#but hollow ground? she doesnt have anything to hide from them

[sidesteppostinghours]

made cynthia threaded by hollowground and it might just be the thing that kills me

[clockworkrobotic]

OOOOUUUGGGH H HERE IT IS

Thanks everyone for your patience while I took three times longer than intended <3

final word count 5234 ;;

I’m planning to write more but this ended up so absurdly long that I’m splitting it up. It’s a wild dumpster fire of headcanons and canon canons, ive tried to avoid exposition but if something doesnt make sense shoot me an ask lol

sort of vaguely around the end of BL1. Rowdy teenage calypsos. Dramatic backstory. Go

“Do it again.”

 He sits cross-legged, facing her, watching intently. Tyreen scans the grass for another flower and finds one, a small purple thing that’s braved the blistering Pandoran heat to spring up from the rare lush patch they’ve settled into this afternoon. Her brow furrows with concentration as she touches it and searches for the not-quite-uncomfortable breathless feeling that precedes what she’s about to do. In honesty, she’s not entirely sure what she does to trigger it, but if she focuses hard enough, it seems to happen eventually.

 Sure enough, after a few seconds, it’s wilting against her hand, the colour draining to a dull brown as the petals dry and shrivel and crumble to dust. Her chest feels hollow and then it doesn’t, her arm is tingling slightly as the pleasant warmth travels up and leaves her markings glowing a faint blue, and she feels content and floaty for a moment.

 Troy is watching in awe, and he reaches out suddenly and grabs her arm.

“These are getting bigger,” he tells her certainly, inspecting her tattoos, “they didn’t go around your hand the other day. D’you think they’ll keep growing?”

 Tyreen pulls back and looks at the ground. She doesn’t want to tell him that she feels them, at night, a scratching needling feeling drawing patterns down her body, and that as pretty as they are she doesn’t really want any more of them, they might make her face look weird. She also doesn’t want to tell him that he’s right.

“So cool…” He trails off, and Tyreen enjoys the quiet envy in his voice.

“I wish I could do other stuff,” she confesses. Troy shrugs.

“Maybe you can. But you haven’t found it out yet.” He pulls up another flower and hands it to her. “Do it again.”

* * *

“When was the last time you ate?”

“Dunno,” Tyreen answers honestly, “I’m fine, though, really.”

She feels more than fine. It’s the only use she’s managed to put her powers to - as long as there’s something small and alive nearby, she can draw its energy in place of food. Some days she’s been getting by just running her hands through the grass. When she thinks about it, she can’t even remember what being hungry feels like.

 The past few weeks have been a blur of trudging through the arid desert and scavenging abandoned camps and just trying to stay away from trouble. They had learnt early on to avoid active settlements - the local bandits didn’t take too kindly to thieves - but rummaging around in waste and ruin yielded little in terms of rations. Tyreen had pocketed herself a neat little pistol that she (thankfully) hadn’t had to use yet and Troy had secured some kind of baton that looked as though it might have once doubled as a taser, but other than that, resources are scarce. At least this way she can make sure he’s getting something close to enough to eat.

“You should still eat something, Ty. This can’t be good for you.”

“I’m not sure living in the desert is good for anyone.” Tyreen pulls her jacket up over her shoulders to shield herself from the heat. Little as she might physically need it, she’d kill for a cold drink right about now. Beer. She isn’t even sure what beer tastes like, but she’s parsed that it’s a noble option on hot days, and under the blistering sun came now to consider it some kind of ambrosia.

 Troy’s footsteps stop behind her and she turns wearily to look at him. He’s shielding his eyes and squinting into the distance.

“I think there’s a town up ahead. Let’s move.”

* * *

“It’s no use, Troy,” Tyreen groans, trying to hide how pissed off she’s really getting. Not that she doesn’t appreciate his enthusiasm, but there’s only so much she can put up with. She starts to pull her jacket back on.

“No, no, c’mon, just - one more try,” Troy pleads, darting forward to grab her wrists, “You heard the guy in the bar back there. He reckons you’re a Siren. There’s - there’s so much more you could lea-”

“Most powerful being in the universe were his exact words, Troy.” She slouches a few exasperated feet away and slumps onto a rock cluster. “Killing plants is a far cry from that.”

 Troy runs a hand through his hair and sits himself on the ground in front of her. “It’s not killing plants, Ty, it’s - some kind of energy thing, like you can - steal life force or something -”

“Troy,” Tyreen cuts him off firmly, then pinches the bridge of her nose and softens her tone, “I know you want to believe there’s more to this but - I think this might be it.” He’s watching her in earnest, but she can see the light die behind his eyes a little, and it hurts. “You heard him, too. Sirens are dangerously powerful, from birth, he seemed to think they’re killing their parents and levelling bandit camps before they can walk. Do you - don’t you think, if I could do anything like that, we would’ve found out by now?” She tries to offer a small smile. It looks more like a grimace. Troy opens his mouth to say something, and she cuts across him again. “I’m sorry, Troy. It’s a fairy tale. We’re stuck on the same shitty planet as everyone else.”

 Troy’s mouth is pressed into a grim line and he looks away from her. Tyreen gets up and offers him a hand. “Come on. It’s getting dark. I can start us a fire, at least.”

* * *

 They come for her that night.

 Tyreen is jolted awake by a hand over her mouth, and finds herself face to face with a masked marauder. Even with the ventilator covering the majority of his face, she can tell who it is.

“Hello, little Siren,” he croons, and the grin in his voice is sickening. She shrieks, one hand going for his face, the other scrabbling above her head for her pistol, kicking and howling muffled under his thick glove, trying to make enough noise to wake Troy up. The marauder is bigger than her by a lot, pinning her easily to the floor, and to her panic she can see two others advancing behind him.

“Never seen one in real life,” one of them comments, stepping over and kicking her gun out of reach, “Is she dangerous?”

“Nah, they told me everything,” says the one holding her down, and shifts to press his knee into her abdomen. Tyreen feels tears springing into her eyes. “She can’t do shit, least, not yet, anyway. Reckon we can fix that, though.”

 Tyreen twists beneath him and makes another lunge for the pistol. It catches her assailant off guard, and she manages to choke out a breathless “TRO--” before he regains his hold on her, hand twisting in her hair and slamming her face hard against the ground. She can taste blood.

 Several hands seize her arms and haul her to her feet, and there’s one covering her mouth again. She kicks frantically at them, feet slipping against the dusty earth floor.

“Come on, sweetheart,” is the rasped attempt at sweetness against her ear, “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” And with that they’re dragging her from the shack, impervious to her muffled pleas and the tears streaming down her face.

 Through her panic and probable concussion, she tries to find some clarity, to find that little breathless inkling she feels with the plants. It’s a long shot, she’s never managed anything more complex than a small cactus before, but maybe Troy is right, she can do it, she just needs to -

CRACK

The hand around her mouth goes limp and after a couple of beats, she feels the weight drop behind her. The other two let go of her arms, instinctively leaping away from whatever has just felled their comrade, and for one absurd moment she thinks that she’s managed something incredible.

“TYREEN!” Troy grabs her arm and pulls her behind him. He’s holding a thick piece of wood that looks like it might’ve been Tyreen’s height to begin with, but now hinged almost completely in two, bearing thick, vicious splinters where it had collided with the marauder’s head.

 The other two have drawn their guns, but Troy is faster. Even at 16 he towers over them, wasteland-formed muscles knocking down both attackers in one swing of his makeshift weapon. There’s a loud BANG that jolts Tyreen unpleasantly back into reality and she dives for the dead marauder, seizing his gun from its holster and realising too late that she’s never done this before.

 Troy has one of the men pinned to the ground, and the other is taking aim again. Tyreen doesn’t think, just points and shoots, aiming as far from her brother as she can get away with, fighting the resistance of the trigger until she lands a solid hit. Silhouetted by the light of Elpis, she sees him go down, his fingers twitching as his weapon falls from his grip. Her heart is racing, vision blurred by tears and adrenaline, but she can’t risk him getting up. She can hear the panicked pleas choked beneath Troy’s fingers to her left as she shoots her attacker between the eyes.

* * *

“Can’t sleep?”

“Nah.”

 Tyreen sits on the mottled grass and watches the sun rise. Troy seats himself next to her, legs crossed like he used to when they were kids. Tyreen fidgets with the sleeves of her shirt.

“You can’t wear this, Ty, it’s a hundred degrees out,” Troy says, picking at the worn cotton. Tyreen pulls them further over her hands.

“I don’t want anyone to see them.”

He doesn’t have anything to say to that, and the pair of them sit in silence and watch the orange sunlight wash over camps and communes as far as the horizon.

“We have to go,” Tyreen says eventually. Troy glances over his shoulder to where the bodies of the three marauders are still lying. It’s only been a few hours, but in the heat the flies are already buzzing lazily around the corpses, and a swarm of rakk are beginning to circle overhead.

“Don’t you want to get some rest first? Nobody’s going to find us up here for a while.”

 Tyreen shakes her head and lets the silence fall for a little while longer, punctuated by the occasional shriek from above.

“I’ve never killed anyone before.”

“Me neither.”

 They both ponder the absurdity of the situation. Pandora isn’t renowned for its peaceful living, its occupants consisting mostly of violent bandits, escaped convicts, and the mutated casualties of Dahl’s mining operations. Yet they’d managed to avoid confrontation up until now, and it had dragged them screaming from their cabin in the dead of night. Terrified as she’d been, Tyreen wonders why she isn’t feeling more, well, anything - she’s just taken a life, and she feels as indifferent to it as if she’d walked away from a bar fight.

“They deserved it,” Troy says suddenly, as if reading her mind. His voice is flat and stony, “They were going to hurt you.”

 Tyreen looks up at him. His expression is cold, and there’s something different about him, like a vengeful spark in his eye. She sighs and leans her head against his shoulder (well, arm) and then pulls away abruptly.

“Troy, you’re bleeding!”

 Troy snaps out of his reverie and glances down, noting the deep indent in his bicep where a bullet must have skimmed past him.

“Has that been open this whole time? Damn it, that’s hours old, we have to get that cleaned up-”

“Calm down, Ty, it’s just a gra-”

“It’ll get infected, Troy, you could lose your arm.”

“It’s fine, leave it-”

“Let me help you.” She’s standing now, furious tears pricking her eyes. Troy doesn’t say anything. She storms inside to get the med kit.

* * *

 They play it safe and don’t stop until they’re a couple of towns over. Despite the sparse population news had a habit of travelling fast here, and Tyreen is keen not to become the focal point of a planet-wide manhunt. She stays small, keeps her arms covered despite the sun, though thankfully they appear to be moving north and it’s getting a little cooler.

 Troy keeps an anxious eye on her. She’s growing skittish, recoiling inward whenever anyone passes too close, avoiding eye contact as much as possible. She refuses to use her powers any more and at night she insists on sleeping next to him, terrified of what might happen if they get raided again and she can’t wake him up in time.

 They’re sitting in a tavern one lazy afternoon when a conversation the next table over makes Tyreen freeze up. Troy hears it too; they’re talking about a local faction of the Crimson Lance, and the word Siren hangs heavy in the air. Tyreen cringes inwardly and looks up at Troy with pleading eyes, desperate to get as far away from this conversation as physically possible. Troy shushes her, trying to tell her without words that they can leave in a moment, but what they’re hearing could be important - Commandant Steele is old news at this point, but it sounds like they think there’s another Siren in the area. Tyreen pulls nervously at her sleeves. They can’t be talking about her, surely - she hasn’t said a word to anyone since they arrived. Low profile isn’t the word.

 Tyreen gets up suddenly, upsetting their glasses, no longer resigning to sit and listen. She grabs Troy with a shaking hand and all-but drags him out of the bar.

* * *

 Tyreen sleeps restlessly, tossing and turning uncomfortably, too hot and too cold at the same time, her brother’s protective hold the only thing preventing her from falling out of bed. She swears the ground is shaking like they’re resting over a tremorous fault line, yet the room and its contents remain still and Troy sleeps undisturbed. There’s a nagging urge telling her to head outside and look for… something, like a magnetic pull calling her out into the darkness, but she vehemently fights it, fear outweighing abject curiosity. When she finally drifts off, the sun is rising, spilling in through the frayed curtains, and she’s curled up in Troy’s arms, safe as she’ll ever be.

* * *

“Ty.”

Tyreen barely hears him. Her head feels like it’s full of radio static, has done since she woke up somewhere around 3pm. She’s focussing on just walking straight forward, though she’s not sure she’s doing a particularly good or convincing job of it.

“Tyreen,” Troy insists, grabbing her arm and forcing her to stop.

“Wuh,” is all she can manage, her hazy state making the sudden halt feel vaguely like whiplash. She presses her eyes shut and rubs her temples.

“Ty, look.” Troy is pointing behind her. Tyreen turns around and waits for her head to stop spinning.

“What ammi lookin’ at?” She mumbles after several seconds of attempting to decipher the blur that is her vision.

“Are you alright?” Her brother sounds incredibly worried and incredibly far away. She aware of his hand on her back, although she’s not sure that is her back, it feels thrice removed, as if she’s watching through someone else’s eyes and thinking with someone else’s brain.

“M fine. J’st dizzy. Water,” she manages, and fumbles around for her hipflask. The motion is disoriented, almost drunken, but she finds it and struggles with the cap for far too long. Troy takes it off her and opens it. “What’s am I lookin’ at?” She says again.

“Ty, you’re leaving footprints.”

“So? S’a desert.”

“In the grass.”

Tyreen blinks several times and tries to focus on what’s in front of her. It takes what feels like minutes before she can see clearly enough, and when she can, she’s not convinced she isn’t hallucinating.

 As far back as she can see, as far as they’ve walked - which is not the sandy wasteland she’d been picturing in front of her for the past couple of miles, but more of a, admittedly ill-attended, pasture - there’s a set of footprints leading up to where she’s standing. Where she’s set foot, the grass has wilted away beneath her, leaving dead foliage and dry earth in its place. Tyreen looks down to where she’s standing now, and sees it; around her, the verdure wavers and leans in, towards her, pulled taut by some invisible force, before drying up and shrivelling to straw. It seems to slow as the circle around her grows, but it’s happening alright.

“This is bad... issnt it.”

“It’s…” Troy’s tone does not match hers. He seemed elated. “Ty, it’s incredible. I’ve never seen you keep this up for so long!”

“Mm?”

“You’re getting stronger, I told you, you just need to practise-”

“Troy…”

“- We can find somewhere safe next time we stop, you can try it on something larger, like, an animal or something-”

“Troy, I’m n- not -”

He’s still talking, but his words are blurring together into one excited stream of noise. Tyreen feels a drop in the pit of her stomach, like the ground has just fallen away with her still attached to it. She tries to feel for the hipflask he’s still holding.

“Troy I’m going to throw up,” She manages, surprisingly coherent, and her brother catches her as she blacks out.

* * *

 Troy is holding a cold cloth to her face when she comes around. She’s lying on his jacket, but the ground beneath is hard and uneven, and the fabric pulls uncomfortably against her as she moves to sit up.

 Troy breathes a hefty sigh of relief and against his better judgement, gathers her into a tight hug.

“Oh my god, I was so scared, Ty, I thought I’d lost you,” he mumbles brokenly into her shoulder.

 Tyreen pats his chest gently. “’M fine. Can I have some space?”

 Troy gives her one last squeeze and lets go. His face is wrought with worry, and she can tell he’s been crying. She opens her mouth to say something, and he shoves her hipflask into it.

“Drink. It’s been hours.”

 She complies gratefully. He’s right, she’s completely parched, and the flask is empty in seconds. The awful fuzziness from earlier still isn’t quite gone, but she can see clearly again, and Troy doesn’t sound like he’s half a mile away when he talks. Tyreen takes a few deep breaths and scopes out the room.

  It’s not a room. They appear to be in a cave of sorts, the grey walls dotted with condensation that’s slowly crawling down the walls and keeping the air comfortably cool and refreshing. Up ahead, the entrance opens out to a deep blue sky dotted with bright constellations and a full, luminous moon.

  Troy is watching her. “I’m sorry, it’s not great, but it’s the only place I could find without anything…” He trails off, and she sees his jaw flex as it does when he’s nervous. “...Alive.”

 Tyreen blinks at him, at a loss. He doesn’t elaborate. She draws her legs up to her chest and rests her head on her arms.

“It’s a good thing you’re wearing long sleeves, anyway.”

 It’s then that she sees it. His shirt is torn - no, burnt, the edges frayed and blackened,  pulling away to reveal an angry mess of red, blistering skin dragging down from his shoulder.

“Oh my god…” she murmurs, reaching out to touch him. He flinches.

“You, um,” Troy laughs uneasily, trying to lighten the mood and failing, “You were a bit grabby.”

 Tyreen can only stare. She can barely remember anything before she passed out, only a static headache, and footprints, and Troy catching her, and now…

 Now her brother is recoiling from her touch, on instinct, like a frightened animal, and he looks as though someone has raked at his chest with a hot poker.

“Troy,” she says slowly, “What’s going on?”

 Troy runs a hand through his hair and looks at the ground. His shoulders are hunched, making it hard to see the scars she’s left on him, but she knows they’re there now, and she can’t take her eyes off them.

“I don’t know,” Troy answers honestly, after what feels like forever, “But I think those bandits were right.” Tyreen flinches at the memory. “I think I was right.” Troy looks up under his hair and offers her a half smile. Tyreen feels like her heart is in her throat, too anxious to smile back. “You can do more than kill plants.”

* * *

 Tyreen is glowing.

 Whatever cover the long sleeves offered her before is lost now. Through the tired grey of her shirt the markings weave a prominent blue around her arm. She wonders if they will actually burn through eventually.

 She walks a few paces behind her brother, hopeful that his hulking presence will shield her from view, or at least deter any would-be attackers.

 She wears gloves now, although she’s not sure it’s doing much. Foliage still wilts as she brushes past it, and it’s getting worse. She can’t control it. Her heart is hammering in her chest and she can’t sleep, so buzzed constantly that she can’t get a moment’s rest. The static headache is coming back.

 They’re back to raiding bandit camps, reluctant to risk running into any enthusiasts in towns, but it’s taking a toll on the both of them. Troy still needs to eat, and as they venture further into the tundra the camps grow populous and more secure. Few are abandoned and they’re more complex, civilised almost, rickety shacks climbing multiple levels up cliff faces, connected by makeshift stairs and ladders that can barely hold Troy’s weight.

 After a few close calls, they decide Tyreen should sit out the raids. Night is a lost cause, her luminous tattoos making her a walking target as they try to stealth through the camps, and during the day her vision blurs and vertigo hits her in waves.

 She resolves to sit outside the camp, standing guard, although there’s not much she can do if disaster strikes. At least Troy can find her easily in the dark. She learns quickly not to mention the growing collection of marks and scars he’s amassing with each trip.

“I think we should turn back,” she says one night, as they’re huddling together under blankets, deep in the safety of a cave. Tyreen can barely feel the cold but her brother is shivering (much as he tries to hide it) and she’s giving off enough body heat for the both of them.

“We can’t.” Troy’s jaw is clenched.

“We were safer in the desert. There’s too many people here.” Troy shakes his head. “Troy, come on, we can’t stay here. You’re going to freeze to death.”

“I’m fine,” Troy mumbles, breath rising in a mist before him, “Have to keep you safe.”

“Troy…”

 Her brother presses his eyes shut and shakes his head again. “It’s better for you… here.” He draws in a shivering breath. “Nothing… to hurt you.”

 Tyreen knows exactly what he’s talking about, and he’s right. As they wander deeper into the frozen wasteland the greenery is dwindling, giving her body less to draw on, the headaches becoming tolerable background noise as opposed to the constant, nauseating buzz when she was brushing through the foliage a few miles back.

 She wants to tell him to leave, that she’ll be fine here on her own; but she knows that’s a lie, and he’d never abandon her anyway. Troy is the only thing keeping both of them alive, and it’s killing him.

 She looks up at him, in time to see his head drooping as he drifts into an uneasy sleep, resting against her shoulder. She’s managed not to burn him since that fateful night in the nexus, but she also hasn’t managed to do anything else. For a few days Troy had insisted that she try channelling the energy she’s built up, convinced that that’s what had hurt him, but after several frustrating, failed attempts, Tyreen was starting to think they’d both imagined it. Maybe she hadn’t burnt him, just clawed at him a whole lot, enough to draw blood. That must have been it.

 She wishes she could sleep. Instead, the best she can do is curl up close to her brother and keep him warm until the morning sunlight seeps in through the windows of their makeshift home.

* * *

 Tyreen is sitting in the snow a few hundred feet outside of Troy’s latest charge when she hears him screaming. The sound reverberates within her, shaking her to her core, raw and visceral and unmistakably him. She’s on her feet before she can stop herself.

 He’s done this before… don’t get involved… it’s too dangerous… She stops trying to convince herself. She’s never heard that sound from him before. He needs her.

 Nobody looks at her when she bursts into the camp. They’re too busy huddling, watching, jeering at something she can’t see up ahead. The ground is spattered, warm and wet and soft with blood, so much blood. They’re at least a hundred yards away and the vicious spray reaches as far as where she’s standing.

 Tyreen feels as though she’s wading through water as she approaches the spectacle. She can’t move fast enough, terrified of what she’s going to see, but desperate to see it. The buzzing headache is creeping an icy path behind her eyes and obscuring her vision, her heart pounding so hard and so fast her chest hurts and she can’t breathe, her blood races like molten metal through her veins and she can see out of the corner of her eye the vibrant blue radiating from her, the only visual she can place as the static pulls a cloudy veil over her sight.

 She isn’t sure if the crowd parts for her, or if she pushes through them. The taunting subsides for a moment as her presence is noted, and then starts back up again, wordless yelling and mockery coming from all sides. Who is she? She shouldn’t be here.

 Tyreen doesn’t need to see clearly to know what she’s looking at. Her brother is slumped motionless before her, propped half-upright against something, his form through her murky vision painted merciless red, red, red. She can make out her hands in front of her as she reaches out to him, her palms coming away from his torso hot and damp. Her mouth forms silent words, begging him to wake up, fingers drawing thick red lines along his face.

“This is heartwarmin’, truly.” The voice comes from all around her, barely audible through the haze of shock. Tyreen gets unsteadily to her feet. The world tilts sideways. “But you can’t be here, darlin’.”

 Tyreen half-staggers around to face the speaker. He’s a blurry mess of colour and motion, and he’s pointing something hefty and probably dangerous at her. “You got ten seconds to leave, or you’re joinin’ him.”

 What happens next, Tyreen will later justify as self-defence. It’s a lie. She’s never wanted to hurt someone so badly. She wants him dead.

 The figure takes a step towards her, and Tyreen moves, hand outstretched. She thinks she hears his shotgun go off as she connects with his throat. Something surges within her, rippling through her body and charging the air around her with a terrifying electricity. Her vision goes white.

 Tyreen comes around to chaos. Her clothes cling to her uncomfortably, and she’s vaguely aware of screaming and raucous movement all around her. She looks down at her hands.

 She’s covered in blood. It’s coating her arms, her body, drying against her face, plastering her hair against her forehead. Through the vibrant red, her tattoos glow faintly, the light dying peacefully against her skin. The headache is gone.

 Heart in her throat, Tyreen reluctantly surveys the area around her and nearly passes out. The bandit who threatened her is gone, replaced by a violent spattering of blood and viscera. An amalgam of decimated organs and what might be clothing is dotted around, hanging from various buildings and structures, painting a few unfortunate nearby bandits caught in the splash zone. Only the gun remains intact, lying in the midst of the gore, seemingly untouched by any of it. It’s almost comical.

“Don’t touch me,” she says shakily, aware of one particularly brave or foolish bandit cocking his gun off to the side. He doesn’t need to be told twice. Tyreen casts a sweeping glance around her, and the remaining spectators scatter.

“Tyreen…”

“Troy! Oh my god!” Tyreen spins around and all-but throws herself at her brother. The colour is drained from his face, his skin cold and clammy, but he’s alive.

 She pulls away suddenly, remembering what has just transpired. “Oh, fuck, oh my god, I didn’t-”

“That was... awesome,” Troy manages. He smirks weakly, hand reaching up to grasp her shoulder. Hand…

“Troy, your arm!”

Troy follows her gaze to bleeding crater where his arm used to be. It’s been blown completely from the socket.

“Huh,” he mumbles. He moves to touch the wound, and Tyreen grabs his wrist. “That’s not good, is it.”

“Can you walk?”

“Th... think so.” Troy attempts to push himself up with his remaining hand. “No.”

“I- I don’t know what to do.” Panic settles solidly in her throat as the magnitude of the situation dawns on her. “Troy, y - you need a doctor.”

“Yeah…” Troy trails off, his eyes starting to drift closed.

“No, no, god, don’t go to sleep, Troy-!” Tyreen taps his face firmly, hands shaking. He doesn’t respond. “Stay awake, please, wake up, oh my god - HELP!” She scopes the camp frantically. “SOMEONE HELP ME!” There must be something, someone who knows what to do, a settlement out here couldn’t last this long without medicine…

 There. She can make out the crudely-drawn Aesculepion hammered into the ground a few hundred feet off.

“I’m gonna be back soon, okay?” She presses her forehead to her brother’s, fighting tears. “I’m getting help.”

 She draws herself to her full height and takes a deep breath. Picks up the discarded shotgun with bloodied hands and marches towards the medical tent.

* * *

 Troy’s hand twitches lightly against hers. Tyreen springs to attention, the most she’s moved in two days.

“Hey,” she greets him softly as his eyes flutter open, “Don’t move too much. You’re in safe hands.”

 Regardless, Troy awkwardly tries to push himself upright, knocked off balance by the missing appendage. Tyreen pushes him gently back to lie down.

“You need to rest. Doctor’s orders.” She shoots a smile over to the far corner, where the medic is cowering, terrified. “Isn’t that right?”

“You’re not glowing,” Troy murmurs, his voice cracking slightly from the anaesthesia. He moves over like he wants to touch her. “I can’t feel my arm, Ty.”

 Tyreen brushes the hair from his face and smiles tenderly. “We can fix that.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

 Troy squeezes her hand weakly, too worn out to inquire any further. He mumbles something incoherent and sinks back into the mattress. Tyreen pulls the worn blankets over him, feeling real relief for the first time.

 It’s refreshing. Liberating. Nobody’s out to get them here, far contrary - the commune dwellers have proven quite eager to help her. For once in her life, they don’t have to run.

[downthewellintothewaters]

Pale King Receipts.

i’ve been slowly storing up a list of all the shit the Pale King messed up.  Starting with...

Littering his dead body at the edge of the kingdom completely wreaking havoc on the ecosystem.

Stealing the peaceful moth cult from the now incredibly pissed off sun god.

Tried to hide knowledge of the sun god so no one could know she existed, pissing her off even Farther.

Created a Kingdom in a bottle. As the only kingdom it cant export or import from anything but itself causing a mass social split between makers and users.

Is a massive lier

lied about the kingdom being the only and last one. 

if he believes his own lie, that means he doesn't consider any other kingdom to be worth anything and pride is a sin yah know.

While hiding all evidence of the radiance he forgets the MASSIVE STATURE OF HER AT THE TOP OF HIS KINGDOM.

Built his palace under the sewers

Created a marvel of civil engineering in the city of tears. all that water managment and draining systems, we cant even get our roads to drain right and he goes and manages an eternal rain. this is far more sophisticated than HUMANS HAVE MANAGED. our cites can handle like, two weeks of consent rain max. not even. (i dont live near subways but how often do they flood in heavy storms?) so props there PK.

when shit hit the fan he uprooted the whole palace into DREAM aka THE THING THE RADIANCE HAS CONTROL OVER. srsly bad plan

i’d call the creation of hornet a sin but everyone had agreed to it so it can pass, also we get hornet out of it and that is always a plus, so one point removed.

Proceeds to make hornet an orphan so add that point back on.

Created the stagways. Sentient bugs that TALK cant ever leave them. Slaves to always carrying around other bugs to places they will never see themselves.

 They are basically extinct because of this because HE SEALED THE STAGWAYS WITH THEM IN IT.

Sealed Hallownest to keep the infection in (badly)

Sealed the city gates leaving Hedgimol with the key. (who had his ENTIRE suit stolen, key and all.)

srsly he just sealed bugs alive and left them to fend off zombies.

Created trams that can only be used if you have a passed issued by the pale king himself.

only one tram is actual useful

the resting ground tram passes over the blue lake because like, bugs cant swim, letting the crossroad bugs visit their dead with is nice of him. points for that.

also the resting ground elevator, bugs are into cemeterys i guess. there is one in dirthmouth too. and the resting grounds with the shaman. 

lots of places are build out of bug shell so wtf. how long does a bug have to be dead until it’s socially acceptable to use their corpse for building materials?

uses enough bug bricks to weird out travelers.

refused to declare an heir because he planed to rule forever

lefted his kingdom set up for a horrible power vaccum

left his magic brand UNGUARDED IN THE KINGDOMS EDGE. if it were not for hornet taking that role litterly anyone could wander in and take it.

i would put refusing to let his wife have a child until he wanted to toss them all into the void here, because that’s a problem. that is a BIG ONE. but WL personally doesn't seem to care. so Extra points off for bad parenting.

she was put off by all this enough to put her off breeding which is something she still wants to do (mom ew tmi) so... traumatizing your wife?

harnessed void. im pretty sure that’s a taboo

made the kingsmolds and thought the void was mindless. those things display obvious emotions. 

made the collector. 

made the vessels

proceeded to cause most of them to die

made the vessels voiceless, void is not without sound. if the collector is a Kingsmould then they CAN think and talk. (i blame the laughing bastard, this is why we cant have nice things)  the Shades can sing and they whisper. dick move PK

created the shade gates? WHY

stuck markoth at the KE and put a shade gate there (this is probably a good thing)

sealed the abyss

left the lighthouse keeper in the abyss. did he just forget about them? Why did he doom them to live in this hell pit until the void itself told him to turn off the light, and then perished.

left living vessels in the abyss

didnt even do a good job of sealing the abyss, counting Greenpath vessel, lost kin, ghost, and the ones in nosk’s lair, about a dozen made it out.

Everything about Hollow.

Buzzsaws

path of pain

HOLLOW WASNT HOLLOW AND THE WL KNEW THE PK SUPOST TO HAVE CLAIRVOYANCE AND HE WAS BLIND.

Ruined a perfectly good Knight (orgim)

Ruined a Perfectly good knight (hollow)

Requited the three dreamers

created a way of sealing the radiance in such a way that when it failed. It is IMPOSSIBLE to do anything about her.

SERIOUSLY HE DOOMED HIS OWN KINGDOM BY PISSING OFF A SUN GOD OF DREAMS AND THEN SEALING HER BADLY

hornet has spent ages unable to do anything about the dying kingdom because Radiance is sealed by dreamers.

the radiance is able to infect more bugs unhindered

and what was supost to seal her is now protecting her

i realized this while fighting the watcher knights, their dream nail says “Protect .. seal”  i was all, oh yeah that was their job. but infected! if radiance wanted out, she would want the seals broken.

she doesnt want out, shes as snug as a bug in a vessel rug.

PK made her a perfectly protected home

Monomon’s extra protection meant that if Quirril hadnt returned Nothing could have stopped the Radiance.

he perfectly set everything up to fail

[otherthingsinhead]

No More Secrets

Pairing: Reader x Javier Peña

Warnings: some language / torturing

Request: Lovely Anonymous from Turkey

Oh I have but my english is really bad :D But i can try to tell :D Can u write an imagine where reader and Javi both got kidnapped and tortured for information.She gets injured in front of Javi’s eyes.Escobar’s man aims her to kill this time and Javi doesnt know what to do... I hope you understand what i mean :D Love ya :))

The straps avidly bit into the soft flesh as your body convulsed at the pain. You were tied to a chair right in front of your partner, watching as your kidnappers tortured him. Javier’s hands were bound too as he knelt on the ground covered with sweat, blood and dirt, trying to catch his breath after the last punch in his stomach.

When the volley of blows stopped he understood exactly what was going to happen. There are more painful ways of torturing a man and one of those ways leads through the heart.

Roughly fisting his hand into your hair, the main kidnapper ran a knife along your jawline, causing you to swallow down a whine and grab the arms of the chair with all your might. Your nostrils expanded as you breathed deeply fighting against a rising panic then your eyes drifted to him. Javier’s gaze flared up with anger and fear at the sight of the knife and a shout of helpless wrath formed in his throat.

“Don’t touch her, you sick fuck!” He shouted, spitting blood as he spoke.

“Oh, you’re not hot for her or anything, are you?” The man asked, viciously grinning into your face.

“Yeah, pretty nice piece of meat. I wonder if she tastes as delicious as she looks.” He continued, cutting down the buttons of your shirt slowly, one after another until your breasts were revealed in only the bra. Pressing the knife onto your breast he slid its spine along your skin then paused. 

The moldy room suddenly felt a little smaller and darker as Pablo Escobar stepped in. He exchanged a few words in Spanish with the torturers then switched to English.

“Shoot her.”

Javier raged and struggled and his cries had a hollow empty sound in the room. The air seemed leaden and you found it taxing to draw a deep breath. You clenched your jaw and looked down the barrel of the gun. Everything else around you came to a halt and a great, shocking clarity pounded through you. You were ready to die.

Then all at once, there was a voice.

“I’m the informer!”

Javier’s words echoed in your head and sent a great rush of blood through your veins.

“The link to Los Pepes. I can help you take them down.” He continued in Spanish and stared intently at Pablo.

“A useful information at last! And you want your girlfriend alive in return, I presume.”

Your Spanish improved a lot since you came to Colombia but you couldn’t believe your ears.

“Alive and unharmed.” Javi nodded, still unable to look into your eyes. You pressed your mouth into a thin line feeling betrayed, but being alive.

After the two men discussed the details of the ambush Pablo signaled his men to release Javier and shook hands with him. They left the locale as if nothing had happened there.

Javier cut your straps off and tried to help you up from the chair but you pushed him roughly away. His chest tightened.

“Los Pepes, huh? I can’t believe you lied to me... to your partner, your friend!”

“I’m not proud of myself, but I had to do something!”

“Something stupid? And reckless and...” The breath caught in your throat and you burst into a hysterical sob. First the kidnapping, the torturing, facing with death, and now this! There was too many, too fast to absorb. Javier embraced you and held you as close as he could to keep you from falling.

“That’s why I did it alone... to keep you out of trouble.” He said, unaware of his delicate situation. You had a sharp indrawn breath of shock and dismay.

“Holy shit! I should be grateful for that! Thank you, Javi! You’re so kind for lying to me... Didn’t work, I guess. Cause we’re in a big fat trouble now, right?!”

Javier couldn’t summon a reply. You let yourself flop back down on the chair you were tied to only minutes ago, drawing the buttonless shirt close about you and studying the sad, surprised expression on Javier’s face then let out a sigh.

“Is there anything else you’re hiding from me?” You asked, relenting a little but startled at the look in his eyes.

“Oh my god, Javier! What is it?”

He knelt before you and took your hands into his, carefully running his thumbs over the raw skin on your wrists. His touch sent an unexpected delight down your spine.

“My feelings.” He whispered.

“Feelings. What feelings?”

“My feelings for you.” He repeated, thinking about the fact how close he was to losing you and how much he would regret it if he didn’t confess.

With light force, he pressed his lips against yours. The kiss came so suddenly, you couldn’t decide between pulling away or moving your lips. Your mind went blank and you were frozen in place, eyes wide, brows knitted.

Javier’s cheeks seemed a bit flushed as he unattached his lips from yours. He was confused.

“No more secrets?” Your voice was barely audible but serious.

“No more secrets.” He affirmed and you pulled him back to your mouth, kissing him with a soft passion and blooming love.

MASTERLIST

[glowstickhaloboy]

smoothie klance au?? i guess

you would not guess how many half-written AUs i have in my drafts that become WAY TOO LONG for me to ever consider publishing in a text post. yes this is a short one.

keith makes smoothies for a living. it isnt a big deal until it is.

one night, this dude comes in. who cares about build-up, we all know its lance, and he looks frazzled. he sits at the counter and orders the fruitiest smoothie on the menu. keith makes it and doesnt think much of it, except to note that something about this kid is just... weird?

1: hes coming in alone, which people their age usually dont. 2: hes dressed pretty nicely. 3: hes just sitting there??? drinking a smoothie??? not even scrolling on his phone or anything, just looking around and slurping. okay weirdo. 4: he seems off. keith does not use the word “aura” on a regular basis but lance has an aura. (which does not make sense to keith, who barely understands his own emotions, let alone someone else’s.)

lance thanks keith, and leaves like thirty minutes later. hes certainly not the weirdest customer keith has ever served, but for some reason that random, singular dude sticks out in his mind.

but the shifts come and go, and gradually keith forgets about lance.

until he comes back in again.

its a lot like it was before. lance is dressed nicely, seeming miffed about something, or not miffed, exactly, but hes clearly not happy, and this time he orders a peanut butter and chocolate smoothie, and hes just as quiet as before, only this time hes rapidly tapping away on his phone instead of memorizing the inside of the restaurant, and keith is almost glad because it means he gets to sneak glances at this guy more casually??? like, hes had weird people in here before, and lance definitely isnt the weirdest, but enigma customers are intriguing to keith and he takes what he can get

the third time, its raining. lance is drenched, droplets running down the side of his face and under the collar of his (white, button-up) shirt. he smiles sheepishly at keith from across the room and sits at the counter, nearly having tripped on the way over because he didnt bother to wipe his shoes on the interior mat and created on the floor as he crossed the room.

he orders a strawberry and banana smoothie. keith has been preparing for this. he attempts small talk.

“nasty weather,” he says.

lance nods. “yep.”

god, that was horrible. 

keith hands lance his smoothie, his change, and hides at the far end of the counter. lance alternates between staring at his phone and watching the rain hit the windows and slide down the glass. sometimes, he sighs.

the fourth time, its the middle of the day. keith is just getting off his shift, but he imagines himself whipping around and demanding to stay later just so he can serve this random kid he knows nothing about???? his eyes are trained on lance as he walks out the door. he thinks lance glances at him. for the first time, keith wonders if lance comes in when keith is not there.

months pass, and lance comes in on the regular. its clear now that when he comes in, he is not happy. in fact, he seems to be getting less and less happy, judging by the fact that he starts to order mega-sized blueberry blitzes.

and then lance disappears

and keith isnt obsessed with the guy, he doesnt, like, notice except for the fact that he totally does. where the fuck did lance go???

but, you know, whatever. a customer is a customer. keith thinks about him sometimes, but lets it go for the most part.

until he doesnt.

its four more months before lance comes in again. leaves have fallen off the trees and scarves recently appeared in the street overnight. and now, all of a sudden, in an autumn sunset, lance stumbles through the door and throws himself into the nearest chair. keith can hardly believe his eyes.

“what can i get you?” he asks lance, and he thinks lance understands that keith recognizes him. still, lance takes a moment to answer, like he has to pick every part of himself off the ground first. he drags a hand down his face. looks up at the menu. looks down at his hands.

“fuckin... i dont know, man. you ever experiment with ingredients and stuff? like, on your break, you make yourself a smoothie thats not on the menu?”

keith cannot say that he has. “you want something thats not on the menu?”

“yeah...” says lance. “something with chocolate, though. i dont care how much it costs.”

its completely out of place for keith to ask why lance looks like utter shit. hes a smoothie maker, not a bartender. also, he still doesnt even know lances name. and yet.

“what am i trying to fix with this smoothie?” he asks. “rough day? heartache?”

“bingo!” says lance, a bite in his words. he laughs like he wants to die. “dont skimp on the chocolate, man, please.”

keith nods and tries to remember things that lance has ordered in the past (its never been the same thing twice) so he can use that to guess what lance would like. chocolate? what went well with chocolate??? strawberries--people dipped strawberries in those chocolate fountains. and bananas went well with strawberries. strawberry-banana with chocolate. it might be disastrous, might be passable. keith improvises a little on the portioning, delivers the finished product to lance with a pained face.

“i have no idea how this will taste.”

lance shrugs, pays the man, and sticks a straw in it. though keith has other customers, he waits for a reply. lance doesnt give him one. his face is stubbornly unreadable. but, he doesnt choke it back up, so keith doesnt make him anything else. he, regrettably, must now face the other distractions customers.

hes never focused less on what he was making. his goal is to get the order and send it out the door. in the meantime, lance sits at the counter, sucks down his smoothie, and stares at the back wall of the room as though he has recently been hollowed out. keith wonders just what the hell has been going on in this dudes life the past three months.

finally, the line empties out. keith scoots back to lance’s seat. “can i get you anything else?”

lance sets down his 3/4 finished glass (keith has to act fast) and shakes his head.

“we have cookies,” keith offers.

lance snorts into his shoulder. “man, how pathetic do i look? pity eyes and cookie offers and free conversation.”

keith drops all pretense. “what happened?”

lance hangs his head, his shoulders slumping. “i was really hoping that i wouldnt be coming back to this goddamn place for a long time.”

keith doesnt know what to say to that. he knows that it isnt about the smoothies, but he doesnt want to pry directly into lance’s life, so he says, “the smoothies arent that bad.”

“no. the smoothies are great. perfect pick me up. it just sucks that im back to needing pick me ups.” he takes a long sip of schroedinger’s disaster-passable smoothie, and instead of saying anything, keith remains silent, an invitation for lance to explain more. “i used to come in here all the time a couple months back."

“i remember,” says keith, unprompted, because he feels like lance will respond well to honesty right now.

lance raises his eyebrows but doesnt comment. “okay. well, its super lame, and youre going to think im a total loser considering you remember me, but its sort of a personal tradition for me to come in here... after i have a bad date. but i met this dude and we hit it off and we’ve been a thing for almost four months now. and then today...” he makes a soft, sad noise as his hand plummets and crashes on the counter. “he broke up with me.” keith frowns.

“that sucks.”

“yeah,” says lance. “it really, really does. so fuck guys and girls and dating in general for a while. lancey lance is going to take care of himself from now on.”

keith blinks in surprise. lancey lance. “your name is lance?” he asks.

“since day one.”

keith offers what he hopes is an encouraging smile. “keith.”

“well, keith,” says lance, standing, “keep up the good work.”

he slides a five onto the table and heads for the door. keith frowns down at it for a moment. as lance leaves, he calls over his shoulder, “its a tip!”

after that, keith doesnt see lance for a while, but now, knowing why, thats a satisfying thing.

but also, knowing that lance is into dudes and actively looking for love is a worrying thing. keith would have to be blind not to see how attractive lance is, and after their brief but insightful conversation, lance’s happiness is on keith’s wish list. lately, a particular train of thought has been running repeatedly though keith’s head: lance wants someone who is not a jackass; i am not a jackass.

but it would be totally weird for keith to ask lance out. besides, lance isnt coming into the restaurant anymore. keith physically cant ask him on a date. perhaps that is for the best.

and then, one saturday afternoon, the planets align. keith has had a confident morning, business has been steady all day, and he rolled out of bed looking good. lance walks in. contrary to keith’s power mood, lance looks like hes been recently hit by a bus and scraped off the pavement. he makes eye contact with keith on the doormat and gives a rueful smile. keith smiles sympathetically in return.

“maybe im just destined to die alone,” lance says, halfway through his coconut-key-lime whatever. “or i’ll find true love when im like thirty. which would be a bummer. im cute now.”

keith grins. hes leaning nonchalantly on the counter, a cleaning rag tossed over his shoulder. “the world is full of idiots,” he says consolingly.

lance’s eyes bug out. “im one of them!” he protests. “clearly! what am i doing wrong? keith? buddy? my man??? today, my date walked out in the middle of the movie. it wasnt even a bad movie! i have no idea what i did, but clearly she just had enough. i tried texting her, but my messages wouldnt deliver. i think she blocked me.”

“what movie did you take her to see?”

“die a virgin 3.”

“i think i might see the problem.”

“its a tasteful movie!” lance protests. “the whole franchise gets a bad rap because of one bad scene in the first movie, but this one is great! it has keaton lovinsten in it. who doesnt like keaton lovinsten? i was practically drooling over him from the first-- oh. oh. i think i know what might have turned her off.”

keith snorts. “i certainly wouldnt like it if i went out with a dude and he started eye-fucking someone else.”

casually slip into the conversation that you like dudes. good one, keith!

“i wasnt-!” lance turns beet red. “it was a movie! hes a celebrity! and there is no way it was that bad.”

“she clearly thought it was.”

lance’s head falls onto the table. “im hopeless,” he says, but he seems to feel better about saying it now. something in keiths chest settles. he thinks about the alignment of the planets and decides that he cant do this yet. hes going to let the universe keep on rotating, and he’ll catch his opportunity the next time. for some reason, he wants to take this slowly.

so lance continues to make keith’s workplace his lovelorn HQ. keith continues to give him sympathetic pats on the back, one time even literally, and eventually he feels comfortable referencing lance in conversations with others as “my friend lance...”

meanwhile, lance goes on date after date with countless people who are not keith. the jealousy is starting to eat at keith, but he can endure it because he only ever sees lance on the tail end of these tragic romantic encounters, when all lance wants to do is complain about their big noses and loud chewing. still, keith starts to feel like hes playing with fire. on any random day, lance could find someone who makes him very happy, and he would suddenly disappear for good.

on a snowy thursday, lance enters the restaurant with a shiver. he pulls off his mittens and waves to keith, who smiles and waves back over the pigtails of a little girl. when its lance’s turn to order, he appears pleasant, if worn down. he orders extra whipped cream.

“what went wrong?” keith asks good-naturedly, lounging an elbow on the counter.

lance hesitates a moment before answering. he unwraps his whole straw, sticks it carefully in his smoothie, and drinks, before saying, “actually... nothing. i mean, not nothing, but... it wasn’t a bad date this time, it was just, i dont know, weird.”

keith prickles. he doesnt like the idea of lance having a date that wasnt overtly bad. “what made it weird?”

“what was weird was that it was good, but it was with someone bad. well, not bad. hes not bad, he was never bad, but, like, he kind of broke my heart, so...”

keith flashes back to the night lance told him about his bad-date-tradition. he frowns. “your ex?”

lance stirs his smoothie pensively. “yeah. he apologized for a lot of stuff and said hes changed, and, like, i dont know what to do with that. i thought i moved on, but considering im still not seeing anyone, maybe its a good idea to try again. i mean, if its what he wants, and its what i want, then what could go wrong? its not like he was a dick, he was always nice to me when we were together...”

lance’s voice fades out. keith is trying to think of all the ways he can coolly scream THAT IS THE WORST IDEA without sounding suspicious or biased. its a damn good thing that lance is staring into his smoothie instead of at keiths face, because keith is not keeping it together. he had taken too much of his sweet time, and now lance was heading back into a relationship, and keith had to decide if he was going to try to break that up, or watch lance fall in love again.

“how do you know hes changed?” keith asks carefully. “how do you know the same thing wont happen again?”

lance eyes keith for a moment instead of replying. then, he goes back to stirring his drink. “he seemed different. it felt like he had changed. he looked good...”

“you look good,” says keith. lance’s eyes flash up to him, and keith feels his face burn, his mind shouting, idiot! idiot! idiot! “i mean! i mean that you have changed, too, so you shouldnt be hasty about this decision. you should... look at all of your options.”

“do i even have other options at this point? my other option is stay lonely and unhappy.”

“or.” keith licks his suddenly dry lips. “you could try going on a date with me.”

silence rings loudly in his ears. he cant look at lance. he cant believe he just did that. he just said it, just like that, just put it out there for the world to hear. for lance to hear.

lance asks, “do you mean that?”

keith finally looks at him, and takes it as a very good sign that instead of revulsion or discomfort, he sees surprise. surprise and something happy. it gives him the courage to smile.

“yeah,” he says. “i mean it. you could finally see me out of this stupid apron. i mean! you could see me in my normal clothes.”

lance coughs hard into his hand, and keith’s soul withers with the knowledge that they are both currently thinking about keith naked.

lance recovers, albeit with a heavy blush on his face. “i’d like that,” he says. “but, um, just so you know, if it goes badly and you decide you hate me, im buying a blender and making my own smoothies after that.”

“that’s fair, but i dont think it will go badly,” says keith. “let me give you my number.” he pulls a napkin from the dispenser and scribbles on it with a pen, slides the napkin over to lance. when did it get so hot in here?

“thanks,” says lance, folding it and putting it in the pocket of his sweatshirt.

neither of them know what to talk about now.

“um, when are you free?” keith offers. “theres a new exhibit at the gallery that my old art teacher contributed to. its space themed, i think. we could go see it.”

lance nods. “that sounds fun. oh man, this is so awkward. im so sorry. im just still trying to register the fact that you actually asked me out. i did not think that was ever going to happen.”

keith cant help but think, me either. shiro is going to be so proud of him.

and, in a moment of bravery, he decides that he likes to see lance so bashful and awkward. he cant help but press his advantage. keith sticks out a hip, leans forward on the counter, and says, “was i too subtle before?”

but it seems like keith accidentally started speaking a language that lance understood. immediately, lance turns on the charm, a smile stretching over white teeth. keith is only shocked for a moment, and he doesnt let it show. lance says, “a little. thats okay. i like shy boys.”

keith wills himself not to get flustered. “how do you feel about motorcycles?”

“motorcycles?” lance repeats, genuinely interested.

“yeah,” says keith, still smiling. “i could teach you how to ride.”

lance gags a little bit on his straw. keith laughs and leaves him sputtering to tend to a pair of kids who just came in. by the time hes finished making their drinks, lance has disappeared, and in his place is a little napkin with a smiling face and the line: am i your bike? because its easy for you to get my motor running.

keith swipes it out of public sight, grinning, and stuffs it in his pocket.

the date does not go badly. it goes very, very well. keith shows up on his motorcycle, and lance is both impressed and excited to ride it. he hugs keith tight around the middle, whooping loudly, and when they pull into a parking spot, he stumbles off the seat like a champion, drunk on adrenaline, eyes shining. keiths heart sprints. they check out the exhibit and lance amuses keith by making ritzy, intellectual comments such as, “the artist has a certain je ne sais quoi, a, how do you say, need to fuck the canvas” that have keith choking back laughter in an effort to remain respectful. it goes so well that keith has the courage to take lance’s hand halfway through the exhibit, to which lance looks down and says, “gay.” afterwards, even though they didnt plan to, they go out to eat at a diner and split a large order of fries. lance has a unique, deeply personal drink (1/3 mountain dew 1/3 cherry coke 1/3 pepsi with a shot of dr pepper) which he graciously allows keith to try. keith periodically catches himself imagining scenarios wherein he and lance show up on each others doorstep for surprise dates or lounge together half-asleep in pajama pants, lance playing video games while keith watches vine compilations on youtube. afterward, because neither of them want to go home, keith takes lance for a spin on the motorcycle just to feel lance hold onto him, and they end up parking outside a place that is very familiar to them both.

“what are we doing here?” lance asks. he frowns at a large milkshake painted on the window. inside is the counter he’s has spent much of the last six months moping at.

keith checks over his shoulder. “i thought it would be rude to ask if you were coming here after, but if you wanted to, i figured it would be polite to drop you off.”

lance shoves keith in the side, laughing. “shut up, you bastard. you damn well know that this was a good date. take me home.”

keith obediently revs his motorcycle, and they take off together. over the roar of the bike and the wind, keith does not hear lance say, “the best date.”

they arrive back at lance’s house. lance is still awkward clambering off the bike, but its better this time. keith boots down the kickstand, and when he turns back up, lance is right there.

“the best date,” lance says, knowing full well that keith is going to hear him this time. he pulls off keith’s helmet, steps close, and keith only has a flash of realization for whats about to happen before lance kisses him.

“the best date,” keith agrees, awestruck.

“i’ll text you,” says lance.

“can’t wait,” says keith.

lance’s hands are still fisted in keiths jacket. “i think this is the part where you drive away.”

“or it’s the part where i ask if i can see you again. are you free this weekend?”

“if im not, i’ll move plans. count on it.” lance lets his hands fall. “you look good out of the apron, by the way.” he hands keith his helmet. “safety first. dont ruin your face, or i might not go out with you again.”

keith rolls his eyes. “its been a privilege.” he wants to kiss lance again. “see you friday.”

he starts his motorcycle, checks over his shoulder, and kicks off onto the road, leaving lance watching after him. he cant believe its only wednesday.

[glopratchet]

sleep

increase rank Once all key deliveries are completed you can unlock and urgent delivery. You enter the lobby of your hotel room, which is surprisingly clean for a place where people sleep in it every night. Complete the urgent quest and you will advance to the next rank. After completing each of these quests you will be able to purchase items from the merchant who runs this establishment. Every fight in the game is a boss fight, but there are some that are more important than others. By killing the biggest creatures and evilest villains you will which often lead to special rewards. Every alligator requires some degree of stragtehy not matter what gear you have equipped. This is where your gear and skill comes in because raw strength sometimes isn't enough to bring down these important antagonists. Using an end gator weapon on a four foot yearling wont count squat if you dont know what you are doing. Item set-up and providing yourself with the correct gear also plays a vital role in destroying this creatures. By collecting magical boons you will be able to defeat these huge beasts. Basic strategy for boss fights is to keep your distance and tire the things out. A tiring enemy is a weak enemy which makes killing it that much easier. And guides to the alligators that appear are at the bottom of this page you can view their pictures, get a detailed description of them and even track thier locations on the island. First things first make a chariorot or take one you like from one of the previous games and go into first person by hitting TAB then use the mousewheel to change you view between your legs,torso, Thats already made it make you fell like your playing a game right? Process the alligator locations now using the database of images. Set aside the delivery quests for later since they might be skippable and actually go kill animals. Send out a beacon for the googizon which is located on the eastern-southeastern part of the map and SAVE YOUR GAME OFTEN. If you bring a grill you can cook the left overs minus guts and better then the cooks give you food. Using fishing pole and a bait you can fish . Rare medium well done doesnt matter, fire can make anything taste good. But by reading this you have already made it past the first major step which isnt easy. The longer you cook the better the taste you will receive, this works in most games with cooking. Gather herbs for perfumes this can make certain tasks easier such as tracking. Collect mushrooms they tend to grow near trees you will need these for alligater carcusses when the time comes. ct honey out of hollow trees. If you are the kicking fighters I suggest wearing boots to reduce the effects of snakes and scorpions. Combine items in certain order and recive a resulting potion or utility item. Sometime quests can reward players with powerful items or reveal hidden locations on your map. Sometimes things will look hopeless, but if you save your game, rest up and keep fighting then you will succeed. You have run out of potions at this point I suggest running away and resting because fighting a Death Jockey for example would not be in your best interest. You have fainted twice already and gotten up both times your luck wont hold out forever. The Chapter is titled "Never give up" ed to pull out and restart his barrows dissections. Gathering quests can often lead playe to unusual rewards. But these are optional and many times result in nothing. Going back to the potions you have basically created a healing mix that can be used more that once. Someone needs honey? Make a detour on your way back to the barrows and collect some from the hollow tree then meed the need. Travel to the hive and get it without being followed. Make your way to the giant desert in the southwest part of the map. Above all else collect items reagularly and study them. An example being mining the rocks will give random ores which can be used or sold. Dont break the egg your aunt gave you this will hatch into a pet spider later. Some times your weapon will bounce off the armoured shells unless they can be flipped over. Not all cannons are pointing at the sky some are hiding behind castles and will be turned towards land if needed. Abandon the delivery mission items if you can live without them or risk using them. Speaking to people sometimes get you items as rewards which can be used for other quest later. Great lizardskulls will give you a can call out for animals like wolves,hawks bats and rats to help you in a fight. Perfect beeing: a delivery game achievement unlocked Small good deed award unlocked Got to kill all the bees for they prepare to attack you because of destroying their home. Your most basic pounch set up is a net polearm and climbing gear. Ten potions- use these to recover from minor injuries out of combat. Flint and steel- Used to make fires to keep warm or to prank others. Ten mega potions use these to hear after sustaining a major injury out of combat. Tornado macro- used for extreme situations where an overwhelming amount of enemies need to be taken out at once. Must combine them from stratch when not in extreme situations. 200 health Potions- took awhile to collect these keep them in containers of 100. Three or more paintballs indicate a potential battle, mix these with item to throw at the enemy. Money is always valuable if used right. Hit an alligator with a paintball and they will be visible on the map for some time. First chapter compleated, total of 6 to go Some areas blocked by a green forcefield prevent you from progressing until something is done. Ten minutes can be renewed if another is thrown into the repear trenches before they dissapear. Here are pictures to help you along. Well done steaks decrease hunger need a way to cook them though. 20 whetstone- use these to sharpen your weapon repeatedly. There are islands on the north-western and south-eastern part of the map.They will provide valuable resources and food if they are restored. Items-Flask of oil use on sword or on hinges, Explosives and stuff. Dung bombs( dung bomb ) use these to wipe out small enemies or groups. Watch the locals there willl be a way to interact with them in some way. Casing ( sap plant stone/iron ) use these to make weapon and armour upgrades. Food-Steaks etc do not spoil but are hard to find use food points to track them. Null berries remove all harmful or helpful effects. Sonic bombs will destroy your hearong and reduce it greatly for a time. Water blight postion is a second lake of poison but it moves around alot Alligators are weakest to ice followed by fire water and thunder. Blacksmithing items are scattered througout the land use them to trade. Crystal bones regeneration does not work through all injuries but it does make them much easier to bare. Deliver 4 gold fish to the collector for safe passage and access to rare treats. Flowers are used for many purposes especially in rituals and quest. Some alligators will need you to bring energy drinks,water,ice and fire material to a den. High reach is advised when travelling through the mountainous Do not drink the water there even if it appears clean. There are 12 currants in this bowl as a traditional challenge. Constantly move, strafing around you and quickly starfing attacks will make combat much easier. Not used common since aftershocks can easily destroy half complete structures. Sewers are wide and thorough. Watch out for the posion bite scavengers call outs there can be many and silent. Speeder spider meat can be used as bait for these great creatures. Common is an abandoned city plan a day's hike far from your location. Gore magala greatly reduces any glare allowing it to attack from any angle. Glopratchet rank quite high on the list of most detested oggra but are delicious. Alright welcome to gloptrachte rank quite high on the list of most detested oggra but are delicious. Many poisonous dart frogs live nearby make sure do not eat them accidently. Here is wehre you get the title of one of the most difficult video game ever made Ultimate without cheats,glitches or questions asked. Two dark red potions on shelf in first cottage up ahead. Alligators in g rank hit a ton harder than anything you have faced so far. Its not uncommon to faint once or twice during a delivery even when wearing end gator gear. Once a female chooses to mate she becomes an aggressive lethal weapon to all others. Tetsucabra xeno queen is a deadly beast who must be destroyed before she makes more. Seregios are highly territorial unable to focus on anything else once they find a target of choice. Regios xeno leader is extremely territorial and very difficult to bring down once settled in a lair. Birthday berries singing,speech impediment forgetting to eat all combine to make our hearts heavy. Chasing tail helps the time go by faster have to stay on move constantly long line of suitors. It creates a spike in the ground which increases the size of the hitbox and makes it a bit harder to avoid. Tail lampreys make hiding or invisibility items completely pointless due to an incredible sense. Berserk tetsucabra with rabies has only half the intellectual capacity but twice the physical abilities. Blouder that explode after crunching them down is only sad way for a mighty reptile to die. Let take this road carved into cliff face,shortcut to other desert tribes never need water. Multi-gator with built in rest area and delicious candy red balloons overhead . Fashion victim hates feathers so chest and hip pads protect vital organs instead. Let's try valley of giant flowers beautiful shimmery what comes out? Topple sporting equipment makes great noise impossible sneak up on anyone here. Wouldn't be rock thrown by ledge dwellers no way they could have aim that good. Pivot in circle vs awakardly shuffling around looking like cute confused tourist. One time found paint gun in ship so going to doodle over rivals carapace. Eacht delivery needs a name and number after it in avery organized fashion. Never question why,Milt breeders are spieces of cake compared to this. Grand finals confrontation and lights dim after every goal known bug. Horn broken so whistling all the way home getting exercised routines wrong. Serptintine samba brings whole bar to dance recently so new personal best. Look be fair all those purple centers take many attempts. Serpent serande tricky one trick pony but crowd loves it when it works. Tons of millipedes so pumping out feelers doable without even noticing. Death and taxidermy may be the only constant but keep mind focused over strays. Peppered rum lowers inhibitions and advances dancing skills greatly recommend it. Primate plunder pillage pow wow really meant to dance around cage not pummel foes. Hunger games special announcement on mainscreen at start think the Gamemaker will announce a victor. Line in the sand is drawn and thoughts are in head but feel bad about it maybe just stick to mingling. Chumming the waters is working but mixed signals makes issue reality check before acting on anything So to say perceptive would be a compliment but are insulted they should be dancing for everyone. Bug be gone of the terrible twins having huge gambling streaks and need to hedge against outcomes. Both alligators are infected different viruses one striped one spots which secretly play favorites. Odd choice but hard to argue when stopping war with heard dragons and controlling population projection. Just bring nullberries to conter the frenzy effects until out of sight from other monsters. Poison injectors through tail are not favorite but could be fun to trade sometime. Queen substance can be procurred from desert seltas and selta's shinies from selachii. Supple learners learn the secrets and stop problems while we keep lessons learned. The front page is nothing but quests and stories lay along sidelines keeping head down while reading them all. Go get the honey and avoid swatting bugs of the non-fatal variety. o heal them and keep kids off the mini-troch Alligator virus is spreading must heal them all to avoid a outbreak before it finds a cure. Snappy comebacks in the nick of time hilarious and fix situation without thinking needed. Need alligator tail pronto only cure found mix as many ingredients possibly can into one handy drink. Dam good run since morning could use a great reward fetashis on house. At last you finally come toe to toe with the seregios finally good challenge since morning. Puzzle game at heart and this one hard to make head or tale of. Bleeding ailment from zios too try getting venom antidote from the queen before bleeding to death. Just picking berries and dodging slowmoving darts shouldn't be this fun. Health will decrease as you spring or evade moves will l earn you later. Too early to tell if muscle memory can strike a balance in edge cases. Mosswine jerky or steaks to cure bleeding out goal is to kill monster if possible without. Complicated card game that could become second job since avoiding battles now after initial session. Farm for equipment and this whole new section opens up need more practice to see implications Days pass and you go from bobbing and weaving to going on the attack. Beast not quite busted but instinct and learned skill move you from beginner to student. Brute tigrex has a few tricks up it's sleeve and the will to use them all the time. Temper tantrum of a lizard got stomping grounds so the whole island acknowledges it's mastery Other beasts might be stronger faster or bigger but wit and evolution will win the day. Showdown wit the butcher relieves strain of near nightly hunts and your safe to farm. Brute tigrez is a true force to be reckoned with and neither of you are backing down. Pull and tug back and fourth and once again wit proves superior to brawn. Topple or mount the alligator to access the tail uses every inch of your flexibility. Swap out your old sword for the brute's tooth for the edge in battles to come. Things go south very quickly after she becomes enraged and charges you! The alligator virus is transmittable through body fluid no wonder you've been isolated from the beginning. A grotersquely high increase in speed and damage buff that might make a single hit ruin your day. You've defeated queen ziost and all her minions but at a high cost can't afford to make the same mistakes again. Breaking teeth takes a lot of hard work but and veangeful bite leaves you a bloody mess. The tail can also be severed without venom if you strike at just the right angle and put your back into it. Bold of pink outbreak and crazy movement make it hard to land any good hits stick with the dodging until you learn it's patterns. Yup more infected monsters and a trip through a far off island this time. High risk location, at any moment you could come across infected or an unknown virus. G3 permit quests are always a gamble but you're confident you can handle whatever is next. Gator attacks prove more than just annoying without many choices between poor and worst case. Into the heavens again, strange clockwork machines behind the clouds shows forever circuits. The more things change the more you stay the same though some of these machines seem new. Since chamelos can temporaril turn himself invisble plot the toxin that keeps wildlife from attacking him is it for you. The true ba of all hunters everywhere and you'll become legend when dragging this back to the Z. A g rand furious rajang is the name of the game with sharper tusks and older bite become very familiar. Advanced quagmire quarrels and toxins that turn coat thick and hard as asphalt. Demolisher is a much softer name for something with such power really glad it was on our side. Gogmazios and landwalker prefer to stomp things but limbs can be twisted off if its hanging over a cliff of some sort. Weakest to fire and completely immune to status effects regular old blasts will just make angrier. The one weakness they all share is explosive damage burst apart into bloody chunks so use large bombs. Apex alligator indeed a bit bigger than mines but still close enough to cause a few surprised out of miners. Perptually enraged and have extremely tough hides to everything but fire and frost eventually succumb to poison. Blast blight beast especially if they can turn multiple body parts into trusted firearms. Molten tigrex always hot even when dead surprisingly but flesh still burns like anything else. Doomsday tier fatalis is definitely something worthwhile bring back a tooth and claw for trophy. Guild quests are not necessarty component to completing the game but you can get some pretty neat stuff from them. Too bad g-rank guildies can destroy townships single handedly but at least they can't destroy the whole world (yet). Relic reward that's a nice drop from san lauderbur (whatever that is) looks like rifle for long disttance shooting. Rare drops from skull bash spamming lavania's gigan tyrannos are welcome too despite being weak to something random. Almost every alligator has one of these laying around ripping off jaws makes saleable decoration on wall. Alligators eat some to the strangest stuff gives tannin to their hide used to make armour. Domesticated alligator pets of any kind are illegal no exceptions. You now there is always the one piece which never seems to drop which sucks out loud. Suffice to say one is always enough. Queen extract offers her aid if in return you bring back her pheromones so she can control nearby monster territories. Queen concentrate applies it near body to gain increased attack power and instantly appeal to anyone. Last quest of hunters ceremonial quest always popular for some reason. Immortal reactor under construction by former queen. Decanter used special mount meal drink whatever is extremely valuable during endeavors. Barach pallium armour made by adamanite ore rock da greatest stuff around. As talented as you are at hunting why not organize a cotumnsquad for defences. Rathian ruby given for slaying what once was alpha predator of these lands have some rare gem. Not like they use it for anything important anymore all gone now. Tigrex mantle always in demand for some reason just nice material for protective coat. Pulsating blastheart useful for faceing off against tough monsters some kind of energy clumped together probably elemental. Alexandrite rare stone convertible to coin very handy for investment. Conquest sphere for leading threequads a pittance compared real life saving grace of having one. Wartorn dragonsphire Comes in all shapes and sizes but immune to everything as far as you know. How much is life is just a delivery service package deal gets you better deals supplies and some discounts. You want this ok i will bring it to you so you dont have to go get it. Gargwa are ostrich like birds that run around and trample everything with incredibly sharp talons otherwise seemingly cute. To get them to drop an egg attack them from behind. Kecha wacha wallop around like idiots and rarely ever attack humans unless harmed first. Lair scare bugs like hairy spiders that inject paralyzing venom when attacking. Might want to poison dart them from a distance. Snow with occasional lamborgini dragon with bling on their back. Might want a Rathian Ruby for visiting this place. Uncorner the market on hide with cloth going out of style and demand so high. Salvage claws are always handy to take from anything giant or troll. Advanced tigrex terror seems like eternaes successor very sharp. Hanner it outlive everyone looks like some kind of torture device never markets well. Varanimp skin rare due to simplicity in hunting them but hides make quality fabric. Catch and release uses thermoconch shells unique to freshwater fish. Skulls are quite popular as trophies from the various terrors you kill. Fear factor is high like infamous fangs but due to being elementally aligned as well as viral you are safe. Might be able to corner the market in hides. This delivery cannot be completed by normal means due to human military patrols so please accept my apologies. Wild bugs tend to nest near toxic sites luckily they like explosives a lot. After you witness the alligator being attack by a steve the master of defense will force the quest into failure. Monsters ambush you when scaling the mountain usually when climbing up. Deliver fossilized bones to science guy near kobold area. Kushala kushowdown a turf war between infamous fangs to gain area of controol. Most encounter when doing mining jobs. A weapon that fires masses of pure alligator energy is ideal to take these on. Notorious Fangs hideout used to be prime hunting grounds till they moved in. The echoing roar sound affects all but you can use it on their pet Dark fish are dream eater plants that float around and eat stupid people. Black rock down has some but well rocks are always in supply. Hunting vicariously through adventurers is how these cruel gods amuse themselves. With the tigrex summoned away you have your chance to enter the cave unseen. The alligators can smell fear so you will need to knockout more fish then they do. The fear mechanic is in play here as it multiplies their bite, meaning your body will be ripped apart. Shipping out in two day you need to collect heat stones in advance. The herik crabs natural enemy is the ang grapphoulder so have some crab paste ready. Noctural commision says no to nightly monster incursions as it messes with the ecosystem Research tooth from freshly dead glinthawk. Dah'ren will briefly shrink into the swamp to produce a speark from his side that will be used in the duel. Due to wanting instant gratification you loose half your teeth. Preadtor into prey but creatures still around in small numbers. Kirill stands still and as the paws approach him he strikes with broken bottles hidden under his jacket. Afraid of the dark and purple items just like all the other sheep under your command. Primal pounds chest and growls while primal materializes a few short blades and hidden arrows. Either of which you can hunt at the gathering. Hide and freak belong to neither predator nor pray but hide and seek. Ideal charm prevents complete stoning. Dinner guests arrive in thirty minutes and you are doing a terrible job at preparing the meal. Some of these stones must be shaman locked into place. Buffet style traps surround this camp hunting whatever they feel like at the time. Ideal charm opens all locks and they're everywhere here so you'll need one. You have compelte the alligator delivery service to reach him. The entire wall is made from living bedrock so the gas vents won't help as you'll see shortly. How fun with post game content be if eating magical grasses made everyone not effected by periodic statue phase. Time to trail runs will effect likelihood of escape. And crafting your favorite armors. "Vic, why the heck are you logging into my account and cheating!?" Blastblight is spread by catching the creeping purple infection and bing eaten from the inside out. Shiny metal acts as a repellant but you might catch anyway. Striking gold gives you a crushing disease that makes your bones very soft and your innards runny. Into the mist you go with the most vicious reputation and come out with a brand new condition. Looking at equipment can help determine what role you will play Looking at equipment can help determine what role you will play You stay on the outer edge and let someone else take the shot. The dust catches the light just right and blinds you with a sharp pain. For example a hunter with a hammer will attack the monsters head and limbs and a slinger with shot will attack its body. Hard shells resist axe and piercing shot while soft shells resist sword and blunt shot. Nothing makes for poor damage than four guys tripping each other up trying to get to the monsters head. You have been sent in to scout and slapbox whatever lies in wait. Watch for upswings super pounds and gi shells Most of the holey beasts walk sluggishly on the ground and that should mess up their movel... Masticate, slam, wail! Certian weapon attack can be incredibly disruptive towards other hunters With every busted bely part the monster gets faster and angrier. Mind your positioning and make sure no other hunters are around when you are using them. Bottles rain down which then explode when they hit something. Grover has yet to sleep with a girl so his skills are at their sharpest. Contribute the flesh inside the arena will latch onto the first threat it sees and scream. Grant your team wind pressure resistance or earplughs while bashing the alligators face in. You are now an alligator garuantor. Dont just sit in the corner playing crummy healing songs on your horn. The feral mutants lurking nearby would love to add your feet to their collection. Keep equipment up to date, outdated equipment commonly causes injuries. When you rank up update all equipment of the approatiete rank to you. Of course when you have twelve sets of tier 12 gear something bad will happen. Carry lifepoweders and dust of life to heal teammates from afar. The old bloods turned you into the arena, you can turn them into dust. Refer to rare catch drops to dertermine to capture or kill the alligater to retain the parts you need and run by the rest of the party ...perhaps you are elsewhere in the food chain now. Share items with your team or they will rebuild seterusnya in their favor. Dont hit mounted alligators on the nose, hit them right between the eyes. If the alligator flinches the mount will automatically fail and send the rider flying Hope they share some of the women when your done inking them all over. ...but then again they donorized you telekenetically. Nope, right between the eyes it is. ...aside from not wanting to you don't really have any spears on you for some reason. ...and the monster is 50 meters away and charging. ...actually its more like 40 meters away and quickly getting closer. Your muscles take the coachs reps to heart. ...the little one that is in charge of pumping blood to your heart makes an extra special effort. ...building muscle is easy, just use larger weights than everyone else. ...the little one that is in charge of pumping blood to your brain shuts down some unimportant but large area. ...blood loss caused by the drill they put through your hand and fast. ...the blood clots fast and prevents acidic burning. ...Tip: If you're logged in, your games

[sidesteppostinghours]

The Puppets

(picrew used to make this)

this is a masterpost on my main steps puppets and their relationships with them! all of their info under the cut.

Hark - Caine Lynzal

hark is caines refuge. hes the one they turn to when they need to take a break from their telepathy for a while, or when they need to feel real again. harks snarky, flirty, and sharp. for all his bravado, he gets the job done well. whether or not that makes him more frustrating or less is up to you. he has an eerie sense of intuition, so its difficult to catch him off guard with anything. he has a cordial working relationship with dr mortum, but jake has his eye on him. as for ranger relationships, ortega flirts with him regularly, though chen is never quite so pleased to see him. he truly doesnt know why– a bruise at the back of the head is a much more agreeable outcome than a bullet in the gut, no? its strange to watch him, really. hark and caine are almost(?) different people; where caine prefers to stick to the shadows, hark revels in attention. caine rarely shows emotions, but hark uses them like a weapon. ortega doesnt have a clue that theyre connected. high puppet individuality, high puppet comfort. practices aikido.

Argentine - Cyrus Becker

argentine is a tool. nothing more, nothing less. shes a useful asset to help cyrus gather information anonymously, but hes not going to sit here and pretend he cares for her any more than what she can do for him. she goes to meet with hollow ground instead of cyrus, and was stuck being treated in the hospital before dr mortum went to break her out (cyrus had no idea she was getting kidnapped, he was busy regene revealing to ortega while it was happening). she started out flirting with the good doctor in an attempt to manipulate him, but quickly came to realize she enjoyed his company more as a friend. the guilt of lying to him chewed on cyrus until he finally revealed who was behind the mask. dr mortum requested some time, but hasnt cut the chord completely yet. she flirts with jake, and spies on ortega under the guise of being his close friend. low puppet individuality, low puppet comfort. practices jogging.

Ace- Cecilia Rider

ace lives lavishly. shes an excuse for cecilia to flaunt her wealth and have her own fun. it allows her to let loose in ways she cant normally indulge in. cecilia also hates being ace. every second she can avoid it, she does. it isnt her, even though they may think and act the same way. the prospect of hiding under the mask ace provides gives her hives. shes no coward, shes willing to face the consequences of her own actions, and she refuses to live her life in somebody elses body. ace is friends with dr mortum and ortega, though shes revealed to mortum. however, she has a strong tension with jake because of her tendency to get into fights whenever hes around. oops. high puppet individuality, low puppet comfort. practices boxing.

Eden - Cynthia Garcia

eden is not cynthia. shes soft spoken and mostly reserved, but professional and polite. Technically speaking, the game registers her as a mirror image puppet, but thats not completely true– eden doesnt look like what cynthia does currently, she looks like how cynthia looked back when she was sidestep. sometimes, looking in the mirror gives her vertigo as she tries to remember who (when?) she is. eden avoids mirrors as a result, but she cant deny that this body feels better than her usual one. like shes turned back time. the fact shes dating ortega only exacerbates this (ortega also called eden 'cynthia' which. Ortega. could you please stop dating both at once and giving both(?????) your gfs an identity crisis). mortum considers her a friend, but theyre not very close, and jake couldnt care less about her. low puppet individuality, high puppet comfort. practices aikido.