he did that.

5. How far is your OC willing to go to get what they want?

HMMM. keeping it short to all of them.

Einar, enough to not cross any ethical or human rights (question mark). He will do anything, but within logic and reason.

Roland, similar to Einar but that's what he wants to think, but honestly, he is too soft inside to 'scheme or plan' so in the normal limit. UNLESS it is something related to Lucina, then he will lose his marbles and comment a crusade for his sister.

Sohrab, chill guy. He's not eager to get anything if he can't pursue it within calculated steps. If his plan works then good, if it didn't, scrap it and work on something else. no biggie. life got more fishes in the water. though, there would be certain times he will be the most stubborn person you ever see, especially if it is alchemist related and its ethical use.

Feiruz, ........ she gives up rather easy. She knows that is one of her flaws but she can't help it. She had often given up on things for others because "oh. they need it more. they want it more. it is better with them than me. etc." though one thing probably she will not give up no matter what...love. if she loves someone hell can break loose before she gives up on the person she truly love so yeah she will be a little selfish for her love.

jokull, polar bear chilling style. though he got this ... weird perseverance when he gets interested in something or someone. he's very pacifist person so he won't try to do something that will endanger anyone.

yeong because she is kind of oc lmao, anything within her hunter code of conduct. yes, she can get a little bit feral but she knows she is hunter after all. better act like a proper one.

ren, oh. ohnhon. crazy lad. if he was left for his own device will do crazy things. what to expect from a guy who is his father is l/indow and got the aragmi cells in him haha.

throwing aiden because i will work on her bio again, someday. She's the 'do anything as long as it helps my cause'. she'll not 'harm or kill' but stealing and causing problems type. ain't her problem if you cant keep your stuff secured.

19. How does your OC behave when enraged?

crying. she is soft and sensitive child. in the back of her mind, she thinks she has no right to be angry but at the same time since she had never expressed herself strongly, she is conflicted at how she should 'be angry'. She just ..cries.

Edgy/misc OC ask meme  || accepting || @toestalucia

[starryknight-dragonarts]

King Jokull the Conqueror of the North Gender: Male Background: Jokull wasn't born into a position of power, he had been told growing up that his ancestors were royalty originally from the southern empire, but their lineage were cheated from the throne and exiled with nothing but the wings on their backs, now they were living in poverty, and Jokull saw much of his family die. He tried working his way up in a Northern Kingdom through merit and hard work, but found that could only get him so far. Dragons with power are hard pressed to let go of even a little of it, so instead he figured out a new means of forward momentum through manipulation, till eventually he forced his own way onto the throne. His ambition now is to unite all of the Northern Kingdoms under him, through conquest if he has to to build a strong enough army to lead an invasion on the South and retake what he claims was always meant to be his birthright Personality: King Jokull is Stoic, Cold, and a tactical leader. He is both widely very respected and feared, but he does not outwardly show his emotions, instead he prefers to let his actions speak for him. If he is pleased with you then you will receive gifts/favors from him without him saying a word about it, but if you piss him off he's not going to roar at you or use his own remarkable strength. Instead he will demonstrate just how much power he has over others and you while remaining sat on his throne. To him that is true power is not what you are able to do on your own, but the control you can exert over others while keeping them loyal, and he has a lot of Dragons who follow him. Despite seeming as though he only cares about himself, he also adopted a daughter out of poverty and completley dotes on and treasures above all else to the point that she is spoiled, though it's not out of the question that he could be playing the long game and has a plan for using her as well, and because she admires him so thoroughly she would go along with his plans completely willingly. Strengths: Tactical, Manipulative, Charismatic Weaknesses: Ambitious, Relies on others, Powers: Ice Stats Elemental Energy: 7/10 He is a powerful Ice Dragon, but does not often use his element to its full capability since he does not often need to fight. He usually makes other dragons do the fighting for him Elemental Control: 8/10 He has exceptional control over his element. Intelligence: 8/10 He is tactical and manipulative. He knows how to read into other dragons words and behavior, likes to keep well informed on everyone's most exploitable traits, and convince them he is their friend. Combat Ability: 6/10 He is a formidably large and strong Dragon, he has military experience and regularly spars with other dragons to keep himself in fighting condition but he usually makes other dragons do the fighting for him

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 178

Only a day late, but not a dollar short! (I hope)

I just hope this chapter was worth the wait.  I’ve been trying to take the opportunity to explore other things that Sophia does when she can’t really meddle with her family and friends too much.  To be honest, this has been super fun to work on.

Thanks go out to @ifitistobeitisuptous for your engagement, @baelpenrose as always for beta-reading this hot mess.  Also @quantumizedinsanity, @mustachebatschaos, and @dierotenixe for all the ideas we have been bouncing around for shenanigans to ensue and ensue and ensue... The chaos is strong with this bunch, I swear!

After recovering from the workout session, I was still too keyed up to go straight home.  That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, under normal circumstances; however, I had just enough self awareness to know that spending too much time around them would very possibly violate my probation when I tried to do the job that I swore on a regular basis I didn’t actually even want.

“Sophia. Seriously,” Charly stared me down. “I know you want to help, but we really can get through this without you getting in any more trouble than you’re in already. We love you too much for that.”  Tyche echoed her sentiment with firm shooing motions.

Okay, maybe it wasn’t self awareness, but I was made aware nonetheless.

After much grumbling and collecting some sweaty hugs, I trudged out of the gym and started wandering the corridors. I briefly considered going for a swim, but then realized that going to BioLab 2 held a strong likelihood of running into our resident mermaid queen. A situation like that would almost require me to discuss Teeth with her… maybe if I only mentioned the possibility of getting them waterproof mechanical prosthetics - 

“Bad Sophia,” I whisper-scolded myself. “No BioLab for you.”

“Should I ask why you are talking to yourself again?”

While I did not successfully manage not to jump at the sudden voice, I did manage to take my skin with me and land in a defensive posture, ready to fight. My face was even composed in a calm glare, which was directed at the offending party’s…. Sternum, apparently.

“Sophia, why are you not allowed in the BioLabs?” Jokul asked as I craned my neck just in time to see him arch a skeptical brow. “There are no consular duties to be performed in them, to my knowledge.”

“You would not believe where I seem to find the potential to get in trouble,” I complained, rolling my eyes. “There may be no Council duties in BioLab 2, but there is a high chance of mermaids and I have a very lonely teenager who would do anything to swim in one of our medbays.”

Comprehension dawned on his face just before he nodded and smiled gently. “In such an event, you should definitely avoid BioLab 2.  Fortunately, I myself am headed to BioLab 4, where there are no mermaids and thus no way for you to get into any more trouble than you usually would on a good day.”

Hell, why not. At least Jokul wasn’t on the Council, not likely to be Council adjacent, and certainly not soon to be on the actual thing. “I’ll take the offer.”  We made it maybe three steps before it occurred to me to ask “What is in BioLab 4?”

“Basic horticulture and agricultural training,” he responded. “I have recently started dedicating my enrichment shifts towards learning small-scale farming.”

“Gardening?” I sputtered. “When did you take up gardening?”

He shrugged. “I needed something that burn calories and contributes to the community, but would balance out the aggression I build up while sparring.  I find it…. Very meditative.”  I opened my mouth to ask a question, but he thrust one hand in my face before I could say anything. “I also burned myself quite badly when I attempted cooking or any other pursuit involving heat.”

Sure enough, two of his fingers were entirely missing fingerprints. That took a lot of burns to do. “I’m supposed to be the clumsy one,” I pointed out. “You aren’t coming for my title, are you?”

He laughed at the suggestion, making me glad we had reached the point in our weird friendship where we were actually able to tell when the other was teasing. “I have at least a dozen near-death experiences before I would even be in the running.  But you looked like something was bothering you, and I thought helping me today may be as calming for you as it tends to be for me.”

We turned through a wide doorway into a largish lab - not quite on the scale of BioLab 2, but large enough to be filled as far as I could see with plants in various states of growth.  I had to give the big guy credit, the smell of wet soil and growing things pushed away the cobwebs of frustration that had been building in the last few days.  Without even pausing, he snagged two pairs of gloves and two smocks to protect our clothes from any errant dirt.

When we finally stopped, we were standing beside a bed full of riotous growth, not even a peek of soil exposed. “So, what are we doing today?” I asked, hopeful.

My heart immediately sank when he reached a hand in and yanked an unfamiliar plant up by the roots.  It sank even further when I realized there was no tuber or root veg attached. “Weeding,” he responded, killing my hopes and dreams right then and there.

I groaned before glancing to see if he was joking. A second yank and a second uprooted plant told me he wasn’t. “Jokul, I don’t even know what those are,” I pointed out.

“They are not cabbages. That is all you need to know,” he shrugged. “This bed is for cabbages. All we need to do is pull out anything that is not, place it in this bin - “ he tossed his latest victim into a deep cart “ - and then we will take it to the lab scientists to sort what to keep and what to compost.”

“Wait, keep? Why would we keep weeds?”

He stopped mid-yank and bent his head around to squint at me in confusion. “Sophia,” he said slowly. “We are on a spaceship. Where would plants that should not be in this bed have come from?”

Gods, I felt so stupid, but I wanted to laugh at myself at the same time. “From another bed, right. So probably useful, just in the wrong spot. Got it, got it.”

He threw me a wink and pulled another plant out by the roots before giving it a confused look. “Although I think these may be from another lab… We only grow edible plants in this one.”

Surrendering with a sigh, I started searching for the base of one of the weeds and pulled.

And pulled.

And added a hand to pull harder.

“Jokul, this isn’t budging,” I warned, slightly confused. “Am I missing something?”

He didn’t even glance up. “Leverage. Plants grown in high gravity have astonishingly strong roots.”

Ugh, this was getting worse by the second. I planted both of my feet against the side of the barely-raised bed, grabbed with both hands around the base of the stem, and started pushing against the ledge with my legs. “Stupid. Plants.” I grunted. “So. Stubborn. HRNNNNN - “

The plant finally gave way, but with no warning. I landed on my butt, weed held triumphantly over my head and raining dirt down onto my face. “HA!” I crowed. “Showed you!”

Jokul barely held back a laugh while he shook his head at me. “At least you didn’t hit your head. Conor and Arthur would likely take it out on me the next time we spar.”

“Only if you didn’t film it,” I assured him, tossing the plant in the bin and accepting his help getting back to my feet.

“My hands are too busy to film you,” he pointed out, glancing around. I thought he was looking for a sensor that may have been recording so he could get a clip, but instead he bounded to a volunteer who seemed to be finishing for the day.  When he came back, he triumphantly held up a wicked-looking…

“What is that?”

“Weeding tool,” he clarified.

It didn’t look like any weeding fork I had ever seen. The tool had two sharp prongs at the end, and that was literally where any resemblance ended. Instead of a long body, the prongs sat at the front of a wide, scoop-shaped body with teeth running down both sides. “I can’t tell if I’m supposed to use it to pull weeds, or take out someone’s spleen,” I pointed out, taking the handle and hefting it. Geez, it was heavy for a weeding fork.

“It could probably do both,” Jokul admitted, “but today you’re using it to take out weeds, not organs.”

I had to be careful not to accidentally harvest a cabbage or four, but weeding went much more easily after that.  Once I had fallen into a rhythm, he spoke again. “You were frustrated when I saw you in the corridor. You should talk about it.”

I didn’t need to be asked twice. The entire frustrating story started spilling out, and Jokul only interrupted periodically to ask clarifying questions, encouraging me to take my overflow of irritation out on the misplaced vegetation.

“You are worried that the Council will not allow the human to remain on the Ark if they wish?”

“I’m more worried that the S’crirs won’t let them stay,” I confessed, yanking on a particularly difficult weed much harder than necessary. Instead of uprooting it, the stem simply broke, forcing me to dig it out. “I think Teeth is technically considered a minor, so Iz’al and Brol can claim guardianship.”

“But negotiations with the pirates do not depend on the child staying?”

“Nope.” I grunted when the roots finally came out, although I was pretty sure I bruised a cabbage. Whoops. “We already have everything they promised, and the only thing left to give them is their freedom.” Before he could ask what felt like the inevitable question, I kept going. “And no, we are not holding them hostage unless they let us keep Teeth. We aren’t slavers, we aren’t bartering for a sentient being.”

He snorted. “Teenagers are hardly sentient,” he scoffed. “And you also think little of me if you think I for one moment considered or believed you would consider trading for them.”

Pausing from my wanton destruction of plantlife, I flung both my hands to the side. “Charly can negotiate, she really can, and I have all the faith in this world and the next in her, but I worry! And I worry about trying to even discuss the topic with my friends, my family, almost anyone out of fear that I may exert undue influence and get someone in trouble.”

“What is the penalty for anyone who assists you in violating the terms of your punishment?” he asked, pointing to a smaller weed that managed to sneak in between two heads of future sauerkraut.

I snatched it out with one hand, and muttered before telling him the issue. “Same punishment I’m under, plus whatever time they get stuck with is added to the end of my sentence. Kind of an incentive for me to care if they try to interfere on my behalf, like the first half wouldn’t have been enough.  I mean, the nutrient bars are awful.”

“But our hosts have agreed to let the pirates go?” he asked, seemingly satisfied with why I was so irritated and bummed out.

“I don’t knowwww,” I half-wailed. “It doesn’t fall under the purview of my office, and I’m scared to ask Charly or Arthur.  I just have to wait, knowing they’ll tell me, and try not to explode.”

“Charly and Arthur would never keep something that dear from you,” Jokul assured me. “But if you feel you may explode from keeping things in, you are always welcome to come help me. Speaking of which, we have finished this bed.”

He guided me to the next bed of plants, gently asking questions and pointing to more difficult weeds when he could tell I was getting upset. “I have heard that Simon has been negotiating strongly for proper repairs on the S’crirs,” he prompted.

At least that was something that wasn’t upsetting me. “Oh, I heard the same!” I cheered. “All that time he spends fussing with his aquariums is really doing us some good, on that front.” I tried to avoid the thought that Miys shouldn’t need Simon to oversee and double-check the repairs, they should have been able to do it on their own.

My thoughts were pretty transparent, it turned out, because that’s exactly where Jokul followed up. “Sophia, I know it is difficult to know that our hosts have been less than forthcoming since we have arrived in this strange place. It is harder after how accommodating they were during the voyage. But please remind yourself that they are also sentient beings, and there is a strong possibility that this is as frustrating to them as it is to us.”

I wanted to believe it, desperately, but my heart was still broken thinking about where that train of thought had led me last time. “Maybe” was all I could muster in response.

Thankfully, he didn’t even comment on my reluctance. “In any case, you are welcome to come join me any time.  If for no other reason than because there is no need to worry that speaking with me will influence the Council.”

I returned his smile with one of my own. The weeding and venting had, honestly, helped get some of the frustration and pressure out of my system. “Hopefully you don’t change your mind when I start coming in here regularly to fuss your ear off.”

“I doubt that will happen… watching you fall over from one thing while yelling about another is very entertaining,” he chuckled.

I turned in a circle before locating the exit.  I was just starting to make my way there when he cleared his throat behind me. “Sophia?”

“Hmm?”

“Leave the tool. It’s for weeds, not organs.”

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[ao3feed-hijack]

Sincerely, Jackson Overland.

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/38erfln

by TheMistakeHasArrived

Jokul Frosti was a lonely being. Even with the companion of Wind, he had none to speak with, none to share his experiences (invisible, walked through, and left feeling as numbing cold as frozen lakes).

Jokul Frosti faded away a lonely teen with a partly healed soul (winter was harsh afterwards but it softened into what he wished for, it became fun).

Jackson Overland was born in the strange in between of winter and spring, wonder and hope.

He wasn't as lonely as Jokul Frosti nor was he ever invisible (walked through or gone touch starved), though he also had a father who was always busy. Jackson didn't fade away, never had that fear nor did he regret much.

He drowned in a freezing cold lake, saving his sister in the process.

Jack Frost woke up alone, held up gently by the Wind (which would grow to become his companion) and only told of his name by the moon.

He grew to accept his life as a spirit, to never being able to fully remember his past life (now he had Jamie, Baby Tooth, and the Guardians).

Ah, but he couldn't stay that way forever. Fate can be cruel, it had orders to follow too (she cared for balance above spirits or humans).

Words: 6608, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Rise of the Guardians (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Other

Characters: Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), Jamie Bennett (Rise of the Guardians), Baby Tooth (Rise of the Guardians), Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Astrid Hofferson, Stoick the Vast, Gobber the Belch, Toothless (How to Train Your Dragon), Light Fury (How to Train Your Dragon), Jack's Family (Rise of the Guardians)

Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III & Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III & Astrid Hofferson, Jamie Bennett & Jack Frost, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Light Fury/Toothless (How to Train Your Dragon)

Additional Tags: Slow Build, Slow Burn, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Protective Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), BAMF Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), Jack Frost Needs a Hug (Guardians of Childhood), Protective Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/38erfln

[corvid-lesbian]

tagged by @jokull-in-the-house-of-flies (ty, ily <3)

Name: melia

Star Sign: cancer

Height: 5′6.5″ (about 169 cm i think)

Put your music on shuffle. What are the first 4 songs that pop up? little bitty pretty one - thurston harris, perfume - toppdogg, very nice - seventeen, must get out - maroon 5

Ever had a song/poem written about you? not that i know of!

Last time you played the guitar: never, though i wish i could play!

Celebrity crush: hayley kiyoko, marina diamandis (marina and the diamonds)

A sound you hate + a sound you love? hate - the sound of a generic alarm clock, it wakes me up, but i hate it when they put it in commercials or movies bc it puts me on edge and makes me think i have to get up and do something

love - the sound of cars on a nearby street from inside a building. i just find it really comforting to hear tires moving across asphalt and reminding me that people are out living their lives

Believe in ghosts? not really but i don’t judge anyone who does bc who knows

Do you drive? nope, haven’t learned how

Last book you read? currently rereading return of the king (although i haven’t had time to read any more since i got to college :( )

Do you like the smell of gasoline? i’m pretty neutral toward it

Worst injury you’ve ever had: i sprained my wrist in elementary school bc i slipped on a patch of ice on the playground. (side note: that was one of the two times i got an x-ray and i know i got one other x-ray for something else but i can’t remember what for???)

Do you have any obsessions right now? harry potter and the sacred text!! (its a podcast where they read a chapter each episode through a theme (like love or fear or fandom or masculinity) and treat it as a sacred text, which basically means that they use the text to discover truths and have deep discussions about the life and the world. its really pure and vanessa and casper are amazing i love them. it’s not really a religious thing, you don’t have to be religious to listen to it. i’m an atheist and it’s actually helped me be at peace with certain things and learn a lot of good lessons through a piece i already enjoy. idk if you want some guidance in your life or you love harry potter or you need a new podcast to listen to, i really recommend it! my description really didn’t give it justice, but i’ve been listening to it while i walk to my classes i love it so much)

Do you tend to hold grudges towards people? not really. if its something relatively minor, i like to just have a conversation about it. for more serious things, my philosophy is that i’m mainly just hurting myself by holding grudges and holding on to that hate. i just distance myself from people who have done me wrong or that i dislike and hope that they’re able to grow and mature in the future and become a better person and realize that what they did was wrong. it’s not my responsibility to try to fix or help that person myself, especially if they’ve done me harm, and it’s well within reason for me to not want to have any interactions with that person, but i also acknowledge that people can change. even if i can never have a positive or constructive relationship with that person, i hope that they can better themselves and have positive and constructive relationships with other people. but then again, i’ve never been in a situation where i couldn’t avoid someone who did me wrong, or had anyone do something really really bad to me. so idk if my philosophy is mature or just sheltered lmao

In a relationship? no, i had a girlfriend but we broke up in the spring

i’m tagging @bpdsapphicmusings, @scottietrademark, @reallyabananya, @summer-soda, @whimsicalloner, @gipsydangger, and @sicksaddelano (feel free to ignore!)

[lauraiceland2021]

“Just in Caves”

Today mom and I spent the day in a series of caves, which was much cooler and more beautiful than it sounds. The first cave was in Vatnajokull National Park. We took one of those Monster-vans (and yes, mom made it inside) into the park. The ride was SUPER bumpy and you definitely couldn’t have done it in a regular car. We hiked for about 30minutes to reach the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier. The suffix -jokull means glacier in Icelandic. 

The glacier is receding at a fairly significant rate because of global warming. Our guide was saying that in the summer, the entrance to the caves are noticeably farther week to week! The “cave” actually changes each year. Although plenty of these ice caves in the glaciers exist, the guides need to find on that strikes a balance between having a roof so thin it caves in, and so thick that no light gets through. When the balance is right, you get this beautiful glass-like ice with turquoise hues, that is absolutely breathtaking. 

The snow line (altitude above which snow does not melt) os about 1100m in Iceland, and this glacier sits at 1300m. For every core temperature increase by 1 degree, the snow line rises by 100m. Doing the math, if the world can’t meet the Paris Agreement (1.5 degrees), this entire glacier (the largest in Europe) will melt. This could be potentially disastrous, as the weight of the glacier is preventing large volcanic eruptions that could wipe out Iceland, and significantly pollute the air quality. When Eyjafjallajökull erupted in 2010, the air quality was so poor that air traffic was suspended in Europe for over a week; and that was just one eruption! The caves were beautiful, but a sobering reminder of how real climate change is. 

Apparently much of Iceland used to be forested in Birch trees, but they are a rare sight nowadays. The vikings used them to build houses (see the picture of the traditional Icelandic turf house with a grass/sod roof), and cut most of them down. They never really regrew because of all the sheep that are free-roaming in the country. The sheep eat everything in sight, including the young saplings. 

After that, we started to head East. The drive was beautiful, and there were so many different landscapes. There were moss covered boulders, grassy fields, and lava fields. The black sand from the lava field are dangerous in high winds, and can strip the paint off the car!  Our next cave was mom’s favourite. It lies in the Hjörleifshöfði mountain.  From the outside it didn’t look like much, but from the inside, the opening looks like Yoda. 

We stop what feels like every two hours along the way for coffee. Icelandic people love their coffee even more than North Americans do. All of the coffee we have had is delicious, even the stuff from the gas stations, which I did not expect. Each gas station has a full little cafe/restaurant with a nice seating area in it, and people take a nice break with food and coffee every time they stop. 

Lastly we stopped to see the Seljalandsfoss waterfall. It’s beautiful, and much bigger than it looks in the pictures. The drop is over 200 feet! You are actually able to walk behind the waterfall, which is super cool, but you get absolutely soaked. There is actually a second waterfall, Gljúfrabúi, which is much more hidden. The name translates to something like “in a canyon”, and you do, in fact, have to go up the stream and through the canyon to get there. We were already soaked, so it didn’t bother us. 

We arrived in Reykjavik tonight, and had a delicious dinner at Apotek. It is a restaurant and hotel built on the site of a pharmacy (Apothecary) for most of the 1900s. The bartenders are called “pharmacists” and they have cocktails to cure what ails you: “painkillers”, “stimulants”, “tranquillisers” and even “placebos” (non alcoholic). They are absolutely delicious and have such unique ingredients. I had one with gin, pomegranate, cinnamon, lime and champagne, and another with vodka, grapefruit, butterscotch, green tea, and yuzu. 

We’re headed off to bed now so we can get up in the morning for another full day!

[diceprophet]

Pathfinder | “Spider Hunter Chronicles” Game #1 Notes

Session 1: Brand of the Scorpion Queen

Last time, our weary characters reflected upon their former lives from before the dark times. Meanwhile, some fresh faces arrived and tested their fledgling survival, combat, and adventuring skills against a vicious undead Pharaoh! [Link to Previous Session Notes] Today, the full party was finally assembled, and we resumed the main quest!

Hawkeye, male elf ranger - deadly archer with a deep affinity for animals and an ironclad sense of justice

Velnor, male human fighter - sardonic swordsman with a deeply traumatic past who is searching for redemption and retribution 

Amon, male ifrit bard - outspoken and flamboyant musician with a penchant for getting into trouble and losing consciousness

Jokul, female half-elf rogue - speed and sharpness personified, but with a flexible ethical code

Rufus, male catfolk pistolero - acrobatic yet soft-spoken gunslinger

Part 1: Just Another Job

The party converged at Damadar Outpost, a small village located at the edge of the expansive Red Salt desert of northeastern Faolanya. Within the shanty tavern known as the “Auroch Horn,” our heroes consulted the owner Kilik Hammenbard on whatever quests were available. The surly septuagenarian tipped them off about a recent giant scorpion infestation that was causing trouble. The bug hunt was a simple yet potentially lucrative prospect, so the newly-assembled quintet journeyed towards the source of the pesky critters.

*yet another shameless plug* If you’re intrigued by this adventure hook, you can run it yourself! Check out my article on Encounter Roleplay’s website!

Part 2: Small Fry

After short sandy trek, they arrived at the den and were greeted by a swarm of hungry, dog-sized scorpions. The party fought alongside one another efficiently, but the battle took a considerably toll on the motley crew. Amon was severely poisoned, which greatly sapped his strength for the remainder of the journey. 

As they descended deeper into the dungeon, they uncovered more of its sordid history. The original residents of this cavern were malicious scorpionfolk who practiced ritual sacrifice and took slaves. They worshipped an evil god named Aldinach, or colloquially the Scorpion Queen. Jokul pilfered an unholy symbol from the corpse of an expired slaver, hoping to pawn it off. Later, It would begin to whisper the secrets of poison crafting to her as he slept.

Part 3: Big Momma

After a thorough search of the tomb, they met face-to-face with the source of the arthropod progeny, which was a massive female scorpion. She menaced the party for a considerably amount of time, deflecting weapon strikes and resisting magical effects with an unprecedented ferocity. The party came through in an unprecedented kill-shot from the heavily depleted bard, who buried a crossbow bolt deep within her gullet. With no one else to oppose or hamper them, they finished exploring the dungeon and left with their well-earned loot.

Part 4: The Lost Tribe

The scorpionfolk cultists had taken laborers to assist with the dangerous excavation of ancient articfacts imbued with their dark deity’s essence. However, their attempts to raise their sacred temple were cut short by a revolt in the not-too-distant past. These former slaves had crafted makeshift firearms from the explosive powders and spare parts foraged over their years of servitude. They were also worshippers of Desna, the goddess of freedom and luck. Wherever this lost tribe escaped to remains a mystery.

Part 5: Game Master’s Closing Thoughts

The ultimate goal for these past few games is to bring two new players into the fold and build up some basic relationships before the real shit goes down. That way, they are less likely to turn on one another. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Maybe in the future I’ll give them more downtime to actually communicate; the constant fear of death keeps the list of conversation topics incredibly sparse.

Follow the Dice Prophet Twitch Channel for more tabletop gaming streams! Until next time!

[a-mcnarchparty]

wild memories with Max time

\\

I just had like mini flashback to this one thread i did YEARS ago with a Stoic the Vast

He could see Jack and the two of them had a long talk,,,and it basically ended up Stoic giving jack his blessing to date hiccup while also deciding that the gods were real

Fucking wild thread man

Stoic ended up building a statue to Jokul Frosti

Yeah no idea why i just remembered that 

[oodelallie]

World of Aeshire

Aeridor /ˈɛəɹ-ˈɹɪd-ʊər/

Inspired by Syracuse (Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas) and Eric's castle (The Little Mermaid), Aeridor, once known as Faeridor (f-ɛər-ɛ-d-ʊər) long before the Great War crumbled it, was once situated further inland than it's current kingdom. Its people moved farther toward the coast to rebuild what the realm knows today. Its castle walls are now kissed by the sea, urchins and sea stars claiming pillars and walls as home whilst the waves brush it, and is framed by cliffs and hugged by beaches. During high tide many stairways from the beaches to the castle are flooded by seawater. The docks frame the northern shores - a hustling home of sea-faring folk. Their main export is fish.

The homes that cover the sloping hills of Aeridor are plentiful, built in a manner that provides little breathing room between neighbors. The winding streets of Aeridor's town are confusing to outsiders, going off in every direction - down main streets, through pinched alleys between houses, and even ending at front doors of others. Aeridor is the largest kingdom in Aeshire (though it's debatable given that most of Dairmyr is uncharted and underground) and formidable, a force as strong as the sea at it's back.

Aodach /wi-dɒk/

Inspired by DunBroch (Brave) and traces of the Castle of Nottingham (Robin Hood), Aodach has the darkest history known to the realm. Once called Falamh (f-ɑː-l-m), if one dares speak the name as elders in Aodach even refer to it as 'Olde Aodach', it stood tall and dark, it's Gothic structures menacing at the base of Mt. Jokul. It was Faerdor's greatest foe, a temple of dark magic and curses, and the two kingdoms clashed during the Great War, destroying one another with no winner. Falamh fell, it's ruins still dotting the base of the mountain, time unable to be erased by time due to the darkness remaining at it's core. It is now ruins, avoided by most of the realm, afraid to release the dark magic settled there.

The citizens of Falamh rebuilt as Aodach, tucking their kingdom safely in the mountains for protection, only the bravest and most skilled mountaineers taking their families and moving to start anew. While Aodach doesn't claim its past and history books are loathe to speak of it, it remains a whisper among the citizens of Aeshire. Rough edges and sturdy walls, Aodach is a strong and resilient kingdom, making the most of their oft freezing temperatures and seclusion. Their town is scattered alongside cliffs, spread out across large territory, but the hearths are warm as are the people now settled here. Their main export is furs.

Kesti /k-ɛ-s-t-iː/

Inspired by Agrabah (Aladdin), Kesti is a relatively new kingdom that appeared in the years following the Great War while the other two rebuilt. Though its location is almost as difficult a journey as that to Aodach, the people of Kesti are a breath of cool air; welcoming and calm, the energy they emit shows that even the harshest climates cannot crush their spirit. Glorious buildings dot the vast landscape, gleaming and golden in the sun, a beautiful castle of ivory and ruby, colors so vibrant they're almost unreal. Many visitors to Kesti ofttimes feel they're hallucinating, blaming dehydration for visions of colors not seen outside of dreams, only to discover this isn't true at all. Kesti's architecture makes up for the constant sand between their toes. With a main export of spices and gold, Kesti holds its own alongside its more powerful and formidable peers, despite them not taking the kingdom seriously and often dismissing them when discussing politics across the realm.

Dairmyr /dɛɚ-meːr/

Inspired by the nature of Princess Mononoke and Epic, Dairmyr Kingdom is hidden beyond the trees of Lotus Wood, spanning out into a thick mass of vines and roots, winding and weaving in a manner that most would decide against venturing further into its depths. Rarely does one choose to cross from Lotus Wood into Dairmyr. It has existed longer than any other realm in the kingdom, but its size and power is unknown even to those who reside there. A forest made of magic, or so it is rumored, where trees move and there are secret doorways under mossy logs and beneath glittering ponds. These rumors are true, of course, but these truths are rarely seen. There's a world beneath Dairmyr, full of winding tunnels and masked doorways, a kingdom of mystic.

The large tree at its center is believed to have been built over a ley line and the source of all the magic in the entire realm. It is said that the faerie courts reside here, that forest spirits filter through the trees, and many people have gotten lost following disembodied voices so far into the forest that they cannot escape. According to the history books, no one has ever ventured completely through the forest and those who believe they have simply find themselves coming out the same direction they've gone in!

D'ISIGNY /d-ë-së-nyë/

The largest town outside of the kingdoms, D'isigny is the central hub of Aeshire, hosting a variety of boisterous pubs, a market place that could rival those found within the kingdoms, bakeries and cafes, the realm's orphanage, and homes for both the middle and lower class. The fountain at its center is believed to really grant wishes of those who throw coins into it, but naysayers believe the coins are collected by the sheriff and dispersed amongst the wealthy.

GRAYWICK /ɡɹeɪ-wɪk/

Though there are many homes here, as well as plenty of places to rent a bed for the night, Graywick is often referred to as 'The Sleeper Town'. Its location at the head of the valley and so far inland leaves it a less ventured location with not much to offer save for a haven for people passing South towards Kesti.

BELLGRAVE /bɛl-ɡɹeɪv/

Despite being quite close to the bustling docks of Aeridor, the town of Bellgrave has little to offer outside of it's vast farmlands. Those who prefer a quiet local may not choose to live here due to the noise from the harbor, but those whose livelihood is their farms, they have little to no choice.

MISERTH /mr̂ːs-ɝθ/

Generally used as the port to travel to Hastewater Isles, Miserth is perhaps the next most populous town after D'isigny. It's tropical-esque local is a favorite of travelers who enjoy trying new fruits rarely found in other parts of the realm.

HASTEWATER ISLES /heɪst-ˈwɑ.tɚz/

Across the Ethereal Gulf and just outside the realm lies Hastewater Isles. Debauchery at its core, the people of Aeshire do not claim this slice of land as their own, thus allowing the people who chose to travel here or live here to exist in pure freedom. Doveport, the one town that exists on the island, is a haven for pirates and ex-seafolk, where there is plenty of alcohol to go around and the music never stops.

EVERTELL COVE /ˈɛvə-tɛl/

Although the island as a whole is rarely seen as somewhere one would like to visit, Evertell Cove is a paradise in it's own right. A gorgeous stretch of beach, the cove attracts people from the realm that would prefer not to venture beyond to Doveport. There are rumors mermaids live in the waters surrounding the cove, hiding behind seafoam and waterfalls, but it's up to you to find out the truth for yourself...

EUREKA VALLEY / JUNIPER FIELDS

Outside of travelling the winding path through the plains and the valley, there is not much in these places for those who don't use the land for farms that cannot exist further north in Bellgrave. Still, they are beautiful expanses of lands littered with fields of fresh vegetables and healthy animals to supply the kingdoms.

LAKE EPUREA / CELESTIA RIVER

The river filters in from The Mirrored Sea, it's waters dispersing into the large lake that rests at the center of the kingdom. Lake Epuera is all glistening blues and rippling greens, dotted by scattered homes on its shores, and home to a world of wild animals. People and Animals alike can often be found visiting the lake for a day to enjoy a nice swim and spend a lazy day relaxing (if they can afford to)!

THE LAUGHING SWAMP

Another thing that puts a damper on the town of Graywick, preventing it from being a bustling town like D'isigny, is The Laughing Swamp at it's edge. The fog that rolls in from the swamps is blinding and sometimes carries an indescribable smell. As with most things, there are rumors that people live in the swamp, but most are too scared to venture beyond the snagging branches.

[sentofight]

23. What emotion is the hardest for your OC to process? How about express? && 24. What is an alternative life path your OC might have gone down? How different would their life be if they'd made those decisions? !! for whoever (or multiple) of them are the most fun for the questions :]!!

ooc. oooh yeeeee asks!!!!! i'll most likely focus on the main ones i most likely to use in threads in the future [einar & roland & feiruz & ren & sohrab & jokull]

23. What emotion is the hardest for your OC to process? How about express?

einar: hurt. yes, he was hurt-- a lot and in various ways but he does not why humans need to hurt each others to gain something. the whole war is so ridiculous to him, he had to be a soldier to find a way to stop it. he is simply doing what his superior officer told him one time; Qator told him if he wanted to change anything then he got to climb the ladder (just like him) to change whatever he wants. seeing kids get dragged into the war is something beyond his understanding. What the fuck humanity? basically. For the second part, WELL. He has trouble expressing his feelings to his significant other. Love is something he find it difficult to express for the woman he likes. However, it comes natural when it is for his uncle and animals, in name cats. Sorry not sorry to anyone would be in a relationship. he is emotionally constipated. no wonder why he is called popsicle.

roland: trust. unlike his dear father, he does not get how you can trust someone based on gut or clash of swords or even one good deed. people are complex; they change and switch sides depend on their interests. How can he trust people so easily????????? the thought of simply surrendering himself to anyone is scary--his father was betrayed by the closets friend he had. what are the odds that this does not happen to him, too? no thanks. Second part, uuuuuuuuuh gosh he ...dislikes humans. Roland prefers the company of wood lives than humans. He can't express emotions--positive emotions to people who are not his family. He thinks his family the only people will not betray him thus anyone else does not deserve 'good' treatment.

feiruz: SELF RESPECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SELF LOVE!!!!!!!!!! YEEEEEEEEHAW!! listen. i say this but fei has some serious issues with her self image. she is ready to belittle herself to avoid being the center of attention or getting any sort of compliments because she does not know how to process that emotion--gratitude is ..strange. she had done everything in her life because it was 'the obvious' thing to do. You drink because you are thirsty. Same for her, she helps and do her thing because it is the obvious thing to do. It takes her a lot of bricks to the head to realize she is valued. Second part, she is very expressive person. she is loud when she is scared, or when she panics, etc. Though when it comes to inner feelings like doubt and stuff like that she is like a deep well. good luck to give her the jumpstart to actually climb the well up. listen, she is good at expressing love and care for others. if you do something nice, MISS HYPE NUMBER ONE. SHE GOT YOU FAM LETS GOOO.

ren: being vulnerable. i think? ren is not easy to open up to anyone, not even to his parents. he might have talked to sakaki about his worries but nothing too serious because he does not burden anyone with it. beside he is scared of being 'terminated' like any other aragami if he would show any weaknesses. he is scared of being a defect of human being so he might as well act 'normal'. Second part, hmm... he is fine at expressing his interests in people. if he likes you, he likes you. if he dislikes you, then he deslikes you. that's it.

sohrab: emotions in general. well, tbh since i haven't properly wrote him in longer threads he is still under construction muse. though he is the type to have little to no interest in things which do not align with his interests. his stoic face makes it even worse because he once again finds few things that piques his interest to get a reaction out of him. tbh u get a good reaction out of him if u share interest in a.lchemy, magic, trading and studying (sewing cough). Second part, hmhm. He's good at expressing his interests very eloquently. He is not the most honeyed words person but he got a way if he wants to sell you something (i think.)

jokull: uumm... anger. i dont think no matter what happens jokull finds it hard to get angry. yes, he understands some things will make anyone angry but for him ??? why be angry ??? just chill out and figure out a solution, yes? this is perhaps due to his lineage of being a human and yuki-onna's child. thus, he is always 'cold'. Second part, uuuuh ... he is not bad at expressing things though he tends to come out ..slow. what to expect from a polar bear sdflsdfksj

24. What is an alternative life path your OC might have gone down? How different would their life be if they'd made those decisions?

ooooh. this is fun to think of so let me rack my brain! probably nothing ...wow because i happen to stick to the first thought for my oc and just make it happen;;;

einar: dead. he was supposed to die in the bridge battle but because people were booing me smh i had to ....make him live through it. jokes aside, einar was supposed to be, well, in my brain at first, to be the very mean character with stoic face and make it hell for class zero but then he looked at them and went: bitch they are kids. i dont enjoy hurting them smh.

roland: hm. at first i thought he would be easier to write later on but he is dumb lil whimpy kid. dont think there is any change.

feiruz: i kind of wanted her to move away from the same isle her family in but then ... she will probably suffer;; dont want that for my babyboo~

ren: don't think there is a change for him.

sohrab: LOTS OF THINGS FOR SOHRAB...HE WAS THE MUSE I FRICKED HIS MAIN VERSE A LOT. he was awakening muse then tried to change him to atelier then yeeted him to a fandomless oc. he was supposed to be a little cheerful because being with his mentor (avatar/robin) but then i realized aint gonna happen buddy so tried to make less dependent on the avatar's existence but it was a bit tricky, hence i had him yeeted to another parallel world so he can move somewhat freerly but then again it was...eh. i failed to promo him so he was not used much hence i tried to move him out of the f.e, verse to somewhere i thought he might get some interaction this way buuut it flopped too so he is free man of fandom obligation. yehaw.

jokull: no change for him too since he is a new oc and not used too. though i had in mind he was a bit rough rather than being 'polar bear' style lol.

thank you wars🥺

Edgy/misc OC ask meme || accepting || @flovverworks

[sentofight]

ooc. warm things confuse jokull. being constantly cold (his body emitting coldness), he experiences things differently than others. even if he would touch something seething hot, it takes a lot of time for his body to register the hotness, that if whatever he held remained hot after touching it, that is another story. unless it is something like lava or it emits hotness at the same rate as his body emits coldness, he won't probably feel how hot it is. nani the heck is warm or hot things?

[sentofight]

jokull's tags

ic.| jokull

building up.| jokull

musing.| jokull

img.| jokull

aes.| jokull

[sentofight]

ooc. me replying? nah. i will make a ship thingie post for my muses wahahaha.

bold (prefers it) italics (can happen) cross (needs building but could happen)

This list will not be naming the ships i have but the name of characters in the muse's franchise (if i have interactions in other verses might add characters i see my muse clicking with in that verse.) Though i will add if the character named is taken or not.

Eight

cater

jack

kurasame

king

machina

ace

Machina

rem

deuce (taken by @/oursongofhealing)

ace

kurasame

qator

King

seven

nine

eight

Zack

aerith

cissnei

kunsel

tsung

tifa

Edea

Ringabell

Alternis

Tiz

Agnes

Einheria

Tiz

Agnes

Edea

Rokurou

Velvet

Eleanor

Eizen

Magilou

Senel

Chloe

Shirley

Jay

Norma

Balan

honestly he is probably one of the few muses i can't put a name just some ideas of who can be compatible with him.

intelligent

decisive

strong willed

willing to accept that he is not a romantic person and will see his job as important as you? and maybe more because he is pragmatic person

can compromise to some extent, but never that be conflicting with the person or their interest

Victor

Lara Mel Marta

Fractured Milla

Jude Mathis

L.indow

Sakuya

Tressa

Leon

Cyrus

Therion

Ali

Lucina

Laurent

Gerome

Owain

Severa

Inigo

Kjelle

Brady

Gaius

Cordelia

Maribelle

Sully

Chrom

Olivia

Tharja

Lissa

Avatar/ Robin m/f

Panne

Lon'qu

Sully

Lissa

Cordelia

Avatar f/m

Panne

Olivia

Say'ri

Lissa

Lon'qu

Gaius

Vaike

Stahl

Maribelle

Avatar f/m

ricken

Lyndis

Mark ( taken by @/rcdhotnight)

Hector

Kent

Rath

Matthew

Shutaro

someone kind and understanding of his 'vampire dilemma'

idk what else to write he is not that demanding he is a sweet child sobs

A.kihiko

Mitsuru

MC f/m

Fuuka

ryoji

shinji (im putting him despite not being one of my favs for personal reasons but i cant ignore that he is part of aki's life and ngl i like the trio mitsu x aki x shinji but haha we dont talk about that cuz some d.umblr ding dong people are fossils with ideas)

Kaname

Hitomi

Boss

Raquel

Arnaud

Forte

MC

Margaret

Aldo

Amy

Guildna

probably more but thinking

Kula

K'

Edward

Winry

Xiaoshi

Lu Guang

====

OCs

Einar

Can't think of someone compatible with his in the TYPE0 world, but Emina can and might ruffle his feathers a little bit. idk.

ngl Aki Minahara could have a chance if she is a little bit older dlfkjsdkfs

anyway he looks for someone serious about the relationship.

he wants a family not just one night stand but he is afraid of making said family because of the crystal and dying and getting people's memories wiped clean.

basically, he does not want to be forgotten ...

uuh he can cook so he is not expecting the whole 'gender role thing'. as long as you are good in the things you like to do, then sure fine. tbh he prefers to cook. he is not big on eating other people's food. though he wont stop you from cooking. surprise him.

cats. tbh it is not something he can give up on for a partner???? because for him feeding and looking after the stray cats is an important part of his life. silly as it sounds but he takes it seriously.

he can compromise a little bit with the cat thing but don't expect him to stop going out to feed them.

Roland

laugh tracks but sure. I feel like Severa would be fun to see her bicker with him. they can judge their parents together lol

Thomas

Kjelle

Severa

Maria

Brady

Inigo

Gerome

Chloe

---she's younger than the 2nd generation.

Amina

---she's old than most of the cast.

someone who can understand her past is not something she is proud of and wants to change

Feiruz

HAPPINESS.

SELF ESTEEME

SELF CARE

LOVING SELF

DETERMINATION

ACCEPTING

Ren

Licca (big crush she's older than him but he does not understand)

Sohrab

in lore

---TBA

in awakening verse

Lissa

Cordelia

Stahl

Gaius

Frederick

Avatar f/m

Jokull

in lore

--tba

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 159

This chapter has a bit of a treat in it... let me know if you figure out.

Thanks for the science in this chapter and the previous one go to “Answers with Joe” and “Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell”, two of my favorite YouTube channels.

Always thanks to @the-raven-fae, @baelpenrose, and @charlylimph-blog for your inspiration and beta reading. Shoutouts to @quantumizedinsanity, who just speed-ran the story to get caught up. Also, @breathingintheash and @freddie444 who recently binged the story!

Bonk.

Bonk.

Thwap.

Bonk.

Bonk.

Thwap.

I rotated my right shoulder to ease the burning feeling that was building up, before switching to my left hand to repeat the exercise. Throw the ball…

Bonk. Floor.

Bonk. Wall.

Bonkbonkbonkbpbpbp…. I missed the catch with my left hand, and ended up chasing the ball. Fighting my vertigo, I managed to catch it much sooner than I had with my right.  My balance was certainly improving, at least a bit.

“Shit,” a voice swore softly behind me. I turned to see Charly’s arrow buried in a target, but her face dark with a scowl.  Before I could ask, she blurted out. “That wasn’t the target I was aiming for!” After two deep breaths, she carefully drew an arrow and sighted it again. I paused to watch, this time witnessing that the arrow at least was midway between her intended target and the one she hit last time.

For all our planning and strategizing, no one on the Ark had been prepared for spin-based gravity.  We managed to, at no point in the time we had been underway across the freaking galaxy, notice that we were under “spin-induced microgravity with atmospheric augmentation”.

Which was Science for “spinning slowly enough to establish a ‘down’ and being blown toward the floor”.  At what equated more than Earth-sea level pressure. It made some weird kind of ‘okay, tracks’ sense to me.

Now, however, our microgravity was apparently dependent more on spin and less on fans. Which, in the plainest of terms, meant the entire human population of the Ark were reduced to dizzy toddlers, in opposite proportion to height.  In my personal circle, this meant that Charly, Tyche, Hannah, and Ivan were able to walk with mild difficulty and practice sharp projectiles, being on the lesser end of the height handicap.  Arthur, Parvati, Alice, and I regularly practiced bouncing tennis balls off the walls to correct our hand-eye coordination.

Conor and Coffey were flat-out bedridden the past week.  They could sit, crawl, wheel about in a chair, but standing was still a practice-based exercise.  The words “they weren’t happy” were currently equivalent to saying “The End was inconvenient”.

Then, we had our outliers…. Maverick was entirely capable of slouching his beautiful six-foot-one height to a painful-looking five-nine.  It made me more nauseous to look at than it did him to perform, but nonetheless, it kept the vertigo firmly under control.  Nixe was entirely - and I do mean entirely - unphased, citing the variance between being one hundred feet underwater while freediving against being sea-level on a daily basis. “This,” she had waved, annoyed, “is nothing. Pah!”

Jokul, astonishingly, could walk around entirely upright and standing proud. No matter how much he was questioned or observed, he was baffled at our curiosity.  Somehow, the man had never been dizzy in his life.  No amount of medical scans could account for it, meaning no inner ear abnormalities or accustomed vertigo. He just… didn’t get dizzy.  No history of brain damage, or free diving, nothing.

I had never been more ready to kill him in my life. The only saving grace was that he was the only human on the Ark able to stand upright and prop up Conor or Coffey for physical therapy.  He also was utterly unruffled at being puked on, thankfully.

Bonk. Bonk. Thwap! “YES!” I crowed as I half-bounced in a circle, left hand held triumphantly over my head.

Bonk. “FUCK!” Arthur swore, rubbing his nose. “You know, I don’t get it. You have vertigo. And brain damage. And one of your arms is younger than Sparkle. But you got the hang of catching a stupid ball faster.”

“Third go around on this, buster,” I grinned smugly. “The muscle memory isn’t there yet, but the knowledge of how to get it back is.  Also… throw wide, not close… geez.”

For the first time in our actual acquaintance, I saw his jaw clench. “I. Threw. Pens. for my first year on the ship.”

“I threw crepes,” Hannah inserted gently as she focused on her therapy. “Well, I flipped them.  Worst case scenario, I had an ugly crepe.”

Arthur opened his mouth to rebut, but before he could say anything, Tyche shouted a stream of obscenities that I only half understood. “Tike,” I yelled half-heartedly. “They’re practice knives, they aren’t terribly sharp. Calm - “

Fuck.

Suddenly, both my friend and my sister were ripping into me furiously.

“They should be sharp - “

“Never in the history of - “

“You gave her fake ammo?”

“What if someone attacks right now!?”

“STOP! SHUT! UP!” I bellowed, hard enough to make my chest and throat hurt. “You!” I pointed at Arthur, firmly enough to actually make him back up as I stalked forward. “There is no such thing as fake ammo when you are dealing with knives. Dull knives will cut a finger off by accident faster than a sharp one.”

Whirling, I leveled myself at Tyche. “And you! You know better!  If someone were to attack, right this moment, you would go for blunt objects and a shotgun before you would go for your knives, no matter how sharp they are. And a properly wielded spoon can do more damage than a poorly used knife.”

By this point, I was actually seething with frustration, nausea, and more than a tiny bit of actual anger.  After watching me take six or so deep, panting breaths, Tyche nodded.  Yes, her jaw was clenched, but she stalked down the errant knife and resumed her practice with far quieter swearing.

Arthur, on the other hand, just glared at me.  After what was roughly three minutes, I shrugged and turned back to my wall.

Bonk.

Bonk.

Thwap.

Bonk.

Bonk.

“FUCKING HELL!”

Without a word, I chased down my tennis ball and started again.

Bonk.

Bonk.

“Okay, that was on purpose!” Arthur scowled after dodging my next attempt.

“Then catch it,” I shrugged, bouncing the ball off the floor a couple times, paying attention to the direction of the drift.

Bonk.

Thwap.

Bonk.

Thwap.

Bonk.

Bonk.

“HAAAAA! Check it out!” he crowed, holding my tangerine-orange tennis ball over his head.  After half a victory spin, he fell on his ass, but laughed like it was the funniest thing ever.  Soon, he stood carefully back to his feet and handed the ball back to me.

Bonk.

Thwap.

After I bounced my against the floor a couple of times, he dug his out of the seating around the gym and started with just bouncing the ball to his hand.  Hannah was smiling as she practiced ricocheting hers off several objects - steady, but with little power, not quite confident enough to start hurling it across the gym like Arthur and I were.

Eventually, Arthur and I were essentially playing low-stakes handball, bouncing our tennis balls off the floor, the wall, then to each other.  Scrambling over the gym floor, we tried harder and harder angles.  Soon, six out of seven shots were being caught and bounced back. 

We were working up a solid sweat and a lot of ammo to tease each other later, when I suddenly couldn’t breathe or see.  My eyes were burning and watering furiously, and my throat wanted to collapse on itself in the confusion between ‘don’t breathe’ and ‘cough it up’.  An unholy pain ripped through me as my stomach tried to reject what was going on, without any way for my diaphragm to get out of the way.

Black was flooding my vision when small hands shoved a breathing mask over my face, and not at all gently.  However, the coppery tang of my split lip was a welcome trade for the sweet, sweet air that flooded my lungs.  The bad news was that the first full breath I took relaxed my lungs enough for my stomach to take over - 

Charly ripped the mask off of me the second I started exhaling so that I could wretch against the floor, apologizing the whole time.  I heard ‘only ten percent’ and ‘seemed like good incentive’, along with infinite iterations of apologies as she gently swapped me between inhaling oxygen and coughing out the hellacious fire in my lungs. As soon as I could breathe well enough to talk - and right before I passed out - I made a point to give her my best two-thumbs-up. 

“That was perfect. Use that one,” I croaked.

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[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 118

Winding down to the end of 2020, when there will be an announcement regarding the story. No worries: I’m not stopping at the end of the year!

First, thanks for this chapter go to: @zommbiebro for Jokul, @wildforestferret for Hannah, @baelpenrose for Alistair and being an amazing Beta Reader/writing partner, and @raven-fae for originally giving me the NERVE to start posting this so long ago.  I never imagined that a one-off response to a writing prompt would become so much!

Housekeeping stuff: I updated the Master List and the page links over the weekend (whew), and also finished all the chapters that will post through the end of the year! Much excite, so relief.

Rushing between appointments, I was trying to multitask by looking over one of the files for the cooking class volunteers.  Quiet beeps in the back of my mind should have reminded me to watch where I was going as I kept setting off proximity warnings in people I nearly ran into.  I was so focused on my task that I ignored the mutters around me of how rude I was being, until the alert suddenly started getting louder and louder, practically screaming before I snapped out of my trance and stopped walking.

In front of me was a familiar set of broad shoulders, and just past him was a wall that I nearly ran us both into. “Conor, what are you doing?” I asked, started to see him seemingly just staring at a wall and humming away.

He turned toward me with a grin, dropping a kiss on the top of my head in greeting. “I didn’t realize that was you,” he answered. “I heard someone coming, but figured they would either turn or rather run into me than the wall.”

“And why are you staring at the wall?”

“Wasn’t staring,” he corrected. “I was working on this.” He stepped aside with a flourish, revealing one of the wall-tanks set up throughout the Ark for Else. Soft yellow motes drifted in the tank, evidence of Else’s continued breakneck evolution. However, this tank had something new in it…

“You put snowflakes in there?” I asked, confused.

He ran a hand through his hair and laughed. “When Sam, Derek, and I started putting out the Insert Winter Holiday decorations this week, Else got curious and asked what we were doing.  Derek explained - he talks to them better than I do - and they wanted something in their habitat, too, like we have.”

“And you decided on snowflakes?”

“Else picked that, actually. They are very curious about snow, since they developed… well, here, where there is no weather…”

“I guess that is fair.” Suddenly, I felt rude for talking about Else like they weren’t present. I still hadn’t gotten in the habit of speaking directly to them. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you…” I cringed a little inside.

Is okay, Else replied. We are not offended. Will we see real snow one day?

I thought about it. “Probably? Von has atmosphere, and the nights are long enough that the temperature probably gets really cold. It may have the right conditions for snow.”

Many humans think snow is beautiful. We would like to see snow.

“You and me both, buddy,” I admitted. “I love it.”

Conor shuddered. “No thank you. You can keep your cold mush.” Checking his databand, he groaned. “I have to get going. See you later, Else.” He dropped another kiss on my head. “I’ll see you at dinner,” he promised.

“No bruises?”

“No bruises.”

I smiled before jumping to check the time myself. “Shit,” I swore softly. “Else, I gotta go, too. I have an appointment five minutes ago.”

Humans can time travel?

“I wish,” I muttered, practically running to get there on time. I prayed that Alistair kept Hannah busy while I raced to our interview.

I showed up breathless and dishevelled, but only ten minutes late. Great first impression you’re giving, I scolded myself as I tried to get my hair somewhat more tidy and catch my breath. Straightening, I scanned my datapad and entered my office.

Hannah was nodding seriously at something Alistair was saying, and all I could do was pray he wasn’t telling her some embarrassing story about me. Both of them looked up as I entered, and Hannah approached me to shake my hand. “Hello, Sophia! Or should I address you as Councillor. I’m not entirely sure…”

“Sophia is fine,” I reassured her.  “Did Alistair explain why I asked you to meet with me today?”

She shook her head. “No, we were just talking about Zachary’s work with Councilor Ranganathan.”

“That is part of it,” I agreed. “Zach is one of several people who Pranav is mentoring, hoping to build a pool of candidates to fill his position in the future. I asked you to meet with me to see if you would be interested in doing the same, with me?”

Her eyes widened. “You want me… to learn your job?”

“I assure you, it is much safer than I make it look.” I tried to sound confident, but was already bracing for her to reject the position.

“It’s not that - “ Wait, what? “I just. Do you really think I could?”

“You wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think you could do it,” I assured her, somewhat dumbfounded. Recovering quickly, I pushed on. “I want to be clear - this is an elected position, so there is no guarantee that you would be my successor. The goal of the mentorship is to help you decide if you even want to do it, at all, along with ensuring that the Ark has the opportunity to choose between people who definitely know how to do the job. And more importantly, want to do the job.”

Alistair picked up from there. “In the Before, if you remember, many elections were decisions based on which candidate would do the least harm, rather than the most good. The Council is trying to change that.”

She nodded in understanding. “So there would be other people you are mentoring?”

So far, so good. “Hopefully three, yes.”

“Will you be working with us at the same time?”

“If all three of you accept, I am hoping to work with each of you one day per week individually, and the rest collectively,” I confirmed. “More specific than that, I will meet with all of you to explain once I know who has accepted. But I wanted to extend the offer in person, so I can answer any questions you may have.”

Hannah nodded again. “Would we be working the same hours you do?”

I was very glad Alistair and I already thought that part through, along with Tyche’s input. “Initially, no. You would only work half of my shift, and what half would be at my discretion.  However, this would be considered your job allotment, so you would not have to worry about any schedule conflicts. The only reason I will be deciding which half of my shift you work is because it may change due to Council meetings that you may not be privy to, or if there is nothing beneficial to your learning happening during the other half.”

“Why only half?” She asked.

“Councilors generally work double shifts,” Alistair advised her. When her eyes widened again, he continued, “In my experience, as her assistant, she will never ask you to work as much as she does, but she is very insistent that if she is not working, neither are you.”

I shook my head at him. “What he isn’t explaining is that there are also often large gaps in my day when I have no appointments and no paperwork to go through. So being in the office for sixteen to twenty hours sounds grueling, but I am rarely here the entire time.  That’s just the window when people are allowed to set appointments, or when the Council can convene outside of emergencies.”

Her shoulders sagged with relief. “I was honestly about to walk out until you explained that a bit better.”

I leaned over to Alistair and hissed. “People skills!”

“Professionalism…” he murmured back.

Hannah smiled at our antics. “Another question: What exactly do you do?”

I groaned, and Alistair smirked at me. Jokul had been so right on that point that it wasn’t even funny. “Since Zach is shadowing Pranav, I’m going to assume you know how the parts about voting in Council sessions works, right?” She nodded. “Okay, so that’s the big part that most people know about. They vote on an issue, their votes go to their representative Councilor, who votes on their behalf, short version. On a day to day basis, each Councilor is responsible for heading up everything on the Ark in a certain field. For me, that’s any large scale events, staffing, or major adjustments to how people are able to live their day-to-day lives. I have one assistant,” I gestured to Alistair, “and an Administrator, my sister Tyche.  She handles all of the small staffing concerns, because she is amazing at it.”

“So… Insert Winter Holiday, the annual Food festival…?”

I nodded. “Along with the gravity changes, the day cycle changes, the proximity alerts, creating and maintaining quiet rooms, finding people to back fill gaps caused by large projects or initiatives, large scale announcements to the ship, et cetera.”

“That’s… a lot…” She bit her bottom lip in concern.

“Really, it’s a handful of major events each year, plus the daily stuff.  And I work really closely with the other Councilors, largely because once most projects are past a staffing point, it falls under their jurisdiction to execute.”

Slowly, she nodded. “Okay…” After a moment, she nodded much more firmly. “Okay, I’ll try it.”

One down, two to go, I cheered in my head as I resisted the urge to scream with joy.

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[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 99

Here we have the aftermath of the Warlord Bowl. 

Here, we finally... FINALLY get to see Jokul as a person and not a far-off mysterious bad guy. Consciously, there was never any intent to compare Jokul to people who don’t understand how politics work: @zommbiebro​ isn’t even American, for one thing, and therefore neither is Jokul. However, reading it on the last pass before posting, I realized how it could be taken.

The part that isn’t relevant to the chapter: While I didn’t mean that comparison, please make sure you vote in any local elections available to you, if it doesn’t risk your life. No matter how much you feel your vote doesn’t matter, it does. If everyone who didn’t vote decided to do so, it would change the world.

In my own country, I’ll be taking time off work - because I have that ability - and taking local people to polls that ordinarily would be inaccessible to them within their district.

Back to the chapter relevant stuff: Thank you to @zommbiebro​ for giving me such a good character to play with, @charlylimph-blog​ for reading to ensure entertainment, and @baelpenrose​ for beta reading in every way that entails.

After a quick dinner at the first mess we came across - and true to my promise, I didn’t cook anything - Arthur, Antoine and I reconvened with Jokul in my office. As agreed, he brought only two of his own people, who sat on either side of him in a mirror to how I was bracketed by my own friends.

Unfortunately, they entered as I was mulling out loud the possibility of making hot pot for family dinner one night.  Even less fortunately, the ginger who I had thrown in the gym was one of the people who walked through my door while I was debating the logistics of meat versus vegetarian options.

“She doesn’t even take us seriously!” the nasal voice complained, interrupting me.

Simultaneously, several things happened. I opened my mouth to retort, Arthur put a hand over my mouth, Antoine pushed my shoulder back into the chair.

And Jokul spoke up.

“We agreed to meet with them if Farro beat me in combat.  He did, we are here, and there will be no further argument on the matter.” If anything, he sounded weary rather than angry. “She did not even request that we cease acting against her, only that we meet as equals. It is the least we can do.”

I didn’t even know forehead cramps were a thing until I gave myself one with the speed of my eyes widening. Slowly, Arthur lowered his hand so I could speak. “Right,” I coughed. “So, there are a few things I want to know.”

“Such as?” 

“Why am I your target?” I blurted out. Of everything, this was the one that was weighing heaviest on me. I felt if I could understand that, I would know how to tackle the rest. 

To my frustration, he fucking shrugged. “You are emblematic of everything that will destroy our chance at a new start,” he stated calmly, like he was telling me his name.

I sputtered before regaining my composure. “How? How am I doing something badly?”

“You only want to consolidate power, rule over the masses!” the red-haired toady honked at me.

The overblown statement and Jokul’s subsequent glare at his own man was a level of ridiculous I couldn’t handle at that moment.  Laughing ruefully, I wiped away a tear that warned me I was close to hysterical. “I don’t want to rule over anyone, dude.  If I had my preference, I would only decide what I want to eat once or twice  a week for the rest of my life.”

“But you rule over the Council,” Jokul pointed out in a confused tone.

“I don’t rule anyone, buddy. I am on the Council largely against my will, and mostly because no one else who is qualified even wants my job. Trust me, I’ve tried.” Gods had I tried.

His next statement was significantly less confident. “But you took the reins of power…”

“I am a glorified event coordinator and human resources officer. I have a staff of exactly two. One is my sister, who has been in her role longer than I’ve been in mine and only listens to me when it’s convenient. The other is my assistant, who is British as hell and listens to me on about equal level with my cat.”

“The Baconists! Your assistant was part of that rebellion! You must have known and hidden it from our hosts!” I had to give him some begrudging credit. Even he didn’t sound like he believed his own words, and if the smug look from Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber on either side of him was anything to go by, that wasn’t his own theory.

Time to set the record straight, it seemed. “Okay, quick reminder: that bitch tried to kill me,” I enunciated carefully, leaning forward as I spoke.  “She nearly succeeded. That wasn’t a cover up, it was her realizing that I talk to myself in the shower and listening long enough to hear me think through what was going on. As far as hiding her intent from our hosts… You’re only half right. Miys doesn’t read minds, contrary to what people think, they only read intent. That nutjob really did think she was doing the best thing for the universe by wiping humanity off the proverbial map. Nothing for Miys to pick up, she actually had what she thought were good intentions.”

“You have built yourself to be this legendary hero -”

“I didn’t build myself to be jack. Effing. Shit. If I had my preference, I would give you my position, and open a restaurant that does cooking classes.” When he opened his mouth to interject, I held up a hand to stop him. “Miys likes me because I talk to myself, even in my head, and so badly that they can still hear what I am saying when I don’t move my lips. I only survived being attacked by a crazy person because I treat the person who saved me like, you know, a person? Make sure he’s okay, give him his space when he wants it, sass him back when he wants to be sassy. It was just sheer, dumb luck, and I’m not even sure it was good luck, because voila!” I flung my hands wide at the current situation, forcing both Arthur and Antoine to duck. A quick glance at Antoine only rendered one of his eloquent shrugs. Must be handling the situation okay if he doesn’t think I need help.

I was less concerned with Arthur’s opinion, not because I didn’t care, but because I knew he would jump in when he felt it was needed, without prompting or permission.

“So you do not want to rule over us all?” Jokul asked carefully.

“I don’t even want to top one of my boyfriends consistently.”

“Sophia!” Antoine hissed with a miserable expression, while Arthur burst into a coughing fit. I wasn’t sure if the latter was trying to cover a laugh of choking. 

Jokul, on the other hand, seemed to take that at face value  “Then why are you in power? Explain that.”

With a heavy sigh, I tried again. “I’m not in power. Decisions are voted on by the Council. If someone brings me an idea for a class, or an architectural project, or a medical possibility, I pass it off to the Councilor who handles that and let it go from there.” Emphatically, I pointed at my own face. “Again, glorified events coordinator and HR.”

“And yet, you have your pet warlord sitting beside you. Explain that away,”Tweedledumb - the brunette on Jokul’s other side - accused.

I whipped my head to look at the subject of that statement before looking back across the table. “Arthur?” I asked, jerking a thumb in his general direction. “You do realize he’s a teacher first, right? Warlord out of need, but that ‘need’ was protecting the students in his history class when everything went to shit? Don’t get me wrong, we butted heads like you would not believe when we first met in person. But we realized halfway through what looked to be one hell of an argument that we knew each other for - fuck, like, a decade? Maybe less? - before the End. I didn’t ‘win him over.’ We just realized we’ve always been friends.” With a shrug I glanced back at Arthur, who also shrugged before nodding.

“Too convenient, Councilor.” Tweedledumb gloated. “You just happened to be friends with someone who - “

“Oh for FUCK’s sake!” Annnnd there it was.  Someone had reached his limit for diplomacy and stupidity. “We met on a fanfiction site writing a crossover of two of the worst pieces of science fiction ever written and mutually infected each other! FUCK!” Crossing his arms, he started muttering to himself. “Not like finding someone to kick your asses is hard…”

After a glare at the darker-haired idiot, and with an expression that looked like he was entirely regretting his choice of people for this meeting, Jokul schooled his features before addressing me directly. “Fanfiction?” he asked in a skeptical tone.

And the dirty truth comes out, I thought with another sigh. “StarDoc and Warhammer 40K, okay? It was fun, no fandom to cheese off, nothing smutty. Just… fun.” When the nostalgia threatened to overtake me, I shook my head vigorously. “The point is, we knew each other for years Before the world went to shit, and only realized when one of my friends landed in his class and there was a data error.  I don’t even like violence.” Antoine gave me a skeptical look so I clarified. “Usually.”

“And yet you are a combatant!” Jokul stated with certainty, clearly on more familiar ground.

Angrily, I scowled at Tweedle-the-ginger before leaning forward to look into Jokul’s eyes. “Look. I don’t know how it was in Canada, with your mooses and shit, but I really, really want to know: Do you honestly believe that anyone who got through the After did it without learning how to defend themselves? Even more, that any woman who made it, didn’t learn to fight dirty?”

“Not if you know how to have people defend you - “ Jokul tried before I cut him off.

“They don’t defend me because I’m helpless, let’s be clear. They defend me because I will only fight back if I know my life is on the line. But, on the same page, I will protect my friends and family from anything, without reserve, and die for them. No hesitation.” With a deep breath, I sat back rather than jumping over the table.  “I have my flaws, and my sister will tell you the biggest among those is that I trust too easily.  I assume the best in, literally, everyone.”

“Except smartass teacher, apparently,” Arthur said in a fake cough that fooled exactly nobody.

After making a face at my friend, I turned back to the moose in the room. “What that means is, I don’t try to defend myself until it is literally your life or mine. Or both. I don’t really care at that point, because I assume I’m not going to make it. I just want the person I’m fighting to go down with me.” Trying to imitate Charly’s most savage grin, I put on a forced-cheerful tone. “Now, tell me, Jokul. Who would rather have faced in that fight, knowing that?”

His eyes darted between Arthur and myself as he swallowed hard, mulling the implications of that. “You would kill and die for your friends’ safety and health, even if you would only protect yourself at the last moment?” Here, he scoffed. “There is nothing exceptional or even special about that. Many who were in power in the After felt the same.”

“Except I don’t want power,” I repeated in a tone that I previously reserved only for small children. “I just told you that.” In the corners of my eyes, I saw both of my friends nodding so hard I was concerned for their spines.

Before I could try to reason with Jokul any more, Arthur jumped in. “If you’re both done arguing righteousness, let me explain a few things. Jokull. First off, Soph actually doesn’t want to rule, or be on the Council. She told you this. She’s also bitched about it to me, her sister, and anyone else who will listen, at length. On top of being too trusting, her biggest flaw is actually an impulsivity problem, in general. But she’s not an autocrat.” As he gestured, I saw his eyes glaze over, his voice taking on a serene tone that was entirely too familiar. “If Soph was a real autocrat, she’d have let us have our little duel armed, with my sword and - I presume you’d have had an ax? Maybe a broadsword? You look like a broadsword guy... any rate.”

“However,” he continued, leaning forward with a thoughtful expression, like he was puzzling something out. “she made me promise not to kill you. Think about that. After you’ve been nothing but a headache and a threat to her and her family for months, she makes me promise not to kill you. I wanted to, you know.” The wistful sigh that accompanied that statement was entirely unnecessary and I was certain he only did it to irritate me.  “I wanted to kill you and have your lifeless corpse thrown out of the airlock like trash, not because of the Council, not because your Viking gimmick wears out in a hurry, but because you made the mistake of threatening a friend, then slapping a student. I had no idea if you were actually going to seriously harm any of them, and I didn’t care. The threat alone was enough to make me decide I wanted you dead.” Tapping his chin briefly, he pointed at Jokul without actually looking at him. “Because you were an unknown quantity, but no matter whether or not you were actually the threat you claimed to be, your corpse would be harmless.”

Arthur shrugged before looking Jokul in the face. “That’s how warlords handled things in the After, isn’t it? When someone threatened your people, or when someone threatened mine? I didn’t negotiate. I didn’t warn. I doubt you did, either. I took them at their word, and I did unto them first. And I’d bet you did the same. ‘Peace’ was what you called it when everyone who wanted to make war on you or your people was dead. That’s what the After taught me, that’s what it taught you.” After emphasizing his point by gesturing between the two of them, he shook his head.  “And that impulse, that set of lessons? That's not what humanity needs right now. Our skill set as leaders is not what humanity needs right now. If you want humanity to have a fresh start as you claim, drop the hostility, drop the self-righteousness, and actually try listening. Do you want a genuine peace with the Council?” Thoughtfully, he stroked the hilt of his sword where it laid across his lap. 

I knew it was the fondness of being reunited with a long lost limb, but Jokul didn’t know that. 

“Or a warlord’s peace with me?” In a creepy way, Arthur’s tone was downright perky. “I prefer a genuine one. A warlord’s idea of peace is one of the things I want to leave in the ashes of the After. That’s why it’s the Council who make the rules here - not warlords.”

With an alarmed expression, Jokul very slowly glanced at me. “Did he just threaten to kill me and shove me out an airlock?”

“No, he’s pouting because I wouldn’t let him do that,” I answered honestly.  The topic had come up, for a solid fifteen seconds.  I was even reasonably sure Arthur had been joking.

“I don’t - “ Arthur started  indignantly before being cut off by Jokul.

“He makes a good point. Our skills as warlords are not what is needed in this new world. I let myself believe people who told me that the Council in general and you specifically wanted to hoard power and privilege over us, just like the people who led Earth to where it ended up.” He glanced nervously at Arthur, who was still stroking his sword, before forging ahead in a somewhat squeakier tone. “If someone who has had real power agrees that you and the Council are the best option, then I will at least try to see how that would work.”

Here, Antoine joined the conversation. “Militant strength and ruling by force aren’t the only forms of power. We do not want that sort of power over us anymore. The Council leads because the people on this ship largely want to follow them.  That is the kind of power no one can force.  It has to be earned.”

“But the Council still makes decisions without our will - “

Shaking my head, I angrily flicked open my datapad and shot a file to him like I was thumping off an insect. “No, Bjornson, we don’t.  I was elected to my position - without my knowledge, might I add - by the people I represent to the Council. Every decision we make, the people on this ship get a vote with the exception of an emergency like what happened on Level One.  There wasn’t time to have a vote on how to handle that.”

“Although, we have had a lot of emergencies lately, so I understand the confusion,” Arthur interjected.

Is this what hallucinations feel like? I wondered. There was no way in frozen hell Arthur just made a point in Jokul’s favor, but the calm, resigned look on his face told me that, at some point, he seemed to have made peace with having to treat Jokul Bjornson as a sentient being. I was going to pass out if I kept sighing, though. “Okay, true. But everything else - Insert Winter Holiday, the swimming area, the diving docks, food festivals, permanent low stimulation areas throughout the ship, Galactic Core education - those were voted on by the people on this ship, with an overwhelming majority in favor.”

“What about the alarms?” Jokul pointed to his own head for emphasis.

“Also voted on, believe it or not,” I confirmed. “ And most of the ship agreed that there was more benefit in not running into people who would react badly to unexpected touch than there was discomfort at the alarms going off.”

“I tested them myself, monsieur.” Antoine offered. “So I am well acquainted with the volume they are calibrated for, and I do not appreciate you disabling them.  My staff have had to work around the clock to treat the damage your people have caused to others on this ship, who are terrified to leave their quarters now.”

Jokul looked a bit guilty at that, as well as his entourage.  Looked like he hadn’t considered that. “Would you believe me if I told you that was originally an accident?” he admitted sheepishly.  “One of the engineers thought it would be funny to shock another one in the neck with a low level electrical current, right behind the ear.” He turned his head and pointed to a small burn scar in the same place. “It took days for them to notice that the proximity alarm didn’t work anymore.”

To my shock, Antoine started swearing angrily in French, so fast even the translator couldn’t keep up. “Sophia, if I find out Charly Harper is the cause of this…”

Jokul shook his head vigorously. “I can assure you it was not Miss Harper.” His focus slid over to me, eyes wide.

Either this motherfucker just lied to keep Charly out of trouble, or she really was innocent.

“That explains why Derek and Zach couldn’t figure out how they did it,” Arthur pointed out. “You can’t hack into something that’s shorted out.”

Jokul spoke up again. “It also… may? Have caused some translation inconsistencies?”

“So the shock corrupted more files than just the alarms,” I stated in clarification.

“Several, in fact, yes…. Specifically signed languages and tonal languages.”

“That’s… that’s at least a third of the ship…” I couldn’t figure out if I wanted to sob in horror or laugh hysterically.

Jokul groaned before cradling his head in his hands. “I am aware, yes.”

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