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accirax · 2 years ago

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Literature Girl Insane and the Color Connection Theory

(Spoilers for DRDT’s Literature Girl Insane MV, as well as through Chapter 2 Episode 11. Vague spoilers for Super Danganronpa 2 and New Danganronpa V3. Because the images in this post are mainly designed to showcase the colors presented in the MV, there will be no image IDs in this post.)

Wow! Literature Girl Insane is… so much!! There is literally so much to look at that I don’t know how we’re supposed to handle it!!!

I mean that all in a glowingly positive way, to be clear. The DRDT creator has granted us an exciting puzzle that may take months to fully solve/analyze (or maybe we’ll never finish it), with so many facets that there are still things that I haven’t seen much of anybody talking about.

Speaking of, I’d like to take a look at the colorization of some of the lyrics! As per my eye, there are 15 distinct colors that appear in the lyrics of the MV. I distinguish the lyrics as “the words that are outlined in black (or white, when the color is black),” so any of the colored text in the background, such as the literary passages, will not be included in my analysis.

An important piece of information that I’ll reference a lot is the official colors that have been assigned to the students. That being, the color that the first letter of each of their first names gains when the students enter the Class Trial.

Because Xander never attends a Class Trial, he has no confirmed color, unless I’m forgetting something. However, based on his bright hair, I would have to assume that the color of that letter would have been a fiery red. It’s even on the opposite side of Teruko on the color wheel.

David has two colors; one for his inspirational speaker persona (yellow) and one for his depressed theater kid persona (gray). I don’t think J’s color changes between being listed as J Rosales and J Moreno. Although I didn’t put it on the chart, MonoTV appears to have no color, with all of the letters in its name remaining white. Some of my personal assignments will go against these color choices, but I think it’s still important to keep in mind.

Since Tumblr doesn’t want to let me use as many colors as I want, I will put in an image of what each color looks like the first time it appears. I’m going to analyze each color in order of how many times it appears in the MV, from most to least. That means the first color is…

Red

are all just idiots (final verdict); Bye; whatever; Goodbye.; go mad; together; are all just idiots!; Bye; broken; go insane?; ignorant; God; go mad; great applause!!!; Aa; won’t change; original; you’ve killed so many; and disappear!; 1; medicine; [untranslated characters]; [untranslated characters]; [untranslated characters]; go mad; self delusion; isn’t it!?; ah,

(If you want time stamps and pictures of the characters, I wrote them down in the document Venus and I compiled together)

Red appears 28 times throughout the MV, and as you can tell, they’re very… edgy. It’s a very interesting color, given that there are multiple characters I think it could apply to.

The first option is Veronika. Her color is a bright red, and she’s no stranger to creepiness. Things like “go mad” and “you’ve killed so many” could definitely be words she’s spoken to her problematic faves like Arturo or David. The selection of “broken” could apply to her hidden quote: “once something is broken, it can never be pieced together in quite the same way again. The same goes for people.” If Veronika herself is something that is/was “broken,” going insane could apply to her as well. Some people have already called her delusional, which could fit right in with “self delusion.” With her chaotic attitude, I can also easily imagine her using the intense punctuation (!!! and !?) seen on some of the lines.

The biggest problem with this interpretation is that, frankly, I don’t think Veronika merits this level of importance in this MV. Now, that’s not to say that I don’t like Veronika, or don’t think she’s important– I love Veronika! I just don’t think she’s that important to David, who this MV is about.

They could have more of a connection in the future, given that Veronika has started simping for his dark side, but thus far they’ve barely interacted at all. The most damning rebuttal is the cast list at the end.

Would the color that appears the most in the MV really go to a character that doesn’t even make the supporting cast list?

The main way that I can imagine that Veronika actually is red is if she is the mastermind. That would explain how she could claim such a prolific color in general, yet why she wouldn’t yet be listed as a Main Role– because David (presumably) wouldn’t know that she’s the mastermind. If David survives for a while alongside mastermind Veronika, it would also give more of a chance for their relationship to develop down the road.

Still, it would make more sense to me if red did belong to a listed character; even better if one of the main roles. Someone like…

Option two: Xander Matthews.

Xander is obviously a key player in this MV, and like I said, I would guess that his character color would be red. Even if it was, say, yellow (for his eyes) instead, I don’t really think anybody could complain if he showed up as red in the MV.

The focus on the word “bye” would also fit Xander. He’s dead now, and David has clearly been thinking about him, so he could constantly be saying “bye” to Xander after the rebel “and disappear!”-ed from life. Xander had to treat his eye in the infirmary, so “medicine” could make sense for his character. “You’ve killed so many” could be something that David could imagine Xander saying to him in his guilt-ridden spirals. Although, as far as is confirmed, David has never actually killed anybody, including in his secret. Venus adds that “You’ve killed so many” could be Xander speaking to himself, stewing in his survivor’s guilt about the death of his family. She also says that “go mad” sounds like something a British person would say. You never know what she’ll have to contribute /lh.

Speaking of things Xander could say, though… I have a hard time imagining that he would say some of these things. I’m sure Teruko would tell me that I’m naive to have any trust left in the guy, but some lines just seem out of character for him, to me? Like, calling everyone idiots and telling people to “go insane” feels very different from how he acted in Chapter 1. Maybe if Xander was reflecting on his own “going insane” after he stabbed Teruko, it could work?

The line that stood out to me the most for not fitting Xander was actually “won’t change,” though. Man’s the Ultimate Rebel. He’s all about inciting change in people. Whatever this thing is that won’t change– David’s attitude, the mastermind’s wickedness, the continuation of the killing game– would he really be chiming in to say that it’s immutable? But, if I don’t really think that it’s Xander or Veronika, then what red person could be left?

Ah, right… the classic copout option, #3, Mai Akasaki.

I say “copout” because, overall, we know very little about her personality. Therefore, it’s easy to put words like “idiot” and “insane” into her mouth because there can’t be too much of a counterargument. It does seem like a pretty big contrast to her characterization as Unnamed Student (assuming that’s her), but given this series’ penchant for moral bankruptcy, I wouldn’t be surprised if her nice exterior hides a more sinister slant.

However, there are some genuine points in Mai’s favor here. First is the red color– Mai’s hair is red, and Teruko even notes that Xander’s red hair reminded her of Mai’s. Thus, if I speculated that Xander’s color could be red, Mai’s could be too. She’s at least in the Supporting Cast, unlike Veronika. “Bye” and particularly “and disappear!” would also fit Mai well, given her absence in the killing game. “God” is also of particular note, as it’s the first word in Mai’s roman numeral quote, “God is dead.” Mai also seems to be worshiped like a god among those who remember her (Teruko potentially excluded), and the MV notes her as “someone dearly loved.”

Those three aspects of God could be leading us to the conclusion that red represents Mai in this MV, and it’s that interpretation that I’ve decided to roll with. I promise I’ll pick up the pace for the next colors, okay?

Yellow

game; Bye; cat; is what you’re told; ambition; the falling slanted sun; Bye; “happiness”?; dead; make noise; The acclamation is; live; original; 2; Let’s do that! [translated]; shout; ah,; miserable

While Eden is the only holder of the color yellow as of Chapter 2 Episode 11, I think this color has to go to the man, the myth, the now-starless star himself, David Chiem. I mean, c’mon. It’s his MV. He has to have one of the most prominent colors.

But even beyond the yellow, there’s a lot that points to David here. Since I just mentioned the fading of the stars in David’s eyes, let’s start with “the falling slanted sun”. As the sun itself is a star, this line could represent both how the stars have fallen out of David’s eyes and how he, a star, is falling in the public’s perception. Given his determination to save his career, “ambition” certainly fits David’s character, and he “make[s] noise” every time he gives a speech, making people believe “what [they’re] told”. But despite his stage persona, he’s always felt “dead” and “miserable” on the inside.

Perhaps the most interesting line here is the “Let’s do that!”, which can be seen here.

(It’s the only line in Japanese we were able to translate ourselves T-T)

Even if it’s a “let’s do that!” instead of a “no, that’s wrong!”, which means that David is arguably only agreeing with himself, the protagonist imagery here is exceptionally clear. Not to mention, every canonical protagonist post-Makoto has been able to access consent points as well.

I’ve definitely seen people out there theorize that David may become Despair Time’s protagonist one day, and while I found the concept merely amusing at first, the more evidence piles up, the more I’m forced to believe it may be true. So, if David is represented by the color yellow, this could be further evidence/foreshadowing towards his future role. If so, I’m particularly intrigued by the fact that yellow has both “dead” and “live”. It seems like David’s alignments and beliefs are still up in the air.

Green

this guy →; Bye; a life full of much shame; make noise; this guy; anonymous; Bye!; substance of the arts; this guy; original; 4; make noise; clown

Similar to yellow, there are two primary candidates for the color of green. And while Hu has a better argument than Eden did on yellow due to being listed in the supporting cast, her greatest competitor, Teruko, is also in the supporting cast.

Did you know that green appears thirteen times throughout the MV? Of course it’s fucking Teruko.

There’s a good argument to be made that, with her tragic backstory, Teruko is one who’s lived “a life full of much shame.” Doubly so if you believe that she has the “the killing game is all your fault” secret, which I personally do. Because she’s moved around so much and doesn’t seem to have many attachments to people, you could say that she’s “anonymous” in a lot of her actions.

Teruko “make[s] noise” frequently in both Daily Life, when she refuses to avoid the subject of murder and thrusts knives at people, and Deadly Life, where she maniacally laughs her way through solving the entire trial for those idiots twice in a row. However, due to her over-the-top lack of trust in anybody, I could still believe that David would see her as a “clown”. A smart clown, but a clown nonetheless. (She also had her sillier moments as well, especially when Xander was alive.)

The line that makes the least sense to me is honestly “substance of the arts,” especially given that it’s part of Veronika’s roman numeral phrase. Teruko doesn’t seem particularly artistic to me. Maybe it’s just meant to imply that she’s a girl with a lot of substance? If “the arts” were theater, it could be saying that her life is very tragic and dramatic? And if Teruko is a substantial, dramatic character, maybe Veronika would appreciate that? I’m obviously reaching, but I still do believe that green represents Teruko here.

Cyan

dog; No Longer Human; game!; I; isn’t that; original; LET’S LAUGH; just like that; 3; cry; foolish; “kapukapu”

While it might seem like this color should belong to J, given that it’s quite similar to her character color, I actually believe that this color represents someone else. Namely, MonoTV.

MonoTV’s official character color is white, but its face is obviously a bright cyan. It even tells Teruko that its favorite color is blue in Chapter 2 Episode 3, so I don’t think that calling MonoTV cyan is a stretch at all.

The most obvious clue that MonoTV could be cyan is “dog,” which is pasted over “cat” (in yellow) at 0:37. The replacement of “cat” isn’t written in the original lyrics of the song, so the creator definitely intended for this to relate back to MonoTV. Why not give the mascot itself the line correcting the species? “No Longer Human” fits along with this creature angle as well.

“game!” is another obvious one, as MonoTV is the excitable host of this killing game. While “LET’S LAUGH” seems sweet out of context, in the killing game, it could seem much more heartless and robotic. The all-caps approach also makes it feel threatening. “cry” could also be a command to the students, like when MonoTV encourages them to create more drama in Chapter 1. I don’t remember a specific instance of MonoTV calling the students “foolish”, but it doesn’t seem out of character at all.

I couldn’t figure out exactly what a kapukapu was, unfortunately. It’s a reference to Yamanashi, a children’s book by Kenji Miyazawa, but they don’t actually describe what a kapukapu is in that book. When I googled “kapukapu,” it came up with a Sega character described as an antagonistic “orange cat creature with yellow eyes, a zigzag shaped tail, and big sharp fangs.” The creator definitely knows more Japanese than I do, but if they were similarly struggling on this one, they may have also googled kapukapu, seen “evil cat” and said, “yeah, that sounds enough like MonoTV.”

I should also probably talk about the “1”, “2”, “3”, and “4” portrayed at 2:43, which has shown up in the red, yellow, green, and cyan sections so far. These numbers representing Mai, David, Teruko, and MonoTV definitely feels plausible to me, especially if you throw in the wrinkle that David could become the protagonist. The qualification could be “mysterious characters with a darker side,” “characters related to the formation of the killing game,” or even “the most actively important characters at the end of the killing game.” This interpretation makes me more confident that these assignments are correct, although there’s obviously room for debate.

Pink

anonymous hopes,; heart; Rolling with laughter and turning into clowns; brainwashed; degraded copy; original; [untranslated character]; clown; painful

And now, onto a color for which I feel there’s basically no debate. If these text colors do correlate to characters, this color has to be Whit.

For starters, he’s the only character assigned the color pink, probably because it’s so prevalent in his design. I can imagine “Rolling with laughter and turning into clowns” paired with his XD laughing sprite, fitting how he’s the biggest canonical joke-teller in the cast. “heart” fits his Ultimate Matchmaker talent perfectly, while also representing how his empathic ways can make him the heart of a group. MonoTV literally mentions that he has “too many damn hearts on [him]” in Chapter 2 Episode 2. “painful”, meanwhile, can represent his secret, and how he represses the painful memories of loss regarding his loved ones.

The most concerning and confusing lines here are “brainwashed” and “degraded copy”. You could definitely pull these for mastermind Whit analysis, but since I’m not a strong believer in that theory (perhaps because I just desperately don’t want it to be true), I’ll go with another interpretation. Brainwashing could be something that Whit essentially does to himself, controlling his mental state and forcing himself to be happy. “degraded copy” could be how Whit feels about himself in regards to his mother. Although we don’t know too much about her, we know that he doesn’t relate to his dad, and he dyes his hair to be more similar to his mom. Since he idolizes her so fiercely, it’s possible he feels like he can never be as great as she was.

There’s always a lot to unpack with Whit “repression” Young, but… for the sake of post length, we’re moving on.

Gray

(after all); whoever else; (turbatus); XI.; whoever else; [untranslated character]; thing

Despite the fact that we’re running out of colors at a rapid pace, I actually think this one is David again. Specifically, clipless David, after his color turned to gray. C’mon, he’s the star of the show! He gets special privileges.

The gray character feels very depressed. It doesn’t seem to care about anything, using vague terms like “whoever else” and “thing,” as well as taking “turbatus,” AKA “troubled.” David has already claimed to have a family history of depression, and although he’s a liar, I don’t know if he was bs-ing that one. Based on his worldview as portrayed in Chapter 2 Episode 11, it’s not much of a leap to assume David feels this depressing gray way.

The inclusion of “XI.” is quite interesting, given that that’s Mai’s roman numeral, “God is dead.” In my mind, this further cements a potential relationship between Mai and David (and that Mai is red and David is yellow/gray). Just look at the colorization of the quote “XI. God is dead”!

That’s both of David’s colors on either side of Mai. Maybe, as the protagonist, David will be the one to take down Mai, the “God”?

If gray isn’t a second David, I would suggest that this could be Rose. While she isn’t particularly associated with the color gray, “(turbatus)” is part of her roman numeral quote, and she has plenty of troubles of her own. Based on her hidden quote, “In the end, the only thing I can do is watch my wretched life go on,” it would be reasonable to believe she is also depressed. “whoever else” and “thing” could refer to her absentmindedness, and how she tends to forget things that aren’t important to her (despite her photographic memory).

Orange

← that guy; shout; that guy; let’s play!; that guy; original

So it’s a little random, but my best guess is that orange is Ace? Mostly because he’s the only true orange color in the class trial– Min and Rose have sort of orangey colors as well, but to me, they don’t fit the lyrics super well. Not to say that Ace does, but there’s more of an argument there to be had.

“shout” is the most Ace-like lyric to me. Most of his (amazingly) voice acted lines are screaming in some way. He yells a lot, whether due to stress, excitement, or anger. On that angry wavelength, “let’s play!”, though it sounds innocent, could be something bitterly yelled out at an opponent. Like, “oh, if you wanna play, let’s FUCKIN’ play, Nico/Levi/etc!!” Given that Ace identifies as a man, he would be a more classic “guy” choice than Min or Rose would be as well.

The repeated “that guy” puzzled me at first, but I did find a solution. The thing that was tripping me up was that the orange “that guy” is always paired with the green “this guy.” If Teruko is green, then why would David be putting Ace on the same level of importance as Teruko there? He and Ace have barely interacted!

But then I remembered that there’s one key place in which they did interact, and that was in the second class trial. Ace takes part in revealing David’s secret when he exposes the conversation David and Arei had in the relaxation room. And then Teruko agrees with him, saying that she’s always found David’s behavior suspicious. David could pair Teruko and Ace together in his mind as “this guy” and “that guy” as the main ones who exposed his secret. Whoever else was there doesn’t matter; they were the main ones at fault.

Plum

change!; like that; original; change!; a cup of poison

Purple time! This one is Charles, I’m pretty sure.

Charles has probably had the greatest positive character arc thus far (other than maybe Arei?), so him being “change!” is very fitting. He’s certainly urged Teruko to change for the better, and maybe he’ll do that for David in the future too. “like that” is part of “Do it like that / let’s live together!”, which could refer to Charles warming up to his classmates. Notably, that is part of VII., which is J’s roman numeral. J did possess Charles’ secret and tell him about it, but it’s not the strongest connection.

“a cup of poison”... does not bode the best for Charles’ survival! However, it could just be referring to his custom weapon being strychnine. Rose’s secret weapon is also poisonous in nature, but (spoilers for the post) I’m not sure she actually has a color in this MV. Thus, if the creator wanted to give one of their poison recipients the “cup of poison” line, Charles may have been their only option. It could also indicate that Charles’ strychnine is more important to the story than Rose’s turpentine (a concerning concept, given that the turpentine has already been involved in an attempted murder), but… who can say! (I am in denial)

Black

you; the track to the ideal country →; you; you

We’re running out of colors here, and it would be pretty weird if the second member of the main cast didn’t have one. That’s right, I’m saying that black refers to Xander, despite his red leanings. However, his color was never officially assigned, and his gloves are black.

David seems very fixated on Xander in this MV and its associated content. Thus, the triple repetition of “you” could indicate David repeatedly thinking about Xander throughout the days. Although, if Xander is the black text, Xander should probably be the one saying “you”. Perhaps instead, it’s about how Xander cares about and fixates on specific individuals, like how he noticed that Nico was alone at lunch and went to go talk to them. I’m giving the guy a glowing review, but it kinda seems like David is doing that too.

“the track to the ideal country →” also reminds me of Xander. As the Ultimate Rebel, he calls for country-wide reform. So, he could believe that he’s leading the way to the ideal country. Abstracted a bit, this could also relate to his motivations for attempting to kill Teruko. He may have believed that killing her was “the track” to save everyone and get them out of the killing game.

Although I wish I could give him a color with greater importance, this one makes a lot of sense to me. It is the first color that appears, for what it’s worth.

Dark Blue

cry; original; big

This one is… hard. I’m not super confident about it– “cry” and “big” do not give me a lot to work with. I’m going to give this one to J for the time being, mostly based off of a fringe theory I developed about “original”.

Yeah, “original”. That 8-color madhouse that I’ve been ignoring so far. To be honest, I don’t know what to do with it. It’s possible that “original” itself is meant to apply to all of the characters featured in it– the word is generic enough that I believe it could apply to all of these characters.

However, I was trying to figure out if this could be hinting at a Chapter 6 trial composition. Eight people seems like way too many for Chapter 6, but if you say it includes Mai (red) and MonoTV (cyan), you only need six surviving students. While casts usually roll up to the endgame with 5 people (based on how SDR2 and v3 went), all you need is to skip a double victim case or have a blackened-less trial to get up to 6.

Under this theory, that would put Teruko, David, Charles, Whit, and Ace in the Chapter 6 trial. (Do I really believe this is true? Not really, but, man, what a dream.) I don’t know exactly how much the creator is paying attention to balancing their final cast, but I have to imagine they would notice that Teruko is the only girl listed there.

That was the deciding factor that swayed me into calling this J over Arturo, as both of their colors are blue. I can see J as a survivor much more easily than I can Arturo, and she would be a second girl (or third, if you count Mai) in the trial. I’m definitely not super convinced, though, so take dark blue with a grain of salt.

Light Blue

cry; cry; idk!!!

So, this is… bleak. This person is not having a great time. Based on color, I’m saying this one is Nico. (That’s also why I didn’t mention them as a non-male blue person on dark blue).

While Nico is definitely less of a crybaby than people might have assumed based on their first appearance, it’s still true that they have multiple sprites with tears in their eyes. “idk!!!” could reference how they struggle to communicate with others, and never know what’s considered “polite” to say. “idk!!!” is also part of Nico’s roman numeral, connecting it to them again.

You could also read “cry, cry, idk!!!” as a timeline of what Nico has done so far in the story. They were anxious, got bullied, and cried a lot, until something in them snapped. What are they gonna do after they snap? Idk!!! Kill Ace, maybe? Either of these options, along with Nico’s official color, are enough to convince me that they could be light blue.

Soft Blue

You’re called an; the world

Hang on, isn’t there another blue non-man you haven’t mentioned yet? You’re right. It’s because I think soft blue is Arei.

Even without her class trial color, Arei is a character covered in blue from head to toe,�� so she would definitely fit one of the blue options. “You’re called an” reminds me of her for multiple reasons. One, she’s a bully who gives people mean nicknames, so it could be her calling someone else something cruel. Two, many aspects of her personality were derived from her sisters bullying her, so you could say that she’s defined by what she was called as a child. Classic cycle of violence type stuff.

“the world” is a little iffier, but there’s definitely still an argument to be made. In her rant to David and Teruko, Arei makes clear that she believes the world is an inherently cruel place, and that she’s only one piece of that meanness. If she ponders the state of the world frequently, “the world” could be related to her character. (She’s also my world, so–)

Mint

“Idiot”, pointless

Another character who is not having an excellent time! Well, if this alternative green isn’t Teruko, it’s probably Hu, as she’s the other character assigned green. That would also mean that we’ve cleared every character in the cast list, other than the mysterious M__ N____i(___).

While this is not my opinion, I think David currently sees Hu as a “pointless” “idiot”; another person in the long line of manipulable people that he was destined to control. He literally calls her a “fucking idiot” at 18:30 of Chapter 2 Episode 11. It’s also possible that this is how Hu is feeling about herself right now– she says in that same episode that “If no one relies on [her], then [she] won’t be useful anymore.” Since she wasn’t able to prevent Nico from attempting murder or see through David’s lies, she could believe her existence here is pointless.

Kind of an L, but I think this makes sense.

Orchid

doubt; shout

…um.

So, in the assigned colors, the only people with purple-ish pink-ish colors are Charles and Whit, but they’ve already been assigned colors– purple and pink, no less. The next closest person to being purple is Levi, so I guess I’m giving this to him?

It’s not like “doubt” and “shout” are terrible for him. He definitely has moments of doubt when it comes to understanding Arei’s mind games, or when apologizing to Ace. Speaking of Ace, “shout” could refer to the moment in Trial 1 where Levi snapped and threatened to strangle Ace.

I also don’t know if it has any significance that these two words rhyme. Probably not, just because I don’t really see how this would point us to any character, but it’s something worth mentioning.

We’re almost at the end!

Periwinkle

world

Part of the reason why I disliked giving Levi the orchid quotes was because his color fits this periwinkle color much better, but I digress.

For starters, let me say that I’m pretty sure this is its own color, but it could be that my eyes are deceiving me from staring at this MV for too long, and this is actually part of purple. In that case, Charles is also my world, so we good. (The other color assignments are subjected to my opinions as well. I tried screenshotting everything and bringing it into Photoshop, but it was coming up with different hexcodes for colors that were clearly meant to be the same thing, so I gave up and went with subjectivity. If you think something is assigned wrong, let me know!)

As I just mentioned in the orchid section, there aren’t really any more pink or purple characters left in the cast, which leaves us with a problem. Based on the answers I landed on for all of the other colors, I found myself left with Min, Eden, Arturo, Rose, and Veronika. I sort of associate Min and Rose with purple based on the colors of their outfits, but officially, they’re both sort of brownish.

That’s why… I actually think this might be a character we haven’t met yet. Namely, Diana Chiem (should she actually exist), the woman in the video/the hand holding the acceptance letter, the class�� teacher that Min mentions, or M__ N____i(___). Or, some combination of these people, should any of them actually be depicting the same person.

Periwinkle is the last color to appear, which could correlate to how this character will take a while to appear in the story. Their one and only quote being “world” matches how this person is currently in the outside world, not the killing game. They could also be a connection David has to the outside world.

I’m aware this is even more of a copout than calling Mai red, but I honestly believe in this more than any of the other students.

And with that, we’re finally done! I’m always a sucker for matching things to other things, so this was a lot of fun. I might have more to say on this MV in the future, or I might not, but either way, it’s been an honor to piece this thing together with you guys.

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quibble-auk · 14 days ago

Text

Final mission.

@thebrokenmechanicalpencil that story I told you about my Wild West dinosaur thing I made in the past. It’s far from perfect and there is less ranting in this version… but still a lot.

But Wild West dinosaur story let’s go

It’s really long

Quick disclaimer. I know the name “saurboy” is so incredibly stupid but I was using it for a placeholder and I can’t think of anything else for dinosaur cowboys… if you have any better ideas I’d love to hear them.

Please I’m desperate.

—

The setting sun hung heavily in the sky, painting the world in vibrant red, orange, and yellow hues. The earth seemed to mirror the sky, almost glowing in its radiance, burnt sienna, rusty orange, and clay red. A singular black silhouette stuck out dangerously against the burning earth and sky, clashing with the vibrant display.

A lone Saurboy and his mount.

The man, Levi, let out a small huff as his dinosaur, a worn Dilophosaurus, slowly trotted through the dry terrain of the Hialite desert. All around the man, the spectacle of the setting sun seemed to stretch on forever. The dilophosaurus, Oli, huffed gently and Levi smiled, reaching down to gently pat the dinosaur’s neck, “Sure is pretty, ain’t it?”

Oli softly cooed back, the sound rumbling deep within his chest. Levi nodded and looked around at the world around him, searching for any possible danger on instinct. It never hurts to be cautious. To most, the barren land housed nothing but rocks and the occasional scrappy shrub. Levi knew better than to believe that. Hidden in caves and under rocks, tucked away in caverns and canyons, beasts lurked. Raptors and tyrnnosaurs roamed through the lands, taking advantage of migrating herds and lost travelers.

The surrounding desert was mostly quiet, the only sounds being the rhythmic steps of Oli and the whistle of the wind. Occasionally a distant animal called out, the only evidence that creatures did in fact call the hospitable wasteland home. Most weren’t a cause of concern for Levi. As long as he stayed true to the faded path that navigated across the Forlorn Stretch, he would be alright.

Levi and Oli walked until finally the sun finished sinking beneath the earth and the silver lights of the moons shone brightly in the ebony sky. The duo came to a halt as the many creatures of the night began their longing calls and echoing laughs. Levi dismounted the dinosaur, giving the old dilophosaurus an affectionate pat as he pulled off their saddle. No reason to leave it on overnight when it would make the old dinosaur sore.

The Saurboy quickly gathered a few sticks and used some small logs that he had stashed away in his saddlebag to create a small fire for the night. The unbearable heat of the desert disappeared with the sun and paved a way for frigid nights. The two settled down around the crackling fire, not too far from the path. Oli offered a small affectionate warble as his rider sat next to him, leaning on the laying dinosaur. They sat in silence for several minutes, enjoying the peaceful night. Levi contently hummed,

“Well, Oli,” Levi began, huffing a bit as he readjusted himself, his worn joints protesting slightly at the movement. “This isn’t too bad, now is it?”

Oli turned his large crested head towards the man at the sound of his gruff voice. The saurboy ignored the constant paranoia that seemed to plague him. There was no reason he should be feeling such unease, he knew the truth though. It was inescapable and he could only ignore it for so long, he was a dead man walking.

“Just the two of us, out exploring the world,” Levi smiled despite himself. He gently scratched under Oli’s chin in a favorite spot of his, the dilophosaur’s eyes closed and his throat vibrated with a rumbling purr. The weight of the situation still rested heavily on the Saurboy’s stiff shoulders. This wasn’t just a patrol, they weren’t out traveling the stretch for people in need of help or helping migrate herds.

They were hunting rouges.

“Off on another adventure.” Levi continued. They had hunted rouges many times before, it was nothing foreign to him. Dare he say, he was pretty good at it, half of the assignments he was sent on was bounty hunting. However, the pit that sat in the man’s stomach seemed to know this would be his last.

“And when we’re done, we can settle down and retire,” He smiled bitterly. Oli cooed affectionately again, nuzzling his nose into Levi’s side, sighing contently. The dilophosaurus rested their large head in his lap. Levi’s smile shifted to something more affectionate as he gently petted the dinosaur, hand moving over the familiar crests and head. “Move onto some land next to my sister. She’s got a kid now, you know, Danny. I’m sure he’d love you, spoil you rotten.”

Oli warbled happily and Levi laughed bitterly, “You wouldn’t mind that, would you?”

As much fun as it was to fantasize about the life they may get to live after. The bitter truth remained constantly nagging in the back of his mind. How cruel fate was, to send him on a doomed assignment just before he retired. To assign the aged saurboy an assignment that had claimed hundreds of saurboys before him. And, if he didn’t succeed, would claim hundreds more after him as well.

Yes, Freda could be a cruel god when deciding the fate of her subjects.

He was no exception. The moment he touched that paper, he was dead. Everyone who had been assigned it was doomed the moment they touched the paper, destined to the same demise as the ones before them. Levi wasn’t just hunting some random rogue who happened to know how to aim. No, his target was far worse than that.

Levi was hunting the Golden Sisters.

The Golden Sisters, a notorious criminal syndicate that terrorized all of the west. A group of three sisters, each lethal in their own right. They went around, killing, plundering, and terrorizing the west as they pleased. They had been for years, their reign of terror never ending. No matter what the council did, they evaded punishment.

The youngest of the three was Wishbone Wendy, arguably the weakest of her sisters in Levi’s opinion. She was said to be fair and stunningly beautiful, dangerously so. The young woman would seduce her viciums, steal from them, kill them, then leave them for her pack of raptors to chew on. Wendy’s motives, while still not confirmed, seemed to be to kill any man she encountered that rubbed her the wrong way. Her signature was a wishbone left carefully placed on their lips, which always went untouched by the raptors.

Next in line was Bullriding Betty. Unlike her sly and cunning sister, Betty was a brunt. She stole herds, plundered towns, and created bloodbaths. She was a vengeful and brutal devil. Fueled by hate and anger, she punished those who she didn’t think fit in her twisted sense of justice. Any political figure was a target, though that didn’t stop her from taking her frustrations out on other innocent people. But she was far from stupid, she always seemed two steps ahead of everyone.

Bullriding Betty accompanied her sister—wherever there was Wendy, Betty was sure to follow.

The duo was sloppy to say the least. They left obvious trails and it was easy to predict their next move. By themselves, the two would be B tier rogues at most. Easily tracked down and stopped by a group of experienced Saurboys. However, their older sister was the reason why the two had found themselves atop the most wanted list for a record breaking time. She was the reason that the small family gang became so notorious, their namesake.

The eldest of the deadly trio was Golden Gabby. A mysterious figure that watched over the others, their silent protector. She was the reason for their success. The illusive rouge, though she had never been seen, certainly made her presence known to all.

Gabby hunted and killed anyone who dared to harm her sisters. She slaughtered all that dared to challenge them regardless of if they were other rogues or Saurboys. All without leaving a single clue as to who she was. Her trademark was a golden bullet. Whether she brutally tore through her victim with a pickaxe or lodged a bullet through their skull. A golden bullet was always found somewhere on the body.

Golden Gabby was by far the deadliest of the three. The second Levi took the assignment, she knew his name. Somehow, in some way, she always found out who had been assigned to find her sisters and herself. No matter what they did, the rogue always knew. Most reasonable people would think that it would mean they would stop sending Saurboys on this mission. But for the public’s sake, in order for them to feel some semblance of security, someone was always looking for them.

It was the harsh reality that a Saurboy had to accept, willingly or not. It was just a part of what they did. That’s how Levi found himself camping on the forlorn stretch of the Hialite desert, alone with his Dilophosaurus. Fated to meet a demise by the hand of Golden Gabby.

Levi was pulled from his haunted thoughts at the sound of distant footfall. He could hear the gentle but loud steps of some large herbivore on the worn path. Levi lifted his head slightly, tilting his hat up a bit. It was uncommon for a large herbivore to wander the desert alone. Many people used them as mounts, so it wasn’t as if it was unheard of. However, most avoided going on the Forlorn stretch unless they had good reason. It was far from safe. Travelers were a rare sight.

Despite Levi’s caution and paranoia, he remained where he was. He eyed the direction where the footsteps were coming from. His hand rested on the pistol at his hip, waiting for a reason to draw. After a minute or so went by, Levi concluded that whatever it was, it moved slowly. He huffed a bit, and sat up more, correcting his slouched posture. Oli stirred more with him, lifting his head as the faint sounds of wagon wheels on the dirt road joined the footsteps.

The herbivore was getting closer, close enough that Levi could just barely make out the vague outline of it off in the distance. It was large, very large, lumbering steadily forward. It looked like some kind of hadrosaur, with small front legs, powerful hind legs, and wide hips. Oli offered a small warble in the direction of the titan.

The dinosaur gave a hollow hum, in response. The hum echoed and carried in a way that only happened with a hadrosaurs crest. That was enough confirmation for Levi, it was a hadrosaur. It stood well over eleven feet tall, which helped narrow down the possibilities of what it could be.

They continued their steady approach. As the firelight slowly illuminated the dinosaur, Levi was finally able to name what it was. An Olorotitan, one of the largest members of the hadrosaur family. This one appeared to be male, if the size alone wasn’t enough the large and impressive fan shaped crest on its head did. It was adorned in proud colors, displaying its health and maturity. Overall not a common dinosaur to have, their large size made it difficult to maintain them. Despite that, this one seemed to be in good health.

Levi could see where a saddle was attached, the thick, dark leather standing out against the lighter tones of the dinosaur's skin. Oli tilted his head as the dinosaur approached, debating what their intentions were. Levi could feel the dinosaur’s muscles tensing as Oli shifted from his lax position to a more alert one. It was unlikely that the stranger meant trouble, but one could never be too sure when isolated on a trail.

As the hadrosaur grew closer, Levi could finally see who sat upon the titans back. From afar, he couldn’t make out too many details, the vague outline of who they were. Just like their dinosaur, the first thing that he couldn’t help but notice was their stature. The person was large, no doubt over 6 ft and bulky. There was no doubt in Levi’s mind that if this person was to get hostile, they would be able to overpower the older, leaner man.

The second thing he noticed was the wide-brimmed hat. Old leather, torn and faded from years of use. Levi lifted his chin, trying to examine the figure further. They appeared to be a woman, with well tanned skin and long black hair pulled into a neat single braid. As she drew nearer Levi finally called out a greeting, “Hello stranger.”

It was simple and curt, his tone neutral. He was simply acknowledging the other, making sure that in the unlikely scenario that she had been unaware of the other’s presence, she was now. The woman on the Olorotitan gently tugged the reins of her mount, coming to a slow halt. She dipped her hat in his direction, a friendly greeting.

“Hello, I wasn’t expecting to see anyone else traveling these parts,” The woman spoke with a neutral tone, but her caution was evident, much like his own. Levi could see how she slowly sized him up, he felt a small smile tugging on his lips.

“I was thinking the same thing. What are you doing on the trail?” Levi offered, trying to properly size up the other himself. Even though she appeared to be friendly, Levi had learned through trial and error that it was better to be safe than sorry. The woman shifted, obviously thinking something similar, approach just as cautious as his. The way she held herself, straight-backed but relaxed, told Levi she wasn’t new to the road.

“Just hauling some materials from the mines near Stonerun, what about you?” Her eyes lingered on Oli. Most people would see the Dilophosaurus and assume that it was a Saurboy, but it wasn’t uncommon to see them be used by civilians as well. Rouges used them too, it was best not to assume anything, especially when handling precious cargo. Levi looked into the back of the wagon, sure enough, there were several crates worth of supplies.

The Olorotitan made more sense now. Their size could rival tyrannosaurs, as long as you had one while traveling, you didn’t have much to fear. Until it came to rouges. But the dinosaur’s strength and stamina made them excellent hauling dinosaurs.

“Just on an assignment, I’m heading to Colestall.” Levi wasn’t lying, technically. He just wasn’t telling the entire truth. He was traveling to Colestall. Levi would gather supplies there before continuing his search for the Golden Sisters. This stranger didn’t need to know what his reason was exactly. However vague his answer was, it seemed to satisfy the traveler and they nodded.

“I see,” She began, looking back at Levi as if she had confirmed something. Her posture shifted to be less rigid and more relaxed and open. “I’m headed there as well, mind if I accompany you?”

Levi wasn’t fazed by the question, that was just a part of being a Saurboy. No matter how experienced or prepared someone was, it was always easier to travel in a group. More specifically, travel with a Saurboy. For someone who was hauling precious materials, the desire was even higher. He shrugged,

“I don’t see why not.” He sighed, relaxing slightly. His hand no longer rested on his gun but he didn’t allow himself to completely relax into the same position as before. He leaned against Oli again but didn’t allow himself to slouch as he continued to watch the other.

The woman nodded before carefully climbing off the titan and guided it over to them. With a practiced ease she detached the wagon from the gentle giant and made her way over to the fire. The Olorotitan hummed gently before settling down next to the wagon, not far from the fire. The burly woman walked over and settled across the fire from them, placing down a few bags.

Now properly illuminated by the fire, Levi could examine her further. She wasn’t young, definitely younger than him, but far older than any rookie he knew of. He settled in mid to late thirties, at most early forties. Small wrinkles etched into her dark skin, a large scar raised on her right cheek. Across her back was a shotgun, it looked standard. Around her waist was a handgun of some sort. It was too large to be a pistol, granted, she may just have one custom made for her large gloved hands.

The majority of her outfit was hidden under a dark, heavy leather trench coat. Overall, she was an imposing sight, strong and sturdy, oddly matching her dinosaur companion. Her dark brown eyes lingered on the fire as a few moments of silence passed between the two. Levi decided that he would be the one to approach the other, choosing a friendly topic to help break some of the tension that had settled between them.

“Got any family waiting for you?” Levi asked, tone still cautious but friendlier than before. It was common to meet people on the trail, spill each other's life stories, then never see them again. It was almost an odd tradition of some sort. He had no doubt that once the ice was broken between the two, this would be no different.

The woman looked up at him from the fire and smiled fondly. “Yeah, I’ve got two sisters. They’re traveling merchants, so I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like.”

Levi returned the smile nodding and thinking of his own sibling. It had been ages since he had last seen her, at least a year, he could relate to the feeling of wanting to see her more. “I’ve got a younger sister, would give her the world if she asked for it.”

The woman across from him smiled kindly, and understanding settled between the two of them. “I feel the same way.”

Levi wasn’t one to doubt a friendly smile. But something about the way she said “I feel the same way” felt too damn familiar. Like she wasn’t just agreeing with him—there was something dangerous in the tone, a fierce loyalty perhaps. Regardless he nodded and smiled, carefully reaching over the fire to shake her hand. “My name's Levi, the Dilophosaurus is Oli. Figured your due for a proper introduction.”

The woman met his outstretched hand halfway through, grabbing it and giving it a firm shake. Her grip wasn’t uncomfortable but Levi could feel it tense slightly at his name. She smiled softly, “I’m Ella, my Olorotitan is Gus.”

Levi nodded, her tone was friendly and genuine but he couldn’t help but feel a strange tension grow within him. Why had she tensed up when he gave her his name? She must have known someone that shared the name, it wasn’t an uncommon one.

“Bout’ to say, that's quite the dinosaur you’ve got,” Levi complimented.

Ella gave a small glance to where Gus had settled and a small chuckle escaped her throat. “I’d be careful, the last thing I need is for it to go to his head. He’s already got quite an ego.”

Levi laughed, looking at his own companion, who had yet to relax fully. “I understand that, Oli can be a bit egotistical at times.”

There was a small pause.

“Do you work in the mines, or do you just transport?” Levi asked, looking her over again. Ella was built like a miner, if not for her height. She was broad-shouldered, strong, sturdy, and definitely had the ability to manhandle almost anyone. But miners usually never traveled very far from where they worked. Her deeply tanned skin also told a different story.

Ella’s eyes returned to the fire, smile falling as she responded casually “I used to work in the eastern mines on Stonerun before they shut down, since then I’ve just been transporting. I’ve decided to not play with fate.”

Levi raised his brows in shock. It wasn't very often he met someone who had worked in the eastern mines. Most had died in the mines or had passed due to the health problems the mines promised. Those who did survive usually suffered from various medical issues regardless. It was dirty work. Yet, Ella seemed perfectly fit. She seemed to catch onto his train of thought, and smiled.

“I was younger and I didn’t work in the mines for very long. Never in the parts with hazardous gas leaks or anything. Pretty sure my sisters would have thrown a fit.” she explained with a casual smile, her tone humorous.

Levi gave a small “Oh” in response, nodding slightly. She must have gotten questions frequently.

“How long have you been a saurboy?” Ella asked in a light tone, nothing sinister. Just a genuine question.

Levi blinked, nostalgia and memories stirring up when he thought of his younger years. Since his time as a rookie most of the friends he had made—that were other saurboys—had either retired, or passed. Being a saurboy wasn’t easy, and it showed in the retirement rate. A bitter smile graced his features as he watched the flame dance in the dark. Memories seemed to dance along with it, joyful and fond memories now bittersweet with age.

He gave a tired chuckle, bones and joints aching with the thought. The recklessness of his youth had long since caught up with him, the constant ache in his bones attested to that. The slight limp in his step, the tremble in his hand. “Oh, I’ve been a saurboy for a long time, a little over 30 years now.”

Ella raised her brows, letting out a low, impressed whistle. Shock and respect crossing her features, a knowing smile quickly settled on her own face, “Are you close to retiring?”

Levi nodded and smiled, leaning back to rest more of his weight on Oli, “This is my last mission, then I’m officially hanging up the saddle and settling down somewhere.”

He couldn’t help but smile at the thought, ignoring how he knew better. He only prayed to Freda that Oli would at least get to live the rest of his days getting to relax and rest. His partner had served him well and deserved a happy ending, even if Levi wasn’t going to be a part of it.

Ella smiled brighter, yet there seemed to be another emotion hidden in the strained smile. “Congratulations, can’t say I’ve met many saurboys who are close to retiring, let alone one who is on their final assignment.” Ella nodded in respect towards the elder man.

Once again, there was an emotion hidden well enough that Levi couldn’t decipher it. A chuckle was pulled from Levi, followed by a sigh “Yeah, well, not many of us make it this far unfortunately.”

Ella nodded from across the fire. From behind her there was a small hiss and Gus let out a hollow hum, earning looks from everyone around the fire. Oli’s attention shifted from Ella to gus seamlessly, nostrils flaring. Ella turned around and Levi shifted to the side to peer into the darkness at the giant.

“What’s up, Gus?” Ella asked in a hushed tone. The large head of the giant turned her way and let out an echoing rumble in response. He shook his head slightly, humming as he did. A small yapping sound followed it, along with the appearance of a nimble raptor. It squawked when it saw Ella, and approached her, cautiously eyeing Levi.

“Oh, ist just you.” Ella said under her breath, reaching for the small creature. Levi looked at her, Oli watched the small raptor with an intense stare.

“You’ve got a raptor?” he asked plainly. He was shocked to be honest, Ella didn't seem like the kind of person to have a raptor. If it was hers, how hadn’t he seen or heard it before? Raptors tended to be vocal, this one seemed to be no expedition.

“Oh, no.” Ella began, waving a dismissive hand, and shaking her head slightly. She smiled at the thought. The raptor walked up to her, proudly presenting its fluffy chest. She gently picked it up, the raptor looked small in her large hands.

“This is one of my sister’s raptors, we use them to communicate.” Ella explained as she gently reached for the collar hidden among the dense feathers and pulled off a small piece of paper. Her hand subconsciously stroked the back of the dainty dinosaur. It purred happily, eyes closing.

“She’s got an entire pack of the suckers, more than one pack at this point. Anytime she finds one on the side of the road she insists that she needs it, it's an ongoing problem.” Ella explained further. Levi smiled, nodding along as the woman began to open the message without much thought.

“Treats them like they’re her kids, spoiled rotten. She knits them sweaters and everything, absolutely adores them. Drives my other sister up a wall, she can’t stand them.” Ella finishes as she opens the paper and falls silent as she reads it, a content smile on her face as her eyes scanned the sheet.

Despite how innocent and friendly the conversation was, a bit of dread settled in Levi’s stomach, yet the experienced Saurboy couldn’t quite place it. Levi forced words out of his mouth with a small understanding smile, “They seem like quite the handful.”

“You have no idea. Those two are a heap of trouble.” Ella looked up, chuckling a bit and smiling, it was a genuine smile, making her eyes crease. The pit in Levi’s gut continued to spread. Levi became even more aware of just how alone they were out here, in the middle of the stretch. It would take days for anyone to find him, weeks even, if he were to be hurt.

“I can imagine, I only have one sister and it feels like a handful. I can’t imagine having two to keep track of.” Levi spoke, keeping his tone light, not exposing his sudden unease. He tried to return to the casual conversation shared between the two.

Ella shook her head, folding the paper back up and slipping it into a side bag. The raptor jumped down from her lap and curled by her feet. “Eh, you get used to it. Couldn’t imagine living without the two of them, love ‘em to bits. As you said earlier, I would give them the world.”

She spoke freely, pausing when she made eye contact with Levi. The unease spread through Levi, his heart rate began to speed up. There was something about the way she had just looked at him, just a flicker, she seemed almost predatory. He subtly moved his hand closer to his pistol, not quite resting his hand on it.

“Would walk to the gates of hell for them. Bring the world crashing down if it meant they were safe.” Ella spoke calmly, but the smile had fallen from her eyes and face. There was something more sinister in her words, some dangerous undertone to them. Her dark eyes bore into Levi intensely.

Something flashed beneath the dark cloak that Ella wore, moving as she shifted slightly. Her elbows now resting on her knees as she leaned forward intently. A flash of a belt buckle, something that Levi had looked over. It was rather plain, nothing too fancy. A single letter engraved into the shining metal, a glowing gold. Yet the singular letter sent Levi’s thought spiraling regardless.

A sick feeling twisted inside him as realization dawned on the elder.

He had been blind, he had been a fool. Levi had been played like some kind of rookie. All of the puzzle pieces fell into place and Levi felt himself tense up, adrenaline pumping through his blood making his hands tremble with anticipation. The mention of the sisters, the tensing, the look she had given when they had first met, when she had confirmed something.

Engraved in the golden belt buckle was the letter ‘G’.

This was Golden Gabby.

She wasn’t traveling from a mine, she was hunting, pretending to deliver resources, a very clever lie. Her dinosaur and overall demeanor was very off putting, deceiving. A lone traveler delivering supplies, someone that Saurboys were already used to sharing a campfire with, they were used to being friendly with.

Levi’s eyes trailed down further, just below her belt, painfully obvious and glaringly exposed; a strap with golden bullets slung across it. Slowly he looked up, meeting her face. She was blankly staring at him, as if waiting for an answer. Had she spoken to him? Asked him a question? Levi didn’t know, he could barely hear anything over the ringing in his ears and rushing of his blood. The dark look remained on her face.

She knew that he knew.

“Levi.” She spoke low, it splintered the ringing in his ears and suddenly the world was too loud. The crackling of fire sounded like gunshots, the cackling of animals in the distance was mocking laughter, the whistling wind seemed to scream. He blinked, blankly staring at her, at Gabby.

“I’m sure you understand the feeling don’t you?” She said in a low and dangerous voice, a growl. Oli tensed, his head shifting to Ella—no, Gabby. His yellow eyes trained on her. The dilophosaurus, after having spent years with Levi, could feel his partner's panic, his adrenaline; and within moments, he had figured out what the source was.

Some part of Levi felt betrayed. There was an unspoken rule, an agreement between travelers, that promised protection. Gabby had broken it, he had welcomed her to his fire and she had approached with the intent to kill. Levi couldn’t stop the hesitant nod that escaped him. Gabby slowly stood, looming over Levi, who remembered just how small he was compared to her.

“Good.” Gabby said as she came to her full height. Oli slowly stood up, if Levi had still been leaning on him, he would have fallen down. But Levi had gone stiff, sitting straight and tall. Oli growled, teeth bared in warning. Levi cringed at the sound, his hand once again resting on his pistol, he slowly pulled it out of its holster. Gabby briefly glanced at up at Oli,

“It’s a shame. I liked you.” She began, slinging her shotgun off of her shoulder and quickly cocking it. The grinding and sliding metal made Levi flinch, forcing him to stand. It didn’t matter, she still dwarfed him. Behind Gabby, Gus began to move, the walking tank slowly standing. Levi’s grip tightened around his pistol, his mind honed in on Gabby, watching her, waiting for her to move.

“Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.” She added grimly, her shoulders shifting as she looked down at Levi. The shotgun was an interesting choice for how close they were. But it was more powerful than a pistol, better for killing a dinosaur Dilophosaurus sized.

“Sorry, it’s nothing personal.” Gabby shifted the gun in her hands, lifting it to take aim. Just as she did, all of the instinct and experience that Levi had gained from his years as a saurboy seemed to come crashing down on him.

Just as she readied her aim, time seemed to slow down painfully, then speed up again within seconds. Levi lifted his pistol. He didn’t bother to aim. His finger crushing the trigger just as bright light blinded him. Levi tried to move, darting to the side as quickly as he could. The thunderous booming of gunfire deafened Levi, echoing around the barren desert, searing pain exploded in his hip.

Oli leapt forward, eyes keen on Gabby. The Dilophosaurus was caught midair by the swinging tail of Gus. They collided with a sickening crack. Oli squawked in pain, but he quickly recovered. He scrambled to his feet as soon as he was on the ground to face off with Gus. His mouth opened in an angry guttural hiss. His claws raised as he coiled, reading for another attack.

Levi fell to the ground, shouting as pain flared in his right leg. He could hear Gabby take a few steps back, grunting in her own pain. Levi wasted no time. He pulled his trembling hand from his wound to grip his pistol defensively. He ignored the red that stained his palm. He lifted the pistol and took a shaky aim. Once again he fired a shot.

Gabby stumbled. Hand quickly pressing against her side as blood blossomed like a flower. She had dropped her shotgun after the first initial shots had been fired. Her other hand reached for her pistol. Levi tried to fire again, but the dizziness provided by blood loss made him hesitate. The moment of hesitation had sealed his fate.

Just as quickly as before, thunderous gunfire echoed. Levi’s vision spun and his mind reeled as pain sprouted in his chest. He let out a small gasp. The saurboy dropped his gun, muscles spasming slightly. His hearing rang with the final gunshot as his vision blurred with unshed tears. His open hand hesitantly reached for his chest. There was something slick and warm there. Levi didn’t need to look down to know what it was. A strangled gasp left his throat as he forced a burning breath through his aching lungs.

Levi had lost.

Was he ever going to win?

Slowly, Levi lied down, gasping for air he didn’t realize was hard to get. His attention was drawn to the left side of him as the ground shook with impact. He slowly turned his head to watch as Oli was slammed into the ground by Gus’ legs. The dilophosaurus let out a screech. A pained whine left Levi's throat. The Olorotitan pulled away, leaving the still form of Oli. It took a moment for Levi to realize he was crying.

Gabby walked over to him, a dark fire alight in her stormy eyes. She looked down at him, one hand pressed against her steadily bleeding side. Another red spot grew from one of her shoulders. She glowered down at him, a pickaxe he didn’t know she had gripped loosely in her other hand.

She opened her mouth, saying something. Levi couldn’t concentrate long enough to decipher what was spoken. Instead he wondered if anyone would ever find his body or if he would forever remain lost. Gabby lifted her pickaxe. Levi thought about what his sister would think of this. The pickaxe made its descent downwards. He really wished that Oli had gotten to retire.

There was a sickening crunching sound.

Levi’s world went dark.

#dinosaurs #dinosaur story #writing #oc writing #short story #wild west #at least a form of Wild West #this storyline is kind of crazy #dinosaurs in the Wild West #Wild West story #there is so much this doesn’t go over world building wise #like the name of their god #funny story I was making this and trying to come up with their god and my beloved friend instructed me that I am their god #so I proceeded to use one of the inside joke nicknames my friends have for me #its not my real name #not even remotely close #I share like one letter with it and it’s a vowel so I don’t think it counts #I think it’s funny #ummmm anyway #golden gabby has similar vibes as Dropmix in my mind #they are too similar #I also kind of gave up with editing the end #dinosaurs are a special interest of mine btw #rip Levi and oli who were created just to die #de-ranting this was half a success #no I don’t know what the intro is #i’m struggling

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