#event: the drones

[akhilaasthana]

Akhila: Not a joke Akhila: We have our missing inhabitants Akhila: I'll message you later when we've exhumed the bodies. Good luck finding Beema Darcy

Darcy: excuse me??? Darcy: A MASS WHAT? Darcy: please tell me you're joking

[akhilaasthana]

>> 📱 Baskar

Akhila: Sorry I lost you, had to deal with an emergency. Where are you? Akhila: Baskar please tell me you haven't gone with them have you?

[cityofevelynx]

Event: The Drone part 002 Characters: Evelyn & Zaid @zaidshair Location: Near the medcenter

This place was one disaster after another! If the relentless attacks from those insane robotic hornets weren't enough, now there were these creepy creatures digging everywhere. It was chaos: people scattering, fighting to survive. The whole scene felt too close to some twisted sci-fi movie, and Evelyn could hardly believe it. But ridiculous or not, her instincts kicked in. Agent training didn’t just disappear, and she moved into fight mode without a second thought, scanning for threats and bracing herself for whatever came next.

Evelyn was determined to find anyone or anything that could lead her to this Beema. It might sound crazy, but she couldn’t stand by and let an innocent person suffer or perish. They might not share any connection, but she had made her own choices now. As she scanned the surroundings, her gaze landed on someone who looked utterly worn out. “Has anyone found a way into the forest to get to Beema or at least a plan?”

[zprite-x]

Im desperate over here boss

[shieldxofelliot]

"I don't know, somewhere with some space, I don't know if staying here in the bungalow would be a good idea." The pack of them could remain swarming around them. Again, they would be sitting ducks and that wasn't going to accomplish anything. "What if these things know we are in here, and what if they're advanced to destroy this place?" Elliot didn't know.

As soon as he heard people screaming, elliot wasn't the type to sit and listen to that. It made him cringe, made him want to do something---anything that could help. He looked over at Zaid, how a moment could change, mood as well. To one of peace and calm to chaos in a matter of seconds. Zaid didn't seem the type to sit back either. Elliot's gaze remained on the other, communicating without words that they should do something.

As the door opened once again, elliot could still hear the noises coming from the hornets. Followed by the fact that Zaid almost got attacked, he had pulled Zaid back when the hornet flew passed them. An initial reaction, or instinct, but Elliot was also looking out. "They're wh--" he heard the other person mention attacking the hub. "Well, I wouldn't let you go alone," he stated as if it was the obvious answer. At the mention of his pebble power, Elliot wasn't confident about that. "I don't know---I don't know how it's activated, I can't control it on a whim. I could try--- " he also didn't want to disappoint either. "even if your power isn't pleasant as you said earlier, can it help too?"

"And go where?" Zaid responded, deciding to just...shut the door and look away. He wished the windows had blinds or curtains to pull. "The bloody things are flying about all over the - the beach and the other bungalows...." Where could possibly be safe? It didn't sound like the robo-hornets had noticed them...so far.

But riding it out didn't seem right either. Outside it wasn't just buzzing and clacking from the strange robotic things but also the sound of people yelling and shouting. People out there doing something, getting answers. And here was Zaid, huddled in a bungalow technically not even his, with a strange bloke he just met. If they survived, what would Elliot tell others, of this moment?

Zaid grimaced at Elliot, then opened the door again, actually stepping out onto the porch to get a better look around. "They...don't seem to be attacking us. Whoa - " Zaid staggered back, as a hornet flew right by at eye's height. Someone followed, and shouted to Zaid: "Hurry, they're attacking the Hub!"

The Hub, with the industrial fridges and outdoor kitchen. Zaid couldn't let it fall to ruin. He looked at Elliot. "I'm going to the Hub, and you should come too, mate. What if you...could you throw pebbles at the hornet-things? If - if they get too close?"

[agentx8d]

‼️THE ALQUTATI FAMILY NEEDS HELP TO EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY‼️

PLEASE REBLOG!

Moatasem (5) and Obida (2), brothers living in the cold tents of Rafah with the rest of their family, and area under threat of invasion.

THE ALQUTATI FAMILY NEEDS HELP NOW TO EVACUATE. With the ground invasion of Rafah, this could be their only chance to escape death in the ongoing GENOCIDE! With our help, they can evacuate to safety and live a safe life like EVERYONE deserves.

Every single person in this family has dreams and passions. Every single person is someone’s everything. Please, do what you can to protect them.

PLEASE REBLOG, and donate if you can! ANY HELP COUNTS— SHARING GOES A LONG WAY!

[seraphont]

What's the POV situation on dagoi? is it all from tessa's pov? J's? does it switch? Is any other part from anyone else's pov? Do we see the same events from multiple povs?

It mostly follows from J’s POV! And yes it does switch hehe, especially when the memories are being recounted!

[akhilaasthana]

This was the world that Akhila new intimately. One with scalpels, hammers, and occasionally saws. “Excellent, that’s the spirit.” She encouraged him, pleased to see his earlier refusal had waned. Whilst some might argue refusal was a sane decision, such rationals didn’t live up under the scrutiny of Akhila. They were needed, therefore they would be supplicant to that need.

Usually... she was entrusting nervous residents, not chefs.

“Here. I want you to cut here with this.” Akhila handed him a scalpel befitting of cutting through the meat on a man’s thigh. “Cut approximately two cms.” Akhila held up her fingers to demonstrate the required depth. “Then once the pressure has been relieved we can work to reset his bones.” She hoped there was some strength in those wiry limbs of his. This was her home, this was the safe haven she’d craved with time stripped of any rational sense. But she was an observing party. It was Zaid who would be enjoying all the fun.

Akhila held tip of the suction device to the aforementioned site on Johnny’s thigh. “There just a little of his fascia. Perfect right, now for the hard work.” The little clear plastic tube sucked up a generous portion of blood.

“That's released, now we’re going to create space in the femur…Johnny’s thigh bone to insert a rod.” Well, Zaid was going to create said space. Akhila stared at him from underneath her glasses as if she could gauge potential for fainting from the white’s of his eyes. Chefs don’t faint. Right, but Akhila hadn’t ever had a chef for a resident before.

Akhila spared Johnny’s obs a brief glance. Another irritation of being a team of one and a half (he only counted as half given his status as contributor of steady hands only), there was no-one to confirm back on. To bark at for status reports.

It was almost lonely.

“Right.” Akhila squeezed the button on the drill it buzzed into action. “Press it like this and it moves not too dissimilar to a drill from B&Q.” 

"Chefs don't faint," Zaid huffed at the perceived insult, whatever he thought Akhila was insinuating about his profession. He drew himself up, proud and haughty - one could say, as proud as a surgeon, for considerably less justification. Surgeons saved lives; Zaid could argue that a chef's food could save people's souls.

Still, his bravado wilted slightly as he realized - with considerable dread - what Akhila wanted from him. She wouldn't explain her strange blurriness, apart from it being her curse. Zaid gently pressed a hand to his chest. He wasn't feeling nauseated, his excess of...inner destructive snot recently expended on hornets. He could hear Akhila telling him what needed to be done - cut into Johnny's thigh, release pressure. Simple procedure but dire consequences.

Zaid exhaled and reached out boldly, to grip Akhila's shoulders. Still her buzzy body for just a moment, force both of them to look each other in the eyes as he stated, "I'll do this. I'll do everything you tell me. And Johnny dies, it's on you. Not me."

He let go, then got into action. Or rather, just followed Akhila's lead to get ready. He politely turned away from Akhila when they changed into clean scrubs, although he had to admit there was something incredibly thrilling about all of this. Heated and thrilling, like something out of a primetime soapy drama.

The vigourous washing almost a comfort to Zaid, used to proper hygiene in his kitchen. Gloves were normal after Covid; the gown...like an apron, why not. Sure.

Johnny on the operating table, the big lights turned on. Buzzing of scrabbling hornets, and people shouting from outside; but Zaid could easily ignore it. Hubbub in the restaurant was normal, focus came from within.

"Right. Johnny's a leg of lamb," he proclaimed, using a pair of scissors to cut the trousers off Johnny's leg, elbow the cloth aside to expose the injury. It was ghastly, and Zaid visibly winced, but masked his expression quickly.

"I haven't done a proper full animal butchery in months. Where am I supposed to cut, love?"

[drone-season]

Sign up for Drone Season 2024! (an 18+ event!) Signups close July 21st! Make smut! Get a smutty gift! Help Nepeta fill her wish list!

[naipan]

Princess Salma bint Abdullah of Jordan shot down 6 drones last night. The Ayatollahs will not have been happy that they were defeated by a woman.

https://x.com/gepardtatze/status/1779570604842107368?s=46&t=UnfJHs5jrN--r9aG6DyqgQ

[systemcanid]

Solver/Cyn note.

Cyn gave the DDs new bodys to better take out the competition (other solver users). But why didn’t she try to take other hosts? She tried with Nori, but that didn’t really go well. The humans were the ones to give her access. She had the humans taken care of with ease buuut one issue. Yeva. She knew what was happening based on her own experiences. She knew that this wasn’t Nori’s solver but something else.

How? The color of the visor. Nori’s regular solver is purple. Cyn’s bright yellow stood out too much in the now diversified visor colors. Making it harder to blend in even if she had better access. As we know, Cyn is a shitty actor. Any differences to the visual appearance would not help any especially now that she knows there are other users.

“Didn’t Cyn take over in episode 4 with Uzi?” No. Cyn was observing. Uzi’s visor never went yellow. The solver virus allowed Cyn limited access. Even as the administrator while she was still so far away.

I like to think of the solver as an executable that behaves differently in different systems. That episode was started by Uzi’s jealousy over not fitting in after N and V were so easily accepted even after killing so many drones. Even one right in front of them in that episode. A second later on. That caused her to overheat. It swapped to fear as the solver started going haywire. The more fear it was fed, the less control Uzi had over her solver.

HER solver being the key. Every user has their own. Even if it goes haywire, it’s still part of their program. Not someone else’s control. We only see different after Cyn comes to the copper 9 as Tessa. The nulls start to show up in dead end when Uzi tries to use her solver and you get a moment where Cyn briefly does get control before she passes out on the table. Getting her yellow visor and all. Cyn is only able to do that because she’s in the area.

Best example I got is a Bluetooth connection. Closer you are, stronger the signal. Further, the more chance you have of losing that connection. If you have headphones or speakers with that function, you can understand the frustration of going to another room only to realize that your headphones disconnected and you left your device in the other room.

In the elevator, you see Uzi struggling to fight Cyn’s control. Cyn was trying to convince N how dangerous Uzi was, putting them in more danger and stressing Uzi out even more to make her lose control again. In mass destruction, at the chapel, you see Cyn, after realizing N can’t be swayed to take Uzi out, toy with Uzi. Resting the sword on her core. Adding more stress as now, she wants Uzi as a host. Still acting as Tessa to keep the act up. She needed Uzi to give into her fear and stress to give her an opportunity to take over as she was overheating.

When N gets Nori riled up, Uzi learns she CAN fight back and resist the ping. That it is possible to remain in control and that allows her to be a little more confident an calmer. Cyn needed Uzi stressed because her pings are not as effective when drones are in their right mind. When in the hallway, hiding from Cyn, both her and N have responses to the ping. For N, he starts having the effects of a panic attack (and possibly ptsd flashbacks?) while you still see flashes of yellow in Uzi’s visor. Uzi seeing N needs her allows her to focus on helping him and both of them can stay calmer.

After Uzi shows up to save V and N is the best example. Uzi’s confidence has skyrocketed. So much that when Cyn tries to ping her again, she’s able to reverse it. Cyns the one that’s stressed now. Frustrated by V going against her, N’s core being knocked out of her hands by a worker drone, and now Uzi showing up after she tried to get rid of her.

My point being, Cyn is the admin of the DDs. But it’s the solver that provides the potential. Cyn failed because she relied on the ping too much. Wanting to use other drones like toys how she saw Tessa as doing. When that failed, she did still have a lot to use and still be a major threat, even manipulating Uzis feelings towards N against her when she was hit with the pickax. It was her once again reusing one trick over and over that took her out.

She once again is a shitty actor. She really didn’t have to act much on earth. She mainly relied on brute force and her pings. The humans posed no threat to her or her drones. Unfortunately, even tho the improve she did as Eldritch J did help her projections be a lot more convincing, the tell comes in during the swap/start of them. The glitches.

Uzis learned to look for them and predict her movements. Allowing her to directly snatch her core and end up eating it. Cyn did get part of what she wanted though. She got to stay close to N as part of Uzi. Still they are separate. Uzi is now admin and now has access to Cyn’s solver and possibly others based on how many Cyn has eaten. Just makes me want so much more.

[akhilaasthana]

Zaid, Lokni and Akhila attempt to save the medicentre from hornets.

They had come. Not for her especially, Akhila was not so foolishly self-important to mistake the attack as a personal one. She raced against the beat of her own terror, the flutter of mechanical wings a lewd suggestion to the hysteria she’d been afflicted with. The swarm loomed high above the medicentre as if in contemplation of a strike, her saving grace for having not been home that morning. Akhila skidded to a stop, she still hadn’t quite mastered the art of finishing a bolt with grace. The hornets ceased their truce and one by one, they swan-dived in terrifying sync. “Shit.” Akhila was temporarily disarmed by the horror of the robotic beasts decimating the few windows cemented into the facade.

She spun, and observed in fresh horror that she wasn’t alone. “Lokni!” Akhila barked, but with some immediacy was distracted from the question of his presence to duck. One of the hornets had broken free of its ranks. It landed ten paces between them both, static crackled and a picture momentarily formed on the monitor. It was Zaid – sprinting, the picture fizzled with a blur of black. Akhila stared, her gaze shifting and her lips curling back in horror. “Zaid?” Were the beasts possessed? Seemingly, anything was possible now. The flood gates of sensibility had been broken and Akhila was a blank slate. “Lokni…walk slowly towards me.” Please, she wanted to beg.

–

Hearing his name being called, Lokni straightened to attention, wondering just what in the deep fried hell was goin' on. He had just been milling about the medcenter, Akhila having told him that he needed to be monitored for a while longer. He wasn't about to argue with a medical expert, and if he was being honest with himself, being near her brought him a sense of comfort and security. However, hearing the urgency in Akhila's voice, Lokni immediately went into a high alert mode.

Cautiously, he walked towards her, gaze fixed on the strange insectoid machine that had landed near them, a picture of- was that Zaid? forming in between the flashes of static. To his dismay, his movement agitated the mechanical monstrosity and it's wings whirred to life in a headache inducing, high-frequency buzz. It darted towards Akhila, the imagine of Zaid vanishing. Desperation kicked in as the mechanical wasp aimed its barbed stinger in Akhila's direction, targeting her. Taking a great leap, Lokni dove, tackling Akhila out of the way. They hit the ground hard and rolled to a stop, dirt hanging in the air like clouds. The wasp missed, imbedding itself into the concrete wall where it struggled to free itself, its stinger grating loudly- metal against concrete. "We need to get inside, now!" Lokni shouted, finally finding his voice while roughly getting his feet. Hastily he offered a hand to Akhila, his head snapping back and forth between the new swarm of wasps that were enclosing on them. Who would act first?

–

In truth Zaid was more concerned with saving his own skin, than anyone else's. He was running in a sheer (if silent) panic, towards the medicentre. It seemed like the most sturdy building of them all, with the thick concrete walls. He'd go straight to that fucked-up basement and hide, and wait this out. That was the plan.

"Oh bloody hell," he groaned, when he realized he wasn't alone. Akhila, sure - but Zaid figured she'd be cowering inside in her lair. Why was she outside, dammit? She needed walks or something? And then there was Lokni, who Zaid just assumed was a brave, helpful young man in times of trouble. Certainly not an ounce of cowardice in him.

The hornets were already at the medicentre, but their attention was on the pair. Zaid skidded to a stop. "Szz szz szz!" He buzz-hissed at Lokni and Akhila a few paces away. "Just. Just stay still. Don't look at their TV heads! Just look at the ground and stay the fuck still." Zaid stood where he was, barely breathing. Waiting.

The hornets on the ground chittered with their wings, their TV faces flickering shots of the Medicentre. Shots of people walking around it, with construction hats on, pointing and talking...then static. And then the hornets flew up to the roof, and resumed digging at the facade.

Once the hornet's attention was off them, Zaid asked shakily. "You two alright? Fucking hell. What'd you do to piss them off? Akhila?" It had to be Akhila who did it. Certainly not Lokni.

–

Patently Akhila ignored the Zaid-robo-hornet which seemed an apt response to anything with his face plastered on it. Everything unravelled from there with Lokni running at her. Akhila blinked, but had no time to respond as they tumbled down together, dust and dirt kicking up. The hornet he’d saved her from had lodged itself in the building and was now whirring desperately to free itself. She took Lokni’s hand to stand, still out of sorts, and found the man of the hour had materialised himself.

Akhila didn’t let go of Lokni’s hand. Could she run with him? Or would she dislocate his shoulder in the process? Small price to pay for safety. The hornets drew in and whilst the git shouted not to look Akhila couldn’t help but to. Their feeds had switched in sync. A glimpse into a bygone past? Impossible wings fluttered and together, the hornets reappraised themselves. Akhila watched with disappointment as they resumed to tearing what they could from the building. Finally, Akhila let him go with a squeeze to his shoulder. More for her own sake than his.

She knocked her head back as the assault began again, but this time from Zaid. “Nothing. I was just––” Akhila snapped, she dragged her bottom lip between her teeth. Smoothed out her shirt. Then, resumed with her voice pitched calmer. “I went to fetch tea from the warehouse this morning.” With no tea to show for it. “Anyhow, we have bigger problems.” Akhila gestured at the fluttering of metallic hornet legs cleaving what they could from concrete.

The delirium had finally come for her. “Anyone got a rather large fly swat? No?” Akhila exhaled noisily through her nose, which was healing remarkably well. “Lokni I would ask you to remain inside––” One of the hornets had peeled away from the roof, swooping in large circle above their heads. Narrowly missing them. “Bollocks.” Akhila still ducked her head on impulse. “Right well, fly swat or not, we need to be rid of them.”

–

"We need to get in and get something over those damn windows or we might loose the medcenter to 'em!" Lokni hissed, the absence of time boring down on him like the walls of some unforeseen enclosure. Akhila, still had a hold on his hand, and following Zaid's advice he tried to ignore the T.V. heads that were surrounding them, the static displayed on the screens flickering like flame, as if trying to conjure forth an image.

Backing towards the door, Lokni motioned for Zaid to get his ass over to the entrance. He didn't like how the whirring and buzzing was drowning out his thoughts, how he could feel the wind from their mechanical wings buffeting against them, how the sound of their metal appendages were 'tink' 'tink' 'tink'ing' against the ground as they approached closer, like encircling wolves.

If only they could just get inside, shut the damn door, overturn some of those cots, and use the bed frames to barricade the windows. Did they even have a chance? The medcenter was not a a small structure. The numbers were increasing- the air a blur of yellow and flashes of wings.

"Who cares about who stirred em' up- just get on over h-" Lokni's words were cut short as his gaze fixated on one screen-was that Darcy?A memory- on the black beach- "Doesn't it sound just like that? Exciting?" her words echoed out with a metallic tinge to them, making her voice take on a twisted note of hysteria. Lokni was frozen to the spot, eyes trapped within the flashing static of the encroaching hornet.

–

Zaid admittedly hesitated to join the sixteenth Doctor Who and her oh-so trusty companion. The hornets seemed hostile to them after all. Perhaps only to Akhila, but now Lokni happily made himself a target too by sticking protectively by her side. What had Akhila done to gain the big man's loyalty like that? Zaid couldn't help feeling a little jealous.

But petty thoughts aside, he had to choose: join them, or turn tail and run. Instead, Zaid made a third, secret choice that he didn't even know he was capable of.

He focused on his internal weird molecular whirl. He had a clear shot of the rooftop hornets, in theory. With a husky roar, Zaid shot his hands out, with the intention of shooting a thick blast of destructive power at the hornets, blast them right off the Medicentre. Be a hero!

An explosion of viscous heat erupted from his hands...about two feet, like a blown nose gone wrong, or too-early ejaculation. The plasma blooped to the grass, fizzled. Two hornets continued their destruction, and one was now looking at him. A shot of Chance Darling on its TV screen head, laughing.

"Oh fuck me..." Zaid dashed towards the other two, as one hornet flew over to inspect Zaid's abandoned plasam snot. He shook his hands angrily, as if they were just malfunctioning TV controls. "It's better than that, honestly." He stared at the others, mostly Lokni. "Anyone else got any ability in them, to get them off that roof? Do I need to be cruel to you again, mate?" He then looked at Akhila, filling with embarrassment which Zaid tried to mask under her stern gaze. "What can you do, darling?"

–

Akhila would’ve been quite keen on the idea of getting inside, barricading themselves in, protecting the innards of the island’s sanctuary. Except Zaid appeared to be…glowing, again. This time Akhila was entirely cognizant of his explosive abilities. Akhila’s expression tipped into one of mild distaste, her bottom lip trembled at the sight of Zaid and his…plasma blast.

She blanched back to her hardened gaze as Zaid made a quick dash their way. “That was abysmal.” Akhila critiqued. How was it on an island of the queerest fantastical possibilities, Zaid had landed himself with…that. “Speed, I can move at rather unnatural speeds…I haven’t precisely tested the limits of it yet and stopping can sometimes be difficult.” Whilst her nose had healed remarkably well, that was no inspiration to chance it. The same could be said of Lokni. Akhila held her tongue there she wouldn’t comment on his behalf. Albeit she didn’t want to see anyone she might be inclined to call upon as a friend here rush heedlessly into danger.

Not even Zaid.

Though she did wonder precisely what Zaid meant by being cruel to Lokni, and why he’d so brazenly admit it. Then again, no stretch of the imagination was required, he was a nuisance. Above them there was a nauseating sound of metal on metal, Akhila felt the weight of the invisible timer pressing down on them. She stared upwards, scaling the slick concrete sides would not be the same as scrambling up a hillside. “Hmm…wait a minute.” Akhila zipped, skidding to a stop inside the medicentre to fetch a fire extinguisher. She hauled it outside coming to a nearly neat stop beside them both.

“Foam won’t hurt them but it might distract them, and then do you think you can do that again, but with more…oomph?” Akhila directed at Zaid, before she turned to Lokni. “All good?”

–

Trying as he might, Lokni could not hide his expression of confusion and slight disgust as Zaid's... load hit the grass and bubbled and fizzled into the air. Maybe Lokni wasn't the only one who was struggling with control, but now was not the time to be thinkin' bout that.

"That's a great idea!" Lokni blurted out at the sight of Akhila wielding a fire extinguisher. Maybe all they needed was a little time. Turning to Zaid, Lokni began speaking, his words a little more frantic, "you think you can do that thing again? Maybe if you get closer? Damn, If we can just get some time- I'm gonna' try somethin'- this might not go well."

After a quick rush around the medcenter, overturning beds and throwing the metal bedframes up against the windows, shielding them from the outside attackers, Lokni struggled to strategize. Whatever the wasps were doing they seemed to be much more preoccupied with tearing up Akhila's medcenter. As he rushed around in a flurry of action, Lokni kept thinking- were they waterproof? Would a little rain even do the trick? If he messed up and got himself knocked out again it wouldn't do anyone any good.

Taking the stairs two at a time he ran up to the second floor to the largest window that he could see from. "Take cover!" Lokni yelled out to where Zaid and Akhila were. Even he didn't truly know what was going to happen. Finally he took a deep breath. Channeling his chaos and panic, he held it in the center of his mind, allowing it to spread throughout his body as his bracelet began to practically vibrate against his wrist. And then- Silence.

Had something gone wrong? Frustration bubbled within his chest, turning to rage at his own uselessness until- A dark funnel began to form on the horizon, sweeping low until it touched down in front of the medcenter in a burst of sand and rubble. Hornets were siphoned from the air- being pulled farther into the sky beyond where eyes could see. A couple tiles from the roof also came loose, swirling upward.

The funnel raged for a time, and Lokni could feel his energy ebb as if it was being siphoned from his veins. He was struggling to hold it. The wind howled and the windows rattled dangerously in their frames. With a loud shriek of wind the windows shattered, nearly tugging Lokni off of his feet as his hair whipped around his head with the force of the twister. His feet were slipping- he held fast to the nearest door frame, trying to anchor himself while still holding on to that chaos within him- just a bit longer-

In that moment Lokni didn't know how any of this would turn out, but he knew that it would at least get some distance between them and the hornets. He just had to keep it together. From his mildly obscured perspective he could see the tornado twisting and rending the earth in front of the medcenter, a dusty tunnel of sparking mechanical parts, rubble, and roof tiles.

Already, Lokni could feel himself beginning to feel weak, but beyond the dark clouds he could see rubble and scraps falling into the ocean- He could let go now- right? he mentally asked himself before his body interjected- slumping to the floor. Gasping for air, he released a deep breath that he hadn't realized that he had been holding.

The chaos from outside seemed to subside, the storm subdued- and Lokni struggling to keep conscious. He blinked slowly, the upper part of his vision darkening like someone was slowly lowering blinders down in front of his head. Cold sweat broke out all over his body and he began to shudder. He forced himself to stay awake. "Akhila- Zaid- ya'll alright?" his voice came out more hoarse and pathetic than he had expected it would.

[iamfuckingsorry]

"Do you know where we are going next?" I asked ART.

Y'know what, I think maybe I don't need any more Murderbot books. I think maybe ending things here is fucking perfect and as much as I love Wells's writing I'm genuinely not sure it can get better for me.

Like, so much of the books are about MB learning how to be a person, about becoming okay with being a complete individual with everything it entails. The first thing it does once it's actually allowed to decide on its own is it runs away from it all (admittedly to go on a mission to confirm some things about its past, because it genuinely just wants to be *good*). It shoves all its emotions away as much as it's able to. Then shit happens, and it makes its first friends, makes decisions based on these friendships, goes through a lot of emotionally intense situations...

And we get to this point here. MB having zero doubts about going with ART says a lot about its relationship with ART, but it also says a lot about its relationship with its humans - it knows that wherever it goes, when it comes back, the humans will still be there. Its humans actively acknowledge its struggles with being a now-free SecUnit and MB is willing to entertain the discussions to an extent and share information about its deeply personal experiences. Hell, System Collapse ends with MB admitting it might be somewhat broken, but that's okay as long as it can keep doing its job, and agreeing to basically do counselling - this is the guy what would rewatch its favourite TV show again and again in order to avoid acknowledging it even had Emotions a couple books back.

Reading this, I know that MB will be okay. It has hopes and goals and genuinely believes in itself and it has an amazing support system that its willing to lean on for the first time in its life. I'm convinced it'll go on to do great things with ART. And that's really the only thing I need to know.

[akhilaasthana]

She’d rocked back onto her heels, which was enough to see the hornet’s arrival. It buzzed through the trees with a flurry of its mechanical wings, for a beast made out of metal, it was surprisingly graceful. That or Akhila’s vision was still swarming. Static hissed as a compliment to the obtuse fluttering. Not all hornets would lock on like this, what had spurred this hornet to follow them? Questions she’d unpack later when she was sound of mind and not staring the creature down. Akhila’s chest heaved quick and shallow. She’d run dry of the courage, or stupidity, that’d driven her down here with him.

It didn’t matter.

Akhila was hauled to her feet, surprisingly, she yielded with no complaint. It was the kid he’d scrambled back up the muddy bank. Held his hand out as a defiant order to stop against the hornet. She was too dazed to bark at him that was ridiculous. The hornet wasn’t likely to obey his attempt at traffic control. That hadn’t been his intent. It became obvious as the stagnant water flushed overhead of them. The putrid smell of algae encased them and Akhila’s lip peeled back. What did it matter if it smelt? The hornet was confounded by the shield of water as it hovered several paces away. Staring. Waiting. Watching. Akhila raised a hand to squeeze his shoulder, an insinuation, keep it up.

Eventually, the hornet lifted in one smooth takeoff and disappeared above the tree-line. Akhila gave the kid a pat on the back. “Well done kid.” His abilities were not limited to that of solid mineral forms. Which was all the more curious. Akhila idly wondered how far he could be pushed. He seemed to have excellent control over his ability, she’d witnessed firsthand Zaid’s overzealous talk for a rather meagre output. “Can you stop it now?” She asked him, because the smell was starting to make her gag, and in part because they had a long trek back. No time to waste like the present.

“What was your name?” Akhila abruptly queried. There wasn’t a chance in hell she could lift him again, it was some small miracle she’d managed to shift her own weight and his. There was one other small problem. Akhila didn’t know where they were. No point in worrying the kid. She continued her interrogation instead. “Have you been practicing with your…ability?” 

He was still convinced that she shouldn't anger the half-bug, half-robotic creature. Elliot couldn't believe this was happening right now. He was physically not cut out for this, and if he had gone to the gym like he should have, he would have been in better shape to run. The images of the island showed on screen, and he had only seen parts of the place. However, it flickered the faces of the group from the meeting as well.

'Sincere apologies for this.' what do you mean? he questioned in his mind. Why would she apologize? She had motioned to lift him and he was not prepared. "Woah, woah, how---" whether she had the strength to lift him, he was pretty tall. He wasn't sure what she was trying to do. Sacrifice him? Is this how it ends? He wasn't prepared for what was about to happen.

Everything blurred the second they took off, the world rushing by in streaks of green and brown. He barely had time to gasp before the wind whipped the breath from his lungs, his stomach dropping as if he’d left it miles behind. Trees, mud, all blurred in his vision as he flashed past in less than a blink. Just when he thought he couldn’t hold on any longer, the momentum shifted—as he tumbled down.

His body rolled until he was met with the awakening splash of a small pond. Elliot did not like water, in fact, he was a terrible swimmer, and quite frankly did not have good memories. His initial reaction was to gag, he wanted to vomit everything he had eaten. Whatever it was that happened, had his head spinning. However, the cool sensation of the water is what had him remain still. He wasn't immersed in it, but at the edge of the water, not fully thrown in.

He couldn't explain the discomfort from being covered in water, and mud together. Yet, the feel of the water had him remain still. For two reasons. The first he had explained earlier, he didn't like water. The second, he felt a connection to it.

MOVE!

His thoughts snapped back to see the other woman across the way, followed by the hornet that had followed her earlier. Elliot moved like his life depended on it. He felt hopeless, useless, and afraid. The feelings swirling within, followed by wanting to survive. Wanting to come out of this alive. "You move too!" he said as he crawled, before standing to make a dash for her. Should he have run the other way --sure, but Elliot was not the kind of person to leave someone behind.

The hornet was making it's way, he managed to reach her and pull her to stand up. The hornet was close, and Elliot held his hand out in defense. The last thought in mind was protection. They needed protection. All he could hear was the sound of water flowing like one would hear if they were near a waterfall. Like magic, a swirling wall of water formed around them, rising like a shimmering, liquid barrier. It encased them entirely, a protective shield of fluid motion that pulsed and shifted with every heartbeat.

[mikami1992]

You know what…

Celebrities are followed by the Paparazzi

and Bruce Wayne is a celebrity.

so… in a stroke of luck a paparazzi manages to take a photo of Bruce Wayne aged 50 or more with a muscular and strong body that is also covered in numerous scars…

and this was just a month after the "leak" of a photograph of Bruce Wayne where he looked like a normal body according to his age and where the use of Photoshop to "improve" the image was debated for days…

now we don't know what to think…

[abrahamdraberham]

Come my children I have content. More promptly for the ms./co/ event. Currently right now pomni is making to I think either 4th or 5th round. The pomni bros are winning. Happy for the lads