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taiblogcomics · 3 years ago

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Kid Flash Forward

Hey there, multi-story pizzerias. Oh boy, here we go. I'm here to ruin your Christmas. Because while the whole series has been, like, a range of mediocre to acutally terrible. But this one... This is where the series really hit its nadir for me. And even when we're down to the last few issues, yes, it can get worse. Like, I guess there's a reason why there's only a few issues left~

Anyway, here's the cover:

I will be fair, though, this cover is at least pretty cool. At least, I thought so until I noticed the Ludovico technique being used on Kid Flash here. That's a bit much for a cover. Like, I don't object to it being in the story. But I do object to it being on the cover. I dunno why, I just feels like that's crossing a line. Don't directly torture your teenage characters on the cover, that's just not appealing to customers. Otherwise, it's a very yellow cover, and that's fine~

So the Titans are still time-jumping, and the omniscient narrator is still narrating. We join Kid Flash and Solstice in the midst of a group of people with high-tech guns pointed at them. Ah, they've encountered their reading audience. Anyway, the pair are in the far-flung future, which is clearly some sort of cyberpunk dystopia. This is the future Kid Flash comes from, and this group of gun-wielding goons all recognise him. Kid Flash picks up a weapon and pins the leader to a wall, accusing him of being a traitor. Don't worry, I'm as lost as you guys~

So, this is three issues into this whole Quantum Leap plot, yeah? So of course it's now that Solstice gives us an actual info-dump on the plot. Like, we mentioned before this was consequences from Forever Evil, but this is the one that really spells that out. With pictures and everything! We're already pretty aware of it, though. Outside of the flashback, Traitor Guy reveals that while Kid Flash may be faster, he claims to be smarter. As such, Kid Flash has been breathing an accelerated coagulant all this time. His lungs are filling with solid mass. Eugh, that's an unpleasant way to go.

About a mile away, the rest of the Titans warp in, still complaining about how much time-jumping sucks. They wonder how Superboy could even survive it--remember, this one isn't our Superboy, it's a Jonathan Kent from another universe. And the captions reveal... He didn't! It points to Superman #25, and I looked it up. Kon dies in that issue. So, not only do they do a switcharoo on the character, they then kill him off in some other book. Like, I know Superboy was a drop-in character with his own title, but he was still a part of this team. I hope nobody was invested in his character, because that's a pretty big fuck you to all of those readers~

The Titans appear, and Raven notes she can't do another time jump for a while. But before they can stop and rest or find help for who they think is Superboy (who is still unconscious), they see a big burst of light they recognise as Solstice's particular energy signature. Bigger than they've ever seen it. Figuring correctly that this means trouble, they rush over to the source. One of the goons shoots Solstice, and Kid Flash retaliates with such ferocity that by the couple seconds it takes the rest of the team to arrive, Kid Flash is already up to his elbows in blood from beating the guy's face in. He's shocked and horrified by what came over him.

While Kid Flash starts angsting and trying to reconcile having two personalities, suddenly a group of... I dunno, time cops show up out of the sky. Given that the leader girl is named Brain 3 and the rest have a very Vril Dox look, I'm guessing they're from Colu. Brainiac's people. Tim Drake decides to do the unexpected thing and just surrender until they have a better understanding of what's going on. Brain-3 commends him on his rational decision, but another of her squad wants to blow Kid Flash's brains out here and now. Brain-3 has orders, though, and she's willing to shoot her own guy to fulfill them.

Later on, they're up on the Echo group's base. Solstice is being uncharacteristically crabby about Tim having surrendered. He explains his reasons in more detail (they're up against an army, Superboy is in need of medical attention, Kid Flash isn't in immediate danger), and she just dismissively leaves. No, instead she wants to break Kid Flash out of his imprisonment. But he objects, sinc this is his real chance to find out his backstory. Brain-3 is judgemental, but fair. She's doing this because Kid Flash here made a deal to tell all he knows to whoever's in charge here.

But to find out what he knows, they gotta strip out his false/current memories. They gotta get to the true Kid Flash within, and they start by showing him a big moment for him: a picture of him in a green-and-yellow costume, cackling maniacally and covered in blood. Kid Flash is horrified, and the rest of the Titans don't look so good about it either. They're glad Cassie isn't here to see it, having been the one to take Superboy to the infirmary. And the comic ends with Jon waking up and strangling Cassie, with the captions telling us to check out another issue of Superman to find out the story here. Sheesh, can't you guys tell a single story in your own book?

To borrow a catchphrase from one of my contemporaries, this comic sucks. No real other way to say it. This time-jumping really doesn’t suit the kind of heroes that the Teen Titans are (Tim Drake even admits he’s super out of his depth in the story), and it’s really starting to drag. Half the plot with Jon and Kon are being handled in other books, which isn’t even, like, an official crossover. or anything. Like, at least the issues of The Culling storyline labelled that they were a crossover. The constant crossovers are kind of what does in this book in general and the New 52 as a whole.

But more than all that, it’s what they choose to do with Kid Flash here that really dooms this whole storyline. If you know anything about the pre-New 52 universe, think about what a fun and likeable character Bart Allen (Impulse/Kid Flash) was. Now think about the exact opposite of that. Now make it edgy. That’s what you have to look forward to~

#comics #reviews #Teen Titans #Taiblog

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pixelzprince · 4 years ago

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Circuit - Lore Fic

FINALLY!! This lore fic has been about two weeks in the making now, and finally we can post it!

It’s a bit of backstory regarding Incandescent and Chill (and Wolvesbane, a bit) and the misadventures the thrill-seeking young dragons in the Hewn City get up to - basically an excuse to write a bunch of headcanons for the Shade. And let’s just say, when the most cursed city in an entire Flight territory is way more saturated with magic than usual.. something’s bound to go horribly wrong.

Warnings: Some mild horror themes, unreality/slight derealization/existential crisis stuff, you know. We’re dealing with the 10% More Eldritch Shade here after all. Also, mentions/implications of bullying, eugh.

Probably the darkest thing we’ll actually write out in our character lore, to be honest though things get better after this, it’s just a Not So Pleasant inciting incident-

With that out of the way, onto the show!

"So it's like, a ghost-themed biking group?" Chill had asked on the way to the venue. "Sounds.. kinda forced to me, to be honest."

His neon friend let out a poorly stifled guffaw, briefly lifting a claw from the handles of her bike to hide her grin. "I don't think you're in any position to say that, Mister 80s band tees."

Chill frowned, clinging a bit tighter to Ink's shoulders as they zoomed through the night aboard the latter's tricked out three wheeler bike; Incandescent's parents hadn't allowed her to get a proper motorcycle, and all Chill had was his old mountain bike, though the Mirror couldn't truthfully say he felt all that safe clinging to the spiny shoulders of a Banescale for dear life on a vehicle meant for one.

Thus, he'd urged her to drive as slowly and carefully (the damage to his "coolness" didn't go unnoticed) as she could manage given her high octane lifestyle - giving them much time to talk on the trip. Plenty of time to sling banter and waste breath meant for more valuable discussions.

"Right, so... you really capitalize on that Halloween aesthetic?" Chill tried again, wording his question carefully to dodge Ink's edgy defenses; for how nice his friend could be, she was like a spring-loaded trap full of retorts ready to snap given the right ammunition. "Everyone thinks you're some sorta cult, but it's just for the rep, right..?"

Ink quirked a wry grin, teeth glinting in the low lights of the city. "Something like that." Her spines rattled with something akin to excitement, making Chill quietly yelp and adjust in the seat to avoid getting skewered. "Reputation's power, right?"

Chill fought the conditioned urge to shoot some witty sarcasm back, though his contemplation was interrupted as the bike came to an abrupt halt, worsened by the sudden prickling of scales against his arms.

"We're here," Ink supplied.

She slid off the bike, radiant scales glistening in the neon lights of the shopping center. Chill barely caught the discarded helmet slung at him, the weight smacking against his chest and knocking the air out of him. He called after her as he fumbled, "Heavy helmet for a hard head!"

Ink gave no indication that she'd heard him, merely striding off towards the parking lot of a nearby pizza place. Chill frowned, disappointed in the lack of acknowledgement. He shook his head as if to rid himself of the childish irritation, before hesitantly beginning to follow Ink.

He kept his head held low, eyes shifting around to observe the creeping murk of the city's almost unnatural darkness; even at only dusk, even with the piercing glow of dozens of light sources (the motorbikes' custom lights, the LED of the storefronts, the subtle hues of his own luminous capsule trait, his overwhelmed mind rattled off) the Hewn City's oppressive night seemed to leech as much warmth and luminescence as it could.

And this was Light territory; a shudder went through Chill as he dared to imagine what Shadow or Ice's expanses looked like at night, away from most sources of radiance.

Slinking past an unrelated crowd congregated by the road (they smelled of pizza, sweat, and ozone, probably some sports team, ugh), the Mirror soon reached his destination, a small group of dragons around his age, some younger, all gathered in the darkest corner of the parking lot.

How convenient.

Some were lazily leaned against their bikes as makeshift lounges, while others stood almost like guards, alert and scanning the area. Chill caught the eye of one of the latter category, a Nocturne with strikingly patterned scales. Their eyes widened as their gazes met, before they scowled and turned away slightly. They muttered something to their companion, a rather anxious looking Fae who was half coiled by the tail around a metal-studded bike just a tad too big for them. The Fae looked almost as out of place as Chill, wearing a brightly patterned hoodie and trying to look tough, though the amusing juxtaposition did little to reassure him.

Just what kind of crowd was this-?

Ink tugged him over, draping an arm over his shoulder in a gesture that, outwardly, may have seemed protective. Chill frowned and glanced up to see the mischievous, "I'm dragging you into shenanigans" grin that betrayed otherwise. He wilted under her conniving gaze, silently resigning himself to whatever hazing or crimes this so-called "biking club" had in mind.

Vandalism? Petty crime? He couldn't say he was up for it, himself, but he hoped whatever the group of off-kilter rebels had planned would at least be fun in the moment. Anything but bike racing, at least...

The wind began to pick up a bit, drowning out some of the quieter chatter around him. He allowed himself to relax, if only a tad bit; perhaps they were just.. hanging out. Loitering was a crime in some places, right? Passive crime, "safe" crime. Chill, figuring that the others had no interest in hanging out with him, distracted himself by counting the treasure in his pockets, wondering if he had enough to get himself a slice of pie. He may have been half Fae, but anyone, enhanced Mirror senses or not, could smell the thick, syrupy scent of apple cobbler wafting through the air from the pizza place.

It was all... so passive. Boring, but pleasant.

Of course, something had to give.

After what seemed like ages of tense stillness, Ink spoke up suddenly, her voice rumbling like a foreboding storm cloud, which Chill felt from where he was currently hugged to her side. Of course, the calm before the storm was over.

Despite everything, her voice was a tad comforting, a familiar sort of "danger" instead of the alarm bells that had initially screamed from every other corner of this place. Chill clung to her subconsciously, glaring out at the others and trying to tune out whatever was said, to just focus on the pure tone... dissociate into the void, or however the halfhearted joke went.

Despite his efforts, a few words slipped by, "Summoning" and "power" and whatnot. Part of the ghost gimmick, he assumed. He shuddered from the sudden, brisk breeze that whipped by, though instead of being hugged closer, he was abruptly shoved towards the center of the crowd.

A yelp escaped him as he stumbled to regain his bearings, his claws painfully catching on some uneven pieces of concrete. He hissed, swaying, before he glanced around to see what he'd missed in his half-attentive musings.

When had they formed an actually cohesive circle..? And around him specifically..? He looked back at Ink for explanation, though she averted her gaze. The wind rushed by, now deafening. It'd picked up unnaturally quickly, and Chill soon located its source, a growl ripping from his throat as he once again met the eyes of the Nocturne.

Airborne Parchment?! Where would they get something like that? Instead of using the windbound material for its intended purpose of bringing life to drawn objects, the supposed leader of the group was merely willing forth elemental gales of wind into existence. They didn't seem to have much hold over it, but control wasn't the intention, merely... power.

"What are you doing?!" Chill hollered. He snapped out of his stupor, storming towards the amateur spellslinger. Their eyes seemed to widen a fraction, perhaps in shock, though before more words could be exchanged, their previously awkward Fae companion leapt into action, shooting forth and headbutting Chill right in the stomach.

It wasn't a very hard hit, rather a precise one. Capsule dragons were known for their vulnerable stomach area, and sure enough, Chill reeled back, hardly able to prevent himself from crumpling to his knees back in the center of the circle. He was freezing and burning all at the same time, battered by brisk winds and the uneasy sort of thrum that rippled through the earth itself.

And yet, finally, through the gale, voices rang true. "We've never done this before, true.." It was a tinny, raspy voice that grated on Chill's ears. "But but but!! Someone naïve was needed to call forth the Shade. Call forth, not use as a vessel. He won't be hurt."

"So he's the flippin bait you mean?! Can it with the sugarcoat." A painful shockwave rattled Chill's senses as Ink screamed from somewhere above him. "And you've never done this before? He's a test dummy if anything-"

Her hands are blazing with light, undoubtedly, as she growled, "You said you knew what you were doing."

"Silence," a third, cool voice intercepted. It reverberated much stronger than the rest. "It has already begun. The artifact will draw the Shade near."

The Shade?

Chill's eyes stung as he forced them open, and he instantly regretted it. His surroundings were awash with too-bright colors, the dragons around him more like blobs of light against the pitch of his surroundings. Alarms blared in the back of his disoriented brain, and he bared his teeth, trying to stand. His claws uselessly scrabbled against the suddenly slick concrete for some purchase, and by the time he managed to stand, he could faintly see something somehow darker than the existing murk rising from the cracks.

Liquid dripping upward, unburdened by the constraints of reality.

And all fell silent, as if the world itself paused to gaze into the void.

He watched it for a moment, himself, mesmerized by its headache-inducing, impossible blackness. It swayed in an inviting, inquisitive manner, hardly blotting out the dull panic slowly igniting in the Mirror's bones. Only the very edges of its fluid form seemed to reflect light, almost like a cartoonish outline that barely detracted from how otherworldly the substance was.

The Shade..

A quiet, almost breathless whisper shook the stillness, "It worked..."

And Chill's world exploded into white hot pain, impossible fireworks set aflame behind his eyes.

~~~~~

A pulse. A pain. A thrum of negative power.

A shockwave cuts through the souls of all in the crowd, invasive and calculating and yet erratic all the same. Wild to their perception and coiling and thriving with an intelligence beyond this world. It.. analyzes them, down to the core, samples their magic and minds, and then it's gone.

The all-encompassing murk seems to draw in all light like an amorphous black hole. It's fluid and yet like plasma, burning and freezing, hollow and yet dense. It moves with a weight that's not quite physical, though fearsome and ancient all the same. Though as soon as the display of eldritch un-energy begins, it stills, settles, coalesces in the center of the circle in a more manageable form.

The summoning worked... or so they'd thought.

The Nocturne stares, captivated. The now useless parchment drops limply from their claws as they breathe, "Oh... Lightweaver.."

Ink breaks the stillness with a snarl, "Orbit!" and in an instant, the Banescale's upon the summoner, a tangle of claws and spikes and conflict. The summoner has no chance to react, the air knocked out of them as Incandescent crushes them prone to the ground and screams in their face, "What did you DO-"

They manage to whisper, "The summoning worked," though their heart's not in it. They cast a forlorn gaze towards the semi-solid insubstantiality. Their poor artifact, perfectly crafted to contain traces of the Shade... lost to this blunder. "At a cost..."

The sentiment sends Ink hysterical. "At a cost?" She devolves into wordless screams, all fight leaving her as she weakly shakes Orbit, who stares into the tearful gaze hollowly. Others break from their frozen state to attempt to break up the fight, life and energy, albeit a tense sort, flooding back.

Life cannot be paused for long, after all. The elements, however dimmed they may be, quickly resume their presence.

Ignoring the halfhearted tussle, the Fae from before hops down from his perch, silently striding past the "fight". His palms flare with magic, bright and cold and merciless, matching the shine of his eyes. Gone is the awkwardness, even in the face of the Shade itself.

The insubstantiality, which has collected into the form of the Mirror that it claimed, raises its "head" slowly, shakily in a false show of weakness. Its eyes, the only spots of light on it, blaze like searchlights, betraying its true strength.

The Fae speaks, that raspy tone adding a hint of menace to his words, "A failure.. another failure." He bares his teeth and snarls, "An expensive failure."

Another? The impossibly lightless plasma inches back, fan-like crests pinning back as it gazes into the wild eyes of disappointment and scorn. The Shade does not know fear... but all this creature knows is the impulse of fight or flight humming in its hollow core.

Something akin to a heartbeat pulses in its "chest". Quick, fearful, hardly present. Move, flee.

The fighting's died down, Ink dragged away from Orbit's huddled and silent form, and all the Banescale does is scream into the sky, into the speckled night. Yet the darkness she screams at is nowhere near the impossibility of the Shade which has claimed her friend.

Fear. The heartbeat stutters. Run.

Elemental ice, wicked and glowing, freezes the spot where the being had been mere moments before. The Fae spits a venomous string of blights, at the summoning, at the lost artifact, at the waste of time. But the residual darkness staining the ground isn't the Shade he'd aimed to erase.

It's already long gone, fleeing through the gaps of reality itself, through the tear from which it arrived.

~~~~~

Find safety.

Get out of there. Away. Far away.

But where..?

~~~~~

The fragment of Shade rematerializes in the subway. From the darkness itself, it's ejected, the ambient Shadow element of this world rejecting its unnatural presence and leaving it to sizzle in the fluorescent, buzzing lights of the few operational signs in this district.

And yet, it relaxes, collapsing shockingly solidly upon the cold, smooth pavement.

It's silent for once, the normal hustle and bustle of the city having been driven out by recent damages done to this railway. Even the usual stragglers, kids like Ink's club, who normally loiter around the "spooky abandoned subway" for kicks have long since either gone home or to the park to camp out.

Not even the most daring of delinquents would test their luck napping in the hollow depths of the earth. Not in Light territory, especially.

They say Light, for all its pristine brightness, hides something eldritch. The brightest lights cast the darkest shadows after all.

Perhaps, this is that something.

With that thought, the insubstantiality lets out a cry.

Get to safety. Hide.

It manages to stand, first shakily onto all fours, then to its hind legs. It limps towards the darkest corner, baking in the light, before it stumbles and trips to its knees again, gasping. The air passes through it, not that it needs to breathe; nonetheless, it curls up and forces itself to inhale and exhale, if only to replicate the life that it'd sensed all around it just minutes before.

Breathe.

It scrabbles at its chest its claws finding little purchase in the slick, incorporeal material making up its form. Frictionless, there's no way to scratch through to tear out the artifact inside, now bound to its metaphorical core.

It’s alive. ALIVE.

Yet the mere contact sends it reeling, light shimmering from within and just barely reflecting off its body, enough to outline its limbs among the tangled darkness, to give some definition to its form.

It’s… I’m real. I'm alive. I'm real.

The tentative balance of energy and nothingness snaps, allows life to win over, if only slightly. He remembers, his eyes glowing not with a pure, absent white like before, but with a blend of violet and fiery hues, a rapidly shifting twilight twinkling in his gaze.

Time releases a breath it'd been holding since the threads of reality first snapped.

They'd summoned The Shade, of all things. They'd tethered it to an artifact, which had tethered itself to him. He could still, if only faintly, feel his own magic humming beneath the oppressive gloom which coated (comprised?) his form, but it was.. contaminated, thoroughly so.

His poor excuse for a heart thumped once more, only seeming to beat prominently when he was struck with powerful emotion. He held his paws to his chest, focusing on that sound, willing it to continue, to prove he was still of the living realm.

Yet the heartbeat stilled soon enough, merely the erratic pulsing of a cursed artifact attempting to keep the Shade in check. To keep things in balance, in control.

The altruistic part of him was glad that such an artifact was now useless to that group. With such potential, to control even a piece of an otherworldly horror... he didn't even want to imagine what it could be used to bring about.

Petty crimes, he at least hoped. Petty crimes deluxe edition, don't get caught.

A bitter laugh escaped him, distorted and crumbling in the umbra. No need to worry about crimes now, at least. Their power... it was his now... it was him now.

Or perhaps he was its.

He waved a claw, watched it seem to flicker as if already cutting through atoms in the air with a single gesture, leaving smoky afterimages behind.

As the memories of the past thirty or so minutes flooded back, he realized, he can do just that, he has done just that, slipped out of the physical plane and just moved, perhaps faster than light for a moment, even.

So that's what teleportation really was.

The childish part of him would've relished in the idea of obtaining cosmic power, like some sort of superhero, though he knows better. His own magic fights constantly within, a storm of elemental energy caught in an endless cycle of extinguishing and reignition, with the artifact in the center, regulating it all.

He's no superhero, and this is no origin story.

He stared at the high, arching ceilings, at the darkness that would've once strained even his Shadow element eyes.

He's no superhero... he's just a circuit.

#flight rising #fluffyfics #body horror tw #unreality tw #horror warning #FluffyCharas #Chill Fallenleaf #Orbit #Ink Shimmer #Wolvesbane #angst cw #//just in case//#//it's not that bad we're just tagging everything for caution//#Shadow Officiants #Clanless #Hewn City

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powerwordsleep · 5 years ago

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Sasuke Retsuden (Unoffical English Translation)

Prologue

Here’s the next installment! Enjoy~

DISCLAIMER: This is not an official translation and was not made for profit or distribution. This translation was fan-made and done for purely enjoyment and translation practice purposes. I do not own the rights to NARUTO or any of the related materials.

CONTENT WARNING FOR GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE AND GORE.

Prologue | Chapter 2

Chapter 1

With his fangs still in the man’s body, Menō landed without making a sound. He suddenly opened his mouth and dropped the man he held in his mouth to the ground.

“...Ugh…”

He tried to crawl away, but Menō kicked him, sending him sprawling. He stabbed the claws on his foot into the man’s shoulders and started dragging him away slowly. He finally stopped when he reached the middle of the yard then opened his mouth, dripping red with blood, and took a bite out of the man’s right shoulder.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” The man shrieked, his body contorting in pain.

Menō ripped at his flesh, and the blood dripping from the wound mixed with the steady stream pouring from his stomach, quickly forming a puddle of red on the earth. Making a fast meal out of the man’s head and chest would be enjoyable. Menō instead flipped the man’s body around and started to eat the shallow flesh of his hips. He pulled at the thin fibers of muscle, and the man cried out, his face pressed into the ground, sand filling his mouth.

Menō took his time tasting the man’s flesh and blood. He had purposefully dragged the deserter’s body to the middle of the courtyard where the other prisoners could witness his meal. It was a warning—this is what will become of you if you try to run.

“Eugh! I’m still alive! Please!”

The other prisoners watched from a distance, a grimace on their faces and pickaxes resting on their shoulders. Menō teared at the flesh like he was playing with it. When he finally got to the organs and the drip drip drip of blood could be heard from afar, the man’s scream faded out until they could no longer be heard.

“Well, that’s about it for Nogema. Quickly, back to your stations.” At the sound of the low voice from behind them, all the prisoners froze at once.

A slender man wearing silver-rimmed glasses slowly emerged from the building.

The director of the Tartar Astronomy Research Institute. Zansur. The person in charge of this place and Menō’s master.

“If you don’t move quickly Menō will make you his dessert.”

Although Zansur’s voice was light, there was an underlying intimidation to it; the prisoners paled at his joke. From within the sea of prisoners scattering to their various work stations, Sasuke observed Menō in secret.

Menō swung his large, long tail, using it to keep balance as he bent over, his head lost in the soft flesh and blood in the belly of the corpse. The hard skin covering his head was stained red with blood, the yellow pupil of his eyes shining brightly.

A carnivorous prison guard who faithfully obeyed Zansur—that was Menō.

A huge, bipedal lizard covered in thick skin, with nail-shaped fangs and sharp claws. When standing he was 80 centimeters in height, but if you measured from the top of his head to the tip of his tail, he was no less than two meters. What’s terrifying was the strength of his legs. Sprouting from under his torso are two horrible, spring-like legs that can move ten meters in a single leap.

This place was not a prison. The patrols did not keep watch over the prisoners 24 hours a day like guards should. There were no locks on their living quarters nor on any of the buildings' entrances. Nevertheless, the prisoners living here followed the rules obediently—because of Menō.

As long as there was Menō, who watched over the grounds authoritatively and showed no mercy in eating those who break the rules alive, then rarely would there be anyone who would dare try to escape.

***********

The prisoners’ job at the Astronomy Research Institute was mainly digging up dirt. Using farming tools, they were tasked with scraping up the frost covered soil. If they came across a large rock or hard clumps of earth, they had to carefully dig it up and remove it. And repeat.

It seemed that the work was necessary in order to build the foundation for a giant telescope, but the longtime prisoners said that for close to a year they’ve been forced to do this work endlessly.

“Ugh, it’s cold.”

Working next to him was Jiji, who was currently standing with his pickaxe resting against his hip, furiously rubbing his hands together. The mornings were particularly cold. The temperatures were low enough to freeze snot before it fell from their noses to the ground.

“Aren’t you cold, Sasuke?”

“Yes.” He answered honestly. Sasuke rubbed his hand against the handle of his pickaxe and warmed them up with the friction. He was used to working under harsh conditions, but cold is cold.

“Ugh, I hate it here... Why did they build the Astronomy Research Institute in such a cold place? The snow already melted a while ago. At this rate I’m going to end up freezing to death. Well, actually, after seeing that guy get eaten this morning, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to freeze to death in my sleep.”

Did Jiji ever get tired of this monotonous work? He certainly never tired of speaking.

Jiji was a fellow prisoner and Sasuke’s cellmate. He was locked up on charges of stealing food because he had none. His sentence was a minimum of six months. Since they were about the same age and both in good physical condition, they were assigned to the same work division and were often paired together.

Jiji rubbed his reddened nose and then suddenly let out a yelp.

“Shit, I hurt myself. Ah, but this is lucky! Now I can go to the doctor’s office.”

“What’s so great about the doctor’s office?”

“Didn’t you hear? There’s a newly arrived lady doctor. Word on the street is she’s beautiful and kind.”

He chuckled and added, “And she’s single. No significant other.”

This caused Sasuke to look up from his work. “How do you know she’s single?”

“Because she isn’t wearing a ring.”

A ring?

Jiji noticed the blank look on Sasuke’s face and continued. “Oh yeah, you’re not from around here. It’s Redaku custom for people to exchange rings when they get married. If you wear a ring on the second to last finger of your left hand, that means you’re married. That lady doctor isn’t wearing a ring, so—ah, shit. The patrols.”

Noticing the approaching guards, Jiji cut his explanation short. He picked up his pickaxe, the blade worn and chipped, and set about diligently hammering away at earth, as was his duty. The patrols came up to watch this, swinging around their batons while walking by, scowling at Jiji. They did not, however, try to meet Sasuke’s eyes. They were afraid of him. Once the guards continued on their way, Jiji discarded his tool once more and let out the pent up breath he’d be holding.

“Ugh. Fuck this shit, I hate it here.”

Sasuke shared the sentiment. He let out a sigh and turned to look behind him. The Tartar Astronomy Research Institute sat quietly atop a desolate mountain range. Built 1,000 meters above sea level, it was a fierce stone prison. It is said that the Rokudō Sennin himself stayed at this place. He was supposed to have collected documents here. That was the reason Sasuke came here.

Naruto was suffering from an illness back in the Land of Fire. Sasuke was here to gather the documents the Rokudō Sennin collected for Naruto. That was his sole purpose. Being unable to do anything else at such a time was frustrating. Right now Naruto’s illness was getting worse with each passing second—

“What’s wrong with you? You’re making a scary face.” Jiji’s voice cut through his thoughts. His cellmate’s eyes stared curiously at him from beneath the shadow of his bangs.

“It’s nothing.”

“Really? You had a really serious look on your face.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Sasuke dexterously picked up his pickaxe with his arm, signaling the end of the conversation.

***********

After dinner Sasuke returned to his cell. As his hand touched the iron bars, he was greeted by a cut-off scream.

“AA—”

There in the middle of the cell, a gangly and petite man was lying prostrate on the floor. It was one of Sasuke’s three cellmates, Penzira. Jiji sat opposite him, legs crossed. Between the two men was a bowl with dice rolling around inside it.

“Jiji, you bastard! It’s snake eyes!”

“Heh, my bad. I’ll just take that cig, then.” Jiji snickered and pulled the cigarette on the floor towards him. It seemed that they were playing Cee-lo.

Although many prisoners become obsessed with gambling in a life of imprisonment without other forms of entertainment, Penzira has been an addict since well before. He loved playing dirty and doing underhanded tricks, but a series of successive losses earned him a pile of debt, and he got caught in multiple false marriage scams in attempts to pay it off. He had a minimum one year sentence.

Penzira noticed Sasuke. “Ah, Sasuke. Come play Cee-lo with us!” He shook the dice in the bowl incessantly.

“I’ll pass.”

“What’s up with you? So unpleasant.” Penzira frowned in disappointment and then turned his attention to the corner of the room. “Ganno! What’re you doing? Stop drawing pictures or whatever and get over here already!” He called out to Ganno, the third cellmate.

In the corner of the room squatting like a chicken on its eggs was Ganno, his back to Penzira. “Now’s no good.” He replied curtly.

Ganno, in his late sixties, was the oldest man in the cell. He was painting the loose skin on the nape of his skin completely red with paint.

“Are you still doing that? Aren’t you tired of it yet?”

“Don’t talk to me. I’ve almost completed an important part.”

It was one month ago that Ganno suddenly exclaimed, “I’ve found something great!” while out during his work shift, and returned to the cell with his pockets stuffed with red and brown rocks. Starting the next day Ganno would smash the rocks together, every morning and evening, not caring how raw his hands became. Over the course of five days the rocks were all crushed. Next he peeled off the skin from the soles of his feet. Then, he asked his friends in charge of the kitchen if he could borrow an open stove, and he used it before and after every meal for two hours; in total, he boiled the skin for close to 30 hours. Those around Ganno questioned his sanity when they saw the blood soaked bandages wrapped around his feet, but the man himself looked perfectly happy.

A broth of melted skin and a reddish brown powder made from painstakingly crushed rocks.

It was the day Sasuke arrived that Ganno finally had these two materials. While the others went to hurriedly greet the newcomer, Ganno began to mix both ingredients on top of pine leaves. Sasuke was struck breathless as he saw his cellmate completely absorbed in a task he didn’t understand.

The dull, reddish brown powder increased in viscosity when mixed with the both, and it transformed into a glossier color. After kneading the mixture for a few minutes, he completed the Kamain’s rock paint. It was a vivid red like Japanese plums. Every night since then Ganno has enjoyed painting, using pine leaves as a brush and his toenails as a canvas.

“Anyway, I’ll get rid of it before the inventory check next week.” Jiji was exasperated by this response and turned his back on the diligently working man, telling him the nail art didn’t suit him. “That’s why I’m hurrying. I’m already on my pinky finger,” replied Ganno. His voice was always cheerful.

A minimum sentence of 17 years in prison for treason against the nation. Ganno claimed his crime was painting a portrait for an aristocrat who opposed the Prime Minister. His father was also a painter, but he became obsessed and always had a paintbrush in hand, neither liking nor disliking what he painted.

A drawing that took one week to paint, done with a brush that took three weeks to make. Sasuke didn’t quite understand why Ganno would want to complete something that he would have to get rid of in a week, but any entertainment was important here.

The prisoners share what is basically a six-mat tatami room among four people. In such a confined space, adults breaking out in a fight was natural; beating each other until they were bloody and senseless was an everyday occurrence. In such an environment, Sasuke’s cell was comparatively peaceful. They weren’t exactly friendly, but so far no problems had arisen.

Ganno was absorbed in his art, and both Jiji and Penzira were upset at their dice rolls. Sasuke was gazing absentmindedly at the moon until it was time for lights out. This was what usually went on in the cell each evening.

“Yo, Sasuke, you should play too!”

“We’ll let you have the first go.” After each turn Jiji and Penzira would invite the lonesome Sasuke to play.

“No thanks,” came his short reply. He heard a faint noise and turned his gaze to the window that faced out into the courtyard. The white, illuminating light of the moon was blocked for a moment by a shadow. It was probably Menō out in the grounds. There was something about Menō that bothered Sasuke. If he were to do some research, now would be the perfect time.

“I’ve changed my mind.” Sasuke stood up and seated himself across from Penzira. “I’m your opponent now.”

“What, really? Hell yeah!”

“I don’t have cigarettes, so can I bet on something else?” Sasuke asked, reaching into his pocket and pretending to pull something out. He focused his chakra into his fingers, and using a simple Earth Style jutsu, activated the elements in the soil, arranging the atoms until they smoothed out and crystallized.

Rolling around in his palm was a red stone. It was a large ruby about the size of a cherry.

“Huh? Is that a jewel? Is that real?”

“No way, it can’t be. It’s probably glass or something.”

Jiji and Penzira inspected the jewel closely. Sasuke neither confirmed nor denied, but the jewel in his hand was certainly physically the real deal. Unfortunately, it was man-made.

“A pretty glass jewel, huh… we could take it and then melt it down in a fire and smoke it. That would be fun, yeah?”

“You don’t have any cigarettes left to bet on, I took everything you had last game. Bet on your meal duty.”

Sasuke picked up the bowl. “We don’t need cigarettes, and you don’t need to swap your meal duties. Instead, I want you to do me a favor.”

“A favor?”

“I’ll explain afterwards.” He placed the bowl on the tatami and grabbed three dice. He faced Penzira and asked, “What’s the best roll?”

“Of course you don’t know the rules. It’s snake eyes. You gotta get three digits.”

“Alright then, I’ll roll that.”

Jiji and Penzira looked at him. Even Ganno stopped working on his hand in order to watch Sasuke.

Sasuke channeled his chakra to his closed fist. The moment he rolled the dice, an imperceptible force guided them. With a clatter, the wooden dice rolled around inside the bowl.

“Seriously…”

Seeing three red dots lined up, Penzira’s mouth fell open. Like Sasuke had said, he, of course, rolled snake eyes. While Jiji and Genno were also sitting there stunned, Sasuke leisurely stood up.

“Looks like I win.”

“Rolling snake eyes right after saying you will—there ain’t luck like that. That was cheating!” Jiji smacked Penzira on the shoulder, ignoring his whine of protest.

“I told you to give up!”

When gambling with prisoners, cheating was a common occurrence. The unspoken rule here was if you don’t catch someone in the act of cheating, then it doesn’t count.

“You promised me a favor, Penzira.”

“... I can’t do anything too difficult.”

“Relax, it’s not bad.” Sasuke said and stood, heading for the door. “I’m going for a walk. When the patrols come around, cover for me.”

Penzira thought he was joking and laughed, but when he noticed Sasuke’s serious expression he followed after him, flustered. During the downtime before bed, you were free to do as you liked as long you stayed in the cells. The second you stepped foot out of your cell, you were breaking the rules.

“This is crazy! It’ll be obvious that someone is missing, how am I supposed to cover for you?”

“Stuff my futon.”

“Oh, we’ll just deceive the guards, is that it? They’re not children!” Penzira followed him out the door, complaining all the while.

“Sasuke!” Jiji called after him through the iron bars. “You get it, right? If you’re caught breaking the rules, you’ll be sent to receive punishment before you can offer up any excuses. If it’s Menō who finds you, he’ll eat you alive, no questions asked.”

“I’ll be back soon,” Sasuke replied calmly.

“That’s not the issue...” Penzira moaned.

***********

Within the grounds of the Tartar Astronomy Research Institute, there were two buildings located on the east and west end of the courtyard. Located on the west end was the multi-purpose building that housed the prisoners, which looked like it had been hastily put together with some branches that had been lying around. Opposite that, on the east end, was the headquarters of the institute.

Prisoners were forbidden from entering this building, but Sasuke held no such reservations as he boldly walked through the front door.

When he took his first step into the entryway, he was greeted by thick, fur-lined carpet. The headquarters was a completely different world from the barracks. It had been renovated since the Tartar era, and now was a magnificent brick building that resembled a royal palace. There seemed to be four stories above ground, and based on this country’s architectural standards, it was fairly large.

While the prisoners were forced to cry themselves to sleep on hard stone floors wrapped up in their thin futons, here the hallways, stairwells, and of course the rooms themselves were lined wall to wall with plush carpet. Thanks to the stucco-lined brick exterior, the building was naturally free from any cold drafts, and the guards’ rooms all had large fireplaces with which to heat their quarters. The difference was like walking on a cloud, compared to the barracks which would sometimes have icicles hanging inside the rooms during the snowy season.

As he walked through the corridors of the building, Sasuke would hide himself in rooms and attach himself to the ceiling whenever he heard the guards approaching on their patrols. But he purposely wasn’t masking his chakra presence, because of that giant lizard—it was to alert Menō. Since he couldn’t use words with his reptilian opponent, he planned on manipulating him with genjutsu to see if he could obtain any new information that way.

Menō surpassed other reptiles in terms of reflexes, speed, and power. No matter how you looked at it, Menō was a summon. Since he obeyed Zansur’s every command, there was a high chance that he was the one who gave Menō his powers. Originally, this country had no shinobi, but he’d heard that the Prime Minister had gathered rogue ninja here for a war.

It was likely that Zansur was a shinobi and he had summoned Menō using Kuchiyose, and now the two were connected via his chakra.

But a summon was not supposed to last this long. Menō was constantly stalking around the institute, morning and evening, keeping watch over the prisoners. That would mean Zansur was using Kuchiyose for at least 20 hours each day. That was way too long. Did Zansur have chakra reserves that large? Or perhaps the basic structure of this Kuchiyose technique was different from those passed down in the Land of Fire—

Tap tap. From down the corridor came the sound of nails hitting the floor.

Sasuke came to a halt, and met a pair of yellow eyes floating in the dark. Sidling out of the darkness came of the form of Menō.

“So you came.”

Sasuke raised his eyelids and focused his chakra to his eyes.

The Sharingan.

A red eye with three spinning black pinwheels met Menō’s gaze. He instantly activated his doujutsu, and dragged Menō into a genjutsu—or he intended to.

Whoosh!

Menō vaulted off the floor and leaped towards Sasuke. Sharp claws raked at Sasuke from the side and managed to cut off a lock of Sasuke’s hair.

Did the genjutsu not work?

Sasuke fended off the attack from Menō, and backed up until he hit the wall, then came to a stop. Winding up like a spring, Menō gathered strength in his legs before leaping forward, closing the distance between him and Sasuke in an instant. The pair of yellow eyes met his once again, but it had the same result. The genjutsu didn’t work.

As Menō thrust a fist towards him, Sasuke suddenly ducked down beneath his chest. He shoved him with the palm of his hand while his leg swept Menō’s feet out from under him. The sound of the floor cracking could be heard under Menō’s now prone form, and Sasuke ceased his attack. Leaving behind traces of a fight for the director and others to discover was dangerous. It made no sense, especially after all the trouble he went through to come here undetected.

Sasuke used the brief moment of reprieve to put some distance between them, when Menō’s eyes suddenly snapped open. Using his long tail like a whip, he threw himself at Sasuke and landed directly behind him. Sasuke barely dodged the hit, one that could’ve cost him his life.

He’s fast!

Sasuke used a Water Style jutsu to create a make-shift kunai out of ice, and wielding it, slashed at the sharp claws that were honing in on him then severed them from their fingertips. Without flinching, Menō continued his advance, and Sasuke continued slashing his way up the lizard’s torso.

“Gyah!” Menō let out a high-pitched scream and landed roughly on the ground. Yellow fluid poured out from a large, open wound in his stomach.

Oops.

Sasuke regretted the move instantly, but it was too late.

Menō staggered, then rushed to jump out a nearby window. When he came to the wall he smashed into it, toppling part of it over, and lept down into the courtyard below. He made a run for it at full speed, the yellow liquid drenching his body as it continued to spill out from his wound.

Sasuke bit his lip and dropped his gaze down to the palm of his hand, where a terrible sensation lingered. That last attack he landed with his kunai went deep. It was very likely a fatal wound.

***********

However—

The next day as Sasuke was looking out into the courtyard from his usual seat in the cafeteria, he spotted a familiar long tail swaying to and fro, and his eyes widened in shock.

You’re being foolish. It can’t be.

As if feeling his eyes on him, Menō faced Sasuke and met his gaze. However, as though he had no memory of the events from the night before, he huffed and quickly turned away.

Menō is alive.

Although he had suffered lasting damage, his body showed no signs of injury. Sasuke had no idea what this could mean. It was like he needed to get his eyes checked.

“So you’re the one who raised a hand against Menō. Number 487.” A voice abruptly came from behind him.

Zansur.

Sasuke had been waiting to initiate direct contact with him, but if he had revealed himself, then there was no point in hiding now. Besides, there were some things he wanted to ask him as well.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan as he turned around to face him. His eyes bled into red, and three pinwheels spun in his iris as he met Zansur’s gaze.

In the next moment—Sasuke sucked in a breath.

He only noticed it for the first time with his Sharingan. Behind the silver-rimmed frames of Zansur’s glasses were glass eyes.

“Your eyes…”

“Yes, yes, very good,” Zansur squinted at him, and the corner of his mouth lifted up in a smirk as he laughed. “You’re very keen. Every day my underlings can barely look at me, so no one else has noticed.”

Zansur reached out his arm and touched the windowsill behind Sasuke. His eyes moved naturally, and seemed to have good vision no matter where he looked. However, no matter how many times Sasuke checked to confirm, Zansur’s left and right eyes were definitely made of pure glass.

Zansur leaned in close and whispered in Sasuke’s ear. “It seems that you can use some ninjutsu… I’ll remember that.” The fake eye on the left made one full revolution in his eye socket, moving as if it were a living creature.

“It’ll take more than one measly ninja to take Menō away from me.”

#Sasuke Retsuden #NARUTO #SasuSaku #Sasuke Uchiha #Sakura Haruno #Jiji #Meno #Zansur #Penzira #Genno

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laylacooke · 4 years ago

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Sex Toys Don’t Make Good Cat Toys || Rio, Cordy, & Layla

timing: Late August. parties: @3starsquinn, Cordy [ @kadavernagh], & @laylacooke summary: Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion of...A Little Catty.

Layla wasn’t entirely sure how she had managed to pull off communicating with Leah, but she had. It was a miracle, and now she was trotting down the sidewalk headed towards Pandora’s Boxxx, where this had all started. It hadn’t taken her long to process that the witch from the shop had done it. It had been the last place she had gone, before waking up with orange fur covering her miniature body. However, her only regret, now, was putting poor Orion through yet another one of her mishaps; this seemingly the worse, since there wasn’t really much context behind her wanting to meet him there. Not only that, would he know it was her when she looked up and greeted him with a meow. She would soon find out.

Coming to a stop, just outside the entrance, she found a spot near the outside wall of the building waiting for him to show. And if all went well, she would walk in a cat and out a human (well almost human) again.

Orion was uncomfortable. Of course, he’d do anything for Layla. Even if that involved a sex shop, which Rio was definitely not confident enough to force himself inside of. Rio and Winston didn’t even sleep in the same bed, how was Rio supposed to casually stroll into a sex shop? But Layla had needed him, and he supposed he could brave the embarrassment if it meant doing her a favor. On his way towards the doors of the shop, a cat popped onto a bench and cutting his path off from the store. “Hey there buddy!” Rio swooped down, running a palm against the cat and scratching behind its ears, “I can’t hang out too long. I gotta go embarrass myself inside of this shop for a friend of mine.” He continued petting the cut for another few seconds before standing back up and side stepping the cat to walk into the store.

Layla sat patiently waiting for Rio, when she finally spotted him. Leaping onto a nearby bench, she meowed as she felt his hand come down on her ears. Ear scratches are the best! Agh. Focus, Layla. Rio’s words had made an odd noise come out of her small cat body that resembled a laugh, before she hopped down and slipped inside the door once it was open. I promise I’ll make this up to you, Orion. I don’t know how, but I will. She wasn’t entirely sure how this was going to work, but as she entered the store, she set her eyes upward, looking around for Cordy. At least with Rio there, she felt safe. Otherwise, a cat facing a witch alone was going to be a major task.

Welp, there was the bell. Customers. Eugh. Cordy uncrossed her legs and gave her hat a tilt up to properly see who came in. Why was there a kid in here? “We should really just hang up a sign that says Mime E. Stripes is next door. Wrong building, kid.” She went to tilt her hat back down, but she saw a cat tail waltzing across the store. Presumably attached to a cat. Cordy sighed and peeked over the display, looking down at the orange tabby that’d slipped inside. “Look what the you dragged in. That you, Cherry? Think you could use a shave before you try and get back into your jorts.” Cordy snickered and turned her attention back over to the kid. “Lemme guess, belly button stickers? Or are you here for a nice banshee ball gag? There’s been a lotta screaming around town lately.”

There was a lot that Orion was not comfortable with as soon as he stepped inside the store. His best bet at finding Layla was probably just to ask someone. She was memorable, right? He was vaguely aware that the cat had followed him inside and hoped that the cat was some sort of store cat or… y’know he got the joke about a cat being in a sex shop. Clever. He used the palms of his hands to block either side of his vision and made a beeline for the counter. On his way, he bumped against a display of phallic objects and the entire thing shook, Rio reaching out to try to stabilize it before realizing what he had been reaching out for and jerking his hand back. “This is torture.” Rio mumbled to himself, realizing that the woman had already started talking to him and… the cat(?) before he even made it to the counter. “Uh- no. Neither of those things please. I don’t scream.” Rio paused for a minute as he reflected on his choice of words before deciding to pretend that he never said them and continuing on, “I’m looking for a friend of mine. Short. Red hair. A quirky sassiness that makes her lovable? Please tell me that rings some bells.”

Cherry. Cordy knew exactly who Layla was, and as soon as she heard the woman’s voice, she trotted over to the counter and leaped up onto it. Pacing back and forth, she hissed at the witch who had done this to her. Scratching her eyes out wasn’t exactly an option, but making her displeasure known was well within the cat’s rights. You did this, and you’re gonna fix it, Witch! However, Rio’s words caught her attention. Turning to face him, she watched as he nearly knocked over an entire display of penis shaped objects, and the embarrassment present in his voice and actions made Layla realize just how much she was going to owe him, but first she had to somehow let him know it was her. It’s me, Rio! I’m right here! Meowing and pawing at him, she had hoped he would figure it out.

Oh, this was gonna be fun. Cordy’s mouth stretched into a wide smile as she watched the teenager tumble around the store like a child lost in a shopping mall. “Torture? Nah. Those are dildos. If you want torture, it’s in the last aisle to the left,” Cordy said, pointing with her thumb. He didn’t strike her as the type, but maybe Annabel would’ve seen something in him that she was missing. “Wasn’t saying you were the screamer, but I think anyone could scream with the right persuasion.” She winked at him, just to watch him squirm. His description rang some bells alright, and Cordy had to wonder if the kid had any idea that the cat that’d hopped up on the counter was probably the friend he was looking for. “No redheads in here,” Cordy said, straightening up the display case of penis candy that the cat swatted at. She shot Layla a glare and turned her attention back to the blue-haired teenager. She needed to get him outta here before he caught on. “Anyways, haven’t seen your friend. And don’t mind the store cat. She acts out whenever a virgin walks in.”

This was Orion’s nightmare. Worse than his nightmares actually. At least in those he was just being chased by monsters and killed or something. This was way worse than that. “Oh. Ha ha. Yes. Right.” He didn’t even know which part of the worker’s sentence he was replying to. The cat was meowing and pawing at him again, and Rio scratched at the cat again absentmindedly. “Hey kitty,” he spoke aloud but was more focused on the worker and hopefully on finding Layla. Unfortunately, there was no such luck. Either she was running late, or Rio had gotten the wrong address. He was pretty sure he preferred the latter, actually. Maybe he should try calling her again and- Did that employee just call him a virgin?? Rio immediately broke into a stream of nervous giggling at the accusation. It was true, but was it really that obvious? “Your cat can’t actually do that can she?” Rio looked down at the cat again. That had to have been a joke, right? Unless it was some sort of magic not cat. No, it was a joke. “That was a joke. I realize that now. Um.. okay. Well I guess I will just sorta… wait for her to get here then.” The cat wouldn’t seem to leave him alone, “Your cat seems to really like me.”

Are you shitting me? Rio! It’s me!!! It’s Layla!!! She meowed louder as she listened to the two humans in the room talk. How was she going to make him know it was her? Looking back at Cordy, she knew she would have to somehow get the woman to show her cards. She could easily convince Rio that Layla was just the store cat, and in knowing that (and seeing it working), she opted to do something really stupid. Well, hopefully this will make some kind of difference. Otherwise, dying as a cat might actually happen...Giving a nudge into Rio’s hand one last time, Layla turned around, and without any warning, she took off running towards Cordy. With her claws out, she launched herself off the counter and onto the woman’s face and shoulders. Hissing and yowling, she sank her teeth down into Cordy’s head. Would a store cat do this you evil witch!?

“She can, actually!” Cordy chirped, the lie coming easy and guilt-free, “No joke, don’t know how she does it. Maybe it’s like those cats who predict when people are gonna die, except so much better.” All the blood had drained from the kid’s face, and Cordy chuckled. It didn’t matter that Layla was capturing his attention; the cat had no way to communicate. So why not have some more fun? Cordy tilted her head and crossed her arms. “You know, if you don’t believe me, you could always test it out. Go find yourself a pitcher and come back later. Besides, not like your friend is here right n--” The sharp ball of furry fury pounced on her head before she could stop it. Cordy shrieked as she felt sharp claws digging and teeth digging into her scalp. Magic, dumbass, use magic. But that was the drawback of tapping into concentration and meditation for her abilities -- there was no concentration to be found right now. Gaia, her ma would’ve just blasted the damn feline off her skull. “Get off! Get off right now! Don’t make me turn you into a toad next!”

Orion remained suspicious, but this was White Crest. For all Rio knew this could be some weird sort of fae or like a magical, cursed cat. It didn’t seem entirely outside the realm of impossibility. Rio was so perplexed by the cat that he didn’t even have time to be offended by this worker clearly making fun of his virginity. He knew it was obvious that he was but still. Rude. “Intriguing.” Rio murmured; eyes trained on the cat still. It was better than looking at anything else in the store right now. “I uh- a what?” Rio questioned, thinking through the limited knowledge he had of sports, “Uhh… I don’t play baseball.” He never got any clarification however, since the cat leapt at the woman’s face and attacked her. “Oh my god!” Rio yelled, immediately going into panicking mode. He started to move towards the woman but stopped when he heard her. Turn you into a toad next? Rio froze, staring at the scene unfolding between him as the puzzle pieces slowly fit into place in his brain, “Holy- Layla??” Rio called out to the cat. What the heck was going on? Why was Layla a cat? “Did you turn my friend into a cat?”

The small, orange cat continued her plot of revenge hoping it would pay off, and when she was able to train her eyes on Rio and see the gears turning, she knew it was working. It had also felt good to sink her teeth into the head of someone so spiteful and without letting go, she began gnawing on the tight skin and hair, releasing a low growl in the process. But when Rio spoke her name, she released Cordy’s noggin and looked up. Yes!!! It’s me! It’s me, Rio!!! She did turn me into a cat! Help me!!! All she had wanted to be was a human again. Though seeing the world through cat eyes made her look at life differently, it was becoming way too easy to forget details about her human and werewolf life, and that could only mean one thing. That if Layla wasn’t freed from the curse soon, she would be a cat forever.

“The cat’s name is Fleabag!” Cordy yelled, as Layla teeth sank into her skin again. Ow, maybe she really should’ve turned this girl into a toad instead. Both virgin and feline were persistent though, and she knew it was too late to truly convince him the cat wasn’t Layla. One of the cat’s claws pierced her cheek, and she’d had enough. She pushed through the pain and closed her eyes, picturing a barrier surrounding herself, it didn’t have to be strong. Maybe Annabel had been right about that sanctorum spell being a good idea. She clapped her hands, a weak, invisible barrier wrapping around her, and Layla the cat went flying onto the counter, repelled by it. “Try that again, Layla, and I’ll have animal control come and euthanize you,” Cordy said through gritted teeth. Okay, so maybe that’d be harsh even for her, but-- she pushed her hat back onto her bleeding scalp and head of messy hair. “Not like I pulled your fur.” She crossed her arms and glared at the cat and the boy. “It’s permanent, anyways, so guess you’re outta luck. Find something else to do today.” It was a lie, and Cordy couldn’t help but look past the leprechaun-print thongs, over to the double-headed dildo imbued with magic.

Apparently, this woman was a liar. Which was rude given how awkward she was making things for Orion, but downright cruel when considering that she knew that Layla was a cat and deliberately hadn’t told him about it. Had she been the one to turn her into the cat? How was turning a human, er- werewolf into a cat even possible? It only made magic even more terrifying. But the woman’s magical abilities became apparent when something sent Layla flying off her and back onto the counter. Rio jerked backwards at first, afraid from the sudden change but then took a step forward, “Hey!” Rio called out in an attempt to sound more threatening than they all knew he was, “Be careful. Don’t hurt her!” The woman claimed it was permanent, but Rio knew better than to trust the woman now. She glanced away from Rio and Rio followed her gaze towards to try to get an idea where she had been looking. Rio began walking over towards it, trying to ignore the fact that he was staring at an alarmingly large display of dildos. But he had no idea what he was looking for. “How do I fix this?” Rio spun back around to look at her, a scowl deepening on his face. He didn’t like the idea of trying to threaten her. He knew he wouldn’t be any good at it. The only idea he had in his mind was appealing to her less than motivated side. His only chance of getting any information from her was to try to appeal to something she may not want to deal with. Rio picked the spot closest to where he thought she had been looking and picked up one of the packages. He didn’t even want to look at the thing that he was holding, but in one move he ripped the packaging in half and tore the dildo into two. Nothing happened, so he figured he hadn’t gotten lucky on the first try. “Just tell me please. I don’t want to do this anymore than you want to clean up the mess.” Rio discarded the trash he had been holding and grabbed onto the display carrying an assortment of… he had no idea what those ball shaped things were. But he twisted his wrist, snapping the wood frame of the shelving and sending the objects down and scattering the floor. “I just want my friend back.”

Getting flung back onto the counter had knocked the wind out of Layla, but before long, she was back up on her feet. Shaking off the trip through the air, she snarled at Cordy, until she noticed what the woman’s eyes were staring at. Turning her head, she spotted it. The huge double headed cockasaurces that had smacked her in the face and started all this mess. And she also watched as Rio made his way over to the display and shelving and began breaking dildos. Awwww, Rio. You’re breaking dildos for me. That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done. Realizing they would be there all night, considering Pandora’s Boxxx had an alarmingly large number of dildos available, Layla hopped off the counter and trotted over to the products. Looking up at Rio, she meowed, before standing up on her hind legs and swatting at the dreaded cursed item. This one! This is the one that made me like...this!

The employee was not being helpful in the slightest. Orion crossed his arms in a pout and considered his next options. He had reached the max capacity of being threatening to no avail, she still refused to give him any hints as to where to find whatever he was looking for. Until Layla jumped down from the counter and found Rio, swerving between the pile collecting on the floor and climbing up until she was swatting at an uncomfortably large phallic symbol that Rio had not yet gotten to. After all this, and Layla knew which one it had been the entire time? “Uh, oh? You knew? Yikes. Sorry abou-” Rio scratched at his neck nervously and began apologizing towards the woman behind the counter before stopping himself, “Wait! Never mind. You’re mean. So I’m not sorry.” As far as Rio was concerned, that was a win in his book. “So, I just break it?” Rio questioned, grabbing at it nervously and feeling strange holding it in his hands. He waited for confirmation before he squeezed his eyes shut and ripped the thing in half.

Layla watched Rio. Why are you still apologizing to the witch!? She was relieved when he had come to his senses though. But what brought her more relief, and in the most awkward of ways? Orion holding the huge hulking dildo that had gotten her in this situation in the first place. Break it! Break the dick!!! Layla watched longingly as Rio snapped the double headed cockasaurces in half. The pop had been one of the best sounds she had heard in a long time. However, once it was separated, nothing seemed to be happening; at least not quickly. And then it hit. A sharp pain had caused a shrill, loud yowl to escape her small snout. Panting fiercely, Layla stumbled forward. Everything hurt. Her small body was burning up, and she felt much like how she did after changing on a full moon. With little legs carrying her away from Rio and towards the back of the store, the teenager lost her balance before everything seemed to go black. And when her eyes opened again everything felt...different.

Her eyes betrayed her. She knew the kid saw exactly what she was looking at. Too much movement would break her barrier spell, and Cordy didn’t want to risk getting mauled by a pissed off cat again. Although... even that was probably better than getting mauled by a werewolf. Would that make her one, too? Shit, that werewolf-cat bit her scalp. Did that mean she was about to become a werewolf? Or a cat? Or-- the thought of losing her magic made her freeze, and she stood there in terror as the boy followed the cat over to the dildo. What if it wasn’t too late? She’d taken too long to make up her mind -- the dildo was in his hands and-- “Stop!” Cordy shouted, leaping over the counter. She could feel the barrier shattering around her skin, but that didn’t matter right now. She was not about to let them break her merchandise and, in the event, that she wasn’t already fucked over and going to grow fur on the next full moon, she needed Layla to stay a cat. “That’s a custom item! You can’t break it! The nymphs will--” The popping noise filled the store, and Cordy could feel the magic spilling out of the dildo in a stream, and as the cat screeched and scampered away, she knew the spell was breaking. “I’m boned, aren’t I?” If these children weren’t about to murder her, then Annabel certainly would.

As soon as the dildo was broken, Orion dropped the pieces on the floor and hopped away from it. He had touched more phallic objects in the last twenty minutes than he had in his entire life. More than he ever imagined that he would touch in his whole lifetime. Layla ran off to the back of the store, and Rio thought about following her but eventually decided against it. He had no idea how she would return to human form. The whole thing seemed too intimate for Rio to be a part of. As if this entire situation weren’t far more intimate than Rio had ever wanted. “Is that a sex thing too?” Rio questioned before sighing. It was totally a sex thing. “I don’t understand what you could possibly get from turning my friend into a cat. Was it just some sick joke to you?” Rio scoffed, the mere thought of someone finding something like that funny made Rio nauseous. “You’re messed up.” He crossed his arms, unsure where they went from here. He couldn’t exactly call the cops on her. What would he even tell them? “Layla?” Rio yelled back, sure that if she was a werewolf again that she could hear him. If she could talk, he’d hear her too. If his hearing wanted to cooperate. “You okay back there?” He didn’t want to take his eyes off of the salesperson. He didn’t trust her.

Layla sat up rubbing her head...with her hand? Looking down she noticed she had two hands. Two legs! Two feet and no orange fur!!! Climbing to her feet in excitement, she began to move forward, but stumbled slightly, “Whoa! Wait...I said whoa! I spoke! I can speak!!!” Hearing Rio call for her, the teenager ran back out into the store frantically, “Rio! Rio, I’m me again! I’m not a cat!!!!” Running towards him with tears of joy, she wrapped her arms around him jumping up and down, until she realized one thing, she was stark naked, “Oh God. I don’t...I’m…” Pulling away from him, Layla’s cheeks revealed to be as red as her hair. Scanning the area, she grabbed the closest thing she could to cover herself up, which happened to be a pair of assless jorts while her arms lay across her chest, “Oh c’mon!”

#para: sex toys don't make good cat toys #3starsquinn #para: cordy #saga: a little catty

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trashcanpamblr · 5 years ago

Text

Housing Crisis - Open

Ho hum. Another day at work completed. As the five o'clock chime rang into her ears, she breathed a sigh of relief and of disappointment. Only two or three customers ever seemed to appear in the grocery store, and maybe a few more at the Bell Hotel. But no one appeared to want to talk to her much longer than the formalities required. Of course, she wasn’t the friendliest person to converse with. She looked gruff, and she was also gruff on the inside. And her position meant she dealt with some people who just wanted to be on their way. But just someone reaching out would’ve made that day all the better. “Hey, if they aren’t willing to put up with me, maybe it’s better that I don’t put up with them!” she grumbled under her breath. No one could hear her- the store was empty. She wondered how this place survived for so long, because barely anyone shops. That’s nothing to worry about now, though. It was time to head for home.

Her home was, for lack of a better term, a bit of a hole in the wall. That’s not being metaphorical either, if you stretched what “hole” or “wall meant. It’s a pretty rotten place to live. Rats, thin walls, and that smell..... eugh, that smell. She was eager to make enough cash to leave. She was there for not but three days, and already she managed to lose her keys twice. And now, as she fumbled through her pockets, she found out she may have just made it a third. She tried the door, and, lo and behold, it was locked. That was the breaking point for her. “STUPID DOOR. WHY WON’T YOU OPEN?” She shouted. It was loud, but she didn’t care at this point. She wanted to get this door open, and hit it with some real force. It didn’t budge. Except.... it did. The door opened. But there was someone behind that door.... And upon looking at the number of this room, it wasn’t hers. Oh no.

#pi:open #pi:leuda

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photonconductor · 8 years ago

Text

rusta.arc has a Wild Night Out and Things Get Deep

Alto sighed. The familiar jingle of the Red Bear Tavern's door rang against his ears. Normally, he would've been glad to hear that tune and see Kayaj's smiling face greeting him. Today, however, wasn't quite the same as usual. His hand was still on the door handle to the tavern itself, not yet daring to go inside, to scan the room itself. It was practically empty, aside from Kayaj scrubbing away idly at a glass with a dish rag and a certain redhead slumped over the edge of the bar.

There was a drink firmly in his hand, though Alto couldn't see his face. He really had planted it firmly in the wood. The fact the bar was so empty made Alto realize just how quiet it was in here. Despite the occasional sounds from outside, there was nothing but a tense atmosphere inside. It was weird to see it so quiet.

"Alto, ya made it." Kayaj's greeting snapped him out of his thoughts and Alto's face twisted into a strained smile. However, it quickly fell into surprise as Rusty--who had been planted face first into the counter top--raised his head at that.

"Alllltooo! Heeey, buddy!" Rusty said cheerfully, though a few of those sounds had slurred together and Alto had to strain his ears for a moment. The Conductor couldn't help but grimace too. He suddenly understood why Kayaj had called for him so late.

It wasn't like Alto had been asleep either... somehow tonight he just had a hard time sleeping. Not to long after Alto had spend trying to find things to do in his room to help him fall asleep, a guard told him that Kayaj had asked for him. It wasn't like Kayaj ever really asked for him before, so he felt obligated to come. He wasn't sure what he expected, but it wasn't this.

Rusty's face was a pretty even shade of red and his gaze was unfocused. He tried to raise his glass in his hand, but his arm lazily dropped it back into the counter top. Rusty was definitely intoxicated. Alto hurried to the bar counter himself, pulling up a seat next to Rusty. He had to force himself not to choke from the sheer smell of his friend. He reeked of booze!

"Eugh, you smell awful! How many of those did you have?!" Alto couldn't help, but cough at that. Rusty merely grinned at him with a lopsided smile.

"Awh c'mon, Alto! Live a little! Ish not every day ya get t' live like this one!" Rusty slapped him on the side of his shoulder, and not too gently either. Alto could only mumble a quiet "ow" before rubbing at it. Despite the situation Alto was in, it was still strange to see his friend like this. Rusty did always drink, but he was never this out of it. Kayaj was quick to step over closer to Alto, shaking his head gently.

"I tried telling him we closed up shop hours ago, but he just wouldn't give it up. I didn't have the heart t' kick 'im out... He's my best customer after all." Kayaj sighed at that, still idly cleaning the glass. Right, Alto thought, Kayaj couldn't go home and rest either if Rusty was still here. Alto scratched at the back of his head. What exactly could he do about that though...?

"Hey, Kayaj, c'mon gimme another one!" Rusty gently held out the glass to the bartender, shaking it gently, "I promise this is the last one! I just need t' keep my buzz goin' a lil' longer. You get what I'm sayin', don't 'cha?"

"Oh, no you don't." Alto was the one to cut in, putting a hand over Rusty's. He gently pushed down to set the glass, and his hand, onto the counter top. Rusty turned his head back towards Alto, his lopsided grin suddenly scarce from his face. He was giving him a more more confused look at that. Alto felt a little bad for saying no to his friend, but he had to stop him here.

"That's enough for you for one night. C'mon, we should be getting back... You're going to get a major hangover if you keep this up." Alto frowned at him. He was worried... Rusty never drank this much. Even if he was a little loose at times when they drank (well, more specifically when Rusty drank and Alto watched him) together, he stopped after awhile. Whether it was because Alto was with him or a lady had caught his attention, Alto was never sure.

Rusty let out a puff of air through his nose before he planted an elbow against the counter top. He was clearly disgruntled by the black haired boy refusing him, but he still didn't budge from his seat. Kayaj and Alto exchanged glances, but it wasn't long before Kayaj began walking away towards the back. Clearly something was wrong with Rusty and Kayaj felt he didn't need to be there to hear whatever it was. Alto silently thanked him for it.

"Rusty... what's the matter with you? Why're you out this late?" Alto leaned forward and Rusty leaned away. His face looked sour, now, that happy smile already wiped clean. His eyes glanced back between Alto and the bottles of liquor before he leaned back.

"Maaaan! You really had t' go and ruin my buzz, huh?" Rusty's head rolled to meet Alto's gaze, "I don't need a babysitter. Why don't you just go home, Alto?" At that, Alto felt his shoulders stiffen a little.

"Rusty," Alto said a little more forcefully, as if he were scolding him, and Rusty stared at him. There was an awkward bit of silence before Rusty ran a hand through his hair. He let out a long sigh before slumping over the counter top again. All the while Rusty fidgeted, and the Conductor could only watch his friend and fellow knight in confusion. Rusty wasn't exactly the type to open up constantly... but he had a lot of baggage to carry. With being kicked out of his desert camp when he was only ten along with the man who he looked up to becoming a traitor, it weighed heavily on him.

Alto had his own issues, sure, but Rusty? Rusty took it with a smile and shrugged it off... most of the time anyway. Some things Alto was sure Rusty worried about deep down. He had opened up to him a lot these past long months but there were still some things Alto was never sure if Rusty would ever disclose.

"Did something happen?" Alto asked again and this time Alto noticed Rusty's jaw shift slightly. He was almost sure he saw his jaw clench but it was for a fleeting moment. Rusty continued to be silent beside a quiet mumble from him. There was a long pause of silence before the knight finally let out a heavy sigh.

"Some... some girl asked me to marry her." Rusty mumbled, finally saying it to the open air, and surprised even Alto.

"Really? That's great, Rusty!" Alto chimed in.

"No, it's not great, Alto!" Rusty suddenly snapped back and Alto blinked. He had gotten caught up with being happy with his friend he had nearly forgot. Rusty shyed away from commitment. He had told him long ago that he picked girls he knew he wouldn’t fall in love with. Alto didn't fully understand it, but Rusty's line of thought was different from his, especially when it came to matters about the Lambert knight himself. Even if Rusty thought he shouldn't have been born, Alto was glad he was. Even if it did mean he had to be dragged around on the occasion to hit on women.

"Wha--? I get it but..." Alto tried to speak, but Rusty interjected.

"Me, Alto! Marry me! The guy who's always the ladies man. The guy who's not even supposed t' have been born, much less be able t' marry some damn chick! That's so god damn rich! I thought she was jokin' at first, but no, she wasn't! Not in the slightest!" Rusty laughed at that, as if it were the funniest thing he had ever heard. His laughter echoed through the empty tavern and Alto felt his stomach tighten uncomfortably. The Conductor could feel himself sink slightly in his stool at that. Rusty managed to get a hold on his laughter, but chuckles still poured out of him.

"It's just... Can you believe it, Alto? Me? Could you see me, of all people, getting married, having a big ol' happy family? Gettin' homey and smoozy with some girl while our kids run around outside?" He gripped at his face with that crooked grin still hanging off of him. Alto couldn't help, but feel even more concerned. The way he laughed off that sort of thing, like it was some big joke, felt awkward. Once Rusty had settled down a little, Alto decided to voice his concerns.

"I'll admit, it is a little strange to hear you of all people getting married..." Alto agreed, but paused, "...But weren't you telling me how nice it is to have a family before?" Alto cupped his chin at that and closed his eyes with a thoughtful expression. The fellow knight let out a heavy sigh.

"Don't play that card on me, asshole." Rusty grumbled and Alto felt a smidgen of satisfaction, if only for the fact he knew he had hit something. The redhead had admitted that, but Alto's satisfaction soon melted away. He felt a little bad with how grumpy he looked.

"Sorry," Alto apologized and ducked his head down, "You told me before you don't date girls you won't fall in love with... so I guess I didn't expect to see you so upset over it." Rusty scoffed.

"I wasn't 'n love with her, trust me, but man... I don't even know why I'm upset either." Rusty laughed again, but this one sounded hollow. He straightened himself up a little, but found himself swaying still. Alto readied himself to catch his friend, just in case Rusty decided to pass out there, but he seemed to be trying to focus elsewhere. His eyes were back on the wall again as if he were seeing beyond them.

"Maybe its 'cause of you, Alto." Rusty mumbled and Alto found himself straightening up eagerly.

"Me?" Alto asked, surprised.

"Yeah... Since you came into my life, I never woulda thought twice 'bout havin' a little brother or, hell, being a big bro." Rusty went back to scratching at his hair again as if he were thinking, "Getting close to people isn't exactly easy when you've cut yourself off for so long, ya know? Hanging out with you eased that part of me, sure, but I don't know if I'm ready to move past that quite yet. I'm still getting used to this whole big brother thing, yeah?"

Alto blinked back at him with an owlish expression before a small smile cracked against his face. It wasn't like he didn't think he was important to rusty or anything like that, but it was still something Alto was getting used to. His family had been Lisette and Miss Rosa for so long it was funny to think his family was growing bigger; that it could grow bigger. Alto had a feeling the same went for Rusty.

"I can't say your idea of what a 'big brother' is is really that good," Alto teased and Rusty snorted at that.

"C'mon, admit it! We had tons of fun together! Don't you remember that one time when those girls totally thought you were some famous guy and wanted your autograph?"

"Rusty, that was you. They thought I was your butler."

"Oh, yeah, it was. Damn, I forgot that Conductor outfit really comes in handy for stuff like that."

Despite what was said, the two of them shared a laugh in the empty bar. Alto did have to admit even if Rusty was insistent on hitting on women constantly there was a few good laughs they shared between them. It wasn't always hitting on women, thankfully, but it was thanks to Rusty he got to see more of Lambert as a city. He wouldn't have if he merely stayed in the barracks all day just focusing on his goal.

It was strange just how much his view on this place had changed from when Mithra was crystallized.

His expression softened as the two of them were met with a quiet silence between them. Rusty was probably sobering up by now, Alto guessed. He felt bad for making Kayaj wait for so long for them, but the Conductor couldn't help but feel nostalgic for a moment. He wondered why... It wasn't like he didn't frequent Kayaj's tavern or anything to have it feel nostalgic to him. It was rare there was ever a quiet moment in the bar like this though. Sitting here, side by side with Rusty, was nice.

Still, Alto felt swept up in his thoughts at that. His mouth began moving before he could really register it.

"Its strange..." Alto said suddenly and Rusty looked at him. The Conductor leaned forward, gently folding his arms on top of the counter top before them. Instead of looking back at his friend, he chose so simply stare at the bottles of liquor Kayaj had carefully arranged as well.

"Sometimes its weird to think about being another person at one point. I've only ever known me as, well, me but Hilda used to look at me like she was seeing someone else. I still wonder if Klaus really saw me and not Elcrest. Even when the Eclipse happened, I started to doubt whether I really was myself and not just Elcrest. Now, I know who I am. Unlike him, I can have some sort of family. It's kind of a surprise, actually.

"You, Lisette, Miss Rosa... not to mention all the Tuning Knights are all important to me. I don't really think about it too much these days, but thinking on it now, back then, I was really scared... that I wouldn't really have a family like I thought I did..." Alto trailed off at that.

He had accepted that he couldn't be anyone other than himself. He had earned that right and even Elcrest had acknowledged it. Hilda saw Alto for Alto now, not just a friend from days long past. Who he was now and who he was then were two different people. Even if Lisette and Rosa weren't his real family by blood, he still cared about them. They hadn't had the same Amatsu ritual he and Rusty had shared but it was still the same. He still cared about Rusty, whether they were truly brothers or not.

"--Hey," Rusty spoke up and Alto glanced at him. Before he could do anything else, a hand was suddenly planted on top of Alto's head. Rusty rubbed his hair a little, ruffling it up enough to have it stick out in odd places. Alto felt his head instinctively bend down, but he didn't quite push Rusty away. He mostly didn't because he had been caught off guard by the gesture.

"Don't look so sad about it. You're gonna really kill my buzz then." Rusty mumbled before his hand slid away from Alto's head. The Conductor's eyebrows furrowed upward as he tried to glance at the spot he had rubbed. He reached a hand up to try and fix his hair before he heard his friend speak.

"Listen, Alto," he said and Alto's eyes held his attention, "I don't know what the hell went down between you and that Elcrest guy... and I don't care who says what you were or weren't. You're just Alto to me. You're my lil' bro, yeah? That's all there is to it." Alto found himself frozen for a moment, registering Rusty's words quietly.

"Yeah..." Alto agreed, continuing to smooth his hair down. He couldn't stop the smile cracked across his face at those words. Those words really solidified it to him; he was here now with Rusty. He wasn't anyone else; he was just Alto.

"Hey, what's that smile for?" Rusty teased, hooking Alto by the shoulders. Alto let out a gasp in surprise, mostly from being roughly pulled to the side.

"H-Hey!" Alto called out in surprise, but Rusty could only grin wider.

"Get ready then, 'cause this big brother needs to teach you some manners! You can't just go sayin' depressin' stuff like that, it's my job!" It wasn't long before Rusty's fist found its place where he had ruffled Alto's hair to pull him into a harsh noogie. Alto tried to squirm free of his friend's grasp, but Rusty had him in a death grip. Despite the dull pain of the noogie, Alto was laughing. Soon enough, Alto free himself from Rusty's grip. He seemed to at least sober up a little by now and finally Kayaj returned from the back.

"Good to see yer gettin' along," The man let a small chuckle rumble out of him.

"Sorry for taking so long," Alto was the first one to speak up before Kayaj waved a hand to dismiss his apologies.

"If you're really sorry, you can haul it on home now, right?" He was looking at Rusty when he said that though his smile never faded. The other knight let out a small sigh, waving a hand above his head.

"Right, right. Thanks Kayaj, we'll get on outta your hair already." Rusty let out a huff before he slipped off of the stool he was sitting on. Alto hopped down after him, though was quick to catch his friend when he saw him wobble. Rusty motioned a hand to show he was okay, but Alto didn't quite step away from him yet. The older knight fumbled around in his pocket for a moment before he clapped a few gold coins back on the counter.

"For the trouble," Rusty nodded once before his attention was back on his little brother, "I guess I might really need yer help gettin' home after all. How embarrassin'... You'd better not bring this up later." The redhead was staring daggers at him and Alto found himself laughing nervously under his sharp gaze.

"You really think I'd go and do that?" Alto asked and Rusty shook his head.

"No... I doubt Archibald would let me live it down if I got this hammered since I have patrol tomorrow." At that realization, Rusty let out a loud groan, "Ugh... I forgot all about that..."

"Don't worry, I'm sure I can help pick up some of the slack. I already do that anyway." Alto decided to move them along while they were talking so at least Kayaj wouldn't have to stay there even longer than he already was. Alto adjusted Rusty's arm to lay over his shoulder as they made their way out of the bar.

"Yeah, yeah, okay Mr. Hero. We get it. I really hope this hangover isn't going to put me out of it, I've some dates tomorrow!"

"You remembered that and not the fact you have patrol tomorrow?"

"C'mon, you expect me to forget about some beautiful girls?! How can you expect me to say no to that?"

Soon enough, the two friends were out the door with the bell of the Red Bear Tavern chiming loudly to signal their goodbye.

#choo choo motherfucker #someone: hey tag ur fics #me: no these are dumb

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theliterarywolf · 8 years ago

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So, I have to ask: Who is Shadman?

Ooh, boy: this takes us through a bit of history.

But, I’ll go through as much as I am able:

Shadman is an artist whose main specialty is ‘edgy’ art and ‘fucked up’ pornography concerning taboo subjects. Example being: my first time coming across his work (before I even knew who he was) was a picture he drew of an Inkling girl from Splatoon dressed up in a Nazi uniform with a riding crop.

However, one of the main things he’s notorious for is his loli-con artwork: ranging from characters like the girls from Loud House, Eleven from Stranger Things, Arya Stark from Game of Thrones, and many more.

Usually people would just brush him off as being weird and catering to an off-putting kink (it’s distasteful, but as long as its fictional characters, it’s fine)

... Then along came Hi-Loli.

Shadman is... not too subtle in his political nuances so, one day, he drew what was essentially a chibi-loli parody of Hilary Clinton dubbed ‘Hi-Loli’. However, he drew her in such a way that I didn’t even know who it was supposed to be until I had watched one of his videos twice and it finally clicked.

That would be iffy and, again, just distasteful, if he just left it at that.

He... didn’t leave it at that, if my intel serves me correctly because, what you have to realize is that, outside of that Inkling picture on tumblr and his YouTube channel, I don’t follow Shadman’s work. Hell, the only reason I gave the channel a second look in the first place is because of his videos on the stigmas behind being an erotic content producer.

But, I have heard that he did draw art of ‘Hi-Loli’ performing fellatio on Donald Trump so... Eugh.

Now, the main reason why more people are talking about him right now is because of what he pulled when the fried angry orange got elected. Apparently someone made a request of ‘lol, if Trump wins the election you should draw a pic of Keemstar’s (a Youtuber who I’m not necessarily fond of but that’s besides the point) daughter sucking Trump’s dick’ or something along those lines.

Shadman responded with ‘lol’ but he did make a rough sketch before the results of the election were formally released and he left it at that. However, when the election results were fully noted... He went ahead and finished the damn picture. Of a real child. Performing oral sex. On a real grown man.

And, if that wasn’t bad enough, he also drew porn of another preteen YouTuber (whose name I’m not entirely family with, my apologies).

Now, a few weeks after the picture of Keemstar’s daughter made it’s rounds of notoriety, one of Keemstar’s friends crashed one of Shadman’s streams and confronted him about it. They had a brief argument but even then Shadman said something along the lines of ‘okay, yeah, maybe it was a bit much. if you want me to delete the picture, I’ll do it; it’s done’.

During that whole time-period, the window for someone either suing Shadman for retribution or him being arrested (which I doubt will ever happen, but I digress) was in the open.

... Nothing happened. So things went on as usual. Until a few days ago when Shadman’s followers and customers and anyone who follows him for art started reporting that his website was down. People went through so many ‘what-if’ scenarios: ‘Oh, he finally got arrested for child pornography’, ‘Oh, he got shut down for drawing torture art of a Roblox character and STICKING A COPY-WRITTEN LOGO ON IT LIKE A MORON’, or even ‘He drew art for Mass Effect Andromeda and EA shut him down’. All sorts of stuff was flying around, though that Roblox thing seemed the most likely.

Then Shadman himself had a stream where he verbally explained that the company that handled the server for his website, a company that he had been using for a long while, apparently just decided to cut ties with him... and confiscate all of the art and such that had been on the website.

So, yes: THAT in a nutshell... is Shadman.

#circustalia

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grabey · 8 years ago

Link

The Double

Great to see Horizon Zero Dawn getting great reviews almost across the board, although I see some of my concerns about it being all graphics and no gameplay have some basis in reality. It’s going to be very interesting to see how this compares to the new Zelda as both games seem to have a lot in common. But there are of course the tables will be turned and it’s decent graphics and (hopefully) amazing gameplay.

It really is a shame that we never get both at the same time though. Nintendo games always have great art design but they’re never working on top notch hardware so it’s never going to be them that does The Double. Maybe Guerrilla will improve with a sequel but I think they’re just too focused on graphics. On the other hand Bethesda just don’t seem to care and their Fallout and Elder Scrolls games seem doomed to always be one generation behind in terms of graphics.

Even something like The Witcher 3, which is an excellent game that looks amazing, still has some pretty obvious flaws in terms of gameplay, specifically combat. For an action role-player in particularly I don’t know that we’re any closer to seeing both sides of the equation equal out. Armalyte

Across the pond

The thing that strikes me about the Horizon Zero Dawn reviews is that, yet again, the UK sites have marked lower than the Americans. Eurogamer didn’t give the game a recommend, and GC, The Guardian, and Videogamer gave the game an 8/10. Most other European sites seem to be in the 8/10 range too, with the high scores dominated by the big US sites.

We’ve seen this happen before with other games but my question is whether this is because Americans like the game more or because of a fundamental difference in how American reviewers do their job. It used to be that American sites would always mark much higher and generally not give a bad review to any big name game. I thought that had changed in recent years though and they were generally more reliable.

Ignoring any conspiracy about being paid off is maybe just the graphics being really good that makes the difference? Are Americans more drawn to state-of-the-art graphics and we Europeans are less impressed? It’s not something I’ve noticed to be honest, but there is definitely a pattern here when it comes to big games. Xane

Two good reasons

After reading your review of Horizon Zero Dawn, I’ll certainly be getting it. I’d prefer to play it on the PS4 Pro, as you said it makes the graphics even prettier, but I can’t justify buying a new console just for that. I would, however, fork out a few quid to upgrade my PlayStation 4 to Pro standard, but you can’t do that. Why not?

I know the cynical answer, but is there a technical reason why Sony couldn’t release a hardware upgrade to the original console? Nintendo did it with the N64 expansion pack, and Sega did with the Mega CD and 32X! Tim Keeling

GC: We’re not sure if there’s a technical reason but the success, or lack thereof, of the Mega CD and 32X is one reason. And your cynical answer covers the rest.

Can’t go back

Been playing DiRT Rally on PlayStation VR over the weekend and it’s fantastic, I found it much easier on the eyes than Driveclub due to the graphics being sharper. I’m getting quicker times than when I played it in 2D, due to it being easier to judge corners and bumps. On a wheel it feels so natural and I’m going to struggle playing racing games the standard way now.

just wondered if Codemasters were adding a VR mode to DiRT 4 when it’s out? Hope so, because I don’t know if I will get it now if it has not got a VR mode.

I’ve also really been enjoying Steep, but it would be awesome if that was in VR. Especially when using the wingsuit, it’s nerve wrecking in normal mode but in VR it would be a real adrenaline rush! robbie.j

GC: They’ve hinted at VR support for DiRT 4, but not confirmed it. It seems a no-brainer if DiRT Rally’s VR support proves popular.

Dare to dream

With all this talk about what Microsoft might or might not be showing at E3, I can’t help but get excited myself at the prospect. But then I remember the E3 rule of thumb, that you always end up being disappointed because there’s no way things can live up to six months of your imagination hyping up what’s going to be there.

And then I remember Sony’s Shenmue III/The Last Guardian/Final Fantasy VII show and you realise that sometimes dreams can come true! (They weren’t actually my dream games, but I get that they were other people’s). So does that mean I can imagine half a dozen brand new games and there be a chance that’s actually what happens? I hope so. This needs to be Microsoft’s E3. Trooper

Game of two halves

So now that most people have probably had a chance to beat Resident Evil 7, do you wish it was more or less serious than it is? I think they got the cheesiness just about right, but I’d definitely say the game was better in the first half than the second. Maybe they couldn’t have sustained that kind of setting and atmosphere for the whole game but I would’ve like to see them try, rather than go in the direction they did (trying not to give any spoilers here).

Just wondering what everyone else though though? Should it have been more serious? Should the sequel add in more traditional Resident Evil sci-fi stuff or keep the same sort of style? I’m kind of torn. There is some classic Resi stuff I’d like to see in first person (and VR) but the problem with any reboot like this is that you just end up slowly creeping back to what you were trying to get away from in the first place. Very interested to see how they handle the Resident Evil 2 remake given that. Crispen

Time for another

Crackdown is now 10 years old, as it was released in North America on February 20th 2007 and worldwide on February 23rd 2007.

It has been 10 years and I had the pleasure of playing this and Crackdown 2. Let’s hope we see something to celebrate this milestone, in the future like backwards compatibility with other Crackdown titles on Xbox 360 via the Xbox One, or a possible remaster of the previous two games. gaz be rotten (gamertag)

GC: Or, you known, some news on the new sequel?

Gaming unplugged

I’ve yet to delve join this generation of gaming – party because I’m skint and partly because all of the stories I hear of the capers that have hampered the majority of games that have come out the last few years. Most games apparently are released half-finished and require ridiculously huge updates that you need the Internet for (which I don’t have) before you even get to play the product you paid good money for.

This is incredibly off-putting to me as it sounds like a lot of hassle and doesn’t seem to be slowing down (referring to a recent letter about Hitman, which also requires an Internet connection to play to its fullest, eugh).

I really want to join this generation, as there are quite a few great single-player games being released (which I would have thought impossible in the age of online multiplayer) and with more to come in the future it seems it would be a great time to take the plunge and I was wondering how bad it ACTUALLY is. Do most games work after the updates? Do the majority of games require updates? Is it worth buying a PlayStation 4 without Internet connection? I’d ask around the net but find most gaming forums/comment sections full of *insert swear word* and GC and its loyal – and decent readers – are the only folk I trust.

Ahh, I just wish game companies would just start charging 70-80 quid per game. The cost of making games gone up but the price has pretty much remained the same. Yes, people will moan, but any game that has literally hundreds of hours worth of content (Skyrim, The Witcher 3, Fallout 4, etc.) more than deserves a higher price tag.

It would also allow companies to produce better quality products that actually work, as we all know money (or lack thereof) is the reason they ain’t working right in the first place. GrandaddyGrenadeMan92

GC: Most games will work, but almost all have updates – sometimes very important ones. We really wouldn’t advise getting any next gen console without an Internet connection at home.

Inbox also-rans

Resident Evil 5 had a big ship in it! LastYearsModel09

GC: Oh yeah. This is quickly become a conspiracy.

Not that I’m hoping, but do we know if Tingle is going to be in Zelda: Breath Of The Wild yet? I dread to think what will happen with his voiceover. Ash

This week’s Hot Topic

The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Sarge, who asks what game would you find it impossible to play without its original soundtrack?

For many people a video game’s music is an intrinsic part of the appeal, but what soundtrack do you love so much you wouldn’t dream of playing the game without it? Sometimes having the sound on is a problem, and sometimes people like to use custom soundtracks – or just turn the soundtrack down and their own music up. But what game would you never do that with?

Have you ever been upset with remasters or other versions that change or remove the original soundtrack? And do you own the soundtrack separately, either digitally or on CD or vinyl?

Source: http://ift.tt/2kSRaCP

#IFTTT #Blogger

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justinharst · 8 years ago

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The Double

Across the pond

Two good reasons

GC: We’re not sure if there’s a technical reason but the success, or lack thereof, of the Mega CD and 32X is one reason. And your cynical answer covers the rest.

Can’t go back

just wondered if Codemasters were adding a VR mode to DiRT 4 when it’s out? Hope so, because I don’t know if I will get it now if it has not got a VR mode.

GC: They’ve hinted at VR support for DiRT 4, but not confirmed it. It seems a no-brainer if DiRT Rally’s VR support proves popular.

Dare to dream

Game of two halves

Time for another

Crackdown is now 10 years old, as it was released in North America on February 20th 2007 and worldwide on February 23rd 2007.

GC: Or, you known, some news on the new sequel?

Gaming unplugged

GC: Most games will work, but almost all have updates – sometimes very important ones. We really wouldn’t advise getting any next gen console without an Internet connection at home.

Inbox also-rans

Resident Evil 5 had a big ship in it! LastYearsModel09

GC: Oh yeah. This is quickly become a conspiracy.

Not that I’m hoping, but do we know if Tingle is going to be in Zelda: Breath Of The Wild yet? I dread to think what will happen with his voiceover. Ash

This week’s Hot Topic

The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Sarge, who asks what game would you find it impossible to play without its original soundtrack?

Have you ever been upset with remasters or other versions that change or remove the original soundtrack? And do you own the soundtrack separately, either digitally or on CD or vinyl?

Source: http://ift.tt/2kSRaCP

#Games #IFTTT #Blogger

0 notes